Tried With Fire

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...

He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him: for He said, I am the Son of God. Matthew 27:43 Let a man trust in God, not in fiction but in fact, and he will find that he has solid rock under his feet. Let him trust about his own daily needs and trials, and rest assured that the Lord will actually appear for him, and he will not be disappointed. Such a trust in God is a very reasonable thing; its absence is most unreasonable. If there is a God, He knows all about my case. If He made my ear He can hear me, if He made my eye He can see me, and therefore He perceives my condition. If He is my Father, as He says He is, He will certainly care for me, and will help me in my hour of need if He can. We are sure that He can, for He is omnipotent. Is there anything unreasonable, then, in trusting in God that He will deliver us? I venture to say that if all the forces in the universe were put together, and all the kindly intents of all who are our friends were put toget...

Far too often, it feels easier and safer to see only what we want to see. Fear of jeopardizing some overarching political, religious, financial or other ideology — or even just losing friends or status — leads to willful ignorance of what is right in front of our own eyes, in the shape and form of innocent and vulnerable children. Ask yourself: How much is a child worth? Yesterday, Rachael Denhollander wrote an Op-Ed for the New York Times . She has drawn a line in the sand regarding how organizations handle child abuse specifically, but this can apply to all forms of abuse. How will Christians and the church-at-large respond? She writes, "I lost my church" because of her advocacy. On the one hand, this is shocking. How could followers of Jesus do this to a sister-in-Christ? On the other hand, this is no surprise at all. Talk to survivors and advocates, and we can give you instances of being shut down and given the back hand of fellowship. But her words also give hope. Mayb...

I've already linked to Rachael Denhollander's victim impact statement. Please watch it in its entirety or read the transcript . Don't just watch the last section as recommended in The Gospel Coalition post. Why? "It requires no effort for us to borrow and appropriate our favorite excerpts from her statement, but she paid for the ability to say what she said at the end with blood, sweat, tears, sacrifice, rejection, exposure, humiliation, profound loss, and more. The power of the final part of her address rests fully in a sober reckoning with everything that preceded it. If we listen, it’s obvious that it’s not just Larry Nassar who needs to repent; it’s not just Larry Nassar who requires forgiveness."  Rachael Denhollander's Victim Impact Statement: Why We Need to Read the Whole Thing - Judy Wu Dominick "What do both insiders and outsiders see when they examine us? Do they see growth? Purity? Love? Plenty of naïve Christians have committed sexual...

It is only right and good to honor the strength and courage of Rachael Denhollander and her fellow survivors who disclosed all they suffered at the hands of Larry Nassar . He was sentenced to 175 years in prison, which sends a clear message of the heinous nature of his crimes. However, his is not the only reckoning. If you listen to the victim impact statements, there were repeated calls for Michigan State University and the US Gymnastics Association to be held accountable for their inaction and creating a climate where an abuser could have easy access to his victims. There have been calls for the resignation of the president of Michigan State University with resultant wagon circling. But as of last night, Lou Anna Simon resigned. I truly hope the church-at-large is taking notes because we don't have a spotless reputation when it comes to dealing with child abuse or abuse of any sort nor when it comes to standing with the victims. It would be hypocritical to applaud Nassar's...

If you are looking for the role model for a godly woman, here she is: WATCH LIVE: Victims of ex-USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar are continuing to speak in court during the 7th day of his sentencing hearing; Nassar will also be sentenced today https://t.co/KWY1pm3GPO pic.twitter.com/IyqpNJWGZp — CBS News (@CBSNews) January 24, 2018 ht: Wade Mullen on Twitter Update 3:48 pm - Complete video of victim impact statement. ht: Jacob Denhollander I strongly encourage you to listen to Rachael Denhollander's entire statement. She has demonstrated strength, courage, and dignity, but not just for herself. She opened the door for other victims to walk through and reclaim their voices that had been silenced for so long.  I hope Rachael's and the other victim impact statements will stop churches or Christian organizations from thinking they can deal with abuse in-house or worse, criminally and sinfully cover it up. I also hope this will cause those who, perhaps unwitting...

"When you believe that the brokenness of this world can be not just ameliorated but fixed once and for all, then people who don't share your optimism, or who do share it but invest it in a different system, are adversaries of Utopia. (An "adversary" is literally one who has turned against you, one who blocks your path.) Whole classes of people can by this logic become expendable - indeed, it can become the optimist's perceived duty to eliminate the adversaries." 1 This quote from How to Think is spot on. It is easy to become so invested in what is believed to be the "right way" of doing things that any disagreement is seen as a threat. Arguments are shot down and any disagreers are shut up and labeled with the appropriate pejoratives. (see Argument as war ) Perhaps the issue isn't optimism in general but one that is untempered and attempts to circumvent the consequences of the fall in this life. Rather than facing circumstances as they a...