Beauty from the Heart

In Things Difficult and Dangerous

2009-07-06T06:01:00.000-07:00

"It is a vain thing to say we love Christ if we slight His commands. Does that child love his father who refused to obey him? If we love God, we shall obey Him in things difficult and things dangerous.

Forgiving our enemies is hard. We are apt to forget kindnesses and remember injuries, but if we love God, we shall leave behind offences. When we seriously consider how many affronts and provocations He has put up with at our hands, this makes us copy Him and endeavor to bury an injury than retaliate it.

Love made Christ suffer for us. Love was the chain that fastened Him to the cross. If we love God, we shall be willing to suffer for Him. Love is the most suffering grace. It will suffer reproaches, bonds, and imprisonments for Christ's sake. Love will carry men out above their own strength. How did divine affection carry the early saints above the love of life and the fear of death? These divine heroes were willing to suffer rather than by their cowardice to make the name of God suffer. They refused to come out of prison on sinful terms.

Many will not forgo the least comfort or undergo the least cross for His sake. May not Christ suspect us when we pretend to love Him and yet will endure nothing for Him?"

-Thomas Watson, A Divine Cordial

The Theologian With a Pacifier

2009-07-02T06:57:00.000-07:00

Picture this.

A famous theologian (think Augustine + Calvin + Spurgeon + Edwards + insert-your-favorite-Bible-hero-here all rolled into one) is standing on a street corner. A lady scooting a baby stroller nods to him as she passes; everyone knows he’s one of the most spiritual men around. The lady stoops to pick up the pacifier she accidentally dropped on the ground. As she’s stooping, her baby—scratch that, it’s a toddler—jumps out of the stroller and rambles into the street. The lady and theologian look on in horror as the 5 o’ clock bus rounds the corner and closes the gap between its tires and the toddler in the street.

The lady screams and makes a dive for the baby. The theologian, who is closer to the toddler and the street, thinks faster and calculates that saving the toddler isn’t worth possibly injuring himself. So out of the Pharisaical goodness of his heart, the theologian stops and picks up the pacifier.

Question: Is he worth his spurs as a theologian? Of course not. He's a jerk. But here’s a little more difficult question: can the theologian have good theology and act so selfishly?

Tougher question. At first blush, we’d probably say that the man’s theology shouldn’t be invalidated by his own miserliness. You can’t jab an entire creed because of one imperfect representative. On the other hand, if theology is our view of God that supposedly impacts every aspect of our lives, then we have no choice. We must question the man’s theology if he acts wrongly. We’ve got to wonder what he honestly believes about God, human life, and himself if he doesn’t bat an eyelid at the danger to the toddler at his feet.

While I’ve made up this scenario, it’s something we see all the time-- professing Christians who fall into sexual immorality, respected pastors coming out of the closet, or our own selves taking a fall to pride. How does this happen?

I suspect that we can have a flawless statement of faith and still be heretics. We may check off on our theological list “the chief end of man is to glorify God” and yet secretly scramble for all the praise we can get. Our hearts may not actually line up to the list of points we think we believe. Our actions reveal our true theology.

So how do we know we truly hold to good theology? There's no math equation for having a right heart. Ultimately, we have to renew our minds continually in Scripture. We must question our motives when we sin and ask what lie we're believing that makes sin look attractive.

In the end, good theology compels us to duck and run back towards the cross. As Vern Poythress wrote, “The power of the Christian faith is the power of the cross, power in human weakness, the power of God’s love.” It’s not the arrogance of knowing it all or thinking we have our spiritual ducks in a row. Good theology leads us to the Rock that is higher than ourselves-- and then to prove its strength by hanging all we have upon it.

Update: Tyler Farver

2009-06-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

"When I thought, 'My foot slips,' your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul." (Psalm 94:18-19)

We thought that those of you who have been praying so faithfully for my brother, Tyler, would like to know the very latest news. Yesterday, he was taken once again to the ER (for the third time this week) because of some concern over his drainage tube coming out.

Following more tests, Tyler was released from the hospital, but continued having intense nausea. This morning, a we received a phone call from his surgeon, requesting that Tyler immediately return to the hospital. (The surgeon suspects that something was missed in yesterday's tests.)

Now, Tyler is again in a hospital room, facing the possibility of having more tubes inserted (requiring surgery) and experiencing a painful déjà vu. After so many weeks at home, it's a disappointment to have to go back to the hospital. Please pray for endurance and peace. This has been a rough week.

Thank you so very, very much for praying for my brother. You are so kind to think of us. I'll try to continue posting updates as they come. God has been so gracious. We've been amazed at His marvelous works on our behalf. We know that whatever happens, He is good and right.

UPDATE: 4/18, 10:45 AM. Tyler is still in the hospital. Word is that he will remain there for observation until Monday. Last night he had a fever--which is concerning--but hopefully test results today will offer new insights.

REVISED: 4/19, 9:26 PM. Wonderful news! The surgeon told Tyler that there was no reason to continue keeping him at the hospital. Tyler has been discharged and is coming home earlier than expected. He's on the mend--which is amazing and miraculous when I think back to where we were only a couple of months ago.

Thanks for praying. You cannot know how much of a hope-boosting thing it has been for us to know our brothers and sisters in the Lord have lifted us up continually in prayer.

UPDATE: 6/23, 3:19 PM. Tyler received word from a specialist today that he will need another procedure this Thursday. Apparently the connection between his pancreas and stomach is blocked, which impedes further healing. The doctors are considering the possibility of another surgery--something we are praying will not need to happen. Another surgery would mean another huge incision across Tyler's abdomen, which also means virtually starting the entire healing process/hospital stay over again.

UPDATE: 6/30, 9:44 PM. Tyler is scheduled for surgery on Monday. The doctors on his case have agreed that surgery is the wisest plan. Tomorrow, Ty will return to the hospital for testing (to give the doctors as much information as possible preceding the operation). Then on Sunday, he'll will be re-admitted to the hospital in preparation for Monday's all-day surgery.

If you think of us, please be in prayer for Tyler and our family. Tyler is at peace with having another operation, but it's very tempting for all of us to give in to anxiety and discouragement.

"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? Or who has given a gift to Him that He might be repaid? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen."-Romans 11:33-36

(For previous updates on Tyler Farver's condition, click here.)

What Spike Taught Me

2009-06-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

Lindsey, Naomi Lumpkin (BftH worship leader) and Grace Farver in front of the U.S. Capitol--affectionately nicknamed "Spike" by Hannah's little sisters.

When Hannah and I were in D.C. last week, I was able to visit the the Capitol for the first time. It was a wonderful experience, but neither the greatness of our nation nor architectural prowess left me in the most awe.

Our tour guide ushered us into an opulent room with a dome-shaped, gorgeously ornate ceiling. With our necks arched back to gawk, he rattled off a brilliant-sounding Latin phrase that someone important had given to describe it-- "the glorification of Washington," he translated. We stepped into the adjacent hall and the tour went on, but the words jammed themselves in my brain.

Glorify. "To extol; to honor, praise or admire." With that definition, political leaders aren't the only ones we bestow with pedestals of glory. Church fathers, missionaries, pastors, authors, musicians, doctors, athletes, actors, boyfriends, girlfriends-- no title is exempt. This is what we do. Our natural propensity is to exalt.

But something struck me, as I read the brief encapsulations beneath the Capitol's many statues. Though the legacy of our founding fathers was notable-- their sheer finiteness still wins the day.

George Washington, hero though he was, is dead as an unknown beggar. For all Benjamin Franklin's genius, he's now little more than a face on a $100 bill. Passing one historical figure after another, I was reminded of their earthly absence. Above everything else, the colossal smallness of human beings bowled me over in that tour.

When fancy domes and statues mark the highest earthly reverence that dead men can attain--how significant is "Washington's glorification", really? How is it even remotely logical to desire the spotlight for the spotlight's own sake, when even the highest fame and fanfare mean less than nothing after death?

Even if such accolades could be appreciated by the dead, they're attainable by only a sliver of the population. My name isn't ever going to be in a history book. I'll never join the ranks of marble greats in DC. A few generations after my death, no one at all is going to remember that a girl named Lindsey Wagstaffe ever lived and breathed.

Truth has a way of resizing us.

And this makes me think. If the highest forms of human glory are nothing, and if each of us will slip out of remembrance before long-- what are the day-in, day-out ramifications for normal people like you and I? What-- or who-- is left to exalt?

Only One.

The face of the past looks different, viewed through these lens. All those men who've "changed the course of history", as we're told in books? Yes, they were given roles to play, and many were used of God to accomplish great things-- but "changing history" seems a mite overstated. Even the greatest leaders fall under the sovereign will of God; "the king's heart is like a watercourse in the hand of God-- He directs it wherever He pleases." All their greatest accomplishments, ultimately, must be attributed to the One who supplied them breath, ideas, and the will to carry them out.

The face of the present changes too. What of those pastors, authors, and missionaries who rally us to action? Every gift they've been given came from the Father. Any holiness in their lives-- any truth proceeding from their mouths-- is all His workmanship. And the scientists and artists who amaze us with their ingenuity? Every ounce of their intellect came from the God who is all-wise. As John Piper put it in The Pleasures of God, "to treat any subject without reference to God's glory is not scholarship, but insurrection."

Our pride is forced to wilt when God is gazed upon. Placing fellow human beings on pedestals becomes unthinkable-- how can we, while cognizant that it is God who's acting through them? More personally still: if I truly believe that God is the one who enables men to serve Him, can I ever take credit when something I do comes off well?

Only God deserves to be glorified for every good, praiseworthy act ever accomplished. We will return to dust, but He will remain forever: He alone, whose Name is above all others.

2009-06-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

At our last conference, I was asked to post our definition of purity online. (We used this definition at the conference as a springboard for our session on purity. It's by no means complete, but may be helpful if you're interested in delving into the topic further.)

Attached below is also a copy of a modesty resource sheet we distributed at the conference. Enjoy!

Purity Definition // Modesty Check

As We Meet New Highways...

2009-06-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

As we're in Richmond, Virginia this week, preparing for our last conference of the summer, we've found ourselves completely devoid of theological post ideas. Instead, we wanted to catch you up on some of the not-so-conference related stuff we've done. To be more precise, we haven't done these things. They're more like situations that have come flying at us, making us want to run away screaming.

But we digress.

A week after Lindsey's arrival, word spread quickly through the household that a rattlesnake was in the backyard. Sure enough, as we all piled around the backyard fence to witness the excitement, we heard the whirring of the rattlesnake's tail. The snake was very ready to strike our dog and anyone else who ventured near, when Dad shot the trespasser.

Lindsey then posed for a very candid souvenir. (We may or may not have since discovered the snake was an endangered species...but that's not relevant.)

Only days later, we filed out of the car and into the hotel lobby in Washington, D.C. After less than twenty minutes in the city, we saw a man in front of us pull a gun on a woman who was attempting to hijack his car. The next day, Hannah and Naomi (our conference music leader) were chased through the streets by a stranger.

Why do we tell you these stories? Well...we don't really have a reason. Surely there is some didactic point we could pull out, but that could be very lame. So, we won't. We will highly recommend locking car doors and carrying pepper spray--but that's all we can come up with. We look forward to sharing some news/musings as these travels conclude and hope very much to meet some of you in person!

Two Ways We Live

2009-06-15T06:46:00.000-07:00

Tim Keller, in his book The Prodigal God ("prodigal" defined as "recklessly extravagant and "having spent everything,") gives some insightful commentary on the story of the Prodigal Son. He explains how the actions of the flagrantly immoral younger brother and the unforgiving attitude of his older brother demonstrate two patterns for sin: Outright disobedience or legalism, coming from the motive of trying to manipulate for the father's favor.

Keller wrote, "Do you realize, then, what Jesus is teaching? Neither son loved the father for himself. They both were using the father for their own self-centered ends rather than loving, enjoying and serving him for his own sake. (page 36)

"Elder brothers obey God to get things. They don't obey God to get God Himself--in order to resemble Him, love Him, know Him, and delight Him. So religious and moral people can be avoiding Jesus as Savior and Lord as much as the younger brothers who say they don't believe in God and define right and wrong for themselves." (page 42, 43)

Are you a prodigal son--openly rejecting the love of the father? Are you the older brother who obeys the father out of selfishness, hoping to receive a good, cushy life in return? Or are you both?

(The picture is a detail from "The Prodigal Son in Modern Life: The Return" by James Joseph Jacques Tissot.)

Starting When You Look Up

2009-06-13T08:12:00.000-07:00

"God knows you better than you know yourself. He knows just how small and frail you are. He knows you're just one person, and a tiny one at that. He knows all the things that you are not--and He made you that way for a purpose. That's why He has never asked you to be more than you are--little you with a great big God.

But God also is in touch with just how potent He is, desiring to do huge, God-sized things through you if you're ready to abandon the path of making more of self and embrace the miracle of being small, yet knowing His name.

It all starts when you look up."

-Louie Giglio, I Am Not But I Know I AM.

(Photo of nebula NGC 2818, taken by the Hubble telescope. It's 10,000 lightyears away from Earth.)

Give Us This Day...

2009-06-10T06:52:00.000-07:00

The widow of Zarephath is one of my favorite Bible stories.

She’s hunting down kindling to cook her last meal and kissing life goodbye. Then she meets Elijah. He asks for food. “But sir, I have next to nothing myself,” she says. He promises the bizarre—an unthinkable, never-before-seen miracle from Heaven. For some reason, she trusts him enough to give him all she has. (I Kings 17.)

The spectacular takes place. Her jars of oil and flour never seem to run out. While they’re never mentioned as overflowing in obvious abundance, day by day, they never empty. She is given enough.

There is a common theme woven through the Bible about “daily bread.” In the early days of Israel, God fed manna from Heaven. The people were only to take enough for that day, not storing up for later. In Matthew Henry’s commentary, he said: “They called it...'Manna’…which means ‘what is this?’…It is a portion; it is that which our God has allotted us, and we will take it, and be thankful.” Hundreds of years later, King David praises God for being His “portion.” And even later, Jesus tells his disciples to ask God for their daily bread.

What is all this on portions, bread, and an unending oil supply? Often, it would appear, God gives us only what is needed for the day. Granted, there are occasions in which God seems to shake a piñata over our heads and showers of abundant blessings fall; in fact, not long after the widow of Zarephath was provided oil day-by-day, yet another widow was instantly given barrels and barrels of oil by God. She didn’t have to wait daily to witness God’s faithfulness. Oil came bubbling forth until she had filled every jug and pan her village would lend her. But God does not always operate like this.

For the most part, it seems that the first widow’s story is the “norm.” She wasn’t provided for with millions right off the bat. In the midst of her Titanic-sunk economic situation, she probably still had other wants to be met; but God met her biggest needs day by day.

This concept still goes. In my own life, I’ve prayed for certain outcomes (like a smooth, stressless day). Had I known beforehand what the outcome actually was going to be—that my day would be more like the perfect storm than the perfect day-- I probably would have panicked. But when those moments arrive, so does He, with strength and grace enough.

Beauty from the Heart: Dallas '09

2009-06-07T20:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked our first full-day Beauty from the Heart conference. We were thrilled to meet with so many of you. (If you have pictures from the conference and want to add them to the pool, please email us!)

We were especially excited to feature booths at the conference from two ministries, The Way of the Master and Sower of Seeds International. You can follow up with Sower of Seeds at our project page or at www.sowerofseeds.org. If you met Trish from The Way of the Master, I'm sure she'd love to hear from you at her blog (Fish with Trish).

"We Are Still Yours..."

2009-06-02T06:30:00.000-07:00

A love is ringing in my ears.
I have been taken by the One
Who I was made to love.
Captured free.
Through violent force I was consumed
By the Great Affection.
Eaten, swallowed whole
Til I am no more;
Once again subdued
By the terrible, unutterable
Tenderness of God.
How could any other way be half so sweet?

A new song has been posted on the Beauty from the Heart Band Virb page! In case you didn't see the update, this worship album is a project that we're excited to be releasing at our conferences this June. The music was chiefly written and performed by Naomi Lumpkin and Gabrielle Elliot, two dear gals who are helping lead worship at the conferences.

The new song, entitled "Half So Sweet" is based on two free verse poems, one of which is pasted above and another, which is here. Tell me what you think:

At the oceans edge
My feet wandered o'er white sand
Shells bit at my feet
The houses of dead clams--
But everything around me screamed
"ALIVE!"

It's funny to think; to sit upon a beach
Watch the water thunder
Collapse breathlessly at my feet
Foam swirling with lethal power on waves
Tickle my toes

I have floated thus far.
I have lost sight of the lights.
I have known loneliness to bite
When we are most weak.

And still...
When I find myself crippled on the sand
Waves licking at my ears,
Threatening to suck me in,
The heart still beats.

I have found (oh, at last!)
I have found the Joy
Not in sunlit skies or rainbows
Not in waves subservient to my will
I have found the Joy
In the unlikeliest places

On the sand

In the rain

When we are still Yours

In spite of everything.

Genocide in the Bible

2009-05-29T07:34:00.000-07:00

If Christianity was only a myth fabricated by men, and if I’d been given a hand in crafting some of the books of the Old and New Testaments, I know this as fact: I would never have depicted God the way the Bible does.

The Troubling God We Worship

For instance— the killing of men, women, and children, sprinkled frequently throughout the Old Testament. Nothing less than genocide.

I can accept the deaths of the pagan men. Their wives give me momentary pause, before I acknowledge their equal sin-guilt. But the children? Infants? My gut-reaction screams “They’re innocent!” Why couldn’t Israel have taken the children into their own camp, and raised them to fear God? How is the mass killing of children—born within nations no more idolatrous than our own—any different from abortion?

And that’s a comparatively simple example; I read 2 Samuel 24 yesterday. It wasn’t vague. I couldn’t dismiss it, couldn’t explain it away.

To summarize: God “incites David” to take a census. Once it is taken, God convicts David that he has sinned greatly in taking the census. David repents, broken. God offers three options for his punishment: Famine, plague, or the sword against Israel. David begs that God do whatever He sees fit—and God sees fit to annihilate 70,000 Jews by pestilence.

Stories like these make me swallow hard, as my sense of morality protests.

Four Common Reactions

1.) Choosing ignorance. It takes effort to work through these things, and we can spare ourselves mental exertion and confusion by simply focusing on the parts of God’s character that are easy to sing about.

2.) Working to reason the uncomfortable away with theological Twister. We can recast God as a cuddly, tame Being who agrees with us… never-minding that we’re flirting with blasphemy and developing a false view of God.

3.) Sinking into perplexity and doubt. Is God really good? Is He truly holy? Is He worthy of our trust— and praise?

4.) Shaking our fists, demanding answers. “When I get to heaven”, we gripe, “I’m going to have a few serious questions for Him.” In extremes, we even go so far as to accuse Him of being unjust.

Pride is the core issue here: each response reflects an underlying exalted view of ourselves and a weak, inadequate view of God.

Humbling Ourselves Under The Mighty Hand of God

God is God. He's the founder of morality— He cannot sin or err. We have no basis for ethics at all apart from Him; how can we object to any of His actions on any ground?

I said earlier that my sense of morality protests when I encounter these difficult passages. And there’s the key word: sense.

When I find my first reaction differing with God’s, I’m never in the right. Whenever I begin to raise my head in dissent, I can know without doubt that my “sense” of morality is flawed in that area, and must be re-aligned in short order.

In the end, such biblical quandaries can only be resolved by acknowledging who God is, and who we are in contrast. It isn't a cop-out. It's the essence of true humility, and it's the only right posture we can adopt every time we approach God and His Word.

As I mulled over this, my thoughts went back to Job. Here is a man faced with an intensely personal case where the unfairness of God seems to be on full display. God silences his complaint,

“Will you even put Me in the wrong? Will you condemn Me that you may be in the right? Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like His?

Who then is he who can stand before Me? Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.” Job 40:8-9, 41:10-11

I am not the Just Judge. I am not the Holy One. I am corrupt—and I can see but a glimpse of the majesty of God. As such, my only response must always be one of acceptance and submission: You are right, You are just, You are holy; I am none of these.

Still— still, we would like to think that the human race deserves something from the hand of God. Surely even sinners deserve to be given water, food, health, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness from their Creator.

We don't. No one does. But self-entitlement is so deeply ingrained in us that we have difficulty stretching our minds over truth: God owes nothing to the people He puts breath in. He can take away that breath whenever and however He pleases.

There is a greater tragedy than the death of any man, woman, or child. It takes place every day that men, women, and children refuse to bow in worship to the God who created them— when the Son of Man who went to the Cross is not lifted up and exalted in their hearts. This, not death or genocide, is the ultimate travesty.

Related posts:

On Modern Wishy-Washiness

2009-05-26T06:21:00.000-07:00

“The biblical story of the perfect and finished creation from which human beings fell into sin is pre-Darwinian mythology and post-Darwinian nonsense.
“The miracle stories of the New Testament can no longer be interpreted in a post-Newtonian world as Supernatural events performed by an incarnate deity.”

As I was searching through Wikipedia, I stumbled across these tenets on the bio page of an influential American bishop. His bio page read like a catechism would-- if you crossed out each doctrine with a red pen. In summary, this bishop openly proclaims that the Resurrection is a metaphor, the Cross comes from a “barbaric” and “primitive” concept of God, prayer is impossible, and the Ascension of Christ back to Heaven is “not capable of being translated into the concepts of a post-Copernican space age.” What’s then left of Christianity? I don’t know. You tell me.

What struck me as I read this man’s list of “Things Not to Believe,” was how many statements he made based on the fact that we live in the 21^st century. Supernatural events are impossible in an era following the life of Isaac Newton. The story of the Cross was the fairytale of a primitive people (something we modern people cannot possibly be). Heaven is a dumb idea, now that Copernicus taught us about space. Since Charles Darwin, Eden has become nonsense. Apparently God needs to be replaced with “Deity 2.0.” We have evolved past Him.

Strangely, after reading through the bishop’s statement of faith (or lack thereof), I was not motivated to rebut him. I didn’t want to research an opposing argument. I didn’t even care to try; because there was simply no competition between the man’s religion and Biblical Christianity. He touted a sanitized, anemic version of Christianity, drained of hope in the eternal and more about not knowing anything for sure than anything else. The man proposed Christianity only after doing away with Christ. Who wants that? What kind of attraction does that kind of religion hold? I don't get it.

Really, if you think about it, the man’s creed is just what Christianity would become without the Bible. If we take away Scripture, we pull out the carpet from beneath our faith and end up sounding plain ol’ ridiculous. Without a high view of the Word, we lose all the reasons for believing in Christianity in the first place.

But the Bible, applied rightly, changes everything. It can make run-of-the-mill sinners into passionate, grateful worshipers (a supernatural miracle in itself.) Plus, He promises that His word "shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose..." (Isaiah 55:11) Everybody else may follow fads of post-Newtonian and post-Darwinian thought, inevitably wearing out like an old pair of socks, but He is "the same," and His "years have no end." (Psalm 102:26.)

Only the words from Him will last; and only His words can transform men. As Spurgeon exclaimed in a sermon,

"Such a man never has a cold heart or a slack hand who is much in meditation with his Lord Jesus; his heart comes to be like a mass of molten lead. …if this man should be a preacher, he will preach with holy power; his heart being hot, his words will burn their way into his hearers' hearts. Nor will it end there, but this hot heart will soon make a hot hand, and the man who once has his soul full of Christ will not have his hand empty for Christ. Now he will work; now he will preach for Christ; now he will pray, now he will plead with sinners; now he will be in earnest; now he will weep; now he will agonize; now he will wrestle with the angel, and now he will prevail; for, as the fire burneth, his whole being gets into a glow; and the man, like a pillar of fire, warms those who are found about him, burns his way to the glory of success, and gives his Master fresh renown.”

There really is no competition, is there?

"Half So Sweet" Album

2009-05-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

"Rise up O Church of God
Have done with lesser things
Give heart and mind and soul and strength
To serve the King of kings..."

I have several new songs lodged firmly within my cranium at present. (This may be caused by the fact that I have clicked "repeat" with unusual vigor while on the Virb website.) Happily for me, I don't really mind, because the songs are filled with thoughtful lyrics and beautiful vocals.

What on earth am I talking about? Ladies and...ladies, I am thrilled to announce: the long-awaited (for me) , much-anticipated worship album by the BftH Band.

Wait, you're thinking. They have a band?

Not really--at least not in the general sense of the term. We don't have a band that practices in our garage or ever wants to "make it big." It just so happens that earlier this year, when we asked two amazing, Christ-loving friends of ours (who happened to be brilliant musicians) to lead worship at our conferences, someone (we can't remember who) hatched an idea to make an album of original worship songs, in conjunction with Studio T.

I'm so excited about the results. I hope these songs bless you as they have blessed me. A couple sample songs from the album are posted on our Virb player, http://virb.com/beautyfromtheheartband. (The albums will be available at our conferences in June.)

On another note, our Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart book giveaway concludes today. Our final winner is Olivia E. Enjoy the book, Olivia!

In Which Lindsey Flies to Texas...

2009-05-20T08:32:00.000-07:00

After terrifying her mother and I with the prospect that she might've gotten on the wrong plane (she did, in fact, have a connecting flight in Phoenix that no one knew about until she landed in Phoenix), Lindsey arrived in Texas last night. Needless to say, posting may be light for the rest of this week. We're delighted to be able to visit and...well, we confess that we'll mostly be working on the conferences. (But "business trips" can be fun, right?)

In the meantime, Lindsey and I were interviewed for the Real Teen Faith blog a few weeks ago. Debra Weiss, a teen staff-writer for the site, asked very hard-hitting questions. One of Lindsey's answers I particularly liked, as it was pretty thought provoking for me too.

"DW: I have three younger sisters. One of them is nine and I’ve always wondered how do you leave behind a legacy not of physical beauty but of spiritual beauty, a beauty that does indeed come from the heart. Any thoughts on how we as girls can influence our younger sisters?
Lindsey: Oh, that’s a convicting one. I have two younger sisters also (ages 12 and 8), so this question really resonates with me; I’m always asking it too.

As the oldest, it’s been so important for me to recognize just how much our younger sisters do imitate us. We even have the potential to set the mood of a day by our example!

I’ve found that it also means a lot to my sisters when I spend one-on-one “sister time” with them. Sometimes that involves chats in our beds (we’ll share a room), delirious late-night fits of giggling, and serious conversations with probing questions to get beneath the surface. (Spilling my own guts makes it easier for them to show the same vulnerability, too.)

We can take initiative with prayer, reading the Bible aloud, discussing biblical truths and principles throughout the day, encouraging them for fruit in their lives, sharing new truths that God is teaching us, listening to them, and– this one has proved so important with my sisters and I– being quick to acknowledge personal failure. It’s humbling when I have to apologize to my eight-year-old sister– but it’s so necessary, and the softening results I’ve witnessed are immediate.

Our younger sisters don’t expect us to be perfect or want us to pretend we are. Actually, on the contrary, I think it’s a far greater, more influential witness to the power of the Cross for them to see our reliance on God’s grace slowly transforming us more into His image. The main thing, I believe, is simply to live with obvious, genuine, consuming passion for Christ and the Gospel.

Our family members are the ones who can really tell who (or what) we love the most, and it won’t escape our sisters’ notice if they see us delighting in God more than anything else. We won’t be able to keep it from keep from spilling out into our conversations."

Read Part 1 and Part 2 of the interview on Real Teen Faith.

Reminder!

2009-05-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

This is the last week of our Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart book giveaway! For entry details, click here.

2009-05-19T07:20:00.000-07:00

Nancy Leigh DeMoss has posted what I think is the best summation of the Carrie Prejean controversy. Even if you're tired of all the news stories surrounding Miss California's stance on marriage, Nancy pulls out a lot of great truths in her post.

Here's an excerpt:

"Carrie Prejean’s story should cause us to be on our faces crying out to God over the extent to which the church today has accommodated to the world. It should cause us to plead with God on behalf of our children and grandchildren, and then to get up off our knees and go out and engage this younger generation with love and grace and truth and to become agents of redemption in their lives."

Read the full version.

[HT: The Purple Cellar]

Death Is Not Dying

2009-05-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

"Is death better than life? Is departing to be with Christ better than staying here? ....If I didn't believe that, how could I dare to aspire to the role of pastor...? "Death makes visible where our treasure is. The way we die reveals the worth of Christ in our hearts. Christ is magnified in my death when I am satisfied with Him in my dying--when I experience death as gain because I gain Him.... Christ will be praised in my death, if in my death He is prized above life."

-John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life

Reading that quote, I'm reminded of Clayton McDonald and his radically eternal perspective just before his death at eighteen years old. Is death truly death, when in dying we get to be with Christ? I have to wonder too--do I value my life on earth so highly (and value Christ so little) to think of death as a dreaded thing?

John Piper's book is also among the Book List offered by Rachel Barkey, a woman who has given a profound testimony in the face of terminal cancer. Speaking for the women from her church, Rachel said,

"I have known the searing pain of loss with the death of a loved one. I have been diagnosed with cancer twice now and this second time, barring a miracle, will end my life before I reach my 38th birthday.

"I have learned that being a Christian is not just hope for the future, though it is most definitely that, but that it is the joy of trusting a God who is loving and faithful not matter what the circumstances. So when I say that 'death is not dying' --[I'm saying] death will not kill my soul."

The full video and audio of Rachel's message is available here.

Contest Winner (Week #2)

2009-05-16T01:17:00.000-07:00

The winner of this week's Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart book giveaway (courtesy of Crossway Books) is Gina, from Indiana. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have, Gina!

We're giving away the final copy next week, so be sure to enter the contest.

Feminism's New Idea

2009-05-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

The rest of the world is now beginning to suspect that there’s some strange chemistry between women and the home. As feminism prodded women to leave the home altogether and disregard homemaking as a vocation, women found themselves strangely empty. For instance, Rebecca Walker, the daughter of the famous feminist author, Alice Walker, came out and wrote an article admitting,

“My mother's feminist principles coloured every aspect of my life. As a little girl, I wasn't even allowed to play with dolls or stuffed toys in case they brought out a maternal instinct. It was drummed into me that being a mother, raising children and running a home were a form of slavery. Having a career, travelling the world and being independent were what really mattered according to her.”

Rebecca’s young adulthood was a model of feminism. She had an abortion by age fourteen and now lives, unmarried, with her partner, Glenn. Yet as an adult, she’s found one of her greatest joys is raising her son, Tenzin:

“I know many women are shocked by my views. They expect the daughter of Alice Walker to deliver a very different message.

"I meet women in their 40’s who are devastated because they spent two decades working on a PhD or becoming a partner in a law firm, and they missed out on having a family. Thanks to the feminist movement, they discounted their biological clocks. They've missed the opportunity and they're bereft.

“Feminism has betrayed an entire generation of women into childlessness. It is devastating….I don't want to hurt my mother, but I cannot stay silent.”[i]

Rebecca's story isn't that new--her article was published last year. But I was reminded of it recently as I stumbled across another article on a similar "shocking" new development in the feminist movement. An online newspaper posted this just the other day:

“Michelle Obama gave up her highly-paid job to support her husband Barack through his presidency. When she stepped down from her $273,000-a-year job with the University of Chicago Hospitals to help her husband on the campaign trail, she was earning twice as much as the man who would become America’s first black President. Unlike one of our own recent first ladies….She wants, instead — feminists hold on to your hats — to be a mother, a wife and to support her husband in every way she can in his job as President.

Despite this, she has not been berated by furious post-feminist women as a traitor to her sex. Quite the opposite. She is, perhaps, the perfect example of a new kind of career woman who, instead of wanting it all for herself, wants it all for her family…. It’s not what Germaine Greer and her ilk had in mind for this generation of highly educated, successful, independent women. But it’s a lifestyle choice at the heart of a new theory expounded in Megan Basham’s book, Beside Every Successful Man."

The author of Beside Every Successful Man, who is described as a “dyed-in-wool feminist,” explained:

“‘What my friends had in common is that they left school planning to spend most of their adult years working in their chosen fields, and expecting always to derive a lot of satisfaction from their careers. ‘Several years ago, I started to notice that among many of us, as other areas of our lives expanded, the enjoyment we derived from our jobs began to shrink. Work began to seem more like an intrusion on our real lives than a vital part of it.’ She and her successful career girlfriends wanted to spend more time enjoying being mothers and wives."

She said that the biography, John Adams, inspired her to pursue this idea further:

“‘While everyone else was caught up by the relationship between Adams and Jefferson and Washington, I was fascinated by the relationship between Adams and his wife. He relied on her in almost every aspect of his work — and in the midst of the goal-setting and strategic planning they wrote each other intimate, teasing and tender love letters that revealed the sweet partnership they had in all things.’”[ii]

Now, ladies, I hate to break it to you--but that doesn't look a whole lot like feminism to me. It looks more like an expression of one of the oldest ideas in the book (the Good Book, that is.) Women finding influence and fulfillment supporting their husbands and working in the home is nothing new.

I must say, this last article has me feeling pretty psyched. The fact that today God’s design for womanhood is still ringing true, even with countless voices of opposition, speaks volumes of God and the amazingness of His plan. Knowing that women who probably don’t know or care what the Bible says about gender differences, have suddenly “discovered” happiness at home—it’s as they just stumbled across something knitted deep within their DNA long before culture or feminism held its sway. That’s pretty cool to me.

Other blogs on femininity:
"A Desperate Housewife To Be?" a post by Hännah Schlaudt
"It Was God Who Made Us Different" by Hannah Farver (with Elisabeth Elliot)
Radical Womanhood blog, by Carolyn McCulley
Joyfully Home by Jasmine Baucham
Girl Talk blog, by Carolyn Mahaney, Nicole Whitacre, Janelle Bradshaw, and Kristin Chesemore
Gender Blog
The Empowered Traditionalist blog

Precious

2009-05-11T10:38:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of this sermon is a beautiful example of Christ's love for the church. It's only about four minutes long, but will be stuck in my mind for a while.

A couple o' quick reminders:

If you're planning to attend either of our summer conferences, we recommend you register beforehand. (Ticket prices go up at the door.)
Don't forget to enter in our book giveaway!

Enjoy your day!

Contest Winner (Week #1)

2009-05-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

The winner of this week's Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart book giveaway (courtesy of Crossway Books) is Ana from Seattle, Washington. We hope you enjoy the book, Ana!

We're giving away more copies in the next two weeks. Be sure to enter the contest!

Miss California, Meet "Miss Beautiful Morals"

2009-05-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

"When I saw the headline, I had to click and see. A beauty pageant entitled, "Miss Beautiful Morals?" Could this be real?" Read the rest of the article at The Christian Post.

God Likes Me

2009-05-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

There is a phrase that I’ve struggled with, but only recently have found the guts to say:

God likes me.

Wait. Don’t click away from this page yet. I’m not about to jump onto the Let-God-Be-Your-Valentine bandwagon any time soon, and I won’t quote any Hallmark cards. Promise.

The truth is, I’m usually very much repulsed by phrases like “God likes me,” or “Jesus is my homeboy,” or “Yay God!” because they seem…so…irreverent. They make it sound as if God is my cheerleader, my boyfriend, or my equal. Yet in reality, the Psalms state that He is the One “who looks on the earth and ittrembles, whotouches the mountains and they smoke,” and Isaiah said that the angels around His throne have an extra set of wings just for shielding their face from His blindingly-bright holiness. God is not my equal, and I don’t want to downplay Him by adopting a phraseology that forgets who He is.

At the same time, zeal for recognizing God’s holiness and immutability can’t replace our knowledge of His love. I’ve read books on God’s praiseworthiness that repaint His love as duty. They say, “God’s love for you is solely a choice He’s made to stick by you even though He doesn’t like you much," just like a man who stays married to his wife because it’s right, though he loathes her—it doesn’t make sense.

God does love because it’s His choice, He does love because it’s His nature, and He is revolted by our sin. Even wimpy human psyches can process that. The part of His love that gets incomprehensible is the extravagance--the idea that God actually has affection for us, and ties up His happiness in our own.

I really appreciate what Tim Challies wrote on this recently:

"I thought about this a short time ago when I was considering how God feels about us, how he feels about me, how he feels about all of his children. I guess I often go through life thinking that God is generally displeased with me. I see my sin, I see my failings, I see my heart. At the same time I see from Scripture God’s majesty, his holiness, his perfection. And when I put these together I suppose that God must be looking at me with at least some level of disgust….

But I’m starting to think that I’ve had this all wrong….Maybe it was my recent studies in the parable of the Prodigal Son. Maybe it was my reading through the prophets, seeing how God hates sin but loves his people. Maybe it was just talking to my mother who came to this realization, I think, long before I did. But somehow I am starting to see that God hates my sin but that he loves me. God despises the evil that lurks within me, but is extravagant in his grace. He actually, really loves me.

And maybe in that way God isn’t so different from the pastors I see at conferences. He loves us. He loves me. And more than that, he’s proud of me. He isn’t petty, filling his mind with all those things I’ve done wrong, but rather he is gracious, seeing all those evidences of his grace in my life....Maybe we can be so careful in (rightly) understanding God’s hatred for sin and his desire for holiness that we forget about his great love for us despite the sin that still pollutes us. Maybe we forget that God truly does regard as children—children he not only loves but children he also genuinely likes."

I’m realizing that love that doesn’t like the beloved is only a step or two higher than contempt. Real love finds something to love in the beloved—and if the beloved has nothing to even slightly admire, the lover sets to work—to make in the beloved something admirable.

God loves you. He loves me. It wasn’t my charms (ha) that caused His love. I’d say with election before the foundation of the world, He preceded any charm. I was a wretch when I claimed me and am wretched still. But He’s working in me, loves me still, and loves what I will one day become.

J.I. Packer explained it this way:

“God was happy without man before man was made; He would have continued happy had He simply destroyed man after man had sinned; but as it is He has set His love upon particular sinners, and this means that, by His own free voluntary choice, He will not know perfect and unmixed happiness shall be conditional upon ours. Thus God saves, not only for His glory, but also for His gladness….The thought passes understanding and almost beggars belief, but there is no doubt that, according to Scripture, such is the love of God.” (Knowing God, page 113)

It’s flabbergasting—and would sound utterly man-centered and arrogant if it weren't written clearly throughout the Bible. You are a sinner, and God hates sin, but He does not hate you. In fact, He's for you.

"Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, and that to You, O Lord, belongs steadfast love." (Psalm 62:11,12a)

Book Giveaway

2009-05-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Every Friday for the next three weeks, we'll be giving away a copy of John Ensor's excellent book, Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart--courtesy of Crossway Books.

“John Ensor provides a radically biblical alternative to the supposed wisdom of our age. Though sometimes raw, frank, and frustrated, Ensor is always sanctified and often poetic. He celebrates differences, bringing into clear focus the oft-disputed fact that God created men and women to be equal and symmetrical but not identical....”-Tim Challies, www.challies.com

“Doing Things Right in Matters of the Heart defines and describes biblical masculinity and femininity for single adults. I would also encourage those who are married to read it. John Ensor is a creative and theologically astute writer. I have thanked him for writing this book and you will too.” -C. J. Mahaney, Sovereign Grace Ministries

About the Book:
John Ensor 's little book tackles several enormous topics--and does so with Scripture, Shakespeare quotes, and uncommonly good sense. (It was his book we quoted in our recent post, "What Then Happens.") I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who wants clarification on purity, relationships, and the different roles of men and women; however, due to the maturity of some of the subject matter, I could only feel confident recommending it to older teens. If you fit that category though, don't let my caveat deter you from reading. This book is now officially a beloved member of my bookshelf.

Want To Win a Copy?
We're trying something new for this book giveaway. To enter, simply link to BeautyfromtheHeart.org on your blog and email us the link. Your name will then be entered in a drawing for the book. Mention our conferences on your blog as well, and we'll enter your name twice (doubling your chances of winning.)

Don't have a blog? You can still enter in the drawing. Just shoot an email about BeautyfromtheHeart.org to a few friends, forward us the email, and we'll add your name to the drawing entries. (Mention our conferences in your email and we'll include your name in the drawing twice.) All entries can be emailed to contact[at]beautyfromtheheart.org.

Note: Contest only open to U.S. residents. Contestants are welcome to enter once per day. The contest winner will be requested via email to send us their shipping address. If contest winner does not comply, contest winner does not receive foresaid prize. 'Tis the nature of the postal system.

Have you recently read any books that have impacted your view of God or the Christian life? We're always eager to hear about good books. Drop us a comment with your recommendations!