Heart Soul and Might

Well, I did more research and determined that Mount Yale (14,196) was a little too aggressive for my first “14er”… Some of my research happened to be a guy at the Mount Yale trailhead following my Lake Hartenstein hike who said, “Man, that last mile and a half is brutal!” To be honest, I really didn’t want to try anything “brutal” for my first time. So, I decided on Mount Antero (14,269) based on a number of conversations with people recommending first climbs. It’s very doable, and partly because you can drive up and park about 11,000 feet making the trek even easier…

So, why, you ask yourself, do I have a picture of Mount Princeton (14,197) in this post? Because i got inspired, that’s why. Driving to the Mount Antero trailhead, I saw a sign for Mount Princeton, and remembered reading in one of my many books and publications on the subject that Mount Princeton is a fairly easy climb. AND… I’m currently in the middle of my Jonathan Edwards biography as part of my sabbatical reading list, and knowing that Jonathan Edwards is a past president of this famed institution, it all made perfect sense! So, I pulled to the side of the road, did more reading on Princeton to make sure I wasn’t doing something stupid, and upon seeing that this peak is indeed very doable, I changed course. In honor of Jonathan Edwards, on to Mount Princeton!

I haven’t been able to upload the pictures from my camera yet, so this picture from a 14ers website will have to do for now. I will summarize by saying that this was without a doubt the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but for sure one of the most exhilarating and rewarding. I arrived at the base of Mount Princeton at around 7am and made the way up the very precarious one-lane road having read that there were a few parking places somewhere up the mountain. I do have to say, that drive made me pretty nervous. There was no place to pull over if there was an oncoming car. That would have made for an interesting situation about 10,000 feet. I’m glad I didn’t have to figure that out!

I found a parking spot, thank goodness, near some radio towers that had some room, got my pack ready, and was hiking by about 8am. At about 10:30am, I was exhausted, nursing a blister on my left heal, and really discouraged because it seemed like the summit was still miles away! I was praying for strength to make it, and did I mention that I foolishly attempted this climb alone?! Well, God has mysterious ways of answering prayers. A mother-daughter team - who were moving quite fast, I might add - caught up with me. We started talking, and upon finding out they had already done six 14ers, I knew I was in good company. I was right. Kim and Kristin Sievers were my lifesavers! There were so many times over the next two hours that I didn’t think I could go on. My lungs were definitely not prepared for 14,000 foot oxygen. And combining the lack of oxygen with a lot of vertical climbing, I was in trouble. But, Kim and Kristen slowed down and were determined to help me get to the summit. I kept telling them to go on ahead, but they kept waiting for me as I stopped to catch my breath.

At 11:15, I felt like giving up, but knew I had to make the last few hundred feet despite what my body was telling me.

At 11:30, I really felt like giving up. But Kim wouldn’t let me. Kristen had gone ahead of us and was almost to the summit. I thought to myself… “We’re this close. I need to pick up this lifeless body from the rocks and get my feet moving.”

At 11:50am, we hit the summit. I can’t tell you how I felt. I was dead physically, but emotionally overwhelmed at having made it. There was some weather coming in, and it didn’t look good, so we had to get moving back down fast. Lightning can be a real risk above the tree-line with no protection from the elements. I signed the log-book that’s at the summit for those who make the peak… took a few pictures… gave as much praise to God as my delirious mind could muster at that moment… and started heading back down.

Oh… and yes… I ran out of water about 10 minutes after the summit. That’s a big no-no on a mountain like this. Dehydration is a big problem. I had 3 liters with me, which I thought would be plenty, but I thought wrong! Unbelievably, Kim and Kristen had both packed more water than they needed just in case… They each gave me a bottle for the trek back. HUGE answer to prayer. Meeting up with them was not a coincidence. God must have wanted me to make it back down the mountain! Kim and Kristen, if you are reading this… know that you were an answer to prayer in a big way. Thank you for your selfless and giving spirit. Yes, I do believe in angels!

We hit the bottom at 2pm, and I was glad…no, elated…no, ecstatic… that we were on a road. We’d made it!

As I was on this mountain today, I was reminded of how incredible God is, and what a master artist He is. The landscapes, vistas, and views were breathtaking and incredible. The Lord brought to my mind a number of times Psalm 90:1-2:

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
From everlasting to everlasting You are God.

I repeated those words over and over. What an awesome and majestic God we worship. He is eternal. He is transcendent. And, though I am unfaithful and faithless at times, He is always faithful. I get a real sense of God’s bigness in the mountains. I am so thankful for this time today at the top of one of His most beautiful creations, Mount Princeton.

Pictures and more commentary to come soon…

Back in January when I knew I was going to be able to take a sabbatical this summer, I just sensed that the Lord wanted me to get to the mountains at some point. I really connect with God in the midst of His creation, and especially sense His power and majesty in the mountains. Here I am! I flew into Denver last night, and am staying in a quaint cabin in Lake George, CO on land owned some very gracious hosts, the Friesema’s. I’ve known Ray and Hazel from Calvary Memorial Church in Racine, WI for 30 years - it was so good to see them when I arrived. (Hazel sang with my mom in the choir as I was growing up). They even had milk, bread, butter and jam in the fridge when I arrived! They have a home (a converted dance hall from 1890!) on their 110 acre ranch, and I’m staying in the guest cabin. Lake George is about 60 miles west of Colorado Springs.

This morning, I headed out to “have church” in the mountains. After some research, I decided that I’d like to eventually tackle Mount Yale - one of Colorado’s 54 “14ers” - peaks over 14,000 feet. Yale is 14,196. It’s part of the Collegiate Mountain Range, near Lake George and while I feel ambitious, Yale is considered one of the easier climbs for a first-timer. While I’ve been running a lot to train for this, I knew my lungs wouldn’t be used to the elevation, so this morning I set out to “acclamate” and get my lungs ready for Mount Yale - a trek I hope to take on Monday.

I stopped off for some advice in Buena Vista at a hiking store called “Trailhead” and got some great pointers from Evelyn, the owner. She got me stocked up with all the right stuff to pack into my brand new REI backpack. She told me about Lake Hartenstein, a beautiful and fairly easy hike to about 11,495 feet on the same trail as Mount Yale. Perfect!

The trailhead for Mount Yale is Denny Creek at about 9,900 feet. After parking there, I headed up the trail. About 1.5 miles in, the trail comes to a Y - to the right is Mount Yale, to the left is Lake Hartenstein. I went left…

Wow! What a great hike. I took my time and made it to the Lake in about 2 hours. For a glacial lake, it’s faily large and just below the tree-line. A beautiful vista with 5 or 6 peaks in the background surrounding the lake. I hiked about half-way around the lake before I ran out of trail and decided not to get too ambitious or wet. Got some great pictures.

It was a sweet experience with the Lord. He reminded me of His faithfulness and patience. What a wonderful privilege to be here. I’m so thankful for this opportunity to be alone with God in the middle of His beautful handiwork. What an amazing artist! Yes… it’s good to be alone to connect with God in this way. But I sure do miss Heidi and the boys…

Obviously, during my sabbatical, I’ve also been taking somewhat of a sabbatical from my blog… But, have no fear. I’ll be posting some thoughts soon and appreciate your grace and patience as I rest.

Thank you!

I’m continuing to read through Dan Allender’s latest book, Leading With a Limp, and am finding a lot of insight and encouragement. I want to share a couple quotes and then make a comment or two. These come from chapter 4 - “It’s Failing That Matters!” Allender talks about a season in building the Mars Hill Graduate School where his failings came into the public view, front and center. Then, he says this:

Prior to this season, I had been aware of some of my deficiencies, but I had never considered that the overwhelming majority of God’s hand-picked leaders in the Bible were themselves riddled with faults and failure. I can hardly name a leader in the Bible who didn’t fail radically enough to warrant being removed from leadership: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, Elijah, Jeremiah, Mary, Paul, and Peter. It seems God loves to use troubled, odd, unpredictable people to not only lead others but also to make the gospel known.

Leading With a Limp, p. 53.

We often feel like we need to have everything wrapped up and put together to be an effective leader and used of God - but clearly, God has proven that He has always used broken down, needy sinners to do His best work. Every leader God has ever used has failed. Even in the midst of leading! But, the Godly leader - the one who God has truly chosen to do His will - will embrace his weaknesses and failings through Christ, and continue on.

When I think about all the mistakes I’ve made over the years and all of the dark things that even still float through my mind at the most inopportune times, I often wonder how God could choose me to lead anything! On top of that, I’m just flat out unqualified to walk into some of the leadership challenges that I face daily. I’m far more often weak than I am strong. But that’s why I’m glad we can tap into Christ’s strength, which is perfect. Allender goes on to say this:

This is one of Paul’s central statements of inversion. Don’t miss this: leadership that mimics Jesus will not be normal. It will be neither expected nor, in most cases, preferred. It will be disruptive and anomalous, and it will  demand one’s body and soul, fortune, reputation, and all the other small gods that keep our lives safe and satisfied.

Here is God’s leadership model: He chooses fools to live foolishly in order to reveal the economy of heaven, which reverses and inverts the wisdom of this world. He calls us to brokenness, not performance; to relationships, not commotion; to grace, not success. It is not wonder that this kind of leadership is neither spoken of nor admired in our business schools or even our seminaries.

Leading With a Limp, p. 55.

So… He calls us to brokenness, relationships, grace… not performance, commotion, success… He’s right. This is certainly a different kind of leadership model than I’ve studied in school or read in other books. This is a real paradigm shift that requires a lot of thought, prayer, intentionality, and yes… grace. I will need a lot of grace to live and lead like this. But why should this be so hard for us to grasp? Paul certainly embraced and even boasted in his weaknesses. He is a great model for us to follow. He eliminates “the leader’s serving with even a hint of self-righteousness.” Most leaders fear they will one day be discovered, known, exposed, humliated… Let’s get beyond that. OK. It starts with me. I’ll see how it goes and report back.

My next door neighbor, John, holds a PhD in Biblical Languages from Harvard and when he found out the reading focus for my sabbatical was Church History, he slipped his copy of Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther - in the back of my car just before we left. Following Athanasius and Augustine, my intent was to fast forward past the Reformation to next read the biography on Jonathan Edwards I picked up from amazon.com. But holding the biography of he who started the Reformation, it makes more sense to read Luther before Edwards, so I’m going for it. Thanks, John. This book is incredible. He told me its the definitive work on Luther, and I can see why.

It’s interesting to see how Luther never intended to be the Father of the Reformation… In fact, he didn’t intend any fanfare on posting his 95 Theses… his intent was to spur some spirited intellectual debate… until someone combined his paper with the printing press and started distributing copies! One thing led to another and he found himself debating truth to save his life.

The timing of his strong and principled beliefs, eloquent writing and speaking styles and growing widespread frustration with abuses within the Catholic Church were the ingredients necessary for a Reformation. There were many teachings he had a problem with, not the least of which were the infallibility of the Pope, the infallibility of the Catholic Church, indulgences, and most importantly, placing the word of the Church and Pope over and above Scripture. The bottom line is he saw that the Church was professing a false gospel, and he was fed up. His writings were getting him in trouble (obviously) with the powers that be, and he was being asked to recant his protests when he boldly said the following:

You are not a bad Christian if you deny the decretal [of the Pope]. But if you deny the gospel, you are a heretic. I damn and detest this decretal. The Apostolic Legate opposed me with the thunder of his majesty and told me to recant. I told him the pope abused Scripture. I will honor the sanctity of the Pope, but I will adore the sanctity of Christ and the truth. I do not deny this new monarchy of the Roman Church which has arisen in our generation, but I deny that you cannot be a Christian without being subject to the decrees of the Roman pontiff. As for the decretal, I deny that the merits of Christ are a treasure of indulgences because his merits convey grace apart from the pope. The merits of Christ take away sins and increase merits. Indulgences take away merits and leave sins. These adulators put the pope above Scripture and say that he cannot err. In that case, Scripture perishes, and nothing is left in the Church save the word of man. I resist those who in the name of the Roman Church wish to institute Babylon.

Roland Bainton, Here I Stand, p. 75.

What I most admire about Luther, as exemplified in this quote, is that he doggedly held to what he believed to be true even in the face of serious and damaging consequences - in his case, excommunication and possibly even death. He was going up against the most powerful people in both Church and government during this time. But he held his ground. He held to his convictions concerning the authority of Scripture. It wasn’t popular to oppose the pope, but he did - in the name of truth and the gospel. Yes, he was uncouth at times, and later came to regret some things he said (haven’t we all?), but he stood for principle. He stood for truth. He stood for Scripture. He stood for the gospel.

Father, may I have the same boldness and confidence in the face of persecution for the sake of the gospel and for Your glory.

OK - this is not a new book, and it’s been on my “need to read sometime soon” list for years, but I’m finally getting to John Piper’s Let the Nations Be Glad!

For those of you looking for a correlation between worship and missions, look no further. The very first words of Piper’s book from page one and two of chapter one entitled: “The Supremacy of God in Missions Through Worship“:

Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.

Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal in missions. It’s the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God’s glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God. “The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!” (Psalm 97:1). “Let the peoples praise Thee, O God; let all the peoples praise Thee! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy!” (Psalm 67:3-4)

But worship is also the fuel of missions. Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching. You can’t commend what you don’t cherish… Missions begins and ends in worship.

If the pursuit of God’s glory is not ordered above the pursuit of man’s good in the affections of the heart and the priorities of the church, man will not be well served and God will not be duly honored. I am not pleading for a diminishing of missions but for a magnifying of God. When the flame of worship burns with the heat of God’s true worth, the light of missions will shine to the most remote peoples on earth. And I long for that day to come!

Where passion for God is weak, zeal for missions will be weak. Churches that are not centered on the exaltation of the majesty and beauty of God will scarcely kindle a fervent desire to “declare His glory among the nations” (Psalm 96:3).

I passionately resonate with Piper’s heart for worship and missions in this book.
2006: Kenya and Nigeria
This fall, 11 of us are travelling to Nairobi, Kenya to partner with ALARM (African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries) to facilitate a Worship, Leadership and Marriage Conference with up to 200 pastors and leaders expected to attend. Following our work in Kenya, three of us are going on to Ikot Ekpene, Nigeria to celebrate the grand opening of Fellowship Bible Church-Nigeria! After our initial trip two years ago, this is certain to be an incredible celebration of God’s goodness and providence in blessing our partnership with visionary pastor and leader, Aniefiok Udo. What a privilege to be a part of what God is doing as God uses Aniefiok and the team he is assembling to build the church and pastor’s resource center to win Africa for Christ!

2007: Peru and beyond…

In March, 2007 we are planning to once again partner with Mario Perez and our sister church in Comas, Peru for a follow-up Worship and Arts Conference, building on what God started with our 2005 trip. One of the exciting aspects of this trip is the opportunity to lead worship for a gathering of 2,000 pastors from every corner of Peru as they attend a leadership conference in Lima.
The fuel of missions is worship - the rejoicing of all peoples in the greatness of the glory of the grace of God. And that is why the exalting of the greatness of God in His Son is of utmost importance. We must pursue the glory of God above all things - and this pursuit should fuel our passion for advancing the greatness of the glory of God to every tongue, tribe and nation. Piper says this at the end of chapter one:

God is calling us above all else to be the kind of people whose theme and passion is the supremacy of God in all of life. No one will be able to rise to the magnificence of the missionary cause who does not feel the magnificence of Christ. There will be no big world vision without a big God. There will be no passion to draw others into our worship where there is no passion for worship.

God is pursuing with omnipotent passion a worldwide purpose of gathering joyful worshipers for himself from every tribe and tonge and people and nation. He has an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the supremacy of His name among the nations. Therefore, let us bring our affections into line with His, and for the sake of His name, let us renounce the quest for worldly comforts, and join His global purpose.

Every Friday is Fenelon Friday, where we drink from the very deep well of my favorite 17th century French Bishop in the Catholic Church. Francois de Salignac de La Mothe-Fenelon (born 1651) was a mentor to a number of younger men on the court of Louis XIV. In fact, he was given the responsibility of raising the young man who would proceed Louis XIV to the throne of France (the King’s grandson). Many of Fenelon’s writings are actually letters he wrote to some of these young leaders as they sought to walk the life of faith in the face of opposition and adversity. Fenelon’s teachings were met with resistance within the Catholic Church because they aligned more with Reformation teachings than with Catholic dogma at times, and his hope was that once his student became the King of France, he would be instrumental in the reformation of the Catholic Church and bring a real witness of Jesus Christ to France. Those hopes were dashed in 1712 with the premature death of the King’s grandson. Fenelon died not long after that in 1715 at the age of 63, but his teachings live on and continue to influence 300 years after he lived.

Stop Striving

You are good, but you want to be better. I think you are trying too hard to use your inner life to change those outward things about you that are socially unacceptable. Deep down you are not really changing. Let me tell you what happens when you don’t let God deal with the deepest root of your old nature. You will become very critical, heart-hearted, and pharisaical. Yiou will keep your actions in line according to some self-appointed rules, but deep within you will be unchanged. Outwardly you will appear to obey - but inwardly you will be in a state of rebellion. This is no place to be!

Pay more attention to your inward life. Take your deepest and strongest desires and put them in God’s hands. Ask Him to conquer you completely. Give Him your natural arrogance, your worldly wisdom, your attachment to your house, and your fear that no one will recognize your “greatness.” You also need to let God deal with your harsh attitude in dealing with things that don’t go as you expect them to.

Your temper is not your biggest problem because you already distrust it. In spite of your attempt to control your temper, it still gets the better of you. This humiliation does you good. So worry about your more dangerous faults. I would really rather see you obviously impatient, and lacking a certain amount of self-control. This is more humiliating for you (and better for killing your pride!). When you are too perfect at controlling yourself you can become harsh, judgmental, and too easily offended by others.

Through your weakness learn compassion toward the faults of others. Sincere prayer will soften your heart and make you gentle, kind, and pliable in God’s hands. Do you want God to be as critical of you as you are of others?

You will not become perfect by hearing or reading about perfection. The important thing is not to listen to yourself, but silently listen to God. Talk little and do much, without caring to be seen. God will teach you more than any book or person can.

Every Fenelon quote I post is something I need to hear. This is certainly no exception. One of the thoughts in this quote that I most need to reflect on is this one: “…Give Him your natural arrogance, your worldly wisdom, your attachment to your house, and your fear that no one will recognize your “greatness.” You also need to let God deal with your harsh attitude in dealing with things that don’t go as you expect them to…” All of this points to self - something I am constantly needing to battle. If all of us are honest, we all probably struggle with this to some degree or another. And if you’re saying to yourself “No, I definitely don’t struggle with this”, this is probably meant for you more than anyone else.

Jesus wants us to rest in Him… and stop striving. Stop working so hard to “do” and focus, rather on “being”. Being loved. Being God’s child. Being redeemed. Being forgiven. Being accepted. Being favored. Being cherished. Being approved. The more we try to “do” thinking we can earn God’s approval, the further from God’s ultimate plan for our lives we move.

I finished Garry Wills’ well-done biography of Augustine today. There are many rich thoughts and subjects worth noting, but I wanted to highlight a memorable quote as he reflected on the “carnality of the incarnation.” Augustine says of Christ:

“Man’s maker was made man that He, Ruler of the stars, might nurse at his mother’s breast; that the Bread might hunger, the Fountain thirst, the Light sleep, the Way be tired on its journey; that Truth might be accused of false witnesses, the Teacher be beaten with whips, the Foundation be suspended on wood; that Strength might grow weak; that the Healer might be wounded; that Life might die.”

Gary Wills, Saint Augustine, pp. 139-140.

What insight from one of the most influential and important founders of our faith. Augustine obviously meditated often and deeply on the person and work of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. We would do well to do the same.

I highly recommend reading on and studying the history of the Church even for your own personal devotion. I’ve been ministered to richly as I’ve spent much time this year focusing on Church History - especially biographies of some of the men who laid the foundation on which we stand today. It is an important part of our heritage and can be a very devotional exercise to reflect on (and express gratitude for) the work that some very faithful men and women did on behalf of the Church in the last 2000 years.

I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to take a sabbatical over the next month, with grateful thanks going to the elder board at Fellowship where I serve. Besides a fairly lengthy reading list (there’s no chance I’ll ever get through all the books I brought on this sabbatical!), my primary goal is to rest. And after just the first few days of this sabbatical, I’m learning that I need to learn how to rest. I’ve spent myself considerably over the first eight years of helping start this church, and I’m looking forward to the next season of ministry… so, I’m praying that I’ll be able to adequately rest during this time and come back to ministry refreshed and rejuvenated. I’m finding, however, that I’m just not very good at resting. Slowing down. Unplugging. Part of it is my overactive brain. Part of it is my desire to always be growing, learning, accomplishing…

Eating the bread of anxious toil
In my time in the Word, I’ve recently come across a couple passages that speak to this issue. The first is Psalm 127:2

“It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest,

eating the bread of anxious toil;

for He gives to His beloved sleep.”

Part of the pattern I’ve developed over the last few years is staying up late…mostly doing “good” things like reading, working, communicating, writing… (Although until recently getting rid of everything but the very basic cable, I’m ashamed to say t.v. took up too much of my time - especially during Survivor, American Idol and 24!) And, the time I most connect with God is very early in the morning, before the boys wake up… so I haven’t been getting great sleep for quite a while. According to Psalm 127:2, this is not a good thing! I will say that in the last year, I’ve entered into a season where I’m eating less of the bread of “anxious toil”, but I’m certainly not above that. I’ve eaten enough of that bread to supply an entire bakery! Solomon, the psalmist, says this is in vain. Ouch.

So, it’s on this sabbatical that I’m trying to develop new habits and patterns that will a) help me get better sleep, which come to find out is a Biblical concept!, and b) truly learn how to rest. What this means for me: STOP the drive to check email. Stop thinking about work. Enjoy down time. Understand that while working through my reading list is good, if it is not restful, I’m actually hindering God’s work on my soul…

What does it look like for you?

One thing to keep in mind is that, according to Psalm 127, sleep is actually a gift! I often think of sleep as that non-productive waste of good hours that could be used for better things like reading God’s word or prayer, or family time, or study, or writing… What an unbiblical way to look at God’s gift! “He gives to His beloved sleep.” Lord, help me rest in this.

The Good Portion
Another passage - maybe even more significant is Luke 10:38-42. Jesus is welcomed by Martha into her home, and begins to teach. While Martha is busy serving, her sister Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to His teaching. Verse 40 says something very interesting. It doesn’t simply say that Martha was busy serving her guests. It says “But Martha was distracted with much serving.” I think the writer is making a point here. Serving is good. But this kind of serving was distracting Martha from something much better. We find out what in the coming verses. Martha says to Jesus “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” Martha is bugged that she’s the only one serving. Mary is obviously not doing anything productive. She’s just sitting there listening. What kind of helper is she anyway?

I love Jesus’ response: “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Jesus doesn’t want us to be anxious. Troubled. Distracted. He wants us to sit at his feet. He says that Mary has chosen the “good portion”. Other translations say she has chosen what is “better.” What is it that is better? It’s spending time with Jesus. Yes, there is a time for work. There is a time for serving. There is a time for doing. But there is also a time for rest. There is a time to just sit with Jesus. It is good for the soul and is the “one thing” that is “necessary.”

One of the phrases that jumps out at me in this passages is Jesus’ words to Martha - that she is distracted by “many things.” This can also be my temptation. I like to get my hands in a lot of pots. Or irons in a lot of fires. Whatever analogy works best for being very active. And the way my mind works, I can tend to “be anxious and troubled about many things” in the same way as Martha. That’s why I need to be proactive and intentional about taking some “Mary time” to sit at the feet of Jesus. I try to be disciplined about this but it doesn’t come naturally or easy by any stretch.

One of the great habits we’ve gotten into with our worship and arts staff team is taking a monthly “listening day” based on this passage. Some call it a day of spiritual refreshment. It’s required for everyone. No cell phones, no computers, no work, no coming into the office. Just getting with Jesus and spending time at his feet. I would encourage everyone to do something like this on a regular basis. Of course, it doesn’t replace daily time with the Lord. That is absolutely essential. But, a day a month that is extended and focused on being quiet and hearing the voice of Jesus. It is one of the best things we have done as a team - and it is a sweet thing at our staff meetings when we share how the Lord has led us and spoken to us individually and uniquely during these times.

There are many things to do. There is much to accomplish for the sake of the Gospel… But according to Jesus, only one thing is necessary…

This morning, I came to another one of my favorite passages where Paul conveys the immeasurable worth of reading, studying and meditating on the treasures we find in the Word of God. Colossians 3:16-17:

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

What does it mean to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…?” It is living and active - life-giving and powerful… and in order for it to “dwell richly”, we must read it, cherish it, know it. And if it dwells in our hearts and our minds, it will guide us when we need to call on its wisdom and direction into the counsel of God’s will for our lives - that we may “stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God” as Paul says later in Colossians 4:12.

I’m on sabbatical for a few weeks and am continuing my 2006 reading focus in Church History - what a rich treasure-trove of inspiration! In addition to continuing to read through a couple books dedicated to a summary of Church History, I’ve also brought along biographies of Augustine, Athanasius and Jonathan Edwards. I’m just about finished with Augustine, and while not a long book by any stretch, I’ve placed a comma there and read Saint Athanasius in a day. WOW. What an amazing and faithful man of God. Man of resolve. Patience. Steadfastness. Persistence. Resilience.

I was inspired to read his biography after listening to John Piper give a message on the life of Athanasius at the 2006 Passion conference in Nashville. Every year, Piper focuses biographically on one figure from Church History in his teaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church. Athanasius was his chosen subject last year. You can read the entirety of Piper’s article entitled “Contending For Our All: The Life and Ministry of Athanasius” here.

Here is the introduction to give you an entry point into his life:

Athanasius was born in AD 298 in Egypt and became the bishop of Alexandria on June 8, 328 at the age of 30. The people of Egypt viewed him as their bishop until he died on May 2, 373 at the age of 75.¹ I say he was “viewed” by the people as their bishop during these years because Athanasius was driven out of his church and office five times by the powers of the Roman empire. Seventeen of his 45 years as bishop were spent in exile. But the people never acknowledged the validity of the other bishops sent to take his place. He was always bishop in exile as far as his flock was concerned.

Gregory of Nazianzus (330-389) gave a memorial sermon in Constantinople seven years after the death of Athanasius and described the affections of the Egyptian people for their bishop. At the end of the third exile from his homeland, when Athanasius returned in 364 after six years away, Gregory tells us:

amid such delight of the people of the city and of almost all Egypt, that they ran together from every side, from the furthest limits of the country, simply to hear the voice of Athanasius, or feast their eyes upon the sight of him.²

From their standpoint none of the foreign appointments to the office of bishop in Alexandria for 45 years was valid but one, Athanasius. This devotion was owing to the kind of man Athanasius was. Gregory remembered him like this:

Let one praise him in his fastings and prayers . . . , another his unweariedness and zeal for vigils and psalmody, another his patronage of the needy, another his dauntlessness towards the powerful, or his condescension to the lowly. . . . [He was to] the unfortunate their consolation, the hoary-headed their staff, youths their instructor, the poor their resource, the wealthy their steward. Even the widows will . . . praise their protector, even the orphans their father, even the poor their benefactor, strangers their entertainer, brethren the man of brotherly love, the sick their physician.³

One of the things that makes that kind of praise from a contemporary the more credible is that, unlike many ancient saints, Athanasius is not recorded as having done any miracles. Archibald Robertson, who edited Athanasius’ works for the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, said, “He is . . . surrounded by an atmosphere of truth. Not a single miracle of any kind is related of him. . . . The saintly reputation of Athanasius rested on his life and character alone, without the aid of any reputation for miraculous power.”⁴ Then he goes on with his own praise of Athanasius:

In the whole of our minute knowledge of his life there is a total lack of self-interest. The glory of God and the welfare of the Church absorbed him fully at all times. . . . The Emperors recognized him as a political force of the first order . . . but on no occasion does he yield to the temptation of using the arm of flesh. Almost unconscious of his own power . . . his humility is the more real for never being conspicuously paraded. . . . Courage, self-sacrifice, steadiness of purpose, versatility and resourcefulness, width of ready sympathy, were all harmonized by deep reverence and the discipline of a single-minded lover of Christ.⁵

Father of Orthodoxy

This single-minded love for Jesus Christ expressed itself in a lifelong battle to explain and defend Christ’s deity and to worship Christ as Lord and God. This is what Athanasius is best known for. There were times when it seemed the whole world had abandoned orthodoxy. That is why the phrase “Athanasius contra Mundum” (against the world) arose. He stood steadfast against overwhelming defection from orthodoxy, and only at the end of his life could he see the dawn of triumph.

Athanasius’ main (and life-long) battle for truth was with the Arians - originally led by their namesake, Arius - whose teaching lived on in the belief that Jesus was not God, but was instead created by God. In their view, Jesus was not the Creator, but instead was a creature. It was against this heresy that the Emperor Constantine convened the Council of Nicea  in A.D. 325. Athanasius and Arius were invited to attend by Constantine, although not as Bishops, but as onlooking contributors to the debate.

Piper draws seven conclusions from this study of the life of Athanasius that I think are very helpful to apply to our lives as believers today:

1. Defending and explaining doctrine is for the sake of the gospel of Christ’s glory and our everlasting joy.

2. Joyful courage is the calling of a faithful shepherd.

3. Loving Christ includes loving true propositions about Christ.

4. The truth of biblical language must be vigorously protected with non-biblical language.

5. A widespread and long-held doctrinal difference among Christians does not mean that the difference is insignificant or that we should not seek to persuade toward the truth and seek agreement.

6. Don’t aim to preach only in categories of thought that can be readily understood by this generation. Aim at creating biblical categories of thought that are not present.

7. Finally, we must not assume that old books, which say some startling things, are necessarily wrong, but may in fact have something glorious to teach us that we never dreamed.⁴³

Rather than expounding on each of these principles, I will simply encourage you to read the entire article on the Desiring God website here. There are many ways in which we can apply these truths to our lives and especially in light of the “generous orthodoxy” and moving target of truth we find in many “emerging” discussions, what Athanasius lived and fought for is as applicable today as it was in the 4th century.

HT: DesiringGod Ministries 

Andreas Kostenberger writes:

“Whatever happened to truth?” Look at him there, standing in front of Pilate, bearing witness to the truth, calmly stating that his kingdom is not of this world. “Behold, the man!” Here is the Truth, beaten and bruised for our sins, hung on a tree-look at him now, crucified.

Who would have thought? Truth is a person. What is more, truth is a crucified person, Jesus the Messiah, the one-of-a-kind, sent Son from the Father. Three days later, that Truth rose from the grave. Death could not keep him. He showed himself to many and is now exalted with God.

“Whatever happened to truth?” In one sense, the answer is, “The truth is just fine, thank you.” Jesus, the Word, continues to speak to those with ears to hear in his word, the Scriptures. He has returned to his glory with the Father and awaits his return from there at the Father’s appointed time.

In another sense, however, truth is languishing in a state of crisis in our day. In much of contemporary culture, truth has been supplanted by a kind of paranoia that is so skeptical toward any finality of knowing that it is prone to believe conspiracy theories, no matter how far-fetched (witness the Da Vinci Code pehnomenon). All of this contributes to a sense of uncertainty that holds that all knowledge is provisional and subject to constant revision as new facts surface that need to be considered. In this context, can truth, “true truth,” to quote Francis Schaeffer once again, long survive? Or is it time to declare the death of truth just as some declared (prematurely, one might add) the death of God in a previous generation?

The preceding selection is excerpted from the epilogue of Whatever Happened to Truth? (Crossway, 2005). You are encouraged to read the excellent contributions by Albert Mohler, J. P. Moreland, and Kevin Vanhoozer in this volume.

HT:  Biblical Foundations

Every Friday is Fenelon Friday, where we drink from the very deep well of my favorite 17th century French Bishop in the Catholic Church. Francois de Salignac de La Mothe-Fenelon (born 1651) was a mentor to a number of younger men on the court of Louis XIV. In fact, he was given the responsibility of raising the young man who would proceed Louis XIV to the throne of France (the King’s grandson). Many of Fenelon’s writings are actually letters he wrote to some of these young leaders as they sought to walk the life of faith in the face of opposition and adversity. Fenelon’s teachings were met with resistance within the Catholic Church because they aligned more with Reformation teachings than with Catholic dogma at times, and his hope was that once his student became the King of France, he would be instrumental in the reformation of the Catholic Church and bring a real witness of Jesus Christ to France. Those hopes were dashed in 1712 with the premature death of the King’s grandson. Fenelon died not long after that in 1715 at the age of 63, but his teachings live on and continue to influence 300 years after he lived.

Absolute Surrender

Inward peace comes with absolute surrender to the will of God. You need to come to a simple calmness of spirit which comes from giving up everything to God and having patience with your neighbor… The reason you feel so agitated is that you do not accept everything that happens to you with complete trust in God. Put everything in His hand, and offer yourself to Him as a sacrifice. The moment you stop wanting things to be your way, you will be free from so much worry and concern… Until you reach this point of surrender, your life will be full of trouble and aggravation… So, give your heart wholly to God and you will find peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Francois de Salignac de La Mothe-Fenelon, The Seeking Heart, p. 175

There is an interesting and I believe very important discussion going on at Together For the Gospel blog regarding the “debate” around faithfulness and relevance in the Church. Beginning with:

Mark Dever’s “Assumptions and Pursuits” here, followed by:

Ligon Duncan: Relevance, Customer Needs and Faithfulness

Al Mohler: The Cutting Edge

C.J. Mahaney: Cross-Centered Relevance 

Al Mohler: Two Kinds of Relevance 

Given the “Church Growth Phenomenon” of the last twenty years and the continued growth of large and mega churches - many of whom claim the “seeker-sensitive” model of ministry - this is a crucial discussion. Relevance is important… but at what cost?

In Dever’s “Assumptions and Pursuits” he says the following which clearly states the problem:

…having been in an unusual (even for me) number of meetings of pastors in the last few months, and reading everything from Rob Bell’s Velvet Jesus to John MacArthur’s Fool’s Gold (I think the latter volume is the better), I’ve been giving a lot of thought to colloquiums, cooperation, alliances, being together and denominations.  What is it that we pastors are grouping around?  Here’ my brief summary.

I think the most basic practical division among evangelical pastors today may be between those who pursue faithfulness and assume relevance and those who pursue relevance and assume faithfulness.

Imagine a spectrum running between those two alternatives; on its edges are positions most all of us would clearly recognize as wrong.  So on the faithfulness side would be a Greek Orthodox like use of untranslated Greek language in the service.  We might believe that the physical fact of proximity to God’s Word or hearing the inspired language (even if we don’t understand it) might have an almost magical force.  By that I mean, a power unrelated to our comprehension of the words.  No concern about irrelevance if the content is correct.  On the other hand we might find those who want to relate to the world precisely, with no distinct life or message.  Those for whom Paul’s  example in I Cor. 9:19-23 is the explanation for what amounts to the vanishing of the church as any distinct society.

The middle of the spectrum is where each of us intends to be–the right balance, the perfect combination of utter faithfulness to the Gospel and piercing relevance in its presentation.  And I suspect that most of us imagine we’re not too far from there, or else we would alter our location!

This is part 5 in Bob Kauflin’s series on physical expressiveness in worship:

In response to the series I did on physical expressiveness in corporate worship, I received a follow-up question from the gentleman who originally asked the question. It was pretty extensive, but this was his closing query:

Bottom, Bottom, Lowest of Bottom Lines: Am I exegetically, theologically, homiletically accurate when I say, “God COMMANDS us to CLAP our hands!”? Or should it be softened to “God ENCOURAGES us to express our love and worship to Him using our bodies?” And then let people do what they’re comfortable with.

Great question. And I want to commend him for seeking to pinpoint as clearly as possible what God tells us in His Word and what He doesn’t tell us.

In a set of unpublished notes from a course he has taught, Iain Duguid suggests that three possibilities exist when we are dealing with commands for corporate worship from the Old Testament.

• It’s a command that points forward to fulfillment in Jesus, so it no longer applies. Animal sacrifices would be the most obvious example.

• It’s a command that applies enduringly and universally to all of God’s people and should be obeyed. For instance we are never to worship idols nor worship God in a merely external manner.

• It’s a command that reflects cultural and local practices given to ethnic Israel, which do not govern us directly but merely in “their general equity.”

It would be a stretch to say that lifting hands, shouting, or dancing, for instance, has been fulfilled in Jesus. But does that mean they are commands that are always to be obeyed when we gather to exalt God? That would be a hard case to make as well. I know I used to think that if I wasn’t jumping up and down at some point my worship of God was insincere or somehow inadequate. But, if that’s true, does that mean senior saints, those who are paralyzed, and uncoordinated people are in sin? No.

So that leaves us with the third category – culturally related commands that need to be applied in our specific context. However, I think we can do better than simply tell people, “Interpret these Scriptural commands for physical expressiveness in way you feel comfortable with.” That doesn’t address those who don’t show physical expression in worship due to laziness, selfishness, fear of man, or other idolatries. It also doesn’t acknowledge that many different “cultures” may exist in our culture, and that the church in many ways is called to be counter-cultural.

This is an example of the danger of looking for specific rules and commands to follow in gathered worship to make sure we’re doing everything “right.” We too easily justify ourselves before God by what we do or don’t do, and end up missing the weightier issue of loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Rather than arguing whether a specific command applies to us at this specific moment, it’s better to ask, “Do our minds, hearts, and bodies reflect the overall biblical case for how we are to respond to God?”

Clearly, in both Old and New Testaments, God expects our bodies to reflect our heart’s desire to exalt his name and glory when we meet together. He gives us various ways that please him, one of the most prominent being singing. However shouting, dancing, lifting hands, bowing, kneeling are also physical expressions that can honor God when done from the heart in faith.

So, to someone who insisted that God doesn’t “command” us to clap our hands so therefore we don’t have to do it, I would ask the following questions:

Assuming that God want us to exalt Him with our bodies, what physical expressions of praise in Scripture do you think ARE appropriate in corporate worship? How do you distinguish between what’s appropriate and what’s not?

Do you think that all forms of physical expressiveness are natural, or that they can be learned?

Is there a possibility that your resistance to physical expression is more rooted in laziness, lack of understanding, or a craving for people’s respect? How do you know?

Is singing appropriate for worshipping God? If so, why not shouting? (Ps. 71:23; 81:1)

Are there any physical expressions of worship modeled or commanded in the Bible that you’ve never engaged in? If so, why not?

I’m sure there are other questions that could be asked. Maybe you can suggest some. But I think these questions would be enough to get a meaningful conversation going, resulting in the individual examining his or heart more thoroughly to see where they might seek to exalt our Savior more sincerely, wholeheartedly, and passionately - which should be the main focus from start to finish.

HT: Worship Matters