Discovering True Intimacy with Our Savior

What A Day It Will Be

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I remember reading Heaven is For Real and bawling my eyeballs out after reading Colton Burpo’s words to a dying man in a nursing home:

“It’s going to be okay. The first person you’re going to see is Jesus.”

I do not know what my last day looks like.

Maybe it comes without warning and takes me before I realize it.  Or maybe it comes expectedly…

in a nursing home
or a hospital bed
or in a cell in a far away land.

I can see each of these scenarios vividly in my mind and my prayer is this:  that whatever my condition or circumstance…

I have a smile on my face,
tears in my eyes,
love in my heart,
anticipation in my voice,
and these words on my lips:

“Can you believe it? I’m finally going to see His face!”

It’s true.

I do not know what my last day looks like, but what a day it will be!

Singled Out

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I have witnessed what in all likelihood could go down as the worst day to be single in the church.

Ever.

Oddly, the sermon was not on marriage (or I would’ve possibly seen it coming) but it was on taking a stand for Christ. At the response time of the service, the pastor – moved by the Holy Spirit – made available pastors at the front of the church to pray for four groups of people who wanted to take a stand for Christ:

business owners & leaders,
parents,
students,
and people who were fighting for a wayward child.

This, honestly, seemed quite well-intended and awesome until something incredibly awkward happened: almost every person in the church stood in front of one of these pastors except for two people groups – senior adults and single people. And at this church, that’s pretty much everyone but 20 people (or at least that is what it felt like while I was squirming in my seat).

The few of us remaining trickled out of the sanctuary while the married people, the people with families, their children, and business leaders were prayed for by church staff.

I quite literally was dazed and confused. I was so stunned, in fact, that it didn’t even occur to me to go to my small group afterwards. I walked straight to my car.

I don’t remember speaking to anyone.
I don’t remember being angry or mad.
I just remember feeling shame.

I’ve had months to think about this; months to cycle through every emotion possible; months to gain some objectivity about the situation, and I came to this conclusion:

I’m glad that it happened.

I’m glad that it happened because I am now more aware of senior adults. I had overlooked them, just as I, have been overlooked. I’ve taken for granted the wisdom of their years. I’ve walked passed them without acknowledging their value, not only as individuals, but to God’s kingdom.

And there is zero excuse for that.

Zero.

Y’all! We have to do better. We have to be able to minister to people that are not like ourselves. We are commanded to take care of the orphan and the widow.

Commanded.

We are NOT, however, commanded to exalt any people group above another.

I don’t want you to take my word for it, though. I want you to hear it from people who do this for a living. Below are two links to sermons.

The first sermon is by Steve DeWitt senior pastor at Bethel Church in Indiana. It’s entitled “The Bachelor Pastor.” It was his last sermon as…well….a bachelor. He keeps the mood light while at the same time pointing out amazing truths.

The second sermon is by David Platt pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in my hometown, Birmingham, AL. He shares with us how both marriage and singleness are a picture of the gospel. It is brilliant, truthful and will likely give you a new perspective no matter in which marital status you fall.

The Bachelor Pastor

“The Bachelor Pastor: Premarital reflections on singleness, purity, and ministry” 08.18.2012 from Bethel Church on Vimeo.

Singleness and the Next Generation

Thanksgiving Thursday (5)

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Make us slow to forget You, O God, as we have reason to remember You constantly.  Have You not supplied all our wants?  In all that You do for us, may Your holy name be glorified. 

Amen.  

– Grace Before Meals, 1911, Compiled by A. William Nyce & Hubert Bunyea

Defining Success

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Walk into any Christian bookstore and stare at the aisles and rows of books. Peruse the titles, and what do you find? Books that dangerously borderline self-help – with a godly twist.

There are books that can help you…

lose weight,
optimize your finances,
manage your anger,
and make you a successful business leader.

There are volumes of pages dedicated to…

helping singles find a mate,
teenagers find self-worth,
and mothers organize their days.

I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with these things, but something about it unsettles my soul. I’ve been trying to reconcile it for weeks.

On one hand, our lifestyles should be holy & different from the world, but when you look at the titles and the subject matters, it feels as if we aren’t trying to be different from the world. We are trying to succeed in it. We are trying to find godly ways to succeed in how the world defines success – which is often exactly the opposite of what God deems as successful.

The Israelites were in similar straits (see 1 Samuel 8). They wanted a king like everyone else. I used to think the problem was that they wanted a king, but actually, the problem was they failed to recognize God as their King because He didn’t look like those in the nations around them.

They wanted a king like everyone else.

Similarly, we want success like everyone else. The problem isn’t wanting success. The problem is in how we define it. The problem isn’t using books to help us. The problem is rejecting God’s definition just as the Israelites rejected their King.

We want success like everyone else.

It’s such a fine line that we, as Christians, are called to walk – to be in the world but not conformed by it (Romans 12:2).  It requires us to continually focus on what God thinks is important; to know what His priorities are; to understand what He desires of us; and to do the things He finds pleasing.  This is so very hard when we are bombarded with the world’s priorities and its desires.  It is so easy to get sidetracked by what the world finds as desirable and what it tells us is important.

Our weapon is immersing ourselves in His Word.  It is there – in the precious pages of Scripture – where we are reminded that His ways are often counter to our culture. It is there that we find solace in knowing that – though His ways are sometimes difficult, usually uncomfortable, and often misunderstood – they are true and perfect.  It is between those pages of ancient text where we find God’s definition of success.  And if we are successful by God’s standards, we can rest assured that our reward will be of far more value than anything this world has to offer (Matthew 16:25-26).

In what ways do you think God’s view of success is counterintuitive to the world’s?

Thanksgiving Thursday (4)

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Where we have done wrong, we humbly crave Your forgiveness, O Father in Heaven.  Draw near to us now and overshadow us with Your great goodness, for Jesus’ sake.

Amen.

– Grace Before Meals, 1911, Compiled by A. William Nyce & Hubert Bunyea

Thanksgiving Thursday (3)

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You know what things we need, even before we ask You.
In Your mercy behold our present wants and be ever gracious to Your servants, for Christ’s sake.  

Amen.

– Grace Before Meals, 1911, Compiled by A. William Nyce & Hubert Bunyea