Skin to Soul

I thank God for the grace he lavishes on us through sanctification. The older I get the more aware I become of just how unaware I am of myself. You would think by now, after ten plus years of walking with Christ, that I would be further along in my in spiritual journey. Unfortunately, that is not the case. I believe I have barely scratched the surface of my eternal relationship with Christ. Eternal, that is such a weighty word. Maybe that is why the task of sanctification seems so daunting. Sanctification seems as though it will never end. Sin runs deep in my veins. It is at the very core of my being. How can something that is so intertwined with who I am be purged out in such certainty?

That is the amazing work of the blood of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. That is why at times I marvel at the incomprehensibility of the God of the universe! "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?" "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:33-36) In this I can testify with John Newton, "… That I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Saviour."

With all of that being said, I have come to recognize something about me that is unsettling. By God's mercy, I have become aware of the shallowness of my love for people. I find myself not willing to get past the surface of people's lives. I really do not care about people. I do not care about the hardships they face...the emptiness, the darkness, the pain, and so on. I do not care about racial reconciliation between African Americans and Caucasians, or the worthiness of women beyond aesthetical decadence. I really do not care about their death and descent into an eternal abyss (and all that comes with the fruits of hell) apart from the mesmerizing beauty and wonder of Christ our Lord and the Father.

If I cared, my thoughts would be more gentle and my attitude less apathetic. My motives would be more cordial and my judgment less critical. My eyes would see differently and my heart would love more radically. I would weep with those who weep and rejoice with the angels over one sinners repentance. I would be able to see unbelievable endings to small beginnings; like a mustard seed of faith. I would really believe the gospel.

I am going to begin a series "Skin to Soul" on my blog. In this series, I am prayerfully pursuing the root of my apathy towards loving people. I will examine my heart's attitude and reaction to people I encounter. I will search my soul for reasons why I am reacting the way I am reacting and then try to interpret my feelings, motives, attitudes, etc, though God's word. I am open to your input in this matter. If you have any suggestions, constructive criticisms, or stories of your own, I encourage you to participate.

I will say that I am anxious about this endeavor. My hunch is I am going to find that my apathy is not necessarily towards people, but towards God himself. This is scary on so many levels. However, in the end, God is merciful. He loves me as His own and will do what is necessary for His glory and my joy. Being a great sinner could make this journey undeniably unbearable… if Christ was not such a great savior! I look forward to the journey.

You Are My Friends If...

Family worship time in our house is very important to us. Just about every night, we gather together, sings songs, and read scripture. This varies at times. Some times we do more of one than the other, but nevertheless, it is a consistent time of reflecting on the day and learning God's word. A few nights ago, Naomi shed some new light on an old verse.

The family alter started as usual with prayer and music. Then we read scripture and began having some discussion. During this time we try to ask a lot of questions and contextualize the concept to help them better understand. Sometimes Naomi will think of a hypothetical situation to apply what she just learned. Sometimes, I think her "hypotheticals" are actual events that happened to her throughout her day.

We were teaching the children about the love of God and how we love him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). The discussion began to revolve around loving God and people when people are not so easily lovable. Like usual, Naomi begins to give a "hypothetical situation" about loving people when they are being mean.

She says, "Ya, it's kind of like when Rachel, Savannah, and I are playing outside and Rachel goes into her house and gets her new barbies. And when she comes outside, she gives one to Savannah and does not give one to me. And they begin to play without me. I feel really sad and get mad. So I said to them, 'The bible says: You are my friends if you do whatever I command you...'" (Inferring...give me a barbie.)

At this point I have to look away and fight the outburst of laughter bulging in my throat. I look at Stacy and she is grinning from ear to ear with her head down lightly giggling. Naomi on the other hand was serious. I ask her if this is just pretend or did this really happen. Of course, it did happen earlier that day. I can just imagine the look on those girls faces when she said that. Priceless.

Part of me was impressed. Don't get me wrong, what she said was out of context and misappropriated. However, in the context of the conversation, it was pretty smooth. She spoke with authority and certainty. I can't knock a girl for trying.

Obviously, this lead to a correction conversation. We spoke to her about context and why Jesus said what he said, and how only he can say that. This is not the first time Naomi busted scripture out on someone. One little girl (the little girl who got the barbie) was not being very nice to her and came and took a branch out of her hand impolitely. Naomi returned with, "The bible says your supposed to let your light so shine before men so that they will see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16)." The little girl still took the branch and walked away. Naomi just walked away.

I learned a good lesson from this. Context is very important, especially with children. My children know a lot of scripture, more than I knew at their age. However, not all of it has taken root. I must be diligent to make sure the full counsel of God's word is being taught and that I check for understanding. Then, once understanding is happening, I need to reinforce what they know in proper context. I'm sad to say that I do not check as much as I should. I typically get it in their and let it sit for a while. Naomi does understand some. She showed that in the conversation she had with the little girl who took the branch out of her hand. I thank God for that. It is proof that God is at work in her and is producing fruit in her life.

My wife and I work hard at teaching our kids God's word. It is very time consuming and sometimes, sadly, we just don't feel like doing it. However, the reward is amazing. It is neat to see God using our children for his kingdom. Granted, this time Naomi overstepped a few boundaries, but, that is not to say it was all wrong. She is learning God's word and trying to apply it to her reality. Context will come as she grows. And she will never learn if she does not try. I say... try and fall down. God will pick her up. In time she will learn from her mistakes and figure how to apply God's word appropriately.

This is why it is crucial for Stacy and I to intentionally pray, teach, demonstrate, experience, and explain God everyday and in every way to our children. We are shaping her reality and understanding of God. As she steps out in faith, we need to be in step with her, with God in the front.

The fruit of a family alter time bears fruit beyond our understanding. Naomi and Ethan learned that verse during family alter. They hear stories about kids who speak God's word in public arenas (playgrounds, porches, backyards, school, etc). They take that and go into the world and try to work it out. I would encourage you to find time to pray and worship as a family. It will be a tremendous asset to your family's faith and sense of humor.

Is It Working?

The other day, while at the dinner table, I was poking fun at my wife with an old R. Kelly song, "I Believe I Can Fly."(Check out on youtube) I facetiously sang through the chorus adlibbing here and there. The kids picked up on it, sang, laughed, and carried on for a time. Stacy thought we were out of our minds. It was fun.

Since then the kids have been singing the song relentlessly. It is almost annoying. Just when you think you have gotten the tune out of your head, here it comes again screaming repeatedly in many different manipulations. First, it is the frantic I drank too much sugar and I am about to have a coronary tone that curdles your blood and takes several good years off your life span. Then comes the growling like a dog tone that is usually accompanied with a Russian march with their legs stomping the floor, shaking everything loose off the walls. Finally, they crescendo with a slap on your butt and a woo hoo for good measure. Well… that is my kids anyways. They have some of me in them and I guess some of that is to be expected.

Nevertheless, today Naomi was singing the song as usual. Except, today, she added her own little piece. As she was standing by our hutch looking at some papers or what not, she began to sing, "I believe…with God's help… I can fly." Did you catch that, "with God's help", I can fly. Stacy and I giggled a little and affirmed her confession.

Naomi's confession was an unadulterated overflow of her understanding of the sovereign care of our God. It is no Westminster Confession, yet, however, it is a building block to that end. In an un-manipulated situation, she voluntarily sang a truth she is beginning to believe. Stacy and I do make it a point to ask many questions about God in certain situations. We also point out truths in creation or circumstances when the opportunity arises. This time however, we were just bystanders. Spectators if you will, of a divine taste of spiritual fruit. A taste we do not experience very often.

Like many families, ours have not arrived as of yet. We have our issues and God has been very merciful and patient with us. Our kids are learning and make many mistakes, as do we as parents. Many times Stacy and I feel very inadequate in our parenting. We feel that way because it seems like our kids should be further along than they are. It seems like we will move a step forward, to only move three steps behind. Moreover, on occasion, we will move five steps forward and really feel like we have it together, to only stall and stay stagnant. It can be discouraging at times. Therefore, when these times happen, we feed off them. They give us hope.

Naomi's little statement of faith in that song helps keep our vision alive. We have a vision for our children. We want them to radically love Christ and his supremacy in everything. We want them to be saturated with God's word and genuine in their faith. We pray this for them and try to live it out in our daily lives. This is where I believe she has seen the credibility of this truth. Aside from our family devotions and scripter memory times, our children see the gospel played out. They have heard our conversations in some of our weakest moments exhorting our utter dependency on the supremacy of Christ. They have seen things done in the name of Jesus that has given some footing to God's provision. We try to include them in ministry opportunities where they can witness God meeting the needs of His people. They have also seen us ask for forgiveness for our sin. They are a part of our spiritual growth as much as we are a part of theirs. These things have helped Naomi to begin to form an understanding of God's ability and power to do amazing things; even help us fly if he so chooses.

Naomi does not know that R. Kelly is speaking metaphorically. She is thinking in literal terms. In her mind, she is singing a song about literally flying. Therefore, when she sings "I believe with God's help I can fly", she believes that God has the ability and power to help her to fly; which she knows humans cannot do on their own. She is declaring the truth with man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26), even flying.

Every day we try to teach our children, as we are learning ourselves, that we can do nothing apart from Christ (John 15:5). We try to intertwine in their being that God is in the heavens and can do as he pleases (Psalm 115:3), and that He gives and takes away as he sees fit (Job 1:20-22). Moreover, every day we need to lift our cup empty before Him (Psalm 16) pleading with Him to fill us with His fullness (Ephesians 3: 19). We try to bestow on them that we are utterly dependant on our God. We have nothing. He is everything. We are vacant and bare. He is our all in all (1 Corinthians 15:28; Ephesians 1:23). With this dependency, we are at the mercy of our God and in desperate need of his help.

If you are like us, you are pleading with God for the salvation of your children. Naomi has made a profession of faith. I am not entirely sure where she is in her walk with God. She is young and has not wrestled adequately with the issue of her sin. However, I do see blocks of truth and faith being laid on her foundation from time to time, such as this one. We have to continue on praying, pleading, proclaiming, and being proactive in bestowing the glory of Christ crucified to our children. I believe God will honor our efforts as long as we keep Him at the center. If that is the case, then I can rest assured in saying, "God is at work. And what He is doing is working." Go on girl, with God's help…fly!