Josh Harris

2007-03-09T21:18:00.000-05:00

This site is no longer in use. Instead, please visit joshharris.com.

Gone

2007-03-09T21:14:00.000-05:00

This blog site is gone...

like Frank Sinatra,

like Elvis and his mom,

like Al Pacino's cash,

nothing lasts in this world.

Instead, please visit joshharris.com.

This Site Has Moved to www.joshharris.com

2007-03-09T21:08:00.000-05:00

This site...

is no longer alive,

no longer functioning,

no longer a place to visit.

Instead, please visit joshharris.com.

New Site

2007-03-02T16:24:00.000-05:00

Well, it’s finally happened. I have a new site. From now on, my blog will reside on the new joshharris.com.

All this is the result of the hard work of my assistant Katherine Reynolds and a lot of help from our friend Tim Challies. Thanks, guys!

Note: If your site links to this blog, please be sure to change the link to www.josharris.com, and don’t forget to update your RSS feeder.

Go to the new site.

Sledding

2007-02-21T13:48:00.000-05:00

We went sledding on Monday with the Lees. This is a shot of JQ launching off a little jump that some kids had built.

Holiness Requires Putting Off Sin

2007-02-20T10:30:00.000-05:00

Today, I continue this series of posts related to my message on cultivating holiness, drawn from Romans 13:11-14:

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (ESV)

I have shared that holiness requires urgency, and that it requires starving our flesh. Here’s a third point:

Holiness requires putting off sin.

That’s what verse 12 urges us to do. It reasons that, since the night is far gone, since the day is at hand... "let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." Verse 13 gets more specific about the works of darkness. It says, "Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy."

The works of darkness are the opposite of godly behavior. John Stott sums up the list by describing it as "a lack of self-control in the areas of drink, sex and social relationships."

God says, don’t escape into alcohol and partying to solve your problems. Don’t try to find meaning in immoral sex or in living for sexual pleasure. Don’t ruin your relationships by fighting and destroying others to get what you want.

He calls us to cast off this sinful behavior. To throw it away. This is what real repentance is all about. It’s putting off sin--casting it off, throwing it away. We're called to drastic action.

Many times, when we find an area of sin in our lives, we don’t trash it. Instead, we file it away. Instead of throwing it away--really getting it out of our lives--we just relocate it to another drawer, as it were. We shuffle it out of sight for a little while. We don’t cultivate real conviction, we don’t mourn over it, we don’t hate it. We just hide it until our conviction passes.

Casting off sin means to totally reject it--to change your lifestyle so that it’s no longer an option. Where is God calling you to cast off sin? Is there an area in which you continue to stumble over and over again? Is there a particular sin you keep coming back to again and again? What radical action could you take to throw this sin out of your life for good? How can you make a decisive break with it?

Holiness Requires Urgency

2007-02-17T11:44:00.000-05:00

I shared part of the message I did about the importance of not "feeding our flesh." In the same message, there were three other aspects of cultivating holiness that I highlighted. Over the next week I’ll share them here.

Romans 13:11-14 says:

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (ESV)

One of the greatest enemies of holiness is apathy and complacency--the sense that pursuing godliness is something that can wait till tomorrow, that there’s no rush. Paul attacks this wrong view and shows us that we need to see holiness as a crucial need--one that requires immediate, prompt attention. So here’s the key point I want to consider today:

Holiness requires urgency.

This passage begins by addressing the issue of the time that we’re in. Verse 11 and the first part of verse 12 pile up words and images that press on us the high priority of holiness. It says, "You know the time..." and "the hour has come" and "salvation is nearer to us now" and in verse 12 "the night is far gone; the day is at hand."

What does all this mean?

Paul is addressing the fact that we’re living in the end times or the last days. In the Bible, the end times refer to the age between the first and second coming of Jesus. So, everything after his resurrection and ascension--including our own day and age--is part of the last days.

The last days are a time of overlap--Jesus has inaugurated his kingdom, but we’re still waiting for the full expression of his salvation. We’re still waiting for his final return and the glorification of our bodies.

That’s what he refers to when he says "our salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed." He’s saying that the time of Jesus return is closer. Every day takes us nearer to the day when we’ll see Him face to face and be utterly freed from the effects of sin. When Paul says, "You know the time," he’s setting the pursuit of holiness in the context of the age that we’re living in. He’s saying "holiness matters because the clock is ticking...this sinful world is on the way out."

Paul uses several vivid metaphors for illustration:

First the imagery of "night" refers to the world ruled by the devil and ravaged by human sin.

Second, the imagery of "sleep" is a symbol of sinful behavior. In this passage, to be asleep as a Christian means to be indulging in sinful thoughts and desires; it means to compromise. It’s the spiritual equivalent of lazily sleeping in when you should be awake.

Have you ever slept in and forgotten a really important appointment you had? The alarm rings, but you forget all about where you need to be. You turn it off nonchalantly roll over. You’re snuggled up in those nice warm covers. You have no intention of leaving your cocoon. You’re in no rush. You don’t have a care in the world. And then, all of the sudden, you remember. Or maybe someone else remembers for you and pounds on your door and says, "What are you doing asleep! You’re going to be late! You can’t miss this meeting!"

Suddenly everything changes. Sleepy bliss turns to panic. Adrenaline surges through your body. You’re awake, you’re running, and you’re trying to shower, brush your teeth and put your clothes on all at the same time.

Sometimes, as Christians, we are groggy and lazy in our pursuit of holiness because we’ve forgotten the time. We’ve stopped thinking about the fact that Jesus is going to return. We’ve stopped thinking about our meeting with him. And so, instead of watching for the coming day, we’re snuggling up with sin. Paul would say, "Stop sleeping! Stop hitting the snooze button, spiritually. Shake off your grogginess and your apathy toward godliness. Rouse yourself! Wake up!"

If someone were to examine your life for a month--how you spend your time, what you give your attention to, the choices you make--would they say that you pursue holiness with a sense of urgency? Would they say that you’re focused, intent and aggressive in obeying God?

Also, consider--are their other parts of your life that you’re more urgently pursuing than holiness? What about entertainment? I’m sad to say that there have been many times in my life when I’ve approached the next movie or DVD or TV show with more urgency than I did my relationship with God. And when I’m wrapped up in the endless pursuit of entertainment, I’m sluggish toward the things of God.

In this passage, I believe the Holy Spirit is calling us to wake up, rouse ourselves from sleep and pursue righteousness.

Miscellaneous (in three life-changing points)

2007-02-14T21:06:00.000-05:00

Here's some random stuff:

1. Thanks for all the feedback on the Romans 13:14 cartoons. I've been amazed at all the encouragement I've received from these drawings. Several people at my church have communicated something along the lines of "you should do this all the time." Of course if I did, I think it would get old after about two weeks. "Let me try to explain what the Apostle Paul meant by 'food sacrificed to idols' by showing you a doodle I did of a big hunk of steak..." The truth is that most passages or biblical concepts don't lend themselves to cartoon explanation quite so easily as "feeding the flesh." We'll see. I'm sure a cartoon will crop up again some time.

2. Someone recently asked if we could organize the posts on the blog into categories. Yes, that is coming very soon. My assistant Katherine has been working hard (with the help of our friend Tim Challies) on moving everything from this blog and my old website into a new, combined, neatly organized blog/website. It's going to be a big improvement from what we have now. It should be here in the next couple weeks.

3. I don't really have a third point, but as a preacher I don't feel comfortable ending this post with only two. Why do I so often have three points? Seriously, I'm not trying to. It might be some sort of subconcious trinitarian thing. Hmmm, I'll have to think about that more.

Have a great day.

9 Marks Interview

2007-02-02T12:06:00.000-05:00

I'm a big fan of 9 Marks Ministries. And have really enjoyed listening to the different interviews they've done with some of my heroes in the faith. So the fact that they featured me this month is a serious drop in standards on their part. But I was honored to be included and it was great to be able to talk with Mark Dever, who I deeply respect, and share the story of how God brought me into ministry through CJ Mahaney.

If you're not familiar with these interviews, 9 Marks publishes them every few months. I highly recommend checking out past interviews they've done, especially if you're a leader.

Purity Series

2007-01-26T10:47:00.000-05:00

We're now doing a series on purity at Covenant Life. In the last 3 weeks:

"God's Good Plan for Sex" considered a biblical view of God's good plan for our sexuality, and how we can flee temptation to go outside of God's boundaries.

"Resisting Lust" examined how lust deceives us and how we can learn to resist it.

"Marital Intimacy" discussed the role that intimacy in marriage plays in protecting men and women from sexual immorality, and a proper veiw of a husband's and wife's obligation to each other in marital intimacy.

For the next two weeks, the Purity series extends to cover the topics of holiness (this Sunday), and then issues related to media in our pursuit of holiness.

West Coast Revival

2007-01-18T10:23:00.001-05:00

Here's a band I've been enjoying lately.

West Coast Revival grew out of our sister church in Pasadena, CA. Their first full-length album was recently released by UGG Records (you can buy it there). For more info, check out their interview on the New Attitude blog.

NA Promo Video--Update

2007-01-14T15:24:00.000-05:00

Now it's on YouTube:

See Friday's post below if your church wants to promote New Attitude.

New Attitude Video

2007-01-12T12:04:00.000-05:00

NA has posted a new promo video.

If you are a church leader who would like to use the video to promote NA at your church, you can request the promo DVD and/or promotional package here.

A Heart of Wisdom: Conclusion

2007-01-09T16:44:00.000-05:00

"The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty...
So teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom."
-Psalm 90:10, 12

Over the last week, I’ve been posting thoughts on Psalm 90, covering 4 characteristics of a heart of wisdom:

1. Stands in awe of the eternal God
2. Recognizes man’s insignificance
3. Acknowledges God as holy Judge
4. Runs to God for mercy

Every year, I make a list on a piece of paper, numbering 1-80. I use it to jot down milestones of God’s grace in the past, and look ahead and prayerfully consider what will be most important in the upcoming stretch of my life. I do know that I’ve got two driving priorities the next 15 years: to faithfully care for my family, and faithfully teach God’s word in this church.

I’d encourage you to do this, to sit down and consider where you are on your way to 70 or 80 years. Consider where God has brought you from. Consider how quickly your life will be over. Consider the holiness of God. How does that reality adjust your plans for 2007?

I don’t know what resolutions you’ve made (and which ones you’ve already broken) by now, 9 days into the New Year, but here’s something for consideration--How will we live this year if we number our days and have a heart of wisdom?

Here are some thoughts:

1. We will pursue satisfaction in God alone.

(Verse 14) What have you sought satisfaction in apart from God in the past year? When we see the fleeting nature of life, we see that knowing and being satisfied in the steadfast love of God is our greatest purpose. Let’s commit ourselves to being people who love and study and memorize God’s word. Let’s be people who pursue private communion with God. Who attend each Sunday meeting expecting to hear and be changed by God’s word. Let us be a people who pursue God in prayer.

[For those looking for a good Bible-reading plan, Discipleship Journal has a good one I've used.]

2. We will pursue holiness and cast off the sin that so easily entangles.

If we really see how short our time is on earth, if we see God in his holiness, would we make such allowance for sin? Verse 8 reminds us that there is no sin hidden from God. Where are you trifling with sin? Where are you harboring it? Where are you toying with temptation? Number your days and hate your sin. Flee from it.

3. We will be passionate about God’s work around us.

(Verse 16) If we number our days, our hearts are going to beat for the work of God in our local church. For the work of God in other countries. For the spread of the gospel.

4. We will spend ourselves for God’s glory.

Numbering our days doesn’t lead to timidity and fearful conservation of our life. It leads to boldness. To faith-filled risk taking. It leads to mountain-moving prayer. The missionary Jim Elliot said “Wherever you are be all there. Live to the hilt every situation that you believe to be the will of God.” What season are you in? Live it to the hilt.

There’s certainly a place for caution...but not when it’s motivated by desire to preserve our comfort and advance our selfish desires. Let’s attempt great things for our great King this year! What if we worried more about the lost than our comfort? What if we spoke with humble boldness instead of remaining silent. What if we attempted what only God’s power could enable?

Consider v. 17—Only what we do for him will last.

5. We will be humble, grateful and joyful because of the gospel!

In Psalm 90, we see Moses looking ahead with faith for God’s future salvation. Friends, we have seen it. And it’s more wonderful than words can express!

When we number our days, we will be humbled and will live in holy fear of our Holy God, but we will also run to and receive and rejoice in the glorious salvation that He has provided for us in Jesus Christ. This coming year will be marked by toil and trouble. For some of us, it will be our final year on earth, but because Jesus has come we can have joy and hope in it. Because Jesus shed his blood as the perfect once for all sacrifice in our place, our iniquities have been removed from us and God’s wrath has turned to favor. He is for us!

Lord, teach us to number our days in this life. Teach us to long for the day when we see you. Teach us to live our life for you and your glory!

A Heart of Wisdom: Runs to God for Mercy

2007-01-07T21:48:00.000-05:00

"So teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom."
-Psalm 90:12

Today I post my 4th and final quality of a "heart of wisdom:"

A heart of wisdom runs to God for mercy.

In the past several posts, we’ve been discussing how short and insignificant our lives are, especially in light of God’s eternity. We have acknowledged God as our Holy Judge, sovereign over our lives, and filled with righteous anger toward our sin. Seeing death as God’s judgment on human sin is meant to humble us—but it needn't end in despair. A heart of wisdom sees that life is fleeting, that sin has earned God’s judgment and that only God himself can save us.

That’s what verses 13-17 of Psalm 90 model for us. Moses has been describing man’s frailty and God’s wrath, and then in verse 13 he turns to God and begins to plead for mercy. He says, "Have pity on your servants!” He doesn’t turn to entertainment or sexual pleasure or money or power or fame. He turns to God and cries, “Only you can give my life meaning.” He says, “You satisfy us, God, you make us glad, you reveal yourself to us. Unless you bless us, we have nothing and our lives have no meaning.”

God doesn’t want us to "number our days" so that we’ll be morbid and despairing. He wants us to number our days so that we’ll escape the illusion of human independence and pride. He wants us humble so that we can throw ourselves on him for mercy. He wants us to number our days so that we’ll forsake the fleeting and the meaningless, and live for his praise.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, the key truth we need to take from this passage is this:

We can only live our days wisely when we see God clearly.

And when we see God clearly, we see how little time we have, and we see that pleasing and honoring him with our lives is what truly matters. We see that only in Him do we find satisfaction and joy, and only in the eternal God do we find eternal life.

A Heart of Wisdom: Seeing God as Holy Judge

2007-01-06T11:59:00.000-05:00

This is part 4 (and point 3—confusing already) on my series of posts on Psalm 90—learning to "number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom." I'm exploring 4 qualities of the "heart of wisdom." The first was that a heart of wisdom stands in awe of the eternal God; the second, that it recognizes man’s insignificance. For today, a third quality is this:

A heart of wisdom acknowledges God as Holy Judge.

It’s not enough to know that you’ll die. It’s not enough to know that your life will pass quickly. To gain a heart of wisdom requires that we rightly see ourselves in relationship to God. He is over us. He is our judge. He is the one who decides when we die.

Look at verse 3. It says of God, "YOU return man to dust and say, 'Return, O children of man!'"

Genesis tells us that God created Adam from the dust of the earth. And when Adam and Eve sinned against God and ate the forbidden fruit the punishment, all they and the rest of mankind received was death. Death returns man to dust. This wasn’t God’s original design. We were made to live forever in fellowship with God, but our sin ruined this plan. Our sin brought death into the world.

Verse 7 says, "For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed." Death is God’s judgment on human sin. It is God’s sentence on sinful mankind. It is God’s way of humbling us, of judging us for our attempts to usurp his authority. Death is divine limitation on human pride.

In verse 8, "You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence."

Acknowledging God as our Holy Judge is essential to being able to rightly interpret and understand life. Death points us to the reality of God’s holiness. He is a righteous judge who is angered by our sin. Death points us to our guilt before God. A heart of wisdom understands that’s man’s greatest need is to find peace with God.

A Heart of Wisdom: The Insignificance of Man

2007-01-04T13:06:00.000-05:00

If you’re just joining in, I’m in the midst of posting some reflections on Psalm 90, exploring how we can learn to "number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom" (v.12). We can only live our days wisely when we see God clearly, and this series of posts is covering four qualities of a "heart of wisdom" based on my Dec. 31 sermon on Psalm 90. In my last post, I discussed the first: "A person with a heart of wisdom stands in awe of the eternal God." The second quality of a "heart of wisdom" is this:

A heart of wisdom recognizes man’s insignificance.

Pastor James Montgomery Boice once wrote that Psalm 90 is "probably the greatest passage in the Bible contrasting the grandeur of God with man’s frailty." And what a contrast it is!

God exists outside the confines of human measurements of time. Verse 4 says "For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past..." A millennium, a massive length of time in human history, is like a day to him.

But we measure our lives in decades. Verse 10 points out that we’re doing well if we live 70 or 80 years. Compared to God, we’re like a gnat that lives for a day. Our days, Moses says, are "soon gone and we fly away."

It might not sound pleasant or uplifting to think about how quickly life is going to be over, but coming to grips with this fact is what it means to number your days. You’ll only have wisdom—you’ll only live skillfully—if you face the reality that human life is fleeting.

Have you ever noticed that one of the marks of maturity and wisdom is the ability to rightly perceive lengths of time? You know how some people have bad depth perception? Well, many people have really bad "time perception."

When you’re a kid you have zero time perception. I’m sure you parents out there have noticed this—you call your kids and say, "We’re leaving the house in 2 minutes!" and they say, "Oh, great. 2 minutes. Let’s get Monopoly out," or "Let’s build a tree fort." They have no idea how quickly 2 minutes will go by. If you tell them Christmas is in 8 days, it’s an eternity to them. "8 days! That’s going to take forever."

But the older and wiser a person becomes, the more he sees that life flies by. You see this when you look back on a season of your life that is past. Numbering our days involves seeing that human life is over in an instant. Do you see how this makes us wise? It points us to the fact that God is significant and man is not. It humbles us.

We like to live our lives in the delicious illusion of self-importance. We think of ourselves as strong, as powerful, as significant. We humans compare ourselves to images of greatness—mankind is like a mighty towering tree, or maybe a skyscraper stretching into the sky. Or man is like a huge rocket blasting into the sky leaving the earth behind as we conquer unknown corners of the universe...

But God picks other analogies to describe man. Verse 5 says that we’re like a dream. "You mean…like a really nice dream?" No, like a dream that you don’t really remember in the morning. It gets better. He says we’re grass. Not very flattering. "Like grass that is renewed in the morning; in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers." Man at his most impressive is like grass that lasts for a day. It’s grows up in the morning but by the end of the day it has faded.

Last week we witnessed the death of a former President of our country and the death of the dictator Saddam Hussein. For two years Gerald Ford was the most powerful man in America. For decades Saddam Hussein held absolute power over millions of Iraqis. But now they’re gone. They’ve been "[swept] away as with a flood; they are like a dream." For awhile they’ll be remembered and written about, but very quickly they’ll be a distant and forgotten memory. So will we all.

Do you have great thoughts of yourself? Are you caught up in the legacy you’re hoping to build? Are you ignoring God as you live for your own glory? DON'T BE A FOOL. Man is insignificant. Life is fleeting. Wisdom comes from numbering one's days and seeing how small our time on earth really is in light of God’s eternal glory.

A Heart of Wisdom: In Awe of the Eternal God

2007-01-02T18:53:00.000-05:00

A couple days ago I shared that I yearly reflect on Psalm 90 in order to be reminded of and humbled by the brevity and unimpressiveness of my life. I also said I’d be posting on 4 qualities of the “heart of wisdom” we should seek to cultivate (v.12). These four qualities are based on this truth:

We can only live our days wisely when we see God clearly.

So then, the first point is this:

A person with a heart of wisdom stands in awe of the eternal God.

Wisdom doesn’t start with self-evaluation. It starts with worship. It begins by considering the character and nature of God.

That’s where Moses begins in verse 1 of Psalm 90. He’s leading a million people through the desert. They are nomads wandering without a true home. But he says, "Lord, you are our dwelling place." You are our refuge and you’ve been our refuge.

He goes on to consider God’s eternity. Verse 2 brings us before a God who is "from everlasting to everlasting."

The proper perspective comes from focusing on God. Moses and the Israelites really wanted a place to live. They wanted a homeland. They wanted a few mountains and some earth to call their own. But Moses remembers that there’s something far more significant—they worship the one true God who existed before creation, before the mountains were brought forth.

In the brilliance of the glory of the eternal God, Moses turns his attention to man...

(To be continued next post)

For a spoiler, listen to my sermon from December 31, which is the source of these posts.

“Teach Us To Number Our Days”

2006-12-31T20:18:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday. I turned 32. When I was a kid, I resented the timing of my birthday. December 30th is not the best day to be born if you’re hoping for a truckload of birthday presents. I often got presents that said, "Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday," which I figured was pretty much a criminal act. But that’s just the way it works--5 days after Christmas, people are tired of shopping and/or broke. And the day before New Years Eve, no one really wants another party. So I used to think that I had the worst birthday possible.

But I don’t think that anymore. I no longer resent my birth date. In fact, I actually like it. The reason is that I’ve found spiritual benefit in the timing of my birthday. Having my birthday and New Year’s so close helps me to feel more acutely the passing of time. And that’s very good for my soul, because I need to be reminded that I’m getting older. I need to be reminded that I have a limited amount of time on this earth.

For this reason, every year I have a little birthday tradition: I study Psalm 90—a Psalm that helps me meditate on the fleeting nature of life. And as I look ahead to a new year, I ask God to give me "a heart of wisdom."

Fittingly, today I preached on Psalm 90. The passing of a year is a chance for us to humbly reflect on the brevity of life and, in doing so, to see more clearly what matters most.

Verse 4 says, "For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past," and "The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty…So teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom." (10, 12)

I remember my dad teaching me as a young boy to pray for wisdom. He said, "Son, God promises to give wisdom to those who ask—so don’t forget to ask."

Coming to a start of a new year is a reminder that we need wisdom. We’re given a fresh slate—a brand new span of time and the question we all face is "What will we do with it? How do we make the most of it?"

We need wisdom. Wisdom is the ownership of insight. It’s seeing what is most important, and then living accordingly. Eugene Peterson defines wisdom as "the art of living skillfully in whatever actual conditions we find ourselves."

The Bible teaches us that true wisdom comes from seeing all of life in light of who God is. Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." In other words, the only way to have insight and perspective and skill in living is to make God your primary concern—to see him and his word and his commands and his reward and his judgment as the issues of utmost importance.

And that’s what Psalm 90 calls us to do. Again, "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

This Psalm does more than just encourage us to count off how many years we have left in life. By showing us who God is and our relationship to him, it sharpens our vision of what is truly important in life.

I built my message today around this key truth: We can only live our days wisely when we see God clearly.

Over the next several days, I’m going to be posting on four qualities of a "heart of wisdom" that I covered in the sermon, which I’ll link when it becomes available online. For now, enjoy the last few hours of 2006, and may God give you grace to cultivate a heart of wisdom in the year to come.

UPDATE--Listen to the sermon here.

A Year of Grace at Covenant Life Church

2006-12-30T11:53:00.000-05:00

Each December, my family tries to sit down and recap the year that is almost gone. We list the big and little events that defined the year. It’s a chance to reflect on answered prayers and give thanks for God’s goodness. This month, I did the same for our church family’s year, which I shared in our December “Family News.” Here’s a short of list of highlights in no particular order:

1. The look on everyone’s face when we did a “reverse offering” at the end of our Affluenza series and gave out money to invest in God’s kingdom.

2. Changing our meeting times to 9 and 11:30am. Boy, did 8:30am feel early!

3. Encountering Jesus’ love and compassion for sinners in our series through the Gospel of Luke.

4. Karin Layman, Valori Maresco and my wife Shannon led their first series of Titus 2 meetings.

5. Emma attended Summer Celebration led by Mike Bradshaw and asked me the day after it ended how long it would be till the next one!

6. Grant Layman and his team launched the Family Room meetings and had so many parents and couples say, “Why didn’t we start this years ago?” Good question!

7. John Loftness and Robin Boisvert began Covenant Life College, where members can go deeper in theological study every Wednesday night.

8. Attending Together for the Gospel and seeing CJ’s friendship with—and leadership alongside—men like Al Mohler, Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, John Piper, R.C. Sproul, and John MacArthur.

9. Having New Attitude back and better than ever under Eric Simmons’ leadership and the creativity of our amazing singles.

10. After many years of prayer, we sent out Chris Silard and many Covenant Life members to plant a church in Frederick, Maryland.

11. In February, the children’s ministry at Covenant Live grew with the addition of Mary Kate Harris. (Okay, I so snuck in a personal one. I couldn't help it!)

God has been very kind to us, and we say goodbye to 2006 with grateful hearts for all His mercy.

Runny Nose and the Incarnation

2006-12-22T13:35:00.000-05:00

Today I'm working on my sermon for this Sunday. My words and sentences are so feeble in the face of the reality I'm trying to preach about. I'm preaching from Matthew 1, "And they shall call his name Immanuel (which means God with us)."

If this weren't already too much for my small mind, I have a cold. And then the thought hits me, "Jesus had colds." Wow. God became man. He dealt with all our weaknesses, all the inconveniences of a body. He had a runny, sore nose from time to time. And he did this without Kleenex and without sin, which is pretty incredible, if you think about it.

I hope your soul is reveling in the glorious, mind-boggling truth of the incarnation. This quote from Charles Spurgeon can help increase your Christmas exultation:

Infinite, and an infant. Eternal, and yet born of a woman. Almighty, and yet hanging on a woman's breast. Supporting a universe, and yet needing to be carried in a mother's arms. King of angels, and yet the reputed son of Joseph. Heir of all things, and yet the carpenter's despised son.

Amen! Hallelujah! Jesus is our Immanuel!

Elijah, Baal...Merry Christmas!

2006-12-19T18:35:00.000-05:00

I just learned that this past Sunday the lesson plan for the children's ministry had them studying 1 Kings 18:1-39, the story of the prophet Elijah (who I happened to dress up as for this year's Harvest Party...see picture). One member of our church named Drew Jones--one of the funniest, most creative and insane people I know--thought that it was very strange to have kids studying Elijah and the prophets of Baal the week before Christmas. So, he took it upon himself to write and perform a song for the kids that both taught the Old Testament story and was appropriate to the Christmas season. Well, I'll let you decide for yourself whether or not what he came up with was appropriate in any sense of the word...But I think it's pretty funny!

(To the tune of "Deck the Halls")

Gather everyone in Israel
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Bring some bulls and prophets of Baal
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Kill the bulls and make an alter
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
If Baal is god he will not Falter
Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Dance like fools don’t be so haughty,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Where is Baal he’s on the Potty
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Thrash around kick up some mud
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Cut yourself and make some blood,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Baal’s an idol nothing real,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Fire came, God made a meal
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Even drenched in lots of water,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
God has spoken start the slaughter
Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Justin Taylor on John Owen

2006-12-13T19:04:00.000-05:00

New Attitude just did a short interview with Justin Taylor about the new edition of Overcoming Sin and Temptation, which he edited with edited Kelly Kapic. It's worth checking out.

Nothing is Impossible with God

2006-12-12T10:47:00.000-05:00

In studying for upcoming sermons on the birth of Christ, I came across a quote by John Calvin, cited by John Nunes in an article in Modern Reformation (Nov/Dec '06, p.36) based on Luke 1:37, in which Mary states, "For nothing will be impossible with God."

Let us remember that we are all in the same condition...Our circumstances are all in opposition to the promises of God. He promises us eternal life, yet we are surrounded by death; He declares that He considers us justified, yet we are still covered with sins. He testifies that He is forgiving and good towards us; yet outwardly all we see is His anger. What then are we to do? We must close our eyes, and disregard ourselves so that nothing may prevent us from believing that God is true.

Isn't this another way to describe gospel-centered living? We close our eyes to ourselves, our circumstances, our feelings and our performance, and instead look to and believe in the promises of God fulfilled in our Savior's life, death and resurrection. God, help me disregard myself and believe that you and your glorious gospel are true for me!

The Privilege of Sharing the Gospel

2006-12-08T10:38:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share a letter that one of my fellow pastors, Kenneth Maresco, recently received from a former member of our church. It’s a powerful reminder of how important it is for all of us to use every opportunity to share the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ.

Kenneth –
I wanted to write a note to thank you for your dedication to the Lord, your passion for spreading the Gospel & teaching us to do the same. Your teaching & preaching has positively affected more lives for the good than you can possibly imagine! One of those lives was Ellen Ann McWilliams, a former co-worker of mine from Fannie Mae.

Joyce & I invited Ellen to attend the Alpha course in the fall of 2002. Although Ellen was actively attending a local Catholic church at the time she accepted our invitation. Ellen was involved in counseling divorcees and wanted a better understanding of the Bible and understanding how to have a relationship with Jesus. By the end of the course, Ellen had accepted Jesus as her savior & re-dedicated her life to the Lord.

Ellen was a kind & lovely woman. We were blessed to have her as a guest in our home for Christmas Supper and again at Easter Supper in 2003. On more than one occasion she told us she had never felt such joy in her life. We loved her as a friend & a member of the body of Christ. Even after Ellen moved to the Philadelphia area for a new job, we kept in contact by phone & email until this past Spring 2006.

Sadly, though, I had a recent conversation with another former co-worker who informed me that Ellen died Memorial Day weekend in a skydiving accident. The circumstances were so unusual that the story was reported in the national & international newscasts.

We have since learned from the same co-worker, the coroner’s report states that due to evidence of a heart attack, Ellen probably died before striking the ground. If that is true, I can only imagine that as she called to God for help, He mercifully pulled Ellen from this life to come home with Him.

The circumstances of her death were a shock to us, but we are comforted in knowing we will one day have the opportunity to worship with her at the feet of the Lord.

-Russell

Please pray for Ellen’s family. And please consider who God has placed in your life at this time. Don’t pass up an opportunity to speak them about the hope you have because of Jesus Christ.

Boundless on Dating

2006-12-07T11:32:00.000-05:00

The team over at Boundless has several articles right now addressing a biblical view of dating and sex that I think you'll find helpful. In particular, I'd encourage you to check out the ones by Scott Croft (here, here, and here) and Michael Lawrence (here), who are both friends who serve at Capitol Hill Baptist Church. Scott uses the term "biblical dating" to describe a God-honoring relationship--which I'm totally cool with...except that it requires that you introduce your special someone to people as your "biblical boyfriend" or "biblical girlfriend."

Tokyo Seminar

2006-12-06T09:26:00.000-05:00

We're back safe and sound in Gaithersburg, Maryland. We've been reunited with our dear baby, Mary Kate. It's good to be a whole family again. Our little girl sprouted two teeth while we were away and learned to pull herself up to standing. We had fun yesterday watching her new tricks.

I wanted to write briefly about the Saturday seminar I spoke at back in Tokyo. To all who prayed, thank you so much. I believe God answered those prayers. The time really went well. I ended up speaking three times and Hiro Inaba, the man who runs the homeschool organization CHEA Japan, and who hosted us, served as my translator.

Most of the attendees had come from within a 200 mile radius, but there were people who had come from all over the country. The church building, which was beautiful, seated around 850 people. Over 100 people registered at the door, and so the final attendance was somewhere over 700.

I know that numbers are not what's most important but, in a country where there are so few Christians, this kind of turn out was extremely encouraging to the believers there. The pastor of the church said that, in the history of their building, this was only the second time he'd seen so many people! And Hiro said that what was so unique about this gathering is that it was young adults. He told us afterward that it's very rare to see so many Christian young adults attend an event on their own accord.It's hard to measure the effect of the teaching. I felt God's power as I spoke about the power of the gospel being the only thing that can enable us to change. I felt a similar sense of God's Spirit moving when I challenged people to humble themselves and confess sexual temptation to other Christians. Though I got used to having a translator and felt comfortable, there were many times when I was preaching that the messages felt "flat." With an interpreter it's hard to build a sense of momentum. But whenever I thought that, I'd remind myself, "This is God's word! God's word is never flat!" I would then try to preach with the passion and urgency I felt.

And so many times I was overwhelmed at their willingness to listen so attentively to someone speak in another language. Our brothers and sisters in Japan are so hungry for truth. They don't have the endless resources and events that we're so accustomed to. So, to get the chance to serve them was incredible.

The messages were videotaped by a small Korean cable channel. If I understood correctly, they broadcast in both Japan and South Korea. I did a few "greeting spots" for them afterwards, and also did a 20 minute interview with a Christian newspaper in Tokyo that just started up.

Afterwards, people who came up to greet me were very kind in their encouragement. Many had read one or more of the books. Later, one of the staff members of CHEA said that the evaluations they were getting back were positive. Several people said they'd never heard messages that addressed the topic of romance and sex from a biblical perspective.

So, I'm praying that God will encourage and strengthen his people through what I shared. The thing I kept thinking throughout the trip was what an amazing privilege it is to speak about Jesus in any language!

Thanks for reading along and caring about this trip with our family. It's hard to express how much your interest and prayerful concern for us encouraged us. Sharing the trip with you on the blog made it even more meaningful for us. So thanks for reading. And please join me in continuing to pray for the nation of Japan, which so desperately needs the gospel.

Joshua Quinn's Blog Post and Photo Essay

2006-12-02T22:33:00.000-05:00

Well, we're almost ready to come home. As we sit here, waiting to get on the train for the airport, we decided to let Joshua Quinn do his own post. The following are his exact words, dictated to Dad. As you'll see, even in a far away country, his primary preoccupation is his favorite movie, Cars! He couldn't quite grasp the concept of writing a letter to many people. So, most of what he dictated is directed to a couple of friends. Enjoy!

Hi, Evan! I need to tell you that I don't like Star Wars anymore, but I like the movie Cars more. I would be hoping that on my birthday that you could give me one of the figures of the movie Cars like the little fixer. I don't think you've seen the movie Cars. But I think you've seen Star Wars.

Hi, Miss Joy. I don't think you've watched the movie Cars either like I said to Evan. Did you know that I'm more excited to go home than to stay? But I miss some people. There are taxi cars in Japan that are different colors that I call names from the movie Cars.

There's a picture on the ceiling on the wall next to another picture and it has numbers on the bottom. Not to mention that if you don't know what this is, it's a blog post. If you don't like blog posts say, "Don't give me another blog post."

So, Miss Joy. I would like to see you again.

Thank you everyone who prayed for me.

Thanks for reading! The following are pictures that Joshua Quinn took all by himself as we walked around Tokyo. He picked these samples out by himself. Note the car theme also pervades his photography.

Shannon's Final Japan Post

2006-12-02T10:06:00.000-05:00

Hi, everyone. This is Shannon, and this may be my last “Japan trip” post because we leave tomorrow around 11:30 a.m. for the airport.

Josh has been doing his seminar all day here in Tokyo. Sono went along with him, and I stayed behind with Grandma Sato and the children, since JQ is still recovering and Emma appeared a bit flushed today. They came home this evening just before I started writing this post, and left again for dinner. They reported that close to 750 people came to the conference which is excellent for Japan, and many more than they had originally expected. It is neat to see Josh making a difference here and being able to encourage these people in the Lord. Maybe he can report more on this…or tell about it next Sunday in church.

I have really enjoyed being here in Tokyo. The place where we are staying is in a very residential part of Tokyo, and it is so quaint. There is so much more to explore. Even tonight, while going to the grocery store (today has been all about food for the trip home), I discovered a new area that I didn’t know was so close. I have really enjoyed the walks I’ve gotten to take, and seeing the local people. About a mile’s walk away is a busier, more “big city” part of Tokyo, where we went three days in a row. This was where Josh took all the pictures of the food a few posts ago. I went back there today to purchase food for our trip. That was quite the adventure—taking a taxi by myself (I would have preferred to walk, but because the kids are under the weather, I didn’t want to be gone long), purchasing food (most everything is written in Japanese characters), and getting home (the taxi driver dropped me off in the wrong place – but I found my way on foot).

Here is a list of the food I purchased there (by pointing at what I wanted and holding up the number of fingers for quantity) for lunch and for the trip home:

For lunch today for the kids, myself and Grandma Sato:

1 large Sesame Bean Sprout Salad
2 Chicken on Skewers
2 Chicken with Spring Onion on Skewers
2 what I thought was Beef on Skewers but turned out to be Gizzard on Skewers which turned out to be Skewers in the trash can
A small bag of clementines
Some sweet bread and 2 sticky buns
1 package of tiny fried crabs for G’ma Sato (she loves these)

For the flight home for everyone:

1 package Brie Cheese
1 package Cheddar Cheese
1 Loaf of French Bread
10 cucumber maki rolls for Josh (like california rolls, only just cucumber)
12 chicken on skewers (yakatori)
3 small sesame bean sprout salads
3 containers of cashews
2 packages of raisins
1 package Hersheys kisses
1 package Ricola cough drops

There. Now you know what we’ll be eating for lunch. Isn’t that funny?

Speaking of funny, Sono, Josh’s mother, loves to laugh at my Japanese, because I keep saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. For instance, I learned, “nice to meet you” which is “Ha-je-me-mash-tay” but accidentally said it AFTER I had spent time talking with people. It turns out that it is only something you say when you first meet them. Then the other thing I said wrong was when I was buying Joshua Quinn’s clogs. I had learned that “Oi-shee” meant “very good” but I didn’t know that it was like saying “delicious! So after I bought the clogs I said to the salesman, “Oishee,” because I was happy to find them and thought it was “very good.” But what I really said was that Joshua Quinn’s clogs were delicious.

The last thing I have to say is that bikes are all over this city. They are just as common as cars and you really do have to watch out for them or you can get hit. Both male and female bikers ride really fast, and basically as if they were in a car. They don’t look at you and smile. They are on a serious mission to get somewhere and they are not timid. Joshua Quinn almost got hit today when we came around a corner and almost collided with a biker. Also, there aren’t really sidewalks and the roads are narrow, so everyone is sharing the road. But it also makes for a very interesting time. Most bikes have at least one basket on their bike and many have two. Mothers will put babies in the baskets, strap babies to their backs while riding, or some have child seats attached to their bikes. I’ve several mothers carrying two babies with her on her bicycle.

Well, although I really would like just a few more days to explore, I am also looking forward to being home and seeing all the faces of the dear people I love the most – our family, friends, our beloved church, and my dearest little one, Mary Kate. And Lord willing, I am looking forward to warming my home with a Christmas tree, and enjoying the little mundane things that make my home my own.

A few prayer requests for the way home would be:

-protection for Josh from a travel migraine (he had a very bad one coming)
-pray that JQ’s terrible cough would improve and not worsen
-pray that Emma would not get the flu that JQ had (we got word tonight that everyone in the Broman family has been vomiting & JQ all the children played together quite a bit last week)
-joyful hearts during the long journey
-smooth adjustment back to Eastern Standard Time

Thanks for keeping up with us via the blog. It has been fun to share this trip with you!

Shannon

Speaking in Tokyo Today

2006-12-01T16:15:00.000-05:00

Shannon and I just got off the phone with our pediatrician Dr. Niu (thank God for this dear man and the way he serves us and so many others in our church!) Joshua Quinn's cough has gotten pretty bad and his fever has come back a bit, so we were calling to get advice. We're going to try and find some Robitussin PE and hope he'll improve before we get on the plane Sunday afternoon. Please pray for him to get rest today, and for the plane ride home.

I speak later today here in Tokyo. This is a very exciting opportunity. When we planned the trip to speak at the homeschool conference, this event was not scheduled. I mentioned in passing to Hiro that I'd be happy to speak at any other event he'd like and he took the suggestion as a challenge! So, his small homeschool organization decided to do something brand new for them and organize an event aimed at young adults and singles.

He told me last night that they had been hoping for around 200 people, but that in the past week they've had 600 register, which is a very encouraging number for Japan. He says that approximately 40% of those coming are 25-35 years old. With another 20% teenagers and the rest a mix of university students and families. He was excited because they're not people that their organization has ever been in contact with. He also told me that it seems, to some small extent, that my books here are being read by non-Christians. So possibly there will be unbelievers present. Praise God!

Please pray for me as I speak today. It starts at 1:30pm Tokyo time (that means 11:30pm EST), and I'll give three sessions. The first talk is called "Rethinking Romance," and is basically a message sharing some of the principles from Boy Meets Girl. The next two are drawn from Sex is Not the Problem (Lust Is).

Please pray that God will help me speak clearly, and that nothing will be lost in interpretation. Hiro Inaba will be translating for me. Please pray that God will make his work effective.

I'm asking God to use these messages to greatly encourage the Christians here, and to open the eyes of some to the gospel. Please join me in praying that many of the singles will hear God’s word calling them to righteousness and purity in their relationships, and that they’ll see the goodness of obeying God in this part of their lives.

Thanks again for supporting us in prayer while we’re here. Shannon and the kids send their love.

A Blog Post from Emma

2006-11-30T23:19:00.000-05:00

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome guest blogger Emma Grace Harris. The following are her own words, dictated to dad about our trip, along with photos that she chose to include...

Hello, everyone! Hey, guess what I got. I got a pair of clogs. But if you
want to say them right you can call them "getas." They are Japanese
traditional kind of shoe. There is a book called "A Pair of Red Clogs." It's
about a girl who gets a pair of clogs and makes a crack in one. She doesn't
like them as much anymore. So she gets them all dirty to try to trick her
mother so that her mother will get her a new pair. But her mother asks her
to wash them just in case the dirt might come off. So she washes them and, I
forgot to tell you, that her mother also asks her to dry them off by the
bath fire. So anyway she did all that, blah, blah, blah, you're probably
getting really tired of this story. It's a really nice story maybe you'll
want to check it out at the library.

Well, anyway, here is a picture of my clogs. That is to say "geta."

On Sunday when we were at the Bromans' we went to church after eating
breakfast. The church service was kind of interesting when we were doing the
songs. But after awhile I got a little bit tired of it.

Then we had lunch at the church. Then we went outside to play. Joshua, me
and Joy Broman. Here is a picture of me playing with a girl on the
playground.

We had storytime at their school later that day. The next day we went to
their school and watched what they were doing. Mostly they were doing
different languages. I couldn't understand a word they were saying. The
older kids mostly spoke in English.

We've been on a lot of trains. And the plane took a really long and
exhausting time.

After Hiro and John Broman were all gone. We had nobody to help us order
food if we wanted to go out for restaurant. So Grandma Sato started helping
us order food. This is a picture of us eating at one of the restaurants.

Here is a picture of the Lego house that I made. It took a long time.

Bye, everyone who is reading this! You won't have much time before you'll
see me so hurry and read this!

Food and an Update on Joshua Quinn

2006-11-30T18:31:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was low key. We stayed close to home so that Joshua Quinn could rest. His fever is all gone, and last night he ate something for the first time in almost two days. He's back to being his noisy, silly self. All that remains of his sickness is a bad cough that kept us up last night. Oh, the joys of a sharing a room!

Yesterday, while Shannon stayed back at the Mission Center with JQ, the rest of us walked about a mile to a huge shopping area. They had a kind of "food court" area with every imaginable kind of baked good and prepared food. Boy, did it look good. I took pictures of a few selections...

Gratefulness

2006-11-29T19:42:00.000-05:00

We're back in Tokyo at the Mission Center where we stayed our first night when we arrived. We'll be staying here till we leave on Sunday.

Joshua Quinn is still sick. His fever came back strong yesterday before we took the bullet train from Sendai to Tokyo. Poor little guy. He threw up right as we got out of the car at the train station. He rested on my lap the whole time on the train. Right now he's resting. I keep telling him that lots of people around the world are praying for him to get better. Thank you all for your concern for him.

Today, when I woke up, my heart was restless for home. We've been so busy there hasn't been time to be homesick! But I began to think of the dear friends that we share life with at Covenant Life, and longed to see you. I also began to think of the many people who have helped to make this trip possible:

Mitzi Ash (Shannon's Mom): is taking care of our little Mary Kate so we can be here. We've gotten picture updates and news that two new teeth are coming in. Mitzi, thank you! Sorry you've had to carry "teething duty" on your own.

Katherine Reynolds: my assistant at church drove us to the airport in a van overflowing with luggage, and has posted all our updates on the blog. We're grateful for you, K!

Jeff Purswell: my fellow pastor and theological tutor seriously served me with the keynote message I gave here. I was stuck, and he helped me formulate my main points and clarify the message. Jeff, I received encouraging feedback on the message, thanks to you!

Kenneth Maresco: my executive pastor and friend was very generous and let me teach his message on parenting. I really haven't taught on parenting and so, because I knew I couldn't come up with something better, I just asked Kenneth if I could use his notes! I gave you credit Kenneth, so expect an invite to Japan real soon.

Scott and Marcia Somerville: you originally encouraged Hiro Inaba to look at my books. Thank you! And you were so gracious to spend an hour with me prepping me for the trip. The advice you gave made my messages so much more effective.

Bruce and Linda Benjamin: it was so kind of you to come to our home and talk about the trip with us. And thank you, Linda, for helping my grandmother wrap the gifts.

Carolyn Mahaney: has invested in Shannon so faithfully over the years. Shannon shared her message on wives orienting their lives to their husbands, and it greatly served the women. Carolyn, we're going to give your book to the folks here and encourage them to consider translating it into Japanese.

Covenant Life Members: thank you for praying for us on this trip, and sharing our excitement for it. Raul Pons constantly told me he was praying in the months leading up to the trip. Walbur and Miriam Marinho prayed for me and my migraines before I left. And thanks to the many who have read the blog and posted comments. We love getting to serve you!

Pastors and Wives: we are so grateful for you and for your willingness to release us to go on this trip. Grant, Kenneth and Corby in particular, thank you. I wouldn't have accepted this invitation if you hadn't had faith for it.

Brandy Hounihan: we miss you and hope you're doing okay holding down the fort! Thanks for helping with the kids in the week leading up to the trip.

If I've left anyone off, please forgive my oversight and please know how grateful we are for your friendship. We couldn't be here without the help of others.

Also, one more update. I just learned yesterday that, since last week, the registration for Saturday’s seminar here in Tokyo has climbed from 200 to 600! Praise God! Please pray that God will help me minister to the people who come, and to speak God’s word with clarity and boldness.

John 3:16 in Japanese

At MeySen School

2006-11-29T09:12:00.000-05:00

We woke this morning to find Joshua Quinn's fever down slightly. So he's
better, but still weak and a little warm. Thank you so much for praying. We
ended up spending an extra day here in Sendai. We'll leaver later today for
Tokyo on the bullet train. Yesterday we got to wander around their school
grounds, complete with petting zoo and the most incredible playground I've
ever seen, and also watch a rehearsal for their Christmas play. We also did
some shopping in downtown Sendai. Here is Shannon's post from yesterday morning, and then some photos to follow...

We’re here in Sendai. This place is about 7 hours from where we were when we were at the conference, and about an hour north of where where we just were at the Marumori Church. I just woke up after a long Nyquil-induced sleep, so I am feeling a bit foggy today. Josh, Sono, Grandma and the kids are up and at ‘em today, so they left me a note to say they went walking. I am enjoying a cup of café latte. Every room has a hot water dispenser and, beside it, a basket with a plethora of coffee and tea options. Every other day I have the English breakfast or Earl Grey tea that I brought with me.

I can’t see anything from my window, because the glass is the kind you can’t see through, but I know that the MeySen school is right next door and, from what we saw last night, it looks pretty amazing. This is a private Japanese/English school run by the Marumori church that helps to fund their missionary work. Josh just came up to check on me and said that the kids are amazed by the playground and wishing they could use it, but it’s all wet.

A little later...

Okay, well, I’m trying guard my heart, as we just returned from watching the MeySen kindergarten Christmas program. It was very impressive and John Broman says it’s the roughest he’s seen it. Backdrops galore, costumes down to the last detail, and a gazillion songs, each with it’s own choreography. And NO teacher, repeat, NO teacher in the front mouthing and flailing her arms, reminding the children what to do. And need I mention that half of what the kids are singing is not even in their own language? I thought to myself “surely these kids have been practicing since April for this.” No, John says. Just for about 5 weeks, for an hour a day. Oh, bother!

Here are some photos from our trip to the school:

The MeySen school was founded 40 years ago. Today it has 3,800 students.

This is a view from a small portion of the playground looking back at part
of the school building. The school was designed by an architect from
Seattle.

Joshua Quinn and Emma in a moment of tender sibling affection...quick--take a
picture!

Here we're walking behind the school at the start of a path that leads to
the really amazing part of the playground. It's located on a beautifully
landscaped hillside.

My pictures don't do this playground justice. It literally covers the
hillside and has the longest slides I've ever seen. The silver line you see
in the background is one of them. It starts up by the red building and then
goes out of the picture on the bottom right. It goes on forever!

Here's a shot from the top of the one of the slides! John Broman told me
that they don't have as many lawyers in Japan, so they can get away with
slides like this here.

The kids walking on a raised walkway.

A shot of the Christmas play rehearsal.

Some More Pics

2006-11-28T17:52:00.000-05:00

Here are some more pictures from different moments on our trip...

A small slice of the kids choir at the last session of the conference in Hakuba.

My mom, Shannon and my grandma hamming it up at a rest stop on our way from
Hakuba to Marumori. The rest stops are so much nicer in Japan than America.
We had a great dinner. The hilarious moment came when Shannon and Emma
accidentally used the men's bathroom! I came in and they were trapped in
stall laughing their heads off.

Dinner with the Bromans.

My mom, who is Japanse but grew up the states, and John Broman, was raised in
Japan. John calls my mom a banana because she's yellow on the outside but
white on the inside. He's an egg because he's white on the outside but
yellow on the inside.

Shannon and my mom being guest teachers at an English class at the small
Marumori elementary school. All the kids of families who serve with the
ministry attend here and study English, Japanese and Chinese.

First graders in a Chinese class. They were amazing. Here they're reading
Psalm 51 in Chinese.

Joshua Quinn interrupting Joy Broman as she tries to do her math in
Japanese. The kids learn to do math in all three languages.

Emma and her friend Judith, who became fast friends.

Prayer Request

2006-11-28T12:11:00.000-05:00

Please pray for us. Joshua Quinn just woke up with a bad fever. We've been going pretty hard, so he's worn out. Thank you.

Sushi

2006-11-28T07:57:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid, I wasn't much of a sushi eater. At my grandmother's house I would pick at the maki rolls with vegetables, but I stayed away from the raw kind. It really wasn't till I came to Japan at age 14 with a gymnastics team that I grew to love it. There was something about eating it in Japan with people who were truly enjoying themselves that turned the corner for me.

The front of the sushi house.

So on Monday night, at around 8pm Japan time, John Broman took us to his favorite sushi restaurant in Sendai (it was 6am Monday in Maryland and most of you were either still asleep, or just waking up to eat a breakfast that I'm guessing was fully cooked!) John thinks this place serves some of the best sushi anywhere. The man who owns it used to work as the buyer of fish for other sushi houses before he opened his own place. So he's an expert at picking the freshest fish.

Even Joshua Quinn ate the sashimi.
This was the totally wiped out moment when Emma was dragging and JQ was crawling under the table to rest.

Because of my headaches, I haven't had sushi for many years. I've had to stay away from soy sauce and sushi rice, which has vinegar. But last night I decided that real sushi in Japan at least once on the trip was worth a headache! So I went for it and ate everything. I loaded my little sauce dish with wasabi (the hot green radish paste) and shoy yu and went to work. It was a lot of fun. We all really enjoyed it.

A platter of sashimi that includes raw tuna, shrimp, crab, squid and clam

A platter of of incredible sushi that includes salmon roe, tuna, shrimp and scallops

My favorite was probably the tuna. I also really enjoyed the scallops, shrimp and crab. I don’t think I’ve ever done crab raw. It was very sweet. I didn’t really like the squid. A little too chewy for me. Shannon tried the Salmon roe, but her favorite is also the tuna. She also says the green tea was amazing for green tea (she prefers black teas).

Here's a list of "sushi lovers" who I know would have enjoyed this meal with me: Joe and Esther Lee, Jeff Purswell, Hannah Kim, Corby Megorden, Katherine Reynolds, Mike Thompson, Nelson Cooney and Chuck Nam.

Here’s a list of “sushi haters” who would rather die than eat any of this stuff: Dave Brewer, CJ Mahaney, Eric Simmons, basically most of the pastoral team, Brandy Hounihan, Nora Earles and Andrew Garfield.

If I inadvertently left you off either list, please post your name and designation as either a “lover” or “hater” in the comments section!

Sendai

2006-11-27T18:35:00.004-05:00

It's so encouraging to read comments from members of Covenant Life Church! We love and miss you all so much. Thank you for thinking of us and carrying us on your hearts.

After finishing the conference in Hakuba we traveled by car to the town of Marumori, where the Marumori Church ministry is based. It would be too complicated to try and explain all these saints are doing to spread the gospel, but it is staggering. They have 330 evangelists working in Japan, China, India and Burma. A man named Paul Broman came here with his brothers after WWII, learned the language, and literally began going door to door sharing the gospel. Now they send teams that hand out tracts outside schools, they broadcast the gospel on huge speakers on top of trucks (something that is legal and accepted in the Japanese culture), and post signs with Scripture references. These people are relentless in their mission to proclaim the gospel.

We worshiped with them on Sunday morning. I shared a few thoughts from a passage in 1 Corinthians, and Shannon sang a few verses of "Amazing Grace." Afterward we participated in a shared meal.

To support their work, they've started a hugely successful software company and private school. Today we visited their software company, Grape City, and their film production company. It's the biggest film studio northof Tokyo. It's so amazing. They pour all the money they make into gospel work. God has enabled them to make millions, and yet they live simply in Marumori.

Tomorrow, we'll visit their private school Mey Sen. There are 3,800 students there. Then we'll take the bullet train back to Tokyo.

Thank you for your prayers. We love you all, and look forward to being home.

In the mean time, below are some pictures from the conferences and from our time with the Broman family. Since we're having some difficulties with blogger, I'll give the captions up front, so they don't get all scattered around:

1. Me and my grandmother teaching the conference and old Japanese version of "rock, paper, scissors" that is sing-songy and fast-paced.

2.Shannon with a sweet Japanese mother that she became friends with.

3. Shannon greeting ladies after speaking. The women were really touched by her message. It was exciting to see how well attended her talk was.

4. My mom talking with a conference attendee. The women loved my mom and her teaching.

5. Shoes outside the kids classes in Hakuba.

6. The blue team during a tug of war.

7. JQ during a game time in the kids classes. During games they all wear these cool head bands to denote their teams.

8. Emma with Anna and Ayaka, two girls that befriended our family. They spent time hanging out in our room and we ate a meal with them. Anna's dad is an American so her English is very good.

9. The kids climbing the ski slope with Joy, Jane and Judith Broman. The little girl in the pink jacket the grand daughter of our distant relative.

10. Our "sayonara" picture with the Bromans in their home.

11. The kids on the playground after Sunday service at Marumori.

12. Me with Paul Broman, the man who came to Japan with $300 in his pocket over 60 years ago to proclaim the gospel.

Follow up on Hakuba

2006-11-27T12:35:00.000-05:00

This is Shannon. Here’s a bit more commentary—and some photos!—to add to the last post:

I mentioned that we started out by subway Wednesday morning in Tokyo - which is really cool--I can't wait to go back--and then got on a train (kind of like a metro, only much nicer, with a bathroom, comfy seats, and a man pushing a cart of snacks) for Hakuba (prounounced "ha-koo-ba"). What I am beginning to learn is that the Japanese have to pay money to use the highways system, so they often take the public transportation instead. There was a bit more travel than what we were expecting, but God has been so good to us.

Walking to the station

In the metro station

On the "women only" metro bus...oops!

I mentioned the amazing hotel surrounded by the breathtaking mountains. Here’s another shot of the hotel:

The Hakuba Hotel

I've never seen anything like these mountains. They are very close, not far away like we are used to. Snow covered, enormous, beautiful mountains. I could also see the ski slopes from my window and it made me want to go skiing. At one point, I was sitting in a small, cozy internet & entertainment room, complete with a whole bar of tea and coffee options, which are self serve. I thought, "we need this in America!" The Japanese pay attention to detail and are extremely clean--they really hit the mark on this. It is very unusual to find an unclean bathroom--in fact, there are disinfecting wipes and a mini sink even on the train! Everywhere we go there are people and children wearing the white masks that we saw on the news when the SARS disease came about. The computers in the internet room had covers over the keypads. You get hot towels on the plane before you eat dinner. You do not lounge all over the place like we Americans do with our shoes on. Cleanliness and the attention to detail is a strong point. I like that.

At the computer room, I could not figure out the internet because the google and yahoo sites were all in Japanese characters. I tried clicking on headings that looked important hoping that one would magically change the words to English, but to no avail. It gives me a new appreciation of what foreigners in our country face. I went to the Covenant Life Church site thinking maybe I could email through their, but my computer typed Japanese characters. Still, being on the site, it was good to be reminded of your faces and our home.

I really enjoyed talking with Hiro (the man who is leading the conference) and his wife and mother of five children, Maki, over dinner. I had the opportunity to draw them out about the women here and in effort to understand the marriages a little better. This was helpful preparation for serving the ladies with the session that I did. The Lord is at work here and I am excited to see what he will teach us, and the folks here as well.

Our wonderful host, Hiro Inaba

I saw an 8 month old baby and in my tiredness, almost broke down in tears for missing Mary Kate right then and there. But in that instant, I realized that my exhaustion was at work, so I set my mind on getting some dinner which distracted me. I do miss her so much, though. Here are my other 2 children enjoying a snack:

Okay, now I believe jet lag is rapidly taking over my body and so I think I'll go to bed now!

Grace to all,

Shannon

Making Friends in Hakuba

2006-11-24T22:14:00.000-05:00

Hey, this is Shannon again--here's an update. Due to technical difficulties, it's a little belated.

On Nov. 22, we traveled the better part of the day up to Hakuba, where the conference is taking place. We took a train, which is kind of like our Metro, only quite a bit nicer. Now, the conference is almost over. I speak in about an hour to the women, using Carolyn’s teaching on orienting your life to your husband. I am excited, and the women have been very encouraging. Hakuba is nestled in the midst of some beautiful mountains that are really breathtaking. The hotel here is very nice, and is kind of like a Japanese-style Swiss chalet.
Here it is:
The conference has been great. I’ve gotten to meet and know several different Japanese women, and we have adopted a set of little Japanese girls as our little conference friends. I shall take a picture and try to post it later. The kids are enjoying themselves at the equivalent of our children’s ministry. The girls that run the kids program speak English very well and our host family, the Bromans, have 6 children—several adopted—and both Joshua Quinn and Emma have one of their children assigned to them. Jane serves Emma, and either Joy or Jason serves Joshua Quinn. They have made it so enjoyable for me, even sitting with them when they needed to nap and I needed to be elsewhere.

We will be heading out, after the conference ends today, to the Broman home in Sendai. It will be a 7 hour ride by car. We will stay there for 2 or 3 nights, and then we will take a bullet train back to Tokyo, where we spend the remainder of our trip.

Arrigato go saiee mas (spelling incorrect)

Goodbye

Shannon

Last Day of the Conference

2006-11-24T08:38:00.000-05:00

It's 10pm Friday night in Hakuba. I just finished my session on the unique sexual temptations that men and women face. The message is based on Proverbs 5. In it, I challenge men to delight in only one woman--their wife. And I show that the Bible calls women to use their God-given sexuality to delight and intoxify only one man--their husband. Afterwards my translator told me that this kind of message is unheard of in Japan. Right now Christians here really don't address the topic of sexuality openly. "You are very honest!" he said with a laugh.

One of the most meaningful moments for me came earlier today when a single woman and her brother who serve in their church came and told me how my books are being used by God. She said that she didn't know how to help the young women in her church deal with issues about relationships and sex. None of the books she had offer specific examples that her students could relate to. With her brother interpreting in broken english, she said that she wanted something that connected at a heart level with them. She began to cry as she recounted how God had used the books to help her counsel them and help them. This was such a deeply encouraging moment for me. It is so humblling to think that God would allow me to serve the believers in this nation in this way.

Shannon is under the weather, but she's doing such an amazing job reaching out to ladies and interacting with them. It's neat to see her talking to Japanese wives about roles in marriage and encouraging them with the truths she has learned. Tomorrow, she's going to share one of Carolyn's messages about how a wife can orient her life to her husband. They asked Shannon to share, and so she's beginning her talk by saying, "The best way I can serve you is to pass on what Carolyn Mahaney has taught me!" We're both hoping that, one day, Caorlyn's Feminine Appeal will be available in Japanese. There is such a need for it.

Tomorrow is the final day of this conference. After it ends, we'll drive 6 hours to Sendai with John Broman and his incredible family. We'll spend a few days with them before heading back down to Tokyo.

Thank you for your prayers!

Hanging in Hakuba

2006-11-23T22:28:00.000-05:00

Sorry it’s been a while since our last entry. We’ve had some technical difficulties with the internet. I’m having to type on one of the hotel computers. It switches to Kanji characters every so often for no apparent reason.

We’re at the homeschool conference held in the Hakuba. It’s at a large hotel/ski resort. There’s no skiing yet, but it is snowing and the mountain is gorgeous. The people here are wonderful. The language barrier can’t hold back their warmth and kindness. God has given us a real love for them. The challenges they face to homeschool their children are real. And yet they feel called to teach their children according to the Bible. That seems to be the movement that God is raising up. Both Christian schools and home schools are seeing the importance of children being trained in a Christian worldview.

Yesterday, I spoke twice. Before my message, I was deeply moved during the time of worship. A young teenage girl led worship. They sang a Japanese version of “Shine Jesus Shine.” There’s something so incredible about hearing brothers and sisters worship the Savior in another language. You see a glimpse of the greatness of Jesus. He is loved by countless millions. It makes me long for heaven.

The first talk I gave was a keynote message based on 1 Corinthians 1 about the gospel being the power of God. I encouraged the parents to see the gospel as the foundation and motivation for home schooling and the only source of power to enable them to persevere despite opposition. I closed by communicating that the greatest gift homeschooling gave me is that it enabled my parents to teach me to love the wisdom of the cross. I communicated my gratefulness to my dad and mom for being courageous and homeschooling me at a time in America when it was very new and radical. I told the Japanese parents present that I believed that one day their children would thank them, but in the meantime I spoke on the behalf of their children and thanked them.

My mom spoke later that day and did an outstanding job talking about being a “joyful mother of children.” It was very moving to hear her exhort the mothers to enjoy the season of small ones and not begrudge the work and busyness of the time. Her words served me when Joshua Quinn woke up from 12:30am-5:00am and wanted to talk about the movie Cars! Poor little guy. Jet lag is really nailing us. Right now, both our bodies are timed to wake in the middle of the night. Hopefully we’ll adjust soon.

Emma and Joshua Quinn are enjoying the classes for children. They have jumped right in.

Well, I better run. I’m speaking twice again today. Both messages are from Sex is Not the Problem.

I’ll end with a funny story. In Tokyo, when we rode metro train we accidentally boarded a “women only” train. Ha! Boy, did I feel out of place on a train packed with women. I’m sure they didn’t appreciate the stupid American who didn’t read the sign.

By the way, I’m devastated to discover that I am short even in Japan. I had high hopes that, in this country, I’d be average height. Nope. I’m officially internationally short.

Please continue to pray for us. We will try to post more photos as soon as possible.

We're Here!

2006-11-21T18:54:00.000-05:00

Hello, everyone! By God’s grace we arrived last night in Japan. I’ll let Shannon fill you in on the all the details of the trip:

The flight was fourteen hours. Most of it went well. It was nice to have time to focus on the kids, playing and talking with them. Emma and I designed quilt squares on paper and colored them in. I taught her how to play Hangman. They listened to books on tape. Josh and Joshua Quinn drew together. Sono gave us stretching classes in the back of the plane. We had this “half way” moment of triumph where we looked at each other and said, “That wasn’t so bad.” Famous last words!

By around 11pm east coast time, we were all getting pretty tired, but the kids were amazing, considering the exhaustion. Around 12 pm both Emma and Joshua Quinn finally lost the battle and fell asleep for a couple of hours. And at about 2:30 a.m. Maryland time, the plane finally landed. We were greeted by two wonderful Japanese women, Eri (which means “mercy”) and Yoshi, who took excellent care of us. However, by this time Josh was suffering from a serious migraine that began on the airplane about 7 hours into the flight. By the time we took the train to Tokyo, he was pale beyond what I had seen before.

With thankfulness to God for our safe journey, we arrived at the missions house (a cozy little hotel run by a missions organization) around 8:45 am (EST). It took us 25 hours and 15 minutes to get here from our house in Maryland. Josh went directly to bed for being so ill, but the rest of us had some Bento box dinners before hitting the beds.

The coolest thing happened this morning. We all woke up, took showers and then we took walk to the market, which is just down the street. It was a convenience store - but VERY clean. Very organized. And NICE produce in packages too - to make a quick meal with. Super cool. The streets are very clean and narrow also. And Japanese people riding bikes and pretty gardens. The streets are so narrow that it seems funny when you wait to cross the street - and then it only takes a few paces to cross. It's neat.

As we were walking back, I looked up and saw that there was a natural food shop--a very small open-air shop, just a few blocks away from our inn here. We stopped in and were able to find Josh yogurt and some mochi (rice stuff) that he could eat. How kind of the Lord! I knew he would provide for Josh and his food.

Japan is ahead 14 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. So a quick way to figure out what time it is here in Japan simply add 2 hours to the time in Maryland and then switch the AM/PM. So, if it is 5:00 p.m. in Maryland, then it’s 7 a.m. the next day here in Japan.

Thank you for your prayers for us. It was pretty rough going for me when we arrived in Tokyo and during our subway ride, but I’m feeling much better today. Many times I was heartened by the thought, “The people of our church are praying for us!”

This morning, as I reflect on the minor inconveniences we faced, I’m reminded of the real trials believers have faced for the sake of the gospel. I read 2 Corinthians 11:24-27 today where Paul recounts being adrift at sea for a day and a night. Now that is a trial!

So I’ll take the counsel of Paul and boast in my weaknesses. If God uses me on this trip to encourage these dear people, it will only be due to his grace. We’ll keep you updated!

PS:
Here are my kiddos on their first day in Japan:

And here they are discovering Japanese toilets:

Off to Japan

2006-11-19T15:24:00.000-05:00

Hey, this is Shannon.

Well, Sono (Josh's mother) and Lily (his extremely strong 81 year old g'ma--what a neat woman!) are here in Gaithersburg.

Tomorrow we leave for the trip of a lifetime--we will be heading out to Sendai Japan, spending a few days in Tokyo and some other parts too. We will miss you (those of you we actually know) and I just wanted to let you know that you can track our progress here, as we will be attempting to journal and post photos as we go.

If you would be able to, please pray for wisdom as we finalize our packing tonight, pray for our safety in the travel, that God would protect us from getting sick, for God's provision for Josh with food & migraines, for sleep, and a minimal adjustment to the time difference. (It is 14 hours different, I believe). Please especially pray for the children.

And please pray for the teaching and ministry of the gospel. Josh, Sono, and I have all prepared words of encouragement to share with the Japanese believers there, and I am confident that we will be able to bring words that will build their faith by sharing some of the helpful teaching on roles, parenting, and the gospel that have so benefitted us at CLC.

What a wonderful opportunity we have to see God working in another part of the world. We are so excited!

Thanks,

Shannon

Do Not Be Wise in Your Own Eyes

2006-11-16T10:16:00.000-05:00

We’re working with our little girl on humbly receiving instruction. On Monday, I had a little special “breakfast time” with her in my office, and we worked on memorizing Proverbs 3:7, which says:

“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.”

We came up with little hand motions to help us memorize it, and also wrote it on two sticky notes. I have one next to my office door, and she has one taped next to her bedroom door.

I trust that this verse will help my daughter receive the instruction of her daddy and mommy with more humility. But I already see the benefit of the Proverb’s wisdom for my own soul. I’ve been thinking about how it applies to me.

I am wise in my own eyes…

1. When I don’t pause to pray for God’s guidance on a decision.

2. When I fail to depend on God’s word and approach it as a daily “lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105).

3. When I assume a decision doesn’t need a second opinion, and I don’t take the time to ask trusted friends for counsel.

4. When I am critical of another person’s practice or perspective without taking the time to understand it and ask questions.

5. When I am lax in fleeing temptation, assuming that I’m adult enough to “handle it.”

6. When I do something right and fail to acknowledge before God that it is only his grace that allowed me to do it right.

7. When I pat myself on the back about knowledge I have that I learned from someone else.

8. When I don’t draw out, or seek to understand, a person who is bringing criticism (whether or not it’s being brought constructively).

9. When I assume that the truth of a sermon is for someone else, not my own life.

10. When I neglect to consistently plead to God for his wisdom.

Until I see God and fear him, I cannot see myself rightly. When my view of him is clouded, when I’m a functional atheist, I will trust and applaud my own wisdom. But when I rightly fear God—when I see him for who he is as the all-seeing, all-powerful Holy One to whom I will answer—I will see myself as weak, dependent, and in need of heavenly wisdom. When I fear God, I will shun the evil of pride and self-sufficiency. By God’s grace I will grow in modeling this for my little girl.

Note: Please help me add to the list by posting more examples of “I am wise in my own eyes when…”

Frog Eats Cicada Video

2006-11-14T17:35:00.000-05:00

Okay, yes, this is weird and has no relationship to anything. Something most people don’t know about me is that I am fascinated by “critters”—bugs, amphibians, lizards, etc. I think I got this from my dad and my uncle. Growing up, I had an aquarium with frogs and newts. My little boy Joshua Quinn has inherited this trait. (He went to our church’s annual Harvest Party dressed as an aphid).

Below is a video I made that ties into this creature fixation. If you have an aversion to violence and bugs eaten raw you won’t want to watch it. The story behind this is that we have a small fishpond in our backyard (the previous owners of our house converted an old Jacuzzi). A few summers back I raised several tadpoles to froghood and, when the 17-year cicadas invaded our world, I fed many of them to my frogs. Admittedly, it’s a gruesome death for a cicada. I clipped their wings, put them on a tiny island in the middle of the pond and then waited for a hungry frog to slurp them up.

One more interesting story (okay, interesting to me). Though it’s hard to believe, this same frog once ate a small bird. I’m not making this up! One morning I saw it sitting on the island in the middle of the pond with a look of both pride and serious indigestion. There was something sticking out of its mouth. I grabbed a pair of binoculars to see what it was and, lo and behold, it was the tiny foot of a bird! I wish I had that on video…although I’m sure you’re glad that I don’t! Thanks for bearing with me.

Radio Lab and New Attitude

2006-11-13T18:50:00.000-05:00

The New Attitude Blog just posted something I wrote after listening to a show called "Radio Lab" on NPR. The topic of the episode was morality. If you're interested, you can read my comments on the Na blog here.

And speaking of New Attitude, early registration for the conference is happening Thanksgiving week (Nov 22-26). If this weren't exciting enough, some free registrations are being given away, so check out the New Attitude site's conference page for details.

“Why me?” to “Why you?”

2006-11-08T15:32:00.000-05:00

Last month, my friend Kenneth arrived a little late to his son’s soccer game only to find him lying on the field writhing in pain. While playing goalie, Chris had collided with two other players, flipped in the air, and hit the ground. They thought his knee was dislocated. After a call to 911 and an ambulance ride the hospital they learned it was much worse. His femur had shattered into three pieces. Surgery the next morning lasted three hours, and it took ten screws to stabilize the bone.

Needless to say, it’s been a long and difficult month for my friend, his son, and their whole family. Because of the surgery, a nerve that controls upward movement in Chris’s foot has “fallen asleep.” We’re praying for healing. Right now it’s a time of waiting and trusting. Through this season I’ve watched my friend heroically care for his boy, lead his family and, most importantly, trust God.

A few days ago, he emailed me the following quotation by David Powlison from the book Suffering and the Sovereignty of God:

So often the initial reaction to painful suffering is Why me? Why this? Why now? Why? You've heard God speaking with you. The real God say all these wonderful things, and does everything he says. He comes for you in the flesh, in Christ, into suffering, on your behalf. He does not offer advice and perspective from afar; he steps into your significant suffering. He will see you through and work with you the whole way. He will carry you even in extremes. This reality changes the questions that rise up from your heart. That inward-turning "why me" quiets down, lifts it eyes, and begins to look around.

You turn outward and new wonderful questions form. Why you? Why you? Why would you enter this world of evils? Why would you go through loss, weakness, hardship, sorrow, and death? Why would you do this for me, of all people? But you did. You did this for the joy set before you. You did this for love. You did this showing the glory of God in the face of Christ. As that deeper questions sinks home, you become joyously sane. The universe is no longer supremely about you. Yet you are not irrelevant. God’s story makes you just the right size. Everything counts, but the scale changes to something that makes much more sense. You face hard things. But you have already received something better which can never be taken away. And that better something will continue to work out the whole journey long.

The question generates a heart felt response: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget any of his benefits...

I’ve watched Kenneth in the midst of this trial turn outward and fix his eyes on his Savior. It’s a wonderful thing to witness the “joyous sanity” of a person suffering and clinging to the gospel. I witnessed it yesterday in the eyes of my friend Jon. This week, he and his wife lost their newborn son. Jon and Jenni have known for many months that their son's life after birth would be very brief. They had him for four hours. Jon looked me in the eyes and told me how he missed his boy. Then, he spoke of his amazement at what God did in giving his Son for our sins.

It was a holy moment. It was a living example of a perspective—even in the midst of the worst circumstances—transformed by the truth of the Savior who has come.

Trip to Japan

2006-11-05T15:04:00.000-05:00

Several years ago, I began to pray a simple prayer: "Lord Jesus, please allow my books to be translated into Japanese, and please allow me to one day preach the gospel in that nation." Because of my Japanese ancestry (my mother is a second-generation Japanese American) and the weakness of the Christian church in Japan, this prayer was both earnest and difficult to imagine being fulfilled. But today, by God's grace, my first three books have been published in Japanese and are doing relatively well for a country where Christians make up less than 1% of the population. And, on November 20, I'll board a non-stop flight from Dulles to Tokyo and the full answer to my prayer will be realized. I'll be traveling with Shannon, our two oldest kids, my mother, and my Japanese grandmother Lily Sato who, though she was born here in the States, was forced into an internment camp in California during WWII. We'll be there for two weeks. Lord willing, I'll be speaking at a national conference for homeschool families in Sendai, and then to a gathering of teens and singles in Tokyo.

I would love to hear from any of you who know Japan well. If you have any tips or suggestions on what to see and do, please post them here. Also, I'd love any thoughts on Japanese people and culture that could serve me in my preaching.

If you live in Japan, you’re welcome to join us—particularly for the event in Tokyo. You can get information on both the homeschool conference and the Tokyo Seminar here.

Please pray for our safety, and for God to use my preaching to encourage the Christians in Japan and to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. I’m not an experienced international traveler, and I certainly have never done a 16 hour flight with a 6- and 4-year-old! So please remember us in your prayers.

How Many Points Have You Earned?

2006-11-02T10:24:00.000-05:00

In his book Holiness by Grace, Bryan Chapell retells a humorous old tale of a man who died and faced the angel Gabriel at heaven’s gates:

Said the angel to the man, “Here’s how this works. You need a hundred points to make it into heaven. You tell me all the good things that you have done, and I will give you a certain number of points for each of them. The more good there is in the work that you cite, the more points you will get for it. When you get to a hundred points, you get in.”

“Okay,” the man said, “I was married to the same woman for fifty years and never cheated on her, even in my heart.”

“That’s wonderful,” said Gabriel, “that’s worth three points.”

“Three points?” said the man incredulously. “Well, I attended church all my life and supported its ministry with my money and service.”

“Terrific!” said Gabriel, “that’s certainly worth a point.”

“One Point!” said the man with his eyes beginning to show a bit of panic. “Well, how about this: I opened a shelter for the homeless in my city, and fed needy people by the hundreds during the holidays.”

“Fantastic, That’s good for two more points,” said the angel.

“TWO POINTS!!” cried the man in desperation. “At this rate the only way that I will get into heaven is by the grace of God.”

“Come on in,” said Gabriel.

Even though we know we’re saved by grace, isn’t it sad how we still keep a running tally of the points we think we’ve earned before God? I'm grateful for the story's reminder that even our most impressive good works fall short. Of course, if this story were more accurate, the “point total” needed would be in the billions, we’d start with a negative score in the billions, and because of our guilt before God every good work would only take points off the board! That’s what our best works are worth! Thank God for his undeserved favor and mercy. Thank God for the blessed exchange of Christ’s righteousness for our sinfulness.

Voice at Piper's

2006-10-31T09:53:00.000-05:00

I've posted here before about my friend Curtis Allen, aka rap artist "Voice," and his work. Voice just came out with a new record called The Crucible. You can learn more and listen at www.ihearvoice.com. You can also read an interview with Voice that Justin Taylor did a while back.

But here's something truly mind-blowing. Voice was given the chance to join the worshippers at Bethlehem Baptist Church and share his song "Unstoppable" at their Sunday meeting. Check this video out.

Change Happens Because of the Gospel

2006-10-25T13:27:00.000-05:00

Today I'm working on a message I'll be giving to the small-group leaders of our church. The theme is "change." We're taking two days away to talk about sanctification, how God's Spirit works in us to change us and conform us to his image. The main goal of my message, which opens the retreat, is to remind us all that the basis of the ongoing work of change is the finished work of Jesus who died and rose again for our justification.

In his book The Gospel for Real Life, Jerry Bridges quotes nineteenth-century Scottish pastor and author, Horatius Bonar. Read this slowly and let its truth sink in:

The secret of a believer’s holy walk is his continual recurrence to the blood of the Surety, and his daily [communion] with a crucified and risen Lord. All divine life, and all precious fruits of it, pardon, peace, and holiness, spring from the cross. All fancied sanctification which does not arise wholly from the blood of the cross is nothing better than Pharisaism. If we would be holy, we must get to the cross, and dwell there; else, notwithstanding all our labor, diligence, fasting, praying and good works, we shall be yet void of real sanctification, destitute of those humble, gracious tempers which accompany a clear view of the cross. False ideas of holiness are common, not only among those who profess false religions, but among those who profess the true. The love of God to us, and our love to Him, work together for producing holiness. Terror accomplishes no real obedience. Suspense brings forth no fruit unto holiness. No gloomy uncertainty as to god’s favor can subdue one lust, or correct our crookedness of will. But the free pardon of the cross uproots sin, and withers all its branches. Only the certainty of love, forgiving love, can do this.

God calls us to participate, to cooperate with the work of his Spirit and, empowered by his grace, to work diligently. But all this labor must be founded on the objective reality of free pardon.

What sin are you struggling against? Anger? Lust? Anxiety? Do you long for a sense of pardon, peace and greater holiness? These fruits spring from the cross. You will only see real lasting change as you believe and apply what Jesus has done for you through his death for you. He has loved you with a perfect love. It is not the result of your works. It is a free gift. Turning from this truth as some sort of twisted self-inflicted punishment will only drive you further from the grace needed to change. Have you ever tried that? “I can’t think about grace, I need to feel condemned for a week as punishment.” It doesn’t work. As Bonar put it, "No gloomy uncertainty as to God’s favor can subdue one lust, or correct our crookedness of will."

No, but "the free pardon of the cross uproots sin, and withers all its branches."

I pray whatever sin you're facing will be uprooted as you believe and trust "the free pardon of the cross."

The Dynamic, Speaking Word of God

2006-10-22T16:07:00.000-05:00

During my devotions today, I read this passage in J.I Packer’s book God Has Spoken. It filled me with fresh love for God’s word, and faith to preach His word. On this Lord’s Day, I hope this motivates you to take to heart and apply the word you heard preached today in your local church:

The “Word of the Lord” conveyed by the prophets in their oracles, and the “Word of God” set forth by the apostles in their sermons, was always a word applying directly to its hearers, summoning them to recognize that God Himself was thereby addressing them, calling on them to respond to His instruction and direction, and working in them through God’s own Spirit to evoke the response which it required (cf.1 Thess. 2:13). Similarly, the Bible as a whole, viewed from the standpoint of its contents, should be thought of, not statically, but dynamically; not merely as what God said long ago, but in general as what He says still; and not merely as what He says to men in general, but as what He says to each individual reader or hearer in particular. In other words, Holy Scripture should be thought of as God preaching—God preaching to me every time I read or hear any part of it—God the Father preaching God the Son in the power of God the Holy Spirit. God the Father is the giver of Holy Scripture; God the Son is the theme of Holy Scripture; and God the Spirit, as the Father’s appointed agent in witnessing to the Son, is the author, authenticator, and interpreter of Holy Scripture.

Doesn’t this truth excite you to study God’s word and hear it preached? God is speaking right now, today, through his word.

Sex Is Not The Problem Reviewed

2006-10-18T17:03:00.000-05:00

For anyone interested, Tim Challies just reviewed my book Sex is not the Problem (Lust Is).

The Double-Edged Sword of Technology

2006-10-13T17:36:00.000-05:00

This week on our pastors’ retreat we studied a portion of David Wells’ book Above All Earthly Powers. In the first chapter, he describes the two-edged sword of technology that has made possible incredible advances and opportunities, and how it has “now become a profoundly psychological reality.” I found his observations intriguing. It is not just a physical conquest of nature--technology crowds in on, shapes, and influences our mental and emotional state. He writes,

The benefits of technology all come packaged in values—values which are naturalistic and materialistic. These fill the air, quite literally, all the time. We find no solitude. We have no escape. The experience of this new culture is intense and intrusive in ways that older cultures never were.

He goes on to describe how technology tends to push us to only think about means, how to do things better and faster:

And everything in life is then evaluated by this same standard: what is done better and faster must be right. This leads, for example, to books on spirituality that read like the owner’s manual for operating a machine, replete with steps, easy-to-follow directions, and practical “how-to-do-it” formulae. In so reducing the greatness of God and of his truth to formulae and rational steps, this mindset makes of Christian faith a small, this-worldly, manageable formula for success which, in the end, comes to differ every little from all the of the other small, manageable formulae for success of the secular therapeutic kind which are also on the market.” (Pages 35- 36)

I’d never really contemplated how the advances of technology can shape my view of other parts of my life--particularly faith. But what Wells describes here is very true, and it might explain why the church today often chases down the latest spiritual fad with the same zeal that consumers run after the newest cell phone or iPod. We want “new” in every other part of life, so why not faith?

Domesticating God

2006-10-12T17:06:00.000-05:00

My mentor, CJ Mahaney, frequently cites D.A. Carson’s book The Cross and Christian Ministry as the most influential book in shaping his view of pastoral ministry. If that doesn’t make you want to check it out, here’s a compelling quotation to whet your appetite:

In other words, the message of the cross is nothing other than God’s way of doing what he said he would do: by the cross, God sets aside and shatters all human pretensions to strength and wisdom.

This is a central theme of Scripture. God made us to gravitate toward him, to acknowledge with joy and obedience that he is the center of all, that he alone is God. The heart of our wretched rebellion is that each of us wants to be number one. We make ourselves the center of all our thoughts and hopes and imaginings. This vicious lust to be first works its way outward not only in hatred, war, rape, greed, covetousness, malice, bitterness, and much more, but also in self-righteousness, self-promotion, manufactured religions, and domesticated gods.

We ruefully acknowledge how self-centered we are after we have had an argument with someone. Typically, we mentally conjure up a rerun of the argument, thinking up all the things we could have said, all the things we should have said. In such reruns, we always win. After an argument, have you ever conjured up a rerun in which you lost?

Our self-centeredness is deep. It is so brutally idolatrous that it tries to domesticate God himself. In our desperate folly we act as if we can outsmart God, as if he owes us explanations, as if we are wise and self-determining while he exists only to meet our needs.” (Pages 14-15)

By the way, this is an excellent book for any Christian--not just pastors and leaders.

Dylan's No Prophet

2006-10-09T17:25:00.000-05:00

Our church is studying 1 Corinthians. The first few chapters focus on the fact that worldly wisdom and God’s wisdom revealed in the cross cannot be reconciled. This quote from Bob Dylan during his “Christian phase” is a telling example of how worldly wisdom always rejects the gospel no matter how cool the messenger:

Years ago they used to say I was a prophet. I'd say, "No, I'm not a prophet." They'd say, "Yes, you are a prophet." "No, it's not me." They used to convince me I was a prophet. Now I come out and say, "Jesus is the answer." [And now] they say, "Bob Dylan? He's no prophet." They just can't handle that. (Quoted in Bob Dylan's Unshakeable Monotheism -- Part III: The 1980s, by Scott Marshall.)

I don’t know the full story of Bob Dylan’s faith. Does he claim any kind of faith in Christ today? If anyone knows or can point me to an article, I’d be grateful. Anybody have his latest album? If he’s no longer a Christian, I guess he’s back to being a “prophet” in the world’s eyes.

Slight & Short

2006-10-06T16:03:00.000-05:00

This month, the magazine Christianity Today featured a cover story on young, theologically reformed pastors. I was anxious to read it because I’d been interviewed for the article and, if they quoted me, I hoped that I would come across as deep and profound. As it turned out, they did quote me. But my dreams of profundity died when, in the midst of the article, I encountered the following sentence describing me. It read, and I quote, “Slight and short, Harris doesn’t stick out in crowds.”

Now, I know I’m short. And I don’t mind acknowledging that fact. But it was something new to be called slight and short in the same sentence. And, to be honest, “slight” was a new word for me. I wasn’t totally sure what it meant. So I looked it up in my dictionary.

You know, the great thing about dictionaries is that they list various definitions for words. So I was planning to pick the most favorable definition and hopefully salvage my dignity. But here were my options:

1. Small in degree, inconsiderable
2. Not profound or substantial; somewhat trivial or superficial
3. Not sturdy and strongly built

That wasn’t working out real well, so I turned to the thesaurus. I was hoping that maybe there was some distantly related synonym for slight like “buff” or “stud muffin” that I could claim. But here’s what I found. Synonyms for slight: small, tiny, minute, inappreciable, negligible, insignificant, minimal, remote, slim, faint, minor, inconsequential, trivial, unimportant, lightweight, superficial, shallow, slender, petite, delicate, dainty.

Dainty?! Man, I think I’ll stick with “slight.”

While I nurse my worthless and wounded pride, I would recommend checking out the Christianity Today article. I think its author, Collin Hansen, did a great job. The trend his article spotlights encourages me, and I pray it will continue. After you read it, I’d love for you to comment here and share your impression of it. Please feel free to share how the article does or doesn’t reflect your own theological journey.

Piper and Driscoll are Friends

2006-10-04T18:53:00.000-05:00

I'm grateful that Pastor Mark has posted this note and email exchange showing the unity between these two men. I hope the people who appreciate both of them will rejoice in and reflect this gospel partnership.

(HT: JT)

CJ on Desiring God Conference

2006-10-04T11:13:00.000-05:00

Here's CJ's take on the conference.

Follow Up on Piper/Driscoll

2006-10-02T16:40:00.000-05:00

I didn't get to attend the final session of the conference because I was speaking at the local Sovereign Grace Church in Minneapolis. But I have heard that it was the best message of the conference. I'd love to have comments from those who were there.

And, in an expression of real humility, Piper acknowledged that he's not above his own version of cleverness. Van.Diesel posted the following comment that describes it:

i thought it was interesting that at the begining of piper's teaching at the last session of the conference, he referenced the point he had made to driscoll specifically regarding driscoll's cleverness in style and delivery. pastor john then shared something someone had pointed out to him after he encouraged driscoll on that point; piper's own cleverness rests in his ability to "do" theology. piper humbly conceded the point, and expressed his own desire to be relevant. i thought it very becoming of him.

Desiring God 2006: Day Two

2006-09-30T23:25:00.000-05:00

The weather in Minneapolis was beautiful today. C.J., Jeff and I had a great time on the second day of the Desiring God conference.

Tonight in my hotel lobby I ran into Tim Challies who is live blogging the conference. Honestly, I don’t know how he does it. Live blogging an event like this is an amazing feat. I certainly couldn’t pull it off. I asked Tim if he was covering the question and answer sessions and he said he wasn’t because it’s too hard to cover all the content. This is understandable but unfortunate, because I’ve found these sessions to be some of the most helpful content of the conference. Not just because of the less scripted and spontaneous nature of what is shared, but because the comments are often illuminating and practical.

Let me try and give a sampling of both the profound and amusing in the Q&A discussions led by Justin Taylor:

Most surprising moment: Hearing the phrase “smart ass” from the mouth of John Piper. He used it referencing the way the folks at emergent described him before inviting him to lunch. Evidently, they weren’t too happy with the way the conference was presented, and used this phrase about Piper on their blog. Before articulating the reasons for the great gulf between the leaders of emergent and himself on issues of theology, Piper said that he liked them as individuals because they were “hot heads” and he was a hot head, too.

Second most surprising moment: Hearing David Wells say, “I want to be hip, man.” (To get the full effect you have to read the sentence out loud with a stately English accent.) This comment came after Mark Driscoll’s session when Justin Taylor asked Wells how two people (Driscoll and Wells) with such very different styles could be saying so many of the same things. To this Wells replied, “When I was listening to Mark speak, he so pushes the boundaries. When I say those same things, I sound staid. It’s not fair. I want to be hip, man.” There was immediate applause and laughter.

Most touching moment: Listening to D.A. Carson recount the story of his father’s faithful ministry as a pastor. Justin Taylor asked how pastors of small rural churches should feel after hearing about the wonderful numerical success of Driscoll in Seattle. Piper answered first, saying, “Feeding the flock of God is the most high and glorious calling in the world.” Then Carson shared the story of how his father ministered during many dry years in French Quebec during a time when the churches saw little to no numerical growth. I don’t have the exact numbers, but I believe his father served for decades into his sixties and had very little fruit to show for it. Not long after he retired, God brought great growth to churches in the region and no doubt it was tempting for his father to feel put on a shelf. But as Carson pointed out, his father's faithfulness in the lean years was absolutely vital. And his father passed into heaven deeply respected by the new generation of pastors and, more importantly, counted faithful by his Savior. Carson shared the story with tears in his eyes. It was very moving.

Most Intriguing Insight: Okay, I don’t really know how to pick the most intriguing insight. But when Tim Keller was asked if he thought the emergent/emerging church movement would be a force in the future or just a footnote in evangelicalism, I thought his comments were interesting. He said that he did not think the emerging church movement would be around because it doesn’t have institutions or structures. Part of its DNA is to resist being boxed in by theological definition, structures, and institutions. He said that the emerging church has produced pundits who write books and comment on issues but he doesn’t think it will have a lasting significance.

Moment I Was Most Glad Not to Be Mark Driscoll: When John Piper gave warm pastoral adjustment and correction to him while he wasn’t there. I thought Driscoll carried himself really well at the conference. God is doing so much through this man. This weekend Mars Hill celebrates its 10 year anniversary. Praise God! I love his courage, his passion for God’s word and church and his zeal to reach a lost world with the gospel. And I sure would not have wanted to be the lone representative of the “younger generation” in the midst of the Giants of the faith assembled at this conference. But the moment I was most happy not to be Mark Driscoll came after his session when he had already left for the airport and John Piper commented on his message.

Piper began by explaining how he thinks about who he hangs out with and how he decides who to invite to speak. “I have a litmus paper and its called theology,” he said. He referenced a point Driscoll had made in his talk about the importance of holding certain unchanging truths in our left hand that are the non-negotiables of the faith, while being willing to contextualize and differ on secondary issues and stylistically (these are “right hand” issues). Driscoll had listed nine issues we need to contend for, including the authority of God’s word, the sovereignty of God, Penal Substitutionary Atonement, the exclusivity of Christ, and gender roles, to name a few.

So Piper said, “If he [Driscoll] has those nine things in his left hand, I’m not even going to look at his right hand.” The audience clapped loudly for this. Then Piper went on to share that he does have some differences with Driscoll on some so-called “right hand” issues of style, which he feels free to share with Driscoll. He went on to share a specific one, noting that Driscoll would get to see this on video. (This was the moment I was glad I wasn’t Mark!)

As if he were speaking to Mark, he said (and I paraphrase), “A pastor cannot be clever and show Christ as glorious. Mark Driscoll, you’re clever. You have an amazing ability to turn a phrase and make statements that draw people back week after week. But it’s dangerous. So many pastors will see you and try to imitate you and then try to watch all the movies and TV shows so they can try to be like you.” In essence, Piper was bringing correction to certain aspects of Driscoll’s style and delivery, while stating that they agreed on the most important issues of doctrine.

Based on the way I've seen Driscoll respond to past constructive criticism, I trust he'll receive Piper's words humbly and learn from them. I can imagine that Piper's words will sting a little. But the wounds of a friend are worth the sting. And that's definitely the spirit in which Piper delivered them.

I felt in his statement not just a correction for Driscoll, but for me and every other young preacher learning to proclaim the good news of the glorious savior. Thank God we get to learn from guys like Piper. Thank God they’re talking to us. I’d rather be corrected by John Piper than cooed over by someone else.

We young guns have a lot to learn. We can’t be satisfied with being clever. We have to learn to show Christ as glorious. I see Driscoll doing this more and more, and I know that by God’s grace he will only improve in the days ahead. I’m glad that our generation has older heroes in the faith like John Piper who are willing to not only give us a chance to minister alongside them, but also provide the leadership to help us see what needs to improve.

So let me sign off by wishing Mark and all the saints at Mars Hill a hearty congratulations on your ten-year anniversary. God has carried you for a decade and he will be faithful for the years to come. Thank you for the example and inspiration you provide to so many churches across the country. Keep holding the truth tightly in your left hand. Keep showing Christ as glorious.

In Minneapolis: Day One

2006-09-29T23:12:00.000-05:00

I flew to Minneapolis, MN, today with CJ Mahaney and Jeff Purswell. We’re here for the Desiring God conference entitled Above All Earthly Powers: The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World. I'm very excited about the chance to learn from men like David Wells, John Piper, D.A. Carson, Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll, and Voddie Baucham (who hands down has the coolest name). But the chance to hang with my two dear friends CJ and Jeff (and to laugh with them, discuss the sessions with them, and learn from them) is what I'm most excited about.

I would tell you how rousing the worship was, but we totally missed it. We got into a lively conversation with a three guys from Mark Driscoll's Acts 29 Network (two from Mark's church and one from the Philadelphia area), and had to be asked by an usher to quiet down. Oops.

David Wells kicked off the packed conference with a message on the Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World. He set the stage noting that today Christianity is moving south and east, but it is dying in the west.

Drawing from Hebrews, he showed that in increasing ways we face a situation similar to the Jewish Christians to whom the letter was written. They were tempted to revert to Judaism out of fear of persecution. They needed a reminder of the supremacy of Christ over all the world. They needed faith in His ultimate triumph. We need that same faith.

One statement Wells made in reference to the seeker-sensitive movement was particularly striking. He said, "We are shrinking back from the uniqueness of Christ and his centrality. They [the recipients of Hebrews] did it out of fear for their safety—we are doing out of fear that we won’t be successful."

In what I found to be the most powerful portion of his message, Wells described the far-reaching effect of Christ's redemption through his death and resurrection. This he showed, must be the foundation of our view of culture and our interaction with the pain and suffering of life in this world. For, there at the cross, the very back of evil was broken. And like a chess match that has already been decided, the outcome cannot be changed. What we see today in terms of evil—in humanity and in creation—are the last futile moves of the enemy, not one of which is going to change the outcome that happened at Calvary. Christ is supreme in our world and our universe.

After the session, Justin Taylor did an outstanding job leading a conversation/question & answer time with Piper, Driscoll, and Keller. It would definitely be worth getting on CD. One of the key moments was when Piper described his recent lunch with Emergent leaders Doug Pagitt and Tony Jones. His comments on how a truly radical Jesus is only discovered when we acknowledge the hell Christ came to save us from were powerful. I also benefitted from the answer given to Justin's question posed to Piper and Driscoll about interaction with pop culture. Here's my best paraphrase:

Justin: "Pastor Mark, you watch movies and TV, listen to modern music and go to comedy clubs. Pastor John...you don't. (much laughter) How do you remain relevant without being immersed in culture. And, Mark, how do you remain faithful/pure as you interact with pop culture?"

A great question, which Driscoll didn't completely answer (and Keller called him on this). I'm looking forward to hearing more from Driscoll on the subject tomorrow. Piper noted that they are seeking to reach different audiences. He also explained that the first reason he avoids a lot of movies and media is because he's weak and would be easily tempted by much of the sinful content. In addition, he shared that just "feeling" and communicating out of the universal realities of the human condition (i.e., the fact that we're all going to die), can make our preaching relevant and powerful to our listeners.

Keller had very insightful things to say (as usual). I particularly appreciated his comments on the settings we have today in which to proclaim the gospel. It's obvious that he's been very purposeful and creative in NYC in finding ways to preach the gospel.

That's all for now. Let me know if you have friends at the conference. And if you're here with me, come say hello!

Summons of a Judge

2006-09-26T12:38:00.000-05:00

My friend and fellow pastor, Kenneth Maresco, sent me the following quote by Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church and head-honcho of 9 Marks Ministries. It reminded me of last week’s cover story in Time magazine on the popularity of the health and wealth gospel and all its variations that make God a divine ATM to our every whim. I don’t buy any of it, but the subtle temptation to try and “sell the gospel” by appealing to felt needs can so easily slip into preaching. I need the challenging, biblical perspective that Dever delivers here:

When we hold forth the good news in our preaching, we should particularly beware of presenting this gospel as an option to be exercised for the betterment of sinners' lives. After all, what would a carnal person consider "better"? Leading questions like "are you scared of death?" "Do you want happiness?" "Wouldn't you like to know the meaning of your life?" are all well-intentioned, and any of them may be used by God's Spirit to convict someone, and to lead to their conversion. But such questions may also be answered by a simple "no." To use such questions as if they are the starting point for those considering the gospel is to make it sound all too optional.

I don't care if my hearers are scared of death, wanting happiness or meaning in life, I know that they will die and stand before God to give an account of their lives. And I know that God will therefore rightly condemn them to an eternal Hell.

So I find verses like Mark 8:38 useful, where Jesus taught "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

Or again, Romans 3:19-20, "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."

Or Hebrews 9:27, "man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment . . ."

This demand—rather than a marketer's appeal—is to be the basis of the evangelistic call in our sermons. Our gospel sermons are not to sound like the solicitations of a salesman, but the summons of a judge.

From "Evangelistic Expository Preaching," in Give Praise to God: A Vision for Reforming Worship, Philip Graham Ryken, Derek W. H. Thomas, and J. Ligon Duncan eds. (P&R, 2003), 134-135.

The Prince and the Pauper

2006-09-23T19:56:00.000-05:00

Charles Haddon Spurgeon was a godly, courageous and faithful servant of Jesus Christ. He was born in 1834 and died in 1892, and became the most famous and influential pastor of his century. Today he takes a place among the most powerful preachers in the history of the church. Spurgeon is often referred to as “the Prince of Preachers.” Each week in London 5,000 people would gather to hear his sermons. In an age before microphones and sound equipment, he once preached to a crowd of 20,000 people. A newspaper in London wrote of Spurgeon that he had “a voice of marvelous power, penetration, and variety of tone. He had resources, readily drawn upon, of pathos and a certain kind of humor; and he could vivify his sermons by all manner of telling...illustrations.”

How did this mighty preacher come to saving faith in Jesus Christ? Later in his life, Spurgeon took delight in telling the story. It was January 6, 1850 and he was 16 years old. Though he was knowledgeable of the Bible, he had not been born again. He was despairing and desperate to find some comfort for his soul. That Sunday because of heavy snow he couldn’t reach the church he planned to attend and instead wound up at a small Primitive Methodist church.

There were only 15 people present and, because of the weather, there was no preacher. So an uneducated and—by Spurgeon’s own estimation—not-very-bright member of the congregation was forced to give an impromptu sermon. Spurgeon remembered the man as "thin-looking," and either a tailor or shoemaker. He was not impressive in appearance, nor in his delivery of his sermon. According to Spurgeon, he didn’t even pronounce his words correctly as he read Isaiah 45:22, which said, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” I’ll let you hear the rest of the story in Spurgeon’s own words:

“Blessed be God for that poor local preacher. He read his text. It was as much as he could do. He was an ignorant man, he could not say much; he was obliged to keep to his text. Thank God for that. He began, 'Look, that is not hard work. You need not lift your hand, you do not want to lift your finger. Look, a fool can do it. It does not need a wise man to look. A child can do that....Look unto Me. Do not look to yourselves, but look to Me, that is Christ….Look unto Me; I am sweating great drops of blood for you; look unto Me, I am scourged and spit upon; I am nailed to the cross, I die, I am buried, I rise and ascend, I am pleading before the Father’s throne, and all this for you.'

Now that simple way of putting the Gospel had enlisted my attention, and a ray of light had poured into my heart.

Stooping down, he looked under the gallery and said: 'Young man, you are very miserable.' So I was, but I had not been accustomed to be addressed in that way. 'Ah,' said he, 'and you will always be miserable if you don’t do as my text tells you; and that is, Look unto Christ.' And then he called out, with all his might, 'Young man, look; in God’s name look, and look now. Look! Look! Look! You have nothing to do but look and live.'

I did look, blessed be God! I know I looked then and there; and he who but that minute ago had been near despair, had the fullness of joy and hope. The cloud was gone, the darkness rolled away, and in that moment I saw the sun. I had been waiting to do fifty things, but when I heard the word Look, I could almost have looked my eyes away. I could have risen that instant, and sung with the most enthusiastic of them of the precious blood of Christ, and the simple faith that looks alone to Him.”

And so the young Charles Spurgeon was gloriously saved and reborn as he looked with faith on Christ. What a wonderful example of divine irony! God saved the mighty preacher by the means of a simple and unimpressive sermon delivered by an unschooled and untalented man whose name has long since been forgotten. God saved the Prince of Preachers through the preaching of an intellectual pauper. The story gives me hope every time I stand behind the pulpit.

(The quotes from the London newspaper, as well as the quote from Spurgeon’s sermon that included the story of his conversion, are drawn from the small but useful biography of Spurgeon by Ernest W. Bacon entitled Spurgeon, Heir of the Puritans, Arlington Heights, IL, Christian Liberty Press.)

Chatting with Hanna

2006-09-21T21:03:00.000-05:00

Today I did an interview with a writer named Hanna Rosin who is working on a book about the homeschool college, Patrick Henry. She wanted to interview me because during her extensive time with students some of them mentioned reading my books on relationships. I guess she wanted to understand the whole courtship phenomena. She was a really nice lady. I've found that most journalists writing about the weirdness and backwardness of Christians are generally really nice people.

Last year she wrote a cover story for The New Yorker called God and Country . I also came across this video clip of Hanna being interviewed by Jon Stewart on the Daily Show. I was surprised that it wasn't a complete homeschool bashing session. And I found it fascinating when Stewart talked about misconceptions New Yorkers can have about homeschoolers and vice versa. I think there's some truth in that.

P.S. - Regarding my previous post about the averageness of this blog...thanks for all the affirming comments, guys. Ya'll are the best. I especially liked the one about how I'd climb above "average" if I posted more than once every three weeks. Aha! So consistency is helpful? Thanks for the tip. Keep 'em coming. My brother Brett lovingly consoled me that the blog is actually above average but that's only because 10 billion myspace blogs have dragged the average so very low. I was slightly encouraged by this.

An Average Blog

2006-09-17T16:52:00.000-05:00

CJ Mahaney is one of my dearest friends and a man of great discernment. The following is a playful email exchange we had about my blog that I thought you’d find funny. It began when CJ commented on my twin brothers’ blog The Rebelution and their “ranking” of my blog.

CJ: Tell the twins that just when I didn’t think I could respect them more, Carolyn tells me that your blog isn’t listed in their Crème de le Crème list of recommended blogs. They are to be commended for not showing you favoritism and for demonstrating discernment. Your blog is average/good but certainly not crème de le crème.

Josh: No, I would never make their “crème de le crème” list. I’m not sure my blog even qualifies as average!

CJ: Your blog is definitely average.

Josh: Well at least I have a blog! You’re blogless which these days means “loser.” And shared blogs like T4G don’t count.

CJ: I’d rather be a loser than have an average blog.

I never win these kind of exchanges with CJ. He always gets the last word, and he always makes me laugh. And even when I do get a good jab in, he simply reminds me that he taught me everything I know.

All that being said, you all already know that this blog is definitely average—and that it often dips below that measurement. And this, of course, is an appropriate representation of its owner!

But, folks, things are changing. With the help of the Bono of bloggers, Tim Challies, I’m getting a total blog/website overhaul. This is the full facelift/lipo/tummy tuck/botox/pec implant package of blog plastic surgery. When you stink as a blogger you make up for your deficiencies with better design. (This is the principle I apply to my game of tennis.) So anyway, stay tuned for the new look.

Justin Taylor Owns the Internet

2006-08-28T10:02:00.000-05:00

My friend Justin Taylor is officially the owner of the internet. Here's where you can catch him in action:

1. First, if you're a little behind, here's a more autobiographical interview Justin did with Adrian Warnock.

2. He's done an informative article on the emerging church for 9 Marks Ministry.

3. By the way, here are Justin's books (that he either wrote or edited).

4. You can read an interview series with Justin at the New Attitude blog:
• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
5. If haven't already made it a bookmark, please repent and then visit Justin's blog Between Two Worlds.

6. It's also been recently revealed that Justin has personally written all the content on Wikipedia. Okay, that's a joke but the guy is prolific.

I thank God for Justin Taylor, his love for Jesus Christ and his keen mind that he's using for Kingdom purposes. He's a good man and I hope you'll join me in benefitting from his work.

Valley of Vision CD

2006-08-24T13:00:00.000-05:00

See, it's not just me--Tim Challies thinks my wife's voice is beautiful, too.

Read Tim's review of Sovereign Grace's new Valley of Vision CD here.

New Music Alert: Leeland

2006-08-21T10:38:00.000-05:00

For the past few months I've been wanting some fresh music. No offense to my man Matt Redman, but if one more band does a cover of Blessed Be Your Name I'm going to lose my mind.

Then today, I stumbled onto a brand new album by a band named Leeland.
Have ya'll already heard of these guys? Evidently they hit #1 on the iTunes inspirational chart.

I just downloaded their album and I'm in the middle (literally) of listening to it. So far I am very impressed.

Their sound is great. But even better, their lyrics seem to be God-exalting and continually draw your attention to our Savior's atoning work on the cross.

Here's their official promo site.

You can visit the more informative Leeland Myspace page.

If you know anything about them, please fill me in and share your thoughts. Anybody seen them in concert? And let me know what you think of the album.

Doubled Joy

2006-08-13T15:56:00.000-05:00

J.I. Packer writes:

"I hold the heady doctrine that no pleasures are so frequent or intense as those of the grateful, devoted, single-minded, whole-hearted, self-denying Christian. I maintain that the delights of work and leisure, of friendship and family, of eating and mating, of arts and crafts, of playing and watching games, of finding out and making things, of helping other people, and all the other noble pleasures that life affords, are doubled for the Christian; for, as the cheerful old Puritans used to say (no, sir, that is not a misprint, nor a Freudian lapse; I mean Puritans—the real, historical Puritans, as distinct from the smug sourpusses of the last-century Anglo-American imagination), the Christian tastes God in all his or her pleasures and this increases them, whereas for other people pleasure brings with it a sense of hollowness which reduces it."—J.I. Packer, God Has Spoken

I read this yesterday after enjoying a tennis lesson that my dear wife gave me as a Christmas present. Mr. Packer's words rang true. I smiled as I considered the "doubled" joy I experienced smacking a yellow ball with a racquet, because it was God who gave me arms to swing and God who ordained the laws of physics (which I don't understand) that dictate how that ball will travel through space after I smack it, and God who made the sky so blue and clear and the air so crisp that morning.

I don't mind if it sounds silly. I tasted God as I swung that racquet (and no, that's not a statement of the quality of my play, which is in no way divine). But I met Him in one of the many gracious gifts with which he showers this undeserving world.

I hope whatever joy or simple pleasure you experience today will draw your thoughts and heart back to God, the giver of every good gift and, in so doing, be doubled in its intensity.

I'm so thankful for J.I. Packer. I hope we can play a little tennis one day on the new earth. I'm almost certain there will be grass courts there.

Desiring God '06 National Conference

2006-08-12T13:37:00.000-05:00

This is Katherine. Josh wanted me to let everyone know about the upcoming Desiring God 2006 National Conference. Running September 29-October 1 in Minneapolis, it's theme is Above All Earthly Powers: The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World. Those attending will have the privilege of learning from John Piper, David Wells, D.A. Carson, Mark Driscoll, Tim Keller, and Voddie Baucham, and from two panel discussions concerning “practical expressions of Christian living in a postmodern world.”

A press release From Desiring God explains:

According to Dr. Piper, the specific aim of this conference is to call the church to a radical and very old vision of the Man, Jesus Christ—fully God, fully sovereign, fully redeeming by his substitutionary, wrath-absorbing death, fully alive and reigning, fully revealed for our salvation in the inerrant Holy Bible, and fully committed to being preached with human words and beautifully described with doctrinal propositions based on biblical paragraphs.

You might also check out Mark Driscoll’s post on the conference, which includes links to interviews with some of the main speakers.

If you're convinced and ready to register, click here, or call 1.888.346.4700.

Worship God 06

2006-08-10T14:11:00.000-05:00

My new friend Tim Challies (who is in the process of re-designing my blog) is liveblogging the Worship God Conference being held here at my church, led by my fellow pastor Bob Kauflin.

Shannon's Interview on Valley of Vision

2006-08-09T16:33:00.000-05:00

My sweet wife who sang three songs on the new Sovereign Grace album Valley of Vision has recently been interviewed about the project.

You can watch the video here.

Shannon is so incredible. I don't deserve this lady. What she didn't mention in the interview is that she learned her songs and did the recording in the midst of a very busy season of getting ready for a new year of homeschooling. She's given up so many music opportunities to support me and to care for our kids. I am so grateful that she values our children more than career success. That's why I love to see God use her on projects like this.

She puts so much of herself into each song she records. That comes through when you listen. I recently got a copy of the album. It really is top notch. Hope you get to check it out.

Purity Download: Tip 6 & 7

2006-08-05T11:50:00.000-05:00

The following is excerpted from Sex is Not the Problem (Lust Is) and is the final two installments of a seven-part series on resisting internet porn.

6. Use website filters, blockers, and accountability software as a final line of defense, not the first. Programs that e-mail a list of all the websites you visit or block bad content are a wonderful tool. But they can’t replace a heart that truly hates sin and desires to please God. Utilize them after you’ve taken a look at your heart and examined the lies you tell yourself in the process of temptation. Do the work of digging into God’s Word, meditating on Scripture, making yourself accountable, and other steps listed above. Otherwise you’re likely to find yourself looking for ways and times to get around the technological fence you’ve put in place. Instead, get your heart convictions in the right place, recognize your dependance on the Spirit and then your blocking and accountability software can serve to support your commitments.

7. Fight this sin the hardest when you’re feeling strong.
Many people experience a level of “victory” over Internet porn for a season—only to be lulled into a false sense of security and fall again. If you’re experiencing a time of relative freedom from impure behavior online, that’s good…but don’t stop watching this part of your life carefully. It’s when you’re feeling strong that you should fight the hardest. In other words, kick sin when it’s down. You don’t have to fight like a gentleman here. Redouble your grace-motivated efforts. Keep “backing up” your definition of on-line compromise. Memorize Scripture. Pray for God’s power. By doing so you’ll weaken the power of this sin in your life even more.

Purity Download: Tip 5

2006-08-02T12:54:00.000-05:00

The following is excerpted from Sex is Not the Problem (Lust Is) and is the fifth of a seven-part series on resisting internet porn.

5. Redefine “over the line”
(it’s not the edge of the cliff)
Jared had been struggling with temptation to look at on-line porn for a week. He’d been testing his resolve by visiting somewhat questionable sites and the urge to indulge kept growing. Unfortunately, he didn’t tell his accountability partner what was happening. Instead he battled in secret. A week later, after he “really messed up” and spent two hours browsing porn sites, he finally called his accountability partner.

Do you see the problem? Jared’s definition of “over the line” when it comes to sin is right at the edge of the cliff. That means that when he finally confesses he’s already fallen.

When it comes to accountability, I think it’s important to back up our definition of messing up on-line. We need to involve others much earlier in the process of temptation. So confess when you’re dabbling with somewhat questionable sites (or okay sites with provocative ads or other content). Share when you’re spending too much time on-line. Make these behaviors your definition of crossing the line so your friends can pray for you and challenge you long before you slip off the edge of temptation into sin. I like what Thomas Watson once wrote: “A godly man will not go as far as he may, lest he go further than he should.”

Time for your comments. How would this tip change the way you interact with your accountability partner? What does "redefining the line" look like for you?

Purity Download: Tip 4

2006-07-31T21:43:00.000-05:00

The following is excerpted from Sex is Not the Problem (Lust Is) and is the fourth of a seven-part series on resisting internet porn.

4. Have an accountability partner that consistently asks about your Internet activity.
Even if you don’t have a history of struggling with Internet porn, you need a friend who regularly asks how you’re doing in this area. Find someone you trust and respect of the same gender who will put the question to you straight—and wait for your answer. Then get a commitment from him or her to put you on the spot regularly.

This tip wins the "no duh" award. Everybody trumpets the importance of accountability. But how do you actually make it work in your life? What has helped you? What mistakes have you made? What needs to change in your relationships to make accountability for online temptation actually helpful? Please feel free to post your thoughts.

Purity Download: Tip 3

2006-07-29T09:29:00.000-05:00

The following is excerpted from Sex is Not the Problem (Lust Is) and is the third of a seven part series on resisting internet porn.

3. Examine your mind-set when browsing and the amount of time spent on-line.
Susan found herself increasingly going online when she was feeling lonely or depressed. Not surprisingly, it wasn’t long before she got involved in visiting sites that led her into sin. If Internet use has become a mindless entertainment activity, where your brain goes into neutral and your defenses are down, you’re in dangerous territory. You might not be struggling with Internet impurity right now, but there’s a good chance that your behavior and mind-set will lead you there soon. Go on-line with a purpose. And don’t spend tons of time browsing aimlessly. Cutting back so that the time you spend on-line is focused and has a point will significantly cut back on the temptation to slip into the darker corners of the Web.

Feel free to share your thoughts. How do you evaluate the time you spend online? How would you apply this advice or what have you already learned from personal experience about what browsing mind-set leads to great temptation?

Note: the picture is by my assistant Katherine who will be snapping shots of the book in various odd settings to accompany the remaining tips. If you'd like to contribute your own photo of Sex is Not the Problem in an exotic location just email it to us!

Purity Download: Tip 2

2006-07-25T19:30:00.000-05:00

The following is excerpted from Sex is Not the Problem (Lust Is) and is the second of a seven part series on resisting internet porn.

2. Resolve that no technological convenience
is worth sinning against God.
Most people have to use the Internet for school or work. But we should never place the convenience of technology above God’s commands for holiness. If you’ve struggled with Internet porn or impurity of any kind, be willing to take radical action. Maybe that means no Internet access at your home for a season (that's the step my friend Don has taken). Or staying away from chat rooms or specific kinds of surfing, period. It could mean going on-line only when you’re with other people. For a season while my teenage brothers were younger, my dad had only one computer in his house with a web browser, and that computer was in the middle of the living room. But that’s not all…my mom was the only one with the password to get onto it! Inconvenient? Incredibly so! But during that time he was more concerned with protecting himself and my younger brothers than with convenience.

Please feel free to share steps you've taken to limit temptation online. What safeguards do you have in place to weaken the power of lust on the Internet?

Stay tuned for Tip 3...

Fighting Internet Porn

2006-07-21T12:31:00.000-05:00

Over the next week or two I'll be posting seven tips for fighting internet pornography. This material is taken from Sex is Not the Problem (Lust is) a book I wrote out of my own struggle against lust and the hope and power I've found in the gospel. The book is for both men and women, and if you battle lust (online or otherwise) I hope God will use it to encourage you.

The following is something I wrote to more specifically address the temptations that we face in our internet age. There's nothing necessarily ground breaking here, but I hope these reminders will strengthen your resolve to flee sexual sin online.

PURITY DOWNLOAD:
Seven Tips for Fighting Internet Porn

The Internet is a wonderful tool. We can use it to work, to study, to play, even to share the gospel with people in other parts of the world. But if you and I aren’t careful it can become a door to great sin and spiritual ruin. Christian men and women, church leaders included, have fallen prey to the temptations of lust on-line. Whether it’s illicit relationships in chat rooms, immoral blog content, or pornographic sites, the invitation to sin is especially dangerous because the internet is so accessible, and what we see and do there is so easily hidden from others. But God sees all our sin. And impurity of any kind will always lead to heartache and regret. Whether or not this is a current area of temptation for you, the following seven tips will equip you to honor God on-line.

1. Identify what’s leading up to lustful indulgence on the Internet.
For most people, sin on-line is preceded by compromise in areas such as their fantasies, television viewing, or reading material. It might seem like sexual sin on-line “comes out of nowhere,” but it’s often something we build up to through disobedience in other areas. Prayerfully consider where you can be fighting the little battles more diligently so you can avoid the big ones.

The next six "tips" will be posted in the coming days. Feel free to post comments on how this specific strategy could help you or how you have already applied it in your own life.

Please note: because of the nature of this subject please use caution in the specifics of what you share. Let's keep all comments "PG" rated. Thanks!

Baptism & The Lord's Supper

2006-07-15T10:58:00.000-05:00

I'm studying for a series we're doing at our church next month on the ordinances—baptism and the Lord's Supper. "A Christian ordinance," writes Donald Whitney in his book Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church, "is a ceremony that the Lord Jesus Christ has commanded to be permanently practiced by the church." Last fall our pastoral team gave ourselves to studying this topic and identified some weaknesses (due to our leadership) in our church's practice of the ordinances that need to be addressed. So we're anticipating God's help as we bring clarity and thorough teaching on their importance both in the life of our church and the life of the individual believer.

I'm posting because I'm curious to hear from you about your personal experience of the ordinances and your church's practice. If you have a minute, please post answers to the following questions:

1. When were you baptized in relationship to your conversion and how old were you? What was the spiritual significance of baptism for you in your Christian life? And if you're a believer and you haven't been baptized, why not?

2. How does your church conduct baptisms? How often? What context? How important are they and do many people attend? And what effect do they have on the congregation?

3. How does your church celebrate the Lord's Supper in terms of frequency and how the meal is shared? Do you partake as families? Pass trays? Tear real bread or eat those hard little cracker things?

4. Do you personally prepare for communion and if so what does this involve? And what is the consistant spiritual effect of taking communion? If it's not much don't feel bad about sharing that either.

If you can post answers I will be most grateful. I am actually really curious to hear from you.

One important rule: let's refrain from turning this into a debate over infant baptism. If you're a Presbyterian brother/sister just note that for questions 1 & 2 and we'll all be cool.

Thanks for dropping in.

Cost of Discipleship

2006-07-11T08:28:00.000-05:00

I just did a post over at the Na blog about the cost of discipleship.

If you stop by the Na site you'll also get to see some incredibly humiliating pictures of me. Funny stuff. In one I seriously look like Curious George. I actually don't mind that since I really liked the movie and listen to the Jack Johnson soundtrack a lot. Hey, if you're short and bald it's better to be compared to Curious George than Gollum (who I have thought I kind of look like).

Interview with Voice

2006-07-07T07:09:00.000-05:00

Stop by Justin Taylor's blog Between Two Worlds for the interview he conducted with Curtis Allen (aka Voice) a talented, humble and Christ-centered rapper who is a friend and member of my church. You can learn more about Voice and download his album at his website ihearvoice.com.

The Valley of Vision - Free Song Download

2006-07-03T07:59:00.000-05:00

Sovereign Grace is about to release a new worship project based on the classic collection of Puritan prayers called The Valley of Vision. If you've never heard of this book, go out and get it. Your prayer life will be enriched. Then you'll begin to understand why the idea of an album inspired by these prayers gets me so excited.

Okay, let me stop here and admit that I am totally biased about this project because my wife Shannon sings three songs on it (including the title track). With that little confession out of the way, let me give you all the info you need to learn more...

1. Here's the MAIN PAGE for the project that includes a description and clips of all the songs. There's also a little promotional trailer for the album that features a short interview with Shannon and even a clip of our little girl Emma who went with mom to the studio while she sang.

2. Sovereign Grace is giving away a FREE SONG from the album. It's called The Precious Blood and it's one that Shannon sings.

3. If you want THE BOOK, here's the original version with the cheesy cover. Please understand, all genuine Puritan books have cheesy covers. Accept no substitutes! (But there is a really cool leather bound edition available if you have the extra cash.)

We're going to start teaching several of these songs in our church. I hope you'll be encouraged personally as you listen to these theologically rich, Gospel-centered songs.

Let me know what you think. And all personal bias aside, doesn't my wife have a beautiful voice?

Vacation Brain, Rain and Vodcast

2006-07-01T12:07:00.000-05:00

The Harris family has returned from our vacation. What a gift from God. I left the computer at home so there was no email or worry about work. We really had a wonderful, refreshing time together.

I'm still dealing with "vacation brain." The mind is not so sharp.

Yesterday I was supposed to be at Creation East, but the festival was cancelled because of all the rain. Speaking of rain, when it started falling in earnest on Sunday night, my gutters overflowed and rain poured into our basement. This was less than 24 hours after getting home from our vacation. Handling a flood with a mind of mush isn't very good. Fortunately my friends Joe and Andrew were over and helped me bail water from my window wells. It turned out to be a fun memory.

Totally unrelated...if you haven't stopped by the New Attitude site lately, take a look. Right now we're giving away the video of the first session of the conference, a message I gave called Humble Orthodoxy.

On Vacation

2006-06-06T15:58:00.000-05:00

This week my family heads south for our vacation. A very kind friend is letting us use their place in Florida. We're really looking forward to this time together.

Maybe our paths will cross this month. Here are two places I'll be in June:

• Grace Community Church in Bradenton, FL. I'll be speaking at my friend Scott Hawkin's church on June 11 and 18th. If you're nearby you're welcome to join us.

• Creation East is the biggest Christian music festival in the country. I love the heart for ministry that Harry Thomas and his team carry and I'm glad to be back. I'll be speaking there twice on June 30. My friend Curtis Allen (aka Voice) will also be performing that day. Make sure and catch his show.

If you think of the Harris family please pray that God will refresh us and help us create life-long memories together.

New Attitude 2006 in Review

2006-06-01T07:40:00.000-05:00

I'm back from Na. God was so kind to us. It really was an incredible time. For those who weren't there, and for those who were and want to "relive it" I'm gathering various blog sites that attempt to capture elements of the conference and summarize sessions.

Download The Messages
But first, let me encourage you to get the messages to listen to yourself. You can buy all the main sessions for only $7 from the Sovereign Grace store. The breakout sessions will be added by June 9.

A brief disclaimer—I can't vouch for the accuracy of all the summaries listed below, but I think you'll find them informative:

1. The official Na blog has tons of photos and descriptions. Check back here in the future for info on audio downloads and possible free vodcasts of certain sessions.

2. Carolyn McCulley live-blogged the main sessions, too.

3. The blog Colossians 3:16 gives a helpful summary of Justin Taylor's breakout session on the emerging church is given by

4. Suzanne Hadley, who writes for Boundless has several days of posts on the conference.

5. A girl from Florida named Jenn Romanski also live-blogged the conference.

Please post a comment if you're aware of another summary of some aspect of Na. And if you were at the conference, I'd love to hear how God met you.

New Attitude is Now

2006-05-28T06:51:00.000-05:00

Stop by the Na Blog to read and see all that's happening right now in Louisville, KY.

Fulfilled as a Wife and Mother

2006-05-18T14:09:00.000-05:00

The following story is from a wonderful lady in our church named Kelly. She's married to Isaac Hydoski who is one of our singles pastors. Kelly shared this on Mothers' Day, and I found it very encouraging.

It is a pleasure to be able to share with you a story of God’s grace and mercy today. If anyone had told me ten years ago that I would one day be on this stage sharing a testimony on the high calling of wife and mother, I would have thought they were a little crazy. You see, although I was very fortunate to be raised by a mother who valued these roles highly and instilled the same appreciation in me, I very quickly encountered a culture that would instruct me otherwise. From an early age, I can remember being bombarded with messages at school, in the media, and through acquaintances that being a wife and mom was “nice”, but wasn’t enough. In order to truly contribute to society I had to also pursue a successful career. This led to years of confusion about how to reconcile the two. I recall one occasion in high school when I was discussing future career plans with my Physics professor- I was explaining how I planned to pursue a career in medicine- he actually laughed at me and said “You? No, you’ll get married, have a couple of kids and forget about that.” Having been a Christian for about all of two months, my response was somewhat less than humble. I squinted at him, pointing, and firmly replied that he was wrong- one day I would see him at our high school reunion and that he would call me by the title “Dr.”. Not my finest moment!

Well, let’s fast-forward a few years to 1997. By this time I was married, a member of Covenant Life, and I had been accepted to Veterinary School in Blacksburg, VA. God had definitely blessed my pursuit of this goal. Isaac and I had prayerfully considered the Lord’s will throughout the preparation and application process; however, He also had other plans for us. Shortly after we received news of my acceptance, the Lord laid it upon my husband’s heart that He wanted us to stay here, rather than relocate, to continue investing in this local church. I cannot express to you how grateful I am to the pastors and members of Covenant Life Church- for the sound teaching we had received, the godly examples we had witnessed, and the personal care we experienced that really prepared us for this difficult decision. It was not easy to set aside aspirations I had held dear since I was a little girl, however, God mercifully and gently led me to lay down what the world would consider as worthwhile, a respected profession, for what it would consider as foolishness, greater involvement in our Church. I have never regretted this decision. Isaac and I experienced more growth, both personally and in our marriage, that following year than we had the entire three and a half years prior. I am so thankful that my husband was faithful to lead our family in prioritizing spiritual growth over temporal gain.

In the spring of 2000, Kenneth Maresco approached Isaac and asked him to consider attending the Pastor’s College the following fall. By God’s grace I was able to secure a position with a large Pharmaceutical company as a Sale’s Representative, which was slightly more lucrative than the one I currently held, in order to meet our needs while he devoted himself to full-time study. Over the next three years, God gave me much favor while in this vocation- I was asked to assume increasing responsibilities and leadership roles, and was being groomed for promotion that led to a very successful and financially generous career path. I mention this not to draw attention to myself, but to God and His kindness. In the spring of 2003, Isaac and I discerned the Lord leading that it was time for me to transition from supporting him in the workplace to fully supporting him at home. This did cause quite a stir at my job; most people did not understand why we would make such a choice, but I had the awesome privilege of seeing the Gospel proclaimed to many coworkers as a result of this decision. One of my teammates, a Muslim from India, expressed his surprise and encouragement that an American woman would desire to focus her time and energy on the home as opposed to on personal advancement at work; this presented a perfect chance to explain that my decision was based solely on my faith as a Christian and to discuss the hope I have in Christ, as a result of His sacrifice on the Cross, both with him and another member of our team present at the time. I am still humbled and amazed that God sovereignly arranged numerous such meaningful conversations.

In October of 2004, Isaac and I were blessed with the arrival of our oldest son, KJ. In September of this year, we are eagerly anticipating the arrival of another son, Owen Tate. I am amazed at the joy I have received being able to stay home with KJ and look forward to the same with Owen. I have been asked at various times, “Do you miss working, the money, and do you ever think of going back? “ I am grateful to God that my honest answer is “No”. A hundred times the salary I was making is not worth the smile I see on my son’s face every morning or the contentment and happiness I have found in serving my husband and child on a daily basis at home. What could be of more value to society that the opportunity to invest for eternity in the life of this precious little boy that God has graciously gifted us with? Every diaper, meal, load of laundry, sleep-deprived night, or child-training opportunity may not always feel like important Gospel work, but feelings lie and God’s Word does not. So, are just being a wife and mother enough? Oh yes, more than enough- in God’s eyes and in my own.

I must admit, I still do look forward to attending my high school reunion in a few years, and I do hope to see my Physics professor- not so I can arrogantly demand respect for a title, but so I can tell him that he was right- I did forgo career ambitions to invest in my God-given role as a wife and mother- and that decision has brought me more fulfillment than I could have ever hoped for or imagined.

So, as I stand here before you today, on the one day a year our culture celebrates motherhood, my prayer is that every Mom present would experience a sense of God’s delight in the vital investment you are making every day in the lives of your children. Thank you and Happy Mother’s Day.

Back From Seattle

2006-05-13T21:21:00.000-05:00

I spent the past week in Seattle at Mark Driscoll's Reform and Resurge conference for pastors. Six of us flew out early Tuesday and returned via red-eye on Thursday night. (Lord willing, I will never fly a red-eye flight again in my life. I felt like death warmed over when we stepped off that flight.)

We really enjoyed our time. It's been several years since I've been to Seattle and I'd forgotten what a gorgeous city it is. The combination of water, city skyline and mountain ranges is incredible. We spent a good bit of time at the famous public market. The picture was taken there (L-R, Kenneth Maresco, Corby Megorden, Grant Layman, Eric Simmons, Me and Brian Chesemore). The highlight of the trip was spending time with these men. I am so blessed to serve God with my dearest friends. There are no men that I respect more. And, boy, do we have a good time together.

I enjoyed the conference. It was fun seeing Mars Hill, the church I've read and heard so much about, for myself. (The photo is from the final evening during worship.) I was impressed with the kindness and servant-heartedness of everyone on staff that I met. It was also great getting to hear Tim Keller and Mark Driscoll preach in person. On Tuesday Mark hosted a dinner at his house for all the Acts 29 pastors and their wives which I enjoyed. It was great meeting men with a common zeal to spread the gospel and build Christ-exalting local churches. There is definitely a lot of energy and excitement in this young movement of churches.

My message, entitled "Humble Orthodoxy" was from 2 Timothy 2:14-26. Foolishblog, provides a succinct summary of the message. I pray God used it to encourage the people gathered.

I closed the message with the following quote from Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church. He originally shared it on the Together for the Gospel blog. I share it here for your encouragement:

“What we need is humble theology—theology which submits itself to the truth of God's Word. “Liberal” theology—theology which does not view Scripture as finally trustworthy and authoritative—is not humble before the Word. Churches which are tentative and decry dogmatism may sound humble, but it is not truly humble to do anything other than to submit to God's Word. Christian humility is to simply accept whatever God has revealed in His Word. Humility is following God's Word wherever it goes, as far as it goes, neither going beyond it nor stopping short of it. The humility we want in our churches is to read the Bible and believe it—everything God has said, dogmatically, and humbly! It is not humble to be hesitant where God has been clear and plain.”

Amen. May God give us courage to humbly believe and obey his word.

For those interested in the messages, Resurgence will be podcasting the messages (I believe both audio and video) in the days to come.

Your Feedback: Any Seattle natives reading? I'd love to hear from you. And any pastors at the conference, feel free to share your perspective of the event, too. Finally, give me your thoughts on the Dever quote. Have you encountered the seeming humility of uncertainty that is so popular these days? I hope to hear from you.

This Just in: Davinci Code is Fiction!

2006-05-06T08:58:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow our church has the privilege of hosting, Dr. Al Mohler. He's coming to give a message on the "controversy" surrounding Dan Brown's book The Davinci Code and the soon-to-be-released movie based on the best-selling book.

The other day I read a short interview with Tom Hanks about the movie. When asked about the controversy he made a statement emphasizing the fact that it was utter fiction. Of course this is obvious. But it also seems obvious to me that Mr. Hanks would probably never touch a movie based on a fictional story that so misrepresented and essentially slandered any other person or group. Would he star in a film that distorted history and facts to tell the story of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. or a well-known homosexual? Could he get away excusing it all as fiction?

But let's talk about the real problem with this movie: Tom Hank's hair. Seriously, this is something people are actually talking about. One news outlet reported:

There are worries in Hollywood that Tom Hanks' hair may be a buzz kill for 'The Da Vinci Code.'

Studio insiders are reportedly worried that the Oscar winner's strange looking "bowl cut" will put audiences off. Could it actually dissuade audiences from flocking to see Ron Howard and Brian Grazer's new $125 million blockbuster?

Hanks has gone for a radical "hair make-over" in an attempt to look like a historical academic. But the new look raised eyebrows when trailers for 'The Da Vinci Code' hit theaters recently. Not since his marathon running sequence in 'Forrest Gump' have his locks been so long and unkempt. Is it too unattractive, especially for young audiences?

A "buzz kill"! Pretty funny. I think someone should write a conspiracy theory book about what would possess a seemingly intelligent man like, Mr. Hanks to let them do that to his hair. Maybe God is orchestrating all this. We've been praying He would protect people from the inaccuracies of the film and so he worked out a big ole buzz kill—the ultimate bad hair day for poor Tom.

Alright, I'm venting a bit here. I know I'm supposed to be grateful for the opportunity the book and movie give to Christians to share our faith and defend the veracity of scripture and deity of Christ. And may God use us for this purpose! But honestly, I'm just so tired of the Davinci Code. I'm weary of the hubbub about it.

But in case you're not weary, here's a link to a HUGE COLLECTION of Davinci Code related articles and papers. If you haven't had enough, or if you've got a friend struggling with questions you're sure to find help here.

Here are a couple questions for you: Has this book and movie given you opportunities to share the gospel with anyone? And do you know anyone who has been unsettled by or convinced by the ideas in the Davinci Code? Also do you plan to see the movie yourself? Please feel free to comment.

Have a great day!

Together for the Gospel

2006-05-02T12:49:00.000-05:00

This past week our pastoral team, along with all the pastors in Sovereign Grace, attended the pastors conference called Together for the Gospel which was hosted by four men: CJ Mahaney, Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan and Al Mohler. These men spoke along with John Piper, RC Sproul and John MacArthur.

There were 3,000 pastors from across the country and many different denominations. It is no exaggeration to describe this event as both historic and anointed by God’s Spirit. I can’t do justice to describing the effect of sitting under the teaching of these world-class leaders as they exhorted us to faithfully preach God’s word and proclaim the gospel. But beyond their teaching, it was moving to witness them come together in celebration and defense of the gospel.

It was also deeply moving to be with so many brothers from around the country who are devoting their lives to proclaim Christ and Him crucified. To sit with them, talk with them, and sing with them was a joy.

But my greatest joy was seeing God use my dear friend, CJ Mahaney. He passed on the leadership of our church to me so that he could be free to serve God in new ways. What a thrill to see at this momentous event some of the "new ways" he is being used.

CJ just did an outstanding job. His leadership and participation was essential. His example of humility, his passion for the Savior and his teaching deeply effected all the men present. And he added some much needed humor.

The following is a letter I emailed CJ after the conference. One brief note of explanation: before his session, CJ, with his typical self-deprecating humor told the story of the pilot of a Cessna airplane finding himself on an airport runway with one of the huge Concord planes. When it took off, the ground shook. CJ said that with each of the previous speakers, we'd experienced Concords taking off, but his own session was like that little Cessna puttering into the sky. Knowing this will explain what I reference at the close of the letter...

My friend, my mentor, my hero and my pastor:

I am so proud of you. I am bursting with gratefulness to God for you, for your example for the job you did at the conference, for the outstanding message you gave.

I just want you to know that you preached so faithfully, there was obvious conviction taking place throughout the room. The conference would have been incomplete without your message and without your voice throughout. You weren’t merely representing “below average” guys like me, you were caring for REAL PASTORS through your efforts.

This is the greatest encouragement I can give you: a pastor named Eric came to the conference by himself. We met him at the airport waiting in line at a restaurant and invited him to eat with me, Eric Simmons, Brian and Joe. He pastors a church of 60 in Kermit, Texas, which is in the middle of nowhere. He is alone in his work. He has no team. He loved the conference. At the end of the meal he said this:

“Tell, CJ he was a concord today...but he has the heart of a Cessna.”

That my friend is why you are so great in my eyes, but more importantly in the eyes of God. You are a concord but you walk with an awareness of your weakness and dependence on God. I hope that when you sleep tonight you will dream of what happened Sunday morning...three thousand pastors along with five of the most brilliant Christian leaders in the world on the front row, listened to their friend and faithful expositor preach the word with clarity, boldness and humility! My friend, it was not a dream! It really happened by God’s grace.

Thank you for doing this conference so that our team and all of Sov. Grace could participate. We were so well served.

With deep love and respect,

Joshua

If you're a pastor, I would highly recommend that you get ahold of the messages from the conference. They're available from the Sovereign Grace Store.

Interview for Driscoll Conference

2006-05-02T12:44:00.000-05:00

Next week I'm flying to Seattle, Washington, with several of my fellow pastors for Mark Driscoll's Resurgence Conference for pastors.

Here's an interview I did about the conference.

If you're going to be there, please come say hello.

More Thoughts on Wedding Day Modesty

2006-04-29T18:09:00.000-05:00

I don't normally draw attention to comments posted on the site, but the following by a young lady named Juli who wrote in response to someone who disgreed with the previous post was particularly insightful. She writes,

Dear sister, your comment saddened me deeply. I can understand where you're coming from, as I too am a young woman who has dreamed of marriage for a long time. But by God's grace I've been learning that along with a healthy dream of marriage can come many selfish desires of my heart that must be distrusted. You said "A woman's wedding day, man, if there's one day in which she deserves to feel sexy and feminine and beautiful, it's that day." Now I believe in honoring brides, but the fact of the matter is that the day I am a bride, the only thing I "deserve" will still be hell and I will still be saved from it. Anytime we talk about what we "deserve" we are entering into dangerous territory. If I as a bride were to start off my WEDDING day with an attitude built around what I've dreamed of, what I deserve, what I am capable of deciding, and what I FEEL comfortable in, I should fear greatly for my MARRIAGE. Marriage is about the opposite of those things (how can I help my husband fulfill his dreams, how can I honor him, how can I cheerfully submit to his decisions, how can I offer him comfort?) and the beauty of the arrangement is that he will be striving to honor me in the same way. I so desire that someday my wedding will be a day celebrating not my body nor anything about me, but the God who has so graciously given me a husband with whom to become one. Sister, I humbly ask that you search your heart (how easily our hearts deceive us) and ask God to show you the truth (which very often He does through those in our church). It's not "about how I feel." It's about honoring the God who sent his Son to save us by obeying His command to "honor others above yourselves." I need to make protecting my brothers a priority higher than my own desires, not even on my wedding day, but especially on my wedding day: the day when a lifetime of striving for purity is being rewarded with the gift that I've been saving my body for all along. Wearing a pure and modest wedding gown IS celebrating my body in the God-intended way -- declaring to all what God's intention is for our sexuality. All for my husband! God will bless those brides who put their brothers above themselves. I know many women who can attest to that. And I know from talking to many of my brothers that they deeply appreciate women whose fashion philosophy is that Godliness of beautiful!

Thank you, Juli, for your love for the Savior and your deep desire to honor Him.

Modesty on Your Wedding Day

2006-04-19T21:39:00.000-05:00

If tackling the topic of modesty weren't brave enough in and of itself, my sisters over at Girltalk have opened a much-needed conversation about modesty in wedding attire. No, men, your rented tuxedos and plastic shoes are not the source of temptation they're addressing. They're talking about dresses for the bridal party. Here's a portion of a quotation they share by pastor Todd Murray:

"In recent years, I have become increasingly grieved by the immodest dresses of both brides and bridesmaids at the weddings that I officiate. I have observed a number of young ladies in our fellowship who have dressed modestly all their lives appearing on their wedding day in extremely provocative dresses, exposing more of themselves than on any other day of their lives."

Ouch! I'm sad to say I've experienced the exact thing Todd describes at many weddings I've attended. It seems that formalwear is a category that has gone unevaluated by many. I hope the thoughts at Girltalk will help change this. If you're a bride-to-be or a parent of a future bride (particularly a dad) I hope you'll take the time to read the full post.

The Girltalk ladies wisely close by asking readers not to use their promotion of modest wedding gowns as an excuse for self-righteousness toward others. That's good counsel. We probably all have dear friends who have worn less-than-modest wedding dresses. And we shouldn't judge them. But neither should we let their past choice in attire keep us from encouraging and pursuing modesty in future Christian weddings.

Wee Little Man

2006-04-18T23:15:00.000-05:00

On April 9, I got to preach from Luke 19 on the story of Zacchaeus. This of course was a most appropriate passage for me to preach since I am a wee little man myself and Zacchaeus is the patron saint of short people!

You can hear the sermon here.

Fashion & Following the Savior

2006-04-12T15:12:00.000-05:00

Just in time for warm weather fashion decisions, Carolyn Mahaney and her daughters are focusing on modesty this week at Girltalk. Make sure and check it out.

Mohler on The Gospel of Judas

2006-04-08T20:47:00.000-05:00

The following is an excerpt from Dr. Al Mohler's article on The Gospel of Judas:

"What are Christians to make of all this? The publication of The Gospel of Judas is a matter of genuine interest. After all, it is important for Christians to understand the context of early Christianity--a context in which the church was required to exercise tremendous discernment in confronting heretical teachings and rejecting spurious texts.

The scholarly research behind the publication of The Gospel of Judas appears to be sound and responsible. The codex manuscript was submitted to the most rigorous historical process in terms of dating, chemical composition, and similar questions. In the end, it appears that the document is most likely authentic, in terms of its origin from within a heretical sect in the third century.

Nevertheless, extravagant claims about the theological significance of The Gospel of Judas are unwarranted, ridiculous, and driven by those who themselves call for a reformulation of Christianity."

You can read the whole article here.

Cinderella's Step Sister with the Fancy Coat

2006-04-05T22:02:00.000-05:00

Okay, so you can tag this post as a little shameless bragging on my boy. But I'm not just sharing this because he got an answer right in Sunday school. I thought it was pretty funny. Janet, a dear lady in our church who was recently serving in Joshua Quinn's class emailed me the following:

Just wanted to let you know your son did a good job in assembly today. I began the time of drama with a little review and started by asking the question "Who knows who Joseph is?" One little girl raised her hand and said, "Joseph is one of Cinderella's step sisters" (I am not making this up). And you son said, "No, he is the one with the coat who gets thrown in a pit." I love this age group!

Evidently, there's a whole generation of Christian kids who have the wonderful world of Disney mixed in with their Bible knowledge. If you're looking for a good children's story Bible to read to your kids I really enjoy Catherine Vos's The Children's Story Bible.

Redemption Requires Self-Knowledge

2006-04-03T10:59:00.000-05:00

In a recent sermon I quoted David Powlison from an article he wrote for the Fall 2005 Journal of Biblical Counseling. In the article Powlison notes that the change and redemption we all long for requires self-knowledge. “Diagnosis precedes cure,” he explains. He continues,

“But we humankind have a hard time with self-knowledge. [Our] pride spins webs of self-delusion. We usually put the best spin on ourselves. My opinions, my perspective, and my way of doing things seem intuitively plausible—if not the sum of all righteousness! Even when we get down on ourselves, we reserve the right of judgment. Have you ever noticed how a person with ‘low self-esteem’ reacts when someone else does the criticizing? Have you noticed how self-hatred so often correlates to failure to measure up to pride-generated standards for oneself? Self-pity is then a most delicious narcotic: It feels so good to feel so bad, because it’s all about me. Self-absorption erects an in impenetrable barrier to self-knowledge. To know myself as I truly am, I must come to know myself through the eyes of someone outside of myself—the God who searches and weighs every heart.”

If you're not familiar with Dr. Powlison and his insightful writing, I hope this whets your appetite. When I moved to Gaithersburg nine years ago one of the first things C.J. assigned me was Powlison's teaching series "How Can I Change?" C.J. told me that no one had taught him more about progressive santification than Powlison.

David Powlison edits The Journal of Biblical Counseling, counsels and teaches in the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation's School of Biblical Counseling. He also and teaches Practical Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary.

If you'd like to learn more from Dr. Powlison, his book Seeing with New Eyes is a great place to start.

And if you're a pastor a subscription to the Journal of Biblical Counseling is mandatory.

And here's a wisdom-filled letter that Mr. Powlison wrote to C.J.'s son Chad on his thirteenth birthday. The ladies at Girltalk were kind enough to share it with the rest of us.