Wednesday, July 23, 2014
My name is . . .
It has been brought to my attention that I have not been signing my blog posts. So for those reading any blog posts on this site that are not signed have been written by me. See I forgot again:) I am Pastor Wayne Heckman and I am part of the leadership team at Abiding Grace Church. Thanks for reading! I hope that at times I make sense:)
The bridegroom who will not fail
“‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his
wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound,
and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church” Ephesians 5:31-32
Yesterday my wife and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary. We had a nice night out courtesy of my mother watching the kids, and she also gave us a gift card to a local restaurant. So if you are reading thanks Mom! As I reflect back on the eight years of our marriage I wish I could say that I have met and even surpassed the Biblical standard for being a husband found in Ephesians 5:28-29:
"In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body."
I wish I could say I have always loved my wife in such a manner. That I have never been selfish. Never said a cross word to her. Never lacked for courage. Never failed in my duty. However, I can't say any of that for I have made many mistakes. My wife has always forgiven me and loved me despite my flaws, but the fact is that I have made mistakes, and will continue to make mistakes despite the fact that I love and cherish my wife.
As I was thinking about my failures and inadequacies I thought how wonderful Christ is. The Bible uses marriage as a metaphor for Christ's relationship with the church. The church, which consists of those who have been regenerated spiritually (or born-again, saved, made right with God, etc) through faith in Christ, is called "The Bride of Christ" and Christ is referred to as "The Bridegroom." In contrast to me, Christ is the perfect bridegroom. He is never unloving to his bride. He never is selfish. Never speaks crossly to her. Never lacks for courage. Never fails in his duty. Christ came to Earth and lived a sinless life, and then was crucified. He did this so he could be the perfect sacrifice for sin. He was a perfect sacrifice for sin so that he could redeem his bride who was guilty under God's law. He presents his bride which now is holy and without blemish in the eyes of God. Ephesians 5:25-27 says:
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
How wonderful and powerful is Christ's love for his bride the church! In times of trouble when we see no hope, in times of disillusionment when we are frustrated by the fact we keep sinning, in times of pain and suffering, and in times of testing let those of us who have been redeemed by Christ remember that our bridegroom is always faithful. That he cannot fail us. That even in our darkest hour he is working in our lives and that we should persevere in faith and patience trusting in the love and will of our Lord and Savior.
Think of it this way, Christ suffered and died a death he did not deserve to die for his bride the church. Do we think he will abandon us or fail us now?
Indeed he will not!
Yesterday my wife and I celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary. We had a nice night out courtesy of my mother watching the kids, and she also gave us a gift card to a local restaurant. So if you are reading thanks Mom! As I reflect back on the eight years of our marriage I wish I could say that I have met and even surpassed the Biblical standard for being a husband found in Ephesians 5:28-29:
"In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body."
I wish I could say I have always loved my wife in such a manner. That I have never been selfish. Never said a cross word to her. Never lacked for courage. Never failed in my duty. However, I can't say any of that for I have made many mistakes. My wife has always forgiven me and loved me despite my flaws, but the fact is that I have made mistakes, and will continue to make mistakes despite the fact that I love and cherish my wife.
As I was thinking about my failures and inadequacies I thought how wonderful Christ is. The Bible uses marriage as a metaphor for Christ's relationship with the church. The church, which consists of those who have been regenerated spiritually (or born-again, saved, made right with God, etc) through faith in Christ, is called "The Bride of Christ" and Christ is referred to as "The Bridegroom." In contrast to me, Christ is the perfect bridegroom. He is never unloving to his bride. He never is selfish. Never speaks crossly to her. Never lacks for courage. Never fails in his duty. Christ came to Earth and lived a sinless life, and then was crucified. He did this so he could be the perfect sacrifice for sin. He was a perfect sacrifice for sin so that he could redeem his bride who was guilty under God's law. He presents his bride which now is holy and without blemish in the eyes of God. Ephesians 5:25-27 says:
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
How wonderful and powerful is Christ's love for his bride the church! In times of trouble when we see no hope, in times of disillusionment when we are frustrated by the fact we keep sinning, in times of pain and suffering, and in times of testing let those of us who have been redeemed by Christ remember that our bridegroom is always faithful. That he cannot fail us. That even in our darkest hour he is working in our lives and that we should persevere in faith and patience trusting in the love and will of our Lord and Savior.
Think of it this way, Christ suffered and died a death he did not deserve to die for his bride the church. Do we think he will abandon us or fail us now?
Indeed he will not!
Saturday, July 19, 2014
The Church Triumphant
"Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep,
or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that
Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with
Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him." I Thessalonians 4:13-14
Recently, I attended the funeral of an older saint who had gone home to be with the Lord. She had lived a full life as a wife, mother, and grandmother. She had run a successful business with her husband. She had been a respected member of her community. She had done her best to mentor her children and grandchildren in the ways of the Lord, by living a moral life, reading the Bible with them, correcting them in a godly fashion, and doing her best to teach them the ways of the Christian life. Her last years of life she suffered from memory issues and at the end needed to live in an assisted living facility. This was especially hard for her family. Having to watch a once strong, capable, intelligent woman having to depend on her children for even her most basic needs. When she died many people attended the viewing and the funeral, for she had touched the lives of all she had encountered. She was never shy about sharing the message of redemption through Jesus Christ with those who were not born again and had been even less shy about helping her brothers and sisters in Christ overcome temptation and sin with encouraging words and often chastisement for sinful behavior. Many remarked at the funeral proceedings, including the officiant, that the most important part of her life was her faith in Jesus Christ and the redeemed life her Lord had blessed her with.
During the funeral proceedings many tears were shed, and before I go any further let me say that I completely understood the tears. It is completely natural to be upset and saddened by the death of a loved one. There is no shame in these feelings and there is nothing wrong with them either. At one point as the minister was speaking at the grave site, my eyes began to well up with tears. I could not help but think however, that while I understood the tears and the grief, if the saint who had died could have spoken to us she most likely would have chastised us for our tears and grief and reminded us that she was home in Heaven and that in her opinion there was no reason for any of us to be sad!
In the verse above, the Apostle Paul instructs us to "not grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope." Because "We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him." So those born again through faith in Christ have a place waiting for them with God! So while it is natural to grieve the loss of a loved one, let us remember that our loved ones who are Christians have gone home. Not to "a better place" but rather to the place. The best place! They have gone home. They have finished the journey, finished the war, they are no longer prisoners here in this sinful world. They have attained the prize - That which all who believe in God through faith in Christ strive for.
Certainly we miss our loved ones, but if it was within our power would we bring them back? Would we snatch them from the home their Lord has prepared for them? Would we commit an act so selfish? I certainly hope no.
* a note to any of my family members reading this: if I die and go to Heaven and you somehow bring me back I assure you that whoever was responsible for my return will regret it:)
The promise of Heaven is what tempers grief for those who suffer the loss of a loved one who was a Christian. Knowing the loved one is home with their Heavenly Father is what gives us hope. Hope in the promises and love of God. So I would encourage all who suffer the loss of a loved one who was a child of God, saved by faith in Christ to take time to grieve, for this is proper, but remember your loved one is home. Home with the Lord who saved them from death and Hell. Rejoice in this most wonderful promise of God.
"For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end." Psalm 48:14
Recently, I attended the funeral of an older saint who had gone home to be with the Lord. She had lived a full life as a wife, mother, and grandmother. She had run a successful business with her husband. She had been a respected member of her community. She had done her best to mentor her children and grandchildren in the ways of the Lord, by living a moral life, reading the Bible with them, correcting them in a godly fashion, and doing her best to teach them the ways of the Christian life. Her last years of life she suffered from memory issues and at the end needed to live in an assisted living facility. This was especially hard for her family. Having to watch a once strong, capable, intelligent woman having to depend on her children for even her most basic needs. When she died many people attended the viewing and the funeral, for she had touched the lives of all she had encountered. She was never shy about sharing the message of redemption through Jesus Christ with those who were not born again and had been even less shy about helping her brothers and sisters in Christ overcome temptation and sin with encouraging words and often chastisement for sinful behavior. Many remarked at the funeral proceedings, including the officiant, that the most important part of her life was her faith in Jesus Christ and the redeemed life her Lord had blessed her with.
During the funeral proceedings many tears were shed, and before I go any further let me say that I completely understood the tears. It is completely natural to be upset and saddened by the death of a loved one. There is no shame in these feelings and there is nothing wrong with them either. At one point as the minister was speaking at the grave site, my eyes began to well up with tears. I could not help but think however, that while I understood the tears and the grief, if the saint who had died could have spoken to us she most likely would have chastised us for our tears and grief and reminded us that she was home in Heaven and that in her opinion there was no reason for any of us to be sad!
In the verse above, the Apostle Paul instructs us to "not grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope." Because "We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him." So those born again through faith in Christ have a place waiting for them with God! So while it is natural to grieve the loss of a loved one, let us remember that our loved ones who are Christians have gone home. Not to "a better place" but rather to the place. The best place! They have gone home. They have finished the journey, finished the war, they are no longer prisoners here in this sinful world. They have attained the prize - That which all who believe in God through faith in Christ strive for.
Certainly we miss our loved ones, but if it was within our power would we bring them back? Would we snatch them from the home their Lord has prepared for them? Would we commit an act so selfish? I certainly hope no.
* a note to any of my family members reading this: if I die and go to Heaven and you somehow bring me back I assure you that whoever was responsible for my return will regret it:)
The promise of Heaven is what tempers grief for those who suffer the loss of a loved one who was a Christian. Knowing the loved one is home with their Heavenly Father is what gives us hope. Hope in the promises and love of God. So I would encourage all who suffer the loss of a loved one who was a child of God, saved by faith in Christ to take time to grieve, for this is proper, but remember your loved one is home. Home with the Lord who saved them from death and Hell. Rejoice in this most wonderful promise of God.
"For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end." Psalm 48:14
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
A letter from Dad
from
http://themattwalshblog.com/
Dear Daughter,
I hope you never notice the magazine rack at the supermarket.
I hope you never see the billboards on the highway or the ads on the side of the city bus.
I hope you never learn about Hollywood and the fashion industry.
I hope you never listen to pop music.
I hope you never walk down the makeup aisle.
I hope you never hate your own appearance.
I hope you never pick up the habit of putting yourself down whenever someone compliments you.
I hope you never feel the pressure to physically conform to the perverse standards of a disordered world.
I hope you always stay exactly as you are right now. Innocent, carefree, unencumbered, pure.
But these could only be the hopes of a foolish idealist like your Dad. I can rub the genie lamp and make a thousand stupid wishes, but you will grow. You will start to learn about the culture that surrounds you. You will form opinions about yourself. Your vivacious, bubbly happiness will give way to more complex emotions. You will develop new dimensions.
In these times, here in your very early life, you only cry because you’re hungry or tired or you want me to hold you. One day, though, your tears will come from a deeper place.
And, when that day comes, I want you to remember one thing: you are beautiful.
Beautiful. A work of art — full of life, exploding with a unique, dynamic, vibrant energy.
Beautiful. Eyes like the morning, a strong and powerful spirit, a face that brims with joy and hope. Beautiful because you were formed by God. Beautiful because He has known you since before you even existed, He has loved you since the beginning of time. Beautiful because you’re real, beautiful because you are.
Remember this. It’s important that you remember it, Julia, as you live in a society that’s dedicated to making you forget.
Those commercials and movies and songs and cosmetic products and plastic surgeons and diet pills and trendy clothes and Cosmo magazine covers — they will all try to feed you something. An image. A broken promise. A false salvation. A poison. An airbrushed, manufactured, painted over, photoshopped, marketing ploy. A ‘sexiness’ that’s about as beautiful and feminine as an assembly line. A ‘hot’ that’s more sterile and processed than canned food.
This is the price of living in a culture of consumerism. We all pay the toll, Julia. Your Dad included.
See, modern humans spend every waking minute surrounded by advertisements and product placements and carefully crafted, focus grouped ‘messaging’ of all kinds. It tears you in a million different directions, but the lesson is always the same: you are not good enough. You need to be ‘improved,’ they’ll tell you. Demolished and rebuilt. Shamed and made over. Pulverized and perfected.
They pull out their metaphorical shotguns and blow giant holes in your psyche. They hollow you out and convince you that they’ve got the right thing to plug the gaps. They create a void in your conscience and pour their propaganda into it. This is why we have an unachievable, inhuman, digitized idea of beauty in our society. We’ve fallen for the ultimate scam, and the scammers have reaped dividends.
A little while ago, around your mom’s birthday, I had the crazy idea that I would attempt to purchase her some clothing items as part of a gift. By the way, you can tell that your Dad is a very hip and trendy dude, seeing as how he just used the phrase “purchase some clothing items.” Anyway, my quest was unsuccessful — not to mention bewildering and terrifying — but I feel like I was enlightened by the journey. Apparently, the shops in the mall have collectively determined that every woman is a size zero and none of them care about dressing modestly (I still don’t understand how there can even be such a thing as a ‘size zero’ — all human beings must, according to physics, have some mass, right?).
Of course, these stores are wrong. Most women aren’t rail thin and many of them aren’t interested in dressing like music video back-up dancers. You just wouldn’t know it based on the selection at these boutiques, which, it would seem, have a clientele consisting mainly of mannequins and runway models.
I guess I’ve learned to take a few things for granted. As a guy, I can walk into any clothing store and find something that A) fits, and B) provides my body with basic coverage, which is the whole reason clothing exists in the first place, according to Wikipedia. As you will eventually discover, women have an entirely different experience. For them, even something as simple as clothes shopping becomes an all out assault on their values, priorities, and body image.
And women aren’t the only victims. Men might not be chasing Hollywood beauty, but we have our own unreasonable expectations, imposed on us by ourselves and the world outside. We all — men and women alike — feel the pressure to present a façade. We all want to appeal to the masses. It’s like we’re locked in this eternal competition to be beautiful, or popular, or successful, or whatever, except we set our bar for beauty, popularity, and success according to the standards of the very strangers we’re trying to ‘beat.’ We want to be like everyone, and liked by everyone, but also better than everyone. This parallel battle for sameness and superiority wreaks havoc upon our souls, and the damage can sometimes be irreparable.
It’s gotten worse now with the internet and social media. The struggle to impress our peers has invaded and consumed every minute of our lives. Julia, please understand this: of the entire population of the planet, only an infinitesimal percentage of them will ever be more than anonymous to you. Only the tiniest fraction will ever give you more than a passing glance. You should still love and respect these strangers, but you don’t need to impress them. Be a beacon of charity and truth to everyone, but you don’t need to worry about the opinions and judgments of every single person you happen across on the street.
It doesn’t really matter how they feel about you, yet many of us want to be desirable to everyone, even and especially those we don’t know. We want them to feel something when they look our way. Feel what? I don’t know. Envy. Admiration. Inferiority. A combination of all three, I suppose. We certainly can’t allow them to carry on with their day feeling better, or more attractive, or smarter, or more successful.
A silly way to live, isn’t it? We gain nothing from it, Julia. We do everything we can to impress the unknown faces in the crowd, and where does that get us? Nobody really cares in the end, anyway. Those faces are likely immersed in their own self-absorbed psychological vacuums, and whatever impression we make on them will dissipate as soon as we leave their line of sight.
We’ve all become like puffs of smoke to each other, evaporating just as quickly as we appear.
It’s a vicious, violent, tormenting cycle, and I don’t want you to be a part of it.
I’ll do whatever it takes to see to that, although honestly, I’m not sure what it will take, exactly.
Maybe Mom and I can just hold you close and love you.
Will that be enough?
And maybe I can just keep reminding you that you’re beautiful, even now, when you can’t really understand what I’m saying. Maybe if I say it often enough, you’ll believe me.
Will you always believe me?
I hope so. I pray so.
Remember, Mom and Dad are two of the very few people on Earth who will tell you the truth about yourself. The truth that, from your first moments in this world, you’ve been like a vision, full of warmth and light. You don’t need to be photoshopped or edited or remade or made up, and you never will. You don’t need a “touch-up” or a “correction.” You were molded by the hands of God and given to us as a gift from Paradise. You don’t need to add fad diets, expensive shoes, and forty layers of makeup to the package.
You will meet a lot of people in this world, and many of them are out to take something from you or sell something to you. So they’ll try to attack your self-image, suffocate your confidence, make you vulnerable, and seize whatever it is they want.
That’s the game.
Never play it.
That’s the lie.
Never believe it.
Never believe it.
I’ll protect you for as long as I can, Julia, but the day will come when I can no longer shield you from it all.
That’s why I wrote this letter. For the times when the pressures of the world — the constant, deafening din, screaming “you’re not pretty enough, you’re not good enough” — become a little too heavy to shoulder. Whether it’s 7 years from now, or 17, or 70 — whenever you need a reminder, here it is:
You’re beautiful.
Love,
Dad
Read more at http://themattwalshblog.com/2014/07/16/dear-daughter/#0JTTGlAResfrgVeF.99
http://themattwalshblog.com/
Dear Daughter,
I hope you never notice the magazine rack at the supermarket.
I hope you never see the billboards on the highway or the ads on the side of the city bus.
I hope you never learn about Hollywood and the fashion industry.
I hope you never listen to pop music.
I hope you never walk down the makeup aisle.
I hope you never hate your own appearance.
I hope you never pick up the habit of putting yourself down whenever someone compliments you.
I hope you never feel the pressure to physically conform to the perverse standards of a disordered world.
I hope you always stay exactly as you are right now. Innocent, carefree, unencumbered, pure.
But these could only be the hopes of a foolish idealist like your Dad. I can rub the genie lamp and make a thousand stupid wishes, but you will grow. You will start to learn about the culture that surrounds you. You will form opinions about yourself. Your vivacious, bubbly happiness will give way to more complex emotions. You will develop new dimensions.
In these times, here in your very early life, you only cry because you’re hungry or tired or you want me to hold you. One day, though, your tears will come from a deeper place.
And, when that day comes, I want you to remember one thing: you are beautiful.
Beautiful. A work of art — full of life, exploding with a unique, dynamic, vibrant energy.
Beautiful. Eyes like the morning, a strong and powerful spirit, a face that brims with joy and hope. Beautiful because you were formed by God. Beautiful because He has known you since before you even existed, He has loved you since the beginning of time. Beautiful because you’re real, beautiful because you are.
Remember this. It’s important that you remember it, Julia, as you live in a society that’s dedicated to making you forget.
Those commercials and movies and songs and cosmetic products and plastic surgeons and diet pills and trendy clothes and Cosmo magazine covers — they will all try to feed you something. An image. A broken promise. A false salvation. A poison. An airbrushed, manufactured, painted over, photoshopped, marketing ploy. A ‘sexiness’ that’s about as beautiful and feminine as an assembly line. A ‘hot’ that’s more sterile and processed than canned food.
This is the price of living in a culture of consumerism. We all pay the toll, Julia. Your Dad included.
See, modern humans spend every waking minute surrounded by advertisements and product placements and carefully crafted, focus grouped ‘messaging’ of all kinds. It tears you in a million different directions, but the lesson is always the same: you are not good enough. You need to be ‘improved,’ they’ll tell you. Demolished and rebuilt. Shamed and made over. Pulverized and perfected.
They pull out their metaphorical shotguns and blow giant holes in your psyche. They hollow you out and convince you that they’ve got the right thing to plug the gaps. They create a void in your conscience and pour their propaganda into it. This is why we have an unachievable, inhuman, digitized idea of beauty in our society. We’ve fallen for the ultimate scam, and the scammers have reaped dividends.
A little while ago, around your mom’s birthday, I had the crazy idea that I would attempt to purchase her some clothing items as part of a gift. By the way, you can tell that your Dad is a very hip and trendy dude, seeing as how he just used the phrase “purchase some clothing items.” Anyway, my quest was unsuccessful — not to mention bewildering and terrifying — but I feel like I was enlightened by the journey. Apparently, the shops in the mall have collectively determined that every woman is a size zero and none of them care about dressing modestly (I still don’t understand how there can even be such a thing as a ‘size zero’ — all human beings must, according to physics, have some mass, right?).
Of course, these stores are wrong. Most women aren’t rail thin and many of them aren’t interested in dressing like music video back-up dancers. You just wouldn’t know it based on the selection at these boutiques, which, it would seem, have a clientele consisting mainly of mannequins and runway models.
I guess I’ve learned to take a few things for granted. As a guy, I can walk into any clothing store and find something that A) fits, and B) provides my body with basic coverage, which is the whole reason clothing exists in the first place, according to Wikipedia. As you will eventually discover, women have an entirely different experience. For them, even something as simple as clothes shopping becomes an all out assault on their values, priorities, and body image.
And women aren’t the only victims. Men might not be chasing Hollywood beauty, but we have our own unreasonable expectations, imposed on us by ourselves and the world outside. We all — men and women alike — feel the pressure to present a façade. We all want to appeal to the masses. It’s like we’re locked in this eternal competition to be beautiful, or popular, or successful, or whatever, except we set our bar for beauty, popularity, and success according to the standards of the very strangers we’re trying to ‘beat.’ We want to be like everyone, and liked by everyone, but also better than everyone. This parallel battle for sameness and superiority wreaks havoc upon our souls, and the damage can sometimes be irreparable.
It’s gotten worse now with the internet and social media. The struggle to impress our peers has invaded and consumed every minute of our lives. Julia, please understand this: of the entire population of the planet, only an infinitesimal percentage of them will ever be more than anonymous to you. Only the tiniest fraction will ever give you more than a passing glance. You should still love and respect these strangers, but you don’t need to impress them. Be a beacon of charity and truth to everyone, but you don’t need to worry about the opinions and judgments of every single person you happen across on the street.
It doesn’t really matter how they feel about you, yet many of us want to be desirable to everyone, even and especially those we don’t know. We want them to feel something when they look our way. Feel what? I don’t know. Envy. Admiration. Inferiority. A combination of all three, I suppose. We certainly can’t allow them to carry on with their day feeling better, or more attractive, or smarter, or more successful.
A silly way to live, isn’t it? We gain nothing from it, Julia. We do everything we can to impress the unknown faces in the crowd, and where does that get us? Nobody really cares in the end, anyway. Those faces are likely immersed in their own self-absorbed psychological vacuums, and whatever impression we make on them will dissipate as soon as we leave their line of sight.
We’ve all become like puffs of smoke to each other, evaporating just as quickly as we appear.
It’s a vicious, violent, tormenting cycle, and I don’t want you to be a part of it.
I’ll do whatever it takes to see to that, although honestly, I’m not sure what it will take, exactly.
Maybe Mom and I can just hold you close and love you.
Will that be enough?
And maybe I can just keep reminding you that you’re beautiful, even now, when you can’t really understand what I’m saying. Maybe if I say it often enough, you’ll believe me.
Will you always believe me?
I hope so. I pray so.
Remember, Mom and Dad are two of the very few people on Earth who will tell you the truth about yourself. The truth that, from your first moments in this world, you’ve been like a vision, full of warmth and light. You don’t need to be photoshopped or edited or remade or made up, and you never will. You don’t need a “touch-up” or a “correction.” You were molded by the hands of God and given to us as a gift from Paradise. You don’t need to add fad diets, expensive shoes, and forty layers of makeup to the package.
You will meet a lot of people in this world, and many of them are out to take something from you or sell something to you. So they’ll try to attack your self-image, suffocate your confidence, make you vulnerable, and seize whatever it is they want.
That’s the game.
Never play it.
That’s the lie.
Never believe it.
Never believe it.
I’ll protect you for as long as I can, Julia, but the day will come when I can no longer shield you from it all.
That’s why I wrote this letter. For the times when the pressures of the world — the constant, deafening din, screaming “you’re not pretty enough, you’re not good enough” — become a little too heavy to shoulder. Whether it’s 7 years from now, or 17, or 70 — whenever you need a reminder, here it is:
You’re beautiful.
Love,
Dad
Read more at http://themattwalshblog.com/2014/07/16/dear-daughter/#0JTTGlAResfrgVeF.99
Monday, July 14, 2014
The dastardly methods of Screwtape
Yesterday in Sunday School, Scott talked about Sanctification in the life of a Christian. During the conversation he mentioned the wonderful C.S. Lewis classic The Screwtape Letters as he talked about Christians and the temptation to sin. If you have never read the book by Lewis I highly recommend it for it offers a picture of what temptation is like. It is a fictional story about a demon named Screwtape who is mentoring his nephew Wormwood in the fine arts of tempting humans to sin. While a work of fiction, Lewis draws on the Biblical descriptions of how the servants of Hell operate. It is an eye opening work that will cause any Christian to examine their life and motivations. For the non-Christian it offers a picture of an enemy one may not have considered. Check it out.
Here are some thoughts on the book from Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17383917-the-screwtape-letters
Enjoy!
Here are some thoughts on the book from Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17383917-the-screwtape-letters
Enjoy!
Sunday, July 13, 2014
How we define God . . .
Some interesting thoughts on how to define God from Pastor Tom Chantry of Christ Reformed Baptist Church in Hales Corners, WI.
http://chantrynotes.wordpress.com/2014/07/07/defining-the-incomprehensible/#more-1728
http://chantrynotes.wordpress.com/2014/07/07/defining-the-incomprehensible/#more-1728
Thursday, July 10, 2014
So someone wants to date your daughter . . .
Have young daughters? Or Granddaughters? Nieces?
If so you may find this podcast from the Mortification of Spin website interesting:
http://www.mortificationofspin.org/mos/podcast/bully-pulpit-dads-and-daughters#.U784NrEXJPc
It discusses ways Christian parents can equip their daughters with the necessary tools to honor God and themselves while also being strong women. Too often our culture defines strength in young women as the ability to depend on their own strength and paints the young woman who depends on God as weak or "trapped in a patriarchal system of authority." However, since we are all sinful beings we will betray ourselves and embrace that which hurts us (sin) no matter how much "inner strength" or "confidence" we possess. The team at Mortification of Spin talks about ways fathers and daughters can work together to honor God. Check it out.
If so you may find this podcast from the Mortification of Spin website interesting:
http://www.mortificationofspin.org/mos/podcast/bully-pulpit-dads-and-daughters#.U784NrEXJPc
It discusses ways Christian parents can equip their daughters with the necessary tools to honor God and themselves while also being strong women. Too often our culture defines strength in young women as the ability to depend on their own strength and paints the young woman who depends on God as weak or "trapped in a patriarchal system of authority." However, since we are all sinful beings we will betray ourselves and embrace that which hurts us (sin) no matter how much "inner strength" or "confidence" we possess. The team at Mortification of Spin talks about ways fathers and daughters can work together to honor God. Check it out.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Christian History . . intimidating? Not if you read Gonzalez.
Interested in learning more about Church History? If so allow me to recommend a good book to start with: The Story of Christianity by Justo L. Gonzalez. The book comes in two volumes, although they publish a copy with both volumes in one book. Don't let the "two volumes" scare you away. The greatness of Gonzalez's work is that it is easy to read and does not get bogged down in merely reciting dates. It is a straightforward telling of the history of the church. Often it reads more like prose than anything resembling the boring text books you remember (perhaps with horror as I do) from school. However, Gonzalez does not gloss over parts of history or oversimplify historical events or their effect on history. What he does is make a very intimidating subject accessible to the everyday Christian. While reading his work the reader gains a greater understanding of how the church came together and how it arrived at the state it is in today. I challenge you to pick up Volume 1 and give it a try.
Friday, July 4, 2014
What Do Men REALLY Need?
A provocative enough title for a blog post, no? Especially considering it's my first one here at the Abiding Grace Church blog. (BTW, thanks for stopping by!)
I mean, when you read the title...what was your first thought? Maybe I don't want to know...
I have digressed, and I'm not even five sentences in. :-(
Look around. Let's all agree on one thing: the world is pretty much a mess. I will restrain myself by not listing for you the top headlines from any major news source over the past 48 hours...or 48 days. You can check them out for yourself...or you can continue to play the ostrich and pretend the effects of the Fall of Man are not coming to your neighborhood anytime soon. (Pssst. They're already there.)
And let's not convince ourselves that there is anything new under the Sun, either. I mean, it's not like the 24/7 news cycle has made the world any worse than it ever was. Our increased knowledge about what is going on around the world is only evidence that the technology that brings us the news has been enhanced. From the moment that Adam and Eve tasted the Forbidden Fruit, the world has been full of murder (Genesis 4:8) and all kinds of sins... The global, catastrophic Flood of Genesis 7 is simply testimony to the reality of the depravity of men's hearts! (Genesis 6:5)
So, what's the solution? Most of us want the world to be a better place, and so many think that they know how to bring such a world about. There are political solutions, and every four years, we get a summary of those. There are educational solutions; see, for example, Aldous Huxley's book, Ends and Means.
Then there is a relatively new phenomenon: www.values.com. You've seen the billboards and TV commercials, right? A listing of the virtues that some group of enlightened people have decided would make the world a better place. These people "believe people are basically good but sometimes just need a reminder." Hmmm. Really? Maybe I should list the top headlines...
Do you know what political platforms and Aldous Huxley and Values.com all have in common?
It's simple: Rules. Regulations. Dictates. In short: Laws.
The Progressive agenda envisions a utopian society that they will craft via legislation, Executive Orders, and regulation. Aldous Huxley's Ends and Means is sheer genius front to back, full of insights and great ideas for how the future should look and how we should craft society to get there. And Values.com - who can argue with Compassion, Live Your Dreams, and Teamwork?
Only one problem: none of this is going to work. Not political platforms. Not Huxley's genius. Not Values.com. God gave us the Mosaic Covenant - the Law of God, written by God Himself - to demonstrate to us not that Laws will solve our problem, but that human beings in our Fallen state are incapable of keeping the Law and that we are in need of something more than a Law.
You see, if men are merely in need of reform, then the Law is enough.
But reform is not what men need. Men are in need of rebirth. Men are in need of a deep, spiritual heart transformation that will not only conform them externally to the Law of God written on tablets of stone (Exodus 31:18), but conform them internally to the desires of a Holy God. Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) And men and women are born again only by the power of the gospel - the good news of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross at Calvary. The Apostle Paul says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..." (Romans 1:16).
Political platforms are not the gospel. Educational and sweeping societal reforms are not the gospel. And, no, Values.com is not the gospel; in fact, it is anti-gospel.
So let us learn the gospel and embrace the gospel and preach the gospel in the hope that men and women will get what they really need: rebirth by the Holy Spirit of God. And let us proclaim this gospel without fear as we await the return of our Glorious King Jesus from heaven. Then and only then will this mess of a world be all that we desire it to be.
"The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost." (1 Timothy 1:15)
Posted by Steve Vinay III
I mean, when you read the title...what was your first thought? Maybe I don't want to know...
I have digressed, and I'm not even five sentences in. :-(
Look around. Let's all agree on one thing: the world is pretty much a mess. I will restrain myself by not listing for you the top headlines from any major news source over the past 48 hours...or 48 days. You can check them out for yourself...or you can continue to play the ostrich and pretend the effects of the Fall of Man are not coming to your neighborhood anytime soon. (Pssst. They're already there.)
And let's not convince ourselves that there is anything new under the Sun, either. I mean, it's not like the 24/7 news cycle has made the world any worse than it ever was. Our increased knowledge about what is going on around the world is only evidence that the technology that brings us the news has been enhanced. From the moment that Adam and Eve tasted the Forbidden Fruit, the world has been full of murder (Genesis 4:8) and all kinds of sins... The global, catastrophic Flood of Genesis 7 is simply testimony to the reality of the depravity of men's hearts! (Genesis 6:5)
So, what's the solution? Most of us want the world to be a better place, and so many think that they know how to bring such a world about. There are political solutions, and every four years, we get a summary of those. There are educational solutions; see, for example, Aldous Huxley's book, Ends and Means.
Then there is a relatively new phenomenon: www.values.com. You've seen the billboards and TV commercials, right? A listing of the virtues that some group of enlightened people have decided would make the world a better place. These people "believe people are basically good but sometimes just need a reminder." Hmmm. Really? Maybe I should list the top headlines...
Do you know what political platforms and Aldous Huxley and Values.com all have in common?
It's simple: Rules. Regulations. Dictates. In short: Laws.
The Progressive agenda envisions a utopian society that they will craft via legislation, Executive Orders, and regulation. Aldous Huxley's Ends and Means is sheer genius front to back, full of insights and great ideas for how the future should look and how we should craft society to get there. And Values.com - who can argue with Compassion, Live Your Dreams, and Teamwork?
Only one problem: none of this is going to work. Not political platforms. Not Huxley's genius. Not Values.com. God gave us the Mosaic Covenant - the Law of God, written by God Himself - to demonstrate to us not that Laws will solve our problem, but that human beings in our Fallen state are incapable of keeping the Law and that we are in need of something more than a Law.
You see, if men are merely in need of reform, then the Law is enough.
But reform is not what men need. Men are in need of rebirth. Men are in need of a deep, spiritual heart transformation that will not only conform them externally to the Law of God written on tablets of stone (Exodus 31:18), but conform them internally to the desires of a Holy God. Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) And men and women are born again only by the power of the gospel - the good news of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross at Calvary. The Apostle Paul says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes..." (Romans 1:16).
Political platforms are not the gospel. Educational and sweeping societal reforms are not the gospel. And, no, Values.com is not the gospel; in fact, it is anti-gospel.
So let us learn the gospel and embrace the gospel and preach the gospel in the hope that men and women will get what they really need: rebirth by the Holy Spirit of God. And let us proclaim this gospel without fear as we await the return of our Glorious King Jesus from heaven. Then and only then will this mess of a world be all that we desire it to be.
"The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost." (1 Timothy 1:15)
Posted by Steve Vinay III
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