I have four daughters, and with that, an inordinate amount of estrogen and emotion pumping through my home at all times. But I love it. When I was 19 I asked God to only give me daughters, and He was gracious enough to oblige. There is something special about the relationship between a dad and his little girl - I'm blessed enough to have this four times over (and possibly more in the future!).
The people of God have historically thrived in oppressive, resistant and hostile societies. The Israelites lived under the cruelty of an abusive Egyptian king, yet "...the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread..." (Exodus 1:12). Despite the systematic attempts of indoctrination into an Egyptian worldview, Daniel refused to compromise his allegiance to God and in the end "...the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom..." (Daniel 6:3).
When I was nine years old I learned that the man I had grown up knowing as Dad was actually not my biological father. While this naturally produced many questions in me, it certainly answered one that had always confused me - "Why do I look nothing like my dad?" Now, I knew why.
We recently sat with friends over dinner who shared with us that God was calling them to adopt. They said they always had a sense this would be in store for them, but were hesitant on timing - life had become comfortable for them again with good jobs, two children and an overall healthy rhythm for their family. However, while the benefits of comfort had settled in they began to question to what end. Where would a comfortable life ultimately lead them?
There are certain things in churches we can create that people will participate in - i.e. worship services, pot-luck dinners, small groups, children's ministries and basketball leagues. Whether God is in those activities or not is irrelevant to our ability to implement them and expect participation. Of course, the hope is that God is in them, and that lives are changed as a result of them.
Below is the transcript from this past Sunday, August 18th at Woodlands Point Community Church. It shares in detail why I am resigning from the church I love and what it is I am confident God is moving me to.
As lawyers, case workers and court clerks scurried around the court room, we sat waiting - ignorant of the process but eager to see it end. We assumed our role would be minimal, more as a silent presence than an active participant. We were wrong.
It was trial day. Nearly a year had gone by since a beautiful 3 day old baby girl was brought to our house by child protective services.
Moms: The onslaught of blogs and social media outlets say "good" moms breast feed, make their own organic foods and never buy microwavable anything...especially dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets. They are crafty, don't work outside the home and spend their days sewing quilts and embroidering keepsakes, baking pies and cooking gourmet dinners while never getting frustrated with their kids. They establish traditions in their home that their perfect children will pass on to their own perfect children one day. The house is never messy and the hair is always fixed.
Fertility has never been an issue for my wife and I. Our question was not will we get pregnant but rather how can we time out our pregnancies the way we want them to be? Our three biological daughters are all two years apart with their birthdays falling within six weeks of one another each fall. Planned, calculated. Like clock work.
Four things every pastor wants to say...
Last summer I spent a week in beautiful Southern California along the Pacific Coast Highway corridor between Laguna Beach and San Diego. This iconic highway boasts miles of impressive, breath-taking views of the vibrantly blue ocean back-dropped by mountainous landscapes and pristine beaches. Coupled with cloudless skies, the continuous glow of the sun and temperatures that wrapped around you like a warm blanket on a cold night, SoCal certainly is a majestic place – a wonderfully refreshing retreat from my normal.
When it comes to effectively integrating the Gospel into life and culture, the Apostle Paul urges us to not be taken "captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ" (Colossians 2:8).
Jesus came into this world immaculately, lived extraordinarily, died excruciatingly, rose victoriously and ascended gloriously back into Heaven, promising to one day return and take us home. All for the explicit purpose of rescuing sinners and reconciling them back to God.
Jesus was the ultimate Church planter. He gathered a core group of followers, navigated the nuances of leadership and effectively started a movement of the Gospel that continues to thrive today. While He didn't plant a "church" per say, He did plant THE Church by planting the Kingdom into the hearts and lives of people.
Throughout Scripture the marriage relationship is used as a picture of God's relationship with His people. The bride and groom imagery highlights not only the covenantal love of God for His people but also their position within that relationship as the beneficiaries of His redemptive pursuit.
In 1973, John Darley and Daniel Batson, two Princeton University psychologists, conducted a social experiment inspired by the biblical story of The Good Samaritan. This New Testament story is a familiar one - a lone traveler has been beaten and left for dead by robbers on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho.
Several months ago a newborn baby girl entered our lives and changed us forever. She was born the victim of heinous abuse, the defenseless recipient of an agregious crime. On what would have normally been just another Wednesday night, we now sat at the kitchen table signing papers with child protective services...
Here's a few things I've learned of myself, of Jesus, of the Gospel and of the call to care for the oppressed, marginalized and orphaned children in this world. It's a scratch on the surface of the depths of what there is to know, but I'm grateful that in His mercy God grows us as He sends us - and He sustains us along the way as we pursue His mission.
Last night as I rocked our baby girl to sleep, the reality of our future with her hit me. The fact that she may not live with us forever has always been true, but as I looked around her room last night - her crib, her dresser, her folded pile of pj's and blankets on the nightstand...
I knew I loved my wife within 30 minutes after meeting her. True story. After walking her to class on our college campus and wrapping up our first conversation ever with one another, I knew she would be my wife. It was only a matter of time.