I'm not sure what it is about markers. I'm mean I guess I could understand it if they were the berry scented kind or something, but they're not. Whatever it is, Sam loves them. And I don't mean drawing with them, I mean eating them. Here's a photo after a little afternoon snack. Kids are such messy eaters.
I want to say thanks to all of you who have been praying for me and our situation. The past few weeks have been difficult. I guess it is never easy when God is working to crucify your flesh and bring about sanctification. That's really what this has been about. Without a doubt, God placed these struggles in my path to transform me, even though I seemed to fight most of the way. It has been my prayer that God alone would become my comfort and my strength. (Psalm 62:2) Though I am certain there is work left to be done, God has begun a good work in me that He will carry on to completion.
Today I met with Dr. Wright, a physician with Sports Orthopedics and Spine. As you know, I was concerned that my situation at the hospital would jeopardize any hopes to work for them. After he shared their interest in having me come to work, I told him about my situation at Jackson General. He couldn't have been LESS concerned about it. To him, it was a non-issue and they still plan to offer me a contract on Monday. In other words, I WILL have a job. I am certainly thankful. God is continuing to provide for our family, just has He has done over the past two years when I wondered how we would make it.
With that said, continue to pray for me. I do not want the improvement in my circumstances to cause me to find comfort in them . It is still my prayer that God alone will be my comfort and my strength.
Thanks again,
Dave
Over the past 10 days my bondage to fear is being released. There are still moments of anxiety, wondering if and when I will get a job, but they are fewer and further between. Some of it has been because I realize the situation may not be as grim as I originally thought. Some has been because I am learning to trust God more and more. I wish I could say that was my entire reason for feeling better these days.
I do believe God is in contol. And whether or not I am offered a job today when meeting with Dr Wright, things will be alright-more than alright, just as God intends which is the perfect plan.
Father calm my heart and mind this morning. Help me to put all my trust in you and none in my circumstances
Psalm 62:6 He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken.
Below is an article from Desiring God. I think it is an amazing analogy. How often do we flip quarters at God or ignore Him altogether?:
The Washington Post conducted an experiment to see if beauty could be recognized through the mundane malaise of day-to-day life. They arranged for Joshua Bell, a preeminent violinist, to play incognito in a busy corridor in D.C. one morning--a free concert from a musician who plays a $3.5 million instrument. He had his case open for donations and played the best music most of the workaday passers-by had probably ever heard. To what effect? Virtually none.
The article asks those who come into contact with street musicians: "Do you hurry past with a blend of guilt and irritation, aware of your cupidity but annoyed by the unbidden demand on your time and your wallet? ... Do you have time for beauty? Shouldn't you? What's the moral mathematics of the moment?"
Is it immoral to ignore beauty?
I couldn't help but read it as a parable:
As it happens, exactly one person recognized Bell, and she didn't arrive until near the very end. For Stacy Furukawa, a demographer at the Commerce Department, there was no doubt. She doesn't know much about classical music, but she had been in the audience three weeks earlier, at Bell's free concert at the Library of Congress. And here he was, the international virtuoso, sawing away, begging for money. She had no idea what the heck was going on, but whatever it was, she wasn't about to miss it.
Furukawa positioned herself 10 feet away from Bell, front row, center. She had a huge grin on her face. The grin, and Furukawa, remained planted in that spot until the end.
"It was the most astonishing thing I've ever seen in Washington," Furukawa says. "Joshua Bell was standing there playing at rush hour, and people were not stopping, and not even looking, and some were flipping quarters at him! Quarters! I wouldn't do that to anybody. I was thinking, Omigosh, what kind of a city do I live in that this could happen?" (my emphasis)
She was appalled that anyone would have either the naivete or the gall to condescendingly flip a quarter at one of the world's greatest musicians. She was shocked that something as astoundingly beautiful was so easily disregarded.
Visit Hot Coffee... for the beginning of the discussion:
Good point. I think it vital to demonstrate the gap between our righteousness (in the flesh) and that of our creator God. God is our measuring stick and we must attempt to understand His holiness to see how we fall short. However to complete the picture, we must understand the depth of our depravity to comprehend the grace of God. And I think this is where most people struggle.
As we discussed this morning, many think they are self sufficient. And even though they would not dare say it, many Christians will even believe they are somewhat responsible for their own salvation. (I chose to believe and my neighbor did not, therefore I am to be credited for something). This leads to the pius attitude that can be found in many churches who would rather condemn "sinners" (as if they are not included in that category) than to love them with the gospel.
When we come to understand that depravity is total, we see that all men have an utter dependence on God to obtain the righteousness we need to be in His presence.
Let me pose another question: What would most people say they are being saved from?
This came to me while blowing bubbles with Zach today. What if bubbles don't really pop, but are actually transported into another dimension when they disappear.
I thought I would share with you my journal entry from today. Here it goes:
"For the past couple of weeks I hvae been struck with fear and struggling to break free. I have never felt a bondage to fear like this before. At times, I have even doubted the existence of God. The fear comes from a lack of faith that God will provide. But, how can I be so blind."
"I reflected on my past entries today. I was struck by my works on Feb. 1st, 2005. I remember how it felt to wonder how God could provide in such circumstances. But He has and is!"
"Right now God is cutting away my flesh, my self-sufficency. It is painful, very painful. But I shouldn't focus on 'what if' , but on 'what is'. God is soverign, He is gracious, He is loving, He keeps His promises, and He promises to work out all things for my good if I love Him."
"Father help me to be thankful for this time. Remove my fear and replace it with trust, but continue to cut away my flesh until none is left. Have me continue in Your strength and not my own."
Happy Easter everyone. The tomb is empty and Jesus is alive! Below is something I obtained from John Piper.
Five Lines of Evidence That Jesus Rose From the Dead
The testimony of the apostle Paul. We have 13 letters from his pen. He was a contemporary of Jesus. He claimed to see the risen Christ. He spoke of others that he knew who saw him alive after his crucifixion, even 500 at once, many of whom were still alive when Paul was writing (1 Corinthians 15:5). This gives to Paul’s writings what is called “historical control,” which means that there is good reason to take seriously what he says because there were so many people around who could easily falsify his claims if they were not true.
The empty tomb in Jerusalem where Jesus had been buried. This is relevant because the claim that Jesus was raised from the dead spread in a city that was hostile to that claim and would have done anything it could to squelch it if they could. The one thing they could have done was to produce the dead body of Jesus, but they could not (Acts 5:30-33).
The courage of the disciples of Jesus and their willingness to lay down their lives to preach that Jesus was raised from the dead just weeks after they abandoned him out of fear and thought that they had been badly mistaken about his Messiahship (Luke 24:21). What had changed them from fearful to courageous so suddenly? And do men really risk their lives for what they know to be a fraud?
The diverse testimony of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James, and the writer to the Hebrews. Here you need to get to know these men as witnesses, and see if they are credible. Give them a hearing and see if they do not win you over, and prove themselves to be more worthy of your confidence than the skeptics of our day.
The ring of truth in the biblical vision of the world. Does not this whole story of God and creation and sin and Christ and salvation help make more sense out of more things in this world from beginning to end than any other vision of reality?
Five lines of evidence. I hope that you will pursue them. Your eternal life hangs on what you conclude from these.
I questioned whether or not to put this on my blog. It can certainly be taken as...well...offensive, but it is funny. I am not sure of the intent of the creators, but it has certainly caused a serious dialogue on YouTube, as most religious things will do. Dialogue can be a good thing, if people are willing to listen, as well as talk.
Dave
Last night we decided to take the kids to a Diamond Jaxx ballgame. It was the first game at the park this season; an exibition between the Memphis Redbirds (AAA Cardinals) and our hometown Jaxx (AA Mariners). As soon as we walked into the stadium I saw a look of amazement in Zach's eyes. He was soaking it all in. He headed straight down the stairs toward the field and plopped himself in the front row by the Redbirds dugout. I was so happy to see my boy excited about baseball.
After sitting there a few minutes I was finally able to get him to walk to our fifth row seats behind the Jaxx dugout (good seats aren't hard to come by). Then about 3 pitches into the game, Zach decided he had enough baseball. So Angie took him to buy a Chicago Dog (Angie highly recommends) and a pretzel. I kept watch over Sam, who also wanted to do nothing but walk. I think he covered every square inch of the park before the night was over...along with the rest of the family.
When Angie got back with Zach, he sat still long enough to take a couple of bites of the pretzel. Zach wanted to go for a walk. He and I walked all over the park and out into the berm, while Angie continued to make the rounds with Sam. While out in the berm, Zach discovered the caterpillars, which he took much more interest in than the ballgame. We followed the line of them until we had gone as far inside the walls of the park as we could go. Finally I convinced Zach we should head back toward our seats.
We we returned, Sam was tired and Zach still didn't have much interest in the game. We decided to hang it up in the fifth inning and head home. Although we didn't see more than a few pitches, we all had a good time.
One day this past week Zach decided he wanted to make chocolate donuts for breakfast. He sat down at the table and asked Angie for a pot and an egg. She didn't mind, and we have lots of eggs thanks to WIC. So she handed Zach the first egg. Apparently Zach's recipie called for more so he asked for another egg, and another, and another. I think there were a total of five in the end. Four in the bowl and one in the floor.
The next thing on the ingredient list was Cheerios. Zach was convinced that the Cheerios would some how grow exponentially and become donuts. So he added them to the bowl along with milk, chocolate powder, and a saltine cracker-yum. After vigiorously stirring for a couple minutes Zach was ready to cook the mixture on the stove. Zach was still sure that he would be having chocolate donuts for breakfast.
I talked Zach into putting the "donut mixture" into the oven and go play. While Angie occupied him, I ran to Highland Park and bought two chocolate covered donuts (one for Zach and one for me). Then I pulled the TV chef switcharoo and replaced the "mixture" with two chocolate donuts.
We called Zach back into the kitchen, telling him the donuts were ready. We opened the oven and showed him the chocolate donuts he "cooked". We expected him to be very surprised that there were acutally real donuts. But instead he said, "I did it. I made the right recepie.". He didn't seemed surprised at all. Instead there was a smile and look of accomplishment. He believed all along that he was making real donuts, so why be surprised.
Dave
Sorry to all my loyal blogger fans. The three of you have been very patient. I have not been very diligent in my blogging effots over the past couple of weeks. I promise to try and do much better in the coming days, God willing.
I have been sidetracked with my efforts to complete my final clinical rotation (done!), find a job (still not done, but working on it) and prepare for my boards (doing, but will never be done-until the boards come May 14th). It seems God has allowed me to be under a great deal of stress during this time. More than I can remember being under in a long, long time. And the fun isn't over yet.
I have been challenged to trust God more over these weeks than I have in quite a while. To be honest, I have been failing miserably. There have been times that I have made myself sick with worry, nearly to the point of throwing up. So you may be wondering, "Dave, what is going on that has got you so upset." Well, I will sum it up in this-a lack of trust in God to provide for my family. I have allowed my circumstances beyond my control to master my emotions. Unlike Paul, I have not learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am (or fear I may be).
I came across Philippians 4:4-20. It has been an encouragement today to trust in God who will supply my peace. I have even been challenged to thank God for these trials (still working on that, but getting there). I have also realized that it is not me who supplies the faith to trust God, but God Himself. All I need to do is ask.
Pray that I will trust God to meet our needs. Pray that He will indeed supply all our needs just as He promises. And pray that God will be glorified by these trials and produce in me the result He desires.
Dave
Angie has done a great job keeping a calandar with all the kids milestones and funny things they have done. I thought you guys would enjoy a post of some of the things Zach has said and done in the last few months. That kid comes up with some winners, here are a few:
1. After hopping in the shower with me "I've got my bootie on and my clothes off."
2. I like milk. Milk is smart.
3. When watching Angie feed Sam "You're a good feeder momma"
4. After Angie dropped some paint. "I'm sorry for your mistake momma."
5. While trying to unzip his jacket "Cooperate, PLEASE!"
6. After falling in the pot "Don't flush me 'cause I'm too big."
7. When bringing in Christmas presents "Is it Jesus time?"
8. After throwing up "That vomit is crazy."
9. Mama why is my clothes all getting too little
10. After diarrhea "There is poop slobber on the potty seat."
11. After seeing Braden baptized "Will you pray to Jesus so you can ask Him to come in my tummy so I can be bathtized."
12. When asking him what Marcie's name was "EVIL"
What a funny kid. I'll keep you updated. There is always more.
In the past few blogs I mentioned some of the struggles Christians have which make us more like the "Mediocre Samaritan" than the "Good Samaritan". It is key that we understand what is holding us back from doing the things God commands. I thought we could try to look into the life of the Mediocre Samaratin to find out what could be holding him back. Likely we are struggling with the same things.
I think the Mediocre Samaritan, let's call him Sam for short, might be struggling with understanding what the command means or how to live it out (love your neighbor as yourself). Compassion ministry is not always easy to put into practice. Sam could easily be questioning how much of of his time and resources he should give?
I mean, how much free time and should we have? Should I ever take a beach vacation while others are without a place to live? Should I ever spend money on unnecessary things (pez dispensers, eating at Outback, unleavened bread, etc.) while other people are going hungry? Where do we draw the line? Is there a line to be drawn?
Fear can also play a part. Sam could be afraid that he is being taken advantage of by the guy lying on the road. I mean what if he got himself into this mess? Maybe he was afraid he wouldn't know how to comfort him. He isn't particularly good at that kind of thing. Maybe he was afraid that he could get hurt by the same group that left this guy for dead.
It can be scary to step out of our comfort zone. Most middle class white folk don't feel comfortable going into poor black communities to minister. We also have the thought people could be out to take advantage of us. We are skeptical, fearful that we won't do the right thing.
Selfishness prohibits most of us from compassion. Sam could easily have had somewhere else to be. Commitments he needed to keep. This guy would slow him down, then once he was better this guy would want to be his pal. That's all Sam needed. One more shmuck to keep up with who would likely need or want something else later down the road.
We are reluctant to give up our free time. Who wants to be helping the elderly lady with yard work when you could be playing disk golf (sorry Ronnie)? Why would I want to give money to the family at church trying to adopt when I need that money to buy new clothes? I don't want to invite that family over for dinner, they are "different" and it would be awkward.
Apathy. Maybe Sam just didn't want to think about it or think it was necessary. The problem is too big and besides he serves in the children's ministry. Compassion is not for him.
What other ways may be holding you back?
In my last blog, I began the argument that compassion is not optional. Although, I doubt that many of you would have argued with me on that point, I think we fail to live it out to the extent which we are called. Christians don't have a stellar reputation for loving their neighbor.
You may say that you love your neighbor and likely you do to a degree. But I think we don't truly understand the meaning of compassion. If we did, we would see that we fall well short of the mark. There is much to learn if we want to overwhelm our communities with compassion like the early church.
So, it's not necessarily a lack of desire to follow the command of Jesus, but a lack of understanding the command. I hope to share with you what I am learning about the meaning of compassion. Check back.
I recently read a good definition for compassion ministry: " To be witnesses of the gospel by opening our hearts to the suffering of another person coupled with the desire and action to relieve it." So who's job is it to do compassion ministry?
Is it ok to say that compassion ministry is not for me? I mean, after, all I'm not cut out for that sort of thing. It just doesn't come NATURAL. Aren't there special roles in the church for those with the gifts and talent for them? It's obvious that not all people are cut out to be worship leaders (just watch American idol). Not all of us have been given the gift of teaching/preaching. So can compassion ministry be delegated to those with the gift and heart for it?
Keller says in his book, Ministries of Mercy, "Mercy to the full range of human needs is such an essential mark of being a Christian that it can be used as a test of true faith. Mercy is not optional or an addition to being a Christian. Rather, a life poured out in deeds of mercy is the inevitable sign of true faith."
I happen to agree with Timothy Keller. Mercy/compassion is not optional for Christians. It's not a role for SOME in the church, but ALL in the church. We are ALL commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves. It may be difficult to do, and it's ok to say that compassion doesn't come naturally...it comes supernaturally. All Christians are being transformed and sanctified through the power that God provides.
The poor and needy are a test; a test I often fail. If you are like me and fail in this area ( I think we all do), pray earnestly that God would give you the ability to love your neighbor. Only by God's strength can we do what He has called us to do.
This is a clip from a full length movie on Pez collectors. What's sad is that I know what they are talking about.
Dave
I've been reading a book entitled "Ministries of Mercy" by Presbyterian pastor Timothy Keller. I haven't been able to put it down, which is unusual for me. I have this bad habit of "reading" 5 or 6 books at a time. I'll get through the first couple chapters of a book and then find another one that catches my attention. I'll read a couple of chapters from that book and then find another, and so on, and so on. The cycle continues until I finally get back to the original book. By the time that happens, it has been so long, I have to start back at the beginning of the book.
Dr. Keller covers why we are called to be merciful, what mercy should look like, who we should show mercy to, and why we should be motivated to do it. It is challenging and practical. I think it is an excellent resource for all Christians, especially those who want to be involved in mercy ministry. Soon I'll be sharing my insights, but right now I got to get back to the book.
Dave
Now dear Christians, you pray night and day to be branches of the true vine, made over in the image of Christ. If so, you must be like Him in giving. Though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor.
Objection: But my money is my own. Answer: Could Christ not have said, “My blood, body, and life are My own” and then where would you have been.
Objection: The poor are undeserving. Answer: Christ might have said “I will only give to the deserving.”
Objection: If I give charity to the poor, they might abuse it!” Answer: Christ might have said the same but with far greater truth. He knew many would trample His blood and make His grace an excuse for sinning more, but still He gave His own blood.
My dear Christian, if you would be like Christ, give much, give often and freely to the vile and the poor, the thankless and the undeserving. Christ is glorious and happy, and so will you be. It is not your money He wants, but your happiness
-Robert Murray M'Cheyne
I'll share my thoughts on this and other things in the coming days.
