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One Year Ago…
On this day, one year ago, my family and I had just returned home from a wonderful two-Sunday visit with Mayfair Bible Church. From our little homestead in North Carolina, we prayerfully and excitedly awaited the news of the coming Sunday’s congregational vote.
“Would I be called to serve as their Lead Pastor? What would the vote from the flock indicate?” we wondered.
So we waited, prayed, and tried our best not to be anxious.
For Stephanie and I, God confirmed through much prayer, evaluation, and counsel that He was directing our family back to Michigan, and specifically to the Mayfair family. God emboldened our faith with such abiding peace that we even moved ahead with placing an offer on a home in the area. We began packing up boxes, planning out our move, and notifying friends to pray about the impending transition. By God’s shocking kindness, our offer on the home was accepted.
Yet two questions still remained: “Will the vote provide a clear call?” and if so, “Will the homeowner allow us to move in prior to closing!?”
We sat on pins and needles as we prayed throughout Sunday morning and early afternoon. Then the long-anticipated phone call arrived from the search team…. by God’s guidance, the members of Mayfair voted 99.5% toward calling me to serve as their Lead Pastor. We burst open with joy. Even quiet little Carson squealed with delight. Moments later, we filmed this short video to let Mayfair know of my acceptance of the call:
God, again, demonstrated His faithfulness and direction two days later, when the seller granted us permission to immediately move into the home before the closing! From the time our offer was accepted until closing was a mere 23 days. Simply amazing.
To the Mayfair Family:
We are so thankful to God for you. Your love, hospitality, and generosity are extraordinary virtues…certainly cultivated by God’s grace. The past twelve months of pastoral ministry have been deeply rewarding. You have a patience and hunger for the Bible. What a thrill it is to preach God’s truth to such a receptive group of Jesus-followers! You have an enthusiasm and passion to reach the lost in our community and around the world. What a joy it is to lead such a willing, prayerful team on the mission of Jesus! You have an openness to respond to faithful counsel. What a blessing it is to love such humble, transparent flock-members toward Christ-likeness!
Just as I mentioned in the video above, so this passage remains my prayer for you today:
“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.” (Colossians 2:6-7)
We look forward to all God will do in this coming Advent season and the year ahead as we aim to thrive as obedient, grace-giving followers of Jesus Christ!
New Series Launch: Why Christmas?
Why bother with Christmas? Is the tinsel-laden holiday worth all the stress, busyness, credit card debt, heavy traffic, and high expectations?
Where’s the peace on earth and good will to men?
Somehow the theme drifts into a blaring tune of red and green.
Maybe it’s time to change the scene…to relearn everything.Join us each Sunday of Advent to rediscover Christmas by returning to the original people of the story… the true narrative that brings the news of peace, hope, joy, and love to everyone.
The Series Begins THIS Sunday, December 2nd | 10:45 AM | We’ll also be celebrating Communion @ Mayfair Bible Church. Invite a friend!
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Discarding Fake Joy
When was about 7 years old, I remember sitting on a little wooden seat in Sunday School as we prepared to hear what the week’s Bible memory verse would be.
“Okay children! Here is today’s passage,” announced the vivacious teacher.
“Philippians 4:4 says, ‘Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!'”
Immediately, I was thankful for the many, many hours of Wee Kids Bible Songs in my parent’s old blue panel van. As the familiar tune for this verse rattled around in my head, I spouted off the exclamatory sentence lickety-split. The teacher happily gave me a golden star for my memory chart and this little line has been forever sealed in my mind. But therein lies the danger. I can recite this verse in the blink of an eye (and most of you can, too), but has it actually been pressed deeply into my heart? This past Tuesday, I came across an old, truth-saturated prayer that reminded me of that verse I had memorized nearly three decades earlier:
“Rejoice then in the Giver and His goodness,
Be happy in Him, O my heart, and in nothing but God,
for whatever a man trusts in, from that he expects happiness,
He who is the ground of thy faith
should be the substance of thy joy.”
(from “A Colloquy on Rejoicing” in The Valley of Vision)
Somehow in all my familiarity of Philippians 4:4 I had mentally skipped over the phrase, “in the Lord.” I wondered with fresh eyes, “What does it mean to rejoice in the Lord?”
To sing a note of thanks or say words of praise for what God provides?
To be happy because of what He has given me?
To be “more joyful” about being at church than I may be at a Red Wings hockey game?
To be grateful to God when circumstances arrange comfortably in my life?
But the words of the brief prayer above arrested my attention: “..whatever a man trusts in, from that he expects happiness.” In this truth is the foundation of true and lasting Christian joy. Herein is the full weight of what it means to rejoice in the Lord. We can rejoice fully in God when He is the focus of our faith. When God Himself is the epicenter of our trust, we experience a heart-level happiness that surpasses momentary pleasures. To rejoice in God is to be completely and solely satisfied in God. The joy found in God alone is not shaken when we lack material goods. Gladness in Christ doesn’t disappear after a sporting event, the rush of the holidays, or an end-of-year raise. Why? Because it is entirely grounded in God.
Let us search our souls…
In what or in whom have you been seeking happiness? Are you frustrated when your expectations of a vacation, job, or relationship are not met? Do you find Christian service projects or church attendance end in an emotional let-down?
Perhaps we’re looking to programs, people, projects, or material progress as the substance of our joy. Yes, all-too-often we find our fingers attempting to scrape happiness out of everything but God Himself. Let’s say today individually, and collectively this Sunday, “Remember, oh my soul, your abiding joy is in nothing but God. I am found in Him. I have meaning and fulfillment in Him. He is the fountain that will never run dry. Therefore, I will rejoice in Him.”
P.S.
If you’re looking for a church to call home and live in the greater Flint/Flushing/Grand Blanc/Swartz Creek area (or thereabouts), consider yourself warmly invited to be our guest at Mayfair Bible Church. We’re just a mile west of I-75 on Pierson Rd. directly across from Home Depot and Aldi.
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5-Way Change
Change.
It’s a word many people equate on the level with a root canal. However, I love and embrace change. I always have. With my personality, I get restless after a while lest anything grow stagnant and listless. As a native Floridian, I’ve fallen in love with the Great Lakes State of Michigan. How so? I’m captivated by the poetic shifting of each season. Now don’t get me wrong, there are many constants for which I’m thankful: Jesus Christ, the guidance of God’s Word, and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. Yet God also calls us to change – to be progressively transformed into the likeness of Jesus:
“This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13 – NLT; see also Rom. 8:29)
On this journey, my husband grows and changes alongside me. My children also repeatedly amaze me by their resilience and willingness to adapt. Our personal understanding of God’s purpose for His Church has also gone through a paradigmatic shift over the years.
As I was thinking through the changes we’ve gone through, particularly over the last 2-3 years, I’m amazed not only by how our faith has grown and strengthened, but also by the sheer number of changes we’ve weathered together.
Whirlwind of Change and Growth
In February of 2016, we found out we were finally going to be able to have another baby (we’d suffered through five miscarriages at that point). At the same time we were also working and praying through a significant ministry transition, dealing with many things related to our son Hudson’s autism diagnosis, and financial stress. Carson’s birth in October was accompanied by a big move three weeks later (don’t ever move at three weeks postpartum. Just don’t). Since that season, we raced through a serious whirlwind of change and growth.
From where we rest now, here’s how it adds up:
3 long-distance moves
3 new elementary schools
3 different ministries
1 new baby boy
Another baby in heaven
The road hasn’t been easy.
Candid Conversations
As we were sitting around our kitchen table last night, we asked our children about change in their lives and how it made them feel. The following is a dialogue with them:
—
Hudson: “I don’t like change too much. It’s too hard. I think the hardest for me was the baby going to heaven. I’m glad we have Carson though. He helps me feel better.”
Everlynn: “I love Easter eggs and hunting for them with family, and picking apples with them too, oh and when I lived in NC a friendly dog licked me.”
Carson: “Cookie, Papa? Uh oh!”
Michael: “I find change both exciting and stressful. I’m excited by change because my mind is filled with all the possibilities available in God. I know He can do the seemingly impossible. I anticipate how we’ll grow in Him and how we’ll see Him demonstrate His power in our lives. But on the flip side, I can become stressed as change looms on the horizon. I find myself trying to sort, plan, and organize to the last degree.
My inability to see eight moves down the chessboard causes me to grasp for control, which of course only leads to more stress. Yet again God has taught us that He offers rest in the midst of our stress when we fully trust in Him. He knows every chess move. Sheesh, He made the chessboard! So if He knows how it will turn out and if I’m in union with Him through Christ, then I can loosen my grip and bow my heart…and find rest for my soul.”
Stephanie: “Even though I like change, I would also say that it can be a bit overwhelming when they all come at once. Job changes, a new baby, new schools, diagnosis, and so many other things were and still are a lot to process. Having moved 10 times in 10 years, I’m okay with never moving again until the day I die. It’s not for the faint of heart!
However, I’ve found that relying on myself to get it all done and get through it only turns me into a wreck-of-a-mom and a wife who can’t function. I can’t handle it all myself, which is why I’m so grateful for Jesus, a church family who reaches out and loves on us, and a husband who does life alongside me. I can’t imagine going through all that we’ve gone through without an unsupportive partner! One big lesson I’ve learned is Jesus is always there for me, through the good and the bad.”
—
God’s Goodness, Mercy and Grace
Through this brief conversation, we realized that we all process change in very different ways… Change hit Hudson hard. He felt the thorns of loss, but looked through that pain to the bright side – a new baby brother. Everlynn processed the multivalent transitions by holding onto narratives. She happily retold random but sweet memories, one from each major juncture. Michael attempts to order, organize, and arrange the future but resolves to learn God is still sovereign, good, and trustworthy for the future, as He was in the past. And for me, I process change by being overly positive, and at times not always realistic enough. 😉
One way we reflect on the last three years is to constantly remind ourselves of Christ’s goodness, mercy, and grace. There are many directions we could have taken, but we never imagined we would end up back in Michigan near precious family, an amazing school for our children, wonderful neighbors, a beautiful house, and serving in a incredible church.
So in conclusion, change is hard and so is being in the ministry. It’s how we respond that makes all the difference in the world. When you are in full-time ministry, life is always changing. People come and go through death, moving away, ministries shifts, different seasons in life, relational difficulties, and many other reasons.
But when change comes, embrace the process as God’s good plan. When life is hard in the dark valley, lean into Jesus. When life’s peaceful by a quiet stream, lean into Him even more. You may be planted anywhere, but it is up to YOU to bloom in Jesus Christ.
_____________________
:: I was commissioned to write this piece on how a family in full-time ministry deals with change by my friends at Breathe Ministry, which originally published this article on their site. ::
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Sears’ Bankruptcy: an Analogy of Church Stagnancy
Early this morning, Sears, that age-old department store of yesteryear, declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, hammering several “16-penny” nails into their quickly closing coffin.[1]
100 years ago, Sears-Roebuck and Co. was second to none. They defined the term cutting edge by placing their colorful mail-order catalogs in nearly every home across America. Little children giggled over the huge toy section. Moms coveted the latest Kenmore kitchen appliances. Dads stashed away their pennies to buy lifetime-guaranteed Craftsman tools. But now the former industry leader, once perched on the lofty heights of Chicago’s Sears Tower, is seeing all those warm, fuzzy feelings vanish like a bullfrog atop quicksand.
Change is essential to survival.
Making wrong, maladaptive changes = death.
Making right, adaptive changes = health.
Sears didn’t need to change their product line. Craftsman, Kenmore, Lands End, et al., were rock solid brands. But failure to courageously and creatively present their products to a rapidly changing culture led to total collapse.
Now the privilege of presenting a product has been slowly scraped from their hands.
They battened down the hatches, squeezed employees, chopped marketing, and ignored the opportunity of the Internet (they could have been Amazon on their own, as Elizabeth Olson of Fortune magazine wisely opined six years ago). Sears let their buildings grow both dated and dilapidated. Two months ago, my wife and I wandered through the Sears store in a nearby mall. We were greeted by vacant shelves, dirty floors, and disinterested employees, who had been hired only to shutter the location. A slow, painful demise rolled out in front of our eyes.
CNN’s Chris Isidore reports:
“…many of Sears’ problems were self-inflicted. Its management tried to compete by closing stores and cutting costs. It slashed spending on advertising and it failed to invest in the upkeep and modernization of its outlets. Sears and Kmart stores grew barren and rundown. . . Sears was once the nation’s largest retailer and its largest employer. In its heyday, it was both the Walmart and Amazon of its time.” [2]
So today, Sears, “the store that changed America,” declares bankruptcy. Into the dusty archives she goes, along with former giants like Toys R’ Us, Kodak, and KMart.
A Tale of Church Stagnancy
Understand this: the global Church of the living God will continue marching forward by the power of the Spirit through the faithful witness of the Gospel. We, as the people of God, are on the offensive. We do not doubt the words of Jesus, who said, “…I will build My church; and the gates of hell will not overpower it.” (Matthew 16:19b)
However, at a local level, thousands of once thriving churches stand in real danger of losing the opportunity to present the gospel of Christ in their communities.
I recently read detailed reports of a Bible-believing church in the Chicago area that used to be over 1,100 worshipers strong. Over the course of 35 years, their Saturday morning evangelism team passed out 17 million gospel tracts, engaged 540,000 people in gospel conversation, led 140,000 people to faith in Christ, sent out 250 men and women into full-time Christian service, and planted 18 churches.
Yet today, their regal building appears cavernous on Sunday mornings with just a handful of parishioners scattered across the hundreds of empty chairs. One look inside the sanctuary shows not much has changed in over 50 years. Their community dramatically shifted over the past several decades and somewhere along the way their evangelistic fervor and creativity disappeared. I’m praying God grants this struggling congregation the courage and faith to reach their community in a fresh way. But their story is repeated from coast-to-coast across North America. 100-200 churches are closing their doors every single week in the USA. Yes, you got that right: Every. Single. Week. [3]
We don’t need to change our product. The saving message of Jesus Christ is timeless, unchanging, and rock solid. The Word of God is an unshakeable guide in an era of uncertainty, fear, and doubt. We have tasted and seen the truth that the Gospel brings radical life-transformation.
But we, as individual believers and local churches, must make the right, adaptive changes to effectively present God’s good news in a rapidly changing culture.
Change is essential to survival.
A few generations ago, mainline-liberal churches chose to make a devastatingly maladaptive change: remove or ignore essential teachings of Christian faith and practice. The result? A slow, painful death. Today, many evangelical churches are shifting their sails and listing sideways toward this same hollow theological-liberalism, desperately hoping they don’t lose the opportunity to offer something to their communities. Sidenote: I wrote my master’s thesis on this subject. Click HERE to access the PDF.
Making wrong, maladaptive changes = death.
Yet for tens-of-thousands of gospel-preaching, Jesus-loving churches, the struggle to change methodology, communication, and aesthetics is slow and often rife with infighting. Even as men, women, and children veer away from our parking lots in search of authentic hope and love, many congregations embroil themselves in debates over interior decor, declining budgets, and pet-programs. While many churches have moved beyond the “worship wars” of the 1990s, still thousands of others remain in the fight, unaware that the very scent of it repels young adults faster than Deet on Michigan mosquitoes.
Making right, adaptive changes = health.
So what kind changes lead toward health? As was the case for the various corporations mentioned above, the answer to this question is different for every local context. Each church must ask: “What would a missionary do because, in fact, we all are missionaries in _____________?” How your church answers this question will probably look significantly different than how we answer it here at Mayfair Bible Church. But here are four simple points to consider with your team:
Flexible.
Take risks. Act on your faith by trying new approaches to reach your mission field (see 1 Cor. 9:19-23; Acts 17:16-34). Some ideas will sound great but fail miserably. That’s okay. In fact, the process of ideation, implementation, and execution will result in healthy evaluation and long-term ministry effectiveness. Own up to your mistakes and be ready to give grace to others. Free people to use their various God-given gifts and skills in different ways. Don’t force artists to paint with only your ideas on your preferred canvas. Allow missional thinkers to contextualize and form initiatives to reach their spheres of influence. Let go of the top-down approach to leadership that causes organizations to squash and splat like an over-filled ketchup bottle. Don’t take rejection or ambivalence from others personally. Realize you won’t reach everyone. Your church won’t be the perfect place for every family. Get ready for hate-mail (Jesus received lots of it; cf. Jn. 15:18-21; 2 Tim. 3:12). Roll with it and prayer through it (Phil. 4:4-7). Be one in mind and heart as a church (Phil. 1:27), because as Chuck Swindoll often reminded us in chapel at Dallas Seminary, “The things that unite us are far more important than the things that divide us.”
Fun.
Jesus laughed and sang. He told stories and enjoyed weddings, which most certainly including happy-hearted dancing (cf. Jn. 2:1-11; Lk. 15). Jesus had fun. I’m convinced of it! We should be having fun if we’re loving each other and our community in the same way Jesus loves us. Being the church gathered should cause all of us – the young and old alike – to genuinely smile. We’ll laugh out loud when we remember the goofy idiosyncrasies of our younger years and respond with fun-loving patience toward each other – especially the littlest ones in the church (Matt. 18:2-6; 19:13-15). We won’t make a fuss over things of small consequence, knowing life is too short to not have fun working together for the cause of greatest consequence: the Gospel. (see Phil. 4:2-2; 2 Tim. 2:14)
Fast-Paced.
Hold on for the ride of your life. Based on my ministry experience in Texas, Montana, India, Mexico, North Carolina, and various Michigan locations, along with current research data, I believe we must recognize how rapidly our mission fields are changing. The breakneck speed of technological advancement, the popularity of neo-Atheism, along with burgeoning movements such as #MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter, #BlueLivesMatter, #AntiFa, #WhiteSupremacy, and heightened political tensions are forming how people respond to church institutions, preaching, and simple neighborly interaction. Many urban and suburban settings in North America are quickly becoming holistically multi-ethnic. God is bringing the nations to cities all around us. Don’t look at this change as an obstacle but as an opportunity. Are you effectively reaching across ethnic and economic divides? The first-century church did (cf. Eph. 2:11-22; Philemon 1:10-16)! Does your programming and interior design look like something left over from the 1960s… how about the 1990s? I’ll go out on a limb and state that none of us would frequent a dentist that hadn’t updated the office decor in 20 years and used methods based on research just as old. Yes, he or she is accomplishing the same task: cleaning your teeth and filling cavities. But using current aesthetics and techniques to accomplish those tasks matters to everyone. Are you living in the past – even idolizing the past – at the expense of effective gospel mission? The late Lesslie Newbigin, a renowned missiologist reminded us:
“Nostalgia for the past and fear for the future are equally out of place for the Christian.”
Are you seeking to communicate the timeless and powerful Gospel of Christ in a way your neighbors will comprehend? Do you know what they value most? Could you articulate their worldview? As I heard a teacher from New Tribes Mission (now Ethnos 360) put it simply, “We must first to understand them before we can reach them.”
Focused.
Hone everything around the mission. Jesus gave a simple, clear mission to His first-followers and His instructions carry across time to all of us today:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:19-20)
Take the ruthlessly bold action of gearing your programs and ministries – what you do and how you allocate your resources – around making disciples who make disciples. Suspend what is extraneous or ineffective. Pray deeply for God to send laborers into His harvest (Matt. 9:38; Lk. 10:2). Be prepared to serve as His answer to your prayers. Lean into change for the gospel’s sake. Lose your life for Christ…and in losing your life, find life as it was meant to be lived (Mark 8:34-38). As my teacher, Howard Hendricks, proclaimed, “Change is the call of every Christ-follower.” So may we, by the grace of God, not lose the opportunity to present the timeless, saving message of our Savior in a rapidly changing world.
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One Team. One Goal.
Exciting word pictures from the field of athletics are sprinkled throughout the New Testament, yet they’re often hidden underneath our various English translations. One such image with vivid application is found in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, embedded within a passage we looked at a couple weeks ago at Mayfair Bible Church:
“Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” (Phil. 1:27 – NASB)
These days, the phrase “striving together” has a double connotation – one for a fight scene and another for teamwork. God’s command here is not that we don boxing gloves and begin punching each other on the beak, but instead unite as a team on a singular mission for the sake of God’s good news to the world.
In Daniel James Brown’s modern classic The Boys in the Boat, he details the captivating, true story of the mid-1930s rowing team from the University of Washington. At that time in history, rowing teams were just as popular as college football or basketball teams are today. Most of the boys on the UW team were from working-class families. They knew how to work hard and endure pain. All of them had significant academic and athletic ability. The renowned Coach Ulbrickson put them through a grueling yearlong training program and would only recruit from those who completed his course.
After winning against their arch-rival, U.C. Berkeley, Ulbrickson set his sights on the 1936 Berlin Olympics. But while his team had many gifted rowers, the young men were not working together to produce the “synchronicity and close cooperation – in a word, ‘swing’ – necessary for Olympic victory.” [1]
Only after some of the students worked side-by-side on the Grand Coulee dam did they begin to realize how similar they were, despite their different physical and mental capabilities. They returned to school that fall as a team united around one purpose. Coach Ulbrickson found that every rower needed to be skilled and built in different ways, yet functioning with all the others in perfect humility and unity. The result? The motley crew of young rowers from middle-class America brought home the gold at the 1936 Olympics.
With each paddle dipping into the water in perfect rhythm, so God calls us to “contend side-by-side for the faith of the Gospel.” Each of us is wired and gifted in different ways by our amazingly creative God. No two rowers are alike. The same goes for church members in the body of Christ. So we must exercise humility, which is the Spirit-directed source of unity.
Why is this so important? Our mission effectiveness hinges on our oneness. A one-man band or a split team will never blaze down the river to the glory of their Captain. Only through all of us, in the power of the Spirit, functioning together in one boat toward one goal will we accomplish what God has called us to do. Will this be easy, comfortable, or a quick study? No way. But what great goal was ever achieved with no challenge?
Imagine a day…
…when thousands of men, women, and children are thriving in Jesus Christ across Genesee County…bringing the gospel into their workplaces, neighborhoods, and community epicenters. Envision a week when instead of a person dying from heroin (more than one per week is the current data), one person per week is coming to saving faith in Christ at Mayfair Bible Church. Pray for marriages to be restored by the Gospel and children to return to vibrant devotion to Jesus. Dream of a year when we send out 10 church planters and 25 missionaries to local and foreign fields…
Let’s grip a hold of what God can do.
Gospel mission is our goal. Let’s point our oars in that direction.
GO Team Mayfair… to the praise of God’s glory and grace!
“If I find myself half-carelessly taking lapses for granted, ‘Oh, that’s what they always do,’ ‘Oh, of course she talks like that, he acts like that,’ then I know nothing of Calvary love.”
“If I can enjoy a joke at the expense of another; if I can in any way slight another in conversation, or even in thought, then I know nothing of Calvary love.”
About IF: Many years ago, a young woman from Ireland traveled to India to reach abused, enslaved, and unsaved women and children. She would serve there from 1895 until her death in 1951. Her ministry, Dohnavur Fellowship, continues today as a faithful Christian organization. During her many years of ministry, Amy Carmichael put together a small journal of convicting, heart-probing truths, each of which begin with the word “IF.” Each week, for the next several months, you’ll find a couple of entries in the Weekly Connection from Amy’s brief yet poignant book.
- Another Pastor Ended His Life: A Reflection on Pastoring: Pastor Phil Steiger wrote a powerful essay as the news rolled out last week of yet another evangelical pastor committing suicide. I’m highly encouraging all my fellow Christians and pastor-friends to read this well-timed article. Click here: Another Pastor Ended His Life: A Reflection on Pastoring
- Mayfair on YouTube: A team of our volunteers has been working hard behind the scenes to set-up a professional quality video broadcast of our Sunday morning services. We hope and pray this new ministry will benefit our many shut-ins, snow-birds, vacationers, as well as reach others outside of Mayfair with the grace and truth of God’s Word. You can watch the next live-stream here on BoxCast. We also encourage you to check out and subscribe to Mayfair’s YouTube channel
here, where you’ll find Sunday AM sermons, baptism testimonies, and much more. Click here: Mayfair on YouTube
In God’s Vineyard,
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Pulling Back the Curtains
Perhaps more than ever before, I look forward to celebrating the Lord’s Supper this coming Sunday morning with Mayfair Bible Church. Stephanie and I need our church family, the community of other Jesus-followers. Our moments of communion remind us of this need in a profound way.
May I pull back the curtains of our home and let you see in for just a moment? Today, my wife and I are reeling with the news of our sixth miscarriage. We hoped and prayed God would grant us a fun and exciting pregnancy announcement, and the delight of a fourth child. But now those ideas have completely unraveled in tears and agony.
In our sadness and grief we’re feebly attempting to take one step forward in quiet trust.
God gently beckons us to place quiet trust in Him. Here’s how the prophet Jeremiah put it:
“Blessed is the person who trusts in the LORD and whose trust is the LORD. For they will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit.” (Jer. 17:7-8)
Stephanie lives faithfully with quiet trust in God. She places her present struggles, feelings, joys, and pains into God’s hands knowing He is faithful and strong enough to carry her through. I’ve seen my strong, courageous wife do this time and time again. Very much unlike her, sometimes I want to go out in the backwoods and punch away at a large oak tree. I’ve screamed and cried, shouted up at the sky, and yelled into the breeze. Yet in His patience, God has always proven His presence – even in my lack of quietude.
Notice the parallel thought of the second phrase in Jeremiah 17:7, the “blessed” one puts their trust in the LORD, but also their trust is the LORD.
A number of years ago, my wife and I put together will and trust documents for our children. We detailed how we desire everything to be understood and distributed, so that our will would be accomplished upon our death.
Yet here God’s Word points us to make the trust itself – all the details of the future and all the wishes and desires – God Himself. We are called to make the trust itself God Himself, meaning God is all we ultimately hope to have and serve and love.
We know God to be our trust and find Him worthy of our faith. Stephanie and I are placing our future in His hands, recognizing that HE Himself is the ultimate future to be enjoyed forever.
Because God is our trust, we are receiving hope, comfort, and peace. This is what the Gospel, God’s Good News in the risen and returning Jesus Christ, does for all who trust Him (not themselves).
But the wounds are fresh.
The pain is real.
The tears sting.
So we cling to Christ our King who will come again – with our babies in His arms – to make everything gloriously new again.
To the many who have already told us they are lifting us up in prayer, Thank You. We look forward to sensing God’s presence uniquely and powerfully among His people around the table of communion. We’ll share our griefs, carry each other’s sorrows, and choose again to be renewed by hope…until Christ comes.
“Let him who cannot be alone beware of community… Let him who is not in community beware of being alone… Each by itself has profound perils and pitfalls. One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and feelings, and the one who seeks solitude without fellowship perishes in the abyss of vanity, self-infatuation and despair.”
― Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community
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No “Yes and No”
A few days ago, Hudson asked, “Hey Dad, am I going to get another Lego set?”
I replied, “Well, buddy, probably at some point you will receive more Legos. But I’m not sure when you’ll get them or what, specifically, you’ll receive.”
My response wasn’t quite what Hudson was looking for, as you might imagine. He wanted a “yes,” accompanied by a precise timeline for receiving the goods.
Now, usually, when my children get a “yes and no” or “I’m not sure” kind of answer from me, they immediately dart off toward my wife to see if they might obtain a more favorable outcome. The “yes and no” goes back and forth like a ping-pong ball until Stephanie and I have a moment to arrive on the same page. We’ve also learned to use our favorite kid-decoder question: “Have you already asked mom/dad? What did they say?” Bingo.
Truth Be Told!
Yet we live in a world full of non-answers, “yes and no,” and “I’m not sure.” One very well-known politician recently said, “truth isn’t truth!” A seasoned lawyer once told me, “Justice happens by accident and the best liar usually wins.” Everything seems up for grabs lately. Our culture’s current discourse, which displays such a lack of integrity and morality, leaves many people with a sense of confusion – even utter bewilderment. All this reminds me of Pontius Pilate’s famous interrogative phrase, “What is truth?” (John 18:38)
Duplicity seems to be the gasoline that fuels our nation’s law-makers. Scientists make myriad “probable” estimations. Hollywood stars swim in a sea of relativity.
But it is not so with God and His good news given to an uncertain, questioning, wondering world. The apostle Paul wrote to the new believers in Corinth:
“But as God is faithful, our word to you is not yes and no. For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us – by me and Silvanus and Timothy – was not yes and no, but is yes in Him.” (2 Corinthians 1:18-19)
There is no “yes and no” with the Gospel. The “word” that Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy preached was clear and certain, tried and true – certainly more secure than FDIC-insured bank accounts, Wall Street, or the winds of legalese blowing through Washington, D.C. and over the airwaves.
How do we know the Gospel is not up for grabs? Paul goes on to explain,
“For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
What God promised about the coming Rescuer long ago is fulfilled in Christ Jesus. God doesn’t say, “yes and no.” He shouts, “Yes!” across the horizon about His Son.
But it gets even better.
Look at the last line of verse 20 again. God does not give us a “yes and no,” but “Yes and Amen.” The word Amen in NT Greek means, “verily, truly, so let it be, or may it be so.” Therefore, through Christ, the will of God for the glory of God to be magnified and displayed through His people is coming to pass. It is so… even now.
God’s gospel is worthy of our trust because He is trustworthy. In a “yes and no” world, we can believe in the promises of God for the future because the past proves He is faithful.
He rescued us in Christ. He secured us in Christ. He commissioned us in Christ. He will bring us home with Christ. YES!
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A Place of Refuge
Is the church a place of refuge?
Today was a sunny Sunday much like any other. My husband and I often travel separately to church, because as the Lead Pastor of Mayfair Bible Church he needs to arrive early to pray and make certain all the details are in order for the morning. He’ll often take one of our children with him as a cheery tagalong.
But most often the ramp-up to the worship service feels very busy as he and I greet hundreds of members and guests, pray with folks in the foyer, check-in our younger two children into Sunday School, and find a place to sit just before the band strikes the first chord. We don’t resent this, but rather embrace these moments as times of meaningful interaction with God’s people. On this particular morning, Michael led off the service with a few announcements and a call to worship, which meant I would be flying solo with our oldest son who has high-functioning ASD and ADHD…
…I silently slid into the back pew with Hudson and hoped today he would be calm during the worship service. I quietly whispered a prayer that he would not run off like a wild goose or blurt out, “Don’t touch me!”
But like so many Sundays, his composure quickly unraveled. As he flopped onto the floor and rolled over, my heart sank. Yet again, it would be a struggle for us until the kids were dismissed for children’s church, where he could go into a quieter, more hands-on environment with his peers.
Do I say this because I don’t want Hudson to worship with me? No. We’ve tried for years upon years to train him to sit still, sing, and listen. I want nothing more than to worship Jesus with my children. But far more often than not, he is unable to sit still, listen, or participate with any sense of normalcy for a 9-and-a-half-year-old boy.
We have learned to cherish his moments of full engagement in the service, yet respond with grace and patience toward him in the other times when it all seems too overwhelming. Most important is that he knows we love him even in his many moments of overstimulation and frustration. Our pray is for him to increase in his love for Christ and for His Church… rather than grow up to despise the Savior and reject the Church.
The church, as a gathering of Christ-followers, should be a haven where any child – particularly those with special needs – can come to Jesus Christ and be accepted for who they are. After all, He is the one who created them in His own image. No child is too different, too challenging, too loud, too wiggly, or too unacceptable for Him.
We follow a King who said to his demanding, commanding disciples:
“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14 ESV)
Thankfully, we are part of a church that is doing everything they can to show love to him and our family. Just this past week, a phenomenal team of volunteers met with us to develop a specialized IEP (Individualized Education Plan) for his success in our children’s ministry. Unfortunately, this is not a common practice or attitude in most churches. Strong data indicates 90% of families with special needs children do not attend any place of worship. They are considered an unreached people group. Why? Because there is usually either avoidance or intolerance.
A warm and loving welcome toward those with special needs is a necessity in the church. For without it, the congregation is missing out on the many gifts that come from befriending people with special abilities.
So let us, the body of Christ, follow His example and let these children come to us as a place of refuge.
P.S.
My husband and I have written more in-depth on our unique journey with our son elsewhere. On his struggle with perseverating around bad words and ideas, Michael wrote “New Paint” <—- click here. Concerning our inner struggle with his challenges, we wrote “Our Journey with Autism.”
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Freedom Called My Name
Years ago, in my mid-twenties (shortly before I met my amazing husband, Michael) I was incredibly entrenched in the swamp of legalism. I heard the wise-sounding lies everywhere… from many places. My life was led by fear and worry that I would never measure up to the expectations of people.
The slime of law-based, performance-oriented religion came from all sorts of directions. All kinds of well-meaning people told me what I must add to my life (and add on to the Bible) in order to become better and more pleasing to God. Looking back, I believe this environment was rooted in fear, pride, and nice people generally wanting to control the outcome of my life.
Moms and dads told me they wanted their daughters to be like me. Young girls looked up to me. I was expected to be perfect and blameless. It was a heavy load to carry (maybe I’ll share more on that at another time). Day after day and year after year the weight pressed down on my heart as I struggled to make sure I never messed up.
One day, I was out for a short drive by myself and secretly turned on the Christian radio station (the one we weren’t supposed to listen to because it had “worldly music”).
“The Voice of Truth” by Casting Crowns came on the radio and as they sang, my heart overflowed with the grace-saturated lyrics. I wept alone….
The song rocked my world.
What a fascinating concept of listening to the voice of truth instead of all the lies of dishonest charlatans disguised as men of God. I began to understand that God didn’t create us to live in our own echo chambers of agreement but to go into a life of risk, faith, and fulfillment in Him.
I realized I’d been living my life trying to fit into the mold expected of me, instead of embracing who I was in Christ.
Oh Jesus, what freedom You presented to me!
It wasn’t until I met my Michael that I fully comprehended grace, but this moment started me on a path I still continue to journey today.
I’ve had people tell me sadly and accusingly over the years that I’ve changed and that I’m not the “same old Stephanie”. Well, praise God that I’m not!
Some friends have broken ties with me because of finding my voice and speaking out against spiritual abuse, and legalistic, cultic-controlling religious leaders. Others have walked away when I’ve been honest about my own struggles. These breached relationships deeply sadden me. But I’m FREE.
Free to be who God created me to be.
“If you continue in My word then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. . . so if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” – Jesus (from John 8:31-32, 36)
“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)
____________________
Obviously this is just a tiny sound-bite of my story, but I hope I can honestly and openly express my gratitude for the depth of his mercy and grace toward me.
He knocked out the giants of legalism and oppression with a stone of grace and I’m never going back.
These lyrics still bring a balm of freedom over my soul and tears to my eyes! I will never be able to thank Jesus enough for what He has done in my life and still continues to do.
The Voice of Truth
Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I’m in
Onto the crashing wavesTo step out of my comfort zone
To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He’s holding out his handBut the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I’ve tried before and failedThe waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again, “Boy, you’ll never win!”
“You’ll never win”But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says, “Do not be afraid!”
And the voice of truth says, “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truthOh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant, With just a Sling and a stoneSurrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors, Shaking in their armor
Wishing they’d have had the strength to standBut the giant’s calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I’ve tried before and failedThe giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again, “Boy, you’ll never win!”
“You’ll never win”But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says, “Do not be afraid!”
And the voice of truth says, “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me (Calling out to me)
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truthBut the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don’t seem so high
From on top of them looking downI will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over meBut the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says, “Do not be afraid!”
And the voice of truth says, “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
I will listen and believe
I will listen and believe the voice of truth
I will listen and believeBecause Jesus you are the voice of truth
And I will listen to You
Listen to “The Voice of Truth”:
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Sweet Freedom
Freedom’s sweet flavor blows within the breeze. Yet one hardly notices its power until the distinctive taste is suddenly gone.
Despite our many malefactions, idiosyncrasies, and divisive political concerns, I’m still overwhelmed with thankfulness to God for the many freedoms we enjoy as citizens of the United States of America.
Independence isn’t cheap. Freedom is never free, as the well-worn song goes. Yet taking these gifts for granted is all-too-easy for us Americans.
When we taste sweetness every day, we’re eventually inoculated to its delight.
I’ve ministered in other countries that operate under a strict police-state system. Can you imagine registering with local law enforcement every time you traveled to a different city? I’ve preached in places where pastors are thrown in jail and churches are burned to the ground while the government turns a blind-eye. Have you seen the charred remains of Bibles and churches across many Asian and Middle Eastern nations? I’ve walked streets literally filled with poverty, disease, and fear. I’ve seen kids sleeping in their feces; the maimed and crippled abandoned on the sides of dusty roads.
Slavery’s smell blows in the breeze. Yet one slowly succumbs to its stench until the raunchy odor goes unnoticed.
Though I’ve deeply loved every moment God has given me for ministry in foreign lands, I’ve wept with joy every time I’ve returned to the land of the free. The air is sweet… and I can taste liberty hitting my palate yet again. Our gratitude for freedom ought to lead us to celebration…but also intercession.
My Prayer Today
I pray for wisdom to be a wise, hard-working, law-abiding, and loving citizen.
God gives clear guidance for us: “Remind them [Christ-followers] to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.” (Titus 3:1-2; see also: Romans 13:1-3, 5-7; 1 Timothy 2:2; 1 Peter 2:12-13, 17).
I pray for our governmental leaders to work humbly, thoughtfully, and courageously for the cause of good and the protection of innocent.
Our instructions are relevant across time: “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” (1 Timothy 2:1-3; see also: Romans 13:3-4; 1 Peter 2:14).
I pray that all those placed in authority over us will receive the knowledge of the truth which comes through salvation in Christ Jesus.
God’s heart is evident: “…I urge that entreaties and prayers…be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all…” (1 Timothy 2:2-6a).
Most of all, I pray that God will bring an awakening of the Gospel from sea to shining sea, so that millions from my generation will know and experience the truth that sets people free.
Freedom is calling from the lips of Jesus: “…and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free . . . so if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:32, 36; see also: Galatians 5:1).
Ultimate Freedom
Our Founding Fathers sought and fought for freedom from the oppression of Great Britain. Our nation’s leaders and myriad soldiers have – throughout the years – sacrificed so that peace could be preserved and our freedoms protected. So we celebrate our independence today on this, the Fourth of July. All-the-while, we must recognize that these freedoms we presently enjoy are only temporary. Leaders come and go. Nations rise and fall.
Yet Jesus the Christ fought the fight we could not fight and won the battle we could not win by climbing a hill called Calvary so that we could receive ultimate freedom from the tyranny of sin and death. So today and everyday, we celebrate Him. And together with all God’s people from every language, tribe, and nation, we look forward with bold anticipation to the consummation of His coming eternal kingdom, which will cover the remade earth with His bright glory.
Our faith will be sight and sweet freedom in the glory of the Son will be our delight: “I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14)
Happy Fourth of July | circa 2015
