Being A Dad.

I love being a dad. I am amazed that the Lord has given me two children already and that in just a few months I'll have another to watch over. For me there is so much more to being a dad then I ever expected. Before I got married, my wife and I did six hours of counseling and read three books to prepare to live together in the same house without killing each other. But after we walked down the aisle, our lives really didn't go through any shocking transformations. But there was no required counseling or reading to prepare for parenting, which I believe is a great oversight. Our lives have never gone through such a major adjustment from just being responsible for yourself to now being responsible for two other lives (who don't always appreciate your efforts to keep them from danger!)

So I greatly appreciated what Dan Darling shared here in his 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Being A Dad. Here they are:

1) You are much less patient than you think you are.

2) Many times you’ll have no clue what to do.

3) You’ll realize that minivans are secretly awesome.

4) You’ll probably not get six continuous hours of good sleep ever again.

5) There are singular moments of joy so indescribable they can only be experienced.

6) Your presence is more important than you know.

7) You need to repeat the same words over and over to your children.

8). You will watch less of your favorite games, play less video games, and will go out with your guy friends hardly at all.

9) You will embrace your cluelessness as a gift from God.

10) You will realize your ongoing need to repent, confess, apologize, and forgive.

 Read his humorous explanations here.

HT: Z

Democrats Vote Overwhelmingly Against Bill to Ban Sex-Selection Abortions.

Votes such as this clearly reveal where the loyalties of the Democratic Party, as well as the President of the United States, rest. And they are not for the unborn who cannot speak for themselves.

From LifeNews:

Democrats in the House of Representatives prevented passage of a bill that would ban sex-selection abortions. The legislation needed a two-thirds vote and Democrats voted overwhelmingly against the legislation after President Barack Obama and Planned Parenthood came out in opposition.

With a 246-168 vote, the bill did not obtain the two-thirds majority necessary to pass. Republicans voted for the bill on a 226-7 margin while Democrats opposed banning sex-selection abortions on 161-20 vote margin.

The bill would make it a federal offense to knowingly do any one of the following four things: (1) perform an abortion, at any time in pregnancy, “knowing that such abortion is sought based on the sex or gender of the child”; (2) use “force or threat of force. . . for the purpose of coercing a sex-selection abortion”; (3) solicit or accept funds to perform a sex-selection abortion; or (4) transport a woman into the U.S. or across state lines for this purpose. However, “A woman upon whom a sex-selection abortion is performed may not be prosecuted or held civilly liable for any violation . . .”

Read the whole article here.

HT:Z

Covering Our Ears So We Won't Hear the Truth.

Today's Breakpoint broadcast from Eric Metaxas really struck me. We live in a world that is always wanting to hide from the truth and create our own truth. We create our own world to live in and be happy, and create a god in our own image to worship. One who does not have set standards of what is right and what is wrong, but who simply wants us to do whatever makes us feel happy. Even when the feelings of happiness are based on lies.

Romans 1:18 says, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth."

Eric Metaxas shares this story from Texas about another example of this. Here is an excerpt:

Pro-abortion forces are not happy that a state law now requires abortion clinics to have patients watch a sonogram of their unborn baby, receive a medically-accurate explanation of what they are seeing, and listen to the baby's heartbeat.
This last part was too much truth for pro-choice blogger Denise Paolucci. She came up with the idea of raising money in order to purchase iPods for abortion clinics. Her idea was to offer them to patients to allow them to drown out the sound of the baby's heartbeat.  After raising a thousand dollars, Paolucci made the iPod offer to several Planned Parenthood clinics, some of which enthusiastically took her up on this offer.

Read or listen to the whole thing here.

God's Very Different but Wonderful Design for Marriage.

Here is a great personal testimony of a young woman who thought she had found the love of her life, but with the help of loving Christian friends and a godly pastor who guided and encouraged her, she was kept from probably making the greatest mistake of her life.

Here is an excerpt:

The relationship started out like many others, following cultural expectations rather than God's design. Dating, sex, spending the night, meeting the parents, integrating the pets (him, a dog; me, two cats). After 10 months, on a snowy Sunday evening in front of the place we first met, he asked me to marry him. It was romantic indeed. Even strangers passing by yelled congratulations from their car windows.
I was excited to be engaged---to finally be moving toward marriage---but something never felt quite right. I sensed a resistance in my heart, like I wasn't totally sure about something. But he was a good guy---the right age, handsome, fun, easy-going, from a decent family. What more could a girl want?
So I moved forward. Even though I had just bought my own home, I gave it up and moved in with him on a spring day in early March. Everyone has to make sacrifices for love, I reasoned. That's where we're going to end up anyway. Why not start now? At first, it was exciting and felt like the right thing to do. But a different story soon emerged.

Read the whole thing here.

Man, it is shocking how often I see young people who have grown up in the church who just do not have a clue as to what the Bible says about marriage. Choosing how someone makes them feel over whether or not the person knows and worships Jesus. Checking off the "Christian" box even though the person is more than willing to ignore the Word of God in what it says about sex, adultery, and honesty. We trust our own hearts but refuse to ask those we love or even our own pastors what they might think about the relationships we dive into head-first.

The article references three books that greatly helped this woman save herself. They are great books that I would also highly recommend to anyone, married or not, to understand God's design for marriage. Here they are: The Meaning of Marriage. by Tim & Kathy Keller, When Sinners Say I Do. by Dave Harvey, and Feminine Appeal by Carolyn Mahaney.

HT: Challies

Another Reason Why Most Boys Never Become Real Men.

Came across this article on CNN: 'The Demise of Guys:' How Video Games and Porn are Ruining a Generation. Here is an excerpt:

  Is the overuse of video games and pervasiveness of online porn causing the demise of guys?

Increasingly, researchers say yes, as young men become hooked on arousal, sacrificing their schoolwork and relationships in the pursuit of getting a tech-based buzz.

Every compulsive gambler, alcoholic or drug addict will tell you that they want increasingly more of a game or drink or drug in order to get the same quality of buzz.

Video game and porn addictions are different. They are "arousal addictions," where the attraction is in the novelty, the variety or the surprise factor of the content. Sameness is soon habituated; newness heightens excitement. In traditional drug arousal, conversely, addicts want more of the same cocaine or heroin or favorite food.

The consequences could be dramatic: The excessive use of video games and online porn in pursuit of the next thing is creating a generation of risk-averse guys who are unable (and unwilling) to navigate the complexities and risks inherent to real-life relationships, school and employment.

Read the whole article here.
There is a reality that is of course ignored in this whole discussion. That being the depravity of man brought on by sin, and God in His wrath giving us over to our own debased desires which will in the end destroy us. "And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done."  (Romans 1:28 ESV) And Proverbs speaks to what is happening in the hearts of so many of our young men. "Like a dog that returns to his vomit  is a fool who repeats his folly."  (Proverbs 26:11 ESV)  Oh Lord have mercy on us.

HT: Z

"Dig Deep and Dwell Deep" - J. I. Packer

Here is a great interview of J. I. Packer, one of the greatest Bible teachers alive today. I consider him a "spiritual father" to me as when I read his classic book, Knowing God, as a college sophomore it opened up a whole new galaxy of spiritual truth that I had never been aware of before. And it is a galaxy I have been joyfully exploring since then. I will forever remember and thank God for his impact on me since I named my son after him.

I was encouraged listening to him share about his own story of coming to true faith in Christ, what helped him most in his walk, and his encouragement to young pastors like me. As he said, "Superficiality is the great weakness of the evangelical world today."

BIC End of the Year Party.

Our Bible Instruction Class is now finished for the year. Another class has completed the course. I will miss them: Kirk, Megan, DW, Andrew, and Eamon.

We always try to have a little fun taking pictures of the class at the end of the year. This tradition was started by Pastor Warren Coe, I believe. This year's theme: Super Heroes. (First-year students, Ruth and Cody also took part.) (You may also find my daughter Esther in one of the shots.)

God is Enough.

Here is about as strong of a recommendation as I have ever seen for trusting God and being satisfied in Him no matter what your outward circumstances. Watch and be moved by Ian and Melissa Murphy's testimony.
(click here to see the video if you get this on email)

Then go to Desiring God and read John Piper's comments about them.

Funny Star Wars Videos.

So last Friday was May the Fourth. I know my readers area all smart enough to figure out why it's now known as "Star Wars Day." So in honor of that I came across these videos that I really enjoyed and so thought I would share them with you.  If you get this on email, click here to see them.



HT:Kevin DeYoung

The Crucial Question for Athiests to Answer.

A few years ago, Pastor Doug Wilson traveled and debated the late Christopher Hitchens, who is known for his defense of Atheism, in the book "God is Not Great." A documentary was made of this experience called Collision. Here is a great outtake from the filming of the documentary that for some odd reason failed to make the cut. If you get this on email, click here to see the video.

To see the context of this video and a further explanation from Doug Wilson go here.

Thankful for the Central District.

The past two weeks I have had the privilege of spending time with other pastors in my district (Central District, EFCA). Last Monday, I spent some time talking the Bible, theology and current issues with some other brothers that make up the Dead Theologians Society. We gathered at Hidden Acres for this, and the time was stimulating, encouraging, and challenging. Then on Tuesday of last week we all gathered at the Free Church in Earlham, IA for the Word Fellowship. This is an annual gathering of Central District pastors that models and promotes expository preaching within our district. There were 18 of us there to hear sermons on "making disciples," as well as prayer and discussion. Once again, this was a very encouraging and growing time for me to hear the word of God from my brother pastors.

Earlier this week, on Monday and Tuesday, I again was blessed to spend time with some other pastors in our Central District at a small retreat held here. This is another annual retreat that the district hosts for pastors who are categorized in "affinity groups" along with other pastors in similar church contexts. We discussed different areas of ministry that were on our minds and hearts or that we wanted guidance from the other brothers in.

Coming away from these meetings I am usually asked, "what was the one main thing you took away from that?" Or, "what were you most encouraged by?" I can truly say that there were many ways in which I came away from those gatherings encouraged: times of prayer with my brothers, some of whom I have grown close to over the years; time spent meditating on the Word of God as it applies to my ministry situation; hearing reports of the Kingdom work in the churches of our district; and many other such things.

But what I was most encouraged by was just the fact that God has blessed our district with pastors who love the Word of God, who are humble, and devoted to seeing the Gospel transform the lives of the people in their churches and communities. Praise God for these men. How blessed our churches are to have men like these leading them and proclaiming the Word of God to them each week. These are good men, godly men, who all seem to have a sense, like Paul, that they are the chief of sinners, and so are absolutely amazed that God would have saved them, and use them to be a minister of His grace to others.

This is striking to me because when I was in seminary for a year or two, I was deeply troubled by the reality that some of the other students there would one day be leading a church; would one day be the primary teacher of the Word of God in local congregations. I was troubled because in far too many students I did not observe an attitude of humility before the task of the ministry of the Word. I did not see a great concern for souls. I often wondered whether some of my classmates were even born-again. I also have a good friend who is a pastor in a mainline protestant denomination. When he has meetings with other pastors in his denomination, he often has very different experiences to mine. He recently shared with me being at a gathering and overhearing other pastors mock the "conservative"members of their congregations who actually believed that what the Bible said is true. I can't even imagine that ever happening at a meeting of pastors in the Evangelical Free Church.

So, if you are attending an Evangelical Free Church in the Central District, drop to your knees and give thanks to God for this district, and for the man whom God has given you to preach His Word to you. Now, I'm not saying that your or our churches are perfect. I'm not saying that there are none better. Oh my do we all have ways where we need to improve and mature in. But rather than focusing on what you don't have in your pastor or church, give thanks for what you do have, that God has provided for you out of His grace. And if you have a pastor that actually opens up the Bible on Sunday mornings and preaches a message based primarily on what the Bible says, and you know he actually believes it. Then thank God, and maybe write a note to him to thank him for preaching the Word of God faithfully each week, and then pray for him often, that he would continue to do so for the sake of your church and your community.

Just Do Something!

The man who tries to do something and fails is infinitely better than the man who tries to do nothing and succeeds. —Martyn Lloyd-Jones

HT: Challies

Rest in Peace Chuck Colson.

Chuck Colson has been a strong influence on my Christian life and understanding since 1998. His book, "How Now Shall We Live?" greatly encouraged me to engage the culture with the Gospel, and seek to speak for those who could not speak for themselves. He challenged me to not just moan about the direction of our culture, but rather to get off my rear end and do something about it. He helped me to understand the times through the lens of a Biblical worldview.

I am thankful that God had mercy on him while he was in prison because of the Watergate scandal back in the mid-seventies. His was a life that God transformed by the Grace of Jesus Christ.

For more on Chuck's influential life, check out this obituary from World Magazine.

Check out Chuck's ministry, Prison Fellowship here.

Doug Wilson on Preaching.

"Ezekiel preached the way a man of God must preach. We are not here to give candies to the healthy or medicine to the sick. We are in the middle of a bleak and desolate graveyard, and we serve a God who raises the dead. He does so by means of his Word, which is the incorruptible seed, and which we are privileged to declare. And as we do, the dead are raised. Irresistibly" (From Out of Darkness, Light, p. 149).

Doug Wilson blogs here.

The Abruptness of Jesus.

    As I have been studying Mark the past few months, one of the most striking elements of the Gospel is what I call,"The Abruptness of Jesus." From the very first verse Jesus, the Son of God, appears on the scene and begins to speak and act like He is and has sovereign divine authority. Mark does make a small effort to try to prepare us for Him with a few verses on John the Baptist's ministry, who was the one sent to prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah. But Mark is even abrupt with John's appearance and then his disappearance.
      Mark 1:4, "John appeared, baptizing . . ."  Then just 10 verses later, "Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the Gospel of God." (Mark 1:14 ESV)
     There is no long list of the genealogy of Jesus' ancestors. There is no narrative of Jesus' birth. We don't find any information about what was going on in the world previous to His arrival on the scene. We aren't even told immediately where Jesus, the man has come from. But we are told up front who He is. The significance of Who Jesus is, is the main theme of Mark's Gospel in fact.
      So the World is just going on as it always had. People are eating, drinking, getting married, and dying. And then God abruptly steps into history. He does not ask our permission to just show up and begin to reveal His authority, He does not have to. Does He abruptly interrupt the lives and plans of people? You bet He does, just ask the families of Simon, Andrew, James, and John (Mark 1:16-20). Does He try not to offend and make waves with the status quo? He actually does the very opposite by commanding people to "Repent and accept the reality that there is a new kingdom taking over, and I am the New King."
       Mark writes this way about Jesus because he wants to help us to see that this is who Jesus is, and this is often how we experience Him in our lives. He abruptly steps in and changes our direction, or gives us a major challenge, or calls us to stop, or change, or turn around. He calls us to submit and if we don't submit, we find ourselves, just "kicking against the goads." We open up our Bibles and expect to find some comforting words for a discouraging day. But what we end up finding is that we are having our hearts examined, and being horrified by what we see there. Or we begin a relationship with someone we hope will greatly encourage and build us up, when what ends up happening is the relationship costs us much more then we were hoping to gain from it. We wake up from our slumber and find that the world we were trying to control to fit our designs is being ruled by another King, who has much different plans for us.

      So how are we to respond? What are we to do? Well, the wisest step would be to do exactly what the King said, "Repent and believe in the Gospel" (Mark 1:15). And what is the Gospel? It's just the best news that you will ever hear. This King who abruptly entered history and sovereignly interrupted your life, "came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). He came to set you free from the master you were serving, an evil master who would have destroyed you. Our freedom came at the cost of His life, which He willingly laid down for us. 
     Now, we belong to Him, but we don't have to work to earn His favor, we already have it and will forever have it. We just simply trust Him, believe what He says, and work our faith out in love for Him and for others. If this has happened to us, we will love Him, and the more we love Him, the more life we will experience, and the more love we will have for others. We will truly become who we were created to be, which will bring an ever increasing sense of fulfillment and joy, which will never end no matter what may come; be it tribulation, sickness, or death.