Christian Snowflakes

This is not a time for snowflakes. Check out Christian Snowflakery by Stephen McAlpine

I've just about finished Tony Reinke’s book on John Newton’s pastoral letters, Newton On The Christian Life: To Live is Christ and here’s what I have concluded: compared with his theological robustness in the face of trials, we’re in danger of being a culture of Christian snowflakes.

You get what I mean by “snowflake?”

The word has been hijacked these past few months by all sorts of political flavours. There are almost as many usages of “snowflake” across the political spectrum as there are different shapes of snowflakes. Well maybe not that many.

In political terms “snowflakes” are those who can’t stand the heat of any opposition to their cherished views. And all sides of the fence use it. “Snowflakes” melt when the blowtorch is applied.

Christian snowflakery cuts across the spectrum. And it does so because we live in a culture that worships, what RR Reno calls the “hearth gods” of comfort and security.

We’re marinaded in an expectation that somehow we are owed these things as rewards for either our hard work and striving, or for our good fortune at having been born in the West in the 20th and 21st centuries.

And it’s a perspective that is in danger of squeezing out any theological conviction that “trials” are a normative part of the Christian life, as a quick skim of the Christian bestsellers list may reveal.

It’s that aspect of Newton’s life that has particularly struck me. He was convinced that trials were not simply occasional bad luck events, but were part and parcel of what it meant to belong to Christ, to be like Christ and to be brought home by Christ.

Now Newton was no stoic. How could the man who wrote Amazing Grace be unmoved in the face of his own trials, or the many trials recorded in his decades worth of pastoral correspondences to other Christians?

I was almost unnerved reading many of the passages in the book. There is no maudlin or gleeful tone to the reality of trials, but a conviction in Newton that God brings these trials to us because we need them.

The Test of Disappointment

For those undergoing disappointment (in other words EVERYBODY) Please check out When God Leaves You Waiting: How God Uses Disappointment to Test Us by Joshua Roberie at Relevant:

Have you ever noticed how you have to set an appointment whenever you want to see a doctor, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the doctor is going to keep it? You may be on time, but left in the waiting room wondering if it is the doctor that has the scheduled mixed up.

In those situations, the waiting room can be more painful than the actual time spent with the doctor.

I have had similar feelings in my relationship with God. I know it may sound like a lack of faith to say so, but to be honest, there have been times when I felt like I was on time, but God missed His appointment with me.

Maybe you can relate.

During the season that I stopped working in full-time ministry, I seemed to have a number of “missed appointments” with God. The first was when we found out that my wife’s dad had cancer just as we were making that transition. Shortly after that, my father-in-law went to heaven.

As painful as all of this was, we know God used this season to transform our hearts, character and understanding of His faithfulness.

The second “where were you God?” moment was when our house wouldn’t sell. We ended up leasing our home and moving out on the day of our fifth anniversary. We wouldn’t have a place of our own for another two years. In fact, over three years later, we still don’t have a house.

So many “missed appointments” became disappointments during this time of our lives. The thing is, as painful as all of this was, we know God used this season to transform our hearts, character and understanding of His faithfulness.

This doesn’t mean God causes or initiates the problems in our lives. He is not looking to bring loss and suffering in order to teach us to appreciate His blessing. It’s just that He is so good and merciful, that even our darkest moments can highlight His love and faithfulness when our hope is placed in Him.

Have you ever felt like you were in God’s waiting room for an appointment that He missed in your life? Maybe you thought things would go one way, but they ended up going another. You may have thought, “If God would have done His part, then things would be different.”

Having these types of thoughts and emotions can leave you frustrated, doubtful and even feeling guilty. But God is not afraid of these types of feelings or questions. If He were, why would He include so many similar examples in the Bible?

Our part is to not figure out His path for us, but to trust Him while we’re on it.

Mary and Martha thought Jesus had missed His appointment with Lazarus. Jesus’ friend, and their brother, had died. If only Jesus had been there, none of this would have happened. He had healed and helped others. He certainly could have done the same for a close friend.

Once He finally arrived, it seemed too late. Only it wasn’t. A few days later, after their “missed appointment,” Jesus rolled the stone of their frustration, doubt and grief away.
Then out came Lazarus, and God received the glory for raising the dead.

Sometimes what God does in the waiting room of our lives is more important for our future than what we hoped He would have done in one of our “missed appointments.” Our part is to not figure out His path for us, but to trust Him while we’re on it.

The waiting room where God performs heart surgery is normally not a physical place, but a lingering season that follows a disappointment. These situations often leave us with only a few tough options. We can focus on regret, run away from our problems by ignoring them, or we can look forward to the resurrection that is going to take place in our lives.

We will never have the opportunity to cross the bridge of hope without a valley of doubt underneath. Faith is not ignoring the valley or refusing to cross; it is trusting the bridge God has placed before us.

Pray The Process

This is an excerpt from How To Pray In A Dark Difficult Time by Kim Butts (via Charisma)

...prayer isn't always about the end result but also about the journey. It is, as the apostle Paul says, being able to be content in whatever circumstance we find ourselves in (Phil. 4:11). My friend, Jon Graf, who is on our staff, calls this "praying the process."

If we focus on the end result—the ultimate goal of our prayer, we often miss the blessings, lessons and growth that come from the process of walking through the situation. It is often the process of going through trouble or adversity that strengthens us for kingdom work. As Paul said in Romans 5:3-5: "Not only so, but we also boast in tribulation, knowing that tribulation produces patience, patience produces character, and character produces hope. And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."

God loves us enough to allow trials in our lives for His purposes. As we "pray the process" we can ask God to work in and through us rather than bemoaning our circumstances. God is a redeemer and will not let anything we walk through be wasted. And, in the midst of our situations, we are always to be thankful: "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus" (1 Thess. 5:18). This is harder than it sounds!

How can we be thankful for illness, tragedy and so on? Go back to Romans 5—when we run into the tough things of life, God has a purpose to use it for His glory, even if we can't comprehend, imagine or see it. This is where the true prayer of faith takes place. When we begin to pray through the journey (process) of our situations, God is there, walking with us. He hurts alongside of us, sees and feels our pain and knows our frustrations. None of it is a surprise to Him.

Sometimes we have no idea what or how to pray in the midst of a difficult circumstance. But Paul gives us this amazing encouragement in Romans 8:26: "Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses, for we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words."

So in a nutshell, here are some guidelines about how to pray through the dark, uncertain times in life:

• Pray the process. Don't just ask God for the end result you want. Trust God's heart even when you don't see Him at work in, through or around you. Know that He is able to overcome and redeem whatever you go through.

• Focus on praying for or with others who are going through trials as you are. God will use your circumstances to uniquely encourage or strengthen someone else.

• Ask God to give you the spiritual eyes to see His kingdom through your situation.

• Rejoice and give thanks in the midst of trials, knowing that He has a purpose for them that will be for His ultimate glory.

• Pray for greater faith to know that God's hand is at work to develop endurance, strong character and the hope of salvation within you.

• Ask God to help you to be content in the midst of whatever situation or circumstance you find yourself.

• Ultimately, when you don't know what else to do or pray, ask the Holy Spirit to share your heart with the Father.

May God bring your prayer life sharply into focus in the midst of trials so that God is glorified as His will for His kingdom is fulfilled in and through you.

No Escape

From Tim Challies

Marble and Sand

HT: Tim Challies

Using Our Brokenness

Found this great piece on brokenness entitled How God Can Use Your Brokenness by Sue Birdseye at Charisma Magazine:

Broken.It's one of those words that doesn't bring a lot of joy. Who wants to be broken? 

Broken things.

           Broken bones.                            

                              Broken relationships.                                                  

                                                      Broken Vows.

                                                                      Broken homes.

                                                                                           Broken hearts.

I assume we are all on the same page and don't want that word to describe much of anything in our lives.  In fact, the only phrase with "broken" in it that I can think of ever wanting to use is "broken fever."

For a while I've tried to figure out a different word to describe my family other than "broken." Initially I thought it was just too negative. I started trying out different descriptive words: Wounded. Bruised.  Hurting. Anything but "broken."

I wanted to stand up and holler, "WE ARE NOT BROKEN!!!!" 

But you know what? I believe we are. And I'm realizing that that is OK.

We are broken but healing. God, the Great Physician, is fixing up all the broken parts.A couple of things have brought me to this conclusion. 

The first was reading this verse:

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. —2 Cor. 4:7-10

After reading that verse, I looked up the meaning of "jars of clay."  One of the definitions said that the jars of clay would have brought to mind a common household jar—probably inexpensive and fairly easy to break. It would probably have cracks and chips from being well used. 

There is so much to get from this verse, but the idea that struck me was that the brokenness of the jar of clay allows what's inside to be seen—to flow out. The brokenness of our lives allows God to shine through us. Oh my goodness, that sounds like some really syrupy sweet quote to post on Facebook. Unfortunately for all of us I can't think of a better way to say it.

I just know that when everything in my world went kaplooey, God was the only explanation for why I didn't personally go kaplooey. It was abundantly clear that the strength I had to move forward came from God and God alone—"the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us."

One of my first fears following the shattering of my marriage was that my testimony was toast. I kept thinking of all the people who would think we were just absolute frauds. I felt like a fraud. Or maybe I should say I felt like I'd been defrauded. Everyone, including me, thought we had a great marriage. How could I speak about my relationship with God, if everyone thought I hadn't been honest about my relationship with my husband?

But God showed me that my testimony wasn't about what I could or couldn't do...my testimony is what God has done and is still doing in my life.

Dig Down Into Joy

HT: @DailyKeller

Persecution in 2013

From Joe Cater - 9 Things You Should Know About the Persecutions of Christians in 2013:

1. Christian churches around the world have set apart the month of November to remember and pray for the persecuted church, through the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP).

2. According to the U.S. Department of State, Christians in more than 60 countries face persecution from their governments or surrounding neighbors simply because of their belief in Christ.

3. With the exception of four official state-controlled churches in Pyongyang, Christians in North Korea face the risk of detention in the prison camps, severe torture and, in some cases, execution for practicing their religious beliefs. North Koreans suspected of having contact with South Korean or other foreign missionaries in China, and those caught in possession of a Bible, have been known to be executed.

4. In Syria, Christians are increasingly becoming the target of violent attacks. Catholic and Orthodox groups in Syria say the anti-government rebels have committed "awful acts" against Christians, including beheadings, rapes and murders of pregnant women. A special 'Vulnerability Assessment of Syria's Christians' conducted by the World Watch unit of Open Doors International from June 2013 warned that Syrian Christians are the victims of "disproportionate violence and abuse." They warned further that Christian women in Syria are particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse.

5. In August 2013, Egypt faced what has been called the the worst anti-Christian violence in seven centuries: 38 churches were destroyed, 23 vandalized; 58 homes were burned and looted and 85 shops, 16 pharmacies and 3 hotels were demolished; 6 Christians were killed in the violence and 7 were kidnapped.

6. The bloodiest attack on Christians in Pakistan's history occurred in September 2013. Two suicide bombers exploded shrapnel laden vests outside All Saints' Church in the old city of Peshawar. Choir members and children attending Sunday school were among 81 people killed. The attack left 120 people wounded, with 10 of them in critical condition.

7. During an attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi in September, Islamic terrorists asked people for the name of Muhammad's mother or to recite a verse from the Quran in order to identify non-Muslims. One of the terrorists announced, "We have come to kill you Christians and Kenyans because you have been killing our women and children in Somalia. Any Muslims can go."

8. Four Christians in Iran will get 80 lashes each this month for drinking wine during a communion service. Ahmed Shaheed, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, said that it is common practice for Christians to be punished for violating theocratic laws. In the UN report Shaheed wrote: 'At least 20 Christians were in custody in July 2013. In addition, violations of the rights of Christians, particularly those belonging to evangelical Protestant groups, many of whom are converts, who proselytize to and serve Iranian Christians of Muslim background, continue to be reported.'

9. An average of 100 Christians around the world are killed each month for their faith. (Note: There are several sources that claim the numbers are as high as 100,000+ a year. In the absence of solid evidence for those numbers, though, I chose to go with the more empirically verifiable estimate.)

A Demonstration of Vulnerability and Authenticity

The CNN Interview That Presented Real Christianity by Dan Delzill at Christian Post:

I just finished watching Rick and Kay Warren's interview with Piers Morgan on CNN. If you want to know what real Christianity is about, just watch that interview. Christianity is so much more than words alone. It is power. It is grace. It is blood, sweat, and tears. And it is honest.

Rick and Kay's son, Matthew, had a lifelong battle with mental illness. He ultimately decided to take his own life, in spite of everything Rick and Kay have done over the years to love their son unconditionally and help him in his illness. Their story will give you a better picture of Christianity than 1000 sermons alone could ever give you. And it will give you hope to press on in the midst of your trials and grief.

Piers Morgan did a beautiful job of asking the important questions. And God did the rest. If you want to see how real Christians struggle through the most painful experience of their life, then watch this interview. You will learn more about God, and grace, and hope than 1000 sermons alone could ever teach you.

This is where the rubber of Christian hope meets the road of hard knocks. And even though Rick and Kay were knocked to the ground by the gut-wrenching pain of their son's suicide, their faith in God has empowered them to persevere.

Thousands of people are interviewed every year on a whole host of networks. But you will be hard-pressed to find an interview that does more to display real Christianity than this one.

Rick and Kay Warren are genuine and loving people. They are just like the rest of us with their times of joy and times of sadness. But their pain through their son's death has taken them to a place of intense brokenness.

Through it all, they know Matthew is in heaven. He was a believer in Jesus, and a young man of tremendous compassion. He was saved by God's grace. And it is that same grace which carried Rick and Kay through this amazing interview, and which has flowed through them to millions of people around the world for many years now.

Christianity is not about being a "celebrity pastor." Rick will be the first one to tell you that. It is about what Rick and Kay do on a daily basis to serve others by God's grace, and the living water which poured out of them in front of a worldwide audience on CNN.
This will likely be one of the few interviews in your lifetime which has the power to literally set you on a new course. A course of hope. And a journey to heaven.

I hope you make the time to watch this interview. And then share it with others. When Matthew was on earth, he made a habit of encouraging those who struggled with their own issues. And Matthew made a definite point to tell them about Jesus. Now others are learning about Christ's love through the courageous faith of Matthew's parents.

As Rick shared in the interview and then tweeted this evening, "In God's Garden of Grace, even broken trees bear fruit." If you are broken today my friend, there is One who has more than enough grace to see you through. After all, just look what He is doing for Rick and Kay. That kind of power goes way beyond words alone.

If you think you know all about Christianity, why don't you watch this interview just to compare it to any of your preconceived notions. You might see something here that you had no idea was even possible.

Remember. The miracle of Christianity extends beyond true doctrine. And that's what confirms it is real.

The Loudness of Soul That Deafens

Below is an excerpt from a poem entitled Trial's Cry by Sheryl Fowler, based on Job 29:2  -“Oh, that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me."

Oh, how we long for yesterday, when in the midst of the test

and Trial; we cry for the days of yore

If we could only go back to when the Lord was close, the

tears were dry, and the pain was no more

The test is a desert so hot and dry, loneliness is our companion

and a stillness of the hovering heavens

It’s a place where we come face to face with our inner being, a

loudness of our own soul that deafens…

Please read the rest at the link. Her phrase "a loudness of our own soul that deafens" haunts me. I'm currently going through something - a searching of my heart and soul over the need for quietness and silence to be able to hear the voice of God more clearly.

My world is loud - and it is mostly my fault. The noise of radio, TV and music, and the silent noise of on-line connectivity, is overwhelming. 

Help me, Lord, to learn quietness so that I can listen and hear.

Would You Rather be Blessed or Strengthened?

“For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (2 Chron. 16:9 NIV)

Some Bible translations use the word "bless" in this passage, instead of "strengthen" as in the NIV.  We all want God to put his eyes on us to bless us. However, we usually interpret that to mean that God will get us out of our tough time: out bills paid, our relationships healed, our sicknesses removed. This passage in Chronicles, within its context of the story of King Asa, reminds us that sometimes God's promise of blessings is only a promise to give us strength to endure a trial, not a promise to get us out of the trial in the way we would like him to. Look what happened to the Prophet Hanani in this very story!

Michael Patton has a good commentary on this verse here. Read it.......if you dare!

I must choose to accept that sometimes I am blessed by strength to endure and by his presence with me in the pain, and not by removal of my problems. I wish it was always otherwise, but both Bible and experience say that this is often the way he does things. And.....It really is enough!