Choosing Thomas

I debated on whether or not to post this on my blog.

Here is the link: http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/photography/2009/thomas/

Here is a word of warning: if you watch this (especially if you have children) you will cry. And you will cry a lot. This is a video of a story that the Dallas Morning News did on a couple who, even though they knew that their child would live but for a few days, they chose to go ahead with the pregnancy and delivery. Their son lived for five days. They watched in agony as he tried to breathe and were there when he took his last breath. Mercifully, God took him while all three were asleep.

The anger, sadness, bitterness, and shock that you will experience while watching this video can be attributed because of sin's presence in the world. This baby was born with this deformity because of sin's reign in the world. Indeed, all death that occurs in this world occurs because mankind has disobeyed God's glorious standard of perfection...we've sinned. Because we live in such a glorious country we don't have to experience this type of pain and suffering that most of history has had to experience. Medicine has come a long way in 100, 50, 30 years. We're comfortable. And becuase we're comfortable we often times don't realize our need for a savior, a reconciler, a healer, or a redeemer.

This current world is the Devil's playground. It doesn't take much to see that. However, by his infinite grace and mercy, God has chosen to ransom those that put their faith in Jesus forever. Jesus took God's judgment on the cross for our sin so that one day we'll be in Heaven with him.

And this couple will see their baby boy again - this time with no deformity and perfectly glorified and they will never have to let him go - what a wonderful reunion that will be...

The Danger of Evil

A good visual lesson to teach your kids (and yourself!) about the dangers of evil

Promotion Sunday

New post at ministry-to-children.com

On Evil and Suffering

On the problem of evil and suffering:

The Meaning of the Husband's Headship

Husband, if you feel like your wife isn't perfect, well she isn't. And the more imperfect she is, the more God calls, no demands, you to forgive her. The more she makes you mad, the more you love her. That is your job in playing out your role of the husband/wife (Christ/church) relationship. You are a living, breathing, and walking, picture of Christ...how's that for a burden and a blessing?

C.S. Lewis on Male Headship:

The husband is the head of the wife just in so far as he is to her what Christ is to the Church. He is to love her as Christ loved the church—read on—and gave his life for her (Ephesians 5:25).

This headship, then, is most fully embodied not in the husband we should all wish to be but in him whose marriage is most like a crucifixion; whose wife receives most and gives least, is most unworthy of him, is—in her own mere nature—least lovable. For the church has no beauty but what the bridegroom gives her; he does not find, but makes her, lovely.

The chrism [anointing, consecration] of this terrible coronation is to be seen not in the joys of any man's marriage but in its sorrows, in the sickness and sufferings of a good wife or the faults of the bad one, in his unwearying (never paraded) care or his inexhaustible forgiveness: forgiveness, not acquiescence.

As Christ sees in the flawed, proud, fanatical or lukewarm Church on earth that bride who will one day be without spot or wrinkle, and labors to produce the latter, so the husband whose headship is Christ-like (and he is allowed no other sort) never despairs. He is a King Cophetua who after twenty years still hopes that the beggar-girl will one day learn to speak the truth and wash behind her ears. (105-106)

HT: Desiring God

Lyrics

Here are the lyrics for the video below:

[Verse 1: LeCrae]
I know a lot of people out there scared they gone die
couple of em thinking they'll be livin in the sky
but while Im here livin man I gotta ask why
what am here fo I gotta figure out
waste my life/ no I gotta make it count
if Christ is real then what am I gone do about
all of the things in Luke 12:15 down to 21 you really oughta go and check it out
Paul said if Christ aint resurrect then we wasted our lives
well that implies that our life's built around Jesus being alive
everyday I'm living tryin show the world why
Christ is more than everything you'll ever try
better than pretty women and sinning and living
to get a minute of any women and men that you admire aint no lie
We created for Him outta the dust he made us for Him
Elects us and he saves us for Him Jesus comes and raises for Him
Magnify the Father why bother with something lesser
he made us so we could bless Him and to the world we confess him
resurrects him so I know I got life matter fact better man I know I got Christ
if you don't' see His ways in my days and nights
you can hit my brakes you can stop my lights
man I lost my rights I lost my life
forget the money cars and toss that ice
the cost is Christ
and they could never offer me anything on the planet that'll cost that price

[Verse 2: LeCrae]
Suffer Yeah do it for Christ if you trying to figure what to do with your life
if you making money hope you doing it right
because the money is Gods you better steward it right
stay focused if you aint got no ride
your life aint wrapped up in what you drive
the clothes you wear the job you work
the color your skin naw we Christian first
people living life for a job make a lil money start living for a car
get em a house a wife kids and a dog when they retire they living high on the hog
but guess what they didn't ever really live at all to live is Christ yeah that's Paul I recall
to die is gain so for Christ we give it all he's the treasure you'll find in the mall
Your money your singleness marriage talent and time
they were loaned to you to show the world that Christ is Divine
that's why it's Christ in my rhymes That's why it's Christ all the time
my whole world is built around him He's the life in my lines
I refused to waste my life he's too true ta chase that ice
heres my gifts and time cause I'm constantly trying to be used to praise the Christ
If he's truly raised to life then this news should change your life
and by his grace you can put your faith in place that rules your days and nights

Lecrae

I've recently discovered Lecrae - a rapper who rhymes with Christ-exalting lyrics. Check out this music video called "Don't Waste Your Life" - you may have to watch it twice to follow the story line



Here is Lecrae at a challenge with some local kid - funny stuff

Praying the Prayer of Subsistence Living

All to often in our society we pray that God will bless us financially. What we don't realize is that by praying this prayer we are actually putting our hope and trust in our savings accounts, IRAs and the like. When we do this we are literally setting up idols of worship that get between us and our true savings account, Jesus Christ - from whom all things exist and live as He rules everything under Heaven.

Will you pray the prayer that God will provide your need "paycheck to paycheck?" It may be the only true way to live without relegating God to a money tree. Watch this video from Francis Chan, author of Crazy Love: