Tried With Fire

There are some pretty bad ideas about God out there. An obvious one is "God" as the indulgent Santa Claus who will give us whatever we want as long as our faith is strong enough. But as we humans are wont to do, it is possible to swing to an opposite but equally wrong extreme - "God" who only deals with his children by withholding. So on the one hand you have indulgence and on the other hand you have deprivation. Neither is correct, and as my pastor pointed out, both of these "gods" are passable. Their moods and dispositions toward us are changeable depending on what we do. Do right = we get what we want. Do wrong or not do enough = retribution, displeasure, and suffering. Two possible and opposite outcomes, but essentially the same root. "Do this and live" AKA the covenant of works. My natural bent is toward the deprivation side which is probably a combination of having weak theology most of my life and personal temperament. But circumstances ...

It's amazing what you will find when you sort through your parents' stuff. Amidst all the papers, we found my dad's yearly teaching contracts, his letter of resignation when he retired, copies of my mom's scientific publications, the program from the concert where they first met (pianist Arthur Rubinstein), and a sheet and a half detailing a little history of my mom's family. Maybe it was a cultural thing, but my parents never talked a lot about life before they came to the US. Perhaps they don't remember, as in the case of my mom, but every find opens a window into the past and gives me a greater appreciation for my family. My grandfather came to Canada in the early 1900s to attend high school. His older brother had previously immigrated and owned a laundry. I remember my grandfather telling me that the kids made fun of him saying, "Chinaman, Chinaman, eat the rat." He said it with a laugh, and perhaps the passing of 60-70 years makes memories sting...

It is always encouraging to hear how God saved someone. Sometimes it is dramatic, and other times it is not. But for each believer, the hand of providence was at work placing him or her in exactly the right place at the right time to hear the gospel and be saved, not to mention the events that were orchestrated to lead up to that moment. No two stories are the same because God's providence is not a cookie cutter. Then why do we forget this when it comes to the varied circumstances God has placed us post salvation? If someone is single - Why aren't you married? Don't you want to be married? If you are married - Why doesn't your marriage look like x ? If you are married without children - Why don't you have any children? If you have children - Why do you only have n number? Why don't you have more? Why do you so many? Why aren't you educating them like this ? I'd rather listen to my pastor on 1 Corinthians 7. Paul's thesis can be summed up...

In February, I  wrote about a ten-year anniversary - the day my husband moved out of the house on Valentine's Day and out of our marriage. But at the end of 2007, another event took place. The last Sunday of 2007 was the first day I walked through the door of Grace Baptist Chapel and found a church home. I'm sharing that story at Out of the Ordinary today. You can read the post here . Photo credit: By LudwigSebastianMicheler (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

It's hard to believe that it has been ten years. Ten years since his car pulled out of the driveway Ten years since he moved out of the house. Happy Valentine's Day! But not for me. At the time, I didn't know how I would survive emotionally, financially, and spiritually. I didn't know how I would recover from the betrayal and the pain. How could I possibly go on, let alone be there for our child? Looking back, it was only the grace of God that enabled me to get up each morning, not knowing what the future would bring, and stumble through the daily routine, even though the thought of living seemed to mock me. It was His grace that carried me through the added hell of complicated legal proceedings that only compounded the emotional devastation. Yet, here I am today a decade later and I'm still alive, probably living more freely than I ever have before. - Ten years ago, I was living in fear. Now I am at peace. - I was bound. Now I am free. For anyone hyperventila...

It's my turn to post at Out of the Ordinary: My church began a Sunday school series on the history of the Protestant Reformation. In the first class, the teacher gave a 45-minute whirlwind tour of the 1500 years that led up to the Reformation. He covered the eventual decline of the Roman Empire, the threats and attacks from neighboring tribes, and the political instability that ensued. Christianity went from severe persecution to Constantine's blending of church and state, setting the stage for the rise of the papacy. Sadly the church-at-large became a political entity in its own right with all the associated corruption and power grabs. But amidst the decline, God was setting the stage... Read the rest of the post here .

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness… The opening lines from  A Tale of Two Cities  give an uncanny description of the headlines from the last few weeks. Natural disaster, turmoil, injustice, and the list goes on. If you take all of human history into account, maybe it's not  the  absolute worst of times, but the current picture isn't pretty. Of course, its grimness could be compounded by the speed with which news travels and the glut of information that inundates us whether we like it or not. But nevertheless, it's easy to get discouraged and fearful when I consider the state of the world. The problems begin to loom larger and larger, and if I'm honest, God begins to shrink bit by bit in my estimation. At this point, it's time to turn off the news, shut down the comp...

I posted this two years ago in honor of Memorial Day: When my dad was a boy, his family immigrated from southern China to the Philippines. My grandfather was led to preach the gospel and plant a church in the Manila/Quezon City area on Luzon Island. World War II broke out, and the Philippines was ultimately invaded by the Japanese. An airstrip was hidden near their house, and my dad and his younger siblings would watch the planes take off in the morning. They could gauge the state of the war by how many took off and how many returned. It was a difficult and dangerous time. Meanwhile a top Chinese nationalist spy had been sent to the Philippines to gather information for the Allies. The Japanese knew he was there, so he was a hunted man in daily fear of capture and death. Somehow he knew about my grandfather. (But being a spy, he would know these things.) This man was not a Christian, but whenever he could, he would sneak into my grandparent's home and ask my grandpa t...

This is a little story of God's providence. There once was a woman who had the bottom drop out of her life. She was a believer but un-churched with absolutely no idea where to turn in this crisis. She had a friend, an older Christian woman, who told her, "You need to read some Charles Spurgeon."  She had no idea who this Spurgeon guy was other than recalling a college friend describe him  as "great", "awesome", and "cool".  So, she googled "Spurgeon" and the first search result was this place, The Spurgeon Archive . She poked around the site and found a sermon on the passage she was currently reading. She had never seen anything like this before. After several years of very limited fellowship and no teaching whatsoever, this sermon was food to a spiritually starving soul. One sermon led to another and then another until she collected a thick binder's worth of them. She turned on  the computer every day for a Daily Dose of...

From Thomas Reade : Nothing is so calming and comforting to the Christian pilgrim, as the assurance of Divine Guidance in every, even the most minute circumstances which befall him. Without this perception of his heavenly Father's care, a thousand intricacies must beset his path. He must be staggered at almost every step. But when he beholds, by faith—the unerring hand of infinite wisdom, wielding the stupendous machine of human events—causing everything to promote the spiritual good of His people—then he quiets himself as a little child, and can say with cheerful resignation, "Father, not my will, but yours be done."

I've been pondering Sunday's sermon on James 4:13-17.  All that happens in our lives is the will of God as ordained by His sovereignty and carried out by His providence.  So our attitude should be "as the Lord wills" not just in our speech but in how we live day to day. But what happens when the providence is bitter? I think this is where James' theme of genuine faith comes in. Genuine faith isn't faith in a situation working out according to my plans. Genuine faith banks on the character of God, no matter what. Very often when we get good news, we acknowledge that God is merciful and good.  And yes, we should praise Him. But He hasn't stopped being good or merciful when it's a bad report. The circumstance may take us to the brink, yet His character hasn't changed. Genuine faith clings to the truth that "He changes not" even when the ground gives way. Here's a beautiful quote from John G. Paton. He became a widower twice and los...

For most of my life, I was plagued with sinful fear. On paper I would say that God was all powerful. But in my mind, that power could only extend to the point where it came in contact with the free will of man or the plans of the devil. This mind-set is used to bail out God when it comes to the problem of evil, but it's cold comfort at best, particularly when you think you are at the mercy of man - not God. Now that I'm on this side of the doctrines of grace, sinful fear still rears its ugly head. The underlying sin of unbelief is hard to stamp out because all it takes is one little thought, "Has God said?".  However, I intend to fight it by God's grace one thought at a time. Here is encouragement on this subject from the pen of one of my favorite Puritans. I hope to post more from this book in the days ahead. [W]e are ignorant of God. We do not know (or, at least, we do not fully consider) His almighty power, vigilant care; unspotted faithfulness, and how th...

In honor of Memorial Day, here is a family story from WW II: When my dad was a boy, his family immigrated from southern China to the Philippines. My grandfather was led to preach the gospel and plant a church in Quezon City on Luzon Island.  Shortly afterward, World War II broke out, and the Philippines were ultimately invaded by the Japanese. An airstrip was hidden near their house, and every day my dad and his younger siblings would watch the planes take off in the morning.  They could gauge the state of the war by how many took off and how many returned.  It was a difficult and dangerous time, to say the least. Meanwhile a top Chinese nationalist spy had been sent to the Philippines to gather information for the Allies.  The Japanese knew he was there, so he was a hunted man in daily fear of capture and death.  Somehow he knew about my grandfather.  (But being a spy, he would know these things.) This man was not a Christian, but whenever...

I learned yesterday that a couple in our church lost their grandson in an accident at Nags Head.   He was caught in a rip tide.  His friends made it back to shore, but he did not. God's providence is hard to understand particular when it is very bitter.  The loss of a child is a pain that I cannot even imagine and pray I never experience.  Yet in their grief, there is comfort.  This young man only 2 months prior declared his faith and trust in Jesus Christ.  He's with His Savior now. To quote Voddie Baucham, "In the providence of God, the suffering that this family is now enduring is maximizing the glory that God will receive from this particular family in this set of circumstances..." So I pray this would be true for them.  I pray that God would be honored and glorified in their suffering.  I pray His love and grace would abound to them.  And I pray that the Gospel would be shared - the Good News which gives us hope beyond the grave.

Providence is an act of God, whereby, according to His eternal and most wise counsel, He preserves and governs all things, and directs them all to their ends, but chiefly to His own glory.  It is necessary for our hearts to be well established in this truth, that we may acknowledge God with praise for the good that comes to pass, and embrace the bad with patience. Ezekiel Hopkins, Works , III:371-382, from Voices From the Past , Banner of Truth, page 231 ht: Constrained By Grace  via  Pastor's Corner

Thanks for your prayers and thanks be to God.  Our case is closed barring any unforeseen glitches.  The judge was probably tired of seeing us in his courtroom again, so the lawyers were strongly encouraged to work out an agreement prior to the start of the hearing. That being the case, a compromise was negotiated, we agreed to the new terms, and we were out of the courtroom in less than an hour. It is a huge relief to have this behind me.  I felt as though every decision I made was under scrutiny particularly my desire to continue homeschooling my daughter.  Her education and socialization were under question.  Even the amount of time I put into her schooling, which should be increased, was trivialized.  I was under pressure to put her in public school, private school, or send her to community college before she was ready for the sole purpose of getting me to work outside the home.  If I had said that a critical reason to be at home and homeschool he...

It is a great support and solace to the saints in all their distresses, that there is a wise Spirit setting all the wheels of providence in motion.  He governs the most irregular creatures and their most destructive designs to a blessed and happy outcome.  It would not be worth living in a world devoid of God and providence. Our present views of providence are imperfect in comparison to heaven.  Yet our earthly view, under all its present disadvantages, has so much sweetness in it that I may call it a little heaven.  It is certainly a highway of walking with God in this world. A soul may enjoy sweet communion with him in his providences.  How often have observers melted into tears of joy at seeing his wise and unexpected productions?  How often, if the Lord had left them to their own counsels, they would have been their own tormentors.  We can give hearty thanks that providence considers our interest more than our importunity, protecting us from peri...

God orders all events in this entire universe, but sometimes His providence flies below our radar. However, we were privileged to see His providence unfold before our eyes. Last Thursday was a typical muggy night for a softball game. When we arrived, the coach for our team was on the mound pitching the first inning. He was doing well, even throwing some strikes. That's pretty good for someone who is 69 years old. However, he began to look a little wobbly on his feet. Immediately folks from our church as well as the other team gathered around him to pray. He was still a little unsteady, so several brothers supported him as he walked off the field. Not much further, he started to pass out. It just happened that a player on the opposing team was an EMT/fire fighter with the station that just happened to be right around the corner. First aid was initiated, and a call was made for help. Thankfully he regained consciousness quickly. A fire truck was quickly on the scene followed by an a...

Our new house isn't very architecturally interesting.  It's just one of the thousands of brick ranchers that were built in the early '60s, but we think it deserves its own name. Casa Calvin? Chez Calvinist? Maison Manton? Puritan Pad?    I proposed  Dordt House which was immediately vetoed by my daughter as being too strange.  I then suggested Reformation Ranch , but she said it sounded like a Calvinist salad dressing (made with only 5 ingredients!)   Dead Guys' Bungalow?   The name sounds like the title of a Nancy Drew mystery.   Tulip Ranch ?  But we have no tulips until we plant some in the fall.  Also when I think of ranch , cattle come to mind, so I have a mental image of herds of black and white spotted tulips mooing and grazing on the prairie. But after some deliberation, we have chosen  Providence House . In the last three years, my eyes were opened to God's providence and sovereignty.  I'm still learning t...

Location is everything - especially when your car breaks down.  The two best places would be either your own driveway or your mechanic's parking lot.  Providence chose the driveway for me.  My car finally refused to start after several months of erratic and fitful starts.  I can think of numerous places where the car could have died leaving me stranded.  God also provided a brother in the church with a towing thingamajig.  After much maneuvering and pushing by him and the pastor, the car was safely towed to the repair shop to be fixed.  This may be a small mercy, but it is a mercy for which I am very thankful.