And no, the irony is not missed on me who has a twitter feed on my blog…

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

So many things tug and pull at me. Some are really good things. Some things worry me. There are some that upset me. There are things I think that I have to have, that are necessary for life, that are crucial for success.

I love this story because the Holy Spirit uses it to remind me that there is only one thing that is needed. That one thing is Jesus. Life is always, only, forever, continually, totally, completely, wholly, and constantly about Jesus.

What other things at work, in your family, with friends, in your church, for your marriage, or in your finances do you think you need today? Jesus is bigger than those.

Today is the 500th birthday of John Calvin. Calvin was a classically trained lawyer that broke ties with the Roman Catholic Church in 1529, following in the footsteps of Martin Luther. The two men are credited, by God’s grace, for the Protestant Reformation.

There are probably not more than a couple of people in the last 500 years that have had the effect that John Calvin has had in general and on Christianity in particular. He is regarded as one of the greatest Bible teachers. He was a terrifically prolific author, including The Institutes of Christian Religion and commentaries on almost every book of the Bible.

I appreciate and owe much of my theological training and convictions to Calvin. I love his determination that salvation in by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, as shown in scripture alone. He worked tirelessly for biblical faith and life. He insisted the Christianity was about Jesus, that it was a relationship, not a religion, and that all of life was a gift from a sovereign and loving triune God.

You may or may not agree with all of his theology (I have my disagreements with him- he was only a man), but it’s worth pausing a moment to thank God for using someone like Calvin to bring about reform in the church for the sake of the world and His gospel. I pray God would use each of us to do the same.

Let’s be honest, don’t you want God to answer your prayers the way you want them answered? And don’t you get upset when your desires and God’s answers don’t line up? And doesn’t that cause you to question God’s answers more often than your desires? And then don’t you lose a little desire to pray? I’m not saying that’s right, but it’s fairly typical isn’t it?

So how does God answer prayer?
1. “Yes”- you ask and God says he’ll do it or make it happen or grant it. I don’t think this happens because we prayed a really convincing argument and won the debate with God. I think it happens because (a) we asked and (b) our ask and God’s will and plan aligned. God says yes when it furthers the gospel and works for the best for his Church.
2. “Nope”- you ask and God simply says that things aren’t going to happen the way you want them to happen. I think this happens when we treat God like a genie in a bottle that we think we can rub the right way to get what we want. I also think we don’t receive because we don’t ask. We get the big “no” because our requests are not good requests. God says no because because there is something better coming. God says no because he loves us.
3. “Later”- God knows not only what is best, but when it is best for it to happen. We can ask for something that is in the will of God, but its just not in the timing of God. In those cases, God says, “Wait, not now.” I see this with relationships, children, jobs, etc. I think waiting on God is something God uses to grow faith and dependence. God uses waiting to teach us things we may need when the time for “yes” comes.

I love Matthew 6 and John 17 for getting schooled in prayer.

What are you praying for right now? Is God saying yes, no, or later to those prayers? In light of that, how do you need to keep praying or change how you are praying?

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and praying about questions. I love questions. I encourage our kids to be question askers. I read through the Gospels looking for questions people asked Jesus. Here are some of the ones that really caught my attention as significant. I’m not sure what to do with them now (ask them myself, write a community group curriculum, write a book, sermon series)> Maybe you can find good use for them…

- “The chief priests and the elders of the people came to him. “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you this authority?” Matt 21:23-27
- “One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Matt 22:34-40
- “When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.” They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely not I, Lord?” Matt 26:17-30
- “Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, andthe governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Matt 27:11-26
-“[The Pharisees] asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” Mark 2:13-17
- “One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” Mark 2:23-28
- “Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ,a the Son of the Blessed One?” Mark 14:53-65
- “On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Luke 10: 25-37
- “Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied…” Luke 17:20-37
- “A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”…Those who heard this asked, “Who then can be saved?” Luke 18:18-30
- “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” Luke 21:5-38
- “One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?” Luke 23:26-43
- “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. John 1:43-51
- “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked.” John 3:1-21
- “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob…?” John 4:1-26
- “On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” John 6:60-66
- “Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. John 6:67-71
- “Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” John 14:5-14
- “What is truth?” Pilate asked. John 18:28-40

I love that our church provides weekly resources to help Kristen and I lead our family throughout the week. You can go to Family Resources to find God Time Cards and Small Talk Cards that correspond to Access Church’s previous Sunday’s lessons covered in UpStreet and Waumba Land groups.

If you had only one opportunity to say something to someone you loved or if you had only one last chance to ask a friend a question, what would it be?

Let’s hear it! Time to quit being a “blurker” (blog lurker) and actually make yourself known. It doesn’t have to be long or even explained. Just give it to us.

Kristen and I had a “discussion” last night about a really serious subject. I just finished reading a book called “T.U.L.I.P.” on the five theological foundations decided on at the Synod of Dort, 1618. The book was great! So I made Kristen start reading it. I know, I’m a theology nerd and it’s torture being married to me.

So she reads the first chapter on Total Depravity. The doctrine says that sin has infected and affected all parts of our lives- heart, emotions, will, mind, body, and the world at large. Everything is tainted by sin. We are not as sinful as we could be, but we are completely affected by sin from conception.

Total Depravity is seen across scripture: A sinful heart produces sinful action (Mark 7:21-23). We are sin-sick beyond our own cure (Jer. 17:9). People are slaves of sin (Rom. 6:20). Sin is a universal condition (Rom 3:23). We do not seek God first (Rom. 3:10-12). People cannot understand spiritual things on our own (1 Cor. 2:14). We are at enmity with God (Eph. 2:15) and by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3).

So Kristen and I “discussed” whether loving our children was totally depraved and sinful. We agreed that it wasn’t. I had to add a caveat that it was tainted by sin and not perfect as God’s love is perfect, therefore depraved and needing grace. I told you the “discussion” was deadly serious, but funny that this is pillow talk for us. I also told you I’m a geek!

Total Depravity doesn’t say that everything you are and do is 100%, totally, completely, wholly sinful. It says that every area of our lives and world are affected and touched by sin to one degree or another. What that means is that everyone and everything is in need of healing. But the broken can’t fix itself like a child can’t birth itself. We need grace. To not believe in total depravity is to say there are areas of life that don’t need God’s grace and that in that area Jesus’ life, death and resurrection were pointless, useless, ineffectual, and irrelevant.

What do you think of Total Depravity? How have you seen it on a global, local, family, or personal scale? Does it make you lose faith or grateful for grace?

So KD and the kids headed to the mountains for a few days of vacation. Can you believe the gall of them leaving me behind to go to one of my most favorite places on earth. I mean, the mountains of NC are like a little slice of heaven just up I-95. And in case ou’re wondering, I didn’t do anything wrong (that I know of) to warrant being left behind. We just couldn’t make the timing work for all of us to go.

But have no fear! I have had a few days with a completely empty house all to myself. I’ve been to the beach, surfing, fishing, eating wings (insert shameless plug for Dick’s Wings at Jax Beach). I had this whole plan that I could just let whole house go, do no dishes, make no beds, mow no lawn. You get the point.

But I couldn’t do it. It sounded fun at first. And I’m not the super clean, organized one in our duo of a marriage. I thought it would be natural and easy. I thought it would be great sport to tell KD all about it when she got back. But it really wasn’t all that fun or enjoyable.

Something has changed in the last decade of loving and living with this awesome person. My old ways, desires, plans, and schemes have changed. I don’t like those old things any more. I’d rather have my family and cleaned up way of life. It’s just better that way. I tried to like it the other way, but it wasn’t the same. My desires have changed because of a relationship.

I’m reminded that by grace through faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit takes our old desires and sanctifies us, giving us new, regenerated desires. Sure we may want to go back from time to time to see if those old ways are still fun, but we quickly learn that God has changed us and our desires. We don’t have a taste for those old things. They have passed away. We have new desires and new tastes and new ways because of a new relationship. It’s not us being perfect, but Jesus transforming us and giving us new life by his grace.

I wonder when KD and the kids will be home. I miss them