How do we make Christianity relevant?

One of my good friends shared an interesting article from the Wall Street Journal with me earlier in the week on "Hipster Christianity." The author, a young evangelical named Brett McCracken acknowledges the growing concern amongst Christian communities, namely, the flight of younger generations away from the church. McCracken doesn't explore the reason behind the mass exodus, rather he critiques attempts by churches to make Christianity relevant to younger generations by making it cool, hip, trendy, shocking, etc. It is really not hard to think of churches, congregations, worship leaders, and writers who 'revamped' their image to reach their audience. Today, everyone's in the business of marketing. So, why not the church? Several questions popped into my mind as I read this article: Is this wrong? Is the "image overhaul" even necessary? Better yet, how do we make Christianity relevant?

There is no reason to make something relevant if it was never irrelevant in the first place. Last I checked, creation had fallen, man was sinful, and Christ had yet to return. Therefore, the Gospel is still relevant. I think the real problem is the fear, laziness, and unbelief amongst Christians. We, myself included, believe the Gospel is powerless and that somehow Jesus is not enough. Why else would we present another image to non-believers? Why else would we revamp our churches or feel the need to make Christianity cool? I think we are ashamed of the Gospel and I think we have convinced ourselves that that preaching the Gospel and calling upon the Lord to intercede is not enough to save sinners. Christians need to reach the broken, the sex addicts, the hipsters, the failures, and the youngsters, but we don't need to be hip, shocking, or trendy to do so. We just need to be bold enough to preach the Gospel there - and believe in its power and the power of our Father to change even the hardest hearts.

I love the way that McCracken concludes:

If the evangelical Christian leadership thinks that "cool Christianity" is a sustainable path forward, they are severely mistaken. As a twentysomething, I can say with confidence that when it comes to church, we don't want cool as much as we want real.

If we are interested in Christianity in any sort of serious way, it is not because it's easy or trendy or popular. It's because Jesus himself is appealing, and what he says rings true. It's because the world we inhabit is utterly phony, ephemeral, narcissistic, image-obsessed and sex-drenched—and we want an alternative. It's not because we want more of the same.

Thoughts?

The Saviour

I read this earlier today from The Valley of Vision and have to share it:

Thou God of all Grace,

Thou hast given me a Savior,

produce in me a faith to live by him,

to make him all my desire,

all my hope,

all my glory.

May I enter him as my refuge,

build on him as my foundation,

walk in him as my way,

follow him as my guide,

conform to him as my example,

receive his instructions as my prophet,

rely on his intercessions as my high priest,

obey him as my king.

May I never be ashamed of him or his words,

but joyfully bear his reproach,

never displease him by unholy or imprudent conduct,

never count it a glory if I take it patiently when buffeted for a fault,

never make the multitude my model,

never delay when they Word invites me to advance.

May thy dear Son preserve me from this present evil world,

so that its smiles never allure,

nor its frowns terrify,

nor its vices defile,

nor its errors delude me.

May I feel that I am a stranger and a pilgrim on earth,

declaring plainly that I seek a country,

my title to it becoming daily more clear,

my meetness for it more perfect,

my foretastes of it more abundant;

and whatsoever I do may it be done

in the Saviour's name.

Community & The Local Church

...And I am back from the blogging sabbatical! Gotta love an unintentional sabbatical.

Jeff Lacine of Desiring God ministries had a phenomenal series on the importance of the local church. I think Christians today love to talk about community. Key word here: talk. I think community is something we pay a lot of lip service to, but we often struggle to integrate it into our daily living (myself included). The best place to find and partake in community: the local church. Many try to down play its importance, but I truly believe the local church is vital to the life of a believer. It is a place of deep friendship and sharing, a means to interact with grace, and a source of encouragement and support. Lacine's first installment in the series on perseverance (pasted below) is my favorite. To have people in your life "battling" for your sanctification and perseverance - what a beautiful gift!

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. (Hebrews 3:12-14)

In this passage we have wonderful assurance and firm warning. The wonderful assurance comes from the last sentence: For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. Said another way, if we have come to share in Christ, we will persevere. True believers will never fall from grace and be disqualified from their inheritance, period.

On the flip side, this passage comes as a firm warning. We are exhorted to seek out the means that God has appointed to keep us from falling away. Namely, the local church. Not only as an institution or formal assembly, but as friends and encouragers—brothers and sisters battling for each other's sanctification and perseverance. This regular and honest interaction with other believers is a means of grace that God has appointed to counteract the self-deceiving, heart-hardening sin that would otherwise lead us away from God.

God has designed for our perseverance to be realized in authentic community—living and dying together in the gospel of Christ.

Birthday v. 25

Forget inviting Alex and Twitch from So You Think You Can Dance to my next birthday. I want my party to look like this:

Welcome to Hogwarts

Real Wisdom

There is so much "wisdom" offered by writers, pastors, counselors, and self- proclaimed experts on relationships, singleness, and marriage today. I don't want to discount what their messages or claim that they are untrue, but is it all really necessary? Captivating, Wild at Heart, Passion and Purity, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, Marriage on the Rock, the list goes on and on. I often find myself more anxious, confused, or even worse, convinced that I am now "ready" after listening to sermons or reading books on the subject.

I started reading The Shadow of the Almighty the other day, which is the story of Jim Elliot, written by his wife Elizabeth. He writes this, which I believe to be real wisdom and a simple truth for all of us to cling to:

"No one warns young people to follow Adam's example. He waited till God saw his need. Then God made Adam sleep, prepared for his mate, and brought her to him. We need more of this 'being asleep' in the will of God. Then we can receive what He brings us in His own time, if at all." (50).

What's the wisdom in this? Adam waited. He rested. He didn't know what he needed, but relied on the Lord completely to care for him. And God, when he saw that it was no longer good for Adam to be alone, designed a partner specifically for him. May we all find deeper rest and greater trust in our Father, who knows each of our needs and meets them accordingly.

"O Christ, let me know Thee - let me catch glimpses of Thyself, seated and expectant in glory, let me rest there despite all wrong surging round me." - Jim Elliot (Shadow of the Almighty, 81)

Personal Holiness

Jonathan Parnell posted on the Desiring God blog today about how our holiness is dependent upon the Lord's holiness. He quotes an excerpt from John Webster's book Holiness, explaining that sanctification is not acquired sufficiency, but always referential to the triune work of grace.

The Christian’s sanctity is in Christ, in the Spirit, not in se [in itself]; it is always and only an alien sanctity. Sanctification does not signal birth of self-sufficiency, rather it indicates a 'perpetual and inherent lack of self-sufficiency'.

Sanctification 'in' the Spirit is not the Spirit's immanence in the saint. Quite the opposite: it is a matter of the externality of sanctitas christiana [Christian holiness], the saint being and acting in another.

'Sanctification in the Spirit' means: it is not I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And 'Christ lives in me' means: by the Spirit's power I am separated from my self-caused self destruction, and given a new holy self, enclosed by, and wholly referred to, the new Adam in whom I am and in whom I act (84).

Obama's Economic Fish Stories

"Obama's Economic Fish Stories" is an article featured in the Wall Street Journal today on President Obama's need to honest with his statements to the nation on the economy and employment to preserve (or regain, however you see it) his credibility. For someone who advocated government transparency during his campaign, Obama's lack of forthrightness on the severity of today's issues is dishonest and disappointing. I encourage you all to read it.

"A president's most valuable asset—with voters, Congress, allies and enemies—is credibility. So it is unfortunate when extreme exaggeration emanates from the White House.

All presidents wind up saying some things that make even their own economists cringe (often the brainchild of political advisers unconstrained by economic principles, facts or arithmetic). Usually, economic advisers manage to correct these problematic statements before delivery. Sometimes they get channeled into relatively harmless nonsense, such as President Gerald Ford's "Whip Inflation Now" buttons. Other times they produce damaging policies, such as President Richard Nixon's wage and price controls. The most illiterate statement was President Jimmy Carter's late-1970s plea to the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates to combat high inflation, the exact opposite of what it should do. Not surprisingly, the value of the dollar collapsed.

President Obama says "every economist who's looked at it says that the Recovery Act has done its job"—i.e., the stimulus bill has turned the economy around. That's nonsense. Opinions differ widely and many leading economists believe that its impact has been small. Why? The expectation of future spending and future tax hikes to pay for the stimulus and Mr. Obama's vast expansion of government are offsetting the direct short-run expansionary effect. That is standard in all macroeconomic theories.

So, as I and others warned in 2008, the permanent government expansion and higher tax rate agenda is a classic example of what not to do during bad economic times. Worse yet, all the subsidies, bailouts, regulations and mandates are forcing noncommercial decisions on the economy, which now awaits literally thousands of new diktats as a result of things like ObamaCare and the financial reform bill. The uncertainty is impeding investment and hiring.

The president does not say that economists agree that the high future taxes to finance the stimulus will hurt the economy. (The University of Chicago's Harald Uhlig estimates $3.40 of lost output for every dollar of government spending.) Either the president is not being told of serious alternative viewpoints, or serious viewpoints are defined as only those that support his position. In either case, he is being ill-served by his staff.

Mr. Obama's economic statements are increasingly divorced not only from competing viewpoints but from those of his own economic advisers. It is surprising how many numerically challenged pronouncements come from this most scripted and political of White Houses. One slip is eventually forgiven, but when a pattern emerges, no one believes it is an accident.

For example, on the anniversary of the stimulus bill, Mr. Obama declared, "It is largely thanks to the Recovery Act that a second Depression is no longer a possibility." Yet his Council of Economic Advisers just estimated the stimulus bill's effect on GDP at its trough was 1%-2%.

The most common definition of a depression is a long period in which GDP or consumption declines at least 10%. The decline in GDP in the recent recession was 3.8%, in consumption 2%. No one disputes the recession was severe, but to reach a 10% GDP decline requires tripling the administration's estimate (three times their 2% effect) added to the actual 3.8% decline. On the alternative consumption standard, the math is even more absurd. The depression statement isn't credible. The stimulus bill has assumed certain mystic powers in administration discourse, but revoking the laws of arithmetic shouldn't be one of them.

The recession would have been worse if not for the Fed's monetary policy and quantitative easing. Also important were the unmentioned automatic stabilizers—taxes falling more than income, cushioning declines in after-tax incomes and consumption—which were far larger than the spending and tax rebates in the stimulus bill. Arguing that all these policies (including injecting capital into banks, which was necessary but done poorly) may have prevented a depression is perhaps still an exaggeration but at least is within hailing distance of plausibility. On that scale, the effect of the stimulus was puny.

On his recent "Recovery Tour," Mr. Obama boasted, "The stimulus bill prevented the unemployment rate from "getting up to . . . 15%." But the president's own chief economic adviser, Christina Romer, has estimated that the stimulus bill reduced peak unemployment by one percentage point—i.e., since the unemployment rate peaked at 10.1%, it prevented the unemployment rate from rising to just over 11%. So Mr. Obama claims that the stimulus bill was several times more potent than his chief economic adviser estimates.

Perhaps the most serious disconnect concerns the impending expiration of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, which will raise the top two income tax rates and the rates on dividends and capital gains. If these growth inhibiting tax increases occur—about $75 billion in tax increases next year, $1.4 trillion over 10 years—there will be serious economic damage.

In the most recent issue of the American Economic Review, Ms. Romer (and her husband David H. Romer) conclude that "tax increases are highly contractionary . . . tax cuts have very large and persistent positive output effects." Their estimates imply the tax increases would depress GDP by roughly half the growth rate in this so-far-anemic recovery.

If Mr. Obama is really serious about a second stimulus, by far the best thing he can do is have Congress quickly extend the expiring Bush tax cuts, combined with real spending cuts set to take effect as the economy improves.

The president badly needs to make more realistic pronouncements. No one expects him to say his policies have failed (although most have delivered far less than claimed at large cost). A little candor about the results of experimentation in uncharted waters would go a long way. But at the very least, his staff needs to avoid putting these exaggerations on the teleprompter. It undermines confidence and raises concerns about competence. It's doing nobody any good—not the economy and certainly not Mr. Obama.

Mr. Boskin is a professor of economics at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. He chaired the Council of Economic Advisers under President George H.W. Bush.

Life of a Traveling Sales Rep

Some days, life is just amusing. I keep thinking that one day, when I resign from this crazy lifestyle, I will compile a book of all these ridiculous stories from the road. "Are you a basketball player," the time I was offered 4 free breakfasts at the Hilton in Jackson, MS in one visit, and the Nissan cube would both make chapter one.

From the moment I pulled out from my drive way, I knew today would be hilarious. Do you ever have the feeling, like you are on the brink of something crazy? A family of 5 joined me on the parking shuttle this morning and I can honestly say that I have never seen so much luggage in my life. I really think they could have packed up their whole house and their neighbor's house and had less luggage. It was insane. I bumped into one of my co-workers at the Delta kiosks, which was a huge blessing, because the security lines were usually long this morning (at least 45 minutes!). Why have all the laymen discovered the business traveler's secret (ie the South security check point)? At least I had company! Thank goodness I misread my flight time and showed up an hour earlier than I needed to this morning. Then, I made it to my gate to find a 1.5 hour delay. Thanks, Delta! If planes needed maintenance, you probably should have anticipated that LAST NIGHT when it was not in use. Upon my arrival to Jackson, I found out that I-20 was completely shut down, leaving me to fend for myself on back roads.

And then, there was my sales call. Oh, the sales call! You plan these introductory meetings not knowing what to expect. It was the shortest sales call of my career (a whopping 23 minutes!) and the customer even said, "I am an HP shop, with a slight tendency to buy IBM." I laughed, only because I did not know how to respond. Sounds like something a schizophrenic would say. Sales School didn't prepare me for lines like that one! I asked about this "tendency," more specifically his history with IBM and discovered a neglected customer. One of the hardest parts about this job is attempting to repair the damage inflicted upon customers by previous reps. Scars certainly don't heal quickly. I swear, half of my job is damage control. If nothing else, this job has taught me how to articulate tremendous amounts of empathy to people's situations. Undoubtedly something that I needed to learn.

The best news of all: today is only Tuesday!

Human Trafficking...at Home?

Atlanta ranks as one of the world's leading cities for the trafficking of women and children. In fact, we are #13 in the world - in the world! Each month, approximately 500 girls are trafficked in Atlanta. Nearly 7,200 men knowingly or unknowingly purchase sex from adolescent girls. The average age of child exploitation is only 14. That's horrifying. What's even more troublesome is how few Georgians are aware of this nightmare happening on our streets everyday.

Atlantans, rise up! No matter who you are, you can do something. Learn the facts and tell others. Pray for our city, for our children, and that our Father, a God of justice, to make right the brokenness of our world.

To learn more:

Street Grace

A Future. Not a Past.

Three Million Imaginary Jobs

Great article from Friday's Wall Street Journal. The White House believes the stimulus worked better than expected.

It may be that the last people in America who believe that the $862 billion economic stimulus of February 2009 created millions of net new jobs are Vice President Joe Biden and the staff economists in the White House. Yesterday, President Obama's chief economist announced that the plan had "created or saved" between 2.5 million and 3.6 million jobs and raised GDP by 2.7% to 3.2% through June 30. Don't you feel better already?

Christina Romer went so far as to claim that the 3.5 million new jobs that she promised while the stimulus was being debated in Congress will arrive "two quarters earlier than anticipated." Yup, the official White House line is that the plan is working better than even they had hoped.

We almost feel sorry for Ms. Romer having to make this argument given that since February 2009 the U.S. economy has lost a net 2.35 million jobs. Using the White House "created or saved" measure means that even if there were only three million Americans left with jobs today, the White House could claim that every one was saved by the stimulus.

The White House also naturally insists that things would be much worse without the stimulus billions spent on the likes of Medicaid payments, high speed rail projects, unemployment benefits and windmills. Mr. Obama said recently in Racine, Wisconsin that the economy "would have been a lot worse" and the unemployment rate would have gone to "12 or 13, or 15 [percent]" if government hadn't spent all of that money.

This is called a counterfactual: a what would have happened scenario that can't be refuted. What we do know is what White House economists at the time said would happen if the stimulus didn't pass. They said the unemployment rate would peak at 9% without the stimulus (there's your counterfactual) and that with the stimulus the rate would stay at 8% or below. (See the nearby chart.) In other words, today there are 700,000 fewer jobs than Ms. Romer predicted we would have if we had done nothing at all. If this is a job creation success, what does failure look like?

All of these White House jobs estimates are based on the increasingly discredited Keynesian spending "multiplier," which according to White House economist Larry Summers means that every $1 of government spending will yield roughly $1.50 in higher GDP. Ms. Romer thus plugs her spending data into the Keynesian computer models and, presto, out come 2.5 million to 3.6 million jobs, even if the real economy has lost jobs. To adapt Groucho Marx: Who are you going to believe, the White House computer models, or your own eyes?

Or, as Milton Friedman used to say, "there's no such thing as a free lunch." The money government spends does create some jobs—the folks working on road projects, say—but that money has to come from somewhere, which means taxing or borrowing it from areas of the private economy that are nearly always more productive. This doesn't mean that government spending is always a bad idea, but it does mean that government spending as economic stimulus is fanciful.

Harvard economist Robert Barro first blew apart Keynesian assumptions with his famous 1974 essay, "Are Government Bonds Net Wealth?" He and Charles J. Redlick, also of Harvard, recently updated this demolition in a new study for the Mercatus Center examining 50 years of defense spending in various countries. They find a multiplier effect of between 0.4 and 0.7. This means that government spending shrinks the private economy, because it "crowds out other components of GDP, particularly investment."

This would certainly explain better than Ms. Romer's computer models why a nearly $1 trillion stimulus has been followed by a mediocre economic recovery, a 9.5% unemployment rate, and almost no net new private job creation.

Faith

As I read through James 1 yesterday morning, a verse stood out to me that I have never noticed.

"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind." [James 1:6]

Aw, yes. This verse describes me to a tee: instead of clinging steadfastly to the Truth that I know and claim in my own heart, I am tossed about and driven by the winds of change in my own life and in the world around me. I know that our Father is faithful, unchanging, and that His love for me is endless. But, oh, how quickly I can forget to trust, to abide, and to ask in faith and with confidence.

I continue to rejoice and rest in the hymn, proclaiming the Lord's faithfulness to my own heart:

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God, my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning, new mercies I see:

All I have needed They hand hath provideth -

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Bol's Radical Christianity

Manute Bol's story was featured in the Wall Street Journal on June 25th. All I can say is WOW.

Bol, a Christian Sudanese immigrant, believed his life was a gift from God to be used in the service of others. As he put it to Sports Illustrated in 2004: "God guided me to America and gave me a good job. But he also gave me a heart so I would look back."

He was not blessed, however, with great athletic gifts. As a center for the Washington Bullets, Bol was more spectacle than superstar. At 7 feet, 7 inches tall and 225 pounds, he was both the tallest and thinnest player in the league. He averaged a mere 2.6 points per game over the course of his career, though he was a successful shot blocker given that he towered over most NBA players.

Bol reportedly gave most of his fortune, estimated at $6 million, to aid Sudanese refugees. As one twitter feed aptly put it: "Most NBA cats go broke on cars, jewelry & groupies. Manute Bol went broke building hospitals."

When his fortune dried up, Bol raised more money for charity by doing what most athletes would find humiliating: He turned himself into a humorous spectacle. Bol was hired, for example, as a horse jockey, hockey player and celebrity boxer. Some Americans simply found amusement in the absurdity of him on a horse or skates. And who could deny the comic potential of Bol boxing William "the Refrigerator" Perry, the 335-pound former defensive linemen of the Chicago Bears?

Bol agreed to be a clown. But he was not willing to be mocked for his own personal gain as so many reality-television stars are. Bol let himself be ridiculed on behalf of suffering strangers in the Sudan; he was a fool for Christ.

During his final years, Bol suffered more than mere mockery in the service of others. While he was doing relief work in the Sudan, he contracted a painful skin disease that ultimately contributed to his death.

For the rest of the story, go here.

Thoughts on Heaven

Like many Christians, I possess a deep love for the writing of C.S. Lewis. Each time I read one of his books, I am struck by his wisdom, eloquence, and sheer brilliance. Lewis' ability to provoke thoughts, affections, and wonder about Truth, heaven and hell, and good and evil through allegories and fables is just amazing, and frankly, unmatched. Yesterday afternoon, I decided to re-read The Great Divorce. I finished it late last evening and decided to re-read it again on the plane today. Lewis' writing is just beautiful. I want to keep reading it, over and over, because the images are so rich. Yet, as eloquent as his words are, they capture a tiny morsel (at best) of what heaven is really like. I can't stop thinking, wondering, marveling about heaven and anticipating the day when I will meet my Father there.

Here are some tidbits from the book...

"It's a point of view. Certainly, it's a point of view. In the meantime..."

" 'There is no meantime,' replied the other. 'All that is over. We are not playing now. I have been talking of the past (your past and mine) only in order that you may turn from it forever. One wrench and the tooth will be out. You can begin as if nothing had ever gone wrong. White as snow. It's all true, you know. He is in me, for you, with that power. And- I have come a long journey to meet you. You have seen Hell: you are in sight of Heaven. Will you, even now, repent and believe?" (38-39)

"Will you come with me to the mountains? It will hurt at first, until your feet are hardened. Reality is harsh to the feet of shadows. But will you come?"

"Well, that is a plan. I am perfectly ready to consider it. Of course, I should require some assurances... I should want a guarantee that you are taking me to a place where I shall find a wider sphere of usefulness - and scope for the talents God has given me - and an atmosphere of free inquiry - in short, all that one means by civilization and - er - the spiritual life."

'No,' said the other. 'I can promise you none of these things. No sphere of usefulness: you are not needed there at all. No scope for your talents: only forgiveness for having perverted them. No atmosphere of inquiry for I will bring you to the land no of questions but of answers, and you shall see the face of God." (40)

"But surely in the case of distinguished people, you'd hear?"

"But they (Cezanne, Claude...) aren't distinguished - no more than anyone else. Don't you understand? The Glory flows into everyone, and back from everyone: like light and mirrors. But the light's the thing."

"Do you mean there are no famous men?"

"They are all famous. They are all known, remembered, recognized by the only Mind that can give a perfect judgement." (86)

Party in the USA

US World Cup match may have set internet traffic record

"The dramatic ending to the World Cup match between the U.S. and Algeria on Wednesday could set a new record for internet traffic.

We've been watching Akamai's Net Usage Index, which tracks visitors per minute on the company's vast network of websites. In the minutes following Landon Donovan's game winning goal in the 91st minute of action (which sent the US to the round of 16), traffic spiked to 11.2 million visitors per minute, which move the event past the 2008 presidential election as the second highest traffic day of all-time."

To finish the article, go here.

Donovan rescues US's World Cup dream with goal in 91st minute

PRETORIA, South Africa -- Over and over, everything seemed to go against them.

A referee took away a win last week, and a linesman disallowed another goal Wednesday.

Now there was just 3 1/2 minutes left in their World Cup, just that much remaining until all the doubts about American soccer would rise again.

But then, in one of the most stunning turnarounds in World Cup history,Landon Donovan scored on a lightning fast counterattack 45 seconds into 4 minutes of injury time. With the most amazing late-game moment in American soccer, the United States beat Algeria 1-0 and reached the World Cup's second round.

"This team embodies what the American spirit is about," Donovan said. "We had a goal disallowed the other night, We had another good goal disallowed tonight. But we just keep going. And I think that's what people admire so much about Americans. And I'm damn proud."

Former President Bill Clinton lingered in the locker room for 45 minutes after the game to congratulate the players. When Donovan scored, raucous cheers erupted on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and even in White House auditoriums in Washington, D.C., according to e-mails sent to U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati.

"That's probably going to capture more people's attention than if we won the game 3-0 and it was easy," American goalkeeper Tim Howard said. "That emotion, that passion is what American sports fans thrive on."

To finish reading the article, go here.

Pray for the Karezecki Family

Several years ago, the Karezecki family came to the States from South Africa seeking refuge. All the children enrolled in school, Hope (the mother) found a job, and they made a home at St Paul's and in Atlanta as they petitioned for asylum. Their requests have been denied repeatedly and now, they are facing deportation in the coming months. St Paul's is petitioning on their behalf, but a change in decision is a long shot I taught Shammah (the youngest in the family) Sunday School this past year. Hope sent out a prayer to our church family and I ask you all to plead to our Father with her...

Dear Father, You told us to be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication let our requests be made known to you. And we lay this situation before you and implore your intervention and your guidance. We know that your ways are higher and that you are not limited by the wrangling of attorneys and legal decisions, or the actions and inactions of men. We seek to pray according to your will and your design. We implore you to act on our behalf and for your Glory. You have held us in your arms and have brought them this far. We know that you will continue to carry us In the face of negativity and uncertain outcomes, we revisit your faithfulness. As we grow weary of the fight, we may wait upon you even as we go about with plans and preparations. Renew our strength so that we mount up with wings as eagles. Renew our courage so that we walk in confidence and trust. You are Jehovah Nissi, the Lord Our Banner. Lead us into battle. Make a way through and make the way clear. Give us wisdom in the decisions we make and the plans we pursue. When it seems as if our enemies are overtaking us, part the sea and lead us through on dry land. As we march around the walls of government indifference, and court decisions, and human weakness, and human evil, we praise you and thank you for your presence in the midst of this. You are mightier than all. May the sound of our praise cause the walls to tumble as you rise and act on our behalf. You are Jehovah Jireh the Lord Our Provider. Grant us favor with authorities and government officials as you see fit. Make your name and glory known in this place and in this difficult season. Provide financially and emotionally; provide for every need, spoken and unspoken, known and unknown. You are Jehovah Rapha, the Lord Our Healer. You love us with tender love and you sing over us. In the midst of this tumult and stress, may the sweet sound of your voice calling, whispering of your love sustain us and be heard over all. You are Jehovah Shalom, the Lord Our Peace. You are our Fortress and Our Strong Tower. We run to you for refuge and we are safe. In you we make our home when home eludes us. You are the Quiet Place in the midst of our storm. You carry us through when we are overwhelmed. Dear Father, keep them in perfect peace. Protect them body, mind, soul, and spirit. Grant them blessing to live in peace and safety. In the name of and for the sake of and for the glory of Christ. Amen.

Musings

I re-read some of my recent posts... and realized they have all been a little heavy. So here are some random, lighthearted thoughts/confessions for you all:

- I'm addicted to watching the World Cup. When I am home alone, I watch the games on the Spanish channel because the announcers are more passionate. Fact.

- I can't find a better fiction book than Harry Potter. I read all seven books last summer and resent being a "Harry hater" for so many years. In fact, reading fiction post Harry has been a really struggle. If you haven't picked up the books, you should. Oh, and I think I am the only female on earth to dislike both The Help and Time Traveler's Wife.

- My recent music obsessions include Rosie Thomas, Mumford & Sons, Marc Scibilia, and Justin Bieber (don't hate).

- I want to learn how to make chocolate croissants.

- New favorite quote, learned from a Frenchman: "pourquoi être simple, quand vous pouvez être compliqués?"

Translation: "Why be simple, when you can be complicated?"

- I have a vine growing up through the floorboard in my room named Voo doo Mama JuJu Jr; she's the spawn of Voo doo Mama JuJu, who found a way in through the window in our den.

- The Hampton Inn in Montgomery, AL leaves me cookies and milk in my room. I asked for it once and received the royal treatment ever since. The joys of travel.

- 2 things I really dislike: Nickelback and initials on the back windshield of a car.

My Jesus I Love Thee

My Jesus, I love Thee I know Thou art mine.

For Thee all the follies of sin I resign.

My gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou .

If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus 'tis now.

I love Thee, because Thou has first loved me

and purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree.

I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow.

If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus 'tis now.

Undetected Spiritual Pride

A friend from church shared a powerful piece by Jonathan Edwards called Undetected Spiritual Pride with me earlier in the week. The key word: undetected.

Last night I hosted a party for my friend Daniel, who moved to the States from Germany a couple months ago to pursue a masters degree (in some field I cannot even pronounce) at Tech. Daniel stumbled upon St. Paul's and my community group and has been a friend ever since that day. A couple weeks ago, Daniel asked if he could hold his birthday cookout at my house. What?! After swallowing the initial shock and coming to the realization that Daniel was asking me to host a throw down for a bunch of rando (translate: weirdo) Tech students, I agreed...reluctantly. Only a handful (a child - sized handful) of friends from community group signed up to come, which made matters exponentially better. After a day of grocery shopping, baking, and cleaning, I braced myself for an evening of awkward conversations, discomfort, and who knows what else.

The party turned out great: delicious food, good fellowship, and the cherry on top, the three hour game of Balderdash with six international students. I went to bed last night feeling pretty good about myself. After all, I sacrificed my Saturday to bake and clean for my friend's party and more importantly, I sacrificed my Saturday night.

I woke up early this morning still feeling good. Last night I sacrificed my time, my money, my house, and my evening for a new friend. Not everyone would do that, I thought. I am ashamed to admit that these thoughts went through my mind. In a few spare minutes this morning, I re-read the Edwards piece. Spiritual pride detected. I did not mind hosting Daniel's party, nor did I mind cooking, cleaning, or hanging out with his friends. I am happy to give, because all I have -time, money, house, etc- belongs to the Lord's. However, I did want others to recognize and applaud my (non -existent) goodness. I wanted others to acknowledge my generosity. I wanted to boasting to be all about me, not the Lord. It was all about me. It's amazing, even my best intentions to serve others is self-seeking. If there is anything said about me or any boasting at all, I hope it is about my good and gracious Father who loves his rotten daughter infinitely.

I would encourage you all to read Edwards' insight below. Read it slowly and read it often. When you do read, try to think about yourself, not others.

Undetected Spiritual Pride by Jonathan Edwards

The first and worst cause of errors that abound in our day and age is spiritual pride. This is the main door by which the devil comes into the hearts of those who are zealous for the advancement of Christ. It is the chief inlet of smoke from the bottomless pit to darken the mind and mislead the judgment.

Pride is the main handle by which he has hold of Christian persons and the chief source of all the mischief that he introduces to clog and hinder a work of God. Spiritual pride is the main spring or at least the main support of all other errors. Until this disease is cured, medicines are applied in vain to heal all other diseases.

It is by spiritual pride that the mind defends and justifies itself in other errors and defends itself against light by which it might be corrected and reclaimed. The spiritually proud man thinks he is full of light already and feels that he does not need instruction, so he is ready to ignore the offer of it.

On the other hand, the humble person is like a little child who easily receives instruction. He is cautious in his estimate of himself, sensitive as to how liable he is to go astray. If it is suggested to him that he is going astray, he is most ready to check into the matter.

Nothing sets a Christian so much out of the devil s reach than humility and so prepares the mind for divine light without darkness. Humility clears the eye to look at things as they truly are. Psalm 25:9—He leads the humble in justice, and He teaches the humble His way.

If spiritual pride is healed, other things are easily corrected. Our first care should be to correct the heart and pull the beam of pride out of our eye and then we shall see clearly.

Growing Christians Beware!

Those who are most zealous in the cause of God are the most likely to be targeted as being filled with pride. When any person appears, in any respect, to be noticeably excelling others in his Christian walk, odds are ten to one that it will immediately awaken the jealousy of those about him.

They will suspect (whether they have good reason or not) that he is very proud of his goodness and that he probably thinks no one as good as he is, so that everything he says and does is observed with this prejudice.

Those who are themselves cold and dead, and especially those who have never had any experience of the power of godliness on their own hearts, will easily entertain such thoughts of the best Christians. This arises from nothing less than a secret hostility against essential and fervent holiness.

But the zealous Christian should take heed that this does not prove a snare to him, and the devil take advantage of it to blind his eyes from beholding the true nature of his heart and to think that because he is charged with pride wrongfully and with an unkind spirit, that such charges are not sometimes valid.

Alas, how much pride the best have in their hearts! It is the worst part of the body of sin and death; the first sin that ever entered into the universe and the last that is rooted out. It is God s most stubborn enemy!

Pride: a Secret Enemy

Pride is much more difficult to be discerned than any other corruption because of its very nature. That is, pride is a person having too high an opinion of himself. Is it any surprise, then, that a person who has too high an opinion of himself is unaware of it? His thinking is that he thinks that the opinion he has of himself has just grounds and therefore is not too high. If the grounds of the opinion of himself crumbled, he would cease to have such an opinion.

But, because of the nature of spiritual pride, it is the most secret of all sins. There is no other matter in which the heart is more deceitful and unsearchable and there is no other sin in the world that men are so confident in. The very nature of it is to work self-confidence and drive away any suspicion of any evil of that kind. There is no sin so much like the devil as this for secrecy and subtlety, and appearing in great many shapes that are undetected and unsuspected.

Spiritual pride takes many forms and shapes, one under another, and encompasses the heart like the layers of an onion: when you pull off one, there is another underneath. Therefore, we have need to have the greatest watch imaginable over our hearts with respect to this matter and to cry most earnestly to the great Searcher of hearts for His help. He that trusts his own heart is a fool.

Since spiritual pride in its own nature is so secret, it cannot be so well discerned by immediate intuition on the thing itself. It is best identified by its fruits and effects, some of which I will make mention of below together with the contrary fruits of Christian humility.

Pride: the Great Fault-finder

Spiritual pride causes one to speak of other persons sins, their enmity against God and His people, or with laughter and levity and an air of contempt, while pure Christian humility disposes either to be silent about them or to speak of them with grief or pity.

The spiritually proud person shows it in his finding fault with other saints, that they are low in grace and how cold and dead they are, and are quick to discern and take notice of their deficiencies. The eminently humble Christian has so much to do at home and sees so much evil in his own that he is not apt to be very busy with other hearts.

He complains most of himself and complains most of his own coldness and lowness in grace. He is apt to esteem others as better than himself and is ready to hope that most everybody has more love and thankfulness to God than he, and cannot bear to think that others should bring forth no more fruit to God s honor than he.

Some who have spiritual pride mixed with great learning and joy, earnestly speaking to others about them, are likely to be calling upon other Christians to emulate them and sharply reprove them for their being so cold and lifeless.

There are others who are overwhelmed with their own vileness, and when they have extraordinary discoveries of God’s glory, they are taken up by their own sinfulness. Though they are disposed to speak much and very earnestly, yet it is very much in blaming themselves and exhorting fellow Christians, but in a loving and humble manner.

Pure Christian humility causes a person to take notice of everything that is good in others, to make the best of it and to diminish their failings; however, he turns his eye chiefly on those things that are bad in himself and to take much notice of everything that aggravates them.

Pride: Ministering in a Harsh Spirit

It has been the manner of spiritually proud persons to speak of almost everything they see in others in the most harsh, severe language. It is frequent with them to say of other’s opinion, conduct, advice, coldness, silence, caution, moderation, prudence, etc. that they are from the devil or from hell.

Such kind of language they will commonly use, not only towards wicked men, but towards those who are true children of God and also towards ministers of the gospel and others who are very much their superiors. Christians who are but fellow-worms ought at least to treat one another with as much humility and gentleness as Christ treats them.

Pride: Putting on Pretenses

Spiritual pride often causes persons to act different in external appearance, to effect a different way of speaking, to use a different sort of dialect from others, or to be different in voice, countenance or behavior. But he that is an eminently humble Christian, though he will be firm in his duty, however different — going the way of heaven alone, though all the world forsake him — yet he does not delight in being different for difference s sake.

He does not try to set himself up to be viewed and observed as one distinguished, as desiring to be accounted better than others — despising their company or conformity to them — but on the contrary, desires to become all things to all men, to yield to others and conform to them and please them in all but sin.

Pride: Takes Offence Easily

Spiritual pride takes great notice of opposition and injuries that are received and is prone to be often speaking of them and to be much in taking notice of their aggravation, either with an air of bitterness or contempt.

Pure and unmixed Christian humility, on the other hand, causes a person to be more like his blessed Lord when reviled: quiet, not opening his mouth, but committing himself in silence to Him who judges righteously. For the humble Christian, the more the world is against him, the more silent and still he will be, unless it is in his prayer closet, and there he will not be still.

Pride: Presumption Before God and Man

Another effect of spiritual pride is a certain self-confident boldness before God and men. Some, in their great rejoicing before God, have not paid sufficient regard to that rule in Psalm 2:11 — Worship the Lord with reverence, and rejoice with trembling.

They have not rejoiced with a reverential trembling, in a proper sense of the awful majesty of God and the awful distance between Him and them. There has also been an improper boldness before men that has been encouraged and defended by a misapplication of Proverbs 29:25 — The fear of man brings a snare… It is as though it became all persons, high and low, men, women and children in all Christian conversation to wholly abandon all manner of modesty or reverence toward man.

Not that any should refrain from Christian conversation, but with such humility as in I Peter 3:15—But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.

Pride: Hungry for Attention

Another effect of spiritual pride is to make the subject of it want attention. People often tend to act in a special manner as though others ought to take great notice and regard of them. It is very natural to a person that is very much under the influence of spiritual pride to take all the respect that is paid to him.

If others show a disposition to submit to him and yield in deference to him, he is open to it and freely receives it. It becomes natural for him to expect such treatment and to take much notice if a person fails to do so, and to have an ill opinion of those who do not give him that which he feels he deserves.

One under the influence of spiritual pride is more apt to instruct others than to inquire for himself and so naturally puts on the airs of control. The eminently humble Christian thinks he needs help from everybody, whereas he that is spiritually proud thinks everybody needs his help. Christian humility, under a sense of other’s misery, entreats and beseeches, but spiritual pride tries to command and warn with authority.

Pride: Neglecting Others

As spiritual pride causes persons to assume much to themselves, so it treats others with neglect. On the contrary, pure Christian humility disposes persons to honor all men as from I Peter 2:17. To enter into disputes about Christianity is sometimes unseasonable, such as in meeting for Christian conference or for exercises of worship.

Yet, we ought to be very careful that we do not refuse to converse with carnal men, as though we counted them not worthy to be regarded. On the contrary, we should condescend to carnal men as Christ has condescended to us, to bear with our unteachableness and stupidity.

A House Divided

"A house divided against itself cannot stand." [Abraham Lincoln]

Back in 2007 amidst an election standstill, Belgians spoke about division. I remember hearing my Belgian coworkers, most of whom were from Flanders (the Flemish speaking region), talking about division. "We are a different people, the French and the Flemish, with different languages, history, and philosophies," they would explain to me. Their enthusiasm for division always shocked me. For months, the city was decorated with Belgian flags and "I'm for Belgium" posters. Splitting seemed like speculation, a very distant fantasy. After many months, maybe even years of an election standstill, the little nation stuck together, somehow.

Three years later, the country is once again on the brink of division. Election front runner Bart De Wever of the Flemish vows to carve up the country if appointed to office. De Wever explains, "Belgium has become the sum of two different democracies (growing apart) with ever increasing speed, in terms of language and culture, but also in socio-economic and political matters." "Has become"? Really? From its' birth, Belgium has been the nation two very different cultures. This is nothing new. Belgium has 150+ years of rich history that includes enduring the devastation of WWI and WWII, holding one of the most lucrative and prize colonies in the Congo, and being selected as the home of the European Union. What prevented the fragile country from dividing back in 2007? What bound this little nation together for so long? Will its history be lost and forgotten? Can the European Union really endure another blow, especially in its home nation?

Maybe De Wever is right and the disparate people can no longer work together. However, before carving up a nation, the political leaders and the people should reflect upon what held these two sums together for so many years. Is unity forth fighting for? Belgium is dear to my heart and I hate to see the country split.

You can find the rest of the article on De Wever's plans for Belgium here and the proposed Belgian curtain here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100609/ap_on_re_eu/eu_belgium_curtains_for_belgium