Isaac, Moses, Samuel... Christ

Over the last few Sundays I have preached on several births in the Old Testament, each one of which came at a time of crisis and great need among God's people, and/or the world at large. Of all people, New York Times columnist Frank Rich makes an unwitting argument that we need, today, Christ--at a time when, like with these Old Testament births, all the heroes had fallen, and there seemed no hope except for an intervention by God himself.
Rich's column is titled "Tiger Woods, Person of the Year." If you read carefully, you will see the truth that even Rich does not see: the heroes have fallen, and we need a Savior, one who will not disappoint or fail to deliver on a promise. We had hoped it would be ________ (insert any number of names, from Bush to Obama to Sarah Palin in the world of politics, or Tiger Woods, or whoever), and they let us down by _________ (again, fill in the blank as you might). So it must be, until the kingdoms of the world become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ (Rev. 11). "Long lay the world in sin and error pining, 'till he appeared..." "Come, desire of nations, come, fix in us thy humble home." There's more to Christmas carols than we recognize sometimes.

Counterfeit Gods

I picked up a new book today--you see it in the picture. Here is an excerpt (p. xviii):

"A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would hardly feel worth living. An idol has such a controlling position in your heart that you can spend most of your passion and energy, your emotional and financial resources, on it without a second thought. It can be family and children, or career and making money, or achievement and critical acclaim, or saving "face" and social standing. It can be a romantic relationship, peer approval, competence and skill, secure and comfortable circumstances, your beauty or your brains, a great political or social cause, your morality and virtue, or even success in the Christian ministry.... An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, "If I have that, then I feel my life has meaning, then I'll know I have value, then I'll feel significant and secure." There are many ways to describe that kind of relationship to something, but perhaps the best one is worship. "

Stewardship and Giving

This Sunday in our series on the worship service I will be preaching on the offering--on giving, tithing. I've never preached specifically on that before. So I wanted to offer those who pay attention here a Bible study on stewardship--not one I wrote myself, but one from the web site of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. Click here to download it--it is a 20-day devotional on the theme of stewardship.
Another resource--I plan to mention this in my sermon--is a one-page summary of the Bible's teaching on giving. You can see that by clicking here.

GodsStory.com

Got someone who is somewhat jaded toward the Bible, and want to get them back on the right foot? There's a neat web site that has a winsome introduction to the Bible. Check it out: www.GodsStory.com.

Reconciliation and Forgiveness at Church

I have been doing a Sunday School class on the Church recently. Here is an article that speaks of bitterness and forgiveness at church, and how the gospel ought to drive us to forgive. Enjoy, and reflect on it.

The Old Testament is about Jesus

This Sunday I will begin a short sermons series on Christ in the Old Testament--this week the story of David and Goliath. And Ross pointed me to an article by Bruce Waltke on Christ and Elijah/Elisha. So for your reading pleasure, and so that you may marvel more fully at how all of the Bible hangs together, and hangs on Christ, here it is. Or, for a shorter summary, you can go here.

Faithful Feelings follow-up

Mary made an insightful comment about my post on Faith-ful Feelings. Take a look at it (scroll down to that post, then click on the comments line; Blogger doesn't permit copy-and-paste, so I can't reproduce it here).
Emotions are indeed affected by sin. We do not have the right emotions because we are sinful. We do not always experience the joy of being righteous in God's sight because of Christ--even though there is hardly anything that ought to produce more joy in us! We do not always weep with those who weep, because we are more concerned about our own circumstances (which may be good) than our sister's grief.
Yet, consider this: our thinking, our reason, is also affected by sin. We sing, "I once was blind but now I see." Once, apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, our minds were dead to the gospel. But once God opened our minds to see it, we marveled and embraced it in faith.
May God not in the same way regenerate, make new, our emotions? So that, as part of our sanctification, our emotions are made new, made more appropriate, more fitting to the gospel--just as our minds are? That is where holy affections come from--the same Spirit who opens our minds to grasp the gospel, may he transform our emotions to reflect the gospel.

Edward Kennedy

For folks of a more conservative or libertarian bent, Ted Kennedy often represented policies that they disliked. And often partisan warmongering leads to malice, Schadenfreude, joy at someone else's suffering (which, Col. 3:8, those in Christ must put away); so some may secretly or openly rejoice that he has passed on.
It has been good, therefore, upon Kennedy's death, to read several gracious reflections on his life. There is this obituary by John Broder in the New York Times that expresses both Kennedy's achievements and his failures; and there is this one by Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal, about a speech Ronald Reagan gave at Ted Kennedy's home in 1985. Read them, and discover that even Ted Kennedy was in many ways a gift of God's common grace to our generation. And while common grace is not everything, it does count for something.

An Ordinary Pastor

I just finished this very excellent book by D.A. Carson, about his father, a pastor in French-speaking Canada. If you know who D.A. Carson is, he is no ordinary theologian/Bible scholar, it is safe to say. But his father was ordinary: he ministered in Quebec at at time when it was very hard slogging. He did not seem to have a lot to show for his ministry when all was said and done. He was often discouraged, and berated himself for not doing enough. But Carson especially highlights his faithfulness in ministering in small places, under great financial pressure, and his constant giving of himself for others. In many ways, in fact, his story reminds me of my own father, who ministered in Germany for 25 years as an "ordinary pastor." If you are tired of reading about "successful" people whose lives make you doubt your own, grab this.
As I got toward the end of the book, and the end of Tom Carson's life, I was crying as I read. You never know what God is going to do through ordinary people.
By the way, there is also a review of this book by Ben Westerveld, current OPC missionary in Quebec, in a recent issue of the New Horizons. unfortunately that review is not available online.

Faith-ful Feelings

Are our emotions (feelings, or what Jonathan Edwards called "affections") subject to, or influenced by, our mind, our thoughts, our intellect? Or do emotions just come and go, without regard for what we are thinking?
To put it another way, can we change what we are feeling (emotions) by changing what we are thinking? Does, for example, meditating on the truth of Scripture produce the emotions of hope, joy, peace, love, etc.? Or are hope, joy, love, etc. in Scripture non-emotional words--do they describe something that goes beyond emotion?
Emotions can be difficult for us. When we think of emotional Christians, we are probably thinking of someone who is weak in mind, perhaps; or someone given to emotional extravagance. Someone you might see at a Benny Hinn or Kenneth Copeland event (if you don't know who Benny Hinn or Kenneth Copeland are, count yourself fortunate). Someone distinctly un-Presbyterian.
And yet, we are emotional beings. And as such we are made in the image of God; and God, throughout the Bible, is described with emotional language (wrath, delight, love, etc.) . Recently I have been drawn to several studies on emotion in the Scripture and in Christian experience. Perhaps it is because I, too, wrestle with emotions--and long for my emotions to be more Christ-like. To know joy more; to grow in the compassion that is repeatedly ascribed to Jesus Christ while he lived on the earth; to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.
I am still thinking all of this through, and continue my study--and testing what I learn by God's Word and my Christian experience. But so far I have concluded that as part of regeneration God transforms our emotions as much as our minds. That God's purpose for us is not to make us unemotional, but to give us "holy affections," as Edwards calls them. Holy love--including emotional love--for all the right things; a holy hatred for the things God hates; joy--emotional joy, happiness--for the immense benefits of God's grace in Jesus Christ; hope--emotional hope--for the future.
Now let me ask you--the handful :) of readers: What do you think? Do you wrestle with your emotions? Or are you too busy to think about them? Let me know.

Health Care Reform

A lot is made presently about reforms that some in Congress, and President Obama, want to make in the health care "system" in this country. I will not pretend to know what is best by any stretch. Political ideologies are flying about; people on the left and right are weighing in--loudly!--on all sides. As in every political debate, many feel that the sky is falling--whether we do something, or do nothing.
Here are some of my thoughts on the matter:
1. I try to remember, in all political debates, what Paul wrote in Philippians 3:20: Our citizenship is in heaven, and we await from there a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. That means I am a citizen of heaven whether I live under capitalism, socialism, communism, Nazism, or whatever other political ism there is. That's not to say I don't have a preference (see point 2), but this is most primary, most basic. God's people have thrived under the most unjust political systems over the past 2000 years (even, and especially, when those systems persecuted them). I am exceedingly grateful for the benefits of being a citizen of this country, but my citizenship in heaven is not dependent on them. That gives me, at least, some perspective on political debates.
2. As I have a chance, I follow God's advice through Jeremiah to the exiles in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:4ff): seek the welfare of the city where God has sent you into exile. That's why I try to follow the debate (as much as is possible), and form opinions about it. It's also why I try to get true information (see point 3). My own influence over the decisions that are made is minimal; I have no soap box, I have no standing to make grand assertions in the debate, etc. In the final analysis the best I can do is cast a vote for or against elected officials. If I raise my voice I might be able to convince a handful of other people to vote as I vote. That's a lot more than Paul could do in his day, but it is still not a whole lot. I could become a political activist, I suppose--but that would to my mind prevent me from fulfilling my calling as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ (some pastors would disagree, I know, but I think they are wrong). If I was called to be a political activist, I would leave the ministry. I don't think it would be a good trade.
3. Good information is crucial. I have gotten a number of forwarded emails warning of the dire consequences of this or that aspect of health care reform. They are well-meaning, but I always check them against good sources of information. My favorite, still, is factcheck.org, which has already debunked most if not all of the most scandalous accusations. I understand that the bills floating around Capitol Hill are numerous, and very complicated. I hope our elected officials are reading them carefully. It appears that the rumormongers are not, and are doing us a big disservice.
4. Given where we are culturally, and the direction we are going culturally, I will not be surprised if something I severely dislike--either for personal or moral reasons--is passed into law. I wish it weren't so, but it probably will be. The already complicated paperwork I receive from doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies will probably get only more so. My tax dollars may well be spent on medical procedures I detest, like abortion. Probably it already is, I just don't know about it. I hope the biggest form my protest takes is to continue to preach God's grace in Jesus Christ to undeserving sinners. Ironically, I think that is the most powerful form of "protest." I will never, I hope, cease to marvel that God's answer to this idolatrous, evil world was love, in the form of his Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16).

Not to Be Served but to Serve...

This is a post that, I'm afraid, will not make much sense if you haven't been there. But let me at least try.
We have had VBS this week, for the first time, I am told, in at least nine years. And it has been amazing to me to watch the goings-on. It began a few months ago when Melissa said, "We're going to have VBS." And began getting the word out about how we needed people to serve. Pete pointed the young people to a sign-up sheet, and they signed up. Other people signed up. It all came together. And what a joy it has been to see.
This being the first time in such a long time, and the bulk of the next generation at Covenant being passed the VBS age, on the first night there were a lot more orange "Truth Trek" T-shirts than all the colors of shirts worn by the children put together. But that changed quickly. On the first night, some enterprising souls determined to seek out more children in the surrounding neighborhood. They went looking for parents who would like their children to participate. Parents, you see, are required to give their permission, and to sign in their children, and sign them out--or designate someone to do so. Security is tighter than it was for me as a child in rural Lancaster County, reflecting the changed culture we live in. It seemed to me at first a burden to ask parents to do that, but now I am sold on it. It keeps parents involved. After all, we desire to minister to whole families, not just children. And the children came.
I have been co-teaching the oldest group, grades 4-5. By this time of the week, yes, I am tired. So is Priscilla, who has been teaching grades 1-3. Tired, somewhat frazzled, but also excited. It has been a joy to serve--and, more than that, to serve alongside so many at Covenant. The young people are doing a great job with the drama, the crafts, and in the recreation pit. The parents--many of whose children are past VBS age--leading crafts, recreation, and serving snacks. The children are having a great time, all of them--the Covenant kids, their friends, and the neighborhood kids. Even the ones that, shall we say, require special oversight.
And of course is not this what it is all about: to follow our Lord and Savior who came, not to be served, but to serve (Mark 11:45). I know for myself--and I expect you, the reader, know this for yourself as well--that I spend a great deal of energy making sure I am being served. Not only in a restaurant or in the store, but even in church, even in the context of worshipping God. We live, after all, in a service economy, as it is often called. How refreshing--and convicting--to see so many of my brothers and sisters serving this week.
Let me close with a challenge: We have been privileged to serve, and to get to know, a number of children for the first time. They have enjoyed the excitement. They are hearing the gospel. Some are responding to it. So what are we going to do next? We work hard to make sure our own children are continually exposed to the gospel. How can we serve to make sure they are as well?
You see, it is a weakness of VBS materials that they often focus on "closing the deal," on producing what are termed "decisions." But the Christian life is not a matter of a decision once made; it is a matter of a lifetime of decisions. One key part of following Jesus is persevering in faith and repentance. We need the gospel not once, but continually--each Lord's Day reminds us of that. Faith, love, hope, joy, reverence, etc. are holy affections that are developed over a lifetime, by digging consistently and ever deeper into the gospel, into Christ, into God's grace, and applying it to the sin that remains in our own hearts. We know that to be true for ourselves, and we know it to be true for our children. How much more true is it of children who do not grow up with regular gospel input! Our challenge, then, is to continue in our service. Will we take it up?

Prayer

Here's another prayer from Valley of Vision for today (language slightly updated):

Everlasting Creator-Father,
I have destroyed myself, my nature is defiled, the powers of my soul are degraded; I am vile, miserable, strengthless, but my hope is in you.
If ever I am saved it will be by goodness undeserved and astonishing, not by mercy alone but by abundant mercy, not by grace alone but by exceeding riches of grace.
And such you have revealed, promised, exemplified, in thoughts of peace, not of evil.
You have devised means to rescue me from sin's perdition, to restore me to happiness, honor, safety.
I bless you for an everlasting covenant, for the appointment of a Mediator.
I rejoice that he did not fail, nor was discouraged, but accomplished the work you gave him to do; and said on the cross, 'It is finished.'
I exult in the thought that your justice is satisfied, your truth established, your law magnified, and a foundation is laid for my hope.
I look to a present and personal interest in Christ and say, Surely he has borne my griefs, carried my sorrows, won my peace, healed my soul.
Justified by his blood I am saved by his life, glorying in his cross I bow to his scepter, having his life I possess his mind.
Lord, grant that my religion may not be occasional and partial, but universal, influential, effective, and may I always continue in your words as well as your works, so that I may reach my end in peace.

It's finally here!

It is of course possible to make too much of John Calvin. Perhaps I already have stepped over that line! But today is his 500th birthday, so one more quote from him, very apropos to what I am preaching on this Sunday (the elder brother in the parable of the prodigal son):
"We are ready to seize and grasp God's grace when we have utterly cast out confidence in ourselves and rely only on the assurance of his goodness--when, as Augustine says, 'forgetting our own merits, we embrace Christ's gifts.' For if he sought merits in us, we would not come to his gifts. Bernard is in agreement with this when he neatly compares to faithless servants the proud, who claim even the slightest thing for their own merits because they wrongfully retain the the credit for grace that passes through them, as if a wall should say it gave birth to a sunbeam it received through a window. Not to halt any longer with this, let us hold it as a brief but general and sure rule that prepared to share the fruit of God's mercy is he who has emptied himself, I do not say of righteousness, but of a vain and airy semblance of righteousness. For to the extent that a man rests satisfied with himself, he impedes the beneficence of God." (Institutes, 3:12:8).

John Calvin's 500th

Three days shy of Calvin's 500th birthday, here is an excellent excerpt of the Institutes I read today:
"That joining together of Head and members, that indwelling of Christ in our hearts--in short, that mystical union--are accorded by us the highest degree of importance, so that Christ, having been made ours, makes us sharers with him in the gifts with which he has been endowed. We do not, therefore, contemplate him outside ourselves from afar in order that his righteousness may be imputed to us but because we put on Christ and are engrafted into his body--in short, because he deigns to make us one with him. For this reason, we glory that we have fellowship of righteousness with him." (III:9:10)

Take up Your Cross

"But it behooves the godly mind to climb still higher, to the height to which Christ calls his disciples: that each must bear his own cross (Mt. 16:24). For whomever the Lord has adopted and deemed worthy of his fellowship ought to prepare themselves for a hard, toilsome, and unquiet life, crammed with very many and various kinds of evils. It is the Heavenly Father's will thus to exercise them so as to put his own children to a definite test. Beginning with Christ, his first-born, he follows this plan with all his children. For even though that Son was beloved above the rest, and in him the Father's mind was well pleased (Mt. 3:17, 17:5), yet we see that far from being treated indulgently or softly, to speak the truth, while he dwelt on earth he was not only tried by a perpetual cross but his whole life was nothing but a sort of perpetual cross. The apostle notes the reason: that it behooved him to "learn obedience through what he suffered" (Heb. 5:8).
"Why should we exempt ourselves, therefore, from the condition to which Christ our Head had to submit, especially since he submitted to it for our sake to show us an example of patience in himself?"
--John Calvin, Institutes, Book 3, Chapter 8, section 1

Michael Jackson

I don't know about you, but I am blown away by the worldwide tribute Michael Jackson has received since his death yesterday. He was surely given great common-grace gifts in music and dance. But his story, like that of most such gifted people, tended toward, and ended in, tragedy. What do you think?

What Is Preaching About?

As a pastor, what I do most is preach. T. David Gordon has written an excellent book on preaching that is afflicting to me (I resemble very much his remarks!), but that also has helped clarify a great deal. One of the most brilliant--and biting--sections of the book (one that did not afflict me as much as other parts did), and one that might afflict you, the reader of this, is his section on "Social Gospel/Culture Warrior" preaching. Here are some (rather lengthy) excepts:

"An alternative... to real Christian proclamation is what would have been called the 'Social Gospel' in the early 20th century, but what is more likely to be called the 'Culture Wars' today. [It is where] the Christian pulpit is devoted to commenting on what's wrong with our particular culture, and what ought to be done to improve it, either by individuals or (worse) the coercive powers of the state. Since... the function of religion for many people is analogous to the function it had for the Pharisee (who always thought himself righteous and despised others), there will always be a warm welcome for such preaching. Many people love to live in their imagined and self-made world of good guys and bad guys, to be reminded that there are good people and bad people and that they are among the good.

"What's wrong with our culture and every culture, and all human culture since Genesis 3, is that all of us (not some of us) in Adam have revolted against the reign of God, and that each of us (not some of us) prefers his own will to the will of God. Worse, we are utterly incapable, in and of ourselves, of changing. The government cannot change us or rescue us from our revolt; education cannot deliver us from our darkened understanding that considers our own way better than God's way; and surely coercive human governments cannot cure souls. Only the God-man, the last Adam, by his perfect obedience and sacrifice and present intercession at the right hand of God, can rescue us from our revolt. So the one inadmissible thing to a culture warrior (that culture change is out of our hands) is the basic subtext of everything the Bible teaches...."

"Culture Warriors are not content with the two legitimate ways in which humans may exert influence on the behavior of others: through reasoned discourse and the power of example. The power of example is much too costly and too slow, and besides, we don't wish to be around unbelievers much anyway. And reasoned discourse is beyond the capacity of most of us today; most could never explain convincingly why one behavior choice is wiser than another. Se we resort to coercion: using the coercive power of the government to enforce external compliance to the ways of God...."

"The culture warrior's religion and his patriotism are in conflict. His Christianity teaches him that God is not pleased with mere external confession of insincere religious faith; but his patriotism just cannot accept the fact that his culture is moving in directions of which he disapproves. He desires to be proud of his nation; and he therefore concludes (wrongly, in my estimation) that it is better to have a public display of commitment to Christianity that is the result of coercion than to have a decline in the public display of commitment to Christianity.

"Haven't we already had a historical experiment that is precisely what the culture warriors want? Wasn't ancient Israel a nation whose constitution demanded obedience to the revealed laws of God, and didn't its executive branch use coercion to attain such obedience? Did Israel not, effectively, have the Ten Commandments in its courthouse? Yet which prophet ever had anything good to say about the nation? Indeed, as Jesus and the apostles more bluntly put it, which of the prophets did they not kill? If theocracy didn't work in Israel, where God divinely instituted it, why do people insist on believing that it will work in places where God manifestly has not instituted it?"

If you have read this far, and been able to digest what Gordon says--what do you think? does that afflict you? It helps me, as a preacher, especially the emphasis that the solution to all our ills--including cultural ills--is in the last Adam, Jesus Christ, and not in the coercive power of the state. 'Him we proclaim," Paul says rightly.

Prayer

O Holy Spirit,
As the sun is full of light, and the ocean full of water, heaven full of glory, so may my heart be full of you.
Vain are all divine purposes of love and the redemption wrought by Jesus except you work within, regnerating by your power, giving me eyes to see Jesus, showing me the realities of the unseen world.
Give me yourself without measure, as an unimpaired fountain, as inexhaustible riches.
I bewail my coldness, poverty, emptiness, imperfect vision, languid service, prayerless prayers, praiseless praises.
Do not permit me to grieve or resist you.
Come as power, to expel every rebel lust, to reign supreme and keep me yours.
Come as teacher, leading me into all truth, filling me with all understanding.
Come as love, that I may adore the Father, and love him as my all.
Come as joy, to dwell in me, move in me, animate me.
Come as light, illuminating the Scripture, molding me in its laws.
Come as sanctifier, body, soul, and spirit wholly yours.
Come as helper, with strength to bless and keep, directing my every step.
Come as beautifier, bringing order out of confusion, loveliness out of chaos.
Magnify to me your glory by being magnified in me, and make me redolent of your fragrance.
(from Valley of Vision)

"The Devil Votes Christian Values"

There's a provocative sermon title for you! A sermon by a Southern Baptist to boot. Read about it, and find a link to it, here.

On Consumption...

There is an intriguing video making its rounds in schools and other places. It is worth a watch. Pro-business political conservatives will quickly denounce it (government appears in it as a toady to corporations, who appear as greedy fat cats), but it has a point if you can see through the sterotypes (for my part, I am not convinced that all government officials are toadies, nor that all corporations are greedy, irresponsible fat-cats--though in both cases, some surely are). Particularly the section on "Consumption" rings true as I observe people; and surely as followers of Jesus Christ we dare not define ourselves as consumers, but as stewards of God's good gifts. So take a look. Let me know what you think.

Got Joy?

Started another book this week. Mike Mason went on a 90-day experiment with joy--an attempt to feel joy for 90 days. This book is a collection of 90 2-page scriptural reflections on joy. So far I've read only a few, but am intrigued.
Actually, a pastor friend of mine who describes himself as a "brooding Russian novelist" (think Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky) recommended it. I confess to a startling lack of joy in my life for some time, and am eager to pursue it. I'll keep you posted.

Hymn for meditation

Here is a verse from an old hymn. Meditate on it when you feel overwhelmed by failure or criticism:

What though th' accuser roar
Of ills that I have done!
I know them well, and thousands more:
Jehovah findeth none.

Praise God that in Christ Psalm 103:11-12 are fulfilled:

For as high as the heavens are above the earth
so great is his steadfast love to those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgression from us.

Found in a Strange Place

Sometimes books and articles that critique faith in science, rationalism, etc. appear in unusual places. Here is a book review from Stanley Fish, on a book that debunks the present-day aggressive atheism of Hitchens and Dawkins. If you are even somehat following our cultural moment on this one, it is well worth reading--and you may be a little surpised. (Even Stanley Fish--who is not, to my knowledge, anywhere close to being a Christian--regards Hitchens and Dawkins as "school-yard atheists.")

A reflection on Christ (from Valley of Vision):

Herein is wonder of wonders;
he came below to raise me above,
was born like me that I might become like him.
Herein is love;
when I cannot rise to him he draws near on wings of grace,
to raise me to himself.
Herein is power;
when Deity and humanity were infinitely apart
he united them in indissoluble unity, the uncreated and the created.
Herein is wisdom;
when I was undone, with no will to return to him,
and no intellect to devise recovery,
he came, God-incarnate, to save me to the uttermost,
a man to die my death,
to shed satisfying blood on my behalf,
to work out a perfect righteousness for me.

Missionary Challenges

This is from a recent newsletter from the Tricaricos, missionaries in Uganda:
"Many of you already heard about the fire in Kopetatum.... It spread quickly and completely destroyed two mantayas (fenced clusters of residential huts)....
"The disaster has presented many opportunities for us and significant challenges to us. We love our neighbors. We want to show our love, but the best ways to do so are not always clear to us. Our suffering neighbors have asked us for money and food. They know we have the resources to make things much different for them in a very short period of time. But would that be the best way to love a people enslaved by the sins of idleness, drunkenness, and deceit? I must admit that Matthew 5:42 is a hard saying for me. Does Jesus mean that on every occasion, we disciples must :give to the one who asks of you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you?" I do not think he does. Surely, in some capacity, he does want us to say "yes" to those who ask. In the case of our mission here, we often deny requests that come. Or, to put it differently, we try to reshape the requests so that some long-term good might come from short-term relief.
"Some years ago our mission helped the people of Kopetatum start a stone-selling business. Many of the residents have spent time hammering and pounding the rocks in their village and forming mounds of them to display for sale. In fact, we have been pleased to buy their stones for our own construction needs. So,. we told our friends that we want to store up some rocks for future projects, and would like to buy from them right away. This, we thought, would provide a genuine flow of cash that could be used for food and materials for rebuilding.
"The response from most of the people was outrage. Our buying things that require them to work is not assistance, you see. They only acknowledge material gifts as bona fide expressions of love, and told us as much. Dave and I met with some of the men to talk about our plan, but we were not heard. they were not interested. We repeated our offer, even though there did not seem to be any takers. This has been hard. We pity our friends so much. They need Christ. they need to see themselves as divine image-bearers who are able, with the strength that God provides. to solve their problems in ways other than by begging for money. Do pray that they would see these things. Holy Spirit come!
"I am happy to report that a man came to us the next day, having worked hard cracking stones. His name is Loduk Albino, a member of the church, and crippled. He can't use his legs, but his arms are strong. In one day, he had pummeled and piled enough stones to bring in money to feed his family for more than a week. We bought them. On another day, some women arrived, proudly announcing their stones were ready. We are buying theirs too. We are prepared to buy from any who come, all the while offering them freely what cannot be bought--the gospel of our lord and peace with God through his blood (Isaiah 55:1-2)."

Virtual Friendship?

Can't resist posting this from Carl Trueman. Witty and pointed about the use of cyberspace:

Well, the virtual world is new but it is here to stay; and it will no doubt continue to shape human behavior and self-understanding. We cannot ignore it but neither should we simply allow it to dictate to us who we are and how we think. Thus, we must teach people by precept and example that real life is lived primarily in real time in real places by real bodies. Pale and pimply bloggers who spend most of their spare time onanistically opining about themselves and their issues and in befriending pals made up of pixels are not living life to the full; nor are those whose lives revolve around videogames; rather they are human amoebas, subsisting in a bizarre non-world which involves no risk to themselves, no giving of themselves to others, no true vulnerability, no commitment, no self-sacrifice, no real meaning or value. To borrow a phrase from Thoreau, the tragedy of such is that, when they come to die, they may well discover that they have never actually lived.For myself, I rejoice that I grew up before the web and the videogame supplanted the real world of real friendships, real discussions, real lives. I did not spend my youth growing obese and developing Vitamin D deficiency in front of an illuminated screen, living my life through the medium of pixels. However she does it, the church should show this generation of text and web addicts where real friendship and community lie, not with some bunch of self-created avatars on Facebook but with the person next to them in the pew on Sunday, with the person next door, with the person they can see, hear, touch and, of course, to whom they can talk, and who is created not in webworld but by the mighty Creator. And never, ever allow your church to go virtual so that people think that logging on to a service or downloading a sermon is really being part of the body of Christ. Of course, I write, as I indicated last month, as a self-proclaimed miserable middle-aged git. My instinct, therefore, is that things like Facebook, along with low-rider jeans, dances that involve the `splits,’ and sentences such as `It was like you know like totally awesome and stuff,’ are probably best left to the under-25s. Use these web doohickeys if you must; just don’t mistake them for real life, or the relationships that only exist there for real friendships.

The Numbers: Foreboding or Describing Opportunity?

Much is being written on the new survey of religion in America. Don't have time to comment much, but here are two articles worth reading: here and here.

The Limits of Human Knowledge

Two articles I came across today are fascinating for what they say about the limitations of scientific and philosophical inquiry to really capture how intricately our Creator made us, both as individuals and as social beings (imaging inter-trinitarian relationships in personal relationships).
It's baseball season again, and here is an article about computer simulations in baseball, and the reality of baseball. Significantly, the writer indicates that while statistics can predict to an extent what will happen, they cannot take into account the stress and emotions of a real game--and are thus extremely limited.
In another article David Brooks ("Philosophy's End") grapples with the interplay between reason and emotion (what Jonathan Edwards called "affections") in ethics and morality. Many philosophers since Greek philosophy have regarded morality as a matter of reason and rational decision-making, and emotions as unpredictable and uncontrollable (by reason, that is); contemporary philosophy finds it more complicated than that, and find that emotions (affections) play a much bigger part in moral decisions.
Scripture sheds light on what these philosophers miss. Moral virtues and vices grow out of affections and reason. Love for God and neighbor are foundational--and include both reason (what glorifies God? What does good for my neighbor?) and affection (passionate affection for God's glory, and hatred for what undercuts it; passion for what is just, and therefore good for my neighbor, and hatred for what is unjust). To be sure, we struggle to attain both the knowledge and the affections that we need and ought to have and experience; these the Spirit works in us. We long to be made more holy. But no doubt we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Known--and still loved!

For Good Friday this year my thoughts are turning to Psalm 31 ("Into your hands I commit my spirit," Ps. 31:5/Luke 23:46). Especially powerful is v. 7: "I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love/because you have seen my affliction;/you have known the distress of my soul."
Charles Spurgeon remarks: "God owns his saints when others are ashamed to acknowledge them; he never refuses to know his friends. He thinks not the worse of them for their rags and tatters. He does not misjudge them and cast them off when their faces are lean with sickness, or their hearts heavy with despondency. Moreover, the Lord Jesus knows us in our pangs in a peculiar sense, by having a deep sympathy toward us in them all; when no others can enter into our griefs, from [lack] of understanding them [experientially], Jesus dives into the lowest depths with us, comprehending the direst of woes, because he has felt the same."

A Prayer

Here is a prayer I came across this morning (from Valley of Vision) that captures much of what we have seen in Luke 12:

LORD OF ALL BEING,
There is one thing that deserves my greatest care,
That calls forth my ardent desires,
That is, that I may answer the great end for which I am made--
to glorify you who have given me being,
and to do all the good I can for my fellow men;
Verily life is not worth having
if it be not improved for this noble purpose.
Yet, Lord, how little is this the thought of mankind!
Most men seem to live for themselves,
without much or any regard for your glory,
or for the good of others;
They earnestly desire and eagerly pursue
the riches, honours, pleasures of this life,
as if they supposed that wealth, greatness, merriment,
could make their immortal souls happy;
But, alas, what false delusive dreams are these!
And how miserable ere long will those be that sleep in them,
for all our happiness consists in loving thee,
and being holy as you are holy.

How not to counsel

If you haven't seen this, take a few moments to. You can probably relate to the counselor--and maybe even to the counselee!

Hope

For the Christian, hope is an emotion that arises from a passionate concern for God's glory, combined with confidence in the Scripture's assertion that one day Christ will return, will set things right, and usher in the new heavens and the new earth, where his glory fills all in all. When we have that hope the things of this world (career, family, leisure, etc.) find their proper place in our lives. They are not made the objects of ultimate hope (they cannot bear that load), nor are we resigned to mediocrity in these things. Robert Roberts has a great passage on hope in his book (see previous post):
"We send our eternal selves out prospecting on earth, where moth and rust and time consume and bad fortune breaks in and steals our hopes away. And as long as reality does not crash in to destroy the house of cards in which we dwell, we find here just enough satisfaction for our need to keep us from feeling despair--and also from enjoying faith.
"Or we make a compromise like the following: "I shall give myself without reservation to the projects and prospects of this earthly life, but just in case something goes wrong, I'll make my peace with Jesus. Religion is, after all, supposed to be a comfort in times of trouble, and let's be realistic: troubles don't always happen to the other guy. I may croak before my projects are complete, and it may be a pity if I have nothing to fall back on." As a passion for the kingdom of God, this attitude leaves something to be desired. For the mature Christian the kingdom hoped for is the focusing goal of life, to which everything else is subsidiary."

Technology Talking

A few years ago I read Neil Postman's book Amusing Ourselves to Death. It is a powerful book that has led some people to throw out their TV's (so reader beware!). I also follow David Pogue's technology videos at the New York Times' web site. This week's is especially interesting--as I consider how much we are inundated with all manner of communications technology--and how it ironically keeps us from having real, face-to-face friendships. Pogue does not, of course, make that connection--at least not explicitly. He does, however, indirectly. See for yourself here.

Spiritual Emotions

Speaking of anxiety as an emotion (and wanting to make up for lost time on posting stuff to my blog!), here is an excellent book I'm reading: Spiritual Emotions, by Robert C. Roberts. For those of you at my church who suffered through Emotionally Healthy Spirituality (EHS) last fall, hoping something better would come along, this book is part of the answer. And those of you who loved EHS should appreciate this as well. The author takes on some difficult questions: How can God command us to have or not to have certain emotions (love, joy, peace; or not to be anxious!)? What does the Christian life look like from the standpoint of emotions? What emotions come into play in confession of sin, contrition? Is contrition emotional, or is it enough if it is mental? I have not yet finished the book, but have been greatly affected by it.
Of course in our circles (OPC-types) emotions are underrated, and considered untrustworthy, even dangerous. For my part I am very keen to change that. Scripture, after all, commands certain emotions, and Jesus knew a great deal of emotion (see this article by none other than B.B. Warfield).
Unfortunately this book is not available at the Westminster Bookstore (http://www.wtsbooks.com/), but can be purchased through amazon--or you can borrow my copy in a few weeks, if you don't mind waiting until I'm finished.

Do not be anxious about anything...

... but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." (Php 4:6). Ever since, a few weeks ago, I preached on anxiety (from Luke 12:22-34) I have asked several people what makes them anxious. just about everyone has an answer to that! In our small group last night we talked about it again--what are you anxious about? Had a good conversation about it, and prayed together about it.
We perhaps do not like to think that anxiety is a sin--but it is. It is an emotion, and a sinful one at that. Anxiety arises where God is not believed as the One who is both sovereign and good, so that whatever falls out does so according to his all-wise purpose--and that "underneath are the everlasting arms."
It might seem harsh to call anxiety a sin. However, if it is a sin, it has a gospel remedy. Anxiety may be aggravated by physiology--another way the fall has affected us!--and as such there is sometimes a medical way to alleviate the intensity of the emotional experience of anxiety. But anxiety is also a heart-condition (in the biblical sense of the heart as the core of human personality and will). It is one that I am very well "trained" in--inasmuch as I feel anxious about many things.
Because anxiety is a sin, as I said, it has a gospel remedy. My anxiety (as a sin) was borne on the cross by my Savior. There is the grace of repentance for anxiety--a Spirit-driven learning to hate being anxious, to turn from it, and to endeavor no longer to submit and be bound by it. The fruit of repenting of anxiety must include prayer for what we are anxious for--prayer which includes mentally and emotionally surrendering what we are anxious about to God the Father Almighty for disposal as he deems right in his infinite wisdom.

Read something different...

It's been a while since I've written anything--life overtakes blogging sometimes! But I wanted to pass along a good piece of commentary found here. (Registration required; in the spirit of the article, if you aren't registered with the New York Times, you should be. Read the article to find out why!). Also in the spirit of the article, Nicholas Kristof (the writer) is the author of some excellent stuff on China (he was NY Times corrsepondent in China in the 90's and his wife is Chinese), and he has been a strong advocate for Christians and other persecuted in the Sudan. So--in the spirit of the article--he's a liberal you might do well to read. Not that you'll always agree with him.

Spring Training Covetousness

I've been studying the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21), and along comes an excellent article by Doug Glanville (former Phillie) about coventousness in baseball. Thought you might like to read it. Here it is.

Pastors' Summit reflections

Priscilla and I just returned from a weekend with 10 pastors and their wives whom we have gotten to know very, very well over the last 2-3 years. Over the years one theme of our conversations has been the challenge of being true to gospel truth as Christ's church without becoming insular (and thereby sinfully forgetting our mission to the world). That the gospel comes as, from our standpoint, grace, is key. As you pray for Covenant, please pray that this would mark us. That we would not be like the "righteous lost" Pharisees who could not abide Jesus' spending time with the "lost lost" tax collectors and other "sinners" (this has been the theme in Luke that we have been following). That we would take our mission seriously to "incarnate" gospel grace in the places we find ourselves at work, in our neighborhoods, in the community at large. And pray for grace for me to lead our church, by the Spirit through the Word of God, into that more fully.

Kate Kelly's blog

While I was thinking about Garrett and Kristen, I was reminded that Kate Kelly also has a blog. Kate is in Dublin, Ireland. Like Garrett and Kristen, we at Covenant have a lot invested in her, and want to follow that up by praying for her. Now Kate has not updated her blog in a while, so you might find her on Facebook and remind her.... Or you might try her other blog.
Did you know that if you sign in you can receive updates from all these blogs? If you don't know how, ask someone who does--they are all around church (mostly under 30, but also some old-timers like myself).

Garrett and Kristen's blog

In case you hadn't seen it, just a reminder--Garrett and Kristen have a blog where they report on their lives in the Ukraine. At Covenant we have invested a lot in them--financially but also in many other ways. Let us also invest in prayer for them. Take a moment to look at it and pray for them.

I believe in God the Father... Maker of heaven and earth

We say that in the Apostle's Creed. What do we mean by that? Especially as those who know God not only as the sovereign Creator, but also as their Redeemer? Here is another section from John Calvin that helps us understand that:
"To conclude once for all, whenever we call God the Creator of heaven and earth, let us at the same time bear in mind that the dispensation of all those things which he has made is in his own hand and power and that we are indeed his children, whom he has received into his faithful protection to nourish and educate. We are therefore to await the fullness of all good things from him alone and to trust completely that he will never leave us destitute of what we need for salvation, and to hang our hopes on none but him! We are therefore, also, to petition him for whatever we desire; and we are to recognize as a blessing from him, and thankfully to acknowledge, every benefit that falls to our share. So, invited by the great sweetness of his beneficence and goodness, let us study to love and serve him with all our heart." (Institutes, Book I, Chapter 14, Section 22)

Is Christianity Good for the World?

As I write this I am listening to the debate between Christopher Hitchens and Doug Wilson, which was held at Westminster Seminary some time ago. The topic is, "Is Christianity Good for the World?" If you have an hour to spend (you can skip the first ten minutes of introduction, if you prefer), you can watch it here.

"Our Town" and the Heavenly Country

The other day on the way to the office I heard Iris Dement's song "Our Town" on the radio (You can see/hear it here). It is a song about a dying town, about a way of life disappearing. With Dement's blue grass voice, the violin, and the dulcimer, it evoked in me a strong nostalgia for a better day (Wendell Berry's novels do the same thing for me).
It occured to me, though, that what masks itself as a longing for child-like simplicity and a supposedly more innocent, less complicated life is a longing not for some distant past golden age. If you read history, you find that past golden ages were not so golden for the people who actually lived in them. They are only golden as subsequent generations romanticize about them, with a mix of forgetfulness of hard things. No, what we long for is not a past, but a future. It is the "better country," the "city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God." (Hebrews 11:16, 10)

Do you know what a TCK is?

You might want to... interesting article my sister pointed out to me here.
By the way, I am also a TCK (Germany). I guess I have this one thing in common with our new president!

John Calvin, Humorist

I'm continuing to read John Calvin's Institutes. Here's a rather pointed but humorous section, as part of his chapter opposing the use of images/icons in worship and in church buildings--you know, the statues that are barely clothed. He writes:
"The pictures or statues that they dedicate to saints--what are they but examples of the most abandoned lust and obscenity? If anyone wished to model himself after them, he would be fit for the lash. Indeed, brothels show harlots clad more virtuously and modestly than the churches show those objects which they wish to be thought images of virgins. For martyrs they fashion a habit not a whit more decent. Therefore let them compose their idols at least to a moderate decency, that they may with a little more modesty falsely claim that these are books of some holiness!" (Institutes, I:10:7)

Institutions vs. Individualism

David Brooks has an excellent article that goes against the grain of what our generation thinks, and is well worth the read. You can find it here. (If it doesn't work, you have to register. Go ahead. It won't kill you to do so. Even if you don't like the NY Times very much.)
As you read it, think of the institutions of your vocation; but you can also think of the church, and how it functions as an institution (we might prefer the word "body"), in contrast with the "tyranny of the individual" by which people find it difficult to attach themselves--and be committed to, and serve--their local church. And yet, it is easy to see that without the church, Christianity fails. Christ promised to build his church (Matt. 16) on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:20) to be a body made up of parts (Eph. 4:11-16), not a collection of lone rangers.

New President, Foundation: Two Kingdoms

I've been trying to think about what to write about our new president. Lots of things come to mind, all rather random and disconnected order. There is no Shorter Cathechism for new presidents that puts it all very succinctly. But thank you for those who offered their thoughts.
Maybe the first thing to say is that Scripture, especially Jesus and the New Testament, focuses on the Kingdom of God, which, as Jesus said to Pilate, is not of this world (John 18:36). Let me go out on a limb and say that evangelicals on both the left (Jim Wallis) and the right (Pat Robertson, James Dobson) pay lip service to this, but then go ahead and forget about it as they seek to impose redemptive, kingdom ethics on secular government. Whether it is urging a form of socialism in the name of serving the poor (on the left), or urging laws against, e.g., sodomy (on the right), in both cases they are imposing on secular, non-redemptive government what comes from being redeemed--from having the "law written on the heart" (Jer. 31:33).
Now I do not claim to have it right, either. Not by a long shot! But my hope is that in writing about our new president, I will be able to keep the distinction between the redemptive Kingdom of God, and the non-redemptive, common-grace kingdom of man, intact. I know that creates questions of its own. But for my part, I am convinced that distinction, however difficult, has to be maintained.
Historical sidenote: St. Augustine (4th-5th centuries) wrote the classic on the distinction between the "city of God" and the "city of man", called The City of God. He wrote that after the "Christian" empire of Rome was overrun by barbarians, which forced him to rethink biblically the roles of church and empire. Luther also emphasized this distinction. John Calvin blurred the distinction, as did the Puritans, who sought in the New World to create a government that was also a church (to simplify a bit). Recently the late Dr. James Boice of Tenth Presbyterian urged the distinction in his book Foundations of God's City. D.A. Carson also stresses that in his recent book Christ and Culture Revisited, though that is not an easy thing to plow through.
Stay tuned for more.

Inauguration Day

It's inauguration day today. As one person said to me, no matter what you think of our new president's party or politics, this is a transformative moment. What are your thoughts? I'll weigh in with mine as the week goes by. Like your thoughts, some will like them, some won't. That's OK. We're trying to follow Jesus, and his kingdom is not of this world--it's where it intersects with the kingdoms of this world that it, after all, gets interesting.

Why do we believe the Bible?

Here is another gem from John Calvin on Scripture:
"... credibility of doctrine is not established until we are persuaded beyond doubt that God is its Author. Thus, the highest proof of Scripture derives in general from the fact that God in person speaks in it. The prophets and apostles do not boast either of their keenness or of anything that obtains credit for them as they speak; nor do they dwell upon rational proofs. Rather, they bring forward God's holy name, that by it the whole world may be brought into obedience to him."
Genesis begins: "In the beginning God..." It does not begin with a proof for God, but with the conviction that God is. And by continuing in that vein, God's Word brings us to obedience to him.

An Athiest in Praise of Missionaries

Ben Hopp's blog pointed me to this article. If you haven't seen it, it is quite fascinating. An athiest argues that missionaries have done more to transform Africa than anyone else (secular charities, NGO's, governments, etc.).

Psychics, Astrologers, and Money-Worship

Heard an interesting bit of research on Paul Harvey the other day. It seems there are some kinds of business that are booming--astrologers and psychics, now numbers 1 and 2 on the list of growing professions. And the question being asked of them most frequently is, "Where is the economy headed?" Paul Harvey remarks that people are turning to astrologers and psychics "since we stopped believing in money." Hmmm....

Closing

After many months of searching--that had stretched into years--that included a number of dead-end leads, there was a tip early last spring. Six acres of land in a residential area that had been set aside for a church, but the church wasn't able to follow through with their intentions. It had been on the market for two years, and for whatever reason there were no suitors. The price was rumored to be, frankly, extremely reasonable. Could it be true?
Tim, our realtor, and I met with the owner at the site on a windy Saturday morning. It was true--the land was for sale, and at a good price. The building team and trustees moved expeditiously to put an offer together. The offer was quickly accepted.
Nine months, five zoning hearing meetings, and countless phone calls and emails later, the land is ours. It took the efforts of a host of people, especially on the building team, and a lot of gifts and experience that God brought together in his good providence.
But here we are.
The land is ours.
Soli Deo Gloria!

More Gems from Calvin

"For until men recognize that they owe everything to God, that they are nourished by his fatherly care, that he is the Author of their every good, that they should seek nothing beyond him--they will never yield him willing service. Nay, unless they establish their complete happiness in him, they will never give themselves truly and sincerely to him." (Institutes, II:2.1)

"Here indeed is pure and real religion: faith so joined with an earnest fear of God that this fear also embraces willing reverence, and carries with it such legitimate worship as is prescribed in the law. And we ought to note this fact even more diligently: all men have a vague general veneration for God, but very few really reverence him; and wherever there is great ostentation in ceremonies, sincerity of heart is rare indeed." (Institutes, II:2.2)

A note on references to the Institutes: The Institutes are divided into 4 "books," each of which is in turn divided into "chapters," and each chapter is divided into "sections" (sections are around a page in length). Thus, "II:3.4" (or sometimes 2.3.4) denotes Book 2, chapter 3, section 4.

Knowledge of Self Leads to God

"From the feeling of our own ignorance, vanity, poverty, infirmity, and--what is more--depravity and corruption, we recognize that the true light of wisdom, sound virtue, full abundance of every good, and purity of righteousness rest in the Lord alone. To this extent we are prompted by our own ills to contemplate the good things of God; and we cannot seriously aspire to him before we begin to become displeased with ourselves. For what man in all the world would not gladly remain as he is--what man does not remain as he is--so long as he does not know himself, that is, while content with his own gifts, and either ignorant or unmindful of his own misery? Accordingly, the knowledge of ourselves not only arouses us to seek God, but also, as it were, leads us by the hand to find him."
--John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, I:1.1

Newton/Cowper Hymn

Here is the hymn I referenced yesterday, by John Newton ("Amazing Grace") and William Cowper ("God Moves in a Mysterious Way"):

I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith and love and every grace
Might more of his salvation know,
And seek more earnestly his face

‘Twas he who taught me thus to pray
And he, I trust, has answered prayer;
But it has been in such a way
As almost drove me to despair

I hoped that in some favored hour
At once he’d answer my request;
And by his love’s constraining power
Subdue my sins and give me rest

Instead of this he made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart
And let the angry powers of hell
Assault my soul in every part

Yea more, with his own hand he seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed all the fair designs I’d schemed,
Blasted my gourds and laid me low.

“Lord, why is this,” I trembling cried;
“Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death?”
“’Tis in this way,” the Lord replied,
“I answer prayer for grace and faith.”

“These inward trials I employ
From self and pride to set thee free
And break thy schemes of earthly joy
That thou mayest seek thy all in me.

One-year Institutes

John Calvin was born July 10, 1509--which makes his birth 500 years ago. You could do worse this year than reading his most important work--the Institutes of the Christian Religion--in a year. If you would like to do so, and have a copy but need a schedule, here it is (PDF). If you don't have your own copy, and would like to do so on the Internet, you may do so here. What makes this especially remarkable is that it is done by Princeton Seminary. So even if you can't read it all this year, pray for those at Princeton Seminary who do. Maybe God will use John Calvin's writings to lead people who are skeptical about the Bible to John Calvin's Savior.

Humility

This New year's Day my family (humbly) gave me a great gift--a few uninterrupted hours to read this book on humility. And by the way, it was excellent. Here is the author's synopsis of the book:

Always

- Reflect on the wonder of the cross of Christ (MOST CRUCIAL!)

As each day begins

- Acknowledge your dependence on and need of God

- Practise prayer, study of God's Word, worship, at the outset of each day

- Seize your commute time to memorize and meditate on the Scriptures

- Cast your cares on him (see 1 Peter 5:6-7)

As each day ends

- Transfer the glory to God for whatever happened that day

- Receive the gift of sleep from God and acknowledge his purpose for sleep

For special focus

- Study the attributes of God

- Study the doctrines of grace

- Study the doctrine of sin

- Play golf as much as possible (if you play golf, you know why it is good for humility!)

- Laugh often, and often laugh at yourself

Throughout your days and weeks

- Identify evidences of grace in others

- Encourage and serve others every day

- Invite and pursue correction from others

- Respond humbly to trials.