A great poet faces tragedy

I was an English major in college. I've written poetry for over a decade. I've appreciated Christian music for longer than that.

Christian music is sometimes cheesy. Sometimes decade(s) behind 'modern' music. But I have been convinced for sometime that Christian music (good, well written Christian music), even in the background of our homes, can be an edifying force that should not be underestimated! (Think of it as the 'anti-TV' that can have such a subtly negative effect)

One Christian musician stands out to me as a 'poet with a guitar.' His music has, for decades, spoken to deep Christian truth and the experience of believers as they walk "the road that leads to heaven."

You may have guessed already, I'm talking about Steven Curtis Chapman. A poet with a guitar, who faced great tragedy last week. My personal blog tells the story and offers some preliminary thoughts. (That entry has also received featured status on Xanga and garnered attention from Turkey, Malaysia, and the Netherlands, among other places! So I'd be interested in any refinements or additions to my thoughts that you can offer).

How (if at all) has the death of the Chapman's youngest daughter affected the conversation in the circles you move in?

Spectrum @ COG: Every Member a Minister

Spectrum, our small group at Covenant of Grace, studied Ministries of Mercy by Tim Keller this past Fall and Winter (our study notes). This is one of the quintessential books for studying and understanding diaconal or mercy ministry within your local church and within the community around you. It is brimming over with deeply theological and practical reasons for taking care of your neighbor, no matter who they are or how worthy we deem their needs.

Keller centers his teaching around the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10: 25-37 continuously provoking the question, who is my neighbor? From there he encourages us to identify with the ministry of Jesus Christ, who was abundantly gracious, generous, humble and always Kingdom focused. However, there is also a call for balance between giving and keeping, properly stewarding what God has given us, between a ministry to Church and to the world, first taking care of those within our congregations then looking to the outside world, and balance between conditional and unconditional giving, having the proper judgement to know when to let mercy limit mercy. Finally, there must be a balance struck between the ministry of the word and the ministry of deed because the ultimate goal with any mercy ministry is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, so that full restoration can be made. There is a need to take care of the temporal or physical needs, but this must be coupled by caring for the everlasting and spiritual needs of the individual for there to be true mercy ministry. For what would be more merciless then to feed a man today, but then fail to invite him to the magnificent feast at the table of Jesus Christ?

Our study would not be complete without also looking at opportunities to get involved with ministries of mercy happening all around us. With organizations like Samaritans Purse, Helping Up Mission, Center for Student Missions, Hannah More House, Maryland Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity we have opportunities to get involved today and make a difference in the lives of others. And so do you, if you take a moment to stop, look and listen to the cries of your neighbors all around you and become an active minister of mercy.

Tale of Two Erics

This past weekend YARF had a volunteer day with the Arundel Habitat for Humanity where we were able to help a family in need by putting 2 coats of white paint on the walls of two and half floors of townhouse in Brooklyn and at least 1 coat of paint on ourselves. It was a rewarding experience for everyone involved knowing that we were being used by the Lord to meet the needs of those that were in genuine need of our mercy, love and care. While we didn't get to meet the family that would be living in the house, there were new relationships being forged amongst our group and deeper relationships being built amongst friends.

I met two new people in particular, neither of which were there because of YARF, but they were both named Eric. Eric the builder was there in a leadership role with Habitat. As a devout Christian and former home improvement specialist, he had decided that he would like to work for Habitat full time. He had a genuine heart for the people that were going to live in the house and gently directed us in our painting, so that it was done properly. At times this was quite annoying, but you knew the love of Christ was his guiding principle. He prayed for all the volunteers before we started to commit our time to the Lord, and he prayed for our group in particular before we left thanking God for using us to His glory.

Eric the painter was there volunteering with his son for the 5th or 6th time in the past year. He too had a heart for service and was working hard for the family in need right alongside each of us. He took great care to ensure that we weren't missing rooms or parts of the ceiling as the house pulsated with life from the other volunteers. There was one crucial thing that Eric the painter was missing though and that was eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. We spoke about his past and current church involvement, but ultimately he was more swayed by the "historical" record than what he perceived to be the biblical record. His doctrine of Scripture, fallible and man breathed, and his doctrine of Salvation, man centered, all pointed him towards a supposedly historical Jesus figure rather than the actual historical-redemptive Jesus Christ of scripture, time and space.

Eric the painter continued to work throughout the day with a smile on his face, but it was a different smile than the one that adorned the face of Eric the builder. Even as the two men said good bye to me, there was something different in their eyes that I could see. Assurance, faith, love and hope beamed from the builder while the painter looked to be searching for something more. Please pray for the continued ministry of the former, that he would be strengthened by the service of volunteers and that he would bring glory to the Kingdom of God. But most of all pray for the later, that he would be moved by the outpouring of faith around him, that the message of scripture would grip his heart in unimaginable ways and that ultimately he would put his faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.

Our God of the fullness of time: The sweetness of Galatians 4

It's after 1am. An empty coffee cup sits on the table in front of me. My tired eyes blink with the strain of staying awake.

This is my first post to the YARF blog. My first ever blog post was about the passing of great Australians. This post will address a joyous first, for a couple my wife and I know well.

I said my eyes were tired, they're also a little wet! I just received an email from good friends of ours with the first photos of them with their adopted Korean child. The new father is Korean American, the mother, Filipino American. They have had a remarkable journey in their own faith walk and God has brought them to this experience of parenthood in an amazing way.

Several weeks ago, when we had met their new son by photo only, I was reading Galatians and was struck by 4:3-7:
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

I am so awe-struck by that. Our God is a God of the fullness of time. It is so difficult in many of the darkest times in our lives to see that. When we ask God "why?" He answers with the gentleness of a father and the authority of a king, "the fullness of time has not yet come."

It is true in the cross. It is true in our daily walk. And I praise our God-of-the-fullness-of-time that it is true in the lives of our friends - new parents today.

Blood: Water Baltimore

Do you have the passion to dream? Have you ever had an idea to do something, but thought it was too big for you? It is amazing to see what people can do for the Kingdom of God when they have a passion to serve. When they stop fearing what might not happen and start trusting in what God will do through them. Blood: Water Baltimore is an organization that desires to be used by God as an agent of change, as an agent of mercy, and as an agent of compassion in a part of the world aching for healing through clean water to drink and clean blood to live. They have the passion to not only dream, but dream big.

And they are asking that you be a part of this dream. “You. You saving lives. You building wells. You establishing justice. You waging peace.” You being used by God in the army of compassion to bring about healing, hope and love to an entire continent. Is that idea too big for you? Yes it is, but it is not bigger than God and when you surrender everything to him you will see his Kingdom grow right before your very eyes. Because where Satan’s hold on death, dying and decay is defeated there the Kingdom of God lives and reigns in the hearts and minds of men and women, just like you.

You are invited to help make this dream a reality. Over the next few weeks you will have an opportunity to dream at a race, a meal and a concert. Go to http://www.bloodwaterbaltimore.com/ to find out more about these events, to be kept up-to-date or donate your time, money or efforts. But most of all pray that Jesus Christ will reign in your hearts, so that you might serve passionately and compassionately in a world crying out for hope.