Family Pictures

We were thrilled this past Saturday to have some family pictures taken at our house by an amazing photographer in our area, Kari McGrath.

What a blessing to be able to preserve moments like this not only for us, but also, we pray, for future generations of our family. I trust that it doesn't seem too self-serving to have preserved them here, too, and that you will enjoy seeing them.

I could not recommend Kari more highly. If you are anywhere near our area, and have portrait needs, you won't go wrong working with her. Just click on the hyperlink above to visit Kari's website.

The Turgid Miasma of Existence - Part II

As I stated in the previous post, many passages from the Bible could serve equally well to teach, rebuke, correct, train, and equip us (2 Tim. 3:16-17) to face the minutiae and the mundane of every day living, but the following have been ever-present reminders in my own struggle these days with the turgid miasma of existence.

The writer of Hebrews said,

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:1-3, ESV).

Like everyone, we can get “weighted” down in life with a host of things; not the least of which is our own sin. We can stay “weighted” down by these things and struggle to even make it through the day without falling, or we can cast them off and run like a champion. The latter is God’s plan for His children.

And note that all the while, we are “looking to Jesus” as the supreme and only perfect example of how to run life’s race with faithful and joyful perseverance. Jesus endured what He did, according to the writer of Hebrews, “for the joy that was set before Him,” and is now “seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

We spend most of our time burdened down by the junk that is behind us, but God’s plan is that we would, instead, be buoyed up by the joy that is before us. You see, we’re not running from something, but for something – the prize – the finish line (1 Cor. 9:24-25). One day – not yet – but one day, we will have finished the course (2 Tim. 4:7-8) and be at home in heaven with Jesus. Until then. . .

We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses whose lives prove this race can be run with faith and perseverance to the glory of God (Heb. 11). From their example, and supremely from the example of our Lord Jesus, we are reminded that no one ever wins a race by starting well, but by finishing well. They did it, and by God’s grace, we can, too.

Earlier, the writer of Hebrews said,

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God (Hebrews 11:8-10, ESV).

Abraham's faith was unwaivering in the face of uncertainty. God called him to go to “a place that he was to receive.” In other words, he didn’t have it yet. And he went, “not knowing where he was going.” In other words, he had to depend on God’s guidance - not once in a while, not once a week, not even every day, but every step along the way. And so he went – “by faith.”

And notice how he lived – “in tents.” Now, that doesn’t mean too much until you read the rest: “For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” Abraham reckoned himself, as did all these men and women of faith, as a “stranger and exile” on the earth (11.13).

Are you noticing something of a pattern yet? If not, here it is: God’s people look forward. That is, our focus is beyond today. Our treasure is in heaven (Matt. 6:20-21). Our hearts are already home. Our joy is before us. And it is that forward look toward tomorrow which enables the faithful life we seek to live today.

This is no way means that we are unconcerned about the here and now. In fact, it means quite the contrary. Again, the forward look enables the faithful life (1 Cor. 15:19). It is that “bright hope for tomorrow,” to borrow the words from a cherished old hymn, which provides “strength for today” (Great Is Thy Faithfulness, written by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1923).

We are born here. We live here. We work here. We marry here. We raise children here. Sometimes we divorce here. We are tempted here. We sin here. We are forgiven here. By God’s grace, we start over again here. We die here. Here is where we are, but here is not all there is.

Everything we do here, we do in tents.

Here is not permanent. Here is temporary. And like Abraham, we can live faithfully and joyfully today with an eye toward tomorrow. If we do, then. . .

the turgid miasma of existence

will be swallowed up by

The Triumphant Mindset on Eternity.

The Turgid Miasma of Existence - Part I

Recently a colleague and I were lamenting what we perceived to be some of the mindless routines of our vocation. This particular colleague is a great wordsmith and referred to our condition as “The turgid miasma of existence.” What I discovered upon further research is that this phrase was actually the title of an album released in the mid-1980s by an Australian rock band called Celibate Rifles. Never heard of them? Neither had I. With all due respect to Celibate Rifles, my interest is not in their album. What I am interested in, however, is that many people really do appear to view life in this way.

Turgid refers to something that is dull, boring, tedious, or monotonous. Miasma refers to something which clouds, obscures; a haze, a fog. My friend paraphrased “the turgid miasma of existence” as, “The unchanging cloudiness of every day life hanging over us.” Do you know anyone who feels like that? Did you happen to see that person in the mirror this morning?

To many people, it seems, life is more about existing than living; more about surviving than thriving. Robotically, we progress through the checklists of the day as if in a fog that obscures the things which are most important.

• We are productive but not passionate.

• We are fruitful but not focused.

• We are efficient but not effectual.

• We are creative but not content.

• We are hurried but not hopeful.

• We are worried but not wise.

• We are successful but not secure.

• We are good but not great.

• We accomplish but don’t apprehend.

• We are active but not alive.

• Our days are filled but not full.

We do our jobs. We meet our deadlines. We get through the day. Still, something is missing. Our busyness doesn’t seem to make us better. Our actions never seem to bring us closer to attaining the things we most need. Then we get up tomorrow and do it all over again. The turgid miasma of existence.

Is this the kind of approach to living that God intends for those who are His by grace and through faith in Jesus? I would suggest that the answer to that question is a resounding, “No.” Though scores of passages from the Bible could be brought to bear upon this question, in Part II, I will reference but a few.

This Next Story Is Disturbing

My wife and I sat down to dinner last night and also had the television on to watch the local evening news. In central Kentucky, most folks are either channel 18, WLEX, channel 27, WKYT, or channel 36, WTVQ folks – and some take that loyalty quite seriously, I might add. I wouldn’t say that we maintain that level of loyalty to one, but do tend toward channel 18, WLEX.

I had never contacted a media outlet with either a suggestion or a grievance – until last night. After hearing what we heard, both my wife and I agreed that – whether what we viewed as problematic was intended or unintended – somebody had to say something. As a result, I sat down to draft and then send an email to the management of WLEX, which you can read below.

Perhaps you will conclude upon reading that what was really “over- the-top” was my response. However, I would like to know your thoughts.

Dear Lex18 Management,

First of all, I would rather watch Lex18 news than any other station in Lexington. However, I found a portion of the Lex18 News at 6:00 P.M. on Monday, September 9, 2008 a bit disconcerting.

There was a story about a three-year-old child who had been left by his (or her) mother in a hot van on Saturday for nearly 45 minutes. Then there was a report regarding the ongoing investigation of a Clark County child who had been beaten and scalded to death. Following that was a story about a deadly crash on Interstate 75 which included the decapitation of an eight-year-old boy from Illinois. Though each of these stories was tragic, they are not what I found most problematic about that portion of the newscast. No, that came next.

After those stories, the anchor was sure to state that the next story “is disturbing.” You know, one of those, “the next story contains images that might not be suitable for all audiences” kinds of disclaimer. What followed was a cruelty to animals report about the discovery of a trash bag full of dead puppies on US 60 in Bath County; which, presumably, had been run over many times along this heavily traveled road.

Please don’t misunderstand – I think cruelty to animals in any form is a crime. The story was disturbing. What I take exception with, I suppose, is the fact that the discovery of a bag of dogs was preceded by a warning of disturbing content, but a child left in a van by its mother, the beating and scalding of a ten-year-old, and the decapitation of an eight-year-old were preceded by no such warning as to the nature of their potentially disturbing content.

I’m certainly not asking for a retraction or even an on-air explanation. I just don’t get it. Was it just sloppy writing? Was it just insensitive reporting? Whatever it was, I cannot believe that it was what it appeared to be; namely that a story about a bag of dogs was more disturbing than the others.

Interestingly, I did receive a response from the webmaster at WLEX within an hour, but not really. What the email indicated was that my response was not delivered for “security reasons.” I’m not sure what that means, but it doesn’t sound good! I promptly sent the email to another contact address on their website, but have yet to receive a response. When (and if) I do, I will post it here.

Again, perhaps I’m making too much of this. Perhaps it just hit me at the wrong time. I’m not sure, but I do know that it troubled me. What do you think?

Prayer Changes Things, Part Two

“So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12.7-10, ESV).

First of all, though in some way painful for Paul, this “thorn” had a specific purpose. Paul said it was “to keep (him) from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations (12.7a.).” What revelations? In verse two of chapter seven, Paul mentioned something amazing that had happened to him fourteen years prior to this writing. He said that he was “caught up to the third heaven,” and in verse three he said that he was “caught up to paradise.” Whether in the body or out of the body, Paul wasn’t sure – but he had been to heaven and back!

A number of people in recent history have recounted so-called “out of body experiences.” In fact, their “experiences” are often the subject of anything from daytime talk shows to best selling books. Whether those experiences are true or not, only God knows. But I do know that Paul’s experiences really happened, because the Bible says they did. Paul didn’t take his experiences on the daytime talk show circuit or write a book about them. In fact, Paul said that what he had seen and heard were “things that cannot be told (12.4).”

If anyone could have boasted about what he knew and what he had seen, it was Paul. But God took care of that! To keep Paul humble – to make sure that he didn’t boast about his experiences and thereby glorify himself - “a thorn was given (emphasis mine)” to Paul in the flesh. Now it usually brings us pleasure when someone gives us something, but this “gift” from God brought Paul pain. In fact, it brought Paul so much pain that he begged God to take His “gift” back!

However, Paul’s prayer did not change his situation. Paul’s request of God was denied. Instead of removing the thorn, God reminded Paul of His grace. He said, “My grace is sufficient for you (12.9a).” In other words, God would not remove Paul’s thorn because He had given it to him for a reason. What God would do, though, is make His grace constantly available to Paul to enable him to endure his thorn. In fact, Paul’s weakness would be the stage on which God’s power would perform.

How did Paul respond to God’s answer? Precisely the way he should! If it is through my weakness that God’s power is most seen in my life – if my weakness is the stage on which God’s power performs – if weakness is the secret to having the power of Christ rest upon me - then, Paul says, “I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses.”

I submit to you that this “revelation” far surpassed those previously mentioned. In a matter of four verses, we see a man transformed before our very eyes! Paul went from bemoaning a temporary predicament to boasting in an eternal purpose. His motivation in prayer went from seeking his gain to seeking God’s glory. What he had previously viewed as a hindrance to his life and ministry, he now viewed as a help to his own walk with Christ as well as his ministry to others. He no longer complained for his own sake, but, “for the sake of Christ,” became “content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.”

In other words, whatever circumstances or situations that most revealed God’s power in his life, and whatever circumstances or situations that resulted in the most glory for God, Paul was ready to endure through God’s abiding grace. Later he would say, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me (Phil 4.13; cf. Col 1.29; 1 Peter 4.19)” – even endure a thorn in the flesh!

In Part One of this lesson I challenged you to take a phrase out of your vocabulary and replace it with a new one. I asked you to replace the phrase, “Prayer changes things” with the phrase, “Through prayer, God changes me in the things.”

Again, I believe this is precisely what happened in Paul’s life. Through communion with God, Paul learned that though he was free to present any and all of his requests to God (Phil 4.6), God was not bound to grant the requests that he made. Prayer does not “change things” in the sense that it moves the sovereign hand of God to do something He has not purposed to do. Now it may be that God has ordained a thing to happen, and ordained that it would come about through the prayers of his people, but still, God is sovereign. And there are other times, like in Paul’s case, when God simply denies the request we have made because He has a purpose for the thorn.

Thorns – whatever they are in our lives – are painful. But when we understand, as Paul did, that God has a purpose for the pain, we can begin to see our weaknesses as gifts from God for our good and for His glory.

Real strength doesn’t come from what we can do on our own - all thorns removed – which gives the glory to us. Real strength comes from understanding what God’s power can do through our weaknesses – thorns and all – which gives all the glory to Him. Prayer may not always change the things in my life, but prayer will always change me in the things if I believe that, “when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Prayer Changes Things, Part One

“Prayer changes things” has been one of the more popular phrases tossed around in Christian circles for a long time. However, the problem is just that – it is “tossed around” without any real thought given to what the phrase implies.

We all know stories of someone who has earnestly pleaded for God to change a situation in which they found themselves. Perhaps even you have a compelling story or two to tell. Let's assume that the following scenarios describe true believers in, and followers of, Jesus Christ - individuals who are committed to God and to His church.

A parent prays that their child will survive the surgery, and he does.

A family prays that their home will be spared from the ravages of a hurricane, and it is.

A faithful saint prays to be healed of some chronic ailment or disease, and it happens.

A family prays that they will have all the money they need to pay their bills this month, and they do.

A believing wife prays for the salvation of her husband, and, in time, the man is saved.

Prayer changes things. Right? To be sure, we all know stories of people who prayed for God to change something, and He did. But isn’t it also true that we know of perhaps even more cases in which someone prayed for God to change something, but He didn't. Again, let us assume that the following scenarios describe true believers in, and followers of, Jesus Christ - individuals who are committed to God and to His church.

A parent prays that their child will survive the surgery, but he doesn't.

A family prays that their home will be spared from the ravages of a hurricane, but it isn't.

A faithful saint prays to be healed of some chronic ailment or disease, but it doesn’t happen.

A family prays that they will have all the money they need to pay their bills this month, but they still end up short.

A believing wife prays for the salvation of her husband, but the man leaves this world without knowing Christ?

Prayer changes things. Right? Let’s bring that question to bear on a situation from the life of the Apostle Paul.

“So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12.7-10, ESV).

Is it true that prayer changes things? Well, obviously not for the Apostle Paul. Scholars have differed throughout history concerning what specifically the “thorn” was to which Paul referred in this passage. Though I personally believe it at least involved some physical ailment or limitation that Paul viewed as a hindrance to his ministry, it frankly doesn’t matter what it was. Whatever it was, it was significant enough for Paul to plead with the Lord on three different occasions to take it away. Now if prayer changes things, should not faithful Paul have experienced the removal of his thorn? The truth is, however, that prayer did not change this thing in Paul’s life.

Frankly, prayer doesn’t change anything – God changes things. At the same time, however, God in His sovereign freedom does not always choose to change the thing we have prayed about. What I believe God will do, however, is change us. I would like for you to consider taking a phrase out of your vocabulary and replacing it with a new one.

OUT: Prayer changes things.
IN: Through prayer, God changes me in the things.

I believe this is precisely what happened in Paul’s life. Prayer did not change the thing, but through prayer, God did change Paul in the thing. But how did bringing this need before the Lord and the Lord’s response change Paul? We’ll look at that in our next post.

I Was There

What a joy is mine to look into the eyes and hearts of my three children. When I think of how much I, imperfect and so prone to failure, love my children, I am staggered by the reality of how much God loves those who are His. What a privilege to know God by His grace and through faith in Jesus Christ. What an honor to call Him – Father.

Please understand that God has written a love letter to His children called the Bible. What I would like to preserve here is obviously not inspired, but has been a blessing to some in the past. I imagined what God might say to one of His children (consistent with what He has already said to His children in the Bible) if He had a conversation with them about their life. Perhaps you have had a tough go of it lately, or for a long while. Wouldn’t it be cool to find a letter from God in your mailbox, or tucked under the pillow on which you cried yourself to sleep last night? Maybe it would go something like this:

Dear Child,

I watched you running through the fields like you didn’t have a care in the world. I WAS THERE. I saw you learn, grow, and be a kid. I WAS THERE, and I was watching over you. I saw the good times, but I also saw the bad times. You were so young to have experienced the pain caused you by another – one you should have been able to trust, but could not. BUT I WAS THERE. I felt the pain with you. The confusion, the fear, the disappointment – I felt it, because I WAS THERE.

I have been there for it all. I was there when you had to make the hardest decision of your life. I know how you felt, even though you couldn’t tell anyone else. I was there when you felt guilty, ashamed, and just worn out from it all. I felt your confusion, your sense of failure, and your uncertainty and fear about what would happen next. And though it seemed you were alone, you were not. I WAS THERE, and I loved you.

When I look at it all – the good and the bad – I remember who I had in mind from eternity for you to be. And I want you to know something – you are still that person. Nothing has destroyed that because I WAS THERE. I know you must wonder from time to time why, if I was there, I did not just prevent some of the things that were so hard. Why did I allow them? My child, there is no way I can explain it to you in a way that you can understand. My ways are not your ways. My thoughts are not your thoughts. Just know this: I was always there, I am here now, and I will always be here. Please walk daily in the assurance that you are mine and that I have a wonderful plan for your life. Nothing in your past or your present can prevent My plans for your future!

And please walk daily in the assurance that I have heard your prayers and have forgiven you for the times you walked down the wrong paths. Not only have I forgiven your sins, but I have chosen never to remember them against you again. They are removed from you and from My record as far as the east is from the west. They have been cast into the deepest depths of the sea. I buried them because I was unwilling for them to bury you. They are gone, but you are here. And you are here because I WAS THERE. You are free, and you are forgiven!

You are Mine. I designed you for Me. You will live and become who I made you to be. Nothing is going to take that away from you. Nothing is going to take that away from Me!

You will find in Me all you ever dreamed of and more. I have given you more than you realize you have, but you will learn in time. I have prepared and preserved it all for you, my precious child. All you searched for so long and could never find is yours now. It is real, and it is forever!

Walk in My love, dear child. Walk in My care. Enjoy with all your heart the life I have prepared and preserved for you. Love and live as an offering of thanksgiving to Me. Never look back – only straight ahead. Walk each day with your hand in Mine. Live for me and never forget that you are here because I WAS THERE – all along!

Enjoy, my love. And know, my precious child, that you are the light in My eyes, and that I love you with a love that knows no end.

Your Father