Persistent Prayer, Person, Promises

On Sunday April 3rd I had the opportunity to preach at my home church, Lawton Evangelical Mennonite Church. I was asked to share from Luke 18:1-8, the parable of the persistent widow. I really enjoyed both preparing and delivering this message. As I re-visit it today, I am still challenged by the things the LORD taught me in this text.

You can listen to the message here. Below are some of the key thoughts that I hit on...

The Parable of the Persistent Widow
Luke 18:1-8

Persistent prayer is fueled by an ever-expanding view of the Person & Promises of God!

(1)The Need for Persistent Prayer

a)Dependence
Widows were helpless and vulnerable…they were completely dependent on others for provision and protection!

“Prayer is the expression of man’s dependence upon God for all things.” - New Unger’s Bible Dictionary

b)Desperation
Luke 18:1-8 = …there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him…yet because this widow keeps bothering me…so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming…

c)Devotion
Luke 5:16-->Acts 1:14; Romans 12:12; Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17

“A man should pray as often as he has an opportunity; should be constant and assiduous at the throne of grace, and continue putting up his request to God, though he does not presently return an answer.” - John Gill

(2)The Person & Promises of God

(a)His Compassion & Justice

Two of the key qualifications for a judge at that time were the fear of God and the love men!

“This parable is a standard Jewish “how much more” argument: If an unjust judge who cared not for widows can dispense justice, how much more will the righteous judge of all the earth, who was known as the defender of widows and orphans?” - Bible Background Commentary

Psalm 68:5 = Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in His holy habitation.

(b)His Coming Judgment
The Just Judge is coming back to judge the earth. Those of us who have believed on the Gospel should not fear His return, but rather long for his return. Maranatha!

Luke 18:8 = …when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?

Can you see the beauty of the Gospel in this parable?
We are like the widow: vulnerable, needy, helpless, dependent. We were oppressed by our sins, unable to save ourselves. We were dependent upon outside intervention! The Righteous Judge, the Just Judge intervened on our behalf in the person of Jesus Christ. We stood guilty before the Just Judge (for all have sinned and fall short), and God's justice demands that our sins are punished. If God doesn't punish sin, then He is not just. Christ took the penalty for our sins. He took the punishment that we deserved. Christ death satisfied the justice of God. His death on the cross and His resurrection are our source of hope! This work of redemption brought us back to God. We were fatherless, but He is now our Father. We were husband less, but we are now the bride of Christ. Christ is coming back, and because of the Gospel we can long for His return! So let's be steadfast in prayer and faithful service to the King until He comes back to get us!

Cardboard Testimonies of Transformation

My parent's church did a "cardboard testimonies" service similar to the one in the video, and it was a powerful time. This video will definitely make you well up!

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come.

Support Japan

I have been looking into how to support Japan during this time of crisis. There are several relief and development organizations on the ground there now. I just wanted to highlight a few of the options that you can send money through:

Samaritan's Purse
For over 40 years, Samaritan's Purse has done our utmost to follow Christ's command by going to the aid of the world's poor, sick, and suffering. We are an effective means of reaching hurting people in countries around the world with food, medicine, and other assistance in the Name of Jesus Christ. Read more here...

In Japan, Samaritan's Purse is "delivering emergency relief supplies, including heavy-duty plastic shelter materials, blankets, water, hygiene items, and first aid kits, to survivors of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan's northeastern coast."

World Vision
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. Read more here...

In Japan, World Vision is "is distributing relief supplies to thousands of people devastated by the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11. An emergency response team is on the ground in hard hit areas, providing water, blankets, and other urgently needed supplies to survivors. Ongoing efforts will focus on the unique needs of children, who are the most impacted."

Churches Helping Churches
Churches Helping Churches is a global partnership of church communities who seek to rebuild other churches in the wake of a catastrophic natural disaster. Read more here...

In Japan, Churches Helping Churches is "getting behind a local organization called CRASH Japan, which comprises Japanese missionaries and churches who know each other and know Japan."

Our junior high students at Sunshine are going to begin collecting money this afternoon. We are going to donate the money to Samaritan's Purse, to support their efforts.

Let's all continue to stand with Japan in prayer! Let's pray that God would use this to draw people to Himself there.

One Month To Live

This video is very inspiring and puts things in perspective!

Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.

The Gospel

All of us need the Gospel. We need it every day. It exposes and crushes are notions of self righteousness and it reminds of our utter dependence upon the grace of God through Jesus Christ!


1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you— unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

I have shared this quote before on my blog, but I think it is worth reposting...
"The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the salvation of those who trust him is old news. It is really old, really good news. So what are we aiming for in hearing again and again that which we've heard before? The hope in hearing the old, good news is that it would perpetually break new ground in our lives. Our hearts are like a jungle. There is untamed wilderness and darkness that has not yet been brought, as it were, under the rule of the One who has laid claim to it all. We need to hear the gospel again and again so that the old, good news of Jesus Christ would reach into these uncharted territories of our lives and fly the flag of its dominion. This is how we are "being saved." This is what it means to be overcome by the gospel." - Jonathan Parnell, Desiring God blog

Faithful Eternal Investment

This past year I went to several funerals that have caused me to think on the frailty of life and the shortness of our time here. I feel a renewed sense of urgency to "maximize" my days. During my message on "Faithfulness" I looked at the parable of the talents found in Matthew 25:16-30. It emphasizes faithful service to the King while he is away. The 24th & 25th chapter of Matthew reminds us that the return of our Master is certain and is on the horizon. He has entrusted us with an incredible treasure in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and He has given each of us varying abilities, skill sets, and spiritual gifts to be used for His glory and for the good of others. His instructions were to take the precious message of the Gospel and to invest it in the lives of others, that we might multiply ourselves and gain a return on our investment for the enjoyment of the Master.

We see these instructions given to us in the first chapter of Acts, and in the last chapter of Matthew. Prior to Jesus' ascension in the book of Acts he states, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." When he had finished saying this, "as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight (Acts 1:8-9)." He gave similar instructions to us in the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20 where he said, “All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age." The question now is, are we heeding His instructions to us? In the Parable of the Talents, the servants were to faithfully serve their Master in His absence. Brothers and sisters, are we faithfully serving the King while He is away?? Are we giving our lives away, pouring ourselves out, making eternal investments in the lives of others?

In mid-October my Grandpa Clark passed away. I was honored to have the opportunity to speak at both his graveside ceremony and later at his memorial service that we had here in Lawton. His memorial service especially impacted me. You see my grandpa accepted Christ in his early 20s, and by God’s grace faithfully walked with the Lord for nearly 50 years. Many of those years, my Grandpa faithfully served as a pastor. During the course of his ministry years, he served at five different churches. So at his memorial service, men and women from all of those different churches stood and testified to the impact my grandpa’s life had had on theirs. Many shared that he had led them to the Lord or that he had encouraged them in their faith. It was such a powerful service, and it spoke loudly to me of importance and of the call to all of us as followers of Christ to live of lifestyle of eternal investment. We are to give ourselves to making disciples for as many years as he gives us.

In early January one of my former basketball players, Trevell Martin, was shot and killed outside of a party. His tragic death has pained me for several different reasons. I can’t fully explain all of the things it has caused me to think about. However, one message that the Lord spoke to me through Trevell’s funeral was loud and clear. At the funeral during the open mic time, a man in his 50s took the podium. He said this, “I first want to give respect to Trevell’s mother and his family who are present here today. However, Trevell was also a part of a much larger family. Will all of the Roc Creek family please stand up.” When he said this, more than half of those present in the church sanctuary that day stood up. That experience made my stomach churn, and challenged me in a great way. You see in a sinfully distorted way, the gangs are faithfully present in the streets and they are faithfully “making disciples.”

God spoke the same message to me at two very different funerals. His message was clear and concise: Make disciples! Our time is short, and only faithful service to Christ truly matters. Again I ask, are we giving our lives away by investing them in the lives of others? Are we faithfully serving the King, by making disciples, while He is away? May we be a people who will one day here the words, “Well done my good and faithful servant! Come and enter into my joy.”

Faithfulness: See His & Serve Him

The last Sunday in February I had the opportunity to preach at New Hope Fellowship in Lawton, MI. I was given the topic of "faithfulness," and it proved to be a very timely topic for me to study, prepare, and preach on. I am grateful for the way the Lord worked in my own life through the process. This is my outline, and some of my key sermon notes.

Faithfulness: See His & Serve Him

I.See His Faithfulness
• Lamentations 3:23; Psalm 57:10
In the midst of pain, grief, calamity, and the consequences of sin, the author of Lamentations says, "But this I call to mind,and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness!


1)In His Salvation
• Hebrews 10:23; 1 Corinthians 1:9

Hebrews 10:23
-->Let us hold fast (cling to)

-->The confession of our hope
Jesus is our hope! The confession of our hope is the Gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Romans 10:9-10)!

-->for He who promised is faithful (completely trustworthy)

The assurance of our salvation is based on the fact that God is Faithful!

2)In His Sustaining Grace
• 2 Thess. 3:3, Philippians 1:6; 1 Thess. 5:23-24; 1 Corinthians 1:8

II. Serve Him Faithfullly
1) Examples of those found faithful
• Abraham (Galatians 3:9), Moses (Numbers 12:7), Daniel (Daniel 6:4 & 16), Paul (1 Tim. 1:12), Timothy (1 Cor. 4:17)
*God counted these men faithful, having made them faithful by His grace.

2) Will we be found faithful?
• Matthew 25:16-30; Acts 1:8; Matthew 28:18-20
“Well done, good and Faithful servant”

Are we faithfully serving the King while He is away? Are we giving our lives away, pouring ourselves out, making eternal investments in the lives of others?

Standing With Brian

My sister's husband's brother was recently diagnosed with ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. His name is Brian Schnurstein and he lives in Kalamazoo,MI with his wife Lindsay and their daughter Kylie. This video tells a little bit of their story, and of the battle that they currently face.



Brian suggests ten different ways that you can get involved at the end of the video. He also has a blog that he updates regularly to raise awareness about ALS and to give updates on his progress and perspective.

Please stand with me in prayer for Brian Schnurstein and his family!

Not Safe But Good

Today I enjoyed a rare thing in Chicago...a snow day. It was much needed actually. It gave me time to read and pray and reflect. January flew by. It was full of activity. Overall, it was a good month - in ministry and personally. However, it was also a challenging month in some ways. I consistently battled anxiety and some depression over the course of the month. As I look back on it, I'm thankful for it, as it caused me to press into God. God has proven Himself faithful once again over the course of the month.

I consistently journaled over the course of the month. The interesting thing is that the notebook that I am using to journal in, is actually an old notebook that I partially used back in December of 1999. That month was also an anxious month for me. I graduated from college that month, and stepped out into the "unknown." I didn't have a job lined up, and I wasn't even sure what my "career" would be. I was both anxious and fearful about so many unknowns. I was reminded by the notebook that I attended a Campus Crusade for Christ Christmas Conference that year, that December. One of the main sessions at that conference was given by Pastor James Ford (He is now my pastor here in Chicago at Christ Bible Church!). The message he gave that night was entitled "Hope For The Hood" and it was a call to college students to prayerfully consider giving their lives in service to Christ in the hood. I took a lot of notes during that session, and it spoke powerfully into what God was already doing in my life, and the things He had given me passion and compassion about. Over the course of the next year (2000), I would progressively have an increasing sense of the Lord's leading towards urban ministry. God would continue to reveal this to me in spite of my anxiousness and fear. In the fall of 2001, I would head to Chicago, to Moody, to study Urban Ministry.

I love how in the midst of a period of anxiousness, entering a new year (2011), I would grab an old notebook to remind me of God's faithful presence and persistent pursuit of me over the last ten years or so. God is stretching me and pushing me out of my comfort zone as I head into a new year with Him. As I continue to seek to follow close after Jesus, I'm reminded that He is not always safe but He is always good. A co-worker reminded me of the following dialogue in the Chronicles of Narnia.
Lucy, the little girl, when speaking of Aslan to Mr. Beaver, says "Then he isn't safe?" "Safe?" said Mr. Beaver, "don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the king I tell you."

So as we continue on in this new year, let's seek the King and His Kingdom even when it's hard and uncomfortable. And may He be "the stronghold" of our lives (Psalm 27:1) as we face the inevitable coming unknowns.

The Legacy of King's Message

Philip Yancey, an author I greatly respect and admire, wrote the following excerpt in his book entitled "Soul Survivor." This excerpt is a powerful tribute and reflection on the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. It is long, but it is well worth the time to read! You can check it out here.

Remembering Trevell

(Trevell is the player to my left, technically off my right shoulder)


(Trevell is in the blue polo shirt. He and Baby T were rapping at our hip hop service).


On the late evening of Friday January 7th (or possibly into the early morning of Saturday January 8th) 18 year old Trevell Martin was gunned down outside of a party in the south suburbs. He was shot 3 times in the chest and 1 time in the back. There are different stories and theories circulating as to what led to his shooting. It is believed to have been "gang related." However, the particulars that led to his death seem almost trivial when I reflect on the tragedy of a high school senior with so much potential losing his life in the midst of the senseless cycle of violence that is claiming so many young men's lives on the streets of Chicago. Another sobering detail of Trevell's death is that he is survived by his twin brother Terrell. However, Terrell is currently serving a 9 month sentence in Cook County Jail. I traveled to the prison with another neighborhood pastor to deliver the news to Terrell, that his twin brother Trevell had been shot and killed the night before. Pastor Brad had to yell "the news" through the prison glass as Terrell sat and cried into his prison uniform.

I first met Trevell during the summer between his 7th and 8th grade year. That summer he played for our basketball team in the Miracle League. That same summer he also spent a week at Sunshine Cove with the rest of his teammates (His mother recently told me, that week really impacted he and his brother.) That next school year I would attend 4 or 5 Fiske grade school basketball games to watch Trevell and the other guys (Terrell, Baby T, Pierre) play in their regular season and then playoffs. Later that spring I attended Fiske's 8th grade graduation. Over the next 3 summers I would coach Trevell and the guys in the Miracle League. During the summer of 2009 Trevell was even interviewed and featured as part of our web site and Sunshine's blog. That same summer, I also did a blog entry highlighting my Miracle League players.

I wrote the following about Trevell in that particular blog entry...
Trevell "I Need More Touches" Martin - After one of our first games, Trevell told me and his teammates that we would be better off if he just "got more touches." As the season progressed I believed him. Trevell is a streaker shooter with 3-point range, and an ever-improving mid-range jumper. He models his game after his idol, Tracy McGrady, and he continues to develop his game each summer. Trevell will be a junior at Team Englewood High School this fall.
I remember Trevell consistently reminding me with his big smile that he had NEVER missed a practice during ALL his summer seasons with the Sunshine Warriors. Trevell loved the game of basketball. He loved playing with his "guys" from Fiske. He loved to laugh and clown with his teammates. On the court, he played intense defense and was a streaky perimeter shooter. I could count on Trevell to motivate his teammates in a positive way.

This past summer, I dropped down and coached a junior high team. My high school players continued to play in the league with Sunshine, but they played for some different coaches. Every time I would see Trevell at Moody's Solheim Center (where the league games are played) he would approach me with a big smile and say, "Coach Dave we need you to come back." Even as recently as the week after Christmas he had created a "Bring Back Coach Dave" Facebook page. He had invited Pastor Brad and all of the former players to the page, and was trying to convince me to come back and coach the high school team for one more season.

Trevell had aspirations to play college basketball. He would have graduated from Team Englewood High School this spring.

It really hurts my heart as I reflect on his life and on his tragic passing. I do know that we had Gospel conversations over the course of the summers that I coached him. I know that he consistently heard the Gospel each week during the Miracle League season. I wish I could say with confidence that Trevell had believed on the Gospel, but I can't. I only know that IF he did, there is eternal hope.

Trevell is the second of my players (who I began with in the summer of 2006) to lose their life to gun violence. Damian Turner was also tragically shot and killed late last spring. They are certainly not the only young men whose lives have been claimed by violence over the last year. It just doesn't make sense. The youth homicide statistics in Chicago right now are sobering. These "numbers" are personal to me now. I know this ongoing violence breaks God's heart. I am asking Him to continue to break my heart for my young brothers who are caught up in the streets, in search of identity and community in the wrong places. More importantly, I am asking God to break the Church's heart for these same young men. May we not view them with suspicion or fear or self-righteousness, but may we view them through the lens of Christ so that we might respond with compassion and courage.

Please continue to pray for Trevell's mother Pat, his twin brother Terrell (who is scheduled to be released in May), and for his many friends!

Jesus: Servant & Savior (Blog #2)

Here is the second part of my message that I shared. If you have not read the first part, you should read it first in order to understand the context.

II. Jesus came to Save

I want us to think about each of these examples for a minute. For we should be able to see us in each of the people that I just went through…

Children - We are like children in that we have no social status. We have no standing on our own before God. But yet Christ receives us. We have standing before God because of Jesus’ status (Paul learned this, and shared it in Philippians 3. Jesus is our list!). We are defenseless and in need of a spiritual Father and a spiritual adoption. We need God to become our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ (John 1:12).

Lepers – We are like lepers. We are unclean because of our sins. Our sins separate us from a Holy God (Romans 6:23). We too are in need of the cleansing touch of Jesus. We are in need of His work on the cross, and for His blood to wash us clean. Without Christ, we find ourselves "outside of the camp" in need of the fellowship and intimacy with God that Jesus offers.


Tax collectors – We are also like the tax collectors. We may not be hated by men, but we are enemies of God – unless we have received the reconciliation that Christ offers according to Romans 5:10. Through the Gospel we are transferred positionally from being "objects of wrath" to being seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:1-10).

Women & Samaritans – We too are like the women and Samaritans of Bible times in that while society might not esteem us as having value, Christ paid the ultimate price for us on the Cross (Romans 5:8). Christ says we were worth dying for. He obtained us with His own blood(Acts 20:28).

Our rescue by the Great Samaritan – Finally, in the story of the good Samaritan we can find ourselves in the man who was beaten and left by the side of the road. The man in the story was completely helpless, there was nothing he could do…he was stuck…he was beaten down…he was exposed…in fact, if someone didn’t intervene, he would have been in a potentially very dangerous situation…he needed treatment and help to get back to health but he couldn’t afford the payment…he needed someone to pay for his treatment, someone else had to pay to restore him.

We are the man found beaten and left for dead on the side of the road…
-we were not deserving of help
-we were completely helpless
-there was nothing we could do
-we were stuck
-we were beaten down
-we were exposed
-we were jacked up
-we were in a dangerous life and death predicament

But Jesus…
He came to our rescue, He left His comfort, He came down and identified with us, He selflessly sacrificed His own life in place of ours. He paid a debt that He didn't owe, and that we couldn't pay. He paid for our restoration.

The Gospel is such a beautiful message! We need Jesus as our Savior. And it’s only through the transformation that His grace and His love brings, that we can love and serve others after His example.

Matthew 20:18 ...the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

Jesus: Servant & Savior (Blog #1)

On the second Sunday in January, I got to share the following message with some of our families and staff at Sunshine. This is the first part of the message...

Jesus Part 2: Servant & Savior
Matthew 20:18 ...the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

I.Jesus came to Serve

(1) Children
Background:
-Children were people of no social status. In other words, they were socially powerless and dependent.
-There was a high infant mortality rate. One scholar recorded that only half of all children lived beyond the age of 8. Poorer Gentile families often discarded babies if they felt that they couldn’t afford them. They would simply place them out with the trash to be taken to the dump. It was not uncommon for such children to be taken home by the worst kind of people, who molested the children, sold them into prostitution, or forced them into slavery.

But Jesus...
-Jesus treated children differently. He valued them. He welcomed them.
-Even Jesus’ birth was significant in this. He came as a child. He was born into poverty to a young mother. He was seen by many children in tragic circumstances as giving them both dignity and hope. As Marc Driscoll states, “By coming as a child, Jesus honored childhood.”
-Children were the recipients of Jesus’ miracles – Matthew 9:23-25; Matthew 14:21; Matthew 17:14-18.
-Jesus spoke of the importance of both having the humility and faith of a child in Matthew 7:11; Matthew 11:25;Matthew 18:1-4.

Luke 18:15-16 Now they were bringing even infants to Him that He might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him saying, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God."

 
(2) Lepers
Background:
-Lepers were those who suffered from various skin diseases.
-They were not only sick and dying, but they were the outcasts of society.
-Leprosy made a person ceremonially unclean and thus excluding him from communal life (Lev. 13:46).
-They were looked down upon, abandoned, and socially isolated.

But Jesus…
“Jesus not only met their need for physical healing, but reached out His hand and touched them, giving them their first human contact in years.” - Tim Keller in Generous Justice
-In other accounts throughout the gospels Jesus can be seen eating in the home of a Leper, in fact is even mentions that he touched lepers, something that you just didn’t do because touching a leper made a person ceremonially unclean (Lev. 15:7).
-In Luke 7 and Matthew 11:4-6 – Cleansing lepers is noted as part of Jesus’ ministry
-In Matthew 8, Mark 1, and Luke 5 – Jesus heals a man with leprosy and touches him.
-In Matthew 10:7-9 – when he sent His disciples out, He told them to heal/cleanse lepers.

(3) Tax Collectors
Background...
-Tax collectors were employees of the Roman Government. The Roman government was brutally oppressive and known for corruption and excessive greed and injustice.
-Tax collectors were bitterly hated by their own countrymen and regarded as little more than traitors.
-They taxed people excessively and kept many people living impoverished while they lived well and passed part of their profits back to the Roman government.

But Jesus…
-Jesus chose a tax collector, Matthew to be one of His disciples. Jesus visited the tax collector Zacchaeus in Luke 19 and ate with him in his home.
-Jesus was criticized by the religious leaders of His day because He ate with tax collectors and sinners - Matthew 9:10-12.

The “Table Fellowship” of Jesus: Jesus intentionally reached out broadly to all He encountered, inviting them to participate in the life of his “congregation” of followers. This is most apparent in what scholars have called his “table fellowship.” Table fellowship symbolized those you found to be worthy of inclusion in your social circle. Whom you ate with made a statement about who where your friends. The Pharisees were considered a “table fellowship sect.” They used table fellowship to maintain the purity of their nation as well as to model what they believed should be the exclusive ethnocentric identity of Israel. Jesus disturbed and disrupted religious leaders of his time because he used table fellowship to model what he believed was the future of God’s people (and who were included in that group). -United By Faith pg 16


(4) Women
Background...
-In many ancient cultures women were essentially regarded as property of their husband.
-Women were generally omitted from theological instruction.
-Women’s testimony in court was not accepted/admissible.
-Women were not to be spoken to in public.
-Jewish men had a practice of praying and thanking God that they weren’t a Gentile and that they weren’t a woman.

But Jesus…
-He often challenged social taboos regarding women and in so doing honored them.
-Some of Jesus followers and supporters were women - Luke 8:1-3
-Jesus allowed Himself to be anointed by a sinful woman – Luke 7:36-50
-He used women as examples of persistent faith and radical generosity (Luke 18:1-5; Luke 21:1-4).
-He visited the home of Mary and Martha and spent time with them – Luke 10:38-42.
-Jesus appeared to women first after His resurrection – John 20:11-18.

In John 4:4-26 Jesus intentionally had a conversation with a Samaritan woman who was caught up in an immoral lifestyle.  


(5) Samaritans
Background:
-Jews often avoided Samaria by crossing the Jordan and travelling on it’s eastern side.
-Jews did not associate with Samaritans, they despised Samaritans.
-The normal prejudices of the day prohibited public conversation between Jews and Samaritans.
-The Jews held that Samaritan women were unclean from birth.

But Jesus…
-He approached the Samaritan woman in John 4 in humility, spoke with her, and told her of the living water that He had to offer her.
-In the Parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke chapter 10, Jesus made the Samaritan the "hero" of the story, and exhorted others to follow his example (Go and do likewise!).

As followers of Christ, we need to really think about the example of Jesus in how He loved and served others (1 John 2:6 on em!).

The Best Books I Read In 2010

I am doing some year end analysis/reflection/prinking and I thought I would share the top books I read in 2010. I would recommend any of these as solid reads!


"Transformation: How Glocal Churches Transform Lives and the World" by Bob Roberts
(I am finishing the year with this book, and it is a great one to finish on)



"Vintage Jesus" by Marc Driscoll



"Leadership As An Identity" by Crawford Loritts



"When Helping Hurts" by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett



"Forgotten God" by Francis Chan



"The Cross Centered Life" by CJ Mahaney


What were the best 3 books you read this year?

Best Video of 2010

This is the best video I have seen this year. Double Dream Hands...nuff said.



Thoughts? Reactions?

Kingdom Investments In 2011

I posted these questions in January of this year, but to be honest I really didn't put any "feet" to these questions after I posted them. I have printed them off for myself this year, and I hope to spend some time in the next two weeks thinking and praying through them. These were initially shared on Floyd McClung's blog (he is a missionary who currently serves in Cape Town, South Africa).

In 2011...

1. What’s one way, you could utilize time, to increase your enjoyment of God?

2. What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?

3. What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?

4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?

5. Who are three people you can disciple more intentionally?

6. What is the most helpful way you can build community with a few other followers of Jesus this year?

7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?

8. Who is the person you most want to encourage this year?

9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?

10. What single thing can you plan to do this year that will matter most in ten years? In eternity?


**Note on picture: I had not caught a fish in Montana in approximately 7 years, so the fact that I caught one in 2010 is a great accomplishment! So...

Christianese

I'm not sure who put this together, but I think it definitely rings true. It definitely made me laugh!



What do you think?

Love For The City

I have been reading through "Vintage Jesus" by Mark Driscoll and have really been blessed by it. Today I was reading through the chapter entitled "Where Is Jesus Today?" and I appreciated the perspective he shared on our glorious "urban future" and our current perspective on an ever-increasing urban world and its significance to Gospel mission. Driscoll states the following on pp 156-158,

"As an aside it is important to note that the new creation will not be the idylic rural lifestyle that has dominated so much American vision of faithful Christianity. Rather, at the center of the new creation will be a grand metropolis from which Jesus will rule over the earth 30. The entire storyline of the Bible is not from garden to garden, but rather from garden to city. The Bible opens in its first few pages with a beautiful garden. But the Bible closes in its final few pages with the vision of heaven as a dense city filled with people - the ultimate goal of creation is an urban paradise.

Practically speaking, a city is marked by both greater density and diversity than suburban and rural areas. For the first time in the world's history, roughly half of the world's population is urban. That number is expected to swell to 60 percent by the year 2030.

Sadly, most Christians associate the city with vice, not virtue. In truth, cities have long been seen as a haven for violent crime, sexual sin, and drug abuse. But sin is often most clearly seen in the city because it is more concentrated in the city than in suburban and rural areas. As a result, the related need for God is most clearly seen in the city. The rawness of the city makes it exactly the kind of place that God would use to convince people of their need for Him. Furthermore, by revealing the unveiling of the city upon His return, Jesus intends for Christians to love cities in the meantime.

Unlike today where Christians have largely fled the cities in favor of homeschooling about the rapture amidst large stacks of canned goods readied for a hunkering down at the unleashing of Armageddon, Christianity has historically been an urban religion. A reading of the history book of the early Christianity, Acts, reveals that Christianity began as an urban movement led by Paul, whose itinerant church planting ministry was almost exclusively urban as he moved from city to city and bypassed the rural areas.

Indeed, God's people should bring the gospel to any place where there are people, because God loves all people. But since there are more people in the city, it also makes sense that bringing the gospel to cities would be a priority.

One of the reasons Christians in our day are to love the city as they await the unveiling of Jesus' city is that the city is the most strategic place for Christians and the gospel. If culture is like a river, then cities are upstream, creating culture that then flows downstream to the masses. Because government, law, education, healthcare, information, media, arts, sports, entertainment, trade, travel, population, and industry are concentrated most in a city, cities are the fountains from which culture flows. Therefore, for Christians to flee from cities then to only complain about the kind of culture that is flowing into the culture from the cities is both foolish and hypocritical. The answer is for Christians to love the city, move to the city, pray for the city, and serve the city until Jesus returns with His city from which all culture will emanate throughout the new earth."

My former urban ministry professor Dr. Fuder used to share with us that he prays that more men and women would give their lives in the city for the sake of the Gospel! Amen.

I'm The AWANA Game Director, So...

(The above picture is our AWANA Sparks - 1st & 2nd graders - and their leaders.)

Every Monday evening I "man the whistle" at our AWANA club at Sunshine! Our AWANA night is a Bible outreach club for 1st through 8th graders. Our night contains a few elements: opening prayer/announcements, song time, Bible time (where Pastor Pete teaches a weekly lesson), handbook time (where the kids work on memorizing verses), and game time. AWANA is an acronym that stands for "approved workman are not shamed" - which is taken from the Scripture verse 2 Timothy 2:15. The main emphasis of the program is encouraging, teaching, and inspiring our young people to memorize God's Word.

This is our second year running our club, and it has been a very enjoyable outreach for us. Although we have the occasional behavior challenges (every youth/children's ministry does!), our kids are thinking about the Gospel and its implication for their lives, they are growing in their identity in Christ, and they are memorizing large portions of Scripture. I was personally involved in an AWANA club when I was in 1st through 5th grades at my childhood church. I have good memories of my days at AWANA. Not only that, but when I began reading the Bible again, during my freshman year of college, I would repeatedly read verses that I had memorized at AWANA. Those verses never left me. I may have not been able to recite them word for word from the King James like I used to be able to, but the foundation was there.

Game time and the AWANA game circle is my domain. On some Mondays I wear my game whistle all day, just to set the tone and prepare myself mentally for the evening (because let's just say you can't just turn on the "intensity switch"). We play various dodgeball games, beanbag games, balloon games, and the classic AWANA relay races. I try to emphasize competing hard, while maintaining a good attitude. I encourage good sportsmanship and the importance of both winning and losing with graciousness. These are not easy lessons for those who are competitive, but slowly some of these character traits are sinking in. I thoroughly enjoy the various perks of being the game director: wearing and using a whistle, utilizing a "5 count" to keep the kids on point, pretending to view an instant replay of controversial calls, and being humored by both the leaders and kids as they compete.

Here is a "snapshot" of our Trek (6th-8th graders) relays...


And here is a small taste of our T&T (3rd-5th graders) relays...

Why Go?

One blog I read and appreciate is Floyd McClung's. Floyd is currently a missionary in Cape Town South Africa, but he has also served in Afghanistan and the Netherlands. He recently wrote a post called "7 Reasons To Go." I thought I would share part of it here, and you can check out the entry in it's entirety here.

Here are 3 reasons why we must go...

The Lamb is Worthy
At the end of time people will gather from every tribe and tongue and nation around the throne of God to honor the Lamb of God, all worshiping in their redeemed cultures. They will gather joyously around the throne of God and celebrate the victory He has won on their behalf. The One who died a shameful death to redeem the peoples of the earth will be the object of honor and praise for all eternity. All of history will be consummated in the praise of the One who gave Himself for us. He died to make us a kingdom of priests. He set us free from religion and fear and superstition so we might freely enter His throne room of grace. Everything is headed for that day. All we do that has meaning will find its fulfillment at that celebration. May it come quickly, Lord Jesus! This is the mission of God, and that is the mission of the church of God. The church's ultimate purpose is not the programs we offer to people or the missionary outreaches we do, or our budgets or faith giving, our missionaries dressed in strange costumes, not even about the lost people or the needs of hurting millions. It is about Jesus, the Lion who became a Lamb, the Redeemer of the all peoples, the Savior of the world. He is our great goal. It is for Him. We go to others so Jesus will receive the just reward of His suffering.

The Lost Are Dying
Most of earth's population will spend eternity separated from God if they do not have a chance to hear the Good News of God's salvation. Eternity is real, and though many people believe theoretically in hell, they don't really believe that a “good God will send people to hell.” May God impress deeply on our hears the terrible reality of man's lostness without a savior. Men and women need forgiveness of sins. There is no other way for that to happen than Jesus. It is by hearing, believing and calling on His name that people are rescued from a certain, eternal, separation from God.

The Poor are Suffering
We can easily become immune to the horrendous suffering of the victims of drought, famine, poverty and injustice. It is only by the grace of God than our hearts can be filled with the compassion of Jesus. The Bible says that when Jesus looked upon the crowds, He had compassion. May we have the same response, whether it be to a neighbor in need, a child's face in a Christian advertisement, or a news broadcast from the Horn of Africa. We know the statistics, we hear and see the faces, may we not become hardened to their plight. There are only two ways to maintain genuine compassion: getting involved with the poor, and maintaining a lifestyle of personal devotion and prayer for the poor.

Nigeria, Boxes of Love, the Gospel, & Prayer

As many of you know I recently returned from a ministry trip to Lagos, Nigeria. While I was there I had the opportunity to preach in three different churches and to teach at a pastor's conference. It was a great trip, and the Lord taught me many things during my time there. We (Sunshine) also recently participated in the "Boxes of Love" outreach. Boxes of Love is an annual outreach sponsored and coordinated by the Agape Center, a ministry of Campus Crusade's Here's Life Inner City. A box of love contains a Thanksgiving turkey, several side items, and Gospel literature. We split up into two groups last Saturday and visited approximately 16 families (whom we have relationship with) to drop off the box, to pray with them, and to share the Gospel.

The Gospel
Both of these recent ministry experiences reminded me of the importance or the centrality of the Gospel message. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15, says that the Gospel is of "first importance." It needs to have this same place of importance and high priority in our lives and ministries. Both followers of Christ and non-believers need the Gospel. When a non-believer believes on the Gospel of Jesus Christ a supernatural work is done in that persons' life. They cross over from death to life (John 5:24), experience a new birth (John 3:1-15; 1 Peter 1:3-5), are set free (John 8:36), and are saved and made alive (Ephesians 2:1-9) - to name a few of the transformations/effects of a relationship with Christ. They become possessors of eternal hope (1 Peter 1:3-5) and have peace with God (Romans 5:1). It is an amazing, miraculous transformation!

This amazing, miraculous transformation continues to happen in the life of the believer because of the ongoing work of the Gospel. I was reminded of this in a blog that I recently read. Jonathan Parnell wrote the following on the Desiring God blog,
"The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the salvation of those who trust him is old news. It is really old, really good news. So what are we aiming for in hearing again and again that which we've heard before? The hope in hearing the old, good news is that it would perpetually break new ground in our lives. Our hearts are like a jungle. There is untamed wilderness and darkness that has not yet been brought, as it were, under the rule of the One who has laid claim to it all. We need to hear the gospel again and again so that the old, good news of Jesus Christ would reach into these uncharted territories of our lives and fly the flag of its dominion. This is how we are "being saved." This is what it means to be overcome by the gospel."

We need to daily remind ourselves of the Gospel, and allow it to transform our lives continuously. We also need to share this life-changing message with others through personal witness. And it is the Gospel message that is our motivation to extend mercy and compassion to others and to contend for justice.


Prayer
While in Nigeria I was given opportunities to pray with people during and after church services. I would either place my hand on their shoulder or hold their hand and lift their request(s) before the Father and seek to be an encouragement to them. I could tell that each brother and sister I prayed with was very appreciative of the time I spent in prayer with them (and I was blessed by it too). During our boxes of love outreach day, we would hold hands in a circle with each family and lift them up in prayer. It was such an encouraging time, and again everyone seemed so grateful for the time of prayer. Both of these experiences reminded me of times when others have prayed for me (either on the phone or in person) and how encouraging that always is. There is something powerful about praying for others and having others pray for you. It is a simple action to do for someone, but for whatever reason we don't seem to do it as often as we should.

By God's grace I want the Gospel to transform my life on a daily basis, in such a way that it overflows in my life - in my words and in my actions. I also desire to grow in the area of intentionally looking for opportunities to pray for and with others. The Gospel & Prayer: powerful, essential, transformational, necessary.

Blessed In Nigeria

Just over a week ago I returned from my trip to Lagos, Nigeria. I travelled as part of a team from Hallomai International (www.hallomai.org), a ministry started by my good friend Blessed Madugba. Our team consisted of four Nigerians and three Americans. Over the span of our time there, I had the opportunity to preach at three different churches and to teach at a pastor’s conference. It is still hard to believe that I had this opportunity, and that I was able to play a small part in the work God is doing in Nigeria. God is crazy! As is always the case when we serve Him in ministry, I received more than I gave during my time there. My family in Christ in Nigeria blessed me in a few different ways. First of all, I was blessed by the hospitality we were shown. We were welcomed and treated as family. There is a greater emphasis there on “people over tasks.” Our family (in Christ) there made us home cooked meals, opened their homes, gave us many rides, and spent long, traffic-filled days with us. I look forward to continue to build relationships via email, skype, facebook, etc. with the brothers and sisters we met there. Secondly, I was challenged by my family’s dependence upon the Lord. For some of the pastors there is limited denominational support. The congregation may or may not be able to give enough to support both the pastor’s salary and the church expenses. The LORD provides. My family there, both the pastors and the church members, believe God for big things, and God comes through for them. In my travels now to both South Africa and Nigeria, I have seen a dependence on the Lord in both places that I do not often see here. Finally, I was reminded of the “globalness” of our God. He is the God of ALL Nations. During my time in different churches there I learned new songs, I saw joyful worship, and I heard prayers in languages I didn’t understand. It was beautiful! Christ is actively shining His light throughout the globe through different cultural lenses, and for ten days I had the opportunity to see Him at work in and through His Nigerian church. I only wish we could have more multinational, multi-cultural family gatherings to celebrate Christ and learn and build together. I was reminded afresh that we need each other!

The Lord Is Our Provider & Our Provision

This past Saturday I was given the opportunity to be the closing speaker at my Grandpa Clark's memorial service in Lawton, MI. I was honored to be able to share, and below is what God put on my heart that day...

My Grandpa instructed the family, to not “make a fuss” when he passed, but rather to keep the service simple. I think I know why he gave these instructions. He wanted the focus to be somewhere else. William Carey, the pioneer missionary to India, was known to have once said something to this effect. He said, “When I die don’t spend too much time talking about the missionary, instead focus your attention on the missionary’s Savior.” So I want to do a final summary of my grandpas life in order to point toward His Savior. I want us to think about two things as we reflect on my grandpa’s life:
(1)The LORD was his Provider And (2)The LORD was his greatest Provision


First of all, The LORD was his Provider
• Let’s start from the beginning. When my grandpa was 1 years old, his father died. His mother was not fit to take care of him. The Clark side of the family even suggested that he be put in an orphanage. But the LORD was his provider. His step grandmother insisted that she and his grandfather take in him and his brothers, so that they would indeed have a home with family. The LORD was his Provider.
• The LORD provided my grandfather with an amazing singing voice. He had a booming, full, powerful voice. In fact as an older teenager and young adult a local church paid him so sing in the choir there. It was at that church one Sunday that the preacher gave an invitation to Salvation in Jesus, and my grandpa walked the aisle and prayed to receive Christ. So at the age of 21, my grandpa experienced the amazing Gift of Salvation. He received God’s amazing grace in the person of Jesus Christ.
• That same year, 1937, he joined the military and while in the military the LORD provided an evangelistic ministry. A ministry team was formed, and they began ministering at churches in England. In God’s Sovereignty, at one those church meetings, the LORD provided a wife and ministry partner.
• Fast forward the tape a bit, and when my grandparents returned stateside, the LORD provided two more children in addition to my dad who was born in England.
• During my grandpa’s seminary training the LORD provided a job as a camp director and many young people came to know the LORD.
• My grandpa and grandma would then serve at four different churches in Michigan – Wadhams, Lansing, Novi, and Decatur. At each stop the LORD provided a home for the family, a car to drive, and loving community. They never had much, but they always had enough. The LORD was his provider.
• When they moved to California, the LORD once again provided a ministry home – this time at Foothill Bible Church where my grandpa would serve as assistant pastor.
• Even when there was no formal ministry position for my grandpa, the LORD faithfully provided ministry opportunities for my grandpa to teach and proclaim the Word of God and to encourage others with his infections spirit fueled by the joy of the LORD. The LORD was his provider.
• As my Grandpa entered his 90s, his body began to break down. The LORD provided a sound mind and an unshakable memory of the Word of God. The LORD provided peace in the midst of pain and joy in the midst of sorrow.
• A few weeks ago, on a late Friday afternoon in California my grandfather passed away. The LORD was his provider, this time providing a heavenly home in the presence of His LORD and Savior.

But not only was the LORD his Provider. The LORD was his greatest Provision. Can we thin for a couple of minutes about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that my grandpa came to believe on as a young man.
GOD – The God of the Universe created us in His image. God is all powerful and all-knowing and never-changing and eternal. He is worthy of our awe, of our adoration, and of our praise. This God created us and He created us to known Him and to have a relationship with Him.
MAN – However, this Holy and Righteous and Just God has a problem with us, or He has beef with us. You see we have offended God with our sin. The Bible says that all have sinned and that the wages of our sin is death. Our sin separates us from God! We cannot come to know Him in our sin.
CHRIST – However, God is not only holy and righteous, but He is loving. The Bible says that He loved us so much that He sent His one and only Son to die and pay the penalty for our sins. Jesus died for us. He took on the punishment for sin that we deserved. And after dieing on the cross, He rose again three days later. He conquered death. That is good news! Romans 5:8 says that God demonstrated His love for us in this, that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
RESPONSE – Our response is repentance and faith.

The LORD Jesus Christ died for my grandpa’s sins. He gave my grandpa eternal life. He lavished His grace upon my grandpa’s life. Jesus was my grandpa’s greatest provision, his prized possession, and his treasure. And you see when Jesus becomes that Big and that Beautiful in our lives, it radically changes our perspective on life – I would suggest in two major ways. When Jesus is our greatest possession we will have a different view or perspective of self & stuff.

First of all, when Jesus is our greatest possession we become more and more selfless. We increasingly live for His purposes and for His agenda. We increasingly give our lives for the glory of Christ and for the good of others.
Acts 20:24
Philippians 1:21
Philippians 3:8

 
Secondly when Jesus is our greatest possession we will have a different perspective on stuff. Materialism will increasingly loosen its grip on our lives. Because of His grace and mercy, our lives will increasingly be marked with generosity on behalf of others, rather than self focused accumulation of more and more stuff. This is how my grandpa lived. Because of Jesus, he lived simply. He lived generously, and He made eternal investments his entire life.
1 Timothy 6:17-19

Some might say, and even some Christians might say that my grandpa was not “financially wise.” You see there is no large earthly estate that he is passing on. My grandpa never earned a home. His kids are not getting large inheritances, and neither are the grand kids. But I am reminded of what Jim Elliot once said. He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he can never lose. My grandpa made eternal investments his entire life. He invested in people – today is evidence of that. Family we did not inherit money, but we inherited his legacy of faith in Jesus Christ and if we have believed we have received that Paul calls the Gospel of the grace of God.

So today we celebrated the life of a great man, but let us remember that he served a GREAT GOD who was both His Provider and His Provision. And may we come to know the LORD ever-increasingly as both our Provider and our greatest Provision. Amen.

Song Time In Nigeria

I Am A Child Of God


This past week we participated in a three day revival at Christ Believer's Assembly, located just outside of Lagos Nigeria. I had the opportunity to preach on Wednesday, Mike preached on Thursday, and then Blessed closed it out on Friday. Each day we were all asked to "give a word" to the congregation, and we had different opportunities to pray for different church members as well. After two days there, I realized that there was a good group of children who sit in the very back of the sanctuary. I explained to Pastor David that I lead songs with kids in Chicago, and I asked him if I could do so with the children at his church during Friday's service. He gave me the chance on Friday, and I think the kids really enjoyed it!

This Is The Day

This Is The Day In Nigeria from Dave Clark on Vimeo.

Heading To Nigeria

This Saturday (October 30th) I will be heading to Lagos, Nigeria!! I will be traveling and ministering with a team of 6 others from the States. I was invited by my good friend and former classmate at Moody, Blessed Madugba. He grew up in Nigeria and initially came to the United States to study at Moody (back in January of 2002). The Lord has put it on Blessed’s heart to equip and empower other African pastors and leaders through an organization he is starting called “Hallomai.” Hallomai is the Greek word for the word “leap” and it’s mission is to educate, equip, and empower church leaders in Africa and Asia. During this trip we will participate in both a Pastor's Conference and local church ministry in the city of Lagos. This conference will be the first ministry initiative of Hallomai. I have been asked to teach a workshop at the conference. I will be teaching on the holistic impact of the Gospel! Lord willing, I will be sharing how the Gospel leads us to not only do evangelism, but to also contend for justice and reach out to our neighbors with compassion and mercy. I will also be doing some preaching in the evenings after the conference in various churches there.

I am so honored and humbled to be a part of this team. Although I will be teaching while I am there, I am also traveling as a learner. I know that I have so much to learn from pastors in Nigeria and from the church there! I am excited to build with believers there and to be an encouragement to one another. I covet your prayers for this trip!

Here is our itinerary:
Sat 10/30 & Sun 10/31 Travel to Nigeria
Mon 11/1 Get our "bearings"
Tue 11/2 - Sunday 11/7 Local Church Ministry
Mon 11/8 Lagos Conference
Tues 11/9 Conference Concludes/Time in Lagos
Wed 11/10 - Thurs 11/11 Return to Chicago
*There may still be some schedule changes, but this is a general guideline of our time.

Remembering My Grandpa

On Friday evening my Grandpa Clark went home to be with Jesus. He died peacefully, with the family at his bedside. He was 93. Over the last couple of days I have been thinking of the things that I appreciated most about my grandpa and his life.

First of all my grandpa was faithful to the LORD. He came to know the Lord at the age of 23 years old (neither of his parents were believers). He would walk with Him for 70 years! He spoke often about the Lord and His faithfulness in his life. Over the years I observed him witness to waitresses, store owners, relatives, etc. He loved Jesus and He loved to tell others about Him! He also loved to sing praises to God! I have vivid memories of him singing SO LOUD at whatever church he visited. It sometimes embarrassed us, but he didn't care...he was going to make a joyful noise unto the Lord.

Second, he was faithful to his wife. My grandparents were married for 64 years!! They have 3 kids, 8 grandkids, and a growing number of great grandkids. As a grandkid, I (and we) could count on a few things from grandpa: a huge hug when we saw him, an occasional mini-sermon or quoted Scripture verse, a "Reader's Digest" joke, and a lot of laughs. He loved to play games and cards at the kitchen table with all of the family! I greatly respect and admire the way my grandparents placed high value on the things that really mattered. My grandpa never had nice "stuff," but he has passed on his faith, his love for people, and the joy that characterized his life.

Finally, he was faithful in ministry. In 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul exhorted Timothy to "preach the word: be ready in season and out of season." My grandpa never stopped preaching the Word! When he no longer served the Lord in formal ministry, he continued to preach the Word to whomever would listen. He spent 50 plus years of His walk with the Lord serving Him in ministry as a pastor, a singer, and an evangelist. He served as a pastor at churches in Port Huron, Lansing, Novi, and Decatur MI. He was known for his passionate proclamation of the Word, and for a passion for missions. In his later years, he would preach evening services at a church in Sylmar CA, and continued to occasionally fill pulpits into his 80s.

Over the last few years, I have begun to preach at a few different churches. I really enjoyed sharing with my grandpa what I had preached on and where I had preached. Ever since I began serving in ministry in 2001, he has let me know that he is praying for me and that the Lord was using me to do a good work. His encouragement meant so much to me.

In a few days I will be giving the "memorial message" at the cemetery where he will be buried. I am so honored and humbled to do this. I know my grandpa would want me to preach the Gospel. So Lord willing, I will lift up the Name of Jesus as we say goodbye to a man who loved to do the same thing.

I love you grandpa and I look forward to singing with you in the presence of the Lord!

Thinking About "Radical"

During the middle of August I bought I book that I had been curious about for a while, called "Radical" by David Platt. It didn't disappoint my expectation. I quickly read through the book in a week and a half. I am revisiting the book to day, to further chew on some of the things in the book that resonated with me and challenged me.

One thing I appreciate about Platt as he writes is that he has been "marked" by his travels to various parts of the world where he has seen followers of Christ live out their faith amongst the difficulties of persecution and poverty. Upon returning from a trip to Asia where Christianity is forbidden by the government, he had this reflection to offer, "...I could not help but think that somewhere along the way we had missed what is radical about our faith and replaced it with what is comfortable. We were settling for a Christianity that revolves around catering to ourselves when the central message of Christianity is actually about abandoning ourselves (pg 7)."

He sums up the main idea of the book on page 13 where he states, "We are giving in to the dangerous temptation to take the Jesus of the Bible and twist Him into a version of Jesus we are more comfortable with. A nice, middle-class, American Jesus. A Jesus who doesn't mind materialism and who would never call us to give away everything we have. A Jesus who would not expect us to forsake our closest relationships so that he receives all our affection. A Jesus who is fine with nominal devotion that does not infringe on our comforts, because, after all, he loves us just the way we are. A Jesus who wants us to be balanced, who wants us to avoid dangerous extremes, and who, for that matter, want us to avoid danger altogether. A Jesus who brings us comfort and prosperity as we live out our Christian spin on the American dream."

Later he reflects on the Church displayed in Acts and expresses this as a "dream" for the Church today. He states, "I cannot help but long to be a part of this kind of scene in the church today. A scene were we refuse to operate in a mind-set dominated by an American dream that depends on what we can achieve with our own abilities. A scene where we no longer settle for what we can do in our own power. A scene where the church radically trusts in God's great power to provide unlikely people with unlimited, unforeseen, uninhibited resources to make His name known as great. I want to be a part of that dream (pg. 53)."

I also like the way he unpacks the "great why of God." He states, "God blesses His people with extravagant grace so they might extend His extravagant grace to all peoples on the earth (pg 69)." Later he adds, "It centers on His greatness, His goodness, and His glory being made known globally among all peoples. And to disconnect God's blessings from God's global purpose is to spiral downward into an unbiblical, self-saturated Christianity that misses the point of God's grace (pg 71)."

One last thing (for this blog entry at least) that I liked was how he challenges his congregation with the question of whether they are "receivers" or "reproducers" of God's Word. In other words, are you going to church to get "YOUR" Word, or rather to take what you've heard and passing it on to others (making disciples). He asks, "What if we began to think, how can I listen to this Word so that I am equipped to teach his Word to others?" Although, I realize that God can speak to us individually through the teaching of His Word and convicts us and challenges us to change. However, too often we stop here and limit it to only personal application. I like that he is pushing ALL of his congregation to be teachers of the Word by having a "reproducer" mindset.

I may write some additional blog entries as I continue to chew on this book. It is definitely worth picking up. Stay tuned...