So much more is at stake in daily life. Whereas a basketball game is only a few moments, life spans years. Habits and routines. Life is made up of a million little choices and experiences, each moving us towards wholeness or away from it. By default, we will experience the hectic chaos of entropy: lives out of rhythm with God and the Gospel. Resist the urge to live in defeat by keeping in step with the Spirit. He desires it. God writes to us:

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. …
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." (Galatians 5:16-26, vv. 16, 25 here)

There we see the connection of life and daily walking with the Spirit of Life, which plays out in a thousand directions and creative opportunities to love God and others every day.

Also, this is not just a "religious" rhythm. That is, walking with the Spirit is in all of life, including how we treat our bodies, what we eat, what we take-in for our minds to consume, and how we think and relate to others, for just a short list. People who are unhealthy in one area of life may be outside of God’s will and not as useful for His Kingdom purposes.

That isn’t to say that we should be completely healthy and wealthy materially in this life. Often it’s quite the opposite: if we are cultivating contentedness with very little and in much weakness (see Phil. 4), then Christ’s strength and His creativity will may a way for our "poor" and "weak" lives to be full of Gospel rhythm. Thus we will be "healthy and wealthy" in the only ways that truly matter: rich towards God and generous towards others. (Jesus became poor so that we could become rich in Him (2 Cor. 8:9).) But, if you are feeding your addictions and living lives out of whack, then we won’t have the bandwidth, let alone be in rhythm, to see outside ourselves.

On a personal note: I finally feel like I’m getting into a rhythm of daily life with our new church and in a better trajectory of personal health. I’ve been able to take up running again, and hope to work these feet back into basketball shape sometime. Oddly enough, the snow is what may have contributed to it. While I couldn’t do any running, it did help with relationships. "Slow down" was the clear message. Many of us remarked that it was God’s gift at this time of Advent, to send us some sabbath rest with family, unable to busy our lives to much under the tyranny of the urgent.Yes, there is much to do, but the harmony and rhythm of a life lived wrapped around God and His Gospel is showing in the lives around us. Praise Jesus for His work of harmony. He has rhythm.

It is the lens through which we are to see, and the engine for what should drive us in life. We are far worse than we realize, yet, in Christ, far more loved than we every imagined. God relates to us totally on the basis of His free grace. We cannot earn, should not deceive ourselves into thinking we could or should, and God has designed that we can only relate to Him rightly on the basis of the finished work of His Son. He treated Jesus like He was us, so He could treat us who trust in Christ like we are Him (2 Cor. 5:21).

A friend recently noted — in speaking on the theme of thankfulness — that those who truly get the Gospel, are thankful people. Period. Contrastingly, those who are bitter and complaining, well, they don’t get "it." (See complaining Israel in the OT; cf. 1 Cor. 10.)

If we have tasted of Christ we become changed beings, transformed by grace and living in it. Oh how I want to get "it" today, all over again.

The first was an afternoon idea-ing and planning session talking about our church’s Advent series coming up the few weeks before Christmas. One theme will be JOY … and how much Joy there was when Christ came the first time, how much there shall be one day when He returns in the fullness of His glory, and the unending pleasure to be found as subjects and sons and daughters in His Kingdom.

Being forgiven and right with God on the basis of nothing we have done in and of ourselves (except to contribute to the need for redemption and a Savior) is the basis of our joy. God is our joy. Find as much pleasure as you can in God — for we were created to prefer Him above all else. (And as we recognize that Jesus Himself gave Himself away, for the joy set before Him ( Heb. 12:2 ) and laid down His life, enduring the cross, then we see that quickest path to joy today is to resolve to find our identity in Jesus, and to give our time and resources — our very lives — in the service of others.)

The second centered around the message last night at high school group. Aaron preached on Romans 3:21-26 , a passage packed with the mystery and wonder of what God has done in His Son. Yes, that is a place in Scripture full of "happy tensions," for in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not holding their (our) sins against them (us). Justification. Propitiation. Forgiveness. Redemption. All wonderful and transforming realities. Yet, none of them has the value they were meant to, apart from what they do — they remove all the obstacles to our getting to God. (Or, really, His getting to us, since He is the One who initiated and came to us, removing all the obstacles.) Wow. So much to think of. So much to be happier about. There, joy came and found me today. It came from outside of myself, and drew me outside of myself. Much happier now.

"How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water."

Notice that portion in vv. 9 & 10. The duplicity — and power (vv. 5-8) — of our words is astonishing. We used to chant the lie, that "sticks and stones … but words will never hurt me." That’s totally false. Words are far more destructive than any object thrown. At least with sticks and stones the damage is seen, and visible reminder. Yet, words can wound far deeper, and the scars remind though hidden.

The point is illustrated deeply in my own mind as I contemplate my son’s increasing vocabulary (all dozen or so words), and think of how he said "Bible" for the first time today. Wow.

Someday he will realize the infinite worth of the Book he is talking about — I hope and pray his eyes go open as God shines His light. Yet, today, I am really his best connection to what the Bible is all about. Do I bless God, and speak of and from the Bible, and then turn around and reveal a disdain for people, for whom Christ died? He sees it when I do. And although he cannot speak in sentences, he certainly can think complete thoughts. He is arriving at conclusions about our Creator on the basis of our few hours together each day. I speak and pray in front of my son: that God is our Father. Who is Dutch’s father? Does he see a correlation, and will he desire to know this Father whom I love and know and weep at His sheer grace. Is that coming across to my son?

Kari assures me I’m doing well. Yet as a father — twice now — these thoughts weigh on me, as they should. And I hope and pray to be like my own Dad who always has joyful and pleasant words, who is a gentle man who radiates care as a father should.

Resolve to make our words personal

Can we resolve to use our words for the building up of one another?

• Have you recently harmed someone with words, even in a small way? Will you resolve to take practical, even humiliating steps, to seek forgiveness and reconciliation?
• Or, perhaps it is the other way around: How can you forgive them in love?
• Start with those you are connected to. If getting out of that rut seems insurmountable, with and the bickering, complaining and sarcasm, then start "small."
• Begin with those who may seem to be of little importance, on the fringe of your daily life — like those who pump your gas, serve your feed, and drive your kid’s school bus. We can tell a lot about a person by how he or she treats people who supposedly are not adding value to our lives. Are we adding value to theirs?
• Have you realized they may be having a worse day than you are? (Have I realized that?)

Take an interest in them, and in doing so, lose yourself in the beauty of what it means for all persons to be image-bearers of our Creator. Each one of us is marred and worse off than we realize, yet more loved than we dared imagine.

Let’s speak to one another (as made in the image/likeness of God) like we are speaking to Christ, who is The Image of God. That is how it is supposed to be.

• Tomorrow I’ll share 5 lessons learned over these last 50 months . For now, here are five signposts along the journey to being a pastor (stretching back before these last 4+ years).

In 1998 I first sensed Christ’s call to enter the ministry. My heart and mind was electrified as a sophomore at OSU, an engineering student, and oh so fed up with how far behind I was spiritually. In that day, specifically Super Bowl weekend in late January, He ignited in me a spark that grew larger and larger, coupled with an insatiable desire for God’s Word. Those college years and serving in the local church and on the OSU campus were invaluable experiences. Many lessons learned, lots of failure. More grace. The relational connections made still remain firmly intact. The Gospel was our chief unifying reality. I have been blessed to see fellow students, and then my own students from Real Life and the School of Ministry forge ahead in their part of God’s grand story.

In 2003 I was graciously enabled to marry the woman of my dreams. Kari, I l. No matter what "success" I achieve as a pastor, my first duty is to be a faithful husband and loving father. Before God, let all these other things serve to reinforce that trajectory, not divert from it. Without you, Dutch, and now Heidi, this journey would not be worth taking.

Fifty months ago (2004) Kari and I took the plunge and moved to another state for the sake of my becoming a pastor in the official sense for the first time. Until then I had been "pastoring" in many ways, and while I knew the title would not add an inch to my stature, it was to be a significant jump in responsibility before God and men. And boy was it. Nothing like we imagined, and I never did became a "pastor" in the official sense. We felt "shelved." But God broke me, and rebuilt me again to be the kind of man who loves Him more than a title and is willing to suffer for the Gospel. People became real to me. The Gospel went deeper. Christ became huge, more than adequate and satisfying. We look back fondly on that season now with the vantage point of having come through it. Warren Wiersbe in On Being a Servant of God reminds us to not ask God to get us out of our trials, but to ask Him, "What do You want me to get out of this trial?" God had a whole different plan for us, a crucible of what seemed like an endless string of disappointments. Our character needed it. I thank Him for it — without reservation — and would not for a million dollars trade any of those experiences. Please don’t sign me up for it again, our good Father, but I would not go back and chart a different course.

In 2005 we came back to Oregon, continuing in a career of construction management  in construction for my good friend Ben was the sweet spot of God’s will for us at the time. As were were a growing company, and I needed to gain credibility with the crew, I took to being the lowest grunt of the lot, moving aluminum shoring and pipes, and finally getting some good callouses from hands fully engaged in some good manual labor. Installing sewer lines 8 feet below the ground surface and mortoring up manholes was a crucible for learning. I remember the guys often asking me during lunch, "They didn’t teach you that in college, eh, Mr. Civil Engineer!?" I thank them for it. During the process I learned that nothing is secular, the construction workers need the Gospel just like I do, and that all circumstances are "sacred" in that they are meant to be used for worshipping God. Without those "silent years" we would not be here (positionally, and certainly not ready in our character). I learned to practice God’s joy in all of life, especially the mundane things. That is why I plead with people to find their identity in Christ alone and not in what they do. Funny to thing back how my move into the office became official when on the eve of Thanksgiving I ran over my left foot with the Jeep Wrangler. (Yeah, it really hurt, and I walk with a slight limp today.)

Also in 2005 we also became students again. A couple years earlier we had wanted to go to seminary (in Chicago, we thought), but Christ had some pre-graduate school preparation for us (see above). Now, we were able to do this together , both as students, and those Friday-only classes and one night course during that first year at Multnomah was a unique experience. Not sure how we managed the 90 minute commute both ways (fuel was much cheaper), but that time did serve to be like mini "dates" for Kari and I. We entered seminary as a young married couple, and when Kari graduates this year she will have given birth to two children while a student. (She’s incredible, by the way…)

So much more could be said. Dutch was born around Christmas 2006, and our lives have been changed for the better because of him. Last year we lived with Kari’s parents, on purpose, and it was a tremendous experience for Dutch. For us, it showed us how much we love family, need them, and love to live on our own again Without it, we would have had to quit seminary. The last year of interning with Foothills Community Church has been mightily used of God. He reprogrammed me in many ways, especially relationally, bringing out lessons and things from our experiences through Pastor Dale’s care and mentoring. Again, without them, we would not be who and where we are today.

Some may be thinking — are they done with seminary? Not exactly. Kari will finish her last class in December and then graduate in May with a MA in Pastoral Studies with a concentration in Women’s Ministry. I will close out this semester, take a bit off, and then (probably, open to revision, as the above story proves!) take one class at a time when possible. Since pastoring (again, a verb) and serving the local church was and is the "end goal," seminary has served that purpose in part, and I hope to see it continue towards an MDiv (at least 2/3 complete now). We wouldn’t be here without Multnomah , in more ways than one. We love our professors, the staff, fellow students, and alums!

(Okay, this is six…) Today Christ has more of me than He did back then. Some like to talk about returning to their first love (see Rev. 2 ). For me, returning to that teeny, tiny love would be going backwards, for my vision of Christ and seeing as the ultimate cause, reason, object and satisfaction of my life is far greater today than it was then. Truly, all of life is preparation .

Helping others know, love and enjoy God above all else,

JP

Next Monday Kari and being our new journey with our new church family — about which I’m eager to speak and write about.

This week’s "staycation" has provided a little bit of reflection time. (And lots of needing wrestling time with Dutch.) In these days I’ve written down much to come back to later — for seasons of less clarity — a portion of which I plan to post on the ol’ blog this weekend. A brief five-point memoir, and a list of five lessons learned over this past 50 month journey.

Today was a unique time, a luncheon to get to know the church staff more. A great time, and really good food, mixed in with lots of laughs. What a great team of Gospel-centered, others-directed people we are joining.

My favorite moment what when we all were asked to answer briefly, "What were you like as a child?" Right then Dutch (the only kid in the room) walked out in the middle of everyone and threw his toy. Seeing it coming I pointed at him, saying "Just like that!" and tossed a toy over his shoulder too. I’d like to say he gets his dramatic flair from his mom, but we know better.

"… give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." ( 1 Thess. 5:18 )

What is God’s will for my life? That has always been one of most frequent questions I’ve heard, and asked. How can I know what He wants me to do, who He designed me to be?

God’s will is multi-faceted, yet He is strangely easy to please, as our caring heavenly Father. He has given some specific instructions as to what His will for us is. Trusting wholly in His Son is His direct command for all of us ( Acts 17:30; 1 John 5:13 ). Abstaining from sexual impurity, keeping our bodies for His good pleasure alone is specifically His will for us ( 1 Thess. 4:3-4 ). Add to that the heralding of His Good News everywhere by the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-30), which of course is enabling power of God to obey the Great Commandment (love the Lord Thy God fully, more than anything else). And here in this passage we see it is God’s will that we being a praying people, continually pour out words from the depths of our being (we have incredible access!, v. 17).  Couple the next verse (v. 18): always being thankful , with always rejoicing ( Phil. 4:4 ), and we have a lifestyle that reveals God’s worth and can receive His grace.That is truly an others-directed (not me-first) Christianity.

When we think about it, that’s not too much for God to ask. In fact, He enables what He commands. This is not debtor’s ethic at play. For remember, His commandments are His enablements , just as they are not burdensome ( 1 John 5:3 ). As we continually trust in the Son, by the Spirit, we are changed into the kind of people who live out His will and purpose for us ( Phil. 2:12-13 ). We live in these commands as His people working from significance, not for it. Our performance is a measure of Christ’s ability to rescue and transform us, not something we simply have to do on our own.

Today, as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow, the will of God is for us to be thankful in all things . To specifically "give thanks" to God. Thanking Him for pain that proves we are alive, for His discipline which shows He cares as a Father, for happy times that are unearned, for frustrations and for triumphs. For a million seemingly little things. Can you join with me in doing today what — if we have been captivated by Jesus — we will love doing forever?

Our destiny is to say these small words forever

Related to giving thanks, this reminder from Of First Importance is worth re-posting…

“I have often wondered, perhaps in part simply because the term is so rarely used today, what it might mean to ‘glorify’ God forever. It will undoubtedly mean a great many things, but one of them surely must be that we will continually thank him.

We will thank him for his graciousness and goodness to us, and for inviting us into conversation. Along this line, I would think that we anticipate our ‘chief and highest end’ every time we behold something beautiful and find that after we have exclaimed, ‘Ah, how wonderful!’ we are almost compelled to say ‘Thank you!’

Our destiny is to say these small words forever and so experience the gratitude that is the perfection of happiness.”

—Craig M. Gay, Dialogue, Catalogue & Monologue (Vancouver, BC: Regent College Publishing, 2008), 48-49.

How simple, true, and profound.

Seeing that giving thanks will be our forever practice and joy for all eternity, how do we practically do that, on a day to day basis here and now?

As Warren Wiersbe reminds us:

"Sow a thought, reap an action.
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny!"

That is often thought of in a pejorative sense, as in what you sow you shall reap — badly! (see Gal. 6 ). But it also conversely true, for sowing a thought of thankfulness, does lead to action, which done repeatedly and intentionally forms a habit. This habit no longer remains merely "habitual," but becomes second nature — becoming part of our very character — and thus the trajectory we will live on. This is no positive-thinking mantra (always aimed at self). Rather, this is turning from self over and over again to see the beauty and grace of God, and reflecting his joy towards others.

(Please chime in on this…)

A few thoughts on cultivating thankfulness as a lifestyle:

• Sit down and think . We will not be grateful automatically (this depravity thing holds us back from looking outside ourselves).
  • Is there anything "big" that you’re thankful for?
  • Anything relatively "small"?
  • How do those "small" things add up — a lot of grace and undeserved kindness, huh?
• Ask someone else, "What are you thankful for?"
  • Gratitude and joy are contagious (as are negativity and self-absorption).
• Tell God what you are thankful for.
  • Go ahead, He’s listening! ( Eph. 3:13 )
• Preach the Gospel to yourself every day.
  • Can you articulate the grace of God in Christ, who is the substitution for Your sins and the only way to God?
  • We never outgrow our need for the Gospel. It is for Christians too .
• Tell someone why you are thankful for them .
  • We are each blind to our own fruit and daily need encouragement.
  • A hand-written note is a small item that can sustain a burdened soul through trying times. Take the time to show them you care, because you do. (see here )
  • God often puts different people on your heart to pray for and encourage – directly.
  • Call, write, even text (don’t "superpoke") others for to display God’s worth, their being made in His image, and for their good.
  • They might choose to return the favor, but who cares if they don’t. Be a free-grace-giver.
• Why are you/me/we generally un-thankful? (if you are not bent towards joy and gratitude, as a lifestyle or at this particular moment)
  • Remember that all problems are Gospel problems. They all stem from a lack of proper orientation to the Gospel. Put positively, the gospel transforms our hearts, our thinking and our approach to absolutely everything.
• Repeat…

Any to add?

A friend of mine says one of his biggest day-to-day fears is that he will get bored. Perhaps some people are more apt to need constant motivation to pursue new things, to thinki, to serve, to be un-bored.

Christ is the cure to all boredom. Don’t get me wrong, solving our boredom issues is NOT the primary reason Jesus came. He came to satisfy the wrath of God and redeem a people who treasure God as the fountain of all joy. In Him is infinite pleasure, at His right hand forevermore ( Psalm 16:11 ). He satisfies. Therefore, there is no reason to ever be bored.

Dare I say that when we are bored we are tempted to sin, perhaps even sinning already? That is because sin is not just doing evil things; we also sin when we make good things into ultimate things. The sin of idolatry, the most prevalent of all, is to fashion a god after own preference, to worship a false god. When we are not satisfied with God, we produce and chase after thoughts and dreams that are a substitute. Sin is what we do when we are not satisfied with our Creator.

In Christ we have every reason to be happy, full of life, and on this grand adventure with Him. We do not, however, have any reason to be bored.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice (Phil. 4 )

—

Update: this post was already drafted and scheduled to publish, but then moved up in response to Jake’s discussion question: Is boredom a sin?

"The worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love."
- Henry Scougal

"Please hear this:  What you say to others can change the course of history.  Speak life!  Speak encouragement. And if we are in a position of authority, don’t be threatened by those underneath!  It is our responsibility as leaders, parents, teachers, mentors, to raise up the younger generation.  Our goal is that they would be better, smarter, and more influential than we are.  If our goal is simply to protect our status, to guard our carefully constructed identity, we will miss out on raising up the next generation of leaders who will change our world for Christ.  As a youngster, who has just received one of the most encouraging talks of my life, I can attest to the fact that being believed in is one of the most powerful things in the world.  I pray that we would look for ways to encourage, build up, and call out the valuable gifts we see in others.  You never know how God might use your words, and who He might raise up in the process.  And don’t forget to thank those along the way who have believed in you."

• Read the whole thing: "Being Believed In "

(6:30pm at our building ; let me know if you want to come join us!)

I designed the course to be helpful for any and all Bible readers (even for those who don’t yet read it!) It should be beneficial for those who have plunged the depths of its truth for years as well as those still looking for that dusty Book on their bookshelf. All will benefit, and as Kari and my pastor remind me, I will attempt to "put the cookies on the bottom shelf."

My hope is that the five dozen people attending think and feel with God. And that I talk less and less as the first, second and third weeks come. At the start I will be talking more, and then we will move to all of us doing Bible interpretation and application to our lives.

My prayer is that it will be God speaking, and not me.

Here’s the (albeit a bit aggressive) general table of contents we’ll be tracking with starting tonight. Not all will be covered (e.g., the appendices), and more to follow in the next couple of weeks.

• Enjoyment is Not Optional
• Enjoying God
• Enjoying the Bible
  • How Much is the Bible Worth?
  • What is the Bible About?
  • The Story—Understanding the Story Line of the Bible
    • OT: Promises Made
    • NT: Promises Kept
  • What Challenges do we face when Reading Our Bibles?
  • Bible Reading as a Lifestyle
  • I-O-U-S
• Hermeneutics 101
  • The Importance Of Hermeneutics
  • Context
  • The Time Challenge of Interpreting the Bible
  • Allowing the Author + Text to Speak
  • Meaning Flows from the Top Down
    • Levels for understanding
    • 6 Steps for Understanding the Bible
      • A Method Of Hermeneutics
        • 1. Identify the genre of the biblical passage
        • 2. Read the Bible book for the big picture
        • 3. Determine the structure (or outline) of the Bible book
        • 4. Make observations about the book or passage
        • 5. Meditate on the book or passage and upon your observations, and interpret the meaning of the passage
        • 6. Apply the passage to your own life (seeing how it relates to other people especially)
  • Bible Genres
• Appendix (definitions, notes on a Bible reading plan, and some short articles for further reading)

Lots of illustrations/diagrams in the notebooks, and plenty of room to take notes. We’ll be getting into some texts ourselves to see how to both understand (think) and enjoy (feel) God’s thoughts after Him.

We’ll also be diving into a few texts, one of them being James 1:2-4 .

Open Bibles, open minds and hearts. God, help us to read Your Word well and see the worth, work and ways of Jesus through every page.

"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." ( John 15:11 )

"There is not one blade of grass, there is no colour in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice."
- John Calvin

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice." ( Philippians 4:4 )

"Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” ( Luke 15:10 )

"Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places."
( Habakkuk 3:17-19 )

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." ( Matthew 13:44 )

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ ( Matthew 25:23 )

"So there was much joy in that city." ( Acts 8:8 )

"And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." ( Acts 13:52 )

"Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith." ( 2 Corinthians 1:24 )

"… for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part." ( 2 Corinthians 8:2 )

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. …
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." ( Galatians 5:16, 22-25 )

Five years ago today Kari Zyp and I exchanged vows, and then I got to kiss the love of my life for the very first time. What an amazing time it has been, my Sauce. We’ve had our adventures: moving 7 times, living in two states, both following the call to seminary as students, raising Dutch, continuing to serve our Lord Jesus Christ, and being able to know, love and enjoy Him oh so much more because of one another.

Sauce, I love you! I told you back then that I want to plunge the depths of who you are, and that passion has not and will not fade. You are cherished and loved!

Because 5 is not enough to convey how much my Sauce is worth (well, nor is 55!) …

1. She loves Jesus
2. She loves me
3. She was created to be a wonderful Mommy and is more than our boy Dutch (and baby #2 on the way) could ask for
4. She thinks
5. When someone asks if I can share my wisdom with them, I respond, "No, I’m not sharing my wife."
6. She is my best wisdom
7. She searches and swims in the deep things of God
8. She realizes that our pursuit of joy and God’s passion for His glory are not at odds — He is our Joy!
9. Her identity is not wrapped up in what she does
10. She is "in Christ" and walking in the Spirit in all of life
11. She loathes the separation of the Sacred and the Secular
12. She’s not afraid to say "No" to many good things
13. Her words drip with wisdom and grace
14. She waited for me, and gave me a second chance, even when I broke her heart 6.5 years ago
15. She does something once, right, and then moves on
16. She enjoys reading as the greatest form of entertainment
17. She doesn’t waste words
18. She is a woman of exceptional character
19. She is so consistent and faithful that I often say I feel rebuked yet encouraged trying to catch up
20. She has many young women "caught up in her wake"
21. She loves to solve issues quickly with grace-filled resolutions
22. She is God-centered in all her ways
23. She is a far better djembe player than she will admit
24. She is graceful and dancing, and patient with her clumsy husband
25. She perseveres always
26. She loves when I lead spiritually (yet is so strong in Christ that it seems like she doesn’t require my initiative)
27. She’s willing to think and feel with God in the fullness of her being, all the appropriate emotions (as found in the Psalms)
28. She’s quick to forgive
29. She’s coached me through a few somewhat humiliating yet totally humorous public situations
30. She likes it when I call her good nicknames and returns the favor (my Sauce!)
31. She is a devoted friend
32. She recycles
33. She’s is an ever-grateful daughter to her parents
34. She’s willing to do crazy thinks like live with them for over a year (this past year)
35. She puts up with me, and the quirks I’ve managed to pass down to the Dutcher
36. A better wife none could ever find
37. She makes each day of marriage better than the previous
38. She still has the joy and perspective of a newly marred bride, mingled with the wisdom of a mature woman beyond her years
39. People of all ages listen to her (and ought to)
40. She is a giver not a taker
41. She makes me want to eat vegetables
42. She is the greatest chef I’ve ever met (sorry Mom, you set the bar high!)
43. She can turn nothing into something absolutely delicious
44. She holds her finger below her nose in just a certain way while deep in thought
45. She loves to take walks together
46. She makes me happy
47. More than that, she makes me holy
48. She journeyed with me and lived in the windowless cave
49. She never stops working and serving
50. All of her hobbies are completely constructive and others-directed
51. She is not a consumer
52. She somehow manages every penny we have and stretches them every month
53. She’s always up to mischief
54. She lets me interrupt her
55. Being with her is like being all by myself, only better

(Had to cut off quite a few just to keep the list short.)

Happy anniversary my Saucy Sauce!

most people we come into contact with each day are having a worse day that we are

Let’s show others grace, for everyone is carrying burdens. Also keep in perspective that we all are having a better day than we deserve.

Let’s take the time to listen to other’s stories.

(Ideas formed today during our communication skills for ministry class)

“God did not create us to get the cosmic, infinite joy of mutual love and glorification, but to share it. We were to join in the dance. If we center our lives on him, serving him not out of self-interest, but for the sake of who he is, for the sake of his beauty and glory, we will enter the dance and share in the joy and love he lives in. We were designed, then, not just for belief in God in some general way, nor for a vague kind of inspiration or spirituality. We were made to center our lives upon him, to make the purpose and passion of our lives knowing, serving, delighting, and resembling him. This growth in happiness will go on eternally, increasing unimaginably (1 Corinthians 2:7-10 ).”
- Timothy Keller, The Reason For God (New York, NY: Dutton, 2008), 219.

"Christian contentment is that sweet, inward, quiet, gracious frame of spirit which freely submits to and delights in God’s wise and fatherly disposal of every condition."
- Jeremiah Burroughs , The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (listen to a discussion of the book here , highly recommended)

"…I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
- The Apostle Paul, Philippians 4:11-13

This hits home to the details of everyday life. Who doesn’t need to learn better how to be content?

Contentment is a heart issue. And it is a hard reality to cultivate. Our affections must be illuminated to see past our circumstances and surroundings to see the transcendent God who brings beauty, joy and contentment to any and all things.

Labor to be content in God. We are working through frustrations and disappointments to see Christ Himself as the sum of our joy and contentment in this life, as He is the source of life and the reason for our existence.

By its nature, saving faith loves God and delights in God as the sum of all that could ever satisfy the soul.
—John Piper, Future Grace , p. 252.

God glorifies Himself toward the creatures also in two ways: 1) By appearing to . . . their understanding. 2) In communicating Himself to their hearts, and in their rejoicing and delighting in and enjoying the manifestations which He makes of Himself . . . . God is glorified not only by His glory’s being seen, but by its being rejoiced in. When those that see it delight in it, God is more glorified than if they only see it. His glory is then received by the whole soul, both by the understanding and by the heart.

(Jonathan Edwards, The “Miscellanies,” ed. by Thomas Schafer, The Works of Jonathan Edwards , Vol. 13, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994), p, 495, Miscellany #448; see also #87, pp. 251-252; #332, p. 410; #679 (not in the New Haven Volume). Emphasis added.)

Quoted by John Piper in "How My Pastoral Ministry Shapes My Pulpit Ministry," under the heading “16 Foundational Convictions that Shape How I Preach,” point 10: This form of speech—preaching—is designed by God to correspond to his aim in creation and redemption to be glorified by his creatures, namely, his aim to be known and enjoyed. (Feb. 26, 2008 at the National Resurgence Conference.) [See notes | audio | video ]

“Transitioning One’s Soul to Finish the Day Well”

“Sin is what we do when you are not fully satisfied in God.”
—John Piper, Future Grace, p. 9.

“If we are not fulfilled and secure in God, we will inevitably seek other sources of happiness and security.”
—Ken Sande, The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, p. 112.

“It is radically humbling to confess that the source of all our joy resides outside ourselves.”
—John Piper, Future Grace, p. 88.

Last week we were planning on discussing heaven and eternal rewards. Yet in between one of our classmates passed away, Ron, who is now literally with Christ enjoying Him more than is humanly possible. He sat intently listening to the lesson on heaven and only five days later was transferred into God’s glorious presence. God healed his heart problems in an instant, the culmination of years of suffering. He was only 51 and leaves behind a loving wife, three kids and two grandchildren.

After learning of Ron’s passing on Sunday, Kari reminded me that night as we lay down to sleep, “I bet Ron is now thinking, ‘That Jeff had it all wrong. This place is way better than he described!’” We had to chuckle.

So, last week’s class was somber, as we knew of Ron’s passing and awaited his funeral on Friday. A mixed celebration was our class time, reflecting on Ron’s life, telling hilarious stories about him, and praying for the family and ourselves in the grieving process. Not coincidently our studies were still focused on heaven, but we only considered one page from our book: six truths about heaven to bring us joy.

Psalm 16:11: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

1. Holiness

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 24-25)

“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)

2. A glorified body

“For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” (2 Cor. 5:1)

“For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.” (2 Cor. 5:4) — the next verse: “He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”

3. Immortality

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev. 21:4)

“For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” (1 Cor. 15:53)

4. Satisfaction of all needs

“They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them,
nor any scorching heat.” (Rev. 7:16)

5. Sharing of Christ’s glory

“… and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:17)

6. Intimate fellowship with God and other believers

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” (1 Cor. 13:12)

Tonight we will finish our delayed study on these truths and expand on the reality of rewards for believers at the Bema seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10; 1 Cor. 3:10-15). God’s glory never fades nor bores.

Last week my students (all older than me by the way) needed a pastor more than a teacher. I was there to shepherd them and confessed up front that I didn’t know what our time would look like that night. But we need space and time to grieve. It was good, powerful, and in the moment I’m sure much more teaching went on that any of us realized. That experience will stick with each of us the rest of our lives.

Thinking and talking about heaven does indeed make us more earthly good.

“If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were those who thought most of the next …. It is because Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one.”
- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 113

Tonight we finish up this study on Heaven – beginning in about 10 minutes.

She’s posted the rough draft of her manuscript over on her blog. Her four points are the Premise, Picture, Path and Pursuit of unity as believers in the church. One of my favorite parts is centered around verse 3 on the Path:

Verse 3 provides us with a Path to unity.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” (Phil. 2:3)

The path to unity has a steep downgrade. The road goes down, and down and down and down.  At times it’s windy, at times narrow, but always always down. The amazing thing is that this downward path takes you to the mountaintop. The summit of the Christian life is experienced on the mountaintop of humility.

Amen. I needed that, especiallly these days as I learn more and more the blessings of being poor in spirit, desperate for Christ and needing God’s Word to guide our every steps.

Andrew Murray says humility is the sense of entire nothingness which comes when we see how truly God is all, and in which we make way for God to be all.  Humility is losing oneself in God. It is a total lack of concern for self, which sets us free.

In making the fourth point (Pursuit) we are reminded how this frees us from pride.

Tozer says, The burden of self-love is a heavy load indeed.

CS Lewis said, “The pleasure of pride is like the pleasure of scratching.  If there is an itch one does want to scratch; but it is much nicer to have neither the itch nor the scratch.  As long as we have the itch of self-regard we shall want the pleasure of self-approval; but the happiest moments are those when we forget our precious selves and have neither but have everything else (God, our fellow humans, animals, the garden and sky) instead.”

Humility, then is forgetting our precious selves.  When we do this, we are freed to gain true fellowship and unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

She goes on to remind us that “humility truly is the most freeing quality of life,” and the entire passage is centered around making the case as to why that is.

Kari’s final words drive the full thrust of the the passage home:

So you may be wondering, how can I cultivate this?  Understand the Premise—we are accepted and loved by God.  Gaze at the Picture—Love, Unity, Like-mindedness.  Follow the Path down to humility.  And lay down your burden of self for the Pursuit of one another.  Do you want the secret to this?  It’s found in the Little Way.  Therese of Lisieux devised a prayer-filled approach to life that is deceptively simple.  Seek out the menial job, welcome unjust criticisms, befriend those who annoy us, and help those who are ungrateful.  Lay down your burden of self and Live the Little Way.

That’s a sermon I’d like not only to preach, but to live.

“We do have many professing Christians in our day who are not joyful, but they spend time trying to work it up. Now, brethren, I say that when we give God His place in the church, when we recognize Christ as Lord high and lifted up, when we give the Holy Spirit His place, there will be joy that doesn’t have to be worked up. It will be a joy that springs like a fountain. Jesus said that it should be a fountain, an artesian well, that springs up from within. That’s one characteristic of a Spirit-filled congregation. They will be a joyful people, and it will be easy to distinguish them from the children of the world.

I wonder what the Apostle Paul would say if he came down right now and looked us over in our congregations. What if he walked up and down the aisles of our churches, then went to a theater and looked them over, then on to a hockey game, on to the crowds at the shopping center and into the crowded streets? Then when he came back and looked us over again, I wonder if he would see very much difference?

[A.W. Tozer, When He is Come, 15]

“A person who has a knowledge of doctrine and theology only–without religious affection–has never engaged in true religion.”
– Jonathan Edwards

- John Newton, to Miss Thorpe (HT)

“What’s the gospel? I’ll put it in a sentence.

The Gospel is the news that Jesus Christ, the Righteous One, died for our sins and rose again, eternally triumphant over all his enemies, so that there is now no condemnation for those who believe, but only everlasting joy.

That’s the gospel.

You never, never, never outgrow your need for it. Don’t ever think of the gospel as, “That’s the way you get saved, and then you get strong by leaving it and doing something else.”

No! We are strengthened by God through the gospel every day, till the day we drop.

You never outgrow the need to preach to yourself the gospel.”