Before You File for Divorce

...understand that the constant prayer of your children will be, "God, please bring my mom and dad back together again." Please don't give them a reason to say that prayer.

David Robinson: A Great Role Model

Last night, David Robinson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame (www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh96tCHVjC4). He was a great basketball player, leading the San Antonio Spurs to two NBA championships and the American basketball team to a bronze and two gold medals in the Olympics.

However, as good as he was as a basketball player, David Robinson is even better as a role model of good character.

He welcomed the talented Tim Duncan to the Spurs. Rather than treating Mr. Duncan as a competitor for the spotlight, he credited his younger teammate with leading the Spurs to his final championship with the team. He shifted the focus to someone who could have been his rival, but who became a great friend.

Early in his NBA career, David Robinson visited the fifth graders at Gates Elementary School in San Antonio. He offered each child a $2000 scholarship upon finishing school and enrolling in college. More than living up to his word a few years later, Mr. Robinson gave each student an $8000 scholarship upon meeting his conditions.

In 2001, David and his wife Valerie Robinson founded the Carver Academy, a private San Antonio Christian school open to all races and socio-ecomonic groups. The academy named after George Washington Carver emphasizes the development of academic and leadership skills among its students.

Recognizing Mr. Robinson's outstanding contributions to society, the NBA acknowledges a player each month for charitable efforts. The winner receives the David Robinson Plaque bearing this inscription: "Following the standard set by NBA Legend David Robinson who improved the community piece by piece."

"A good name is more desirable than great riches;

to be esteemed is better than silver or gold" (Proverbs 22:1).

Conservative and Liberal

When I was a young Christian, an older and wiser Christian once told me, "I want to be conservative in doctrine and liberal in love." His words seemed wise at the time, and they seem just as wise today.

The man who said those words has remained one of the most effective Christians with whom I have ever been acquainted. He has lived a life of rock-solid faith in Christ and love for the people around him. He has shared the wisdom of the inspired Scriptures with thousands of people over several decades. He has helped untold numbers of people with a wide variety of problems and heartaches over the same period of time. He has earned the respect of everyone who has known him.

I want to follow in his footsteps as he has followed Christ. I want to be conservative in doctrine and liberal in love, too. I want a solid and stable faith in God and what he has said. I want to be unmovable and unshakable when it comes to being loyal to Jesus Christ. I also want to be reliable when it comes to helping others, showing kindness, defending the innocent, and being available when needed. In doing so, I hope to honor my God as much as possible.

"What you have heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us" (2 Timothy 1:13-14).

A Celebration of Life

The Dallas Morning News has published one of the most moving stories I have ever read in a newspaper. Please read it at:

(Part 1) www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/083009thomas_part1.11b55ace4.html

(Part2) www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/090609thomas_part2.11b5e0965.html

While reading the story, I could not help thinking about a little boy we tried to adopt several years ago (see http://adisciplesthoughts.blogspot.com/2007/06/sage.html). Every life is valuable, as the story reminds me.

A Prayer for President Obama

President Obama plans on addressing America's school children this week concerning the importance of education.

At www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1986_i_hope_my_daughter_hears_the_presidents_speech, John Piper has shared this prayer for the president as he prepares to talk to the children of the United States:

"Father, the condition of our schools and families is so broken that nothing seems to be working, especially for the poor in our urban centers. Help our president to have the courage to use his amazing place of influence to speak into this situation in such a way that boys and girls would take their studies seriously and put school above sport and homework above hiphop and graduation above gangs.

"O, Lord, create a culture where it is not cool to fail. Give our president the courage to call all children, especially ones who feel hopeless about academic work, to fight for knowledge the way gangs fight for turf.

"And as the president plans his speech, help him to feel as helpless as he really is to meet the greatest needs of our children, so that he turns to Jesus who alone has the answer for the ruin and the wrongs of our cities. In Jesus' name, Amen."

I have noticed the respect that several of the kids in the Contact Church give to President Obama. They wear t-shirts bearing his image, and request prayers specifically for him during our prayer and praise portion of the worship services. They identify with him and listen to him. If other children of the inner city look to him with similar admiration, his speech could be a catalyst in turning some of them away from the temptations to drop out of school, experience drug addiction, and join gangs. I join with John Piper in praying that President Obama's influence will be used to encourage the best from our children.

(On a personal but related side note, our son Christopher faced his very first test in school this past week. He scored 100% on his first spelling test!)

Though the Chickens Die...

A friend on my job came to me with an interesting problem this morning. Her 5-year old son has been praying for their chickens. She has been trying to get him to pray for their other animals, but he has been consumed with the welfare of the chickens. Unfortunately, a wild dog killed 5 of their chickens yesterday afternoon before my co-worker could get the dog away from their property. Her son was at school, so he did not know about the fate of the chickens this morning.

Now she is concerned about how to tell her son that the chickens had died despite his prayers for them. She is frightened that his faith in God will not survive this crisis. She said, "How can I explain to a 5-year old why God said 'No' to his prayers when I don't understand it myself?"

I sympathized with my friend. I want my son to grow up with a strong faith in the Lord too. And I don't have a good answer for why God answers prayers in different ways. I tried to help her to understand that she could trust God even when his responses to her prayers were not what she was expecting. It's a hard concept to understand, but it is reality. We do not always understand why God responds to our requests in unexpected ways. We can't comprehend why he would tell us "No" sometimes. However, from our knowledge of the Scriptures and from our personal histories, we can see that God is trustworthy. He does what is right even when we don't understand it.

After our conversation, I felt like I needed to say a little more. She was still in tears, and I did not feel like I had helped enough.

I pulled out my Bible and wrote her a note, because she had left already to deliver her route. This is my note to my friend who was struggling with God's answer to her son's prayers:

"'Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Savior' (Habakkuk 3:17-18).

"The verse could have just as easily said, 'Though the chickens die...'. Habakkuk did not understand why things were not working out as he expected from God. But he knew the character of God and placed his faith in the God of complete integrity. He did not understand God's responses to his prayers, but he was determined to live by faith in a God who could be trusted even when his actions (or lack of action) could not be understood. He was determined to stick with God even if more difficult times came his way. Trust God's character (which you know) rather than trying to figure out the specific reasons for his actions (which we may never know fully in this life)."

I don't know whether I was able to encourage my friend, but I hope it was helpful. Her struggles with faith are not uncommon today, nor were they uncommon during biblical days (as Habakkuk demonstrated). However, like Habakkuk, she and her son can survive this crisis of faith.

Everyone's Destiny

"It is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of feasting,
for death is the destiny of every man;
the living should take this to heart" (Ecclesiastes 7:2).

Until Jesus Christ returns, everyone will die.

I thought about that today as I attended the memorial service of a 35-year old mother who died in a motorcycle wreck last weekend.

We do not know our time. It could happen at an old age or a young age. It could happen at any moment.

So the important question arises: How will I face God?

At http://a-disciples-gospel-blog.blogspot.com, I have outlined a Bible lesson intended to help people who are interested in connecting with God. It explains our common problem of sin, our hope in Jesus Christ, and how we get to respond to his offer of a new life empowered by his Spirit. I would like for everyone to have the opportunity to know Christ in this life and to be prepared for the next. Who knows how long we have?