Tried With Fire

Happy Reformation Day!

By Dick Mudde (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons I am thankful for: Morning sun breaking through the clouds. Fall temperatures in that perfect range where you don't have to heat or cool. Pumpkin O's and hot tea. The blessing of midweek fellowship with our small group. Pondering the themes that weave throughout Scripture, making it one cohesive story of God's plan of redemption. It's quite mind-blowing and beautiful to behold. The hope of the resurrection. When our loved ones suffer illness and even when we feel the aches and pains of life in this fallen world, those glorified bodies start looking really good.

I had good intentions of posting more about domestic violence this month, but alas it was not to be. It's funny how the things we care about the most are often the most painful and emotionally exhausting to put into words. There were times when I stared at a blank screen and didn't know where to begin. How do you encapsulate an issue that touches theology, history, and culture? How do you write about something so personal and not dredge up memories and feelings that you'd rather consign to oblivion? I also wrote drafts that are probably too volatile to be published because they tipped a few sacred cows that we cling to as conservative Christians. It helped to get those thoughts out of my head, but I'm still frustrated at the huge blind spot that the evangelical church seems to have - a sort of hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil about domestic abuse within its walls. After much research, thinking, and praying, I am convinced that domestic violence is an imag...

You have real and obvious limits to your wisdom, power, and righteousness. But your heavenly Father is infinite in wisdom, and infinite in power, and is the only source of true righteousness. God has no boundaries, edges, or limitations. In his authority, he bows to no one. You are riddled with imperfections, but God is perfect in every way. Therefore, the key to rest is not in continually lying to yourself in a futile effort to convince yourself you are strong. No, it is when you humbly embrace your foolishness, weakness, and sin that you are in the best position to know peace of heart and to live productively in this broken-down house. So let your smallness drive you to the One who alone is great. There you will experience that he is not only great in wisdom, power, and holiness, He is great in grace, and he will give you what you need. It is not your job to be mighty, not is it within your capacity. That role is reserved for God alone....

Chaconne from the Partita No. 2 in D minor BWV 1004 arranged for classical guitar. It's worth the 13 minutes…

Painting by Robert Bucknell Last week at Out of the Ordinary , Kim wrote of her appreciation for Martyn Lloyd-Jones. Today I'm borrowing her idea and sharing why I love Spurgeon: "I first heard of Charles Spurgeon from a fellow InterVarsity member when I was in college. I still remember his exact words: "Spurgeon is awesome!" To be honest, my first thought was, "Why on earth would someone want to read anything by a long-dead Baptist preacher?" Fast forward nearly 30 years. The bottom had just dropped out of my marriage. I wasn't attending a local church at the time, which is another story. I had no idea where to turn for help, so I called a close friend who promptly told me, "You need to read some Spurgeon." I wasn't sure what advice a 19th-century minister could give to a 21st-century woman who was facing a broken marriage, but I was desperate. I googled "Charles Spurgeon" to see what I would find…" Read more.....

"In Plato's Phaedrus , we hear Socrates describing how a king from Egypt called Thamus informed the god Theuth that the phonetic alphabet was not so great a gift. The god was particularly chuffed about this new technology, which he delivered to poor, illiterate humans, bragging that writing would make the memories of Egyptians more powerful and that it would supercharge their wit. King Thamus shrewdly replies: O most ingenious Thoth… this discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in the learners' souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves. The specific which you have discovered is an aid not to memory, but to reminiscence, and you give your disciples not truth, but only the semblance of the truth; they will be hearers of many things and will have learned nothing; they will appear to be omniscient and generally know nothing. Was there ever a finer description of Google?" The...

In this broken world you need a place to run for comfort, encouragement, motivation, strength, and rest. There is no better place to run than into the arms of the One who reigns over it all for your sake. No, you won't always understand. Yes, there will be moments when life will seem overwhelmingly difficult. Sure, you will wonder why he has chosen you to go through what you are enduring when the person next to you seems to have it so easy. And there will be times when you are tempted to question his wisdom and love. But in those moments, determine to do this one thing. Determine to run to him and not from him. Run to him with your questions, doubts, confusion, and fear. He loves you; he will not turn you away. He wants you to know rest. This is precisely what he has told you again and again in his Word - that he is in control, so that in those moments when you are confronted with your lack of control, or when life seems out of control, you would know pea...

Yup. That's the name of the piece…

ht: Wrong Hands

I am thankful for fall color: Dogwood berries Turk's cap 

Jonathan Edwards by Simonetta Carr, illustrations by Matt Abraxas, Reformation Heritage Books, 2014, 64 pages, for ages 7-12. Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was one of America's greatest theologians and thinkers. Unfortunately, many know him of him only as the author of the sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." But there is much more to his life. In this biography by Simonetta Carr, you will learn about Edwards' childhood, his love of learning, and his love for God. He eventually became a pastor who was instrumental in the First Great Awakening. However, he was removed by his own congregation for taking a stand that the Lord's Supper was only for believers. Edwards pondered over the scriptures and wrote on such topics as original sin, freedom of the will, and religious affections, which are theological classics to this day. Carr's writing makes Edwards' life accessible and interesting, pulling out tidbits of his life that would appeal to c...

To jump start Monday morning, here are a few quotes on work: I do not know that women, as women, want anything particular, but as human beings they want, my good men, exactly what you want yourselves: interesting occupation, reasonable freedom for their pleasures, and a sufficient emotional outlet. What form the occupation, the pleasures and emotion may take, depends entirely upon the individual. 1 No longer must we be relentlessly driven to find identity in our work. No longer must we use our work to one-up each other. No longer must we work out of obligation and duty. By  His  work on the cross, Jesus makes us people who can finally work as we are meant to. Because of Him, our labor is no longer in vain. 2 We can thank Genesis 3 for the toil, but we can thank Genesis 2 for the privilege of tending God's creation. Yes, our work is tainted because of sin, but as His image-bearers, we can glorify God in whatever He gives us to do. 3 1. Are Women Human? , Dorothy L....

There is one final thing you need to know in order to understand the grace that has been bestowed on you: you are loved by a dissatisfied Redeemer. He will not rest from his work of grace until every last microbe of sin has been completely eradicated from every last cell of every last one of his children. And so he wars against sin on our behalf. We are never alone in our struggle for a single moment. We never have to deal with the temptations of a situation or relationship by ourselves. He is absolutely resolute in his determination that every one of his children will experience the complete spoils of the victory he gained over sin and death through his crucifixion and resurrection. You are blessed every day by his dissatisfaction. You are blessed every day that he does not grow discouraged, tired, or weary. You are blessed every day that he rules over all things for your sake. You are blessed every day that to cease from any of this he would have to deny himself, an...

Ahhh. The good old days… ht: Grammarly on FB

I am thankful for: - Mental concentration for my busiest work day of the week. - Trader Joe's triple gingersnap cookies topped with pumpkin cream cheese. - Quiet evenings for knitting and audio books. - My church. For the deep teaching bench. For a small group with good fellowship and good snacks.  - Christian counselors who offer a safe place to share one's sorrows. - Being in the already-but-not-yet. Sometimes living in this waiting period isn't always easy, but we walk by faith not by sight until our faith is sight. [Photo credit: Matthias Süßen [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons]

It's my turn again at Out of the Ordinary : This world can be such a beautiful place. There are natural wonders that take our breath away. God has blessed us with relationships that fill us with joy. His kindness is seen in the seemingly insignificant moments of everyday life. But this world can also be a tragic place. Nothing has been exempt from the curse. We suffer from the effects of sin in our bodies. We suffer at the hands of one another. The sheer weight of the sorrow in this world is overwhelming if you stop and think about it. So sometimes it's easier to not think. It's tempting to turn off the news and move to a bunker in the wilderness just to get away from the injustice, greed, ambition, and corruption. But I don't think God has meant us to become hermits. We still live in this world even though we are not of it... Read more ….

These are the quotes I posted yesterday: Quote #1: The woman's desire is to control her husband, to usurp his divinely appointed headship, and he must master her, if he can.  Quote #2: It was woman's nature to be ruled by man and her sickness to envy him. I will begin with the second quote. While not directly from Sigmund Freud, this is Betty Friedan's summary of his view of women. Freud is known for diagnosing (or misdiagnosing) the neuroses of women down to one common ailment -  envy of male reproductive anatomy. He also believed, "Nature has determined woman's destiny through beauty, charm, and sweetness. Law and custom have much to give women that has surely been withheld from them, but the position of women will surely be what it is: to youth, an adored darling and in mature years, a loved wife." Therefore, any desire outside of these confines, any desire for equality with man was only a symptom of her biological inferiority manifesting itself in ...

Quote #1:  The woman's desire is to control her husband, to usurp his divinely appointed headship, and he must master her, if he can.  Quote #2:  It was woman's nature to be ruled by man and her sickness to envy him. I'll post the answers tomorrow. Hint: These statements are from two different people.  Photo credit: By Richtom80 (Image:Nuvola apps filetypes.png) [LGPL (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/lgpl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

God's anger is the anger of grace. It is not the violent anger of unbridled fury. God's anger always works to right what is wrong. That is what grace does. This gracious anger has two sides to it: justice and mercy. In the gracious anger of justice, God works to punish wrong, but he does even more… He will not rest until evil is no more and justice and righteousness reign forever and ever! There is also another side to his gracious anger. It is the anger of mercy. In mercy he works to convict … he works to forgive … he works to empower … he works to deliver … until every microbe of sin is completely eradicated from every cell of the heart of every one of his children. Where do we see both sides of God's anger coming together in one moment? On that hill outside the city gate where Jesus hung. That is where we see justice and mercy kiss. As he hung there, Jesus bore the full weight of the justice of God's anger. He paid the penalty our sin required. And on the c...

HT; No Compromise Radio on FB

[I posted this about a year ago and it's worth repeating. Dr. Diane Langberg is a practicing Christian psychologist who is also on the faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary. She has decades of counseling experience. She is also a strong voice in the Christian community speaking out against all forms of abuse. This talk is long but it's worth every minute. I hope you will watch and learn.] ht: A Cry for Justice The topic of this video is counseling victims of domestic abuse in a Christian setting. Dr. Langberg provides practical and informed counsel on this difficult issue which is quite different IMO from the idealistic and potentially harmful advice given in many marriage and women's books. Around the 51:00 mark, she makes an observation that people are upset when darkness is exposed particularly in a life they thought was good. Sadly the church often speaks out in horror - not about the sin but about the exposure.  May this not continue to be the case. F...

Domestic violence is an issue that deeply concerns me. I would like to be proven wrong, but this seems to be an area where the evangelical church has not risen to the challenge. "In fact, research has shown that Christian women stay far longer in the abusive context and in far more severe abuse than their non-Christian counterparts." 1 This should not be, especially among the people of God.  So what can we do to help? Well, we can begin by: 1. Acknowledging that abuse exists, not only out there but within the homes of professing Christians. If we remain in denial, there is no one to help because they don't exist, that is at least to us. If we continue to bury our heads in the sand, the victims in our congregations will continue to suffer in silence because they know they will not be believed. Helping begins by facing reality. 2. Understanding the nature of abuse. It is about POWER and CONTROL . It is not just the need for anger management. It is n...