Radical

I recently read David Platt's book Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From The American Dream and I would highly recommend it.  Through reading this book, my eyes have been opened as to how I love this world more than Christ.  This book is very challenging and while it is a short book, it isn't something you can read in one sitting because it is so convicting!  As a Christian, I am called to take up my cross and follow after Christ.  David Platt fleshes out in real, hard hitting ways what that means and how it is contrary to the American dream. 

If you are looking for a great review of this book, visit the Search & See blog.  Pastor Wil Owens is much smarter than me and does a much better review than I could ever do!  After you read his review, go to Lifeway or Amazon and purchase Radical! 

Fighting Discontentment

About a year ago, I read a book by Jerry Bridges Respectable Sins: Confronting The Sins We Tolerate.  Convicting?  Oh yes!  He addresses many of the sins that we don't even call sins: impatience, discontentment, irritability, anger, anxiety, frustration, unthankfulness, etc.  Wow, I see those things evident in my life way too much.  His point of the book is that we have to call those emotions what they are: sin.  We can't brush them off like they are no big deal, but remember they are sins against our Holy God.

One of the sins that has came to mind the most after reading the book is the sin of discontentment.  For me, it is a sin that creeps up on me and before I know it, I am not happy with life.  Anyone else feel this way?  I begin to think that the grass is greener other places.  Thankfully, the Lord doesn't leave me in that sinful place, and the Holy Spirit begins to convict me and remind me that I have nothing to be discontented about.  It is so easy to focus on worldly things instead of focusing on the gospel. 

What helps me fight against discontentment?  Preaching the gospel to myself.  When I begin to think about all that I have in the gospel  - my sins completely forgiven, a perfect life lived for me, an eternity with Christ - what do I have to discontented about?  Nothing!  No matter how things are in this life, all will be right in the next life.   Praying for persecuted believers.  I live in a free country where no one will arrest me or kill me for owning a Bible or worshiping privately and corporately.  When I begin to pray for those believers who are facing unimaginable horrors just because of the name of Jesus, I weep because of my sin.  Who am I to deserve what I have?  Recalling all my blessings.  The Lord has blessed me with a godly, wonderful husband who loves me deeply.  My boys are such a huge blessing to me and they are so healthy - what an amazing gift.  I also have wonderful parents, extended family, and all the comforts of the modern world. 

When I look at the above list, I am reminded once again that I have nothing to be discontented about.  Life is not always going to be exactly the way I want it because we live in a sinful world.  However, because of the cross there can always be contentment in my heart. 

One last note, if you haven't read Jerry Bridge's book, you should!  

Easter Prayer

Crucifixion And Resurrection

O Lord,

I marvel that thou shouldst become incarnate,

be crucified, dead, and buried.

The sepulchre calls forth my adoring wonder,

   for it is empty and thou art risen;

   the four-fold gospel attests it,

   the living witnesses prove it,

   my heart's experience knows it.

Give me to die with thee that I may rise to new life,

  for I wish to be as dead and buried

   to sin, to selfishness, to the world;

  that I might not hear the voice of the charmer,

   and might be delivered from his lusts.

O Lord, there is much ill about me - crucify it,

  much flesh within me - mortify it.

Purge me from selfishness,

   the fear of man, the love of approbation,

   the shame of being thought old-fashioned,

   the desire to be cultivated or modern.

Let me reckon my old life dead

   because of crucifixion,

 and never feed it as a living thing.

Grant me to stand with my dying Saviour,

  to be content to be rejected,

  to be willing to take up unpopular truths,

  and to hold fast despised teachings until death.

Help me to be resolute and Christ-contained.

Never let me wander from the path of obedience

  to thy will.

Strengthen me for the battled ahead.

Give me courage for all the trials,

  and grace for all the joys.

Help me to be a holy, happy person,

  free from every wrong desire,

  from everything contrary to thy mind.

Grant me more and more of the resurrection life:

   may it rule me,

   may I walk in its power,

   and be strengthened through its influence. 

- From The Valley of Vision

Needy

Last month, I taught a 4-week bible study on the book Shopping for Time: How to Do It All and NOT Be Overwhelmed. The book's authors are the girltalk bloggers and I enjoyed it so much! They offer five tips to help you use your time wisely:

1. Rise Early
2. Sit Still
3. Sit & Plan
4. Consider People
5. Plan to Depend

All of the chapters were helpful, but the second and fifth chapters were especially meaningful to me. Today, I'll focus on the second chapter and another post will cover the last chapter.

If you know me well, then you know that I don't like to sit still. I am always moving and doing. The moment my feet hit the floor, I'm ready to go. It amazes Josh that I can be up for 5 minutes and already washing the dishes or clothes, or vacuuming the floors. The first thing I normally think when I wake up is, "Oh, I need to do _____ today," and most of the time I want to do it right then, especially if it is a chore that I dislike.

However, from the time I was a teenager I learned the discipline of sitting still with the Lord in the mornings. I'm the type of person that cannot have private worship in the evenings because I'm too tired or I make too many excuses. It was much easier to get up earlier as a teenager (I had to go to school) or as an adult without children (I had to go to work), it is MUCH harder to get out of bed now that I have children. Why? Because sleep can so easily become an idol in my life. If it were up to me, I would go to bed by 9pm every night. Sometimes when we tuck Thomas into bed, I just want to snuggle up next to him and it is only 8pm! Yes, my children do sleep all night now, but it is still a struggle to get up most mornings.

What I am learning is that I desperately need to sit still with the Lord now more than ever. Why? Because I can't meet the needs of my family in my strength - I am weak and frail and utterly sinful - I need Jesus! And until I read this book, I never realized how prideful it is not to spend time with the Lord. This is how the authors explained it:

Conversely, choosing not to sit at Jesus' feet makes a statement. It says to the Lord, "I can do it without you. I don't need to read your Word or pray or listen to your voice. I am competent all by myself, thank you very much." These are frighteningly arrogant words we're saying, if not with our mouth then with our heart.

I am ashamed to say that my heart has often uttered those words. Oh, LORD forgive my prideful and conceited heart and give me grace to call out to my Savior!

What am I doing in light of reading this chapter? I am committing to rise early (their first tip) at 6am and to sit still at Jesus' feet because I am truly lost without him. Am I prone to fall away? Yes, as the hymn says, "Prone to wander Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love." Am I prone to legalism? Yes. Sometimes it is easy to think that I can "earn favor" from God or that he loves me more, but he doesn't.

Are you needy? Then join me in sitting still and communing with our Father in heaven. I promise your days will be more peaceful and you will actually look forward to rising early.

Watch This

Many of you who read this blog probably also read GirlTalk. If you haven't read their post from yesterday and watched the video they recommend, I want to encourage you to. This post is a link to an extraordinary testimony of a lady named Rachel Barkey who is dying of cancer and probably won't live to see her 38th birthday. I watched her testimony this afternoon and was moved beyond words. She gives such a clear presentation of who we are and who God is while being very honest and open about her situation. Make sure and have some tissue handy because you will cry. I hope more than bringing you to tears, her testimony will increase your love for Jesus; it certainly did for me.

Easter 2009

We have had a busy week, but I did want to post a few pictures from this past weekend. On Saturday morning, Thomas went to the Easter Egg Hunt at church. I thought he would "get it" this year, but he is so easily distracted that he didn't seem too interested in picking up the eggs. At first, he tried to put the eggs in another child's basket and then he wanted to play with the toys since we were hunting inside due to the ground being wet. He did pick up a few eggs after much coaxing and praising from us.

Resurrection Sunday was a wonderful day. We had a sunrise service at 7:30am and the regular worship service at 10:30am. It was a great day of worship and I always enjoy hearing Josh preach the Word passionately and boldly! I fixed Easter lunch for us and Josh's parents and then we relaxed and napped in the afternoon.

Below are some pictures from our weekend.

Josh reading the Easter story to the kids.

Reflecting on The Cross

This week as we look forward to Resurrection Sunday, I'm taking time every day just to reflect on the cross. One of the books that is really helping me to meditate on the cross is Jesus, Keep Me Near The Cross edited by Nancy Guthrie. The past two days I have been overwhelmed by the thought of Jesus, who knew no sin, becoming sin for me and drinking the cup of God's wrath so that I could drink the cup of salvation. I find that it is so easy to just think, "Oh yeah, Jesus died on the cross for my sins," and not to ponder what I'm saying. There is SO much that Jesus did on the cross and we will spend all eternity praising Him for it!

I would highly recommend this book, even if you can't purchase it before Easter. We need to think of the cross all the time, because only when we reflect on the cross do we see ourselves for who we truly are - wretched sinners.

One of my favorite songs is especially fitting this week. It is The Power of The Cross by the Getty's. Here is a video of Kristyn Getty singing it along with a choir in San Diego, CA. I pray that all who read this blog this week grow to love our Savior more as you glory in the cross of Christ!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve has arrived and I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! I love this time of year because not only do we take time to spend with family, but most of all to remember and meditate on the truth of the gospel: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth" John 1:14. What a magnificent and beautiful picture of Christmas that Jesus took on flesh and dwelt among us so that we could see the glory of the Father and receive grace and truth! There is no greater reason to celebrate Christmas than Jesus leaving the glory of heaven to live with us and in 33 short years, to die for his people - amazing love!

Our family has the privilege of staying at home this Christmas. We are going to Josh's parents this evening, but they live just across town. My parents are coming here for Christmas day and we are so glad! Since Thomas is a little older now we don't want to travel and we want to begin to make special traditions for our family. We are having Santa as part of our Christmas, and I know many Christians don't, but we both "believed" in Santa as children and enjoyed the experience. However, the emphasis is not on Santa, but on Jesus. Tomorrow morning when Thomas wakes up, we are going to read the Christmas story as a family before we ever open presents. As Thomas gets older, we plan to do the Advent calendar and to place the emphasis on giving to others. Josh and I believe in supporting the Lottie Moon Christmas offering sacrificially and we want to teach our children to give as well.

Something Josh said in a sermon a couple of weeks has resonated with me this year, "Don't have a Charles Dickens Christmas, but have a Christ-centered Christmas." While family, food, and gifts are a wonderful part of Christmas they are not the main thing and my prayer for our family is for our Christmas to focus on our God who came to dwell among sinful people.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!