What Do I Believe?

As part of my deacon training, I'm doing the Christian Life Profile (Randy Frazee, Zondervan). The Profile tests for thirty areas of Christlikeness -- ten core beliefs, ten core practices, and ten core virtues -- all based on Jesus' command to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself."

Basically, what I get out of these types of inventories is that I suck. A lot. All the time. But that's not necessarily a bad realization, if it's coupled with an understanding of adoption, union with Christ, etc. The first ten are the toughest to evaluate, because of course I believe in salvation by grace, the sovereignty of God, and all that stuff. But the issue isn't whether or not I assent to them, it's whether my daily life reflects an integrated trust (here my dad will insert a comment on assentia vs. fiducia, nerd that he is).

The ten core beliefs listed are:

1. Trinity: I believe the God of the Bible is the only true God -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14).
- I believe the God of the Bible is the only true God
- I believe the God of the Bible is one in essence but distinct in person -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
- I believe Jesus is God in the flesh -- who died and rose bodily from the dead
- I believe the Holy Spirit is God and dwells in Christians to empower them to live the Christian life.

2. Salvation by Grace: I believe a person comes into a right relationship with God by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8-9)
- I believe I will inherit eternal life because of what Jesus has done for me.
- I believe nothing I do or have done can earn my salvation.
- I believe salvation comes only through Jesus Christ.
- I believe people are saved because of what Jesus Christ did, not because of what they do.

3. Authority of the Bible: I believe the Bible is the Word of God and has the right to command my belief and action (1 Tim. 3:16-17).
- I believe the Bible is absolutely true in matters of faith and morals
- I believe the words of the Bible are words from God.
- I believe the Bible has decisive authority over what I say and do.
- I believe the Bible is relevant to address the needs of contemporary culture

4. Personal God: I believe God is involved in and cares about my daily life (Ps 121).
- I believe God has a purpose for my life.
- I believe pain and suffering can often bring me closer to God.
- I believe God is actively involved in my life.
- I believe God enables me to do things I could not or would not otherwise do.

5. Identity in Christ: I believe I am significant because of my position as a child of God (John 1:12-13).
- I believe God loves me and therefore my life has value.
- I exist to know, love, and serve God.
- I believe God loves me even when I do not obey Him.
- I believe I am forgiven and accepted by God.

6. Church: I believe the church is God's primary way to accomplish his purposes on Earth today (Eph 4:15-16).
- I believe God gives spiritual gifts to every Christian for service to the church and the community.
- I believe I cannot grow as a Christian unless I am an active member of a local church.
- I believe the community of true believers is Christ's body on Earth.
- I believe the purpose of the church is to share the gospel and nurture Christians to maturity in Christ.

7. Humanity: I believe all people are loved by God and need Jesus Christ as their savior (John 3:16).
- I believe each person possesses a sinful nature and is in need of God's forgiveness.
- I believe we are created in the image of God and therefore have equal value regardless of race, religion, or gender.
- I believe all people are loved by God; therefore, I too should love them.
- I believe that God desires all people to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

8. Compassion: I believe God calls all Christians to show compassion to those in need (Ps 82:3-4).
- God calls me to be involved in the lives of the poor and suffering.
- I believe I am responsible before God to show compassion to the sick and imprisoned.
- I believe I should stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.
- I believe Christians should not purchase everything they can afford, so that their discretionary money can be available to help those in need.

9. Eternity: I believe there is a heaven and a hell, and I believe Jesus Christ is returning to judge the Earth and establish his eternal Kingdom (John 14:1-4).
- I believe it is important to share the gospel with my neighbor because Christ has commanded me to do so.
- I believe people who deliberately reject Jesus Christ as savior will not inherit eternal life
- I believe every person is subject to the judgment of God.
- I believe all people who place their trust in Jesus Christ will spend eternity in heaven.

10. Stewardship: I believe everything I am or own belongs to God (1 Tim 6:17-19).
- I believe everything I am or own comes from God and belongs to God.
- I believe a Christian should live a sacrificial life that is not driven by pursuit of material things.
- I believe Christians should give at least ten percent of their income to God's work.
- I believe God will bless Christians now and in the life to come for their good works.


Now, looking over that, it's possible that some of you might be able to guess where I'm having issues with a few of the sub-points -- mostly thinking that they haven't been taken far enough (I'm specifically looking at the "deliberately reject" part under #9), but as a general survey, I think it's useful. We'll just have to see how well I'm embracing these essential doctrines. Always room for growth in the Christian life, I guess.

As a side note, check out www.t4g.org for the new video of CJ Mahaney, Ligon Duncan, Al Mohler, and Mark Dever cracking each other up while they talk about the 2008 Together for the Gospel conference. Also, much to my delight, they're letting women go this year! Woo hoo!

A Little Rhetoric Lesson

"The 'vote' being taken this week by the secessionist group that now illegally occupies (this building) has no legal validity or bearing on the current efforts by (the original owner) to regain rightful control of its property."

-- identifying details removed. The first person to correctly guess the circumstances of this quote gets a million English pounds.*


















The English pounds in question may or may not be invisible. OK, they're definitely invisible. But they're around here somewhere, and as soon as I can find them, they're yours.

Every Pastor Should Read This.

Yet again, Marty Duren has written an amazing post on his blog; this time, however, it's not about the Southern Baptist Confusion, er... I mean, Convention. It's about quiet times, pastoral humility, and the folks in your congregation who don't know Peter from Proverbs.

Find it HERE at sbcoutpost.com

A Focused Question With a Sensible Answer

Crossway: What is the primary reason for the dispute between Calvinists and Arminians?

I would like to be able to say that it's nothing more than a disagreement over the interpretation of certain biblical texts, but there's more to it than that. Behind and beneath our reading of Scripture, I'm sad to say, are theological beliefs that often govern what we allow the biblical text to say. The bottom line is that Arminians are already persuaded that the Calvinist view of divine sovereignty destroys human responsibility and makes God the author of evil. Likewise, Calvinists are already persuaded that the Arminian view of human freedom renders God contingent and transfers credit for our salvation from God to us. These convictions color how we interpret the Bible and which texts are given priority over others. Now, of course, both would loudly insist that they hold their respective positions because they believe that's what the Bible teaches, but all too often our interpretation is driven by a preconceived fear of where such interpretation might lead.

In addition to this, Arminians are concerned that Calvinism will undermine evangelism and the necessity of prayer. Calvinists are likewise concerned that Arminianism compromises grace and denigrates from the glory of God.

Needless to say, these are powerful and emotionally charged concerns that often derail the conversation and prevent us from looking at the text and allowing it to form and fashion our beliefs about the role of God in salvation.

(Excerpt from a Crossway interview with Dr. Sam Storms, who is coming to teach at Sojourn in mid-July. I think this is one of the best distillations of the Calvinism-Arminianism debate I've ever heard -- finally, something that's free from angry rhetoric and that assesses the problem honestly!)

My pastor reads my blog?

And you, too, Erin Ferguson?

Lurkers! Feh!

The Secret

So, how about that massively popular bestseller, The Secret? It's a bunch of nutty crap, isn't it? I've been reading with interest the various articles on slate.com about why it's, in the words of one author, "pernicious drivel." That, in addition to being an incredibly satisfying and evocative turn of phrase, pretty well characterizes the whole book. Emily Yoffe says:

Clearly, The Secret is drivel, but why should that stop me from sincerely throwing myself into seeing if it worked? I am already deeply susceptible to superstition and seeing signs—if I find a penny (faceup only), I pick it up knowing something good will happen to me. As self-absorbed as I already am, I loved the permission the book gave to sink deeper into a Jacuzzi of megalomania. As The Secret points out: "You are the master of the Universe. You are the heir to the kingdom. You are the perfection of Life." Just as I'd always suspected! So, I vowed to follow Byrne's simple rules for abundance and see what happened. The book encourages one to start big: "It is as easy to manifest one dollar as it is to manifest one million dollars." But I thought starting with the million-dollar manifestation was like saying, "I love you" on a first date; I didn't want to scare the universe into not taking my calls.

Furthermore, according to Karen Cerulo in her book Never Saw It Coming, we, both as individuals and as a society, are obsessed with "positive thinking" about our futures. Think about it: did you ever hear of a little girl acting out a game of "miserable, eccentric, lonely dowager" with her dollies? Our obsession, Cerulo claims, with positive thinking extends to the point that we actively shun and ignore potential danger -- consider how few of us wear sunscreen even though 1 in 5 Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lives, or the fact that only 30% of Americans have wills.

So basically, the secret of The Secret is that the author has outlined a pseudo-religious system that affirms and feeds our infantile demand for our own way as well as our fundamental terror of future pain. It's works salvation writ large -- "thoughts" salvation, if you will.

Stay far away. And warn your friends. And if you absolutely must read it, at least get it from the library.

Really Quick...

What's the good news about the rapture?
The people who believe in it disappear and we get all their stuff.

What's the bad news about the rapture?
All their stuff is from K-Mart.

Loving Ned Flanders

This blog post by Matt Chandler over at The Resurgence convicted the heck out of me -- just what do I think I've become when I criticize, judge, and secretly (or not-so-secretly) despise believers who wear suits to church, sing tearfully that "the cross is my statue of liberty," carry tapestry-and-mauve Bible holders, and frown disapprovingly at any artwork not by Thomas Kinkaid? I've become, Matt reminds me, the very thing that I despise! If I angrily denounce their efforts to make punks take out their gaged earrings and comb their hair and purge all the black from their wardrobe, shouldn't I reject with as much fervency anyone's attempt to make them start singing Matt Redman songs or dress down for Sunday services?

I'm still going to question my friends who listen only to K-LOVE or Air1. I'm still going to challenge folks who think you have to dress a certain way to go to church. I'll probably never watch TBN, nor will I stop discouraging people from doing so. I'll likely never be comfortable with the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance or the singing of patriotic songs in church. But it's high time I started re-evaluating the attitude of my heart towards believers who are different than I am.

Heavenly Father,

It was your eternal purpose to give all people life through mothers,
and to send your Son in flesh through a mother’s womb.

Bless our mothers as they follow you,
and guide them as they seek you.

Give them wisdom, that they may instruct their children faithfully.

Grant them discernment as they pray for their children;
shape their hearts that they might desire the gospel to shine forth in their children’s lives.

Lord, you know what we need even before we ask. We earnestly seek your perfect will for our mothers, so that they might raise up children whose lives declare the Gospel of your Son, by whose sinless life, perfect death, and glorious resurrection we come before you with our requests.

Amen

To Keep You Busy, Dear Reader(s)

Hey, friends. I'm working on a longish post about my brother's wedding, which was this past weekend, so don't despair. But in the meantime, check out this article on immaturity from one of my favorite websites. Here's an excerpt:

Regardless of the context, to make a decision is to intentionally limit oneself from other, potentially good options. As a single guy, it was a challenge to think of marrying the woman God had clearly given me, since I would no longer have the option to pursue the women I might meet someday. An indecisive man is recognizable by a perpetual inability to make and keep commitments — a failure to "swear to his own hurt and not change" (Ps. 15:4). A decisive person, by contrast, can choose what he loves, and later (when the going gets tough) nurture the love he previously chose.

Indecisiveness renders significant accomplishment (and the deep joy that often comes with it) out of reach. It hinders our progress in the Christian life, because God calls us to steward our gifts and talents. Non-growth is not an option.

Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand

Ten thousand times ten thousand, in sparkling raiment bright,
The armies of the ransomed saints throng up the steeps of light;
’Tis finished, all is finished, their fight with death and sin;
Fling open wide the golden gates, and let the victors in.

What rush of alleluias fills all the earth and sky!
What ringing of a thousand harps bespeaks the triumph nigh!
O day, for which creation and all its tribes were made;
O joy, for all its former woes a thousandfold repaid!

O then what raptured greetings on Canaan’s happy shore;
What knitting severed friendships up, where partings are no more!
Then eyes with joy shall sparkle, that brimmed with tears of late;
Orphans no longer fatherless, nor widows desolate.

Bring near Thy great salvation, Thou Lamb for sinners slain;
Fill up the roll of Thine elect, then take Thy power, and reign;
Appear, Desire of nations, Thine exiles long for home;
Show in the heaven Thy promised sign; Thou Prince and Savior, come.

This is some serious stuff from my home state. God help them!

GRACE CHURCH AND SAINT STEPHEN'S PARISH
A DECLARATION OF ANGLICAN FIDELITY

From the vestry and leaders of Grace Church
3/26/2007

WHEREAS, four centuries ago our spiritual forbears brought to this continent the Christian faith as expressed in the Anglican tradition, led by the Rev. Robert Hunt, the first Anglican mission in America celebrated Holy Communion on the Third Sunday after Trinity upon the banks of the James River shortly after the landing of the Virginia Colony in 1607 A.D. So began our unbroken religious heritage in the New World.

WHEREAS, the Church of England in America was our foundation, nurse, and protector for many generations, its greatest gifts to our faith were an unrivaled English translation of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. In the course of Divine Providence when our country became politically independent of Great Britain, the American Church became ecclesiastically independent of the Church of England. So began the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America.

WHEREAS, in continuity with the faith received from the Church of England, the Episcopal Church adopted the apostolic doctrines and disciplines of the Church of England as reflected in the Book of Common Prayer and incorporated the Articles of Religion into its Canons. In this shared faith and practice the Episcopal Church remained in communion with the Church of England as an independent province within what eventually became the worldwide Anglican Communion.

WHEREAS, tragically today the American Episcopal Church no longer believes the historic, orthodox Christian faith common not only to Anglicans, but to all believers, some Episcopal leaders expressly deny the central articles of the faith -- saying that traditional theism is "dead," the incarnation is "nonsense," the resurrection of Jesus is fiction, the understanding of the cross is "a barbarous idea," the Bible is "pure propaganda" and so on. Others simply say the creed as poetry subjecting it to fashions of deconstructionist literary criticism.

WHEREAS, revisionism has permeated and fatally contaminated the Episcopal Church, its leaders now openly deny what their faith once believed and celebrate the heresies that Christians in previous ages have gone to the stake to resist.

WHEREAS, Episcopal revisionism abandons the fidelity of faith, the Hebrew Scriptures link truth to a relationship with God. They speak of apostasy as adultery -- a form of betrayal as treacherous as a husband cheating on his wife.

WHEREAS, Episcopal revisionism negates the authority of faith, the "sola scriptura" doctrine of the Reformation church has been supplanted by the "sola cultura" heresy (by the culture alone) of post-modernism. No longer under biblical authority, the Episcopal Church today is either its own authority or finds its authority in the shifting winds of intellectual and social fashion of the day.

WHEREAS, Episcopal revisionism severs the continuity of faith; cutting itself off from the universal faith that spans the centuries and the continents, it becomes culturally captive to one culture and one time. While professing tolerance and inclusiveness, certain Episcopal attitudes toward fellow believers around the world, who make up a majority of the Anglican family, have been arrogant and even racist.

WHEREAS, Episcopal revisionism destroys the credibility of faith; there is so little that is distinctively Christian left in the theology of some Episcopal leaders. It is no accident that orthodox congregations like Grace Church and St. Stephen's Parish are growing and that in the last century great converts to the Christian faith have been attracted to biblical orthodoxy, not to revisionism. The prospect for the Episcopal Church, already plainly evident in the Diocese of Colorado with its recent closure of its churches in this city, is inevitable withering, decline, and death.

WHEREAS, Episcopal revisionism obliterates the very identity of faith; when the great truths of the Bible and the creeds are abandoned and there is no limit to what can be believed in their place, then the point is reached when there remains little that is identifiably Christian. Would that Episcopal leaders showed the same zeal for their faith that they do for their property. If the present decline continues, all that will remain of a once strong church will be museums - empty buildings kept going by the finances, though not the faith, of the fathers.

WHEREAS, recently the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops has spurned the Dar es Salaam Communique of the Anglican Communion's Primates by declining to accommodate a pastoral scheme for orthodox clergy, congregations, and dioceses in the Episcopal Church; we see no future for orthodox believers in the Episcopal Church. The Presiding Bishop's recent nullification of Fr. Mark Lawrence's election as Bishop of the Diocese of South Carolina is further evidence that orthodox clergymen, congregations, and dioceses in the Episcopal Church have no hope of perpetuating their faith, witness, and ecclesial life in the Episcopal Church.

WHEREAS, these are the apostasies we protest and lament; these are the infidelities that drive us to depart from the Episcopal Church in order to remain faithful to Christ, the Bible, and our received Anglican tradition; these are the reasons why we seek to affiliate with an orthodox and mission-oriented community of congregations who remain in continuity with our great spiritual heritage.

WE, the vestry members and officers of the corporation, DO HEREBY RESOLVE on this 26th Day of March in the Year of our Lord 2007, that Grace Church and St. Stephen's Parish will leave the Episcopal Church but remain in the Anglican Communion.

We resolve to leave the Episcopal Church because it first left the biblical and historic faith and us. Here we stand, our consciences held captive by the Word of God. We cannot do otherwise. God help us. Amen.

I'm Sorry...

I have been the Worst. Blogger. Ever. in recent weeks.

But perhaps a brief update will clarify why I've been MIA from blogland: I recently got a job. That's right, people, my first full-time job ever, and it's in an office, no less! I'm now officially the church secretary (or "administrative assistant" if you prefer) at Sojourn. I've been working 40 plus hours a week, and it's been pretty mentally draining. When your teaching pastor is a visionary who is amazing at setting a vision for Gospel transformation before the people but who is Not Into Details, and when your church has exploded from around 400 on a Sunday to over 800, and when you've recently moved into a building that's still under construction, and when no systems of organization have been put in place in the office, and when your church has never had a paid secretary... Well, let's just say that things are a little chaotic in Sojourn's offices right now.

In other random news:

I know April is Kill Your TV/Cultivate Beauty month, and I'm cultivating it, already! But I had to watch House tonight. And it was weirdly pro-life. There's been a subtle undercurrent of pro-lifeishness, or at least questioning the pro-"choice" agenda, for a while now, with some of the characters debating the whole it's-a-person, it's-not-a-person thing (which, incidentally, seems to reflect the growing national discomfort with killing someone whose face and fingernails you can see on a 4-D ultrasound). But tonight House performed a surgery on an unborn baby, at about 21 weeks, and they showed the baby grasping House's finger from the womb. It's based on a real picture (view here if you're not squeamish), and shows in a pretty intense way that this baby, though he could legally have been killed, is in fact a person.

Alanis Morissette, whose voice has just gotten cooler over the years, has covered/spoofed the execrable Black Eyed Peas' song "My Humps." Seriously. Google it if you don't believe me. A slate.com reviewer called the original song (and I use that term very, very loosely) "so awful it hurts the mind" and "so bad as to veer toward evil."

Because I have a job, I can now buy stuff! Stuff like groceries and shampoo, and a very cute dress for my friend Lindsey's wedding. I can also wear this extremely cute dress to church on Easter, because in grand Southern style, the ladies of Sojourn have decided to dress up for Easter. Ordinarily that would involve putting on the dark-wash jeans, but we're not going halfway on this puppy.

Well, that's about all that's going on in my life. Don't give up on me! I hope to have something actually of substance here in the next few days... Lord willing!

A Long Road to Recovery: the Wounds of a Friend

Two of my friends were recently in a car accident. They both lived to tell about it, but the car is totaled, and they both will have to spend quite a while getting better. One friend, especially, is now looking forward to weeks, maybe even months, of physical therapy to get her spine back in alignment. It's going to hurt. A lot. And, since it's her spine that was most affected, there are a lot of things she won't be able to do until she's completely healed -- things that wouldn't be a problem ordinarily.

That got me thinking.

I'm a sinner, "wrecked" by sin, if you'll pardon the bad pun, "lost and ruined by the Fall," as the song goes. I know from experience that if my back goes out, or I sleep the wrong way on my neck, or get too tense, my whole body feels it -- not just the parts that are directly involved, but everywhere, and the longer it goes on unaddressed, the worse it gets. The same is true of our sin: even something that seems small and insignificant can start to take over our lives.

A couple of months ago, two of my dear community group sisters saw one of those kinds of sin in me. As I stood in front of them crying, they lovingly and gently called the sins of my heart to my attention. They showed me where I was deceived, where I was sinning, where I had erected idols, and they pointed me to the truth. They humbly admitted their own similar failings and told me of the Lord's work in their lives as they had submitted to His correction.

It hurt.

But, thanks only to the grace of God in restraining me, I kept my big mouth shut. What I wanted when I poured my heart out to these wonderful, compassionate women was a band-aid. I wanted them to say, "Oh, there there, it's all right, you're just so sweet and we can't understand why something like this would be happening! Shame on those other people!" I wanted them to pat my shoulder and give me comfort, not point out my sin! But Proverbs 27:6 says, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy."

My friend's physical therapy is going to take a long time. But wouldn't it be foolish of her not to go through with it simply because she knows it's going to be unpleasant? The fact is, she's already injured, and she'll take the only wise course of action over the next few months as she recovers -- she'll obey the instructions of her doctors and keep working at it, no matter how difficult or interminable it seems.

And that's true for us as well. We've already lived with the grave and deadly injury of sin, but God by His grace has placed us in a community founded on the Healer, Christ, and imbued with the Holy Spirit, that great diagnostician. And when a believing friend loves us enough to obey God's command that we "exhort one another every day, as long as it is still called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin" (Hebrews 3:13), shouldn't we humbly listen to their exhortation, before it's too late -- before our hearts are hardened?

Compare. Discuss.

N.B. -- Please do not take this (necessarily) as a criticism of contemporary worship music, except in the broadest sense of the word "criticism" -- i.e., evaluation. What is good about each? What could use improving? Why? Is there a drawback to the complexity in the older songs? Also, stole the first comparison from John Dekker.

Two Songs With the Same Title But Very Different Purposes...

Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last.

Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
Leave, ah! leave me not alone, still support and comfort me.
All my trust on Thee is stayed, all my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head with the shadow of Thy wing.

Wilt Thou not regard my call? Wilt Thou not accept my prayer?
Lo! I sink, I faint, I fall—Lo! on Thee I cast my care;
Reach me out Thy gracious hand! While I of Thy strength receive,
Hoping against hope I stand, dying, and behold, I live.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want, more than all in Thee I find;
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is Thy Name, I am all unrighteousness;
False and full of sin I am; Thou art full of truth and grace.

Plenteous grace with Thee is found, grace to cover all my sin;
Let the healing streams abound; make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art, freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart; rise to all eternity.

– Charles Wesley, 1740.

Jesus, lover of my soul.
Jesus, I will never let You go.
You've taken me from the miry clay,
Set my feet upon a rock, and now I know.

I love You, I need You.
Though my world may fall,
I'll never let You go.
My Savior, my closest friend,
I will worship You until the very end.

– John Ezzy, Daniel Grul & Steve McPherson, 1992.

And Two Songs With Different Titles But the Same Purpose (Love Songs For Jesus)...

Majestic Sweetness Sits Enthroned
Majestic sweetness sits enthroned
Upon the Savior's brow
His head with radiant glories crowned
His lips with grace o'erflow

No mortal can with Him compare
Among the sons of men
Fairer is He than all the fair
Who fill the heavenly train

He saw me plunged in deep distress
And flew to my relief
For me he bore the shameful cross
And carried all my grief

To him I owe my life and breath
And all the joys I have
He makes me triumph over death
And saves me from the grave

- Samuel Stennett

Your Love Is Extravagant
Your love is extravagant
Your friendship, (mm-mm) intimate
I find I'm moving to the rhythms of your grace
Your fragrance is intoxicating in our secret place
Your love is extravagant

Spread wide in the arms of Christ
Is a love that covers sin
No greater love have I ever known
You considered me a friend
Capture my heart again

- Darrell Evans

What a Friend I've Found
What a friend I've found
Closer than a brother
I have felt your touch
More intimate than lovers
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, friend forever

What a hope I've found
More faithful than a mother
It would break my heart
To ever lose each other
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, friend forever

- Martin Smith

Communing with the Anglican Communion (MORE UPDATES)

CHECK OUT THE LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS ARTICLE!

I am a Baptist. I strongly identify with historical Baptist roots, by which I do NOT mean the temperance movement or the "freedom" (read: rank individualism) so many Baptists claim while attempting to ordain homosexuals or something like that. By historical Baptist roots, I refer to that community of believers so committed to what they believed to be the Biblical pattern of believers' baptism that they were willing to risk excommunication and even death by withholding infant baptism from their children and by being baptized as adults.

All that being said, it is a joy to be friends with Presbyterians, Anglicans, and others whose practices in the area of paedo-baptism I do not share, but whose beliefs in so many other areas I DO share!

But I have grown up and lived most of my life in America, where the Episcopal Church USA has shown itself time and again to be the Oholah and Oholibah of biblical revisionism and flat-out heresy! The World Anglican Communion, of which the ECUSA is a part, has repeatedly called for repentance from its straying daughter; the election of an openly homosexual bishop and the instating of a woman as Presiding Bishop over America were merely the latest in a long line of efforts on the part of the ECUSA to alienate millions of faithful Anglicans worldwide.

The actions of the ECUSA have shown them to be (as a denomination, of course -- this is not to say that faithful, believing Episcopalians do not exist within local bodies across America) presumptuous, arrogant, elitist, narrow-minded, and, dare I say it? Racist. They cavalierly make decisions anathema to the vast majority of their brethren in developing nations, assuming that whatever choices they make will be lauded by those poor, ignorant, third-world bishops and priests. For the ECUSA to flaunt its faithlessness, ignoring the pleas of African and Asian bishops to return to Scripture, is nothing less than what I said above: elitism and racism. We in the West know SO much better than you, they seem to say. We've successfully rubbed out any remnants of a medieval view of sin and are now liberated from feeling bad about ourselves! We're free to make our god look however we want him or her to look! Catch up with the West, you poor, backward savages!!

This week, 35 Anglican leaders are meeting in Tanzania. I will be praying for the Lord's hand to be on these men as they again extend a call for repentance to the ECUSA. May they all be stirred to spread the Gospel anew, and to root out the evil influence of man-centeredness. May this meeting be a turning point in the Anglican Communion, and a corporate return to Biblical faithfulness. Lord, pour out a spirit of repentance and grief for sin! Do not abandon these brothers or give them over to a depraved mind, but instead stir up renewal among them and re-visit them with your Holy Spirit!

And may "Bishop" Jefferts-Schori not hear her alarm clock and miss the whole meeting!

UPDATE: Seven Bishops from the global South, who collectively represent over 30 million faithful Anglicans, refused to receive the eucharist with Katharine Jefferts-Schori Friday. These men have declared that their provinces are in a state of "broken" communion with the Episcopal Church. 6 other bishops have stated that their provinces' communion with the Episcopal Church is "impaired."

Please continue to pray that God's perfect will is done through this difficult meeting. For more info, check out Virtue Online and CAPA.

UPDATE #2: Sorry to keep harping on about this, but you all have GOT to read this article from Virtue Online about biblical vs. unbiblical "reconciliation." Fantastic! I have a feeling this site is going to become one of my regulars.

The Problem of Pride and the Trap of Insecurity

This is going to start out sounding like my previous couple of posts (i.e., meaningless), but hang on here with me for a minute and you'll get the point, I hope. I was watching American Idol tonight while I packed more boxes full of my seemingly infinite amount of stuff in preparation for moving in the next few days. Right at the end of the show, the last of the teasers for tomorrow night shows a very cute, nicely dressed, 20-something girl (who has obviously just been rejected by the judges) who, with tears in her eyes, forces a scary grin and says in a desperate, high screech, gesturing wildly, "Look at me! I'm unique!!" It's meant to be funny, of course, but comes across as poignant and kind of awful.

In a philosophical moment American Idol does not often provoke, I thought, Isn't that just like me? I'm not on national television, of course, but in so many ways, my life is made up of moments when I demand that those around me look at me and see how unique and special I am -- how superior to the average person!

The problem of pride is that it builds us up in places we need torn down -- arrogance about our skills, accomplishments, gifts, belongings, even, God forbid, about our salvation! 1 Corinthians 4:7 says, "What do you have that you did not receive?" Nothing! I have nothing -- not faith, not obedience, not ability, not material possessions -- that the Lord in His grace did not provide me! I have no blessing that Christ did not earn on my behalf.

But at the same time, the trap of insecurity keeps us from embracing our completely secure place in Christ. No, we did not earn righteousness, but nonetheless it is ours in Christ. We did not merit blessing, but Christ's merit purchased the highest of all spiritual blessings: salvation! (Getting revved up; brace yourself!) We did not deserve the love of God, but we still have it without condition! My position is no better than yours, but it's still glorious! Imagine -- To be in relationship with, to receive the love of the God who fashioned the stars, who made the Alps and the angels and the ocean!

What joy is yours and mine, friends. Let's learn to really know our place in Christ, and hold our salvation in humility.

Killing Time

1. FIRST NAME? Got one!
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No. I was named after a plant.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Sunday. But it's not because I'm a crybaby. Wait, no, I cried yesterday! But I got tears because of the words to "The Church's One Foundation," which are so amazing.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Depends on the day. Don't these question maker-uppers realize that these kinds of yes or no questions don't provoke soul-searching?
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? The kind I don't have to eat.
6. KIDS? My favorite kind of kids? I dunno, polite ones?
7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Maybe, for my cooking. I'm an awesome cook.
8. HAVE A JOURNAL? Not since junior high. I stink at journaling.
9. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Til death do us part.
10. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Let's see, would I attach a stretchy cord to my feet and hurl myself off of a really high ledge... That's SUCH a tough question.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No way, I'm too busy and important to waste time with that.
12. FAVORITE SONG AT THE MOMENT? Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush. I don't know. I'll tell you after I go to Jamie Barnes's show tonight.
13. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Only if I don't shower.
14. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Chunky Monkey or Pistachio Almond.
15. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Their smile, unless they're sad or angry, and then I notice that they're sad or angry. I'm very observant.
17. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOUR SELF? Selfishness -- ugh.
18. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My ex, but my aim is improving (ba-dum ching!)
19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Invisible.
20. THE LAST THING YOU ATE? A little square of dark chocolate, purely for the antioxidant value.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? America's Test Kitchen on TV.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Cerulean.
23. FAVORITE SMELL? Baby head.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My dad.
25. FAVORITE DRINK? Tea.
26. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? Basketball! Obviously.
27. HAIR COLOR? Blonde, this month.
28. EYE COLOR? Gray
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No.
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Indian. Or the chicken kebabs at Shiraz.
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Ugh, I hate scary movies, but happy endings aren't always all they're cracked up to be.
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Prime. But I can only recommend it to women.
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Blue with a green cardi over it.
36. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer. I love being tan.
38. FAVORITE DESSERT? Pie. Especially Pumpkin, which my mom used to let me have for breakfast! Mmmmm...
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? Sacred Marriage.
40. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Don't have one.
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST ON TV LAST NIGHT? Nothing. I missed American Idol!
42. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? What kind of stupid question is that? The Beatles.
43. FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Hong Kong. Or maybe Bangkok. Yeah, I think Bangkok is further away. Or is that farther away. Lorie?
44 DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? My thumbs pop out of joint. I'm not sure that's a talent.
45. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Bloomington, IN -- by the way, WORST last question ever.

Shallow. I mean shallow, people.

At the risk of killing the lively discussion on prayer in the previous post, can I have a shallow, TV-obsessed moment, please? Or maybe a couple of moments. How long is a moment?

Shallow moment #1. Thank you, Jared and Megan. I'm hooked. Jack Bauer rocks more than Chuck Norris and MacGyver (M'geevay?) combined. Out of consideration for J and M's sleeping infant daughter, I did not run to my phone and call them at 10:01 last night, though I really REALLY wanted to. Hypothetical contents of that phone conversation:

Me: Ohmygosh, ohmygosh.
J or M: I know! I was like, what!?
Me: Jack Bauer, like, totally rocks.
J or M: I know! When he was crying?
Me: I know! Ohmygosh!
J or M: Hang on, I just realized Lucy's been crying for 20 minutes.

Shallow moment #2. I missed Hugh Laurie's acceptance speech last night for best actor in a TV Drama. Curses! His acceptance speech last year was totally priceless -- he cut his teeth on British improv comedies, after all.

Shallow moment #3. (In other Golden Globes news) In your FACE, The Office! Ugly Betty kicked butt! You can't mess with Salma Hayek's Latina superpowers and expect to survive.

And Tom Hanks should have taken home an award for a record number of uses of the word "balls" (and just general comic brilliance; who knew?) in a Cecil B. DeMille award presentation.

And Schwarzenegger been in this country thirty years? Forty? He's still almost unintelligible. It sounded like he was trying to say bar-bell instead of "Babel." How much more mileage is he going to try to get out of that same lame joke, "I'll be back"? Give me a break.

And why is it that certain male stars can get away with doing the Hollywood kiss-kiss with other men without having their sexuality called into question? Brad Pitt kiss-kissed probably 15 guys last night. Weird.

OK, I'm done. Back to more important topics soon, but I'm glad I got all that off my chest.

Will you?

I recently read an article about revitalizing your prayer life by changing the way you petition the Lord. The author sensibly pointed out that, when we ask our friends to do something for us, we rarely say something like, "And, Miss King, I ask that you would sit by me in church today, and I ask that it would be to the right of me." Um, awkward! But we so often begin our requests to the Lord with, "Lord, we ask," or, "Lord, I pray," phrasing our questions as a statement!

The author of the article suggests that we ask our Heavenly Father in the same way we would ask our earthly fathers: "Will you?"

It's a tiny change, but I've been amazed at how just changing a single phrase has increased my feeling of humility before a sovereign God, and my sense of dependence on His will. When I pray, "Lord, will you provide for my finances? Will you guide me as I look for a good job?" it's easier for me to hear my loving Abba Father saying, "Yes, I will!" My prayer time becomes genuine communication between my Lord and me, rather than a recitation of needs.

Will you give it a try?