I posted this 2 years ago on the day before Christopher's 4th birthday. I am re-posting it today on the day before his 6th birthday.
Tomorrow will mark your 4th birthday, Christopher. With that in mind, I would like to share a few thoughts about your birth and adoption. You will not be able to understand everything that I am writing today, but someday you will.
First, I want you to know that God answers prayer. Your birth and adoption were the answer to 9 years of prayer by your mother and myself. We had hoped and prayed for a long time for your arrival. God was preparing us to become your parents, while teaching us patience and perseverance during those years of waiting. Then God answered our prayers with the son of our dreams.
Second, your birth and adoption crossed racial barriers. You were born on the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2003 to a young black woman who chose a childless white husband and wife to be your parents. It was appropriate that you came into our lives on the day after a day set apart in our country to honor the memory of the man who had a dream of racial barriers being broken.
Third, your birth and adoption signified the value of choosing life over abortion. You were born the day before the 30th anniversary of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision legalizing all abortions in the United States. Your birth mother made a brave decision in choosing adoption over abortion in her situation. We were honored to be entrusted with protecting, nurturing, and helping to shape your life ever since.
Finally, I want you to know that Christopher means Christ-bearer. We were unaware of the meaning of your name when we chose it, but we look forward to seeing how you will live out its meaning. We pray that you will follow Christ closely all the days of your life, and take him with you wherever you go.
Christopher, you are a special child. You are loved. You are blessed and a blessing.
Love,
Daddy
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
In Memory of Martin Luther King Jr.
This is an excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s sermon "The Drum Major Instinct," which he delivered on February 4, 1968, just a few months before his murder. In it, he described how he would like to be remembered.
"If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don't want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. And every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Noble Peace Prize--that isn't important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards--that's not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school.
"I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to give his life serving others. I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to love somebody. I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. And I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity.
"If you want to say that I was a drum major, say I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace... I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. I won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. And that's all I want to say."
How would you like to be remembered? You're writing your own eulogy every day.
"If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don't want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. And every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Noble Peace Prize--that isn't important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards--that's not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school.
"I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to give his life serving others. I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King Jr. tried to love somebody. I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. And I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity.
"If you want to say that I was a drum major, say I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace... I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. I won't have any money to leave behind. I won't have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. And that's all I want to say."
How would you like to be remembered? You're writing your own eulogy every day.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Heaven
I just finished reading Heaven by Randy Alcorn. In the book, Mr. Alcorn makes the case that Christians can anticipate not only going to heaven when we die, but also the time when heaven will come to earth in the end.
His thesis is based on Revelation 21:1-5, which states,
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.' He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'"
He challenges the common perception that our final state of existence will be non-physical and boring. At our anticipated resurrection, we will experience an actual physical resurrection just like Jesus did. "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised" (1 Corinthians 15:13). Since Christ has been raised, his followers hope to be raised like he has been.
In the end, not only will people enjoy the resurrection, but the universe itself will take part in a physical resurrection and be restored to the condition in which it existed before sin entered the "very good" creation of the beginning. "The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God" (Romans 8:19-21).
In the new heavens and new earth, resurrected and glorified people will enjoy the presence of our Savior forever. God will live with us. He will give us opportunities to serve based on how we have handled our responsibilities on the old earth. We will enjoy life with each other without the presence of relationship-destroying sins like envy, pride, hatred, or any other sin. A new culture will develop as we use our gifts and abilities to continually enrich the lives of others.
Although Mr. Alcorn engaged in some speculation about what the future may hold, his general thesis is solid. We can look forward to a new heavens and a new earth in our resurrected and glorified bodies. Christians will enjoy the presence of God forever. To his credit, when he engaged in speculation, he admitted it. He acknowledged that he could be wrong on some of the details, since he was using his imagination to describe in more detail what the Scriptures reveal in a more general manner.
Heaven is a book worth reading. It inspires hope for the future. It warns against the alternative of hell. It motivates people to trust in Christ and to follow him. It encourages the use of one's gifts and abilities to love people and honor God in concrete ways as we await the coming resurrection and renewal of creation. It prompts people to appreciate God in all his glory.
"Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we look forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness" (2 Peter 3:11-13).
His thesis is based on Revelation 21:1-5, which states,
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.' He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'"
He challenges the common perception that our final state of existence will be non-physical and boring. At our anticipated resurrection, we will experience an actual physical resurrection just like Jesus did. "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised" (1 Corinthians 15:13). Since Christ has been raised, his followers hope to be raised like he has been.
In the end, not only will people enjoy the resurrection, but the universe itself will take part in a physical resurrection and be restored to the condition in which it existed before sin entered the "very good" creation of the beginning. "The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God" (Romans 8:19-21).
In the new heavens and new earth, resurrected and glorified people will enjoy the presence of our Savior forever. God will live with us. He will give us opportunities to serve based on how we have handled our responsibilities on the old earth. We will enjoy life with each other without the presence of relationship-destroying sins like envy, pride, hatred, or any other sin. A new culture will develop as we use our gifts and abilities to continually enrich the lives of others.
Although Mr. Alcorn engaged in some speculation about what the future may hold, his general thesis is solid. We can look forward to a new heavens and a new earth in our resurrected and glorified bodies. Christians will enjoy the presence of God forever. To his credit, when he engaged in speculation, he admitted it. He acknowledged that he could be wrong on some of the details, since he was using his imagination to describe in more detail what the Scriptures reveal in a more general manner.
Heaven is a book worth reading. It inspires hope for the future. It warns against the alternative of hell. It motivates people to trust in Christ and to follow him. It encourages the use of one's gifts and abilities to love people and honor God in concrete ways as we await the coming resurrection and renewal of creation. It prompts people to appreciate God in all his glory.
"Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we look forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness" (2 Peter 3:11-13).
"I Want to be President"
While watching the news about Barack Obama's upcoming inauguration with me this morning,Christopher announced, "I want to be President!" Maybe someday...
Saturday, January 17, 2009
My Job, My Ministry
"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody" (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12).
Like most Christians, I do not spend most of my time doing official "church work." Most of my ministry involves serving my family and the people on my job. Here are a few ideas for ministering on a secular job that I have found beneficial:
1. Contact the people at your workplace who are going through difficult times. I have made it a habit to call people who have been suspended for drug abuse and theft, as they await the outcome of investigations. They have appreciated prayers and offers to help. Usually they are surprised that they have been contacted by anyone, especially a Christian, but they love knowing that someone cares about them despite their innocence or guilt. One former co-worker told me, "I always thought of you as a kind of pastor...an ornery one, for sure, but a pastor anyway." I'm not a pastor, of course, but she was trying to let me know that it meant a great deal to her that I had cared about her and her problems. People need to know that God's people care about them despite their sins. They need to see a God of grace in the lives of his church.
2. Offer to pray for your customers. I have met people who have been going through surgery, cancer treatments, the loss of spouses, and recovery from broken bones. Each one has appreciated the offer to pray for them. It has built a rapport with several of them.
3. Seek help from your local church and other Christians. I have added my customers and co-workers to my local church's prayer list (with their permission). I have sought help from our food bank for someone who was needing help. I have sought help from our recovery minister for those who have had drug and alcohol addictions. I cannot do everything. Often, I cannot do much of anything. I need the help of fellow Christians with many of the situations I have faced.
If you have other ideas about how to serve Christ on the secular job, please feel free to leave a comment. I'm always looking for ways to do it more effectively and consistently. Thanks!
Like most Christians, I do not spend most of my time doing official "church work." Most of my ministry involves serving my family and the people on my job. Here are a few ideas for ministering on a secular job that I have found beneficial:
1. Contact the people at your workplace who are going through difficult times. I have made it a habit to call people who have been suspended for drug abuse and theft, as they await the outcome of investigations. They have appreciated prayers and offers to help. Usually they are surprised that they have been contacted by anyone, especially a Christian, but they love knowing that someone cares about them despite their innocence or guilt. One former co-worker told me, "I always thought of you as a kind of pastor...an ornery one, for sure, but a pastor anyway." I'm not a pastor, of course, but she was trying to let me know that it meant a great deal to her that I had cared about her and her problems. People need to know that God's people care about them despite their sins. They need to see a God of grace in the lives of his church.
2. Offer to pray for your customers. I have met people who have been going through surgery, cancer treatments, the loss of spouses, and recovery from broken bones. Each one has appreciated the offer to pray for them. It has built a rapport with several of them.
3. Seek help from your local church and other Christians. I have added my customers and co-workers to my local church's prayer list (with their permission). I have sought help from our food bank for someone who was needing help. I have sought help from our recovery minister for those who have had drug and alcohol addictions. I cannot do everything. Often, I cannot do much of anything. I need the help of fellow Christians with many of the situations I have faced.
If you have other ideas about how to serve Christ on the secular job, please feel free to leave a comment. I'm always looking for ways to do it more effectively and consistently. Thanks!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Love, War, Torture, and Human Dignity
This morning, I listened carefully as a local radio host interviewed a Catholic priest who had written an article critical of torturing terrorists. The priest argued that Islamic terrorists bear the image of God just as every other person on earth does. Therefore, they should not be tortured. It is dehumanizing and demeaning.
The talk show host and his listeners did not agree with his argument. They made the point that terrorists should not retain human rights. The terrorists had forfeited all rights when they started to engage in the murder of American citizens. Some callers completely denied the idea that terrorists are human beings. They considered the terrorists to be animals.
From a biblical perspective, the priest made the better argument. Of course the Islamic terrorists bear the image of God. They are not animals.
However, the question is not: Do Islamic terrorists bear the image of God? The question is: Is it morally acceptable for the government to torture them in order to save innocent lives?
On the one hand, Jesus told his followers to love their enemies (Matthew 5:44). Islamic terrorists certainly fall into the category of the enemies of Christians.
On the other hand, Christ wants his people to love their neighbors (Matthew 22:39). The innocent people who are the targets of the terrorists would certainly fall into the category of our neighbors.
So what do we do when two commandments seem to conflict? If a woman were being raped in front of my house, would it be enough for me to plead with the rapist to stop raping my neighbor? Or would the loving thing be to use whatever force necessary to stop the rapist, even if it meant hurting or killing him? I believe the answer would be to try to stop him verbally, but to kill him if necessary. It's loving when we call for repentance, but it's also loving to intervene with force when necessary to protect the innocent.
In Romans 12, the apostle Paul urged Christians, "Do not repay evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord" (Romans 12:17-19).
Then, in the next chapter, he adds, "For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer" (Romans 13:3-4).
So is it morally acceptable for the government to torture terrorists in order to save the lives of innocent people? Yes. It's the government's duty to terrorize those who would kill the innocent, and it could be the most loving thing the government could do for our neighbors. At the same time, Christians need to be praying for the terrorists' hearts to change while calling on them to repent from their evil. Both actions can be motivated by love.
The talk show host and his listeners did not agree with his argument. They made the point that terrorists should not retain human rights. The terrorists had forfeited all rights when they started to engage in the murder of American citizens. Some callers completely denied the idea that terrorists are human beings. They considered the terrorists to be animals.
From a biblical perspective, the priest made the better argument. Of course the Islamic terrorists bear the image of God. They are not animals.
However, the question is not: Do Islamic terrorists bear the image of God? The question is: Is it morally acceptable for the government to torture them in order to save innocent lives?
On the one hand, Jesus told his followers to love their enemies (Matthew 5:44). Islamic terrorists certainly fall into the category of the enemies of Christians.
On the other hand, Christ wants his people to love their neighbors (Matthew 22:39). The innocent people who are the targets of the terrorists would certainly fall into the category of our neighbors.
So what do we do when two commandments seem to conflict? If a woman were being raped in front of my house, would it be enough for me to plead with the rapist to stop raping my neighbor? Or would the loving thing be to use whatever force necessary to stop the rapist, even if it meant hurting or killing him? I believe the answer would be to try to stop him verbally, but to kill him if necessary. It's loving when we call for repentance, but it's also loving to intervene with force when necessary to protect the innocent.
In Romans 12, the apostle Paul urged Christians, "Do not repay evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord" (Romans 12:17-19).
Then, in the next chapter, he adds, "For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer" (Romans 13:3-4).
So is it morally acceptable for the government to torture terrorists in order to save the lives of innocent people? Yes. It's the government's duty to terrorize those who would kill the innocent, and it could be the most loving thing the government could do for our neighbors. At the same time, Christians need to be praying for the terrorists' hearts to change while calling on them to repent from their evil. Both actions can be motivated by love.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
You Have God's Permission to Enjoy Life
"A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?" (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25).
"God isn't displeased when we enjoy a good meal, marital sex, a football game, a cozy fire, or a good book. He's not up in Heaven frowning down at us and saying, 'Stop it--you should only find joy in me.' This would be as foreign to God's nature as our heavenly Father as it would be to mine as an earthly father if I gave my daughters a Christmas gift and started pouting because they enjoyed it too much. No, I gave the gift to bring joy to them and to me--if they didn't take pleasure in it, I'd be disappointed. Their pleasure in my gift to them draws them closer to me. I am delighted that they enjoy the gift.
"Of course, if children become so preoccupied with the gift that they walk away from their father and ignore him, that's different. Though preoccupation with a God-given gift can turn into idolatry, enjoying that same gift with a grateful heart can draw us closer to God. In Heaven we'll have no capacity to turn people or things into idols. When we find joy in God's gifts, we will be finding our joy in him.
"All secondary things are derivative in nature. They cannot be separated from God. Flowers are beautiful for one reason--God is beautiful. Rainbows are stunning because God is stunning. Puppies are delightful because God is delightful. Sports are fun because God is fun. Study is rewarding because God is rewarding. Work is fulfilling because God is fulfilling.
"Ironically, some people who are the most determined to avoid the sacrilege of putting things before God miss a thousand daily opportunities to thank him, praise him, and draw near to him, because they imagine they shouldn't enjoy the very things he made to help us know him and love him.
"God is a lavish giver. 'He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?' (Romans 8:32). The God who gave us his Son delights to graciously give us 'all things.' These 'all things' are in addition to Christ, but they are never instead of him--they come, Scripture tells us, 'along with him.' If we didn't have Christ, we would have nothing. But because we have Christ, we have everything. Hence, we can enjoy the people and things God has made, and in the process enjoy the God who designed and provided them for his pleasure and ours.
"God welcomes prayers of thanksgiving for meals, warm fires, games, books, relationships, and every other good thing. When we fail to acknowledge God as the source of all good things, we fail to give him the recognition and glory he deserves. We separate joy from God, which is like trying to separate heat from fire or wetness from rain.
"...Every day we should see God in his creation: in the food we eat, the air we breathe, the friendships we enjoy, and the pleasures of family, work, and hobbies. Yes, we must sometimes forgo secondary pleasures, and we should never let them eclipse God. And we should avoid opulence and waste when others are needy. But we should thank God for all of life's joys, large and small, and allow them to draw us to him" (Randy Alcorn, Heaven, pp. 177-178).
"God isn't displeased when we enjoy a good meal, marital sex, a football game, a cozy fire, or a good book. He's not up in Heaven frowning down at us and saying, 'Stop it--you should only find joy in me.' This would be as foreign to God's nature as our heavenly Father as it would be to mine as an earthly father if I gave my daughters a Christmas gift and started pouting because they enjoyed it too much. No, I gave the gift to bring joy to them and to me--if they didn't take pleasure in it, I'd be disappointed. Their pleasure in my gift to them draws them closer to me. I am delighted that they enjoy the gift.
"Of course, if children become so preoccupied with the gift that they walk away from their father and ignore him, that's different. Though preoccupation with a God-given gift can turn into idolatry, enjoying that same gift with a grateful heart can draw us closer to God. In Heaven we'll have no capacity to turn people or things into idols. When we find joy in God's gifts, we will be finding our joy in him.
"All secondary things are derivative in nature. They cannot be separated from God. Flowers are beautiful for one reason--God is beautiful. Rainbows are stunning because God is stunning. Puppies are delightful because God is delightful. Sports are fun because God is fun. Study is rewarding because God is rewarding. Work is fulfilling because God is fulfilling.
"Ironically, some people who are the most determined to avoid the sacrilege of putting things before God miss a thousand daily opportunities to thank him, praise him, and draw near to him, because they imagine they shouldn't enjoy the very things he made to help us know him and love him.
"God is a lavish giver. 'He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?' (Romans 8:32). The God who gave us his Son delights to graciously give us 'all things.' These 'all things' are in addition to Christ, but they are never instead of him--they come, Scripture tells us, 'along with him.' If we didn't have Christ, we would have nothing. But because we have Christ, we have everything. Hence, we can enjoy the people and things God has made, and in the process enjoy the God who designed and provided them for his pleasure and ours.
"God welcomes prayers of thanksgiving for meals, warm fires, games, books, relationships, and every other good thing. When we fail to acknowledge God as the source of all good things, we fail to give him the recognition and glory he deserves. We separate joy from God, which is like trying to separate heat from fire or wetness from rain.
"...Every day we should see God in his creation: in the food we eat, the air we breathe, the friendships we enjoy, and the pleasures of family, work, and hobbies. Yes, we must sometimes forgo secondary pleasures, and we should never let them eclipse God. And we should avoid opulence and waste when others are needy. But we should thank God for all of life's joys, large and small, and allow them to draw us to him" (Randy Alcorn, Heaven, pp. 177-178).
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