Serving Reform on Tap

Complete Move

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:29:42 PDT

Hey folks,

I've completely moved my blog over to wordpress. You can find my new blog here:
The Strasbourg Inn

You can also follow me on twitter here: JacobYoung84

Thus concludes the posting on this blog address.

For now.

New post

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 15:02:54 PST

I'm transferring things over to wordpress - blogger is just a little annoying at times for a prolific blogger like me, as you all know. Here's the first post, feel free to dump me or move over. I'm working on getting things up and running there this week, so patience is the virtue you need if you're wanting to hear my blabbing anymore!

Theology in the fields

Pregnancy v. Children?

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 15:06:35 PST

A couple months ago, Michelle and I were on a date, talking through life (a normal, weekly practice for us). As usual, pregnancy stuff comes up where we check in and see how each other are doing - struggles, sins, weariness, dreams, longings, evidences of grace, etc. The question had been stirring around my mind for a couple days. I knew it wasn't, well, the nicest type of question to ask, but it needed to be asked nonetheless. So in the best possible way, I ask the question to Michelle, "So, you know, pregnancy isn't just about that 9 months, it's about children after that. Do you think you want to be pregnant more than you want to have children?" The question really opened up an avenue of discussion for us that proved very insightful and helpful.

The question might seem a little odd at first, even callus. But I think it's a Biblical question to think about. Is the desire for children so wrapped up in "just being pregnant" that the whole aspect of life after the delivery room is a distant mirage?

Pregnancy is, of course, a unique experience like none other. I've passed a few kidney stones (the Lord's thorn in my side - literally - to humble me), but I don't think that really counts. But in thinking about the building of a family, pregnancy is not the only way a family grows. The distinction is one of categories. The desire for children is one category, the desire to be pregnant is another category. Certainly the two have significant overlap, but we should see them separately ultimately because the desire for children supersedes the desire to be pregnant. A woman is only pregnant for 9 months at a time (and all the women of the world stood up and said, "Praise Jesus!"), but a family continues from generation to generation.

What this distinction does, especially for couples facing the challenge and suffering of infertility, is frees them to consider other options of what growing a family looks like. Infertility is an interesting place where the creeping question sits around, "If we try something else, or look at adoption options, are we not trusting God for children?" That's a Satanic question. Not trusting God and looking at other options for fulfilling the desire for children are not coterminous. Can a couple pursue adoption as a means of not trusting God? Sure, but let's keep the issues of the heart separated out on the dissection table.

This category separation has been helpful for us. We are able to see the desire for children as "the goal", and pregnancy or adoption as "the means". (This also has the devastating effect of destroying any genetic snobbery one might be harboring.) We desire children. We long for little cute faces running around our home. We look forward to our parents being grandparents. So, for us, the trajectory is looking towards both medical help to conceive, and adoption. We are pursuing both and seeing what God does with this. God loves children, and we know he desires children in our home. However we receive that gift from him is up to him.

Miscarriage of Suffering

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:01:37 PST

Part 1
When I hoped for good,
I tasted evil;
When I reached for wine,
It had soured;
When I looked to Heaven,
It turned to steel;
When I longed for death,
I remained an hour.

When I turned from you,
He looked at me;
When I hated Him,
He prayed with blood;
When I cursed His face,
He washed my feet;
When I turned Him in,
"Thy will be done."

Part 2
With cries of anguish he birthed me new,
The Spirit's bloody baby who
Knew the curse as no curse at all,
Reversal of Great Adam's Fall.
Using now these painful arts,
To write His name upon my heart,
Devil's schemes He new contorts,
Temple in me, His tender work.

For Their Upbuilding and Encouragement and Consolation

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:13:26 PST

I got the call this morning that sealed the deal that now was the time to post. It seems to me that this week, starting Sunday morning, has been largely dominated by the issue of children, especially babies, and not all in good terms.

Love and Justice Church
Last week, via twitter, I noticed that a situation was beginning at a church that I dearly love in Oklahoma, Love and Justice Church, involving a baby in critical condition. While Michelle and I were driving to church Sunday morning, I received, as it were, "the rest of the story." The essence of the situation was that a young man in their church killed his 2 month old daughter. The news report can be read here (though the meet of Andrew's interview giving a Biblical perspective was gutted from the news cast). So, I called my brother, Andrew Burkhart up to talk with him about it, hear how he was doing and pray/cry with him. How do you respond to such tragic news? "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). If you could, please take a moment to pray for this church and this woman.

Sanctity of Life Sunday
So, from crying in the parking lot over the loss of life, I went in to worship the God of our Fathers and hear of his heart of the unborn and his mercy for those participating in their murder.

And then for something totally unexpected...
Michelle and I work the book shop at church (big surprise) and have to slip out right after the sermon. On our way out, one of our pastors announced that during the worship time, one lady in our church had a prophetic sense that God desired to minister to those in the church struggling to have children or who were thinking about adoption. It was one of those moments where you see yourself caught right in the cross hairs of the Holy Spirit. (If you're wondering, we believe that the charismatic spiritual gifts still exist and are useful to the church today. They aren't authoritative, but a Spirit prompted manifestation of the Spirit's presence for the encouragement, edification, and up-building of God's people because of the cross of Christ.)

So I got our spot covered and we went up front. Some very dear friends came around us to pray and to give prophetic words on our situation. I'm not going to write out what was said, but I will say a few things. There were things said in the prophetic word that were simply God. Things said that had only been expressed between Michelle and I - feelings and conversations that nobody else had heard - that these people spoke to. God met us. God reminded us of his deep care for us. God was good.

One thing from the prophetic words that has stuck with me was this: While these things might be deeply disappointing, in the end when God shows us what he has been doing in all of this, we will not be disappointed with what we see. For me, this brought conviction that while there's a godly disappointment, I'd been living in a dispond and unbelieving disappointment. Though things are hard and tough, and continual disappointment is hardwired to instantly be associated with something that's supposed to be joyful, God will not disappoint with what he is ordaining and doing for his children.

And then we found out...
We're not pregnant, again. But the prophetic word was timely. It's amazing, but in the last week we've had loads of people stop us and pray for us. But God has been faithful. There has been some struggle in this news, but we have been at peace. Without God's activity to care for us through his people. It's one thing to pray privately, it's a whole symphony of meaning to have God's people pray for you publicly. I don't know how we would have responded had we not had those prophetic words given or friends pray for us, but I'm certain it wouldn't have been the way we have. As Michelle commented: This might be God's way of giving us more time to think about adoption. (More to come on that.)

But that's not all!
Then I got a call this morning that I've been waiting for. Some great friends of our are pregnant! And in the deepest recesses of my heart I can say with full confidence that I was (and am) completely excited for them. I mean, my motto is: bring on the babies! But here again, this is God's goodness. We are called to "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15). News of a healthy pregnancy is cause for great rejoicing! Jesus loves babies. I love babies. Babies are good news!

And then we marched
And to top off the week, my wife went to Washington DC this week to participate in this year's March for Life. What can I say, she's a political demonstrator! I love her.

So that's how the week has looked: lots of issues about children, but all written to highlight God's faithfulness. I have absolutely no idea what God is doing, but this is what I do know: By the blood of his precious Son, he paid my dept of sin, purchased me from death and Hell, caused me to see Him in faith, so that now, at the end of this week full of reminders of how absolutely broken and devastated this world is, I love Him more than last week.

Soli Deo Gloria

The Imago Dei, Infertility, and The Gospel

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 09:53:37 PST

I got into a discussion the other day with a friend about infertility regarding an article I sent his way, and he asked the sort of question that one feels awkward asking, but had been on his mind for a while: "So, what's the big deal anyways?" I can appreciate the blunt honesty here. When thinking about infertility, the idea of infertility being a sorrowful experience seems, well, rather melodramatic.

There are a couple of things going into the question - at least as I've worked through it in my heart. For one, in our culture, children are often seen as a hassle. This is amplified all the more if you're moderately in the DINK category - children, you know, will just get in the way of all that fun you'll have! Children cry a lot, they stink, they poop, they don't make money, they drool, etc. (Of course, I do all these things, but as an adult I've managed social tricks to hide them... namely looking the other way and being as horrified at the smell as the one next to me.) So, in some ways, if a couple is unable to conceive children, they're being given a divine hall pass to skip all of these things. God has different plans for them. Maybe they can travel more. Maybe they can go to Disney more often. (Ahem, ahem... I'll be installing a donation button soon to make these dreams come true.)

However, there's another angle of approach to the question. For those who've never faced infertility (either due to lack of marriage, or ease of fertility), the question comes from a desire to understand a foreign experience. There's no physical trail to follow, no list of explanations as to why things got to be this way, and some times, just no real reason for why things are the way they are. And yet, there's a loss, a sorrow, a deep anguish over missing someone you've never met that you can't quiet explain. (The movie Facing the Giants perfectly displays this struggle.)

This is where my friend was coming. He's a godly man who was asking an honest question; the sort I've probed my self with from time to time. This is how I've processed the question lately:

The Imago Dei
In the beginning chapters of Genesis, God lays out his creation by the simple utterance of his voice. To crown creation he creates man, but unique from the created order. God creates man in his image (Gen. 1:26). The image of God in man is one of analogy. We speak because God speaks; we think because God thinks; we love because God loves. (Animals, for all their personality, don't do these things. Especially cats.) As the Psalmist says, "He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?" (Psalm 94:9). Our desires reflect God'sThis imago dei (the image of God) means that we have desires goverened and reflective of God's desires.

God Loves Life
One thing we can note about God is that he loves life. God is life. The Apostle John tells us about Jesus that, "In him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4). We see this love of life in God most intensely in the eternal fellowship of the Trinity. The trinity is God loving life. The Father loves the life of the Son; the Son loves the life of the Father; the Spirit expresses and embodies their love of life perfectly.

Therefore, We love life.
Thus, when God created man, he was formed to express this desire of God. Loving life is an expression of the image of God in man. Unlike God, we are not an eternal, self-contained being. When God loves life, he looks to himself for fullest expression and satisfaction of that desire. When we love life and desire to see more of it, the lights get dimmed and we get that little twinkle in our eye. The reason we desire children and families is because God loves life and loves to see life grow and expressed. We love life because God lives life. In this desire, God is glorified.

Thus, for couples who are infertile and barren, the sorrow comes as a sting of the Fall in refusing their inherent God-glorifying desires. Infertility says "No" to a core aspect of what it means for us to say "Yes!" to life. It is right to be sorrowful at this. The God-glorifying response to unmet God-glorifying desires is sorrow. Jesus wept at the effects of the fall at the grave of Lazarus, you should weep at the effects of the fall in a barren womb.

The Gospel
Here's how the Gospel plays into this. In Paul's letter to the church in Rome, he makes this statement:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28-29)

This is Paul applying the massive truth of the Gospel to weak people's lives. I'm weak. More weak than you know. Weaker than the last guy picked for dodge-ball. But Jesus is strong. So strong that he controls everything. The Gospel comes into our weak state and takes all those curses of the Fall (like barrenness) and flips it upside down. Note what Paul says, "all things". What is the good God has in mind? Being "conformed to the image of his Son". Not only are we created in God's image (which we destroyed like a rock to a mirror), but we are now being conformed to the image of his Son. We are being conformed to be God-lovers. Infertility and a barren womb is just as much included in this "all things" as that nasty look I gave Michelle on the way out the door the other morning. All things, yes, even the painful things; especially the painful things. God takes up the tools of our every-day circumstances and widdles them on us to make us look like his Son.

So what does the Gospel say about infertility? It says, "Look to the fertility that God is working in you in your barrenness. There's fruit here that we wouldn't have gotten otherwise." It says that there is a purpose, a Gospel purpose, a Jesus purpose. In barrenness, as sons and daughters of a good God, we do "not grieve as others do who have no hope" (1 Thes. 4:13). We grieve; but we grieve with Jesus.

Desiring godliness this year as a family

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 11:52:24 PST

Our Once a Year Date was blessed by the Lord and opened up some helpful observations about our life together and direction for where God is leading.

...the crown of her husband
This year has was marked by several turns were weren't expecting. We ended the year having walked through answered prayers of joy for a pregnancy, and the sorrow of a miscarriage. We've rejoiced with several friends over their pregnancies and new children added to their family. These things don't need to be drawn out, but they are major things. Through all of it, God has shown himself glorious and faithful. Jesus has been good to us. I've seen how our wedding text, Romans 8:18-39, was the exact text for our marriage, and how God is proving himself true to it's claims.

One of the fruits of this past year is that we have grown to deeply rely and lean on each other. Michelle is the crown of my head and the shoulder I cry on. This isn't just about children or pregnancy. In all areas of life we've grown to delight in each other, through pleasure and pain.

...be diligent to be found by him
One of the major things we saw lacking this past year was diligence. Life is very easily comfortable. Our schedule isn't crazy. In reality, we're just easily lazy - I am lazy. We've tried to do family worship before, but I'm not faithful to keep us on task. While it's partly a discipline thing, it's also an affection thing. If I were honest, I really just don't desire the things of God that much. That impacts the character and flavor of my home.

Thus, we're looking to this year with a major desire for diligence in knowing God. Diligence in prayer. Diligence in memorizing scripture. Diligence in desiring the spiritual gifts. Diligence in godliness.

Godliness is one of the things that I have been reflecting on. My deep-rooted love for the world and worldliness have become clear to me this past year. I love the world, and I love being involved in knowing all things about the world. Thus, my love for the things of God and his world are anemic. ("The love of the Father is not in you...") My sins and desires influence my family. It's just us right now, but it won't be forever.

...and he will draw near to you
Therefore we need a plan. There are three categories I'm aiming to do this year: Reading, Memorizing, and Leading. In reading, I've set to read more on godliness and worldliness (obvious step, I know). I'm currently formulating the list of books to work through this year and will post it soon. But thankfully my wife got me Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor by D.A. Carson. If anything, this book is enough and should be read by all Christians. Tom Carson's example is beyond compelling. In desiring godliness, I must desire faithfulness.

I will also be adding Scripture Memory to my plan this year. Over the next 6 months I'm going to memorize the entire book of Colossians. Michelle will be doing this with me. I will take two mornings a week and substitute scripture memorizing into my plan instead of my regular Bible reading. In doing this, I know the Word of God will transform my mind and renew my affections for the things of God (Romans 12:1-2).

For our family, I'm not changing much but simply solidifying what we already have in place. The most regular and uninterrupted time of our day and week is dinner time. This tends to fluctuate because I have not been faithful to leave work on time. So, what I'm directing us to do is to have dinner at 6pm every night, which means I need to be faithful to leave work on time. With dinner at 6, we've going to incorporate some scripture reading and prayer together at the end of dinner. The scripture reading will simply follow along with whatever our pastors are preaching on at church. We'll be going through Acts soon, so we'll just art reading Acts through and through in this time.

I write all this up for personal discipline. This has all been thought out in my head, put on the table at date nights, and put in my journal. It hasn't all been gathered into one place. I'm counting on a big God to make major changes in our family this year. I want the aroma of our home to be Christ. I want him in our family more clearly. I want Him. With whatever the Lord Jesus has for us in this coming year, we know he has our conformity to his image in mind. These plans have His character in mind. If we come to mind, I would covet your prayers for us on this.

For 2010 A.D.
Soli Deo Gloria

The Once a Year Date Night

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 20:57:38 PST

One a year Michelle and I have one big date. We do regular date nights, one a week that is set into the budget. But this date is different. It's a special restaurant, the type we could really only afford once a year. For now we call it the "Young Year in Review Date". It's a big deal. We've done this every year's end since we've been married. We've been married a staggering two and a half years, so this was our third YYRD.

Structure
On the date, we go over a set of questions that I think through before hand. Rarely are they specific. They are questions seeking to look at the major themes of the past year, analyze what happened (positively and negatively) and from this discern what direction God is leading us for the year to come. The questions themselves aren't rocket science (I went to public school you know).

I started us out by simply looking at what we've learned in the past year. Here, there were three simply categories: self, marriage, church. These are in some ways just following categories of responsibility (following C.J. Mahaney's simple outline on productivity). We don't have children, and our responsibilities with our jobs are relatively small; the struggles we do have with them fall more under personal issues than work-related (i.e. I'm lazy v. my boss asking me to work 70+ hours p/week). Under self, we talked through where we saw grace, growth, weakness and life with God. Under marriage, we talked through growth and challenges. Under church, we addressed what the most impacting sermons were of the year (and why), how things are in our community group, and the issue of sense of pastoral calling. Each of these are interconnected, and in some ways it's helpful to answer the questions for each other when possible - especially to identify evidences of grace. (As a note here, the question of the most impacting sermons of the year really opened up a helpful window into God's activity in our lives over the past year. I highly recommend the question for mediation.)

This set of questions provided a good amount of conversation, some interesting insights into ourselves, each other, our marriage, and the goodness of our Heavenly Father. The questions from here were: How did I do in romancing Michelle this year? (How can I grow? Are there habits/traditions I can put into place to grow this area?) What are our financial goals for this year? (If a couple has debt, this must be a priority in family budgeting. Debt must die, or a family is seriously hindered in serving God in many ways. Dave Ramsey's material is very helpful in getting clear vision on this front.)

From here, we moved into a forward eye about the year to come. Essentially, we just took the conclusions and observations from looking at what we learned about the year past and asked, in light of all of this, Where do we think God is leading us to grow in the coming year? I know, pure brilliance. That, my friends, is Alabama education at it's finest. This category is the area to address where we've seen sin and how God has been growing us to seek his grace for change. It's also the place to think about what major decisions are coming up and the growth need (individually and maritally) to meet those challenges.

Resources
If you're having trouble producing constructive thoughts on the material above, I'd recommend working through these books to prompt some thinking:
Living the Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney
Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God by C.J. Mahaney
-> Or: When Sinners Say, "I Do" by Dave Harvey
Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor by D.A. Carson
A Godly Man's Picture by Thomas Watson

I would also recommend reading Christian biography. Kierkegaard comments that we should read biographies not for information, but as examples of how to live. Carson's book about his dad is one of the best on this very subject for all Christians, not just pastors.

Final Thought
For us, this practice helps us center and focus our marriage in the year to come. If you're single, I think the principles still apply, and the Spirit can move mightily in personal mediation to give direction. But it might be helpful to draw a pastor or close friend in who has a keen eye on your soul. The discipline here is stems from being aware of your life, having a sense of your quickly immanet death, and seeks to "redeem the time" by consciously bringing it before the thrown of grace. We do not drift towards God. We must fight. The discipline should be done, in one form or another, by everyone. But in the end, our hope is not in our analysis, nor in our vision, but in Jesus' finished work on the cross. Any sight of grace is an awareness of the blood of Christ for his people and an opportunity for gratitude, worship, and amazement.

I will be posting our thoughts on these questions in the days to come. Stay tuned!

First Semester: Completed.

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:04:00 PST

Sorry to be rather sparse on the posts lately. I've had the end of semester stuff going on, plus normal life, plus a massive blizzard, and a serious bought of post-semester laziness. But, as my wife says to me sometimes in the morning: "Get your lazy butt out of bed!" So, needless to say, I've got a few posts back-logged in my head. I am wanting to do blogging a little more faithfully this coming year, and am thinking of doing a regular posting of twice a week. We're heading out on vacation tomorrow, so I'll have some time to think it through, "count the costs" so to speak, and set a plan for fighting my sloth in this area.

Thoughts on my first semester completed.
I took Prolegomena to Theology, the introductory material for Systematic Theology. In the course we covered the grounds for theology, what it means for God to reveal himself, what it means to be creatures created in his image to engage with God, what the nature of Scripture is, and a little on the relation between Systematic Theology and Biblical Theology. Twelve lectures, lots of fun, lots of grrrrreat! stuff! (BTW, I have the audio and course material for the class if you'd like me to upload it for download. Hmm...24 hours of lectures, can't you feel the anticipation!)

The Bible
One of the major things that I came away from the class reflecting on is how much I love the Bible. Here in the Bible itself we have the very voice of God. One of the thoughts that I was struck by in thinking through this is that when the Bible speaks, God speaks. When the Prophets and Apostles set to write scripture, they wrote the very thoughts of God. Karl Barth is dead wrong. When you read, "Grace to you and peace from God our Father" in Colossians 1:2, that is simultaneously Paul's words and God's words. So, here in my hands I hold the way of life - God's voice to me. "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple," (Psalm 19:7).

Salvation
Without scripture as our glasses, we will never see the world aright. This is something I had learned from our good friend John Calvin before, but it was very helpful to walk through it over and over again in all its implications. The knowledge of God is for humility, not for the pride of my own achievement. Apart from God's grace in the power and work of the Holy Spirit, I would still hate God and be bound to my own vain attempts to make myself God. I would know God and hate God all in the same moment. But I see God rightly through Jesus Christ by his grace. Epistemological accuracy is a gift from God, not of our own doing, along with all the other benefits God gives us (life, joy, peace, etc.). We think rightly after God because God has been merciful.

Continuationism
We touched briefly on the subjects of spiritual gifts in the course material because the subject itself addresses the issue of the nature of revelation. We read some cessationist material, and had some course lecture on the subject, and while I can see the logic in some places, I don't see the Scriptural backing or the theological necessity. At one point it was helpful for our professor to make the observation that there are some continuationists that he recognizes as being orthodox on the nature of revelation and Scripture, but whom he doesn't agree with their final conclusions (i.e. Piper, Grudem, etc.). I can respect that. But in the end, the more I study the subject from various angles, the more convinced I am that the continuationist perspective is what Scripture teaches.

Family
One of the difficult things to learn how to juggle was how to incorporate a part time job (school) into a regular full time job and family life. The first month of class was difficult, but after my first assignment, I made adjustments on how I did my school work so that I made the most of my time. We got a good schedule going by the end of the semester. The main thing here is being intentional. We had to do regular date nights. We had to be proactive with friends. I had to be sure that I knew how Michelle was, what was going on with her, and in many ways, share with her what I was learning and enjoying in class.

I really loved my class. It was very informative and shaping. I know that I will reference the material for the rest of my life. I'm looking forward to the semester ahead. I'll be taking ST113: The Doctrine of God. Very good stuff ahead in that class, very important to both knowledge of God and ministry.

The Wonder of His Love

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:11:13 PST

God has been near to me lately, sensibly near. His love and intentions to have me as his own have continued to come to the fore in my thinking and affections. I recently got the newest David Crowder* Band album Church Music, in which, one of the many things they work through is meditating on the pursuing love of God. Through this my thoughts have been drawn to think on verses like Ephesians 2:4 "God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us." It's struck me afresh lately, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5) that God didn't simply do this whole redemption thing to save us, or begrudgingly, but he desired us. Not generally, but uniquely. He wanted us with him. I imagine this is the doctrine of election from an experiential level.

Part of this has been for me an overwhelming sense of God's nearness in love during times of prayer. It seems as though he rushes in on me. I'm prone to feel an awareness of my faults, but in looking to him I see the invitation to gaze upon him through Jesus Christ. In some ways it has seemed like a stretching of the soul, a delightful enjoyment of his mercies to me: Looking at my sin and seeing Christ take it on willingly; seeing him plead for me on the cross; enjoying the completed forgiveness and pure intentional grace from God bringing me near to him. Below is a poem that came out of one of these times of prayer the other night.

He to me a stamped of rain;
A tumult of an exhausted wave
My soul. Expanding, contracting,
Birthing I look to Him:
....A deep stair, eyes penetrating
....Flesh is malleable here; souls are eternal.
He to me gave himself on wood
A scarlet brambling brook
Dying. Serendipitous sobriety
My severe eye overflows.
....Rampant, heavy, breathing hushed;
....Nearer. Emmanuel, nearer still.

No title yet. God seeks us out. Redemption and all the glories of Christ, might I remind you, were His idea in the first place. God manifesting his glory in creation isn't an extra way to bring in the praise (like a pay check). In the fellowship of the Eternal Trinity God had profound, deep, satisfying praise for himself already. But he desired to bring us in on the concert on his own account. This, my friends, is the awesome wonder of the love of God.

How to confess like a legalist

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:28:26 PST

Have no sorrow for sin, only fixation. A man may well see himself as a sinner and only have a metal tablet of law in the room of examination instead of the God of the universe. A true sense of sin must see it in relation to God, the personal Triune God who is offended by his defamation in our sin.
Have no joy hoped for, only the desire for the burden of condemnation lifted. We are called into enjoying God and in sin we turn from that. True sorrow for sin consists of seeing our fellowship with God broken and longs for its restoration. Should one merely desire the weight of condemnation lifted they might as well stop being a Christian.
View confession and agony of sin as atonement. The legalist has no view of the Cross in its finished accomplishments because it would rather view its own agony and confession (to self and others) as satisfying the laws demand of sin. It is a small view pretending to wear big cloths. The legalist here is finally shown for what he is: an atheist. There is no room for the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob; the perfect life and righteousness of Christ; no cross; no death; no resurrection; no victory; no union with Christ. The legalist has no need of God for he is his own god.

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
~ Romans 5:9-11

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(These are a few thoughts from earlier this week. I woke up having this weight of condemnation and began to eventually think through what exactly I was wanting in my condemnation. I was acting like a legalist and looking to confess my sin as a legalist. So I started writing down observations to help direct my soul to the Gospel. Surely there is more to be said - and probably better said - so feel free to share thoughts or corrections)

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:43:50 PST

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...

I don't know why, but the sorrow just won't go away. Tomorrow will be three months since we found out we were pregnant; which means that it's been two and a half months since we miscarried. It's strange, my attention for the longest time was towards Michelle - helping her walk through the sorrow and pain. I don't think I lost sight of caring for my own soul before the Lord - there were several nights on my face before God. But lately the miscarriage has continued to be a struggle.

In the midst of sorrow, especially prolonged sorrow, the heart becomes difficult to discern. The questions constantly swarm: Am I angry at God about this? Am I legitimately sorrowful about this? Am I throwing my fist at God? Am I jealous of my friends? Why did God do things like this? Why did he take our baby?

I will fear no evil: for thou art with me...

From here I crawl, scrap, drag myself in prayer to Jesus: "Jesus, my Lord, I don't understand what I feel. This stuff is hard. You know how to discern my heart better than I do. Take away the sin. Sanctify the pain. Hold me up, help me trust in you for today. Just today. Grace for today."

I have made the habit of excluding "God" from my mouth when talking to unbelievers and inserting "Jesus". This is for a couple reasons, but the main one is this: I hold to Jesus, my Savior and God, who is ever with me by his Spirit. I cry to Jesus. I take joy in Jesus. I trust in Jesus. I look to seeing Jesus. He is God's steadfast love and faithfulness (link Ex. 34:6 and John 1:17).

I have felt deep battles and drownings in depression at times in the wake of the miscarriage. I think this is a season of deep weakness. But honestly, at the same time I have not felt more deeply met in prayer by a sense of Jesus love. As I've gone to him, he's met me. He's faithful.

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

One of the more stark realities of the Bible and our hope of the new heaven and new earth is that we really are never promised to know why God does what he does. The hope of the eschaton isn't that we'll finally understand why God worked all things the way he did. No, we're simply promised that he will whip our tears away and make all things new. I don't mean to be contentious, certainly the possibility is there, but the Biblical promise is that Jesus will be enough. Not Jesus + explanation. It's a counseling mistake to say we'll understand why God did X in the end - that is not our hope. Jesus is.

God leads us through all things as his children on the promise of his sustained character. That doesn't change. The victory of Jesus crushing sin by the gushing of his blood; that doesn't change. Why did God take our baby amidst such satisfaction in answered prayer? That answer is never promised, directly. Indirectly, God promises in Romans 8 that in union with Christ we have only loving acts from God to us. Was the taking of our baby loving? Yes. God's character never changes, all of his acts towards us are always loving. Even ones without explanation. I don't understand why he did things this way. Sure there are hunches, things I've learned. But do I really want to say that the lessons learned were better than the life of a child? Such things are to high for me to consider (Psalm 131:1). I leave those thoughts to God - possibly forever. Jesus is my only hope.

The miscarriage has been hard. It has been a blow from his rod. But his strikes have been for my good and his glory because God says so. They comfort me because I'm turned to see Jesus as my hope. With tears and pain I will kiss the rod, and call it blessed, for it has kept me near to Jesus.

No Lesser Fountain!

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:41:10 PST

Just a quick quote:

God has so constituted man, implanting in him such a capacity for happiness, and such boundless and immortal desires for its possession, as can find their full enjoyment only in infinity itself. He never designed that the intelligent and immortal creature should sip its bliss at a lower fountain than himself. ~ Octavius Winslow, Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul, p. 41-42

Exploiting God for All Joy

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:13:34 PDT

(A journal meditation from this mornings reading in James 1.)

Count trials of various kinds 'all joy' for it produces a faith that is steadfast. For faith to endure, it must be filled with joy. For growth in godliness it must have this deep undertow of joy-filled-persevering faith. Joy (all joy) is the only right response to a God 'who gives generously to all without reproach.' Fear or reproach is not love, and is not the perfected 'all joy' that grows in persistent confidence before the father in loving requests (1 John 4:18). We must grow in exploiting the generosity of God in a desire for the things of God. That is the only way of truly loving God. This is the right way of counting trials of various kinds 'all joy' - more opportunities to exploit God's generosity to those whom he himself has saved by his power to himself (James 1:18). God saved us that we might exploit his grace continually to have those things that true love for God demands: preserving faith, wisdom, joy, godliness, and steadfastness. Let us exploit God to be like God - filled with 'all joy'.

God, the First Theologian

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 05:39:30 PDT

A small thought from class has been this simple yet profound truth: God is the first theologian. If we understand (rightly, I think) that "theology" is "words about God", then in light of God's trinitarian nature, God is the first theologian. God speaks his glory and his wonder before any human engagement of God. It is, as we might observe, God's inherent nature to speak about God - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).

It is in God's self-contained communication and enjoyment of himself that we find rest then to know God. God sees all that he is and finds it not only good, but delightful and the most worthy thing to speak about. If I might say this, that is why the Son is so massively important to God - it is God's communication and enjoyment of himself taken on personality. That is a massive thought to me, and one that makes me pause from saying more to give it further thought (though I know it's how Edward's formulated the Trinity - here).

But let us dwell on this - when we think about God, when we think true thoughts about him, we are thinking God's thoughts after him (a phrase Van Til made famous, which actually comes - in my reading - from Bavinck, though certainly it could be older). God thinks clear thoughts about himself. God sees, communicates, and receives clearly and rationally all that he is. That is fundamental to the doctrine of the Trinity; that is what it means for God to be the first theologian. God writes in himself the grandest and deepest theological volume ever - that's right, before Calvin, Augustine, and Paul even come close to hitting the scene. (Just a thought - his book consists of actual, real time 3D people - ahem, one is reading this right now - who have a manual for understanding him. God doesn't write fiction.)

God's thoughts about himself are self-contained. Therefore, all my thoughts about God are an act of mercy. Thus, it is through his Word to me that I see his kindness and mercy - and assurance merely through the presence of the Bible that God wants me to know him. The Bible is itself a beacon of hope that God does not want me to stay how I am - in my sick, twisted, wreck of a life. He wants me to know him, and he loved this wicked life so much that he gave his Son to die for my sin in my place for the wrath I deserved so that I can know this wonderful God who loves and enjoys his glory, and wants me to enjoy it to.

Meditation
For God to be the first theologian means that all aspects of my life are ruled by theology. Why? Because all of God's thoughts are God-centered, therefore all of my thoughts (being created in his image) are God-centered as well. And yet, I seek to deify myself and reject God as being the source and center of my being. We commonly know this practice as sin (fyi). And now the deep reality - for God to be the first theologian, and for me to be chief plagiarizing theologian, means I need a mediating theologian. I need the theology of mediation - who is the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ (John 1:14). What all of this massive reality of God as first theologian means is this: I NEED the Gospel. I therefore tremble before the Gospel, in desperate need and dependence. How often do you fall on your face before the living, majestic God after reading dense, deep, instructive, important theological works? (You should try it some time - it makes the theology make more sense.)

With God as the first theologian, David's Psalm makes a little more sense: "in your light do we see light" (Psalm 36:9). Because God thinks about himself clearly, we can think about him clearly. That's a helpful and deeply comforting truth to battle our relativistic, post-modern doubts. How can we know truth? We can know Truth rightly because Truth knows itself; Truth is self-conscious.

Therefore, when my emotions, depression, doubts, sin, fear all assail my soul, how can I survive? By looking to God's theologizing about himself - the Bible; a 3D book about God.

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

The Dependent Character of Theology

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 05:40:00 PDT

Last week in class we started out by doing a general overview of what we're covering in the course, and set some basic foundations for the content. One of the best things - and main emphasis - of what we talked about was the fundamentally dependent nature of theology. Dr. Garner read the following quote to the class which I found very powerful:

In this sense we speak of a dependent character for Theology. When an absolute stranger falls into the hands of the police, which is no infrequent occurrence anywhere, and steadfastly refuses to utter a single syllable, the police face an enigma which they cannot solve. They are entirely dependent upon the will of that stranger either to reveal or not to reveal knowledge of himself. And this is true in an absolute sense of the Theologian over against his God. He cannot investigate God. There is nothing to analyze. There are no phenomena from which to draw conclusions. Only when that wondrous God will speak, can he listen. And thus the Theologian is absolutely dependent upon the pleasure of God, either to impart or not to impart knowledge of Himself. Even verification is here absolutely excluded. When a man reveals something of himself to me, I can verify this, and if necessary pass criticism upon it. But when the Theologian stands in the presence of God, and God gives him some explanation of His existence as God, every idea of testing this self-communication of God by something else is absurd; hence, in the absence of such a touchstone,. there can be no verification, and consequently no room for criticism. This dependent character, therefore, is not something accidental, but essential to Theology. As soon as this character is lost, there is no more Theology, even though an investigation of an entirely different kind still adorns itself with the theological name. In his entire Theology the Theologian must stand in the presence of God as his God, and as soon as for a single instant he looks away from the living God, in order to engage himself with an idea about God over which he will sit as judge, he is lost in phraseology, because the object of his knowledge has already vanished from his view. As you cannot kneel in prayer before your God as worshipper, in any other way except as dependent upon Him, so also as Theologian you can receive no knowledge of God when you refuse to receive your knowledge of Him in absolute dependence upon Him. (Abraham Kuyper, Encyclopedia of Sacred Theology, 251-52)

There are two important things to note from this passage:

Our theology, for it to be true, must be based on God revealing Himself. This is to say that we cannot postulate and speculare up into a true knowledge of God. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7). We must first look for God as God over us before we can know anything further about God (his attributes, character, personality, etc.). God must speak for us to know anything about him. What Kuyper nails in this passage is that if God does not speak about himself, there is no ground for knowing anything about him. We know God because he's gracious. We know God because he loves revealing himself. And why does he love revealing himself? Because he loves making his glory great, for "from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11:36). Because God's revelation of himself is the only way we can know him, the thought of testing that knowledge against anything else is absolutely absurd, and fundamentally a misstep of faith. Why? Because when we want to test something to see if its true, we test it against things that it is like. You test the testimony of one person on an event against another person on an event; you test the accuracy of a gun against the accuracy of another gun. So how will you test the revelation of God? Against... another god's revelation? If God speaks, his "Word is truth" (John 17:17), and as such, there is no other truth or word to test it against. We receive - we depend on God to reveal himself, and we believe. It is a joy to know the Word of God and receive him in joy (isn't that one of the underlying themes of Psalm 119?).

Secondly, When we deviate from looking to God to reveal himself in a dependent character, we commit idolatry. This is a point more for meditation than exposition, but consider: When we say, "God's Word is not sufficient to know God", what are we fundamentally doing? Among many things, we are then putting our judgment above God's, and making an idol after our own image of what we think God should be. This is at least one of the things Paul underlines in Romans 1:18ff - When people reject God on God's terms, they raise up themselves and an idol to worship like themselves. When we turn from receiving God, dependent on him, longing for his Word and revelation - when we turn from this view of theology, we automatically start creating an image of God that we can control, we commit idolatry.

So, in light of that, I'd encourage you to re-read Kuyper's quote.

Meditation
What this means for my soul is that it impresses upon me the importance of prayer in theological work as in the rest of life. The Lord says, "But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word" (Isaiah 66:2). "You have said, 'Seek my face.' My heart says to you, 'Your face, Lord, do I seek' (Psalm 27:8). The aim of God in my life is for me to seek his face, to know him in prayer and quietness. To know him for all that he is and all that subsiquently says about me - which should drive me to trembling prayer. The knowledge of God, even in an academic setting, should set me on edge, trembling for how great he is. What a severe glory - I can only know God on his terms. This underlines his sovereignty and puts his grace in Technicolor. The mouth requires the hand atop it, for there is nothing else to do here. Silence and prayer before this God whom I love to know. Does this not put new depths to Jesus saying, "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life" (John 6:63)? Let us come before this God, who in the fullness of time sent His Son that we might be reconciled from our sin and idolatry by His blood to have fellowship and knowledge of Him.

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What I'm thinking of doing is posting from week to week on what I'm learning in class - at least a part of it. If that's something you'd like for me to do, please leave a comment, it helps me know if what I'm posting is actually helpful to people.

They also serve who only stand and wait

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:19:52 PDT

In a conversation with a friend last night, I was reminded of this poem shared with me a while back. It was sent my way in a time when I felt I was wasting my time waiting around to see what God was doing with my life. The poem itself comes from the great, John Milton. If you haven't read anything by him, stay tuned, his poem starts in T minus... The poem is called "On His Blindness", written at a point in Milton's life when he had finally gone completely blind - a bad wrap for someone's who's occupation mainly consisted of writing and reading. So, here's the poem, take a few reads if you need to (I did when rereading!):

When I consider how my light is spent
Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent which is death to hide
Lodg'd with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present
My true account, lest he returning chide,
"Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?"
I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent
That murmur, soon replies: "God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts: who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed
And post o'er land and ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and wait.

Milton, in meditating on his own God given skills ("that one tallent") wonders how he can say to God he used it to his best ability when he now is in a state of being unable to function in that gifting. But he is replied, quite simply: God has people and creatures who work and serve him, the great King of the Universe, and some of them serve God by standing and waiting. For me at the time, this poem helped me to see that in a time when what I wanted (pastoral ministry) wasn't happening any time soon, the waiting on God to lead was still of great value. The reality is: God doesn't need me. He hasn't been wringing his hands since the assent of Christ, waiting for Jacob Young to come on the pastoral landscape. God is served just fine, thank you, with out me, or any other created thing for that matter.

It is helpful to remember, that when it comes to being known by the King, being known is enough. And as for showing our love? Silence and stillness is a good option.

I'm going to semenary...Tomorrow

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:24:29 PDT

Classes started this past week, but my class being on a Monday starts tomorrow. I'm just taking one class - Prolegomena to Theology (a.k.a. Introduction to Systematic Theology). As I've mentioned before in this series of posts, I'll be approaching seminary in a little less standard way - though I know I'm not the only part-timer there! I'm really looking forward to it. I don't know if anybody is particularly interested in my musings on this next step for me (and us as a family), but here are a few reflections that have washed through the creek of my mind lately:

I mean, how cool is it to have a class, for 12 weeks, on theology, the doctrines of revelation and Scripture! It just blows my mind - I get to think with someone way learned on these things about how God reveals himself and his Word.
In the last 6 months, particularly since we lost the baby, God's Word has become all the more precious to me. Not as though I devalued it, but it has become my meat and strength. More and more, I can't think without his Word guiding me because his word is truth and my sure and steady guide. So, to echo the above thought, how awesome is it to give serious thought to thinking about what God says about his Word. People complain that seminary can be aloof and not practical. I'm sorry, but how much more practical could you get than to give serious thought to learning what God thinks about his Word! Struggles in marriage, worldliness, lust, etc. all find their sure weapon of death in God's sure and certain Word - shouldn't we know what God thinks about it!
I will be held accountable on the Last Day for this class. Yea, it's just some money and class time, but I'm dealing with God's things here, and I'm stewarding whatever giving God has given me to give particular attention to God's things, so I know he'll ask me what I did with the time when I stand before the throne. That means I take my time and study seriously. I'm not trying to just pass the class, or write passing papers. I'm seeking to redeem the time in such a way that God is my aim of honoring in this time.
Time management is crucial. C.J. Mahaney's blogs on biblical productivity were incredibly helpful in helping me put my time needs into categories where "yes" and "no" became more discernible. I'll let the Spirit do the convicting on who should be reading this (ahem, the word starts with "e" and ends with "body"...). The demands of almost 50 hours of work per week (including drive time), being married (that's a 24/7 honor), a Christian (again, 24/7, devotion times, community group, church involvement, etc.), and other things (I've got a couple more responsibilities in my community group starting this fall) all mean that adding a class (class + drive + study = a 10-15 hour part time job) means I need to really beg for wisdom and exercise discernment on what we can and can't do. C.J.'s blogs helped give me the tools to work through my time management. Thankfully, that plus iCal makes this a lot easier to do. Now that the semester has started, the rubber hits the road now and means I need to be seeking to kill that sin I like so much: lazy ambivalence (pride in cool hang-out cloths).
Class notes will be fun. I will not be using a computer in class, they annoy me and I think they dumb down one's class involvement (or at least to be gracious, they have the potential to do that). R. Scott Clark (our at Westminster Seminary California) has some helpful thoughts on computers in the class room here. I recommend them. What can I say, I'm old school on this one. I've developed a little note taking method for class, so we'll see how it goes.
How cool is it to be taking this class! Yea, I know I've said that already, but it's exciting.

Pray for me if you think of it. I need lots of grace to be attentive to what God's given me to do this fall. Only God gets his to-do list done, and thankfully he's given me Jesus Christ to know that all my many sins that will be exposed and prodded during this time have been atoned for, and that through Jesus, by the power of his Spirit, I have the hope of love at his throne in the end, and power to change to hopefully do things in a way that honors him this semester.

The Four Books of the Augustolypse

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:50:27 PDT

I seemed to get in a mild reading groove in August and got through a few books I wanted to share some quick reviews of. I don't know how I managed it, but I picked good books, the kind that are helpful and not intellectual puke validated by a little bit of ink and binding.

Book #1 - Adopted for Life by Russel D. Moore
This book was simply phenominal. I don't stay up late or get up early to read through books, but this one hooked me. Dr. Moore approaches the issue of adoption on the board scope: the Doctrine of Adoption and our practice of adoption. The book, largely, isn't split in a Pauline way - doctrine first, practice second. He does start the book out by spending more time on the doctrine of adoption: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons" (Galatians 4:4-5). He presses the point at the beginning defending Paul's language of sonship - that in the ancient world, sons were the secure heirs while daughters could be married out of the family. This is important to note, not because men are better than women (which Peter does a good job of showing this clearly in 1 Peter 3:7), but that this is functional language about how positions in families work. One of Dr. Moore's major emphasis in the book is to stress that adopted children are actual children in equal standing as "natural children" in a family. Throughout the book he fluctuates between "Look at the Gospel and our adoption into God's family" and "This is how we do adoption of children into our families" almost always within the same paragraph. He helpfully draws how the Gospel really does bring us into God' family with full freedom of love and promises by our elder brother Jesus and how that effects even how we talk about our families. He does give helpful wisdom on how to move through the difficult/tricky aspects of life that come along with adopting children (i.e. How and when to tell them they were adopted and didn't come from mommy's belly, awkward questions of "Did he get that behavior from his actual parents?" or the idea that "I just really want children of my own, and then we'll adopt" - as though adopted children are semi-your-own). Honestly, for us, we do plan to adopt in the future, who knows when (I'm leaving that to the Spirit's leading). That said, the book, for me and my family, is important reading to clarify how we are going to think about our children ("natural" or adopted) and our family life in light of what the Gospel says about us: we once were rebels and aliens to God, and he brought us near by the life and work of his only Son so that we might be adopted and made heirs of the very one we once hated but now joyfully love. I highly recommend the book.

Book #2 - Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl by N.D. Wilson
I read this book mostly because it's gotten a lot of hype lately. If you're not up on the hype, then you're out of the loop, and you should probably start thinking about changing the lunch-room table you sit at... I really enjoyed this book. Nate's aim is to look at the world under the pretext of the doctrine ex nihilo creation, and see God's grand story that's clearly presented before us in the world. I really found the book quite helpful and was deeply struck mainly by how he drew me to see in a clearer way than I had before, the depths of profundity bound up in Jesus upholding "the universe by the word of his power" (Hebrews 1:3). He approaches the book, not with a straight line, but crooked like, weaving and climbing like a painter over his canvas. Nate's intent is to paint a picture, not write a dissertation. For that I am deeply thankful. It is the sort of writing I have desired to read for a while - the type of reading that engages one existentially, as a whole being, sight, senses, intellect, heart. He takes on the philosophers in this book (calling them a few names here and there) and engages the atheist head on. The book itself is intended in many ways to be an apologetic to our age, and in my opinion, follows after the tradition of C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity. He addresses the problem of evil (which he states is an emotional problem, not an intellectual problem). He helps us see God's grand story in creation and ultimately in Jesus. I appreciate this because many times talk of God's grand story miss the central figure: Jesus. If you want a taste of the book, check out these few posts from Justin Taylor's blog here, here, and here, and read Tony Reinke's review of the book here. Really, the book is just that good to just read it. It's engaging, and helpful, provocative and clear, doctrinal and entertaining. I've given the book to a guy at work who's not a Christian because I feel that as much as the book is helpful to Christian, like Keller's The Prodigal God, it's all the more helpful in making the glory of God in the Gospel clear and engaging to non-Christians.

Book #3 - When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor...and Yourself By: Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett
I really liked this book. I was asked to read this book by a friend in my church who's thinking through mercy ministry because he wanted me (for whatever reason) to help him in thinking through the subject. My tag line for my thoughts on the Gospel is that it deals with the Bible's call for engaging the needs and issues of poverty while upholding the centrality of the Gospel of Jesus Christ's substitutionary, reconciling death without falling into limp wristed, quasi-Utopian, liberal theology, and in that way believes in a bigger, stronger God than the pagan idol of the Liberals. This authors are deeply committed to the clear orthodox teaching of the Gospel, and from that seek to see poverty addressed from helpful angels. The book starts by showing how we were created to be in relationship with God, self, others, and creation, and show the effects of sin as causing rebellion and poverty in each of these areas. From here the go about showing that truly helpful mercy ministry, particularly that focused on poverty alleviation should be aimed in grace to help people restore these four areas, not just the money part. Moreover, because of the doctrine of common grace and the Gospel reality that God is working ahead of us in all situations, when we engage those in need (poverty in one of those four areas), we meet with people in whom God has already been working, and thus in whom there are already good things happening. Much of the work at this point is coming along side people to mutually help each other, potentially more focused on a particular need (i.e. X group's poverty). This relationship fosters healing and growth in our intended relationship with others (one can't help but think of race relations in America) and helps direct through conversations about what is already happening in a community ways to go about helping that will truly help people become self-sustained and prosperous (in the good way). For example, it ultimately hurts both parties when middle-class whites go through a poverty stricken poor neighborhood (often black) and distribute Christmas gifts. It shames the men who cannot provide for their families and perpetuates the sense that whites have it all (when the whites might not have the flick of faith that those that they are "helping" have). One of my "Amen brothers" parts of the book is where they take this view of helping the poor and aim it at the modern trend of "short term mission trips" - which ultimately hurt both the community in need and those being sent. However, the doesn't completely destroy them, he just helps us see why they really are based on false models of how to help. I highly recommend the book. Along the lines of what is talked about in it, you can get a taste of it from a recent interview on NPR's Speaking of Faith here (which is unrelated to the book, but related to the thrust of it). From that interview, one of the helpful points made there is that our ability to help those in need is our ability to colonize the "third world" today. Think about that for a moment. I really think before we continue in our attempts to follow Christ's example and model in helping the poor (a legitimate and serious call of the Gospel), we really need to listen to what Fikkert and Corbet have to say to us on the matter so that we engage wisely and bring more honer and glory to Jesus Christ.

(As a side note, this book helped solidify my appreciation for and agreement with Sovereign Grace Ministries' teaching and application of apostolic ministry. You can download and read through the booklet they've released on polity here, and their booklet on missiology here. In my view, the aim of applying this material to the advancement of the Gospel is pioneered by men with an apostolic calling to go into new areas, form relationships with the existing church there, to create healthy, open relationships so that appropriate means of help can be filter into an area without causing more damage with a view towards seeing the Gospel advance and heal, and not western notions of achievement and productivity.)

Book #4 - A Clear and Present Word: The Clarity of Scripture in a Confused World by Mark D. Thompson
So here we are the last book. In our present context, the cultural voice of the day says that we cannot have any certain, objective meaning in a text and that any interpretation of what something means is really just a projection of what we want to see. That is, we only read what we want to see, there is no authority on a text. With that said, Thompson does an outstanding job in answering the question: Can we know what God's Word says? The clarity of Scripture has deeper roots than responding to the attacks of postmodern scholarship on simple-minded believers. Think Luther and Rome here on the necessity of Tradition, and the Ancient Fathers against the Gnostics. Anyhow, the book is great. How can we be confident that God's Word is clear? Because God goes with his word. More basically, how do we know language is reliable in communicating meaning? Because it's apart of God's triniarian nature, and thus communication is fundamentally a gift of God, not a human tool that God co-opted. Thompson teaches us that "[t]there is never any suggestion that the incarnation makes a genuine revelation of God's mind and character more difficult, that flesh and blood, human mobility or human means of communication are somehow obstacles to overcome" (58). That is, when God spoke to us through his incarnate Son, Jesus word's were clear, precise in revealing God to us, and were entirely human. God's Word to us is clear because God goes with it, it is God's nature to speak (John 1:1), and it is his nature to be merciful and gracious. There really is not enough room here to do justice to the whole book, so if you're interested in a more thorough, chapter by chapter over view, check out Kevin DeYoung's review's here. This book was just so good, another one of those books I stayed up late reading. He really taught me deep truths and realities about God and his Word, which insights more affections and love for Jesus Christ. Personally, I find this sort of reading devotional in a way - engaging the mind, and infusing fire into my affections. He addresses issues of the Bible's view of itself and its clarity across the sweep of the Scriptures, and engages modern issues in hermeneutics and interpretation. If you're wanting a good book that engages many issues facing the orthodox doctrine of Scripture in our present age, I would highly recommend putting this on your short list.

So there you go, my four books of August. As I said, they just all happened to be good books so I thought I'd share. As we seek to think God's thoughts after him, let us continue to seek good books that will give us sure steps in following him.

In many ways I feel I've done each of these books a disservice in the brevity of each review, so if you'd like to hear more on any of them, please ask!

How The Gospel Engages My Sorrow

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:50:18 PDT

The miscarriage happened a little over two weeks ago. That's a strange thought. This has to have been the craziest month thus far in my life, followed in a close second by the month Michelle and I got married. Honestly, getting married was a lot more fun. I knew miscarriages were sad and unfortunate, but one of the things I hadn't expected was the lingering, cloak-and-dagger type sorrow that follows behind the loss. The sorrow comes in waves it seems - no real trigger, if there were, I'd like to avoid it. And most frustrating and tiring of all, it seems to stick around. You'd think I could talk about it by now with a straight face, but my eyes still seem to leak every once and a while - I hold it back, who really wants to cry at work over computer parts?

There is the inner swarm of thoughts: Why'd this happen? Why this way? Memories of when it happened. My father's reaction to when I told him in person that we were pregnant. Coming home to Michelle crying that evening. The doctor's office where they confirmed it. Frustrations over how this affects Michelle. I find it difficult to find steady ground. I feel that all I have in these moments is the single beam of light from God's Word that tends to the simmering coals of faith. I feel a naked faith of sorts, the kind that's likened to anemic people in the hospital - still human, still living, just barely.

In my devotion reading this morning, David, carried along by the Eternal Spirit, sung to me, "Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered" (Psalm 32:1). David's statement is all encompassing, it's a declaration. God has brought his righteousness near to me and covered me (Isaiah 46:13) because of Jesus work to take my sin upon himself (2 Cor. 5:21) that I might be forgiven and be blessed in enjoying God. Why is that so hard right now? Or is it? Joy isn't always clothed in joyfully raised hands. Joy takes on the cloths of sorrow (that's why 60% of the Psalms are in a minor key). At church this past week there were songs and prophetic words (if I remember correctly) about the Lord Jesus taking on our sorrows and griefs. He took these sorrows on that I might be declared blessed in the free justification of his grace. He has born these sorrows to a depth that I will not, because he's made a declaration over me. So in my sorrow, I take hope that the one who has turned these events as they have gone is the very one to whom I must go, because that's what it means to be blessed, to be surrounded by the steadfast love of the Lord (Ps. 32:11).

I trust in God, my rock and fix my mind on him in this sorrow that he would give me a perfect peace, the peace of Christ that surpasses all understanding and guards me from falling away (Isaiah 26:3; Phil. 4:7). Even still, however long that peace is withheld, he is strengthening these feeble legs of faith to walk after him; to step when the pain is in the walking. This is how the Gospel engages our miscarriage - Jesus has lead the way and taken the full force of sorrow and grief that we might know God. How do I know I don't experience the full weight of the sorrow? Because I see Jesus, and he has overcome the world (John 16:33). All things are now not in vein.

By His Divine Power: 2 Peter 1:3-4

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:59:19 PDT

This is a diagram that I drew up in my devotion time this morning. 2 Peter 1:1-11 was on the docket, and after a few reads, verses three through four really stuck out to me as a profoundly God-centered logical flow of thought (surprise, surprise - it's in the Bible!), so drew what I saw. The verse itself reads:

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

These diagrams help me to unpack what is being said. What Peter is getting at is quite profound. Notice the flow of thought:

God initiates his divine power, he gives it freely. There are not conditions for it - save being a sinner! - and he has given it, as we learn in v. 2, in Jesus Christ to us. This is on God's initiative. There is no invitation from man, "Hey God, we're kinda hating you right now. Mind doing something about that?" God initiates his love without any inclination of interest in those he initiates towards. This is the wonder of Free Grace.
It is given so that we might A) Have knowledge of him, Jesus, and B) have something through it. Stop for a moment. God freely gives knowledge of himself (implicitly this is saving knowledge of him), not just to be impressed by God, but to have something. God is giving people who have committed treason against him treasures out of his glory. He is giving traitors that which they should have given him. Do you see the free, amazing, glorious grace involved here? Not only is God initiating something, but he's initiating with a purpose to bless and give. That's two givings of grace, if you're counting, to people who deserved nothing!
God's power intends life changing effects. This is simply amazing. God doesn't just send Jesus to give us a ticket out of Hell (to use the phrase), but he saves us to be like him "in life and godliness." To be a Christian is to grow, and desire to grow, in godliness. Moreover, it is through the knowledge that God gives that we receive "all things that pertain to life and godliness." It is not through 10 steps, it is not through accountability programs, it is first and primarily about seeing and knowing something that God gives. That something is Jesus Christ in the Gospel - his death for our sin, his taking of the wrath we deserve, his actual death and actual resurrection, his victory and reign over Satan, sin, and death. It is not in participating in some way that we receive "all things that pertain to life and godliness", it is through seeing and knowing. We don't do anything to get right with God, thus we don't do anything to merit the ability to grow in grace. All we do is see Jesus Christ, in all that is and all that he has done, and in that we grow in our love for him, have our minds and hearts changed by that sight, and thus simply by believing in Jesus we receive the power to grow in godliness.
Change comes through God's promises. Not only are we saved by God's self-initiated grace and mercy, but God also gave in ages past his promises about his name and goodness to those who repent and believe in him. Thus, when we do repent and believe in Jesus Christ through knowing his Gospel and seeing its goodness, "all the promises of God find their Yes in him" (2 Corinthians 1:20). And it is God's already existing promises of mercy and goodness that cause change in us. We believe in God's ability to do what he has said because God fulfilled his great promise of redemption (Genesis 3:15) in Jesus Christ; thus we know that all his subsequent promises are also "Yes!".
His grace sent to make us partake of him. The aim of God's divine power (#1) is to bring us near to him and partake of himself. The extent of this "partakers of divine nature" is deep, but I think a part of what is in view is holiness. God brings us, those rebels who once hated him and were full of "sinful desire" are now brought near to God by his own initiative and grace to be "partakers of divine nature". Stop for a moment and wonder at this! What wondrous grace is this. "My song is love unknown, My Saviour’s love to me; Love to the loveless shown, That they might lovely be. O who am I, that for my sake, My Lord should take frail flesh and die?"
As a final strand, We escaped because he called. Lest we should boast in ourselves in any of this, Peter makes the strand in this verse that we escaped the corruption of the world in its sinful desires (which we freely partook of) only because God "called us to his own glory and excellence." This call that he gave was effectual. It changed our minds, it set our feet on a path, gave us fuel to walk, and an aim to end in.

What grace from God. Let his name be praised for his amazing grace.

A Clear and Present Word

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 11:22:50 PDT

I'm currently reading through A Clear and Present Word: The Clarity of Scripture by Mark D. Thompson, and after doing a little google search, found to my surprise that Kevin DeYoung actually read the book and blogged through it earlier this year. I plan to post some thoughts on the book in the days/weeks to come, but here are his posts on it for those that might be interested in reading the book or DeYoung's thoughts:

A Clear and Present Word (1)
A Clear and Present Word (2)
A Clear and Present Word (3)
A Clear and Present Word (4)
A Clear and Present Word (5)

Buy the book here, with a .pdf of the first chapter for free here.

Applying 1 Corinthians 13

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:06:25 PDT

These quotes are from Jerry Bridges The Discipline of Grace, where he applies 1 Corinthians 13 to our lives in how we live in light of the Gospel. I read this several months ago and highly recommend the book to those seeking to learn how the Gospel changes how we live and view the world and those around us. I have one friend who gives the high recommendation that the firs three chapters of this book absolutely changed his life! It's honestly that good, so I recommend it to friends and pastors as a book that discusses the simplicity of the Gospel of grace that will both teach and warm the heart for Jesus. Here are a few selections from Bridges on Christian love, stemming from 1 Corinthians 13.

On the severity of our love...

I am patient with you because I love you and want to forgive you.
I am kind to you because I love you and want to help you.
I do not envy your possessions or your gifts because I love you and want you to have the best.
I do not boast about my attainments because I love you and ant to hear about yours.
I am not proud because I love you and want to esteem you before myself.
I am not rude because I love you and care about your feelings.
I am not self-seeking because I love you and want to meet your needs.
I am not easily angered by you because I love you and want to overlook your offenses.
I do not keep a record of your wrongs because I love you, and “love covers a multitude of sins.” (p. 39)

On the aim of our love...

“Even criticism addressed to someone should be given only with the goal of benefiting that person. It should never be given out of a spirit of impatience or irritability, or with a desire to belittle the individual. Only honest criticism given from a heart of love in a spirit of humility can qualify as that which builds up the other person.” (p. 35)

On the clothing of our love...

“God never intended that we relate to him directly. Our own performance is never good enough to be acceptable to him. The only way we can relate to God is through the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ. It is only the blood of Jesus that cleanse us from a guilty conscience and give us the confidence to enter into the presence of God (Hebrews 10:19-21).” (p. 23)

Grieving As Those Who Have Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 05:24:48 PDT

There is sad new to report here: we lost the baby Monday night. The miscarriage was confirmed yesterday when we went to see the doctor. The sorrow is deep, the miscarriage of answer prayers and the ensuing joy. But we do "not grieve as others do who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13), Jesus has overcome the world (John 16:33). This does not dissuade the sorrow or pain. Grieving at the curse of the fall is the godly and right response here (John 11:35), a response born and carried by the Holy Spirit's work in us, the fruit of Christ's victory over death. In the simplest of terms, we know that Jesus loves us, for as John tells us, he loved us to the end (John 13:1); that is, we know Jesus loves us now because he loved us to the cross. My Lord has dealt us a heavy blow, but I return this heart, bruised and bleeding, to him.

At the moment, my simple prayer is that as the Lord has given us this turn of events, that I might have more of him. He does what is right, and in my heart of hearts I rebuke any thought that questions his goodness in these events - Who are you, O my soul, to answer back to God (Rom. 9:20)? I shall not. As a weaned child I will sit on my Saviors lap, I will not lift my eyes to high (Psalm 131). This is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, Self-Control with her twin sister, Peace of Christ, and they spread the grace of the joy of God in this valley of the shadow of death (Gal. 5:22; Phil. 4:7). I will weep, but I will not weep as those with no hope, for Christ is my portion. For Michelle and I, this is our prayer and only hope. God has chosen is infinite, holy wisdom to take our child from life. To the Great Redeemer I trust this little one. As for us who still walk this pilgrim's road, I join the hymn and pray:

Let sorrow do its work, come grief or pain;
Sweet are Thy messengers, sweet their refrain,
When they can sing with me: More love, O Christ, to Thee;
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!

Blessedness in Walking in the Law

noreply@blogger.com (Jacob Young) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:29:36 PDT

I so was challenged yesterday by reading of the example of David Platt that I've been reinvigorated to memorize Psalm 119. So in my steps on verse one this morning I wanted to make a small note.

Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord! ~ Psalm 119:1

What I noted and chewed on here is that those who are called blessed are those who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessedness is in the obedience. There is the overwhelming temptation to feel that we must walk in obedience, grit and grind out teach through it so that we might eventually wind up in happiness in God (blessedness). No, that is not right. To obey God is to enjoy God, to be blessed and delighting in him. Why? Because we are submitting to and enjoying his Law, not our own law. This is what Paul talks about in Romans 8:13 when he says, "if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." David clearly realized his own need for God to help him walk in the Law of God (v.8). Thus, we see with David that the blessed one is he who walks in the Law of God by the power of God to enjoy God in so doing. It truly is a delight to follow God's law, to forsake out own cravings and desires and find God meeting us with deeper, righter pleasures because his law is founded in him. In walking in God's law, we enjoy God.