You are currently browsing the monthly archive for May, 2008.
1. There are many smart people in the world.
2. Some of these smart people believe very dangerous ideas.
3. To persuade others to believe their very dangerous ideas, these smart people write them down and defend them with convincing arguments.
4. Unless other smart people write down why these convincing arguments don’t work, these very dangerous ideas will spread like cancer.
5. Cancer kills people.
Cry Out is a movement to unite believers across the globe in prayer and fasting for the people and cities of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq. You can go to their website to sign up for a bi-weekly newsletter and find out more information.
From the Cry Out website:
“Cry Out is a clarion call to the worldwide Body of Christ to join together in a three-year season of focused, intentional, collective prayer and fasting for people and cities in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq from Jan. 1, 2008 to Dec. 31, 2010.
- Groups of believers are asked to pray and fast, especially on Fridays, as part of Cry Out.
- Prayer walking teams are invited to visit one or more of the four lands to pray on site with Cry Out.
- Cry Out calls believers to join in night and day prayer and fasting especially during the Muslim holy seasons of Ramadan and Ashura.
To enable you and your friends to pray more specifically, a story from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, or Iraq, along with several prayer requests is posted on the Cry Out website regularly. If you want these stories and prayer requests sent directly to you on a continuing basis, please sign up for our newsletter (below).
Cry Out is not sponsored by any one denomination, church or sending agency. It is a prayer movement shared by the Body of Christ across the earth, irrespective of church, denomination, or agency affiliations.
Followers of Christ from multiple countries currently work together to write stories and prayer requests, take pictures and create videos, design and oversee the website and database, write and produce prayer guides and special magazines, and travel globally to speak, calling others to Cry Out.”
When I was a young pup, I watched the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie incessantly. In fact, I had many of the lines memorized (weird, huh?). Anyway, there was a Pizza Hut commercial at the beginning about a not-so-talented boy that stunned his teammates by catching a fly ball out in right field:
I say all this because I played in my second softball game of the season last night. Once again, I was confronted with my skinny-white-boy-ain’t-got-no-softball-skills status. My position? You guessed it. Right field.
But you know what? I’m glad I stink at softball. It can be a humbling gift from the Lord if I’ll receive it.
C.J. Mahaney writes as much in his book “Humility: True Greatness.” Although his humbling sport of choice is golf, I feel the counsel still applies:
“When you aren’t exploring the attributes of God, the doctrines of grace, and the doctrine of sin, try these surefire methods for cultivating humility and weakening pride. First, play golf as much as possible. Yep, golf. In my athletic experience, I don’t think there’s a more difficult or more humbling sport. Rather, make that humiliating — because if you play at all, you know all about those shots that result in laughter from your partners and humiliation for you. No one escapes them — not even Tiger Woods, and certainly not me.” (pg. 94)
What’s your favorite humbling sport?
While we were in Syria a couple weeks ago, our team visited the ruins of a church dedicated to one Simeon Stylites. Born around 390 A.D., Simeon was an ascetic monk who lived on a platform atop a pillar for a total of 37 years until he died in 459. Minus the boulder, the structure Crystal and I are standing in front of is the remains of what used to be his 45-foot-high home (he lived on other smaller pillars earlier, but this rocky pole was his last perch).
Wikipedia explains:
“In order to get away from the ever increasing number of people who frequently came to him for prayers and advice, leaving him little if any time for his private austerities, Simeon discovered a pillar which had survived amongst ruins, formed a small platform at the top, and upon this determined to live out his life. It has been stated that, as he seemed to be unable to avoid escaping the world horizontally, he may have thought it an attempt to try to escape it vertically.”
His odd abode eventually drew a crowd, and he permitted visitors by ladder. From his roost he wrote letters and preached to those gathered below.
Simeon’s unconventional arrangements, of course, present all sorts of logistical questions. Some are probably best left unasked.
Side note: In 2002, magician David Blaine, in Simeonesque fashion, performed a stunt called “Vertigo” where he stood on top of a 90-foot-tall pillar in New York City for 35 hours.
So claims Russell Moore in an insightful article titled “Beyond a Veggie Tales Gospel: Why We Must Preach Christ from Every Text.”
Here’s his explanation:
“…the Veggie Tales episodes we’ve all seen are bloodless. They take biblical stories, and biblical characters, but they mine the narrative for abstractions–timeless moral truths that can help children to be kinder, gentler, and more honest. There’s almost nothing in any episode that isn’t true. But what’s missing is Jesus.”
He then explains that, since all of the promises of God find their Yes in him (2 Cor. 1:20), we must understand and teach all of Scripture as being ultimately about Jesus. He writes:
“Why is this so important? Why can’t I simply say true things from the Scripture without showing how it fits together in Christ? It is because, apart from Christ, there are no promises of God. In the temptations, Satan quotes Scripture to Jesus, and doesn’t misquote the promises. God wants to children to eat bread, not to starve before stones. God will protect His anointed One with the angels of heaven. God will give His Messiah all the kingdoms of the earth. All this is true. What is satanic about all of this, though, is that Satan wanted our Lord to grasp these things apart from the Cross and the empty tomb. These promises could not be abstracted from the Gospel.”
If you have time, I’d encourage you to read the whole thing. It is very well-written and soul-strengthening.
With graduation season upon us, I thought it would be fitting to include a list of five classic commencement anthems that have graced the American scene in years past:
1. “Friends” by Michael W. Smith
2. “I Will Remember You” by Sarah McLachlan
3. “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Green Day
4. “Graduation (Friends Forever)” by Vitamin C
5. “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)” by Baz Luhrmann (this was my wife’s submission)
Any others you would add?
Consider the following birthday e-card message from hallmark.com:
It’s all about gifts. It’s all about cake. It’s all about wondering what wishes to make.
Happy All-About-YOU day!
Now here’s another birthday e-card message, this time from a Christian company:
God has placed his hand on your shoulder and said, “You’re something special.”
He’s not the only one who thinks you’re special!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Here’s my question. If you remove God from the second message, is it really saying anything different from the first?
My wife’s birthday is tomorrow. She’ll turn a ripe 24. Given that birthdays are special days, and special days inspire special plans, and special plans upset established schedules, Crystal asked me the following question yesterday afternoon:
“So are we going to church Saturday or Sunday, since it’s my birthday?” (Our church has services on both days).
Wanting to sound decisive and manly, I said “Saturday.” And then, feeling especially pious, I added, “What better place to be on your birthday?”
“Heaven,” she said.
“Touché,” said I.
During my lifetime, I’ve probably listened to over a thousand Sunday sermons. Out of those, I can recall a fraction in fuzzy detail. This makes me think that I’m either a horrendous steward of information (which I probably am) or there is something more important in hearing a sermon than being able to recite every bulleted point ten years down the pike.
I prefer the second option.
What is most important about a sermon is the immediate effect that it has on me while I am listening. Does it make me see Jesus? This is how I change: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Whether or not I can recall its content at a later time is secondary.
Jonathan Edwards said this very thing: “The main benefit that is obtained by preaching is by impression made upon the mind in the time of it, and not by the effect that arises afterwards by a remembrance of what was delivered” (quoted in Jonathan Edwards: A Life by George Marsden, pg. 282).
Consider the following story from the May 3/10 edition of World Magazine:
Tiny Bandits
It wasn’t moth or rust, but something destroyed Dwarika Prasad’s life savings. Turns out, it was termites that infested his bank’s safe deposit box and ate through the paper money and investment notes the Northeast Indian man planned to use for his retirement. In all, Prasad lost more than $16,000 - a sum he’ll likely have trouble getting back from his bank. Authorities at the Central Bank of India say they aren’t responsible, noting they did their job of keeping his belongings safe from human threats.
Here’s a quick recap of the Missions Barbecue Series. Each point has a link to its respective post:
1. Pray through “Operation World.”
2. Get to know someone from another culture.
3. Buy a world map.
4. Take a Perspectives course.
5. Subscribe to National Geographic.
6. Go on a short-term missions trip.
7. Support and pray for missionaries.
8. Read missionary biographies.
9. Memorize Romans 15.
10. Send Bibles to other countries.
11. Study and pray for an unreached people group.
12. Borrow someone else’s charcoal.
Our hope is not in briquettes. After all, without a flame, charcoal is just carbon in a can. But if God would be pleased to breath his fire on these suggestions and others, the end result may just be a smorgasbord for the nations. Happy grilling!
Talk to other people you know about ideas they have for how to cultivate a deeper passion for missions. Gather a group of people and go out for coffee to brainstorm. You might be surprised what you discover together.
Here’s some neighborly advice from across the fence at Desiring God:
Ten Ways to Help Kids Love Missions
“There are things we can do to help our kids love the nations and the cause of Christ, even though a heart and calling for the Great Commission is ultimately something only God can grant. Here are a few ideas from Ryan and Anna, who are currently preparing to serve in Asia with their two young daughters.
1. Pray for missionaries as a family. We keep a stack of prayer cards on the dinner table and rotate through them during mealtime prayers.
2. Read missionary biographies to your children. The stories of Hudson Taylor, Adoniram Judson, William Carey, Gladys Aylward, and other missionary pioneers are captivating ways to orient a child’s heart on the most important things in life.
3. Draw the whole family into supporting missionaries financially. Teach your kids from a young age that being a good steward of their money involves channeling resources toward the the cause of Christ in missions. Older kids can donate some of their lawn mowing and babysitting money. Younger children can earn money doing chores around the house which can be set aside for missionaries.
4. Find your child a missionary kid pen pal. Many children of missionaries around the world would be delighted to get mail from a child their age in their parent’s culture. Your child (and the whole family) will learn valuable insights about living abroad through the eyes of a child. Additionally, when the missionaries visit your church, your child will already have a relationship with the MK and will be able to include them more easily.
5. Entertain missionaries in your home. Inviting missionaries over will be as much of a blessing to your family as to the missionaries. Host them for dinner or for a whole furlough. Build or buy your house with this in mind.
6. Take risks as a family. There are ways to live life which help children grasp the reality that discomfort and suffering are normal and rewarding parts of the Christian experience. Volunteer at a rescue mission; house a single mother; move to the inner-city.
7. Affirm and nurture qualities in your children which could serve them on the mission field. As your children grow in knowledge and skill, encourage them to think about how they could use their gifts in missions work. Then, if God says, “go,” release them to go!
8. Teach your children to be world Christians. Don’t expose them to only the American perspective on news and realities around the world. Go out of your way to make them more aware than the average American Christian about geography, world history, and the plights and perspectives of people across the globe.
9. Read missionary prayer letters to your children. Ask them questions about the content and look up facts about the missionaries’ location on the Internet.
10. Use missions fact books and resources such as Operation World, the Global Prayer Digest, the Joshua Project, and Voice of the Martyrs (VOM). Kids of Courage is the youth-oriented arm of VOM and offers activity books, spotlights on the persecuted world, and more.
Most of all, pray every day that your kids will develop hearts that mirror God’s compassion for the nations and love for his glory in them!”
The Joshua Project website is a tremendous resource for this. They provide as much information as they know about practically any people group in the world. If you don’t know what people to pick, Joshua Project allows you to choose a country and then lists all of the peoples of that country.
Make this an individual or a family project. This would be a wonderful opportunity to teach your children (and yourself!) about the peoples of the world and their need for the gospel.
The possibilities are endless for how you could go about this. You could take five minutes to read about a people on your own and pray. If have young children, consider a special night where you try to dress like the people you are studying and fix a meal that would resemble a dish they might eat. If you are single (or married!), sponsor a night of prayer for your people and invite as many over to your house or apartment as you can. Go all out to try to inspire a whole herd of nation-lovers.
Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) has a ministry they call “Bibles Unbound.” The idea is that believers in restricted nations gather names and addresses of unbelievers they know and submit this information to VOM. VOM, in turn, sends five of these names along with five New Testaments to those who have signed up to be a part of the program.
The package arrives in the mail, where the recipients take the New Testaments, seal them in individual envelopes with address labels, and send the package back to VOM. From there, the New Testaments are mailed to their respective destinations. The purpose is that believers in these countries will be able to follow up with those receiving the New Testaments and talk to them about what they are reading.
Bibles Unbound requires very little time and is a great way to be one of the links in the chain of spreading the good news about Jesus.
Here is a description of the program from the Bibles Unbound website:
“Even as you read this, persecuted Christians from around the world are gathering names and addresses from their local communities. These names are then submitted to Bibles Unbound where members have the opportunity to mail New Testaments in the appropriate language directly to the field. This unique program gives you the ability to stand alongside our persecuted brothers and sisters and help create a witness for Jesus Christ in hostile lands right from your own home.
We invite you to read about current ministry operations to the right and consider joining today. For a donation of only $30.00 per month you will receive everything you need to mail 5 New Testaments to individuals in a Restricted Nation.”
This may sound like a tall order, but if you break it down into manageable chunks over a long period of time, you’ll be surprised how much you can remember.
Romans 15 is a gold mine of missions texts. One of my favorites is Paul’s quotation of Isaiah 52:15 - “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand” (Romans 15:21). That’s a promise to stake your life on.
Dr. Andrew Davis, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Durham, NC, wrote a very helpful article on how to go about memorizing longer portions of Scripture. It’s title, fitly, is “An Approach to the Extended Memorization of Scripture.” In his article, he explains why Bible memory, particularly of longer passages, is important. He then gives a step-by-step explanation of how to do it. If you’re up for a very joy-inducing challenge, I would encourage you to give it a try. Start out with a paragraph from Romans 15 and see how you do. If it goes well, keep building on that. There is no telling what God could do with a mind filled with Romans 15 (ask Paul!).
Missionary biographies are uniquely able to bring us into the world of saints who have gone to the hard places. They show us what life among a foreign people is like, with all of its frustrations and victories. A good biography will both sober you and fill you with hope that God will do what he has promised: give the nations to Jesus as an inheritance (Psalm 2:8).
Here are three good reads:
From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya by Ruth Tucker - A history of Christian missions given in short biographies of missionaries from the different eras. Very well written. This would be a good place to go for suggestions for further reading.
John G. Paton: Missionary to the New Hebrides by John Paton - This is Paton’s autobiography detailing his life and his work among the people of modern-day Vanuatu. I read a very old copy of this that I checked out from a library. I’m assuming it’s the same material. This one’ll put fire in your belly.
The Narrow Road: Stories of Those Who Walk This Road Together by Brother Andrew with John & Elizabeth Sherril - This contains an autobiographical account of the life of Brother Andrew, founder of Open Doors International who smuggled Bibles into communist countries during the Cold War. Very accessible and engaging.
Jesus said, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:20-21).
One of the ways to increase your desire to see the nations worship Jesus is by funneling your money toward laborers who are in the fields or preparing to go. Though it is good to support mission agencies, it would be better in many cases to support individual missionaries. Consider this above and beyond the money you give to your church. This will be a blessing both to missionaries and to you as you join together in spreading the gospel of the Kingdom.
Another suggestion is to pray for missionaries individually and as a family. Our church produces a yearly prayer calendar which lists each of our missionaries, their general location, and the work they do. Each week highlights one or two families/individuals. If your church doesn’t have a resource like this, consider the possibility of developing one. If your church doesn’t sponsor enough missionaries to fill a calendar, you can use the extra space to focus on unreached people groups or areas of concern such as HIV/AIDS or human trafficking.
Short-term trips can be a very valuable experience. There is nothing quite like being able to experience another culture first-hand. If you have never been on a trip before, consider taking the plunge and traveling with a group from your church or joining a trip with a mission agency.
The Desiring God blog posted an article back in March called “Short-Term Mission Ideas.” Here is what the article said:
“Making plans for summer? If you’re interested in being completely stretched, battling discouragement, experiencing new kinds of joy, and significantly widening your perspective of God’s heart for the nations, check out some of these short-term opportunities.”
It then lists several mission agencies that offer short-term trips. This article would be a good resource to get you started in dreaming about where God might have you go.
Another idea would be to contact missionaries that your church supports and ask them if they could use a group for a week or two. This would be a great way to be exposed to a foreign culture and to encourage missionaries who are on the field.
I feel like National Geographic is the secular companion to “Operation World”: lots of pictures, but no prayer requests. It’s a great resource for putting a face with a place. For example, the March edition featured an article on the modernization of Bhutan, complete with photos of Bhuddist monks and rice farmers. For those with an appetite for missions, National Geographic is an international buffet.
The brainchild of the U.S. Center for World Mission, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement is a class that seeks to teach issues surrounding God’s global purpose. The course does this from four different “perspectives” - biblical, historical, cultural, and strategic. Here is a brief explanation of the class from the Study Guide:
“The point of this course is not to persuade you to become a missionary. Neither is it to train you in skills you need to serve as a missionary. We simply want to show you practical examples of how missions can be done wisely and well.” (pg. v)
There are over 200 locations in the U.S. that offer a Perspectives course. You can check their website to see if one is being offered near you.
If there is no class nearby, consider enrolling in Perspectives Online or working with your pastor to begin a Perspectives course at your church.
I’ve been taking the Perspectives class this current semester, and it has opened my eyes to how much I don’t know about the complexities and opportunities that surround world missions. I would highly encourage enrolling if you can.
I’ll finish with John Piper’s endorsement of the class:
“I’m enthusiastic about Perspectives because my life and our church are devoted to spreading a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ. God means to be known and enjoyed by every tribe tongue and nation (Rev. 5:9). Perspectives has been essential in mobilizing hundreds of lay people in our church to be World Christians.”
Invest some money in a nice, big map to hang somewhere where you and your family can see it regularly. Crystal and I have one perched on our dining room wall. It helps us locate a countries when we blank out on geography during dinner conversations. It also serves as a reminder to us and our guests that the nations are a priority. One family we know has a gigantic map plastered along an entire hallway. Feel free to choose the size that best fits your taste, but consider this as an addition to your international arsenal.
Here are some websites for map ideas:
This may be difficult if you live in a neighborhood or attend a church that is largely monocultural, but try your best. Think of things you could do expose yourself to people that are different than you. They’re out there, maybe closer than you think. God has been doing an amazing work in recent years by bringing the nations to our front doorstep.
Written by Patrick Johnstone and Jason Mandryk, “Operation World” provides pertinent prayer requests for each country on the globe. The book even divides the countries up into days of the year so you can pray through the book at a manageable pace. If the daily chunks are to large, you can go at a slower pace. Or, you can pick particular countries that you are burdened for and pray for them more thoroughly. I’ve found it to be a very helpful resource.
Another suggestion is “Window on the Wold” by Daphne Spragget with Jill Johnstone. Patterned after “Operation World,” “Window on the World” is geared more towards children. That’s just perfect for Crystal and me. It is stuffed with colorful pictures and stories and highlights a number of nations and people groups. We try to work our way through a little bit of it at night before going to bed. Right now we’re praying for the Gypsies.
“Operation World” also has a website that provides daily prayer requests that follow along with the book.
This evening Crystal and I will be leaving with a team from Bethlehem to go to the Middle East for two weeks. We are very excited….and nervous, too! For the time we will be gone, I’ve decided to future-post a two-week series on suggestions for how to cultivate a deeper desire to see Jesus worshiped by all nations. I shared these ideas yesterday with the Sunday School class I teach, and wanted to make them available to you to encourage great dreams for King Jesus.
Being that summer is quickly upon us and grills are cluttering backyards like G.I. Joe’s in a messy kid’s bedroom, I figured I’d give the series a charcoal flavor. The title is “12 Briquettes for the Barbecue of Missions.” Feel free to share your own ideas as we go along. May God give us all a greater zeal to see his will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.
Pray for us!
I was reading one of Samuel Rutherford’s letters the other morning when a statement he made caught me like an uppercut to the jaw.
He was writing to a Lady Kenmure, encouraging her to not despise the Lord’s discipline in her life. His point was that if all her life were nothing but ease, it would be a sign that she didn’t belong to God. Here is how he said it (with the exception of a “ye” or two):
“If you were for the slaughter, you would be fattened. But be content; you are His wheat, growing in our Lord’s field; and if wheat, you must go under our Lord’s threshing-instrument, in His barn-floor, and through His sieve, and through His mill to be bruised (as the Prince of your salvation, Jesus, was), that you may be found good bread in your Lord’s house.” (pg.78)
May God keep us from being beefed up on earthly comforts.
Al Mohler examined Grand Theft Auto IV in a very helpful article yesterday. He addresses the question of whether violent video games produce violent children. Here is his answer:
“In some sense, we are what we play. This is not to say that every young male playing ‘Grand Theft Auto’ is now or will become a violent sexual predator who steals cars. That is clearly not the case. But it is to say that these players are filling their minds with these images and narratives and they are feeling the competitive exhilaration of engaging in immoral acts as players in a game that engages multiple senses and sensations. This is dangerous stuff for the soul.”
I think this is right on, and I think it also gets at a deeper issue. Whether or not an addictive consumption of Grand Theft Auto IV will produce an army of thugs is secondary. The primary concern is what kind of a heart games like these cultivate. Do they nurture a heart that finds pleasure in violence or theft or sexual immorality, even if it’s all virtual? According to Jesus, that is what defiles a person.
“…what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person.” (Matthew 15:18-20)
I’d be interested in any further thoughts you might have.
The winner of today’s “Do Hard Things” Housewarming Party Giveaway is……
Congratulations, Marla. Enjoy your new book!
The question:
Name two of Alex and Brett’s personal interests.
Directions:
1. You’ll find the answer to the question somewhere on the Rebelution website (www.therebelution.com). (Hint: try clicking on the link titled “The Book” at the top of the main page and see what you can find).
2. E-mail your correct response to thefoolsgoldblog@gmail.com between now and 6:00pm CST.
3. Include the following in your e-mail: (a) your name and (b) the name and web address of your blog (if you have one). If you are the winner, I will e-mail you to ask for your mailing address and you can expect a shiny new package in the mail!
Sometime this evening I will post the winner of the contest.
Happy searching!
**For those of you who are just coming to the site, I am giving away a free copy of “Do Hard Things” by Alex and Brett Harris to celebrate the 1-month birthday of The Fool’s Gold and its move to the current site. The contest will be open between now and 6:00pm CST. All you have to do is follow the directions above and be entered into a random drawing for the book giveaway.
Welcome to The Fool’s Gold Housewarming Party! To celebrate, I’ll be giving away a free copy of “Do Hard Things” by Alex and Brett Harris.
Here’s the skinny: At 12:00pm CST, I will post a trivia question related to the book that can be answered by researching on the internet. Sometime between the hours of 12:00pm and 6:00pm, e-mail your response to thefoolsgoldblog@gmail.com. After 6:00pm, the contest will close and I will select a name randomly from those who responded with the correct answer. If that name belongs to you, you will be receiving a free copy of “Do Hard Things” in the mail!
Tim Challies posted a review of this book this past Friday. He writes: “Though this book is targeted squarely at teens, I can’t deny that the message rubbed off even on this reader whose teen years are far behind. There is something inspiring in watching teens shake off the low expectations that plague their lives and there is something in it that makes me want to examine where I may also have fallen prey to low expectations. Writing as the proud older brother of these authors, Joshua Harris says ‘Every former teen needs this book, too. I know I do. There’s no age-limit on the Rebelution. It’s never to late to do hard things.’”
Here’s an excerpt from the back of the book to whet your appetite:
“Most people don’t expect you to understand what we’re going to tell you in this book. And even if you understand, they don’t expect you to care. And even if you care, they don’t expect you to do anything about it. And even if you do something about it, they don’t expect it to last. We do.”
More details to come…
