Joel's Travels

Theology | Bible Study | Leadership

The Journey Of Grace

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Grace

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and the blitz for family time, food, and travel is well underway and we are all in need of more grace! It always amazes me that in a season where we are asked to remember what we are thankful for, we end up being the most critical people who are unable to show grace. When I write these words I am speaking about myself first.

I realized over the last week leading up to thanksgiving that all the preparation and trying to get caught up with work so I can enjoy time with family has caused me to be short and sometimes plain mean to my family, I think the dog gets the worst of it! The journey of giving and extending grace can sometimes be long and complicated, filled with unexpected turns and challenges.

A Reflection Of The Condition Of Our Heart

Then it hit me. The extent of how gracious I am is a deep reflection of the condition of my heart. My critical nature, being short, and angry were all symptoms of a heart that really was not thankful. In many ways a thankful heart produces a gracious person. I think the Apostle Paul’s words are helpful to in this regard (Col 4:6)

“Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person*”

Really, being a gracious person is not an option for the Christian. As we understand and remind ourselves of how God rescued and delivered us our natural response should be to extend grace to others. Sadly, in times of stress we so easily run hard after achieving our goals that we neglect to rest in the grace of God.

How Do We Extend Grace?

Some of us feel a sense of defeat when it comes to extending grace. We may feel that we are just critical people. We are flawed and there is no hope, rather we just have to deal with the affects. However, this is true for all of us. We are all hopeless and not capable of extending grace and being a people filled with grace apart from Christ. I appreciate how Charles Spurgeon comments on this topic of being a grace filled people.

“you may have some grace in your heart, but it is dropped there like small rain from heaven, you have not got it “poured” there; you may be ever so full of grace, but Christ is more full than you are; and when you are ever so reduced in grace, it is a consolation that with him is plenteous grace, plenty that knows no lack, for grace is poured into his lips” – C. H. Spurgeon*

Spurgeon

Spurgeon

While we may have some grace in our hearts, we have to recognize that it is nothing compared to the fully sufficient grace that is found in Christ. The real challenge happens when we try to extend and be a people of grace based on our own means or ability. Even our ability to extend grace is fully reliant on Christ who is full; even overflowing, with grace. Therefore, lets find our hope, rest, and sufficiency in Him.

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C. H. Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 54 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1908), 98.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Col 4:6.

Seminary 101: The Church and Reformation

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Seminary 101 Church and Reformation

As some of you know I’m in seminary. Seminary has been an incredible opportunity to get stretched in my understanding of theology, church history, and ministry methodology. I’ve had a lot of conversations with people who wish they had the opportunity to go through seminary but it just is not a reality for them in the season of life they are in. In response to this I thought each week I would do a post called “Seminary 101”. Essentially, this will be post that covers a specific topic that I am studying in seminary for that week.

The Reformation and the Church

Currently, I am taking Church History 2 from Dr. Gerald Bray. We have been discussing the nature of the church in light of its social and political climate during the time of the reformation. The very nature of the church during the time of Wycliffe, Huss, Luther, Calvin, and the reformers was both scrutinized and being evaluated. It seems very clear that the reformers believed that the church had lost its way as time went on and therefore was in desperate need of reform. Wycliffe questioned the extravagant wealth of the church and priests. Wycliffe believed that the Bible should be accessible to everyone and therefore should be translated[1]. The church in response to Wycliffe’s outspoken beliefs responded by decreeing that no one was allowed to translate the Bible.

Internal and External Challenges

As these “internal” challenges were taking place, there was also growing dispute between the church and state. The secular government became increasingly reluctant to send troops to Palestine for the crusades, which brought upon unrest. These issues expanded even to the area of taxation as the Pope in 1298 AD decreed that the church could not be taxed on its properties, which the King of France took objection to. Eventually, after the Pope died, the King of France won; regardless, this caused further unrest and tension between the church and secular rulers. [1]

Luther and the Reformation

Roughly 100 years after Wycliffe enters a man named Martin Luther. Luther, continued the effort to see the church fall in line with the actual teaching of the scriptures. Luther was incredibly distraught over the practice of the church to take indulgences (priests taking payments in exchange for the forgiveness of sins and extended grace) and boldly spoke out against such practices. These practices made the church rich while clearly teaching a false gospel of works and not grace, which Luther despised.

All of these challenges and conversations spurred on the reformation and caused an environment for leaders within the reformation to stand up and speak out over errors within the church in regards to the interpretation of scripture, practice and ministry methodology, and the desire for growth in the area of political power. It is also important to note that Luther did not necessarily desire a revolution and separation from the church, rather a reconciliation and reform of the church to reflect what the scriptures actually taught.

How Does This Apply Today?

It’s important to look at the past to identify areas where we are prone to commit the same mistakes. Much of sin is repackaged in creative new forms throughout centuries. As we identify these areas and address them with the truth and light of the Gospel we are able to continue to reflect Christ. As we look to our practices in church it would be wise to consider if we are pursuing leadership and authority or diligently pursuing the advancement of the Gospel. Just as Wycliffe and Luther had a desire to see the church reform, we should also have that desire. We must have a desire to see an ongoing reformation that causes us to continually turn to the scriptures to ensure that our actions and practices are reflective of the Gospel.

 

Further Study:

If you would like to jump into some further reading and study about church history and the reformation I would highly recommend the Logos Bible Software Mobile Ed Course by Dr. Gerald Bray. At the time of this post being written, it is currently still available for pre-order. 

 

 

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[1]  lesson 5, Church History 2.  Dr. Gerald Bray.  Knox Theological Seminary.  Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

 

Genesis 35: A Theology Of Remembrance Pt. 2

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Gen pt 2

In the midst of tragedy, the faithfulness of God can be incredibly difficult to believe in. Through chaos often times we find ourselves distrusting the goodness of God which results in humanity trying to take matters in their own hands. Simeon and Levi are guilty of this in Genesis 34. Further, Jacob is seemingly silent and unaware of what is taking place in his own household. As he realizes what has happened and the implications that this will bring onto his family, he finds himself in great need once again of great rescue. Then, “God speaks”. God leads Jacob out of his tragedy and shows his faithfulness in spite of Jacobs faithlessness.

Our Remembrance Reaffirms The Truth That We Are Wholly Reliant On God For All Our Needs:

Remembering how God has rescued us gives us a sense of balance and places us in a position where we are not focusing on our works, ability, or self mean, but reaffirms the truth that we are wholly reliant on God for all our needs. In the same way that Jacob is reminded that his needs were and will continue to be met by God, we can also rest in this truth. It is incredibly easy for us to be distracted with what is around us. We can begin to place our trust and hope in our own means and abilities. Therefore, this principle of remembrance is formalized for the believer. Christ gave us the command to remember him as we take communion. As we partake in the wine we are to remember the blood that Christ spilled for his covenant people. As we eat the bread we are to remember the body of Christ that was beaten and broken.

Our Remembrance Produces A Grateful Heart:

This remembrance causes us first, to be grateful to this great God who became man, conquered sin and death, and reconciled the covenant people of God back to himself. Second, it causes the covenant community to rest in the sufficiency of Christ. We are reminded that once again, left to our own means we were aliens and enemies of God (Eph 2) destroying not only ourselves but also those closest to us. What a great reminder of the goodness of God to send his Son and restore His people. The result of is a tremendous relief. We no longer have the burden to produce or perform. We are no longer slaves to the law and feel the defeat of the chains and bondage that we place on ourselves. Rather we respond from a grateful heart as a people who have been reconciled and restored. We live in the truth of the Gospel which free’s us to love people just and Christ loved us. We can now look at others and see them as Christ see’s them. What an incredible blessing to live, move, and breath in light of our recollecting the saving grace of God.

Some of us are in bondage. We are putting ourselves under the bondage and chains of the law. We are motivated from fear or expectation rather than a Gospel reality of grace. We need now more than ever to remember that we will never be able to satisfy ourselves or achieve our hearts desires through our own means. We need to remember the Gospel and live in light of Gods free and unmerited grace.

 

Catch Up On Posts From The Series!

Theology of Remembrance Pt. 1 – “Our remembrance of the goodness of God stirs up our affections for Jesus”

 

Genesis 35: A Theology Of Remembrance Pt. 1

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Gen 35

Recently, a friend of mine asked me to preach for him as he was out of the country. Their church has been going through the entire book of Genesis, so I was asked to pick up in Genesis 35. Throughout my research, study, and preparation I was encouraged in so many ways. The most important thing that stuck out to me was the importance of remembrance in the life of the believer. Genesis 35 helps us to develop this theology of remembrance which has such great implications for us today. I’ll break this up into three part’s which reflect my sermon.

Our Remembrance Of The Goodness Of God Stirs Our Affections for Jesus

Our Remembrance Of The Goodness Of God Stirs Our Affections for Jesus

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Within Genesis 35 we find Jacob commemorating special conversations with God through the building of pillars and making offerings. The question some may have, is why did Jacob build these pillars? The reason being that remembrance causes us to grow in our affections for God. It is good for us to consider where we came from and what God has delivered us from (Col 1:13). For instance, the New American Commentary states, “The recurring motif of divine guidance appears in the patriarch’s speech to his family: “[God] has been with me wherever I have gone” ”. Therefore, Jacob’s recollection of the goodness of God causes him to remember the promises of God. Jacob is also caused to deal with the reality that God has never been far from him but continues to go with him wherever he journeys.

Further, we see how God causes Jacob to step into a place of remembrance. John Calvin notes, “God chooses and assigns Bethel, rather than any other place, for his [Jacob’s] sanctuary; because the very sight of it would greatly avail to take away terror, when he would remember that there the glory of the Lord had been seen by him ”. This divine direction places Jacob in a situation where he can rely on the both the goodness and promise of God. Jacob is able to trust God not only for his own life, but also for the life of his family.

By remembering the past, Jacob is ready to the face the trials of the future.

Similarly, Charles Spurgeon affirms the importance of remembrance as he states, “A revival of old memories is often most useful to us, especially to revive the memory of our conversion. ”. Spurgeon is expressing how important a recollection of who and what we were apart from God serves as a helpful and needed practice to continually remind of our great need for God. In the same way that Jacob is faced with the reality of how God had delivered him from his turmoil and tragedy when he ventured to Bethel, when we recollect our own conversion experience we can rest in the goodness of God. Our practice of remembrance encourages us to rest safe and secure in the sufficiency of God in the midst of trials we may face in the future.

 

 

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  1. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 611.

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ge 35:11.

C. H. Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 24 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1878), 52.

My Son’s Seizure and Praying Psalm 46

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Screen Shot 2015-11-02 at 10.58.49 AMMy son’s seizure. I never honestly thought I would ever say that phrase. In the most terrifying experience of my life I held my 9 month old son as he went into what I now know is a complex febrile seizure. Little Lucas had a spike in fever while we were just 10 minutes away from my uncles house to surprise my mom for her birthday. Just before he went into the seizure he had a unique pain cry that we had never heard. My wife, Brittany, knew instantly something was wrong and jumped into the backseat to see what was wrong. As he went into the seizure, I pulled over, called 911, and then I stood there holding my 9 month old son as his left hand and left foot convulsed for what seemed like an eternity until we heard the sirens approach us.

It’s taken me some time to process what was taking place in my mind but I realized I began to pray Psalm 46 earnestly to the Lord in those moments and I continued to pray it over the next 48 hours of testing, confusion, anger, and anticipation. Why Psalm 46? Actually, its because it was the first Psalm that was released as a pre-release in song form from my friends Shane and Shane. I’ve been listening to this song easily over 50 times simply because I loved their arrangement of this powerful Psalm. Little did I know that God in his sovereignty began to prepare my heart days before this scary moment as I watched my son not only go through the seizure but watch as he was subjected to multiple tests.

Lucas

So, I thought I would share my prayer and how Psalm 46 encouraged me in my time of need.

Praying Psalm 46:

God, you are my refuge and strength, in the midst of my fears you are present. God I know that even if the earth falls apart or the mountains fall into roaring waters and disappear, you are near to me, and never leave. In spite of what is going on with Lucas, you are my ever present help and I will continue to praise you for who you are.

I can’t begin to imagine the city of God, where the Most High dwells. Even in the midst of mourning and tragedy, and turmoil, God you help me. I take strength in knowing that the God of all the heavenly hosts is with me. God, you are with me. You don’t leave me. In my stillness, in my fear, in my uncertainty, and doubt, I know you are God. Thank you Lord of hosts for being with me and comforting me, and being my fortress. Selah.

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I am absolutely blown away by the faithfulness of God. At a lot of conferences where I present Logos Bible Software I share the following quote from Charles Spurgeon:

“He whose own heart was broken knows how to cure broken hearts – Charles Spurgeon”

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I always follow up this quote by stating how incredible it is to know that God uses our own brokenness as a means of grace to minister to and encourage those who are broken, anxious, in despair, and confused. I realize today, more than ever, how true that is. This experience has caused me to draw closer to the living, breathing, majestic God who satisfies all of our desires, and meets us in the midst of both joy and despair.

I can’t help but consider that some of you reading this post have gone through seasons of tragedy, turmoil, and sorrow. I pray that you would be encouraged by our great God who is the Lord of Host’s, and is never far from us but is near to us. I know that he has been near to me.

I’ll leave you with Psalm 46:

God is our refuge and strength,

a very present help in trouble.

2  Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,

though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

3  though its waters roar and foam,

though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

4  There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

the holy habitation of the Most High.

5  God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;

God will help her when morning dawns.

6  The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;

he utters his voice, the earth melts.

7  The Lord of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

8  Come, behold the works of the Lord,

how he has brought desolations on the earth.

9  He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

he burns the chariots with fire.

10  “Be still, and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!”

11  The Lord of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah*

 

 

I also hope you will be encouraged by  Shane and Shane as they sing this powerful Psalm.

 

 

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*C. H. Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 57 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1911), 77.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Ps 46:1–11.

3 Lessons Learned From Narnia

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C.S. Lewis Quote

We are in a really fun season of parenting. Liam and Levi love to read and watch movies. They are finally in a season where we can start working through chapter books. Brittany and I decided to start working our way through the C.S Lewis books. The boys happened to see that the books were made into movies so we started watching the movies. As we we jumped into the story of Narnia, I spent more time watching the reaction of my boys than actually watching the movie. Their eagerness to understand why Edmund would betray his family and even more incredible, their eager anticipation to see this majestic lion named Aslan. There is so much that I was reminded of by watching my boys response throughout the movies, and even more encouraging, I began to relive and recollect that simple wonder and awe that my kids were experiencing. As I reflect on what we learned as a family from C.S Lewis, we came across the following.

Eager Anticipation:

The opening scenes of the Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe leads us on a journey to find this majestic and powerful lion named, Aslan. Every scene and at the turn of every corner we are anticipating the return of Aslan. Each character that we meet describes Aslan in a unique manner, but they all conclude that he is the only hope for the tragedy and turmoil that Narnia is in. Then, it happens! We see this large, glorious, beautiful, and fierce lion. Aslan is both terrifying and loving at the same time.

So what did the anticipation cause in us? It caused us to be sharp and aware because we didn’t want to miss when he came. As we unpacked this with my boys we discussed how we are now waiting for Jesus to come back. Jesus is even better than Aslan. He is coming back to live with us so we could enjoy Him forever. Our anticipation of Christ coming back causes us to consider our life. I am reminded of Phil 1:27 where Paul calls us to live a life worthy of the Gospel.

Phil 1 27

As we wait in eager anticipation for Jesus we can reflect on our life and are motivated to live in light of the goodness and mercy of Christ. Further, our anticipation causes us to be diligent and fruitful with our time. We don’t know when Christ will come back, and we have much to do today to advance the Gospel. There are real hurting and broken people that are in desperate need of the Gospel. Therefore, our anticipation causes us to be faithful to the great commission.

The Failure To See God:

In Prince Caspian we came across another interesting twist. Lucy see’s Aslan and as she tries to tell her siblings that he is in fact there, they tell her off. Why is it that Lucy was able to see Aslan but the others were not? We find that that the kids, like all of us, were motivated and driven by their own desires. It’s dangerous to pursue our own desires. While Peter was consumed with proving himself as the famed “High King” he neglects Aslan and pursues his own selfish motives. Something we can all relate to. Augustine says it well, “For men see Him just so far as they die to this world; and so far as they live to it they see Him not.”

The more we live our lives for our gratification, motives, desires, and wants we will see less of God. This extends to hearing from God. I hear so often, “I just don’t hear from God” or “I don’t know His will for me”. I’ve said this! The reality is, in my life, one of the key problems is the distraction of my selfishness. Matthew 16:24 speaks to this reality. That our pursuit must be Christ. As we deny ourself, carry a cross, and follow after Him, we will see him clearly.

Meditating On The Sacrifice of Christ:

As we were leading up to the moments when Aslan was preparing to sacrifice himself for Edmund my wife and I looked at each other with panic. We remembered how hard it was to see this beautiful, powerful, Aslan subject himself to this wicked witch and get slain. We quickly looked at each other and began to debate over whether or not the kids should see this. We ended up coming to the realization that they should, and we had to clearly communicate what was happening. Needless to say, there was crying, sobbing, anger, so many pure emotions from a little 4 and 2 year old. I can’t begin to describe how awesome it was to see them respond when Aslan comes back victorious. As we talked about what took place with Aslan we told the boys that this is what Jesus literally did for us. We were just as guilty as Edmund, and Jesus was perfectly innocent. However, he sacrificed himself willingly on our behalf. But he didn’t die! He conquered sin and death and promised to come back for us. What a simple way to explain the doctrine of substitutionary atonement to a 4 and 2 year old (thank you C.S Lewis!).

We have to keep the reality of Christ’s sacrifice in front of us. This is why I think its wise to do communion each week. We are putting into practice a system of remembrance that causes us to consider, think, and thank God for his goodness and sacrifice. Further, we can take hope in His promise to come back as a victorious King to reconcile his people to Himself.

If you are a parent, I would highly recommend that you take some time to read through the Chronicles of Narnia. If your kids are old enough read as a family with them. However, don’t just enjoy the literary excellence of the book without meditating on the beautiful Gospel themes that C.S Lewis implements so intentionally.

 

The Danger of Pursuing Your Desires

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The Danger of DesireAfter a few years working in the marketing space I’ve come to pay close attentions to ad’s, commercials, billboards, and pretty much anything that is trying to sell or communicate something. The common thread in everything that I’ve come across from the print billboard on the highway to the 30 second add on Hulu is the motivational factor that informs and drives the message. What is it you ask?

Desire.

After just a little bit of consideration you will find that the best commercials speak to the hidden desire that fuels the person. These desires include:

  • The uncontrollable need to have or acquire something
  • The desire to consume and fill, many times feeding the desire of food or hunger
  • The pursuit of material possessions
  • Being placed in a position where you don’t have to do anything and can live a luxurious life
  • Getting a sense of justification
  • Discontent of what you have and wanting what others can provide
  • Whatever can life you up and make you seem better then everyone else

If you stopped right now and turned on your TV and really analyzed the commercial that is in front of you, you would see one or some combination of the previous motivations being played out in the commercial. For the perceptive reader going through the list, you would have probably recognized that the list can be simplified and categorized as:

The 7 Deadly Sins:

  • Lust
  • Gluttony
  • Greed
  • Sloth
  • Wrath
  • Envy
  • Pride

I was at a conference in California and was listening to a panel of leading technologists in the Christian space. One of the guys is a former executive of a large technology company. He said that in every marketing meeting and conversation of new product development the question that was asked goes something like this, “Does this product or campaign feed into one of the 7 deadly sins?”.

Ultimately, they found that the 7 deadly sins sell.

If we are not careful, we will find that the motivational factors behind our desires can also be categorically placed within one or some combination of the 7 deadly sins which is counterproductive and dangerous in every way to the believer.

A Theological Perspective of Desire:

Don’t get me wrong, having desires and motivations are great! In fact, it is a necessity for so much of what we do. However, without looking at the motivating factors we can find ourselves in a very dark and dangerous place. We don’t need to turn much further than the very opening pages of Genesis. We find in Genesis 3 the danger of desire being played out with an epic consequence for all of humanity. Specifically, in Genesis 3:4 we find that sneaky serpent exposing the idolatrous desire of Adam and Eve (the text says Adam was WITH her, so he is in every way guilty) to be “like God” and to “know good and evil” and to have their “eyes opened”. Sadly, when their eyes were opened, they came to see and realize the slavery that they subjected themselves to as a result of their disobedience and distrust in the goodness of God.

We’re No Better:

Don’t think we are any better. In fact, in many ways we have become much worse and more depraved as time has passed. We are able to creatively package ancient sin in new way’s which ultimately leads to our own slavery and demise. Take a look at Ephesians 2:3 and we find ourselves picking up where our first parents, Adam and Eve left off.

However, desire in itself is not bad. The object of our desire determines the positive or negative outcome.

However, desire in itself is not bad. The object of our desire determines the positive or negative…

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How the Gospel Informs Our Desires:

As we understand the Gospel and it does a work in our lives we are left in awe and amazement at how a righteous and Holy God would intervene in our depravity, and rescue us from sin and death to place us at the right hand of the father (Col 1:13). This deep and intimate understanding of the Gospel begins to inform and mold us into the image of Christ. Our depraved self is destroyed and we are made new in Christ. We begin to think, live, love, perceive, and act in a way that is reflective of this Gospel that has definitively transformed us. Our motivations come into alignment with the desires of God, therefore, our desires are really God’s desires.

I think Martin Luther says it much better.

Martin Luther Quote

Therefore, when the object of our desire becomes Christ himself, the outcome of our desires become Gospel saturated and God honoring.

Therefore, when the object of our desire becomes Christ himself, the outcome of our desires become…

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Further Reading – To dig deeper into this topic I would highly recommend Dr. John Pipers book, “Desiring God”.

 

 

 

Reflections at 30

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final

It’s hard to believe that I just turned 30. There are so many land mark birthdays, and for me 30 is one of those. Turning 30 is great. It’s hard to believe, but its still great.  As I’ve spent some time thinking through the last 30 years I’ve come across the following reflections, which are not in any particular order.

Education isn’t everything but it’s not nothing

I’ve realized that I am definitely a learner. If I could have a full time job that allowed me to spend the rest of my life in school I would. Interestingly, the degrees that I’ve completed (BA, Biblical Studies, MS, Organizational Psychology) and will complete (Mdiv, Master of Divinity) have been helpful in so many ways, but the educational certificates themselves don’t automatically qualify you for whatever you want to do in your career. You still have to work hard at your vocation and experience is really important.

Creating disciplines early on would have prevented plenty of heart ache

I really wish I was more intentional on being more disciplined. It’s so much harder (not impossible) but harder to create and establish knew disciplines (spiritual, physical, emotional, health) as you get older.

I don’t know everything, and the more I realize it the smarter I am

Enough said.

Listening is more important than talking

I spent a lot of time early on trying to validate who I was and the value I brought to each conversation. I could have learned so much if I kept my mouth shut and listened to the incredible experience and wisdom from those around me.

The affect of sin is not simply personal, its communal

I’ve realized now more than ever the danger, trauma, and sadness of sin. Even more so, I’ve seen and experienced how the affect of sin does at times the most damage to those closest to you. Over the last three years I have seen pastors and ministry leaders that I’ve met personally and have had great respect for, go through moral failures. I’ve seen the damage it has caused to not just their families but how it extends to their church members as well.

Getting married young and having children is the best thing that happened to me

I love it. Seriously, I love it. I love that I go home to three handsome boys who love having dadda home. Who want to wrestle, play, and cuddle me. I love having a godly wife who encourages me and fights for me in all things. Sure, its been hard at times, but it really is more than worth it. I don’t think its a coincidence that I started the path of my educational and vocational journey with excellence the same time Brittany and I got engaged.

Being a husband and father is more important than any stage I could ever get on

It’s hard to explain the adrenaline rush when you get on a stage and have thousands of peoples eyes on you. But that is nothing compared to the feeling of walking through the door of my house and having my oldest son Liam running to me yelling at me about everything I missed, and my second son Levi yelling, “Dada your home, your home. I missed you, your home!”. I pick that over the largest stages, all day, every day.

My ethnicity, cultural background, and early childhood is more important than I could have ever known

So much of who I am today and the skill set that God has given me is a result of two years as a child I spent in India with my grandparents. I strongly believe that the reason I can get on large stages and share and communicate is because my earliest memories are of me on stages with my grandfather in India standing next to him as he preached the gospel to countless people. I could have never imagined how important that would be for the job I have today. Further, growing up a second generation Indian in a western context has provided me with a unique concept. I know that God is going to use this in some specific way, I just don’t know what that is today. Who knows, maybe my blog post when I turn 40 will have that part figure out!

You can never out run God, ever

It doesn’t matter how long you try, how creative you are, and how strong willed you think you are. You will always walk away with a limp when you encounter God and try to wrestle with him.

 

3 Tips For Better Bible Study

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3 Tips For Better Bible Study

My wife Brittany (AlmostIndianWife.com) got me into this #PeriscopeWithPurpose challenge. I’ll admit, I wasn’t real sure about it. I really didn’t feel like I had the time but after seeing how easy it was and how much fun my wife was having I decided to give it a try. I had no clue that this challenge opened up a channel for me to communicate my faith journey, challenges as a traveling dad, and also meet some pretty cool people. Today, the challenge dealt with giving 3 tips. One of the benefits I have of traveling to christian conferences around the world is the ability to glean and learn from some of the best theological minds out there. So I decided to share some of the most practical and important Bible Study tips that I’ve learned.

Read With The End In Mind:

It’s easy for us to read the Bible and think in a closed box or isolate the story. One of the most important aspects of the Bible, is its scope. The reality that from the very beginning, after the fall, there was a plan and purpose. The narrative leads us to a triumphant climax with the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. This sets the stage for our eager anticipation of the return of our savior. Sadly, at times we read without this important filter. There are serious challenges that occur when this happens. We begin to miss major themes that run throughout the pages of the Bible. We start to value individual people within the Bible over Jesus himself. And possibly the most dangerous, which leads me to my next point, is that we think too much of ourselves.

You Are Not The Point Of The Bible:

If you were just offended by that headline, do me a favor and give me a chance to explain. I’m glad you were offended (stay with me). I think of the biggest dangers of reading the Bible is when we impose ourselves as the hero. We read the stories of Moses, David, Solomon, and we start to read as if we were them. First, we are not them! Second, I’d encourage you to go back read their stories, I really doubt you want to be them if you really understand who they are:

Moses – murderer, disobedient to God multiple times.

David – adulterer, murderer, disobedient to God multiple times.

Solomon – disobedient to God, loved women more than God.

So how are we supposed to read the Bible?

We are supposed to read the Bible with Christ centrally positioned as better, all sufficient and fulfilling.

Read the Bible with Christ centrally positioned as better, all sufficient and fulfilling.

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Jesus is the point of the Bible. In the same we read in eager anticipation of his coming to reconcile us from sin, and then look forward to his second coming, we must see Christ in every portion of the Bible. This skill and intentional thought will open our eyes to the beauty of Christ and his Word and will cause us to find rest, satisfaction, and fulfillment in Him. Our slavery to our own selfish ambition and self idolatry becomes vanquished when we have a right understanding of who Christ is and how he rescued us.

Actually Read The Bible:

It’s amazing how many times I find myself having gone days and weeks without actually reading the Bible. I find time to study my fantasy football team, binge watch my favorite TV shows, get all my work done, and so on. I have a sneaky suspicion one of the biggest issues for people when it comes to Bible study, is that they don’t actually read their Bibles.

So, quickly share this post. Now, run and grab your Bible and begin to dig into the greatest story ever told. The best part, its true, and it can and will meet you exactly where you are today.

P.S – You can follow me on Periscope and catch the video replay of my drive where I talk about these three tips first, for the next 24 hours –

 

Planned Parenthood: The Elephant In The Room

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Planned Parenthood

There’s an elephant in the room and no one wants to talk about it. It’s huge; ridiculously large. This particular elephant has tusks that are massive. Still, no one wants to acknowledge it. This elephant sits within the space of every conversation, debate, and discussion of planned parenthood, their processes, policies, methodologies, fiscal responsibility, and so on. So, what is this elephant?

It’s. Our. Morality.

Fair warning, what I am about to discuss does not involves details or debates about processes, policies, methodologies, and fiscal responsibility. Rather, I want to deal with the moral issue that must be considered first and foremost before we engage in conversing the latter.

I have both experienced and watched others engage in conversation about planned parenthood and I am amazed the issue of morality is not one that is taken seriously. This is not simply a political or religious issue, its a moral issue. Well, what is the issue? It can be summed up with the following question.

Question: Do you believe it is ok to murder an innocent unborn child or not?

I can already feel, hear, and anticipate the uproar that is coming my way.

It’s not that simple.

It’s more complex.

You don’t understand.

You’re naive, and an idealist.

All of that may be true, however, it does not stop us from answering the question and living behind our answer. I believe that it’s this core question that has to inform every decision, practice, policy, and method.

We have to match our methods and practices to our convictions

We have to match our methods and practices to our convictions via @Muddamalle

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Rather then trying to rationalize and mask our convictions in such a way as to condone our practices. Further, I recognize that Planned Parenthood does some great stuff and provide some incredible resources and services. However, they also abort and kill innocent children, which is being funded directly or indirectly from federal tax dollars. Is it ok to neglect an evil that is being done because there is also good? Just a brief stroll down history lane shows us the results of such thinking. Namely, slavery, Hitler, wars, murder, and genocide in the name of religion!

The moral issue surrounding the sanctity of life, in my opinion, is the moral thread that will unravel everything. When we are unwilling to stand up for and fight for the lives of innocent unborn children things are going to get bad, really bad, really quick. They already are, just turn on CNN for five minutes.

The Practical Side:

Let me touch briefly on the practicality side. There are so many other options that are out there for services similar to and better than what Planned Parenthood provides. Further, if federal funding was adjusted and made available to such services we could see a scalability that would fit within an uncompromising moral framework. Also, it’s a mistake to think, assume, or neglect the reality that with decisions such as abortion comes immense guilt. We need to provide counseling services to these ladies and let them know that there is hope, restoration, and healing. Maybe even more important, why let it get to that? Why not provide counseling and support prior to such a drastic decision and provide viable alternatives such as adoption? Someone asked me, “how is it fair to ask a women to go through the trauma of a full term pregnancy in the case of rape or incest?”. I’d ask the same question of the unborn child. How is it fair for that unborn child to be murdered for something the child had no control over? Rather, doesn’t it seem to make more sense to provide counseling for the women, deliver the baby and give it up for adoption, and provide on going care for the women? In this instance the women does not need to add murder of an innocent unborn child to the already serious trauma she is dealing with.

My position can be summed up in this simple statement:

We have a moral obligation to defend the lives of unborn children and find another way to meet the needs of people without excusing the killing of innocent unborn children. People can accuse me of being an idealist, but I’ve chosen my side.

“You may choose to look the other way, but you can never again say you didn’t know” – William Wilberforce

Wiliam Wilberforce

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