Greetings, Brothers and Sisters.
Thank you for your continued prayer and encouragement. The missus and I are tremendously blessed, knowing that we have friends and prayer warriors interceding for us from SoCal and Seattle to Sterling, Virginia. We know our prayers are not in vain, because our Savior's work was and is not in vain.
In the first quarter (Oct-Dec) of my two-year call to Falls Presbyterian Church (now referred to as "Falls Church: An OPC Family"), I sought to integrate myself within both the church and community in order to get to know both better, as well as establish some outreach "baby steps" within the church.
During that time, I joined the American Legion and Toastmasters, took over two local Meetup groups, and visited a host of local social spots. I also started visiting with individuals from the church and community and by the time we settled into our new home, joined my wife in having folks over on a regular basis.
With our outreach "baby steps," individual members of our church were given the opportunity to distribute invitation cards to our church, thus making their faith a more explicit part of their daily lives. The church also had a booth at the town "Christmas Market," where we distributed hot chocolate and free literature. We also hosted two unofficial 5k runs, which each drew about 10 people.
A few highlights:
1) We had 18 volunteers at the Christmas Market, and interacted with several dozen people.
2) Our Facebook is now followed by over a thousand people (was at 120).
3) The running Meetup group is followed by 160 people (was at 110), now draws between 4-8 runners on a regular basis, and has become known as the official Falls running group.
4) The discussion Meetup group has exploded from about 120 followers to 320.
5) We had a housewarming party with 40 people--20 from the church and 20 from the community.
These are all venues, direct and indirect, for building relationships, trust, and communicating the Gospel. As you have read in this blog, there have been lots of hard-hitting Gospel discussions by God's grace.
We are now halfway through the second quarter (Jan-Mar) and my goal here centers upon hospitality. I recently taught a class at church on this topic, reminding our people that hospitality is not only at the heart of God-glorifying fellowship within the church and God-glorifying outreach outside of the church, it is at the very heart of God himself.
To this end, my family has upped our own hospitality, hoping to better know friends and strangers alike, as well as model what a blessing this lifestyle brings! Over the past three Sundays, we have hosted our new "Growth Committee"--four couples who are committed to the aims of outreach, hospitality, and discipleship. They will join us in spreading the hospitality culture.
This will include promoting the church in the community, arranging events, guiding and engaging visitors at the church, providing meal invites to members and visitors alike, and nurturing the bonds of our church on a deeper level. They will be helping me represent the church at the community's annual chili cook-off this Saturday, and started rolling on the hospitality.
A few highlights and additional plans for this quarter:
1) Through my work with a local political organization, I am receiving invitations to pray, read Scripture, and offer devotions at local political events and through local outlets.
2) Just today, a member of our running group set up a Facebook page for the group. This will not only raise the profile of the group, but demonstrates a level of commitment to this group, making it more self-sustaining.
3) This Sunday, we will have a member at the back door, ready to guide any visitors through the church and connect them with people who are ready to receive them. We will also start having a Sunday lunch invitation at the ready for any visitors.
4) A graphic designer is creating a new logo for the church in consultation with the session. A logo, like a website and FB page, is for the 30 year old what a properly manicured lawn and outdoor sign is for the 50 year old.
5) We will be sending out mailers and actively promoting our senior pastor's Easter sermon series. In conjunction with the new measures to fully welcome visitors, we are ready to receive those who the Lord brings to us in this high-visitation season.
John Piper once said that missions exists because worship does not. In the same way, outreach exists because worship does not. Our aim at Falls Church is to draw more worshipers to the living, loving God of the universe through Jesus Christ.
Please pray for the following:
1) That the Lord would encourage our hearts with His grace, regardless of visible outcomes or perceptions about progress.
2) That the Lord would keep us faithful in our methods and hopes--seeking His glory first and foremost!
3) That the Lord would make us fervent to employ every gift of this diverse body in service of His kingdom.
4) That the Lord would give us wisdom with each interaction, event, and endeavor.
I will keep you posted with some details along the way, and expect another report and request for prayer in a few months!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Stephen Roberts (Evangelist, Falls Church; Chaplain, US Army Reserves)
11.2.16
9.2.16
Love is Rebellion
At Toastmasters last night, I gave a speech on some of my experiences in Afghanistan and Dave Lyon, the young man who was killed. I won't repeat the speech here because many of you have heard me speak of Dave on many separate occasions.
But I concluded on this note: As much as the loss of Dave hurt, I am grateful to know that love still exists. This world is broken, all love is in some form broken, and one day, all love will be love lost. Yet, even in this type of world, love still remains. What a testament to God's grace!
Later on, we had our "Table Topics" time when random subjects are introduced and people are asked to speak about them. I raised my hand for the subject of special memories from a past Valentine's Day.
On Valentine's Day in 2004, my nephew was born. Now I have lots of nephews and nieces at this point (which is awesome!!!) and each of their births were special. The really cool thing about this birthday is that it connected love with life. The natural outworking of love is life.
In the Bible, we are told that "love is as strong as death" (Song of Songs 8). One practical outworking of that comes in the form of life. Death in this fallen world is inevitable, but as long as love persists, so does life. Love becomes our rebellion against our fallen condition and the death that ensues.
Connecting my formal speech with my brief Table Topics one, I cherish again the fact that the Lord, knowing he would take close His hand upon Dave in this world and open it upon the world to come, gave Dave and Dana their final couple of days together in Afghanistan. There is also a logic behind the baby boom that so often occurs after a deployment. Soldiers see the rising tide of brokenness crash over precious lives, so they come home and start anew. To put it crassly, the pleasures of the marriage bed are combined with the purpose of the marriage bed--to turn love into life.
John 11. Jesus, looking upon the tomb of his friend Lazarus and two grief-stricken sisters, wept with great, heaving sobs. The Son of God made flesh, weeping. Why? Did He not know that He would raise Lazarus up just a few moments later? Sure He did, but He also knew what the world was like when it was created through Him--what men had made of it--and it all ended with a tomb. He felt the brokenness in His mortal bones. He then waged a rebellion of His own against death. Surely He knew the words following "Love is strong as death...Many waters cannot quench love; neither can the floods drown it." With that, the Lion roared, the stone rolled away, and the dead man was raised.
Soon after, the Lion would become the slain Lamb--an object of ridicule before a rebellion world. But through that humiliation, He would forever turn back the tide of death upon itself. He will forever be the slain Lamb and the roaring Lion. And one day, the Lion will return and bring death to death and life to life.
All of this, we consider with the reminder: God shows His own love for us in this, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. His supreme act of love for death-destined sinners was to bring them to life through His perfect life and sacrificial death. With His own resurrection from the tomb, He reminds us that a final Day is coming. Until that Day, dear Lord, when You rend the heavens and roar...
6.2.16
Hospitality and the Heart
In part, the Lord took a hold of my wife's heart through a family welcoming her into their home. She was always welcome for dinner. At times, she was still hungry afterward. She realized years later that they all ate less so that she could eat with them. In that same home, she found a copy of C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity on her best friend's floor and the walls of her heart soon came tumbling down.
Already a young Christian in college, I was still amazed by my first "Sunday dinner." A friend on my floor invited me to church and his parents' house. After church, I enjoyed his parents' rich hospitality, completed with a reading of a devotion and a time of prayer. This was a normal occurrence for this family. For me, it was a foretaste of heaven.
When the Lord drew us one week to Grace OPC in Vienna, VA, three families invited us over for meals. We knew that we had found our new denominational home.
Hospitality is such a vital part of the Christian life and the body life of the Christian church. By welcoming others into our homes, we show a commitment to relationships and their depth. In our homes, visitors will notice aspects of our brokenness--not nearly so easy to conceal as in public--and find the fruits of grace and repentance.
And by letting our guard down and welcoming others into our homes, we give them permission to let their guard down as well. Conversations about the weather turn into conversations about the well-being of our hearts. These sorts of conversations deepen the bonds of Christ-centered fellowship within the church; they also establish bonds with those who might one day become Christ's sheep.
So far, we have welcomed about a dozen families from the church and community into our home in Wisconsin. Each time, we have seen struggles, dreams, and reflections of God's grace that we would not have seen otherwise. Each time, we come away blessed.
Perhaps that is the most important thing you should know about hospitality. It is the hosts who are most blessed. We see the Lord's work--both incredible and ordinary--in the lives of others and are left in wonder and awe. With those who do not yet believe, we see the savage wounds that could be so sweetly tended to by our Savior.
Speaking of our Savior, remember that He presents before His people a lavish table of His grace. He also prepares rooms in His heavenly home for us. All this for a people who had no room for Him in their inns or their hearts--only a space between two criminals on a cross. What the hospitable God has done for His inhospitable people! How that truth can transform even the hardest sinner!
I would encourage everyone who reads this post to open their homes and their hearts to the family of God and the strangers within their midst. The Lord may use your hospitality to change the hearts of others. But know this, He will certainly use it to change your heart.
25.1.16
Putting Politics Into Perspective
I was asked to offer a prayer at a local political gathering and I in turn asked to give a meditation just before the prayer. Here were my remarks (as best as I can remember them):
"Two notable political events happened a few days ago in Iowa: Terry Branstad, the popular Republican governor, issued his endorsement: Anybody but Cruz. Later in the day, Sarah Palin endorsed Donald Trump.
A third thing happened that day that was perhaps not as notable, but certainly more meaningful. An atheist at a Marco Rubio gathering challenged him about his religious rhetoric and asked him if he was running for 'Pastor-in-chief.'
Rubio responded with a brief presentation on the Gospel. He spoke of the Gospel as a free gift--one that cannot be coerced. But he also said that his faith was vital to his work. It reminds him that he is living for eternity, so small things, like being a good husband and father, are far more important than being President.
(See video here: https://youtu.be/Qy2Fjk00tTA )
Living in light of eternity--that is what makes political engagement a happy and hopeful task rather than an angry one. A great theologian about a hundred years ago (J. Gresham Machen) said that we cannot hope to move the world if we think that this world is all. In order to move the world, we must first have a place to stand.
That place to stand is on the truth of God's Word and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is these central truths that enable us to be "happy warriors," and if God so allows, people who can move the world."
Here is your gut check, friends: Do you get heartburn or lose sleep over the state of our culture or political system? Perhaps you have turned your politics into your religion. It's an easy thing to do.
God reigns over every kingdom and His grace in various ways permeates every place and every time through Jesus Christ. Why not focus on that fact before focusing on the task at hand?
You may find that you are the task, and God's is the hand.
"Two notable political events happened a few days ago in Iowa: Terry Branstad, the popular Republican governor, issued his endorsement: Anybody but Cruz. Later in the day, Sarah Palin endorsed Donald Trump.
A third thing happened that day that was perhaps not as notable, but certainly more meaningful. An atheist at a Marco Rubio gathering challenged him about his religious rhetoric and asked him if he was running for 'Pastor-in-chief.'
Rubio responded with a brief presentation on the Gospel. He spoke of the Gospel as a free gift--one that cannot be coerced. But he also said that his faith was vital to his work. It reminds him that he is living for eternity, so small things, like being a good husband and father, are far more important than being President.
(See video here: https://youtu.be/Qy2Fjk00tTA )
Living in light of eternity--that is what makes political engagement a happy and hopeful task rather than an angry one. A great theologian about a hundred years ago (J. Gresham Machen) said that we cannot hope to move the world if we think that this world is all. In order to move the world, we must first have a place to stand.
That place to stand is on the truth of God's Word and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is these central truths that enable us to be "happy warriors," and if God so allows, people who can move the world."
Here is your gut check, friends: Do you get heartburn or lose sleep over the state of our culture or political system? Perhaps you have turned your politics into your religion. It's an easy thing to do.
God reigns over every kingdom and His grace in various ways permeates every place and every time through Jesus Christ. Why not focus on that fact before focusing on the task at hand?
You may find that you are the task, and God's is the hand.
20.1.16
SPC Serpa: One Year Later
Photo taken by SPC Matthew Serpa when our plane touched down in Afghanistan. Most of those seated her around him were part of his unit--the 55th Sustainment Brigade.
On September 11th, 2001, hijacked airplanes struck the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and a field in rural Pennsylvania. One of the rallying cries of American patriots after that day was "Let's roll," the last words recorded from one of the heroes who fought the attackers on the plane that went down. Matt Serpa was 9 years old when that all unfolded.
Nine years later, straight out of high school, Matt Serpa joined the United States Army and was assigned to the 55th Sustainment Brigade at Ft. Belvoir, VA. He drilled with the unit prior to Basic Training and thus wore "civvies" (civilian clothes) instead of the uniform. His baby face could not mask his uncanny intelligence and wit. He convinced a long-time soldier that he was a reporter and asked him a series of probing questions. Obviously, Serpa had a since of humor as well.
As Serpa quickly ascended the lower enlisted ranks, he also quickly gained a place at the DFAC (dining facility) tables where the deeper discussions were held. Outside the DFAC, he knew how to take orders without asking "Why?" Within the DFAC, his natural skepticism and intellectual curiosity made "Why?" his automatic response to any assertion.
He was always a bit reclusive, often choosing to venture out on his own during free time, or listen to music alone on his bunk at night. But he was loved. When the soldiers of the deployment element of the 55th were given their assignments for Afghanistan, he learned that he would be sent to Camp Spann in the north, along with MSG McKissick and SFC Creamer--both wily vets with extensive experience in the military. Both of them took Specialist Serpa under their wing--a mother and father of sorts for the youngest kid in our unit.
When I traveled north to visit my soldiers at Camp Spann, I mostly spent time with Serpa. We went for walks together and ate pizza together. He told me about how much a group of older, cigar smoking Canadians and Americans meant to him. One Canadian officer recalls the depths of the conversations he enjoyed with Serpa then. He was impressed by Serpa's breadth of life experiences at the age of 20, but also felt it his job with some of the other older men to educate Serpa on the great music that pre-dated him.
Serpa turned 21 in Afghanistan--an event that usually provokes a raucous party. Instead, he enjoyed "near beer" with Americans, Canadians, Germans, and others in Afghanistan.
Specialist Serpa returned with a third of our unit in January of 2014 as part of the draw down (reduction of forces) in Afghanistan. 152 of us deployed to Afghanistan together. All 152 would return home, but only about 30 were in this group. The number was then whittled to 3, as Serpa, MSG McKissick and I hopped aboard a plane on an unusually icy day at Ft. Hood for home.
We enjoyed first class on that flight, and were honored when a flight attendant announced that we were returning home from Afghanistan. The moment was fleeting, however. When we got of the airplane, Serpa went to a catch a taxi and went out into the night, alone.
Being the intelligent, tech-savvy entrepreneur that he was, Serpa was soon accepted at Columbia University. Once there, he joined a fraternity and switched roles from young underling in the Army to worldly counselor for your undergrads. One of his fraternity brothers described Serpa as full of ideas, and always welcoming to those young collegians who needed to talk. This was a side of Serpa not often witnessed by his fellow soldiers, but one that was probably brought to the fore by his deployment experiences.
Unfortunately, deployments don't only reveal sterling attributes, but long dormant heartaches as well. The effects are often unpredictable:
Most of our soldiers had gone their separate ways and I had lost contact with Serpa. I did not know of his burden, of the weight of his struggles. I looked forward to catching up with this kid I had known since his first day in the Army.
Three days later--one year ago, today--SPC Matt Serpa was dead.
****************************************************************************
Matt Serpa was a casualty of war--not simply the War on Terror, but the war experienced in every human heart, soul, and mind between the original dignity imprinted upon them and the brokenness wrought by mankind's fall from God. But Serpa was not the greatest casualty in this story. We are the greatest casualties. The people who now live with his death. Even in writing this tribute, I felt the old weight of grief returning and had to stop writing.
For some of you, Serpa's death may have left you in utter darkness--depressed and incurably bitter over his loss. Staying in such a state is a disservice to Serpa's memory. The brokenness of this world has not entirely obscured its original beauty, and the brokenness of Serpa's final hours do not entirely obscure the beauty of his life. Those 22 years were a precious gift for him and for us.
For others of you, there may be a temptation to sweep away the brokenness in the false beauty of cliches and hollow comforts. That too is a disservice to Serpa's memory.The beauty does not obscure the brokenness. The world was created through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in infinite and impeccable beauty. This fact was the basis for Christ's heaving sobs at the tomb of Lazarus, his friend. The tomb not only representing the loss of that precious person, but the loss of so much beauty, life, and love in this world. Nobody knew that more than Jesus.
The most healthy and appropriate response to the loss of Serpa is to bind the beauty and brokenness together, as the loving purposes of God were bound together with the evil purposes of man in the crucifixion of God's only beloved Son--the savior of sinners. Christ didn't simply weep at the tomb of Lazarus--He raised him from the dead and bore His own tomb. He overcame death with the beauty of His own brokenness, so that we can cry "Where, O death, is thy sting? Where, O grave, is they victory?" So now, in Christ, we may (and certainly must) grieve, but we can now do so with inexhaustible hope.
Around the time of Serpa's death, three of our deploying soldiers (myself included) had beautiful baby daughters. One soldier whose wedding I conducted prior to the deployment just had her first little one. I conducted two weddings for soldiers in our unit, and another soldier happily married a great gal down in South Carolina. In all these things, we remember that "love is strong as death" (Son of Songs 8). And Christ is the life-giving pinnacle of that truth.
*****************************************************************************
Roll Call:
(In the Army this forms part of the memorial ceremony offered for our soldiers.)
WO1 Rainey. Present.
SPC Rojas. Present.
CPT Roberts. Present.
SPC Ruelas. Present.
SPC Serpa. (Silence)
SPC Matthew Serpa. (Silence)
SPC Matthew Serpa died on January 20th, 2015. He was a son, brother, friend, and battle buddy. Most important, he was loved. And he will be missed.
16.1.16
Deep Disappointment and Simple Graces
It has been a tough week. In fact, that is probably why I have not written until now.
As you know from my "Welcome to Hell" post, I was bearing some pretty heavy burdens from last weekend's Army drill. Meanwhile, my wife was at her wit's end with the unending demands of parenting and her husband nowhere in sight. Naturally, our reunion was not the thing of fairy tales.
But we got down and dirty and started to work things out. My wife and I are best friends and we have always been able to talk, by God's grace. Like all other couples, we face constant hardships, misunderstandings, and sometimes, just can't over ourselves. If we are both pulled in a million directions, we don't talk and things get worse. But when the Lord allows us to come back together, the healing begins. It's a marriage I wouldn't trade for anything in the world.
I'm glad the waters had started flowing again in our communication, because Wednesday was brutal. While not in financial straights, I have long planned to get a supplementary job to go alongside my part-time work at the church and marginal work with the Army. In the past, this has come with doing Army funerals, marriage retreats, etc, but that largely seems to have dried up.
Then a very cool possibility appeared--running for school board. I have a background in politics and experience in education--through teaching and through policy work. It also would be a wonderful complement to my church work in the community. My good buddy in town is a village trustee and county supervisor. He knew how to help me make my way through the process. I filed paperwork, was put on the ballot, and had likely secured the only school board endorsement from the most powerful interest group in town.
But it all came crashing down. Late on Tuesday night, I looked closely at the district map and realized that half of my street is in the Falls district and the other in Hamilton. I had a meeting the next morning with the superintendent and president of the school board. The meeting lasted 2 minutes. They realized that we had all missed where my house was on the street, and I was disqualified.
The Lord had sustained me the couple days prior with some extra time in Word and prayer, but this felt devastating. There was no time to re-file paperwork for any other local, non-partisan office. This seemed like the best use of some of my untapped passions and abilities. And all of a sudden, back at square one--like the several weeks of effort had never happened.
I took the rest of the time that was allotted for the meeting that morning, went back to the church, and just played the piano and sang Psalms. I appreciate the sheer emotion of that portion of sacred Scripture in such moments. In the Lord's providence, I had another meeting just a little while later with the man who inspected my home before we bought it. He is a fellow believer (I learned that day) and was unable to make our housewarming, so I arranged coffee with him. The cynic in me was asking at that moment "What, Lord, is the purpose of this meeting at a time like this?"
Of course, God's providence is most powerful, wise and holy. And on that overcast morning, He reminded me of the importance of Christian fellowship. I was able to share my burden with this brother I hardly knew. He and his wife had only returned to the faith in the past couple years, and he was eager to learn. We talked about our families, and how we can best encourage them with the Gospel. This is one of the reasons why Christ's bride is so precious! How our downcast souls need such pinpricks of light!
He felt bad because he asked me so many questions about defending the faith. But our fits of depression and anger are fundamentally selfish. The thing we most need in our suffering is opportunities to be in relationship and to care for others. In the course of such things, we remember that God's work in this world is not confined to our petty moods.
That night, my dear wife took my boy to our weekly father-son community recreation time so that I could focus on time with my brothers on the session for our monthly meeting. As we wrestled over lots of joyous and difficult issues for the church, they also ministered to me in their care, wisdom, and empathy. Again, I count it a joy to serve alongside these godly shepherds of the sheep.
The next day, I got a lot of work done at the church (catching up in part from drill weekend and the rough setbacks earlier in the week). Thus, my mind was free that night for a wonderful date with my wife at a very good German restaurant. After brief errands at Target and Home Depot (this is what married couples do on dates), we synced back up over schnitzel and learned even more about one another. The learning never ends!
Yesterday morning, another believer I hardly knew proved to be a great blessing to me. We met at Toastmasters on Monday and discovered our mutual excitement for the Gospel. Over coffee, this young man explained how both he and his wife had come to own Christ as their Savior over the past year. And he described how God sustained him over years spent in foster care and constant abandonment. What is a lost professional opportunity compared to this?!
And this is also why we delight in new converts in our churches. While those who have known and loved Jesus from the womb teach us of God's steady, faithful grace, those who come to know Jesus later in life teach us of God's dramatic, overpowering grace. Oh, how the angels in Heaven rejoice!
This morning, I led a weekly run with my Meetup group, meeting 4 new people. My family then went out for breakfast, where I played with my boy in the snow before watching him share his bacon with his sister. This afternoon, we went to a neighbor kid's birthday party, where we reconnected with many of the friends from our housewarming. It was at a large gymnastic facility, and my boy jumped from a platform twice his height into a pit of foam blocks over and over again. As I clapped for him, my baby girl also clapped for him (she started doing that today). Meanwhile, my wife got chatted with many of our young neighbor families and got several phone numbers for follow-up.
She is now enjoying a movie with one of her friends from church as I sit here, having put the kids down for the night, following the Pack game on Gamecast and writing a long overdue blog. And as I conclude this post, I remember why God always tells us to "remember" in Scripture. When we survey our past instead of getting lost in the myopia of the moment, we inevitably see His tender, loving hand at work.
Tomorrow, I will have the privilege of hearing the Lord address my weary heart in both the morning and evening. Alongside the morning sermon, I will play and sing a compilation of Psalms 22 and 23, which connect the suffering of Christ with His shepherd-care of His people. I may not always know how His rod and His staff are at work, but I know they are borne by wounded hands that bled for me.
As you know from my "Welcome to Hell" post, I was bearing some pretty heavy burdens from last weekend's Army drill. Meanwhile, my wife was at her wit's end with the unending demands of parenting and her husband nowhere in sight. Naturally, our reunion was not the thing of fairy tales.
But we got down and dirty and started to work things out. My wife and I are best friends and we have always been able to talk, by God's grace. Like all other couples, we face constant hardships, misunderstandings, and sometimes, just can't over ourselves. If we are both pulled in a million directions, we don't talk and things get worse. But when the Lord allows us to come back together, the healing begins. It's a marriage I wouldn't trade for anything in the world.
I'm glad the waters had started flowing again in our communication, because Wednesday was brutal. While not in financial straights, I have long planned to get a supplementary job to go alongside my part-time work at the church and marginal work with the Army. In the past, this has come with doing Army funerals, marriage retreats, etc, but that largely seems to have dried up.
Then a very cool possibility appeared--running for school board. I have a background in politics and experience in education--through teaching and through policy work. It also would be a wonderful complement to my church work in the community. My good buddy in town is a village trustee and county supervisor. He knew how to help me make my way through the process. I filed paperwork, was put on the ballot, and had likely secured the only school board endorsement from the most powerful interest group in town.
But it all came crashing down. Late on Tuesday night, I looked closely at the district map and realized that half of my street is in the Falls district and the other in Hamilton. I had a meeting the next morning with the superintendent and president of the school board. The meeting lasted 2 minutes. They realized that we had all missed where my house was on the street, and I was disqualified.
The Lord had sustained me the couple days prior with some extra time in Word and prayer, but this felt devastating. There was no time to re-file paperwork for any other local, non-partisan office. This seemed like the best use of some of my untapped passions and abilities. And all of a sudden, back at square one--like the several weeks of effort had never happened.
I took the rest of the time that was allotted for the meeting that morning, went back to the church, and just played the piano and sang Psalms. I appreciate the sheer emotion of that portion of sacred Scripture in such moments. In the Lord's providence, I had another meeting just a little while later with the man who inspected my home before we bought it. He is a fellow believer (I learned that day) and was unable to make our housewarming, so I arranged coffee with him. The cynic in me was asking at that moment "What, Lord, is the purpose of this meeting at a time like this?"
Of course, God's providence is most powerful, wise and holy. And on that overcast morning, He reminded me of the importance of Christian fellowship. I was able to share my burden with this brother I hardly knew. He and his wife had only returned to the faith in the past couple years, and he was eager to learn. We talked about our families, and how we can best encourage them with the Gospel. This is one of the reasons why Christ's bride is so precious! How our downcast souls need such pinpricks of light!
He felt bad because he asked me so many questions about defending the faith. But our fits of depression and anger are fundamentally selfish. The thing we most need in our suffering is opportunities to be in relationship and to care for others. In the course of such things, we remember that God's work in this world is not confined to our petty moods.
That night, my dear wife took my boy to our weekly father-son community recreation time so that I could focus on time with my brothers on the session for our monthly meeting. As we wrestled over lots of joyous and difficult issues for the church, they also ministered to me in their care, wisdom, and empathy. Again, I count it a joy to serve alongside these godly shepherds of the sheep.
The next day, I got a lot of work done at the church (catching up in part from drill weekend and the rough setbacks earlier in the week). Thus, my mind was free that night for a wonderful date with my wife at a very good German restaurant. After brief errands at Target and Home Depot (this is what married couples do on dates), we synced back up over schnitzel and learned even more about one another. The learning never ends!
Yesterday morning, another believer I hardly knew proved to be a great blessing to me. We met at Toastmasters on Monday and discovered our mutual excitement for the Gospel. Over coffee, this young man explained how both he and his wife had come to own Christ as their Savior over the past year. And he described how God sustained him over years spent in foster care and constant abandonment. What is a lost professional opportunity compared to this?!
And this is also why we delight in new converts in our churches. While those who have known and loved Jesus from the womb teach us of God's steady, faithful grace, those who come to know Jesus later in life teach us of God's dramatic, overpowering grace. Oh, how the angels in Heaven rejoice!
This morning, I led a weekly run with my Meetup group, meeting 4 new people. My family then went out for breakfast, where I played with my boy in the snow before watching him share his bacon with his sister. This afternoon, we went to a neighbor kid's birthday party, where we reconnected with many of the friends from our housewarming. It was at a large gymnastic facility, and my boy jumped from a platform twice his height into a pit of foam blocks over and over again. As I clapped for him, my baby girl also clapped for him (she started doing that today). Meanwhile, my wife got chatted with many of our young neighbor families and got several phone numbers for follow-up.
She is now enjoying a movie with one of her friends from church as I sit here, having put the kids down for the night, following the Pack game on Gamecast and writing a long overdue blog. And as I conclude this post, I remember why God always tells us to "remember" in Scripture. When we survey our past instead of getting lost in the myopia of the moment, we inevitably see His tender, loving hand at work.
Tomorrow, I will have the privilege of hearing the Lord address my weary heart in both the morning and evening. Alongside the morning sermon, I will play and sing a compilation of Psalms 22 and 23, which connect the suffering of Christ with His shepherd-care of His people. I may not always know how His rod and His staff are at work, but I know they are borne by wounded hands that bled for me.
10.1.16
"Welcome to Hell"
The Special Ops platoon was mostly rookies, so when they hit the ground, they were expected to make rookie mistakes. Except this one cost them mightily.
A woman carrying a baby raced toward them as soon as they landed, crying for help. A number of them raced to her aid. They didn't know. She exploded and took many of them with her.
As this was unfolding, two children came racing toward two of the other soldiers. They were the follow-on attack. The more experienced of the two soldiers aimed his weapon at one kid, then the other. Took them both out. He looked over at the inexperienced guy: "Welcome to Hell."
This story was recently relayed to me by a young vet who is now out of the Army. He was the inexperienced guy. The day he returned home, his three pre-teen nephews raced to greet them. He sprung into action and leveled all three of them, then choke-slammed his brother.
This vet just had his first kid and has to leave the house whenever the baby cries. His girlfriend often stays with her parents because she finds him scary. He seems to be getting worse. He scares himself.
I was really disturbed by this conversation. I grieve over the things this soldier had to do against an often inhuman enemy. I grieve over how the wounds have carried over into the very places where this soldier should find hope and healing.
And this all puts the lie to the ridiculous notion that other professions--teacher, peace corps, etc.--are as noble and sacrificial as being a soldier. Who amongst our citizen, have to delve so deep into the darkness to preserve just a bit of light?
Thankfully, the Lord in His grace does not allow this world to devolve into a veritable hell. He provides "common grace" (ordinary, as opposed to the "saving grace" that redeems sinners) remedies, like police to patrol the streets, doctors to treat diseases, soldiers to defend precious values and peoples, and an innate desire amongst many to not cave to the most base of their desires.
So how to you care for someone who has been an earthly version of Hell? Well, you let them speak of their hell. You allow them to paint the landscape in unflinching detail, and as they weep, you weep with them. Such tragedies deserve tears.
Over time, you want to help them plant trees and re-landscape their arid mental terrain. Show them things worth loving, and how those things can be enjoyed. Finally, point them vertically to Heaven, where a sovereign God still reigns over and cares for His world, and point them horizontally to His return--when all things hellish will be banished from the garden, and the landscape will be populated with life, love, holiness, and healing.
Much easier said than done. But in God's grace, it's a start.
Thank you to all who prayed for my drill weekend. We had the usual handful of soldiers for the morning chapel at my regular (headquarters) unit. I conducted another chapel at our Pewaukee unit on the way back and proclaimed the Gospel to perhaps 40 soldiers--an incredible number based on prior experience, and perhaps showing the hunger of a unit that rarely sees a chaplain!
A woman carrying a baby raced toward them as soon as they landed, crying for help. A number of them raced to her aid. They didn't know. She exploded and took many of them with her.
As this was unfolding, two children came racing toward two of the other soldiers. They were the follow-on attack. The more experienced of the two soldiers aimed his weapon at one kid, then the other. Took them both out. He looked over at the inexperienced guy: "Welcome to Hell."
This story was recently relayed to me by a young vet who is now out of the Army. He was the inexperienced guy. The day he returned home, his three pre-teen nephews raced to greet them. He sprung into action and leveled all three of them, then choke-slammed his brother.
This vet just had his first kid and has to leave the house whenever the baby cries. His girlfriend often stays with her parents because she finds him scary. He seems to be getting worse. He scares himself.
I was really disturbed by this conversation. I grieve over the things this soldier had to do against an often inhuman enemy. I grieve over how the wounds have carried over into the very places where this soldier should find hope and healing.
And this all puts the lie to the ridiculous notion that other professions--teacher, peace corps, etc.--are as noble and sacrificial as being a soldier. Who amongst our citizen, have to delve so deep into the darkness to preserve just a bit of light?
Thankfully, the Lord in His grace does not allow this world to devolve into a veritable hell. He provides "common grace" (ordinary, as opposed to the "saving grace" that redeems sinners) remedies, like police to patrol the streets, doctors to treat diseases, soldiers to defend precious values and peoples, and an innate desire amongst many to not cave to the most base of their desires.
So how to you care for someone who has been an earthly version of Hell? Well, you let them speak of their hell. You allow them to paint the landscape in unflinching detail, and as they weep, you weep with them. Such tragedies deserve tears.
Over time, you want to help them plant trees and re-landscape their arid mental terrain. Show them things worth loving, and how those things can be enjoyed. Finally, point them vertically to Heaven, where a sovereign God still reigns over and cares for His world, and point them horizontally to His return--when all things hellish will be banished from the garden, and the landscape will be populated with life, love, holiness, and healing.
Much easier said than done. But in God's grace, it's a start.
Thank you to all who prayed for my drill weekend. We had the usual handful of soldiers for the morning chapel at my regular (headquarters) unit. I conducted another chapel at our Pewaukee unit on the way back and proclaimed the Gospel to perhaps 40 soldiers--an incredible number based on prior experience, and perhaps showing the hunger of a unit that rarely sees a chaplain!
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