Thankful to...

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone.

Remember, there is always an object to thankfulness. A general feeling of thankfulness is the popular sentiment of Thanksgiving. But what is that? If you give thanks, you must give it to someone. So remember to take some time today to thank the Lord, whose face shines on his people in so many ways.

Psalm 67
To the Choirmaster: With Stringed Instruments. A Psalm. A Song.

1 May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah

2 that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.

3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah

5 Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!

6 The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.

7 God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!

The Hardest Thing I Have Ever Done

It's been 24 hours since I ran the Harrisburg Marathon, and I have been trying to decide if saying that it's the hardest thing I've ever done is an overstatement. But I think it's probably correct to say that the last nine miles of this race were the mentally and physically most taxing accomplishment of my 32 years. In my four years of high school football I'm sure I came close to the physical fatigue of this race, but I did not have the mental anguish. Conversely, my graduate studies posed signnificant mental hurdles, but you don't have to jog 26 miles when writing your 80 page paper. So I think it's safe to say the last nine miles of this marathon have no true equal in my life.

The race was fun for the first 13 miles. It was a beautiful day: 63 degrees, partly sunny, no wind, fall colors, lots of cheering spectators including my wife, who surprised me by showing up several times throughout the course. She has really been a great support in this whole journey and it was awesome to have her there.

But I made a few rookie mistakes that really cost me near the end of the race.

The first mistake was starting too close to the front of the pack. I run 10 minute miles pretty consistently, but I started near people who ran nine minute miles or faster. So I was being passed quite a bit, and mentally that caused me to speed up, because it felt like I was going in slow motion. At the five mile mark I was at 45 minutes. That's a nine minute mile. I should have been a half mile back. I was using too much energy trying to maintain a pace for which I hadn't trained.

My second mistake was failing to walk at the water stations long enough. In training I walked for a full minute. But again, no one in the race was walking at the water stations, so I felt compelled, for no reason at all, to walk less at the water.

My third and most fatal mistake was trusting the race organizers when they said there would be gel packs available at the water stations after 13 miles. Gel is a small pack of high carbohydrate and electrolyte ooze that you eat while running to give your muscles energy. Long distance runners have to eat to keep going. I trusted that the gel would be there, but it wasn't. I got one pack at mile 13, but after that no other station had any gel. By mile 17 I could tell I was out of fuel. That's when I started to pray that God would give me strength to finish the final nine miles without the necessary energy. Miles 18-20 were all hills. When I got through those hills I was completely drained without any hope of refueling, and I still had to run six miles.

The final six miles I was in severe pain. Every muscle hurt, including my arms. A headache was forming due to the lack of calories. Everything in me told me to stop, and I had to battle through those thoughts. At one point I just had to tell myself to stop feeling bad about not having the calories, that nothing was going to change my situation, and that if I stopped moving I wouldn't start again. So at mile 21 I just started pushing myself and preaching at myself not to quit moving for any reason. It was a pretty surreal moment.

When I crossed the finish line, all I can remember is people cheering followed by people asking me if I was ok. I must have looked pretty sapped. Rachel came and gave me a big hug, put my medal around my neck, and wrapped a solar blanket around me. At first I couldn't enjoy it because I thought I was going to be sick or collapse. Neither happened.

A friend recently said if you can run a marathon you can do anything. It does feel a little like that now. Right now I can barely stand up, but in a few days I'll be back at it and, who knows, I might even sign up for another one.

Paranoia: 2 Days to 26.2 miles

Even writing this post is adding to the paranoia.


I have a bad back. Normally it's fine, but about twice a year I'll be doing something really strenuous, like breathing or sitting, and all of the sudden my back will wrench itself in some horrible way, forcing me to lay flat for a couple of days. No joke. One time I was eating dinner with some friends. Mid-sentence I was raising my fork to my mouth and it threw my back out.


So since the beginning of this week I have been paranoid that I'll do something totally normal and injure myself before running this marathon. And then 18 weeks of vigorous training will culminate in nothing but a back injury incurred while sleeping (again, I'm not kidding, three weeks ago I tweaked my back while sleeping.)


So if you think of me over the next two days, ask God to protect me from myself until at least Sunday afternoon. Thankfully, I did not injure myself typing this post.

Carb Loading: 4 Days to 26.2 Miles

So this has to be the best/worst week of marathon training. It's like one of those old "Got Milk" commercials. Allow me to explain.

This week I train like a sumo wrestler: I'm supposed to eat carbohydrate rich foods like bread, fruit, pasta, and other stuff that would make Dr. Atkins cringe. I also don't have to run very much. The idea is to fill my muscles with glucose so that I have the energy I need for the race. I'm like a squirrel preparing for winter.

But the problem is that I don't really want to eat. I'm too nervous, so nothing sounds very good. So while I would normally enjoy eating, especially during a week when I can write it off as part of my "athletic lifestyle," I'm not in the mood for anything. So much to eat, but I can't enjoy it. Got milk?

6 Days to 26.2 Miles

This is it. Game week. I've been training for 17 weeks, and next Sunday is the day I run the Harrisburg Marathon. I must admit I'm pretty nervous. But over the last 17 weeks I've learned a few things that have kept me going, and I thought I would share them.

1. I Can Do This

My biggest hesitation back in May/June when I was wringing my hands was the thought, "I really don't think I can do this." The longest I had ever ran was 7 miles, and I knew what that felt like. So I put running 26.2 miles on par with learning to fly an airplane or running for president: a nice idea but not really feasible. At one point early in the training I had to stop 2 times during a 3 mile run because I thought I was going to collapse. I thought a marathon was a fairytale that day.

But now an 8 mile run seems short. Two weeks ago I ran 40 miles during the week, 20 of that at one time! I am simply amazed how discipline can prepare us for the unimaginable.

2. I Can Change

Back in April my doctor said something I thought I would never hear: "Kyle, you're slightly overweight." That was a first, and it pretty much ruined that day for me. Over the last 3-4 years or so I put on 25 pounds, taking me out of my ideal range. But I learned I don't have to accept this as "the new me." Like they say, if you burn more calories than you eat, you will lose weight. And sure enough, I've lost 20 pounds in 17 weeks. I'm at my high school weight! For me it took setting a goal other than weight loss. But I've learned that if I can get the right goal, I can change.

3. Exercise Takes Planning

If I have a long day at work and a long run scheduled, guess which one gets compromised. I figured out that if I'm going to actually run (not just say I am) I have to have both a schedule and a plan for accomplishing it. Of course, the fear of entering a marathon I can't finish keeps me pretty motivated. I'm now really careful to find the time I need to exercise.

4. Physical Fitness is Part of Discipleship

This one deserves its own blog post, but I'll summarize it here. God did not make disembodied spirits. The human body is not a result of the Fall, no matter how bad some of them look. He made us out of matter and breathes life into us. That makes our bodies important, and as unpopular as it is to say it in the church, the disregard many followers of Jesus show for their weight is sinful. Caring for our body is as much a stewardship issue as tithing faithfully or serving in the children's ministry. If God gives it to us, we need to care for it.

I knew this before I started running, but I have really learned it through the whole experience. Beyond health issues, staying fit has given me more energy, which means all the other stuff I do in life as worship to the Lord is higher quality, and that certainly affects my growth in Christ.

Slavery and Myth

Here is a link to a remarkable speech from Joseph D'Souza, a leader in the church of India. In a little over eight minutes, he speaks on the largest source of modern slavery, the caste system and the degradation of the Dalit people. D'Souza gave this speech at the Third Lausanna Congress on World Evangelization, held last month in Cape Town, South Africa.

Reconciliation - Exploited and Oppressed People The Lausanne Global Conversation

Two of his points stand out to me as related and devastating.

Slavery is Founded in Creation Myth
At the base of the evil that causes a person to enslave another person is a belief that each person is created with greater or lesser value. If race is seen as a biological difference that reflects God's value on us, then we are not far from dividing ourselves along the same lines we believe God percieves. And the worst part of this sort of thinking is that our devaluing of another person can then be defended as reflective of our Creator's own design. This is what is happening in India. American slaveholders used the same myth.

The Church is Susceptible to Functioning Under the Same Myth
The consistent message of the Bible is that all humans are made in God's image and this high value in the eyes of God is modeled among his people, who live together and value each other in counter-cultural ways. There is no line that divides us one from another in value. Paul makes this point very carefully in Galatians 3:28-29. God certainly makes us different from each other with differing roles to play, but the value of each person is not determined by role.

And yet, the church gets this wrong so often. I found it chilling to hear D'Souza describe the church graveyard where the dead were divided by caste. Those graves now stand as a permanent reminder that the church can profess equality at the feet of Jesus and yet not allow the Gospel to shatter the sin endemic in so many cultural norms.

Missions Month: Week 3 -- Special Guest Mike Leonzo

This week my friend Mike Leonzo was able to come share. Mike is the lead pastor at Living Water Community Church in Harrisburg, PA and also serves on the advisory board for Mosaix Global Network. Check out this very challenging message on Jesus' prayer of unity for his church.

Missions Month: Week 2

Missions Month: Week 1

For the benefit of my non-KSC readers, here's week one of The Fraglie Army sermon series.

Missions Month Begins This Week

For those of you who are part of King Street Church, this Sunday begins Missions Month, four weeks of focusing on the mission of the church in the world. We'll be studying 2Cor.4, with guest speaker Mike Leonzo joining us Oct.24 for what will be a very interesting look at multi-ethnic churches.

So what exactly is the mission of the church? In the video below, Kevin DeYoung, Ryan Kelly, and Greg Gilbert offer what I believe is a very helpful and thought-provoking discussion.

The Mission of the Church from Ben Peays on Vimeo.

Ed Stetzer Explaining What it Means to be "On Mission" with Jesus

Ed Stetzer is among the clearest speakers and writers on the "missional movement" in the church today. The video quality here is not very high, but I share it with you because Stetzer offers a very good explanation to those who are interested in understanding how mission is a integral part of the calling of the church.

Tim Keller on Being Salt and Light

Tim Keller is the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. He has written some extraordinary books and articles dealing with how Christians relate to and engage with society, particularly the city. Here he describes Jesus' metaphor of salt and light and how it is applied by two very different theologians: Dutch politician Abraham Kuyper and American professor Stanley Hauerwas, who teaches at Duke.

Mark Driscoll on the Missional Church

Here is Pastor Mark Driscoll speaking on the missional church. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of what it means to be missional, this is a good primer. I will be speaking on this topic during Missions Month, Oct.10-31, at King Street Church. Between now and then I am going to focus the posts of this blog on understanding what it means to be on mission with Jesus in the world.

The Two Fisted, All American, Red Blooded, Heavy Weight Championship Run for Liberty, Justice, and the American Way

Early this morning I lived the dream. But before I can tell you about it I need to explain three things. First, I'm in Philadelphia currently, studying for two weeks at Westminster Theological Seminary as I begin my doctorate program. Second, I'm in week 6 of an 18 week marathon training program. Third, and most importantly, I am a huge fan of Rocky. It's my favorite movie (the first one, if you're wondering.) So if you combine these ingredients, some of you will probably know where I'm going with this.

This morning I got up at 5am, cracked 5 eggs into a glass (ok, I had cereal,) jumped in my car, and headed to central Philly for the best 7 mile run on the planet for a Rocky fan. Like the jewel in the center of the ring, the run was made perfect by living out one of the best scenes in cinematic history. But, the rest of the run was pretty great too. In fact, I think it would be pretty tough to come up with a 7-mile running route that includes more history central to our country than the one I made today. Here is a list in order of everything I passed along the way.

Penn's Landing

I started at the base of the bridge that takes you over to the shore at Penn's Landing, where all the ships are docked. I got started at about 6:30am. No one was on the street, and there was almost no traffic, making this an ideal starting point.

Benjamin Franklin's Post Office and Print Shop

A few blocks down on the left is Ben Franklin's home and work complex. It's a very cool replica of his post office and printing shop. In the shop you can actually buy type-set prints of the Declaration of Independence. The remains of his actual house can also be viewed.




Independence Hall

This is the building where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed. If you take the tour, you can sit in the rooms that housed the First Continental Congress.




The Liberty Bell

As you pass Independence Hall on your left, to your right is a nice view of the Liberty Bell. Did I mention this run was historic? On this jog, history wraps around you like a Snuggie.







City Hall

At this point we pass from history to pseudo-history. Philadelphia City Hall is certainly important in it's own right, but for me its real importance is the fact that in Rocky's training montage, he runs right through here. This was when Gonna Fly Now started playing through my head. I started to pick up the pace.


Philadelphia Museum of Art
I approached the historic steps from the left, dodging a few cars. I took them two at a time at full speed. There are a lot of steps! I was panting pretty heavily when I got to the top, but was it ever worth it! I turned around and gazed out over the city. It is a very cool view from up there.

Now, I was debating whether or not to throw my hands up in true Rocky fashion and jump up and down, but I must admit that I didn't. There were quite a number of other joggers and cyclists there, and none of them were carrying on like that. I decided not to be the guy who looked like a tourist, since, after all, I am actually training for something. But it really didn't take away from the experience. I couldn't stop smiling. The Rocky statue sits at the base of the steps and I ran past it as I continued my journey



The German Society of Pennsylvania
I then ran down Spring Garden St., which is anything but spring or garden-like. In fact, if I were to change anything about this run, I would probably alter the route at this point. However, I did pass the German Society of Pennsylvania, which, from the first sentence of the plaque I read as I ran by, I learned was a society to help German immigrants get the help they needed to live in America. It's historic, but wholly unimpressive. Not worth a picture.


Chinatown
I ran through the heart of Chinatown, which was kinda cool, but it's not nearly as big or colorful as the Chinatown in Washington D.C. Still, I was glad to see it, and there were at least three restaurants that grabbed my attention.



Christ Church
You'd think after a run so chock full of American goodness I couldn't fit one more stop. But alas, Penn's Landing is right next to Christ Church, where I parked. This is the church George Washington, Ben Franklin, and Betsy Ross attended, along with 15 signers of the Declaration of Independence. What did I do here, you ask? Cool down exercises in the courtyard, of course. Nothing completes the ultimate American run like quad stretches where the fathers of our country worshiped.

Cardboard Ministries

This is an example of a cardboard ministries event. The power is in the numbers and the faces. Nothing transforms humanity like the Gospel.

A Week Among the Children of Bulawayo

While my time in exotic Wisconsin shaped my mind, my time among the people of Bulawayo Zimbabwe sculpted my heart. This was not my first time among orphans in Africa, but it was the first time I lived with them, sat in their homes, and spent afternoons playing with them.

What comes to mind when you hear about African orphans? Need? Broken lives? What you can do with the price of a cup of coffee? I'll be honest, most of what I knew came from Sally Struthers commercials and odd parental warnings when I didn't eat all my dinner.

Here's what I saw: Smiling faces, kids playing soccer (futbol) in the yard, children and adults seated in the living room an hour each evening for Bible study prefaced with exuberant worship songs during which the children danced together. Yep, danced together. I spoke with one of the "aunties" who cares for the children. She lives in the home with her husband and biological child. All the kids see her as a parent, and she sees all the kids as her children. Her own child embraces all the kids as brothers and sisters. If I said that about Americans we might agree that this would be nice in theory but assume it would not happen in practice. I'm telling you, I saw it.

Can 94 children and a host of "aunties" and "uncles" truly be a family? I think so. I believe I saw the body of Christ formed from brokenness. He makes all things new.

A Few Days with Dallas Willard

God molded me in two different ways over the past two weeks. Both were spiritual challenges, but one came through the molding of my mind and the other the molding of my heart.

As I mentioned in the last post, I took two trips back to back. I'll cover the first trip in this post. The first was a conference with Dallas Willard as the keynote speaker. It is not an overstatement to say that Dr. Willard's work has been one of the most influential factors in my Christian life. To spend a few days with him listening to his insights on the state of human depravity and the call to make disciples of Christ-like character was both a thrill and a challenge. It was an honor to be able to sit down with a man like this and thank him for the influence he has been on my life.

A few quotes will give you a taste of my experience:

On the question of original design: "What did God create us to be? For many Christians there is no answer to this question."

On the source of the human problem: "All of the troubles and failures of human existence are rooted in failure to think rightly about God."

On the Lord's prayer: "Unless we desire to hallow his name, then we will not want his kingdom to come or his will to be done."

On the full message of the Gospel: "Put your confidence in Jesus and live with him as a disciple now in the present Kingdom of God."

On the question of who we are: "You are a never ceasing spiritual being with an eternal destiny in God's great universe."

On the relationship between faith and knowledge: "We are a people of knowledge, not of faith. Faith is based on knowledge." "It is on the basis of knowledge that people come to faith."

On the sermon on the mount: "We make a mistake when we try to do the things in the sermon rather than trying to become the kind of person who would do these things naturally."

On the relationship between grace and effort: "Grace is God accomplishing in my life what I cannot accomplish on my own." "Grace is not opposed to effort. It is opposed to earning. Those touched by grace exert tremendous responsive effort."

On the use of God's commandments: "Once you begin to grow in the Christian life, you see that God's commandments are a natural expression of who we are."

On becoming like Jesus: "As Jesus' apprentice I am learning from him how to lead my life in the Kingdom of God as he would lead it if he were I. I am with him in all my circumstances learning to be like him."

Dr. Willard's thought inspires to think more deeply about my spiritual growth. We are told to be renewed through the transformation of our minds, and I believe Dr. Willard is a Spirit-led guide for those pursuing this sort of transformation. If you are thinking of reading something from him, I highly recommend The Spirit of the Disciplines.

2 Weeks, 2 Extraordinary Trips

Tomorrow morning I set out on a two week whirlwind trip that will take me to both exotic Zimbabwe and exotic Wisconsin. You heard me, exotic Wisconsin.

Though I have to kiss my family goodbye and send them off to Michigan to stay with family, which I'm not excited about, I am excited about these two trips I'll be making back-to-back over the next two weeks. First, I'll be hanging out with about 40 other pastors in Green Lake, WI. Our host? Dallas Willard, professor of philosophy at USC and and author of some of the best books you'll ever read on spiritual growth, spiritual discipline, and life in Christ. His big ones are The Divine Conspiracy and The Spirit of the Disciplines, but almost everything he writes is golden.

On Friday I come home for two days; long enough to wash my clothes and repack. Then it's off to Zimbabwe where I will be staying with a small team at an orphanage just outside of Bulawayo. There I will be doing some work projects, playing with the children, and preaching. Mostly what I will be doing is working with my friend and travel companion John Hetrick to learn about the orphanage for the possibility of future partnership.

I'm sure I'll have plenty to share when I return. Please pray that God will use this time both to pour out his Spirit in me and to use me for solid ministry. Also ask God to make the time away from my wife and son bearable. Thanks.

How Do You Start Your Day?

Here's a bit of biblical teaching that absolutely astounds me with its clarity and depth. It is from a wonderful but weighty book entitled Dynamics of Spiritual Life by Richard Lovelace. Lovelace addresses what I believe to be the principle problem for both guilt-ridden Christians and nominal religious people.

Only a fraction of the present body of professing Christians are solidly appropriating the justifying work of Christ in their lives. Many have so light an apprehension of God's holiness and of the extent and guilt of their sin that conciously they see little need for justification, although below the surface of their lives they are deeply guilt-ridden and insecure. Many others have a theoretical commitment to this doctrine, but in their day-to-day existence they rely on their sanctification for justification... drawing their assurance of acceptance with God from their sincerity, their past experience of conversion, their recent religious performance, or the relative infrequency of their conscious, willful disobedience.

Few know enough to start each day with a thoroughgoing stand on Luther's platform: you are accepted, looking outward in faith and claiming the wholly alien righteousness of Christ as the only ground for acceptance, relaxing in that quality of trust which will produce increasing sanctification as faith is active in love and gratitude.

Sadly I think Lovelace is exactly right. Justification is God's legal pronouncement that we as Christians are pardoned because of the substitute death of Jesus. That is the ground of all our hope. And yet, I meet people within the church all the time that cannot articulate this hope, and it's clear that being justified by Christ's sacrifice and being bathed in Christ's righteousness (his sinless right standing before God) is not where they draw their strength and joy. The guilty hand-wringers feel like they haven't done enough to earn God's favor and the cultural religious types see no need for a deep, passionate embrace of the Gospel that results is a transformed life. It would not be an overstatement to say nearly every counseling situation I have had falls into one of these two errors.

Thankfully, Lovelace and Luther's answer to this problem is also entirely accurate. In fact, it is the core of the Gospel message: you are accepted. You cannot earn acceptance by cleaning up your life, but you can lean on the acceptance of God in Christ and let that truth turn your life into passionate, sanctified worship. In Jesus, you are accepted. If this truth is the fuel of your life, it will drive you into the relaxed "quality of trust which will produce increasing sanctification as faith is active in love and gratitude."

Amazing Grace on the Field

As a life-long fan of the Detroit Tigers, allow me to throw my hat in the ring with all the others who have commented on the extraordinary events surrounding the Tigers vs. Indians game last week. Armando Galarraga pitched a perfect game, but a blown call by first base umpire Jim Joyce robbed Galarraga of his spot in history as only the 21st pitcher ever to retire 27 batters in a row, and the first in Tiger's history.

What makes this story extaordinary is not the blown call. That happens all the time. It's not even the perfect game, though that's why everyone is taking such notice. In my opinion, what is truly amazing is the outpouring of grace by Galarraga himself that began the moment the call was blown and history was lost. You see, it was Galarraga himself who covered first base for the final out. He was the one who caught the ball and looked to the umpire for the out-signal. And in that moment, when Galarraga's hands started to climb to the air in victory, and he saw the safe call from Jim Joyce, all Galarraga did was smile. He smiled.

I was watching the game. I was yelling at the screen, nearly waking my son. And my anger compounded when seconds later I was subjected to viewing the replay from about 6 angles, all clearly portraying a not-even-close out. But not Galarraga. He just walked back out and coaxed a ground ball from the next guy, giving him the only 28 out perfect game in MLB history.

Grace. This is costly grace. When he saw the replay, Galarraga simply said, "Nobody's perfect. Everyone is human." He's right. But it's one thing to say that in retrospect, when the emotions subside. It takes a new level of grace all together to let this be your guide in the heat of the moment when it costs you everything.

The next day, Galarraga walked the line-up card out to a very contrite, emotional Jim Joyce standing at the plate. This is normally a task for the manager, but in perhaps the classiest move I have ever seen in sports, Tiger's manager Jim Leyland asked Galarraga to walk out there. And with grace unbounded, he not only gave Joyce the card, but shook his hand and showed the sporting world the power of forgiving grace.

Are We Really Ready for This?

In a letter to one of his missionaries, Jack Miller, a pastor and the founder of World Harvest Mission, discussed his desire to see the churches he wanted to plant grow in biblical character. Miller wanted to move beyond a small, human-sized vision to embrace a grand, God-sized mission, but he also understood the sacrifice required. Here is a portion of that letter that challenges me as I think about the new visions being formed by the various outreach bodies of my church. (The North he references here is Brownlow North, a Presbyterian leader who challenged his church about the lack of prayer and leadership development within the church.)

Our aim is to gain a bigger vision for what God can do in church planting and mobilizing leaders. As I believe you have put it, "I have been thinking too much about planting a single church, when I should also be thinking about how we can moblize and train our own missionaries and leaders to plant 200 churches..."

The rest of us share your vision, I do believe. But if North is right about us, then we have problems. It simply cannot happen unless we learn to pray better and train better--and also to think more clearly. We all have a heart burden to plant churches in the world's darkest places. But think for a moment. This requires sacrifice, suffering, endurance, even death on the part of American and national missionaries. Are we really ready for this?

I do believe that of ourselves we would never be ready. But in spite of our many weaknesses, I am persuaded we are moving in the right direction. The glory is all God's.

Three items draw my attention here and deeply humble me as a pastor.

1. We are right to seek the bigger vision of God. It is good for God's people to be so passionate for his glory that we want to see the Gospel proclaimed everywhere. We don't need to settle for what is currently working, or even for what seems possible. If God gives us a vision for what seems impossible, we should pursue it and assume the Holy Spirit will act in ways we cannot.

2. We will almost certainly underestimate the cost of God's bigger vision. That first point makes me feel good. This one doesn't. To press into God's bigger vision does not mean we will be safe or happy. All wars have casualties, and it was Jesus himself who said that those who lose their lives for his sake and the Gospel's will find eternal life. Sometimes we lose our lives metaphorically by obedience and sometimes we lose our lives physically by obedience. But make no mistake, all followers of Jesus lose their lives. And if we embrace a greater vision given to us by God, it will certainly come with greater personal sacrifice. Miller is right to ask, "Are we really ready for this?"

3. To achieve God's bigger vision, we need to pray, train, and even think better. If we are going to embrace a grand, God-sized vision for our ministry, and we know with it will come greater sacrifice, then we need to prepare spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and even physically. If we are going to do greater things as a church, we need to pray more fervently and think through the plans with more clarity. I know that I have a tendency to assume I can do more work without exerting more effort; that somehow success will just "happen." But the fact is God calls his church to pray, work, and think hard. That's why he gave us a day to rest: he knows how hard we need to work to do our part in the Kingdom of God!

Contemporvant Worship

There's a new video getting a lot of attention around the web in evangelical circles. I'm not sure what to think of it. It's very funny. I love parody, especially when it's produced by those who are making fun of themselves (This was produced by North Point, a big church in Atlanta that looks just like this.) I'm 32, so I'm supposed to like this sort of service, and sometimes I do. Most of the time, though, I prefer a more contemplative form of worship that prizes Scripture reading, communion, corporate prayer, and lengthy expository preaching. But I see a place for sevices like this, and I think elements of these services should be incorporated into all church services. So I'm torn. Watch it and decide how it makes you feel.

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

You Give and Take Away...

How do you understand the trials of life? Do you explain them away? Do you believe there are certain aspects of reality over which God has no control? Or do you, like Job, James, Paul, Peter, and Jesus himself, give God the glory for everything, understanding that he is in full control?

The Story of Zac Smith from NewSpring Media on Vimeo.

Hudson Taylor on Leadership

In his book Spiritual Leadership, Oswald Sanders records a letter that the missionary Hudson Taylor sent to his secretary while serving in China. In the letter, Taylor outlined 6 areas he felt needed improvement within China Inland Mission, the organization he founded. The 6 points are pretty insightful for pastors, leaders at all levels within the church, and really for leaders anywhere.

I have listed them here in Taylor's words, followed by a brief description of each offered by Sanders.

Improve the character of the work
The leader must discover which departments are functioning below standards and remedy the defect.

Deepen the piety, devotion, and success of the workers
The spiritual health of the leadership group should be the top concern among higher echelon leadership.

Remove stones of stumbling, if possible
Friction among a team should be minimized. When problems are neglected, morale drops and performance decreases. If the problem has a remedy, it should be put into place at once.

Oil the wheels where they stick
Warm relationships among team members are vital. Some workers prefer to administer; others want to love people. Only the latter are leaders.

Amend whatever is defective
Creating problems is easy; solving them is difficult. The leader must face the problem realistically, and follow through until the solution is reached.

Supplement, as far as may be, what is lacking
Criticizing plans is easier than creating them. The leader must see the goal clearly, plan imaginatively, and employ tactics that lead to success. In this department there is always a short supply of people ready and qualified to perform.

In these points I see both my own weaknesses, strengths, and the weaknesses and strengths of the teams with which I work.

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo

If you're downtown tomorrow afternoon, be sure to check out the Cinco de May block party between King St. and the Square all along Main St. And be sure to stop by the King Street Church booth, which will be near the KSC Main St. office. It should be a really good time.

If you're wondering, Cinco de Mayo is the celebration of the unlikely victory of Mexican forces over the invading French army in 1862. It is not Mexican Independence Day, which is celebrated Sept.16. You can read an excellent article here.

What I find most interesting about the history of Cinco de Mayo is that this French invasion was taking place during the middle of the U.S. Civil War. There was a significant threat during the Civil War that France and England would join forces with the Confederate army in order to secure cotton imports. Had the Mexicans not held off France in 1862, France would have been in a very good position to help the Confederates and there may have been a different ending to the war in the north.

So if you love the U.S., you should be thankful for Cinco de Mayo and our neighbors to the south! Viva la Mexico!

Antony Flew Dies

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Antony Flew was a British philosopher renowned for his commitment to atheism. He was an author and debater committed to the notion that in the absence of confirming evidence, and by that he meant scientific evidence, one should not hold to belief in God. He held this view from the age of 15 to the the age of 81.

When he turned 81, Antony Flew changed his mind.

Al Mohler wrote a very good article here, in which he processes Flew's transformation from an evangelical perspective.

One of the most striking aspects of Flew's change of mind is his willingness to radically shift his worldview later in life and in the face of his legacy. The man wrote dozens of books arguing for the futility and nonsense of belief in God, and then, when impressed by theistic philosophers and the discoveries of design through scientific inquiry, he was willing to set aside his life's work and accept the view of his partners in the debate at the age of 81.

There is much to learn from Antony Flew, not the least of which is that there is something far more important than human ego. There is truth.

Never Read a Bible Verse

Some of you, especially those of you in my Acts class, know what an advocate I am for careful reading of Scripture. Here is an excerpt from an excellent article written by Gregory Koukl on the subject of Bible verses. Take this to heart.

Meaning always flows from the top down, from the larger units to the smaller units, not the other way around. The key to the meaning of any verse comes from the paragraph, not just from the individual words.

The numbers in front of the sentences give the illusion the verses stand alone in their meaning. They were not in the originals, though. Numbers were added hundreds of years later. Chapter and verse breaks sometimes pop up in unfortunate places, separating relevant material that should be grouped together.

First, ignore the verse numbers and try to get the big picture. Then begin to narrow your focus. It's not very hard or time consuming. It takes only a few moments and a little observation of the text.

Begin with the broad context of the book. What type of literature is it history, poetry, proverb? What is the passage about in general? What idea is being developed?

Stand back from the verse and look for breaks in the narrative that identify major units of thought. Ask, "What in this paragraph or group of paragraphs gives any clue to the meaning of the verse?"

There's a reason this little exercise is so important. Words have different meanings in different contexts (that's what makes puns work). When we consider a verse in isolation, one meaning may occur to us. But how do we know it's the right one? Help won't come from the dictionary. Dictionaries only complicate the issue, giving us more choices, not fewer. Help must come from somewhere else close by: the surrounding paragraph.

With the larger context now in view, you can narrow your focus and speculate on the meaning of the verse itself. Sum it up in your own words.

Finally and this is critical see if your paraphrase makes sense when inserted in the passage. Does it dovetail naturally with the bigger picture?

The rest of the article contains soild examples of how to avoid the traps and do sound Bible reading. You can read it here.

Visit to Minneapolis

I haven't blogged for a bit because I've been in Minneapolis receiving some training on how to lead short-term missions teams well. I had the chance tonight to visit The Fusion Community, a ministry led by my friend Bryan McWhite, in whose guest room I am currently typing this and where I've been sleeping for the last 4 nights.

Bryan is a gifted teacher, and I recommend to you the sermon he presented tonight which covered the end of 1 Cor.10. Check it out here.

In hope to share with you some insights on my training in the days to come.

Life in the Vine

My two part Life in the Vine series is now available. I welcome any comments or helpful suggestions. Thanks.



Part 1 John 15:1-8




Part 2 John 15:9-17

Election as a Call to Love First

I have enjoyed carefully examining a short portion of Jesus' discussion with his disciples during the last supper in John 15:1-17. Over the last few days I have been pondering 15:16, a verse that I am sure will raise some eyebrows tomorrow when I discuss it in the sermon. It stands out for its theological bluntness on the doctrine of election.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. John 15:16 ESV

What it says is plain enough. We did not choose Jesus. Jesus chose us. His move was primary, and any decision we feel we've made with regard to Jesus is a result of his sovereign choice. That's clear enough; but what I've been pondering is the location of this particular bit of theological precision. Jesus is talking about his love and how we as his beloved friends are to abide in his love and love others in the same way he loves us. Why, seemingly out of the blue, does Jesus switch to the topic of his sovereign choice?

And then it hit me. Election is not only Christ's sovereign choice of the people for whom he will sacrificially give his life; election is also the model for how we are to love others first. Now, my thoughts on this are just now simmering, so I would welcome any perspective or critique you may bring to them.

Here's what I think I'm seeing. In 15:12, Jesus says we are to love others as he has loved us. This means sacrificially, which is clear from the next verse that says no one has greater love than he who gives his life for his friends. Now that's challenging enough. To love to the point where you are willing to die in the place of the other person is beautiful, costly love, and it is absolutely the central message of the cross, because Jesus dies as the substitute sacrifice for the sins of his people.

But 15:16 heightens the challenge by showing us yet one more aspect of Jesus' love for his people that must be modeled in the loving fruit they produce, namely, that we are to be the people who love others first. The disciples didn't choose to love and abide in Jesus. Jesus chose them when they were perfectly content to keep on fishing, collecting taxes, etc. without any love for Jesus at all.

I've talked to enough people, done enough counseling, and searched my own heart enough to know that we humans are not inclined to love first. What I am inclined to do is love conditionally. I will extend love as an invitation to others, and if it is accepted, friendship begins. When it's rejected, I assume the other person is not worth my love and move on. That's what my sinful heart wants to do. I want to revoke the invitation.

But Jesus' love isn't an invitation, it's a selection. He chooses us, and we become his beloved friends. As such, my love isn't to be simply an invitation, but a choice to love. I don't get to decide how and to what extent I'm going to love other people anymore than I decided how and to what extent Jesus was going to love me.

Now of course, my love for another person is not irresistable like Jesus' love. My love doesn't bring about new birth or new creation in another person. But it is not the doctrine of irresistable grace that Jesus references. It is the doctrine of unconditional election, and to that end my love for another person must pour from me regardless of how it is received.

Imagine if everyone who followed Jesus realized that they were chosen, in spite of themselves, by Jesus, and used that love as a model for loving everyone else. Imagine if we said, "No matter what you do to me or how you receive me, I am going to love you first as unconditionally as Jesus loved me first, even if it kills me."

Another Reflection on John 15:3

Following the service yesterday I had a great discussion with my wife about John 15:3, a seemingly enigmatic little sentence in the middle of Jesus' analogy of the vine and the branches.

"Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you." 15:3

The word clean here is the same as the word prunes in 15:2, so Jesus is saying that the eleven remaining disciples are pruned, fruit-bearing branches. Judas is the ideal example of the dead branch that seemed to be "in Christ" but whom the Father has "taken away."

At this point in the sermon I made the comment that what Jesus says next is directed to fruit-bearing branches. Rachel told me that she wondered whether she would have understood Jesus to be speaking to only one kind of branch following this verse if I hadn't pointed it out. This caused me to go back to the verse and have another look at it.

This short verse is even more important than I thought. Here's why:

1. Often people quoting or referencing this passage will start in 15:4. "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me."

2. Had Jesus begun his speech here, you might be able to make a good case that Jesus is arguing for a sort of works righteousness, where it is the responsibility of the individual to stop being a dead branch and start producing fruit that God will accept. Try reading 15:1-2, skipping 15:3, and moving right to 15:4 to see what I mean.

3. 15:3 is the pronouncement of grace. The Gospel has cleaned these remaining eleven apostles. They are being pruned by the vinedresser to bear more fruit. Their responsibility is not to clean themselves, but to endure and partner in the continued discipleship process by abiding in the source of their spiritual life, Jesus Christ.

4. 15:3 and 15:6 work together to make certain that fruit-bearing branches realize it is God's sovereign grace that saves them and allows them to bear the fruit of Christ-like love.

What an important little sentence!

Sermon Series Begins This Week

I just want to let you all know that I will be starting a new sermon series at King Street this week entitled Life in the Vine. Over two weeks we'll explore John 15:1-17, a passage I've been reflecting on in my personal study over the last few months. It's great when I have the opportunity to share Scripture that is addressing some of my own current questions. Hope you can join us.

Christ Endured So That I...

Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy, cast off that I might be brought in, trodden down as an enemy that I might be welcomed as a friend, surrendered to hell’s worst that I might attain heaven’s best, stripped that I might be clothed, wounded that I might be healed, athirst that I might drink, tormented that I might be comforted, made a shame that I might inherit glory, entered darkness that I might have eternal life.My Saviour wept that all tears might be wiped from my eyes, groaned that I might have endless song, endured all pain that I might have unfading health, bore a thorned crown that I might have a glory-diadem, bowed his head that I might uplift mine, experienced reproach that I might receive welcome, closed his eyes in death that I might gaze on unclouded brightness, expired that I might for ever live.

The Valley of Vision, “Love Lustres at Calvary”


HT: Kevin DeYoung, read more here.

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

The following song was written by Stuart Townend in 2004. It is a deeply reflective song that causes me to experience both great joy and humility at the thought of what the Father and the Son were willing to do for me. The first video is Townend describing the song, and the second is the song itself. I suggest watching them in that order.

The Darkness at the Cross

We begin Holy Week with Palm Sunday and march with Christ steadily to the cross. Please use this week to dwell on the terror and the beauty of Jesus' atoning sacrifice. Reflecting on the darkness that covered the sky at the moment Jesus died, the writers of Pierced for Our Transgressions note this:

The meaning of the darkness at the cross seems unambiguous. God was angry. But angry with whom? One possibility is that his wrath was directed against those crucifying his Son. There may be some truth in this, but the juxtaposition of the darkness with Jesus' cry of abandonment suggests that another meaning is primary: God's judgment was falling on his Son as he died as a substitute, bearing the sins of his people. p.72 [emphasis mine]

Father, you poured your wrath and fierce anger on your own willing Son, displaying your justice on my sin and your mercy toward me. Thank you.

Focusing on the Cross this Easter

Over the last 6-7 years or so, Rachel and I have tried to increase our focus at Easter on Good Friday, something that neither of us observed in great detail growing up. Easter Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection of Christ, and rightly so, but it is Christ's substitutionary atonement on Friday that makes any sort of celebration on Sunday possible.

We've done this in various ways, and if you're interested I'll tell you about them. But one of the ways I have been trying to increase the depth of my understanding of the cross is by using this time before Easter to read one of the many excellent books that are being written lately that focus on the cross. I don't always get to do this, but I'm trying to make it a personal tradition. Just glancing over my shoulder at my bookcase I see several:

The Cross of Christ, John Stott (This one is particularly good.)

In My Place Condemned He Stood, J.I. Packer and Mark Dever (Read this last year.)

The Great Exchange, Jerry Bridges and Bob Bevington

The Future of Justification, John Piper

The Passion of Jesus Christ, John Piper (Contains 50 reasons why Christ suffered and died!)

The Cross and Christian Ministry, D.A. Carson (I took Dr. Carson's course in which much of this material was taught.)

The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, John Owen (This is one is daunting, but at some point I'll take on the challenge.)

And there are others. Many, excellent others. But this year I am reading Pierced for Our Transgressions, by Steve Jeffery, Michael Ovey, and Andrew Sach. It focuses on the glory of penal substitutionary atonement. Over the next few weeks leading to Easter, I will share interesting bits with you.

It is absolutley essential for growth in Christ to ponder and plumb the depths of the cross. I encourage you to use this time before Easter to do just that. Live the cross.