Play Before the Work is Done

Here's a great exhortation to Carpe Diem. No one dies wishing they spent one more day a the office. Let's put the important things, the beautiful things, first. You Will Die With Unfinished Work by Justin Buzzard

You will die with unfinished work. The day you die you’ll still have a pile of unfinished work, a yet-to-be-completed to-do list.

I’m learning to stop making the big mistake of waiting until all my work is done to have fun, adventure, or connect with a friend. If you chase “get it all done first” as your permission for doing the things you really want to do, you’re chasing an illusion. There is always more work to do. 

So, you must make a change. Don’t postpone joy, fun, adventure, rest, that relationship. Pursue these beautiful things right now, in the midst of your unfinished work and your unfinished life.

Doorways

I once scorned ev’ry fearful thought of death,
When it was but the end of pulse and breath,
But now my eyes have seen that past the pain
There is a world that’s waiting to be claimed.

Earthmaker, Holy, let me now depart,
For living’s such a temporary art.

And dying is but getting dressed for God,
Our graves are merely doorways cut in sod.

– Calvin Miller, The Divine Symphony (Minneapolis: Bethany, 2000), 139.

HT: Trevin Wax

Doorways Cut In Sod

I once scorned ev’ry fearful thought of death,

When it was but the end of pulse and breath,
But now my eyes have seen that past the pain
There is a world that’s waiting to be claimed.

Earthmaker, Holy, let me now depart,
For living’s such a temporary art.

And dying is but getting dressed for God,
Our graves are merely doorways cut in sod.

– Calvin Miller, The Divine Symphony (Minneapolis: Bethany, 2000), 139.

HT: Trevin Wax

An Example of Dying Well

Please read "How to Recover the Lost Art of Dying Well: What Kara Tippetts Taught Us." by Ann Voskamp

Yesterday Kara Tippetts died after a courageous battle with breast cancer. Kara was a mother, a pastor's wife, an author and a blogger. But most importantly, she was a Christian who had learned to live well....and how to die well.

I first became aware of her when she wrote a public open letter to Brittany Maynard, who had very publicly stated her intention to chose assisted suicide due to her brain tumor, rather than go through, and put her loved ones through, a painful lingering death. Kara shared with Brittany (and with us) her own cancer journey, and encouraged the young woman to not take her own life.  Brittany died as she choose last fall. Kara lived on until this week. 

Kara wrote to Brittany: “Suffering is not the absence of goodness, it is not the absence of beauty, but perhaps it can be the place where true beauty can be known. In your choosing your own death, you are robbing those that love you with the such tenderness, the opportunity of meeting you in your last moments and extending you love in your last breaths.” Kara died the way she had encouraged Brittany to - by holding onto life as a gift from God, not to be given up in self will, while also seeing death as not final, as a part of all human existence, and not to be feared. Kara died well.

Kara's friend Ann Voskamp wrote a beautiful and heart rending piece on Kara's testimony and example. I'm not going to quote it. For some reason I feel unworthy to quote it. I can only post the link and encourage you to please read it, and let it change you.

Again, please read "How to Recover the Lost Art of Dying Well: What Kara Tippetts Taught Us." by Ann Voskamp

Nothing But A Gardener

HT: Challies.com

Dust to Dust, But That's Okay

This piece by Jared Wilson is so good, it's worth a complete quote: The title sounds like a downer, but the message is important. It's called You’re Going to Die (and So Might Your Dreams) 

. . . for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.– Genesis 3:19

One of the problems I have with all the “chase your dreams!” cheerleading from Christian leaders is not because I begrudge anyone wanting to achieve their dreams, but because I don’t think we readily see how easy it is to conflate our dream-chasing with God’s will in Christ.

You know, it’s possible that God’s plan for us is littleness. His plan for us may be personal failure. It’s possible that when another door closes, it’s not because he plans to open a window but because he plans to have the building fall down on you. The question we must ask ourselves is this: Will Christ be enough?

Are we pursuing our own greatness or the expansion of worship of Jesus Christ? They aren’t necessarily incompatible, but God is more interested in the latter than the former. And ultimately, if we prioritize Christ’s glory, we won’t really care in the long run how noticed, renowned, recognized, or “successful” we are personally. We’ll realize that our lives aren’t really about us anyway.

Sometimes we have to let our dreams die.

And that’s okay. We will be okay.

Look, “for those who love God, all things work together for the good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). So God’s plan might be for your littleness, and that’s okay, because his plan is not for his own littleness! His plan for your efforts, big and small, is that they will maximize the glory due his Son. That he might draw all men to himself. That he might fill the earth with the knowledge of his glory – as Habakkuk 2:14says – as much as the waters cover the seas.

One day, you are going to die. Perhaps today. What will they say about you? What legacy are you truly leaving? When the funeral is over and all the accolades about you are used up, your body will become dust.

In Al Mohler’s book The Conviction to Lead he writes of.

. . an old preacher [who] told a group of younger preachers to remember that they would die. “They are going to put you in a box,” he said, “and put the box in the ground, and throw dirt on your face, and then go back to the church and eat potato salad.”

Here’s the point: As great as you can make yourself, as many wonderful things as you can accomplish in your lifetime — even religious things — it will all be a blip on the radar of eternity. You will become dust. The worms will eat you. Statistically speaking, since most of us will never accomplish such great things that history will laud throughout the ages, memory of us will start fading with our grandchildren. Our great grandchildren will (likely) not have any clue who we are.

But!

If you are bringing glory to Christ, not a thing about you is wasted, because the mission of the Spirit of God is to maximize the glory of Christ over all the universe. So that even at the end of days, as Revelation shows us, all the glorious kings of the nations in all their renown and splendor, file in one by one into the holy city to throw their crowns at the feet of Jesus. Revelation 21 reveals that the light of the new heavens and new earth comes not from the “sun” but from the “Son,” and the kings of the nations will bring their glory into it.

There is the vision of greatness the redeemed of the Lord ought to aspire to. That he would increase and we would decrease. That our decrease would serve his increase!

And those who are willing to lose their lives — whatever that might mean — for Christ’s sake, will find them.

And from dust you will return.

Remembering Jack

As we remember President Kennedy (sometimes called "Jack" by friends) on the 50th anniversary of his assassination, let's not forget the other guy who died that same day: The great author, apologist, poet and scholar, C. S. Lewis (known to his friends as "Jack"). There's a good article about him today at Ligonier:

November 22, 1963, the date of President Kennedy’s assassination, was also the day C.S. Lewis died. Seven years earlier he had thus described death: “The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.” The metaphor inherent in these words is striking. It comes from the world of students and pupils, but only a teacher would employ it as a metaphor for death. The words (from The Last Battle) bring down the curtain — or perhaps better, close the wardrobe door — on Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. But they also open a window into who C.S. Lewis really was.....

Read it all at the link,

(Picture is the C.S. Lewis Memorial in Poet's Corner at Westminster Abbey)

Worth a Look

Links Worth a Look:

Not All Weakness is Sin

We Have Forgotten the Art of Dying Well

Happiness is Not Just About Doing Things You Like

A Dozen Things God Does With Our Sin

7 Unconventional Reasons Why You Absolutely Should Be Reading Books

Top 10 Books on Charismatic Theology

Continualist Christians: An Overview and Brief History from CT Magazine

Remembering the I-Monk

Today I'm remembering Michael Spencer, aka "the Internet Monk," aka "I-Monk,"on the second anniversary of his untimely and too early departure from this life. I miss his writing so much. The blog-o-sphere is a better place because he was here.

The Internet Monk site has memorial postings up. RIP Brother Michael.
   

Storms and Death... and Hope

Yesterday there was a horrible line of storms and tornadoes across the southern USA. I found out last night that a tornado touched down on the Mississippi farm where my Dad spent his childhood and youth. One of my cousins and her husband were killed when the storm destroyed their trailer.  Beverly and Mike were good people, and Christian believers. They had moved back to the family homestead to help care for our elderly Uncle Terrell, who had a heart attack two years ago and has been in poor health.

This means I will be attending a funeral this weekend. I hate funerals. I hate death. In those sentiments I am in good company, because Jesus also hated funerals. He hated them so much that he disrupted every funeral he ever attended..... with a resurrection.

As he disrupted funerals all over Galilee, one day He will disrupt death itself. I am looking forward to the final funeral disruption and our eternal resurrection.  I will see you again, Beverly!

"When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.' O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" (I Cor 15:54-55 ESV)

On Reading and Living Job

I've been reading Job.

Without going into any details, the past year has been very hard on my wife and I, and we are both a a very down place. It just so happened that my Bible reading plan recently put me in the Book of Job - and oh did it seem relevant!

A lot of us in the blog-o-sphere* are still mourning the loss of Michael Spencer, the Internet Monk, to cancer back in April. Recently his widow, Denise Spencer, posted a heart-breakingly honest article called Sometimes It's Just Plain Hard about the ugliness of death, even for Christians. After reading that, I saw this piece by David Wayne, aka "The Jolly Blogger" -The Truth is Uglier Than We Think, God is More Beautiful Than we Realize. David is fighting his own battle with cancer. David said this regarding Denise Spencer's piece.

She didn't put it this way, but Christians know the glory story but they don't know the cross story. The glory story is that the Christian path is one of glory, observable, overcoming, obviously seen glories as the Christian triumphs over all his enemies. Thus, the Christian has ears to hear the stories of miraculous healings and beatific deaths because those are glory stories. These people live in a world where we can practice a mechanistic kind of magic with God.,,,,

...The cross story says that suffering is the path of the Christian. If you are a Christian, more than likely you will not go gently into that good night...The ugly truth is that the fall still applies and the fall means that the Christian path is a cross bearing path - if you are a Christian expect that life will be harder than you initially imagined it would

There are aspects of the knowledge of God that only come during the down times, the suffering times, the hurting and lonely times. We are in that now. Ours is not to the level of death, but it sometimes feels close to that level of pain. I can only pray that we will come out of it knowing him in a deeper way, and knowing that he is more beautiful then we realize.

* Yes, I know it sounds pretentious to place myself in the "blog-o-sphere", as if I belonged in the same league with Michael Spencer and David Wayne. I am conscious of my own limitations.

Pray for the IMonk

Denise Spencer has posted a health update on her husband, Michael Spencer (aka "the Internet Monk" or "IMonk"), and the news is not good. Michael has colon cancer and per his doctor has less than a year to live, absent a miracle. Details can be found at Michael Spencer Update, 3/9/2010

I have benefited greatly from Michael's transparency, openness and wise observations as I have read his blog over the past few years. A quick search for his name on the pages of this blog will confirm that. Thank the Lord that he completed work on his book before the illness struck, because I really want to read it.

This one is hitting me hard, in part because he is the same age as I am.

I ask all my readers to join in prayer for Michael and Denise Spencer. Pray for that miracle. And pray also, that if the Lord does not choose to heal him, that Michael's desire to testify to his Lord in the way that he faces death will be fulfilled.

Failed Script Writers

"The salvation that God promises in Christ requires my death.... I no longer can see God as existing to make me happy, to satisfy my felt needs, even to give me a sense of well being and add a few suggestions to improve my life. He comes to kill me and to make me alive. Repentance means I give up my script; I stop pretending that I can write the story of my life. Through faith in Christ, I become a character in God's story, part of the new creation."

-Michael Horton, The Gospel Driven Life, pages 116-117

Someday Roses Will Have No Thorns

I attended another family funeral today. This time it was for my first cousin George, son of Dad's sister Elsie. George, four years younger than me, died from multiple health problems exacerbated by infections from a burst appendix.

As I watched his 3 year old grand niece, grand-daughter of his sister Zelphia, happily chattering away at everyone she met at the funeral parlor, with her security blanket wrapped around her neck, I decided that children should be mandatory at funerals. We all need the reminder that life goes on, even in the face of death. Perhaps funeral homes should offer to rent a kid for families that can't provide their own. Yes, I'm joking, but you could probably make money doing it!

I did not know George well, and had not seen him in years, but, based on a poem he had written that was read at the service, he had a vibrant Christian faith. The poem expressed hope in eternal resurrection, using a metaphor of a rose that whithers in winter but blossoms again in spring. Only one day, said the poem, the roses will have no thorns, thanks to the work of the Lord of Roses. Good Job, George! I look forward to discussing that thought with you someday.

"When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: 'Death is swallowed up in victory.' O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" (I Cor 15:54-55 ESV)

The God of the Dying

"'All the affirmations to God as creator and designer are fine, but it is as the God of the dying that the Christian has a testimony to give that absolutely no one else can give. There is little good news in 'My argument scored more points than your argument.' But the news that 'Christ is risen!' really is Good News for one kind of person: The person who is dying.'"
– Michael Spencer

Hat Tip: The Boar's Head Tavern

Everyone please pray for Michael Spencer (aka the Internet Monk), and for his wife Denise, as Michael continues his fight against cancer.

Your Legacy - and the Gospel

David Wayne, aka the JOLLYBLOGGER, has written a provocative post on the question What if you only had one month to live?

Most discussions on that topic focus on what we would do differently in order to make a difference or leave a legacy. David, a pastor, makes the point that such approaches are leaving out the Gospel.

But the bottom line is this - if I am to face my own death with no regrets, the only way I can do so is if my sins are atoned for, and sins are only atoned for by the work of Christ. From what I can tell, most of these "what if you only had a short time to live" discussions revolve around things you must do to cleanse the slate and clear your conscience. Again, good stuff to do, but only in a secondary sense. If I knew I was going to die soon I would spend far more time reading, studying, meditating on and reflecting on all that Christ has done for me than anything else. That's the only sure way to approach your own death with no regrets.

David knows what he is talking about. He was diagnosed with cancer last year, and is currently undergoing treatment. While considering this question for yourself, please pray for David Wayne, his family, and his church.

He Gives and Takes Away

One of my favorite theologians is Sam Storms. From a post at Already Not Yet I learned that Sam went through a scare this month when his 23 year old daughter miraculously survived a horrible traffic accident. She's fine. However, the incident apparently had a strong spiritual impact on Sam the following Sunday.

You may wonder, then, why Sunday would have been a difficult day for me. I was filled with such indescribable gratitude for what God had done. My heart was flooded with joy and delight as I reflected on how close she had come to death and how wonderful it was that she emerged without serious harm.

The tears of thanksgiving and profound appreciation and worship flowed freely and unashamedly. My hands were lifted high in adoration and praise ....

Suddenly, my hands began to tremble ever so slightly. The tears dried up. Without warning, giving me no chance to prepare my heart, this horrifying thought raced through my mind: “Would I be lifting my hands in love and adoration of the Lord if Joey had died last Wednesday? Or would my raised and open hand be a clenched and defiant fist? .....

I was spiritually paralyzed. A shiver of raw fear ran down my spine. No words can adequately explain the emotional terror that gripped my soul. Was I the sort of person who would only worship and honor and love God so long as he saved my daughter’s life? Was I the sort who would happily and profusely speak of the mercy of divine providence only if it shined on me favorably?

If Joey had not survived the wreck, or if she had been severely injured or paralyzed, would I have declared God to be beautiful, or would I have seen him as ugly and uncaring and indifferent? Was my faith the sort that flourished only in fair weather, or would it withstand the storm of tragedy and loss of the worst imaginable kind?

I couldn’t answer my own questions. I froze in fear. Would I have cursed God instead of extolling him had my precious little girl died?

What a question! How would I react in a similar situation? I don't know. I hope I could sing a song of trust to God even in a time of great pain and sorrow. Sam continued:

I wish I could tell you that I reassured myself by saying, “Hey, Sam, don’t worry. Of course you’d still love God. The pain would be unbearable, but your faith would withstand the test. You’re strong. After all, you’re a Calvinist. Your whole life and ministry are built on the stability and strength of divine sovereignty.”

I wish I could tell you that’s what passed through my mind. But it didn’t. Maybe I would still have praised him. I certainly hope so. Oh, God, please let it be so! But I felt vulnerable in that moment in a way I never have before. I felt weak and frail and terrified that my faith was only as good as were the circumstances of my life.

I have many times glibly and proudly quoted the words of Job: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). It’s always been easy, because the Lord has not as yet “taken away” anything of great value to me. He came close, but he gave her back. If he hadn’t, could I have honestly and sincerely said, “Blessed be the name of the Lord”? I don’t know. That’s what scares me.

Scares me too, Sam. Scares me too.

Strange Obituary

According to Snopes.Com the Dolores Aguilar Obituary is for real. It appeared August 16 and 17, 2008 in the Vallejo California Times-Herald.

Dolores Aguilar 1929 - Aug. 7, 2008

Dolores Aguilar, born in 1929 in New Mexico, left us on August 7, 2008. She will be met in the afterlife by her husband, Raymond, her son, Paul Jr., and daughter, Ruby. She is survived by her daughters Marietta, Mitzi, Stella, Beatrice, Virginia and Ramona, and son Billy;..... I apologize if I missed anyone.

Dolores had no hobbies, made no contribution to society and rarely shared a kind word or deed in her life. I speak for the majority of her family when I say her presence will not be missed by many, very few tears will be shed and there will be no lamenting over her passing. Her family will remember Dolores and amongst ourselves we will remember her in our own way, which were mostly sad and troubling times throughout the years. We may have some fond memories of her and perhaps we will think of those times too. But I truly believe at the end of the day ALL of us will really only miss what we never had, a good and kind mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. I hope she is finally at peace with herself.

As for the rest of us left behind, I hope this is the beginning of a time of healing and learning to be a family again. There will be no service, no prayers and no closure for the family she spent a lifetime tearing apart. We cannot come together in the end to see to it that her grandchildren and great-grandchildren can say their goodbyes. So I say here for all of us, GOOD BYE, MOM.

Imagine being remembered like this! Lord, help me to so love my wife, kids, other family and friends so that when I am gone they will remember love, forgiveness and a testimony of God's grace and mercy.

Hat Tip: Tim Chailles