I have been planning to add a Family resource page for quite awhile, and it is now up. On it you will find a number of resources on the single life and marriage. I hope to add parenting resources soon. Happy reading!
Category: Uncategorized
Easter Outreach
Thought I would pass on an outreach resource for this coming Easter. Two years ago, Crossway put together Christmas packets that included a New Testament, tract, customizable invitation, and bag. Our church used them this past Christmas, adding some home made cookies and going through our small town caroling. We also encouraged church families to deliver them to their neighbors or co-workers.
Crossway now has Easter packets with the same components plus an audio New Testament CD. Our church is planning to hand them out to neighbors around the church, as well as to families that come to our annual kids Easter Egg Hunt. If you are interested, you can find out more info here.
KJV 400th Anniversary
The King James Version of the Bible turns 400 this year. It has had a huge impact on the English language and the English world. It has also had a large impact on many newer English translations including the New King James Version, the New American Standard Bible, and the English Standard Version. Want to learn more? You can sign up to receive a free copy of Christian History magazine’s upcoming issue on the KJV. I’m looking forward to reading it. Deadline to reserve your free copy is February 14.
Christian Complements
Joseph has been rotting in an Egyptian prison for months. One day he is unexpectantly summoned to appear before Pharaoh. It seems Pharaoh has had some dreams that no one can interpret. But the cupbearer remembered that Joseph had interpretted his dream two years earlier, and so the cupbearer tells Pharaoh. So Joseph is summoned. Pharaoh tells Joseph, “I hear you can interpret dreams.”
“So I hear that you are a good plumber.” “I was told you are really good at golf.” “I heard you are a great cook.” “That was a great presentation.” Someone comes up to you with praise for whatever ability you have. How do you respond?
Joseph responds to Pharaoh, “It is not in me; but God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” On my own I can’t interpret your dream, but God can. Interpretting dreams isn’t my ability; it comes from God. It’s not about me; it is about him.
How do we respond to praise? Do we point others to God? I confess I often just say “thank you.” They gave me a complement, and I appreciate it. It seems somewhat awkward to constantly in effect say – “it’s not me – it’s God.” Does that belittle their complement? Or look at it from the other side. If I should always deflect the praise from myself to God, maybe I shouldn’t complement others because it really isn’t about them anyways. But shouldn’t we encourage each other and express gratitude toward those who minister in some way to us? Of course we should! So then maybe a simple “thank you” is a good answer after all.
But maybe there is a better. Maybe we can both accept the complement with appreciation, and also express praise to God who gave us the ability. Maybe the one giving the complement can phrase it as both appreciation for the person and praise to God. Maybe instead of saying, “Thank you for…,” we should say, “I appreciate the way God used you in….” And maybe our response should be, “Thank you. I praise the Lord that he used me to minister to you.” And if it seems awkward, maybe it is simply because we aren’t used to doing it.
In the end, maybe complementing each other is an opportunity not only to encourage and express (and receive) gratitude, but an opportunity to help all of us lift our eyes to the one who is truly worthy of praise.
Aslan’s Other Name
In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader book and movie, Aslan tells Edmund and Lucy that they won’t be coming back to Narnia. Lucy especially is heartbroken because she won’t see Aslan again, but Aslan tells her that he is in our world too. He continues:
But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.
So what is Aslan’s other name? His other name is Jesus. As Aslan died to rescue Edmund, so Jesus died to rescue us. As Aslan rose triumphantly from the dead, so Jesus rose triumphantly from the dead. As Aslan was the children’s guide to Caspian, so Jesus is our guide. As Aslan helped the children in the Dark Island, so Jesus helps us in our trials. As Asalan helped Lucy overcome temptation, so Jesus helps us overcome temptation. As Lucy loved Aslan, so we should love Jesus.
The wonder of Aslan is a glimpse into the wonder of Jesus.
Do you know Aslan by his other name?
My Own Little World
As I started thinking about the last post on having a passion for missions, this new song from Matthew West started going through my head.
A Passion for Missions
We had four people from Partners in Evangelism International at our church yesterday. Two serve the mission here in America and two are pastors in the Ukraine. It was a great day. As we listened to the Ukrainian pastors through an interpreter, I was struck with their passion for missions. Their great desire was to reach the people in their country who had no gospel witness. There was an intensity expressed that I have not seen in awhile. And the challenge for me was clear: Do I have a passion for missions?
A passion for missions goes right along with the theme of this blog. Jesus had a passion to reach us, and came to die for us that we might be reconciled to God. If I have a passion for God, I will want to share the good news so more people will know and honor God, so God will be glorified by more and more people. If I have compassion for people, I will want to share with them how they can be forgiven of their sins, have a new life with God, and the hope of the resurrection.
To live by the three passions, I must have a passion for missions. So do I have a passion for missions? I confess my passion had waned, but yesterday’s challenge awakened it. By God’s grace it will continue and grow. But how to live out this passion? Three ideas:
Give: My wife on our way home last night was asking what we might cut out so that we might be able to give more to missions. We have so much compared to much of the world. We need to re-evaluate our priorities. How might we sacrifice for the sake of the gospel?
Go: What might we do to share the gospel in our own neighborhood, in our own community? And might God send us on a short term trip sometime?
Pray: Those who go out need our prayers. We need to get more serious about praying regularly for missionaries our church supports and other missionaries we know, as well as praying for the outreach of our own church and sister churches.
Father, grant us a greater passion for missions that plays out in our daily lives.
Love or Not
A few weeks ago I finished Charles Dicken’s David Copperfield. It offers an interesting look at true love vs selfishness. (Friendly warning: this post includes numerous spoilers….)
Let’s start with selfishness. Mr. Murdstone claims to love people, but he only wants to control them and make them like himself. Steerforth claims to love people but only to get what he wants. Uriah Heep claims to be humble, but only as a disguise for his selfish grasping plans. All three make great claims, but obsessed with themselves they leave a trail of human wreckage.
How different is real love. Mr. Peggotty gives up everything to travel all over Europe in search of his adopted daughter whom Steerforth has lured away. Like Jesus, he goes to great lengths to seek and save one who is lost. And then there is Agnes who loves Copperfield, and stands by him through thick and thin even when he marries another. Neither Agnes nor Mr. Peggotty have any promise of return, but both give of themselves for those they love.
Dicken’s characters have real life counterparts. In the “novel” of life, we undoubtedly know both types of people to various degrees. But the real question is: what kind of character are we? The character who talks a good talk but is obsessed with self no matter who is hurt? Or the character who speaks with self-giving actions even to his own hurt?
“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”
– I John 3:16-18
Computer Fast
After almost three weeks, I am blogging again. Two of those weeks were a total computer fast. The first day of my fast was crazy. I kept thinking, “I should check the internet for…oh wait, I’m not using the computer.” After that, it was wonderful. No computer troubles and frustrations. More time for other things. Less random voices bouncing around in my head.
After two weeks without a computer, I can better see the good and bad of the internet and computer. Certainly it allows one to access a lot of information. At the same time, perhaps it allows us to access too much information. I need to set limits. I need to surf less. I need to visit fewer blogs and visit them less often. I need less random voices bouncing around in my head.
The internet also helps us connect with others. And yet often this is rather shallow. I know what people are doing on Facebook, but how well do I really know most of them? I have already determined I want to check my e-mail less often and Facebook even less. I want to spend more time with my family and less time with my computer.
The internet can also be a powerful platform for presenting ideas. I blog to share thoughts with others. Yet I need to take a break from time to time to just listen. And I need to care less about my stats. The irony is – though I haven’t written for almost three weeks in August, August will turn out to be one of the top three months for people seeing this blog. Go figure!
Bottom line: The internet is a wonderful tool that can become almost god-like in our lives if we let it. I don’t need to check my e-mail, Facebook, blog one more time. I don’t need to surf other blogs so often. It won’t make my day any better. It will probably just add more random voices to my already full head.
Do you find yourself always on the computer, checking e-mail or Facebook several times a day, spending hours surfing the web? I recommend a computer fast to regain some perspective. You might be surprised at how wonderful life can be without it – without so many random thoughts bouncing around in your head!
Blog Break
Just a quick note to say I am taking the next two weeks off from blogging. I feel like I need a break. I’ll be back the 26th to continue the three passions conversation.
Brian J. Mikul 