Juarez, Mexico

Juarez, Mexico, bordering El Paso, Texas
Originally uploaded by hanneorla.

Our church has a ministry that we partner with in Juarez called Broken Hearts Ministries. Jim and Peggy Warren, who head up this ministry, serve the people of Juarez by presenting Christ to them and by working with them in their areas of need. Jim and Peggy also served the EFCA in New Orleans for six months by coordinating the service trips to the devastated area.

A small team from our church, including myself, are heading down to Juarez. I hate leaving my incredible wife, especially with the baby on the way, but this should be an exciting trip.

My Spanish is a bit rusty. I remember how to ask for the bathroom and how to tell others that my shoe is blue, but beyond that I am struggling.

If you are a reader of my ramblings on this blog, I would appreciate your prayers for this trip. I simply ask that our Lord would be glorified by the changed lives - theirs and ours.

Grace and peace,

2 Timothy 4 - Loving His appearing

Swansea Marina at Sunrise
Originally uploaded by Sean Bolton.

Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. - 2 Timothy 4:8 (ESV)

While this verse seems to tip the 'appearing' to Christ's return, I could see this referring back to His first appearing as seen in v 1:10 (and thus dragging the 4:1 'appearing' with it). The part that struck me wasn't which 'appearing' Paul is talking about, but loving this appearing.

There is a crown for those who loved His appearing. Not a love that was once held but now is gone. Instead a love that has been established in the heart of the lover. And the object of this love - His appearing. Jesus in all His glory revealed is the recipient of this love.

In one sense, it doesn't matter which appearing Paul is talking about here, either first or second. We are, in fact, to love both. We love both because we love our Lord.

What do I long for? Where does my desire rest? The possibility of not paying bills or having car problems? A corruption-free and efficient government? No, our hope must rest of Christ alone. We must love His appearance in our lives; we must eagerly await His return for us.

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - review

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is a short book about a guy who transforms into a rather nasty creature. I guess I kind of knew the tale, but I had never read (or listened) to it. Friday was my day off, so I did just that (to the neglect of my other books - but I was also able to listen and do a bit of plumbing as well). Much like other works published in the 1800's, this story is filled with detail. This particular story involves very little action but has quite a bit of conversation.

- Spoiler alert -

I was surprised that the story wound up being a lesson on the nature of sin: it's intrigue and then it's enslaving power.

- Spoilers end here -

I got this audio off of librivox.org, a nice website for free classical works - highly recommended. The contributors that I have heard are excellent.

2 Timothy 3 - Warnings about love and godliness

...lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. - 2 Timothy 3:4-5 (ESV)

This is a good warning about others and a firm rebuke to the state of our own souls.

1) The King James says “lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God” (emphasis mine) where as almost every other translation reads "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." Interesting, but what's the point?

There is a way to enjoy the things in this world in such a way as it glorifies the Creator. By enjoying our Creator first, I believe we can legitimately and more fully enjoy that which He has made. But there is another pseudo-satisfaction that can be had from the stuff of earth, but in the end our desire for it supplants our desire for God.

While the transition from 'more than' in the KJV to 'rather than' in the NKJV, NASB, ESV, NIV, etc. was probably done on grammatical grounds, it highlights an important point. God is to be loved fully, not partially. There isn't a scale that reads - "you loved God more than golf today, so you're OK" or "you have loved God for 2 hours so you can only watch TV for 2 hours otherwise your life is out of balance." No, if we are to love God, TV and golf must be enjoyed to His glory or they replace love that should be going towards God.


2) (Especially after some conversations I had today) We must be careful who we follow. There are a bunch of people who appear to be doing good stuff, but yet the is a serious disconnect from the cross.

May our godliness be from the power of Christ - not just an illusion fabricated for the benefit of others, an apparition to placate our own delusions.

When the Darkness Will Not Lift - review

When the Darkness Will Not Lift by John Piper is an expansion of a chapter from his larger work, When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight For Joy. It is an excellent and brief (only 79 pages) book on the Christian who struggles with feelings of despair and melancholy. Rather than summarize, I gave some snippets that give you a taste of the book's flavor.


Where should you start? Start at the easiest place for those in darkness. Start with despair. Despair of finding any answer in yourself. I pray that you will cease from all efforts to look inside yourself for the rescue you need. I pray that you will do what only desperate people can do, namely, cast yourself on Christ. (p 21)

It is utterly crucial that in our darkness we affirm the wise, strong hand of God to hold us, even when we have no strength to hold him. (p 37)

Stop looking at your faith, and rivet your attention on Christ. Faith is sustained by looking at Christ, crucified and risen, not by turning from Christ to analyze your faith. (p 41)

We must say that joy is part of your duty. The Bible says, “Rejoice always” (1 Thess. 5:16). And in regard to the duty of giving, it says, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). In regard to the duty of service, it says, “Serve the Lord with gladness” (Ps. 100:2). In regard to the duty of mercy, it says do it “with cheerfulness” (Rom. 12:8). In regard to the duty of afflictions, it says, “Count it all joy” (James 1:2). (p 49)

Be sure to thank God as you work that he has given you at least the will to work. ... Your aim in loosing your tongue with words of gratitude is that God would be merciful and fill your words with the emotion of true gratitude. You are not seeking the praise of men; you are seeing the mercy of God. You are not hiding the hardness of ingratitude, but hoping for the inbreaking of the Spirit. (p 51)

Sometimes the darkness of our souls is owing in part to the fact that we have drifted into patterns of life that are not blatantly sinful but are constricted and uncaring. ... Paradoxically, depressed persons may say that they must care for themselves and cannot take on the problems of the world, when in fact part of the truth may be that their depression is feeding on the ingrown quality of their lives. (pp 61-2)

I would mention in particular the life-giving, joy-producing effect of sharing your faith with unbelievers by word and deed. ... Joy in Christ thrives on being shared. That is the essence of Christian joy: It overflows or dies. (pp 64-5)


If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Isaiah 58:11-12 (ESV)


The book can be read online or downloaded for free at Desiring God .

Your accent

Having lived in Chicago and South Carolina for a while and now living in northern Iowa, I've wondered how much my 'accent' from Missouri has changed. Not enough to move me out of my region of origin. Take the quiz yourself. (HT: Matt B)

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Midland   "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent." You probably are from the Midland (Pennsylvania, southern Ohio, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, and Missouri) but then for all we know you could be from Florida or Charleston or one of those big southern cities like Atlanta or Dallas. You have a good voice for TV and radio.
The West
Boston
North Central
The Inland North
The South
Philadelphia
The Northeast
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Good to Great - review

Good to Great by Jim Collins analyzes eleven companies that made the jump from good to great. To provide some perspective, Collins includes eleven direct comparison companies that did not make the leap. The research is well documented throughout the book and there is considerable discussion as to which companies were chosen and why.

Collins and his team of researchers make 7 observations of what these good to great companies had: level 5 leadership (a humble yet driven leader), assembling (or recognizing) the team then figuring out what to do, willingness to look at the facts, simple (yet defined) concepts, discipline, proper use and understanding of technology, and a slow, steady build-up.

One part that struck me was Hedgehog Concept - being centered around a simple idea. The hedgehog only has one defense - roll up in a ball. But this simple defense always withstands the attacks by the creative fox. While there were three parameters that govern this concept, simply being focused made it easy for these companies to say yes and no to opportunities. This saved them from the disaster that often accompanied the comparison companies.

This book was recommended by a friend and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It proves out concepts of humility, focus, determination, and discipline versus getting rich all of a sudden by one good idea. This book, even though it was written later, is actually a prequel to Collin's other famous work - Built to Last.

2 Timothy 2 - Two inscriptions

But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity." - 2 Timothy 2:19 (ESV)

Paul gives a moment of clarity following a tempest of direction and personal experience. This starts out with a firm foundation, most likely the foundation of truth, which the others have swerved from (v 18). Written upon this unmoving rock are two complementary parts.

The first part is God's comprehensive knowledge of His chosen. God is not confused or deceived about which people are His, even if such things become difficult for us. Secondly, those that are truly followers of Christ should desire to depart from iniquity. Our relationship to the Holy God compels us towards personal holiness.

The Drama of Doctrine - review

The Drama of Doctrine by Kevin J. Vanhoozer is not for the faint of heart! In fact, Vanhoozer gives some directions for how to even read this thick tome in the preface. But the material is excellent, even if it isn't the most accessible book I've ever read. He gives everyone their voice and the footnotes bear this out. There are better reviews than I could give on this book (see below) so I will give a brief overview with some of the things that struck me.

The book is divided into four parts: The drama: The Gospel (Part One),The script: Scripture (Part Two), The dramaturge: Theologians (Part Three), The performance: The believers as the actors (Part Four). "The drama of doctrine is about refining the dross of textual knowledge into the gold of Christian wisdom by putting one's understanding of the Scriptures into practice. ... The proper end of the drama of doctrine is wisdom: lived knowledge, a performance of the truth." p 21

Personally, I was challenged to not have a reductionistic view of Scripture and understanding the importance of illumination by the Holy Spirit. Vanhoozer shows the significance of Sola Scriptura as it pertains to the church (a concern given the events of the past week - 1, 2, and 3 to give you a start). The point of Scripture is performance (versus simply knowledge) and, so that Scripture might be rightly performed, we must understand both church history and contemporary culture. In the final pages, he gives some examples with the doctrine of creation, human beings, and the atonement. The analogy to drama was helpful (rather detailed also) and he carries this analogy all the way through the book.

For a couple of lectures given by Vanhoozer that go over the material in this book, visit Asbury Seminary's website and subscribe to their podcast. He was their Theta Phi lecturer for this year. Also, Andreas Köstenberger’s review of this book is insightful (with a helpful response by Kevin Vanhoozer).

2 Timothy 1 - Friends in a bar fight

You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. - 2 Timothy 1:15-16 (ESV)

Here there are two types of friends.

The first set are those who proclaim their loyalty and commitment only to back away when times get tough. They are cheerleaders in good times and your worst enemies in bad times. Paul's friends from Asia (probably people that came to Rome with him and probably from Ephesus and churches around that region), including people of some significance (Phygelus and Hermogenes), left him alone to rot in jail.

The second set are people who will back you in a bar fight. In a bar fight, it is tough to say who started what. You got drunk people bumping into one another and trying to figure out what everyone else is thinking. Some people get mean when they get drunk. Throw into the mix a bit of history or jealousy and fights can just break out. In a bar fight, loyalty triumphs. True friends will come to your side in a bar fight. False friends let you get beat.

Onesiphorus and his family were a true friends. Onesiphorus (which means help-bringer!) came to Paul's aid in Ephesus and now searched hard to find him in a Roman prison. When it got tough, he came to the fight. This is the type of friend we need; this is the type of friend we need to be.

1 Timothy 6 - Guard the deposit

O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. - 1 Timothy 6:20

I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. - 2 Timothy 1:12

By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. - 2 Timothy 1:14 (ESV)


Protecting the good that has been entrusted to us. When one considers the scope of these two letters, the 'deposit' probably refers to the doctrine that Paul has passed down to Timothy. A couple of points:

First, there is an interesting interplay between having good doctrine and unity within the church. Not one to the exclusion of the other, but both. Without good doctrine you may get quite a few people under the same banner, but what can such a banner really say? This deposit is worth keeping, worth protecting, worth passing down.

Second, the protecting work is not by our sheer will, but it the work that God does in Christ and by the Holy Spirit. God is interested in protecting this deposit as well.