This has been our passion for over 25 years!

Sexual sin has reached epidemic proportions in the Church. Even if the statistics are somehow overstating the problem, sexual sin is undoubtedly the most serious spiritual issue facing the Body of Christ—and things are growing worse.

Our 35 full-time biblical counselors and support staff are fully committed to bringing the hope, healing, and restoration found only in Christ to those who have been touched by the leprosy of sexual sin. Nearly all of the men and women here at Pure Life Ministries are graduates of one of our counseling programs themselves. Each has responded to the call of God to freely give to others the same compassion and mercy which the Father freely bestowed upon them. They are men and women who know how to speak the truth of God in love.

In fulfilling our call, Pure Life Ministries is founded upon the authority of the Word of God as the supreme and all-sufficient Truth for overcoming sin. We unashamedly preach a message of repentance unto salvation. Everything we do—whether in our counseling programs, our speaking ministry, the distribution of our books and resources—all these things are based on the Word of God, with the goal of leading others to victory over sexual sin through a deeper life in God.

I have personally benefited from their resources and regularly suggest their resources in counseling situations. I would encourage you to explore their website and sign up for their FREE newsletter.

Chance to Interact: What are some resources for pure living that you have found?

I read this interesting, short article posted by Vodkapundit: Next Up: Subsidies for Happy Thoughts. I’ve reproduced it in it’s entirety, but click through the link and check out some other thought provoking articles:

You know what we don’t have enough of? Taxes on make-believe. Fortunately, we do have overweening politicians:

An Oklahoma lawmaker has proposed levying a new tax on violent video games. Oklahoma Democrat Will Fourkiller has suggested the tax be applied to all games that receive an ESRB rating, which is intended for adults only. In addition, Fourkiller thinks T-Rated games should also have a tax added to the cost of the games, since some include “simulated gambling.”

His name sounds violent. We should make him change it.

Chance to Interact: Do you think violent video games should be taxed? Why or Why Not?

Theological:

Today a link from Modern Reformation magazine. It is an interview with J.I.Packer on the topic of Unconditional Election. Very easy to read, Packer puts concisely what every believer should understand: Unconditional Election interview

Cultural:

A fascinating website that I’ve just discovered: Q: Ideas for the Common Good. They post articles on just about everything culture-related. I think you would enjoy this article on the Ten Most Significant Cultural Trends of the Last Decade.

Comical:

Just because you have a permit to carry a firearm, doesn’t make you qualified to carry. In Savannah, Georgia, a man discharged a pistol round into his leg after attending a gun show. Here’s the story: Police: Man Shoots Self in Leg at Gun Show.

It’s like shooting ten .30-06′s all at once!

With a 2400 grain bullet, propelled by 240 grains of powder, the JDJ is comparable to a World War I-era tank round or a 20mm cannon in terms of kinetic energy. Rounds cost about $40 every time you pull that trigger. And I’m guessing you don’t want to pull it all too often. Here’s the video:

When Trials Come Lyrics

Keith and Kristyn Getty

Words and Music by Keith and Kristyn Getty

When trials come no longer fear
For in the pain our God draws near
To fire a faith worth more than gold
And there His faithfulness is told
And there His faithfulness is told

Within the night I know Your peace
The breath of God brings strength to me
And new each morning mercy flows
As treasures of the darkness grow
As treasures of the darkness grow

I turn to Wisdom not my own
For every battle You have known
My confidence will rest in You
Your love endures Your ways are good
Your love endures Your ways are good

When I am weary with the cost
I see the triumph of the cross
So in it’s shadow I shall run
Till You complete the work begun
Till You complete the work begun

One day all things will be made new
I’ll see the hope You called me to
And in your kingdom paved with gold
I’ll praise your faithfulness of old
I’ll praise your faithfulness of old

Learning about Love:

Jesus’ interaction with this leper is so key to understanding how God operates. It also is key for us to understand how we, the Church, should operate. What is the stigma about leprosy?

Loving the Unlovely:

Obviously we know that leprosy is a repulsive disease. We don’t need to go into the graphic detail about what happens to the human body when it contracts this disease, but we do know that it is a painful and hideous disease. It is so awful and contagious that lepers were put out of the community as a result. They took on a new identity as “unclean”. To look upon one who suffered with leprosy would cause nausea. As a result people just avoided all contact.

The disease was also virtually incurable. It had no pill or prescription to take the symptoms away. There wasn’t a medical procedure to reverse the effects. It became a disease of no hope. The slow death of leprosy would tear at intimate familial relationships and cause suffering to be spread throughout the family.

When the leper was put outside of the community, he was isolated from all contact. The desire for community would be left wanting and would cause additional anguish to the victim. Where once he worked, played and loved, now leprosy would be his consuming companion.

Isn’t leprosy a great model of sin?

Learning from the Loving Lord:

In the text the Lord is moved with compassion. Can we say that we are “moved with compassion” for those who are unlovely? I am not just speaking of those who are unattractive to our own lifestyles, but am thinking of our companions in the faith who are consumed with sinful desires and actions, as well as, those outside the faith who are given over to their sinful ways. How do you feel about them? Yes, FEEL. Are you moved with compassion towards their plight? We should be.

Compassion motivates Jesus’ action. He moves toward the hurting and touches him. The unimaginable occurs. Jesus touches the unclean. Oh, how this convicts me! In the margin of my Bible I have written:

True love will move you to do what no-one else will

Action motivated by love will move you toward the unlovely, to do what once was unthinkable. Love will motivate you to step into suffering, to reach into the repulsive lifestyles of others, to sit with sinners and console the hurting. Poor, needy, unclean and sinful people need Christians to be reaching out and touching them with the love of Christ.

What does a loving touch do?

It heals a broken heart. It restores the outcast to community. It soothes a suffering soul. It encourages a burdened down believer. It shines brightly the love of Christ to those in sin. It demonstrates the heart of God.

Where can you touch the life of another with the love of Christ? Will you do what no-one else would do?

Yesterday I heard a very heart-wrenching story in the news on my commute to work. It was that the remains of a baby were found in a local city’s sewer. A baby, age determined to be 10-25 weeks of gestation, was found by workers at a Ft. Wayne water treatment facility. I have quoted part of an article describing the situation:

Workers at a Fort Wayne water treatment facility made a gruesome discovery Monday afternoon — the body of an unborn baby who Three Rivers Ambulance Authority paramedics believe was approximately 10 to 25 weeks old.

Local media reports indicate the Allen County Coroner determined the unborn baby was 14-15 weeks gestation and the race and gender of the child was unable to be determined at the time of the examination. Although there is no indication how the baby’s body wound up at the facility, Indiana Right to Life president Mike Fichter tells LifeNews he believes the baby may have been chemically aborted and discarded in sewer.

He said Indiana Right to Life will ask the Indiana State Department of Health to revisit guidelines for disposing of the remains of aborted children in the wake of yesterday’s discovery.

“We don’t know whether this baby was aborted and then flushed into the sewer system by Fort Wayne’s local abortion clinic, or aborted at home using the RU-486 chemical abortion method, but both are strong possibilities,” Fichter noted.

According to responses to inquiries made to the Indiana State Department of Health, fetal remains prior to 20-weeks are classified as medical waste to be handled according to federal guidelines. Those guidelines, according to the national Environmental Compliance Assistance Platform medical waste management web site supported by the federal EPA, list various methods for disposing of medical waste including “Discharge in a sanitary sewer or septic system that is properly installed and operating in accordance with state and local laws.”

“The horrifying fact is that abortion clinics in Indiana can use garbage disposals and toilets to discard body parts into local sewer systems,” states Fichter. “The degradation of the disposal process is second only to the degradation of destroying these lives in the first place.”

Rest of story here

Obviously the whole story has not been revealed yet. And I think we need to keep that in consideration. But I have some thoughts about this and similar situations:

What do we know about this story?

• A baby, unable to survive on its own, was discarded in a horrifying way
• A mother, for whatever reason, experienced the loss of her child
• A father is in the picture, in some way
• Workers, not expecting this kind of gruesome discovery, were shocked by their find
• Our community is responding to this situation

What do I think about this story?

• Baby
  • There was a baby created through the wonderful means of procreation that God had ordained
  • This child, even before conception, had all its days written in a book, stored in God’s library.
  • This baby, created in the image of God, fulfilled the purpose that God designed for it’s young life – even if we haven’t discovered that purpose yet
  • This baby was loved by God more than any earthly family could ever love a child
• Mom
  • There was a mom who conceived a child in some situation – unknown presently
  • There is a mom who carried a child for 10-25 weeks; who carried a real, live human being for 10-25 weeks
  • There is a mom who has lost her child. We do not, at the time of this writing, know the circumstances of the abortion
    • Yes, a miscarriage is an abortion (a natural expulsion of a fetus) – did this mom suffer incredibly in the loss of her child?
    • Was this mom faced with such hard life choices that she only saw hope in aborting her child?
    • Did this mom feel alone in her pregnancy and up against an immovable wall of circumstances?
    • Would this mom have considered giving her child up for adoption?
  • There is a mom who has lost a child and she will carry that for the rest of her life – how would you/your Church minister to her?
• Dad
  • There was a father who, through the means ordained by God, became a partner in the life of this child
  • Did this dad, upon finding out that this mom was pregnant, wonder how he was going to afford a child?
  • Does this dad even know what has happened to his child?
  • Is this dad being supportive of the mother of this child?
  • What circumstances of life were so great for this dad that the only logical and viable choice in regard to this child was abortion?
  • What is this dad feeling if the mother of this child lost her child and he disposed of it, frightened because he didn’t know what to do?
  • There is a dad who is forever linked to the life of this child – even if we never know his name
• Workers
  • There are workers who made a gruesome discovery and will carry that for the rest of their lives
  • There are workers who have their own families that will undoubtedly be affected in the way they view their wife and children
  • There are workers who need loving support to work through this situation
• Community
  • What can we do?
  • There is a community which will use this situation for good or for evil
  • There is a community which will be divided along the lines of pro-life/pro-choice
  • There is a community that will continue to battle for either a culture of life or a culture of death
  • There is a community that must be called to provide answers and options for moms and families who struggle with tough choices
  • There is a community that must be embraced in the grace of Jesus Christ and confronted with His truth as well
  • There is a community that must be educated in the truth of life, of creation and of its Creator
  • There is a community in which the Church must be foremost in its ministry to struggling families
  • There is a community that must see the Church as a haven of grace, acceptance and love

How will you promote a culture of life in your community? Becoming involved is the first step. Here are some resources for you:

Kosciusko County Right to Life

Allen County Right to Life

I don’t know of any pastors who got into the ministry because they thought they would “get rich quick”. I do know a few who got into ministry because they thought they could use their position in a way to control and manipulate people, or just have a career where they don’t exert much effort at all. I’m not speaking to these folks.

Generally, a pastor is someone with a heart for God and a heart for people. It is a person who is dedicated to using their gifts, part-time, bi-vocationally, or full-time, in helping people grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Often these people are burning candles at both ends, and have a pretty good flame going on in the center as well!

Take a break!

I got to thinking about this because of a short conversation I had with my wife. I was telling her about some struggle I was having in ministry and she just quietly said, “Looks like we’re close to vacation time”. What she meant is that she was noticing that I was just needing to take a break. Even a few days off would be a good place to start. Family time has been dwindling and Pastor Dad is not around as much as he should be. There is a lot packed into her simply true statement!

God speaks to pastors in regard to their family time

We are pretty familiar with the verses that speak to the pastor-shepherd’s family life:

He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? (1Ti 3:4-5 ESV)

What does that mean practically? What exactly might “managing” a household mean? Does it mean taking a day off? What about a regularly scheduled vacation?

Family Life

It’s no secret that pastors and their families suffer tremendously due to the ministry. Sometimes it is the hassles of ministry that cause pastors to suffer, and sometimes they are suffering at their own hand. A quick web search of “statistics pastors and family” revealed some of these startling stats:

• Of the one thousand fifty (1,050 or 100%) pastors we surveyed, every one of them had a close associate or seminary buddy who had left the ministry because of burnout, conflict in their church, or from a moral failure.
• Nine hundred forty-eight (948 or 90%) of pastors stated they are frequently fatigued, and worn out on a weekly and even daily basis (did not say burned out).
• Eight hundred eight (808 or 77%) of the pastors we surveyed felt they did not have a good marriage!
• Eight hundred two (802 or 71%) of pastors stated they were burned out, and they battle depression beyond fatigue on a weekly and even a daily basis.
• Three hundred ninety-nine (399 or 38%) of pastors said they were divorced or currently in a divorce process.
• Three hundred fifteen (315 or 30%) said they had either been in an ongoing affair or a one-time sexual encounter with a parishioner.

or consider these stats: According to the New York Times (August 1, 2010)

• 25% don’t know where to turn when they have a family or personal conflict or issue.
• 25% of pastors’ wives see their husband’s work schedule as a source of conflict.
• 33% say that being in ministry is an outright hazard to their family.

And the stats go on and on. How should a pastor see his ministry in relation to his marriage and family life? Pastors everywhere suffer from the realization that their marriage may not be what it should be or, his failure as a parent just becomes a back breaking load to bear. What does a pastor do to regain this proper perspective in ministry and family life?

1. Recognize that he is a husband first, a father second, and a pastor third.
2. Pastors, and congregations, need to understand that a good home life is foundational to a good ministry.

Family life management is key

See the above text for an indication of how important the Apostle Paul thought family life was for pastors. If you can’t manage your home, you won’t be able to manage your church either. Why is this true?

• The principles & abilities of management are identical wherever they are applied
• If a pastor has failed with a smaller group of people, how will he be successful in the work of a larger group of people?
• If he cannot manage his home & family life, he will be burdened excessively, keeping him from being profitable in his ministry.
• If he is a failure at home, how can he be an example to his congregation? How will he model the way to manage a home?
• If he insists on putting ministry first, he has reversed the order that God has ordained, and unfit for ministry

Time away

Every pastor needs to have a regularly scheduled day away from ministry to the congregation, so that he can focus on ministry to his family. Emergencies arise on occasion and a well rested pastor will eagerly and competently be able to respond in a proper pastoral way. Not only is a day away important, but also a regular time of vacation and rest is vital. This should be a time where he is all but “unreachable” by others in the congregation. He should allow one, or a few key leaders know how to contact him if a true emergency arises, but otherwise remain on vacation at all costs. A good congregation will understand that a rested pastor is an energized and focused pastor.

Rubber to the road

Pastors, here are some questions to work through in regard to your family life and time away:

• Are you a good husband? Why or why not? What must be corrected to come in line with Scripture?
• Are you managing your life and schedule right now so that you are spending adequate and quality time with your wife and family? What habits do you have that have allowed this? What habits need to change?
• Ask your wife and children if they feel as if you are serving them well. Don’t excuse, blameshift or explain away their responses. Review their responses, are they true? What do they indicate?
• Write down your concerns. Refer to the list often. Pray over the list, asking God to give you the wisdom and ability to manage both your family life and your congregation. Revise the list as necessary. Mark off the concerns as you correct them, as your biblical goals become reality.

More resources from Practical Shepherding:

1. Why Should Pastors Regularly Take Time Off?
2. How Much Vacation Time Should a Pastor Take?
3. Should a Pastor Have a Day Off Every Week?
4. How Do You Communicate Love to Your Wife in the Midst of a Demanding Schedule?
5. How Does a Pastor Recover from Mental and Emotional Exhaustion?

There are three great passions in my life: Jesus Christ, my wife & family, and coffee. My coffee consumption: some people call it an “addiction”, I call it fuel for life! I was recently introduced to Leiva’s Coffee from Guatemala and the way I view how I purchase coffee changed tremendously. Leiva’s coffee is a company that is dedicated to transform people’s lives in practical ways in Guatemala while introducing them to Jesus Christ at the same time. I was introduced to the coffee by some friends who traveled to Guatemala recently and purchased the coffee after visiting the farm where it was grown. Since then I have been able to speak with Geovanni Leiva and gain some insight into both their vision and mission to the farmers and families in Guatemala. Here is their story as told on their website:

The Green Book:

When Pedro Leiva was a boy, he had a vision: Two women dressed in white would give him a gift that would change his life. A green bible that would show him the way to God.

22 years later, during a time of personal tragedy, Pedro made his way to the local village to discover two women dressed in white standing on a wagon, speaking to small crowd. Pedro approached the two women and asked in a quiet voice, “Do you have a green book for me?” The women exchanged glances. What a curious thing to ask! But just has it had in Pedro’s vision, one of the women reached into a cardboard box and removed from it a Bible bound in a green cover. “Is this what you are looking for?”

In that moment, these truths were confirmed. God existed, He had a plan, and Pedro Leiva would devote his life to it.

Coffee and Purpose:

Pedro Leiva lived a quiet life of virtue. It was from him that his nephew, Ezequiel Leiva, learned the values of a humble Christian life. But it was with his own hands that Ezequiel learned the skill of cultivating coffee.

For years, Ezequiel labored on Guatemalan coffee farms, hoping to provide a better life for his family, just as his own father, Pedro, the generation before. He was a good a pious man, traits he had gained from his father. Ezequiel knew that his purpose would be shown to him if he only stayed the path.

In the meantime, he saved his money. Life as a coffee laborer was difficult, but the Leiva’s understood that reward was rarely revealed before personal cost. They were a happy family. The Leiva’s had patience.

One day, Ezequiel’s purpose arrived in the form of a man seeking to buy a transistor radio.

The Radio:

In Guatemala in 1969, land was plentiful. One day, a man with an abundance of land put his coffee farm up for collateral in order to purchase a transistor radio. The deal went bad, an Ezequiel graciously helped the man pay his debts. Soon, Ezequiel was the owner of 10 acres of land located in the Eastern Mountains of Guatemala, 3300 feet above sea level. It was purchased for the price of a transistor radio.

The fate of the radio is lost to history. But the land became both a family legacy and an instrument of God’s grace.

A New Way to Work:

For decades, the Leiva’s land was cultivated into a producer of some of world’s finest coffee. It featured four crystal clear streams to aid in a “wet process” that Ezequiel preferred.

The land bore more than coffee – oranges, oak trees, bananas and papayas flourished in the fertile soil, and today you can taste the flavorful influences in every cup of Leiva grown coffee.

For decades, the Leiva’s sold their coffee to middlemen called “coyotes,” who then sold the coffee to distributors and vendors – just like most coffee growers worldwide. This process leaves farmers performing the bulk of the work while others receive a lion’s share of profits.

The coffee farmers remained poor despite producing the world’s second-most traded commodity. Seeing the need for a new way to do business, The Leiva’s made a bold decision.

The Mission:

In 2008, Armando Leiva and his two sons, Geovanni and Mynor, broadened the vision of their modest coffee farm and founded Leiva’s Coffee.

Instead of selling coffee to middlemen, Leiva’s Coffee now sells its single-source coffees direct to the public. The proceeds are then invested back into the tiny Guatemalan communities whose hard working laborers fuel the world’s coffee consumption.

Leiva’s Coffee has become fresh water wells for villages, churches for the faithful and schools for youngsters. Every bit of profit earned by Leiva’s Coffee helps Guatemalan families afford medicine for the elders and education for their young.

Your purchase of Leiva’s Coffee enriches lives in need of a graceful guiding hand. Enjoy the coffee because it is good. Buy it because it does good. And feel good know that you had a part in helping others.

What I’m Looking Forward To:

I am excited about some opportunities to partner with Leiva’s Coffee in the near future. These opportunities will be presented to Calvary Baptist’s youth group and congregation, and prayerfully, will become a reality where we not only drink the coffee but invest heavily in others’ lives with the goal of the gospel of Jesus Christ – allowing His love to transform their heart, as we seek to transform their life here on earth.

To order Leiva’s Coffee, click here to be taken to their website store. I encourage you to pray about how you might be used of God to reach others, locally and globally.

Drink Leiva’s Coffee, transform a village. Coffee with a purpose!

Lastly, to the righteous this doctrine is a source of abundant consolation. In every place they meet a friend, a protector, and a father. Does the voice of thunder, or the raging of the ocean, of the fury of the tempest, announce his presence? They have nothing to fear, for love to them presides over the commotions of the elements. Do they perceive him in the more tranquil scenes of nature, in the silent progress of vegetation, in the smiles of the heavens, and in the regular beneficence which supplies their returning wants, and diffuses so much happiness among all classes of animated beings? Oh! how delightful the thought that he, in whom they repose confidence, is so near that they may always assure themselves of ready and effectual aid! This thought is fitted to enliven every scene, and to sweeten every condition. It will make the springs of joy burst out in the parched and thirsty wilderness, and clothe the naked and cheerless waste with verdure. It will give a relish to a dry morsel, and a cup of cold water. It will lighten the pressure of poverty, and soothe the pangs of affliction. It will dissipate the horrors of a dungeon, and console the exile form his country and his friends. How transporting the thought, that we cannot go where God is not! A good man may be bereaved of his reputation, his liberty, his earthly all; but the deadly hatred of his enemies can never so far succeed as to draw from him the mournful c0mplaint, “Ye have taken away my God, and what have I more?” With whatever afflictions his faith and patience may be tried, and whatever change of circumstances a wise providence may appoint him to undergo, although there should be no human heart to sympathise with him, and no kind hand to perform the offices of friendship, he can express his faith and joys in the words of an ancient saint, “Nevertheless I am continually with thee; thou holdest me by my right hand. Thou wilt guide me by thy counsel, and afterward receive me to thy glory” (Ps.lxxiii. 23,24) – Dick’s Theology, p.102

King Nebuchadnezzar gets this brilliant idea to make a huge golden image of himself, with the express purpose of having people within his kingdom worship him. Sounds like he’d fit in today’s culture, eh? So the King gets everyone together and wants to dedicate his golden self-image and kind of christen it with all the kingdom leaders worshiping it. The idea was that when the music started everyone was going to bow down and pay homage to the King. As a little motivation, the King issued this decree:

Whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.

So, what happened? Well, when the music starts, people from everywhere fell to the ground and worshiped the golden image that he set up.

Except three guys. Yes, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. This is where the story gets interesting!

Three guys get reported to the King as having failed to fall and worship his image. The King angrily summons them and gives them a second chance. They don’t even hesitate to answer. They don’t need any more time to reconsider. This is what they said:

O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if he does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.

Well, you can imagine the response. The King was really ticked and so he has them thrown into the fire. Long story short: they not only survive, they survive with no harm done and they get to meet Jesus in the flames. Read the entire story – it’s an amazing tale.

But what I want to focus on is their conversation, pre-blaze, that they had with King Nebuchadnezzar.

They were facing an impossible situation. They had reason to doubt and even fear. But their answer to the King was: God can, God will and even if God doesn’t…

That got me to thinking about a tough situation I’m in, and I know others are in: dealing with Chronic Pain. Does my theology drive my reaction to impossible situations. Yesterday I blogged my frustrations. Today I’m trying to temper it with my beliefs.

God can

God can remove my pain, there is no doubt in my mind. Just reading in our text for our Sunday services (the Gospel of Mark), and I see over and again that Jesus Christ is bigger than any physical impediment. A little back pain and nerve pain isn’t even going to slow him down. He can change my circumstances right now if he desired.

God will

This is one I struggle with. I don’t like to pray for healing for myself. I think it’s selfish. I know – it’s weird. I would counsel others to pray for healing for themselves, but somewhere along the line I started thinking wrongly about how I, personally, pray for healing for myself. Do I really believe that God will heal me? (You don’t expect me to answer that on the internet do you?) This is the greatest challenge of my thoughts on these words. Am I going to let my faith go there?

Even if God doesn’t

I’m a little more comfortable here than God will. I absolutely believe God can change the suffering in my life and the lives of others. And I am perfectly willing to accept the situation even if God doesn’t. In his plan and purpose for my life, God will do what is necessary for him to receive glory. If it means I hobble and cringe and break down from time to time, so be it. If it means that this condition gets worse, so be it. If the meds never cover the stabbing, burning, gripping pain – so be it. Bring on God’s glory, because that’s what I want.

Meeting Jesus in the fire

I don’t want to spiritualize the passage. I do think, however, that we grow closer to Jesus the hotter the furnace. What I mean is, what do you embrace when faced with an impossible situation? You can’t hold onto your physical strength – that will surely fail. You can’t embrace your cunning and crafty personality – that will let you down. You can’t  expect others to bail you out of something no-one but God has control over – it just won’t happen.

So hang on to the one who created the fire.

Jesus is greater than anything you have faced, or will ever face. He’s bigger than my Chronic Pain. He’s bigger than your destroyed relationships. He’s bigger than the turmoil and grief of your child running from God. He’s bigger than your crimes and distress. He’s bigger than that job loss, death, conflict, grief, or whatever you’re facing.

God can, God will, & even if God doesn’t…

Worship him. Hold onto him. Allow the furnace of affliction to drive you closer to Jesus and as a result bring him greater glory.

This Friday evening and Saturday will find me attending a conference in Winona Lake, Indiana. Sexual Confusion and the Gospel conference has the stated purpose:

To joyfully celebrate and uphold the beauty, goodness, and wisdom of God’s standards for human sexuality against the folly of our age.

The two speakers at this conference will be: Tim Challies & Frank Turk

Both of these men are well-known evangelical bloggers. Tim is also a pastor in Toronto, Canada. You can find some of Frank’s writing here.

Here’s the blurb from Every Thought Captive.com:

The issue of human sexuality is becoming a point of dispute and contention in both our culture and in our Churches today, far more quickly than most of us realize, and there is mounting pressure upon the Church to either remain silent or even to approve of this descent into sexual confusion. Paul wrote in Romans 1:32 that the eventual end of all of this willful distortion is death, and yet sometimes we can feel overwhelmed by the temptation to conform to the pattern of this world — a world where sin is often portrayed as normal, and righteousness an aberration.

Our aim in hosting this conference is to help edify the local Church as she seeks to remain faithful to God’s Word at all costs, to bring Biblical clarity to an issue that is becoming more and more muddled, and to joyfully celebrate and uphold the beauty, goodness, and wisdom of God’s standards for human sexuality against the deadly folly of our age.

This really is an affordable conference. Check it out as I am sure there is still room for one more person! If you are coming from outside the Warsaw/Winona Lake area, send me a message on twitter: PastorMarkKelly if you have need of anything. I’m local and can probably assist you in anything from ATM’s top Applebees. Looking forward to it!

Some days the pain just claws at me, clinging to my back and leg with tingly talons of searing venomous pain. I have a back brace that I am to wear until my next appointment in late February. When I wear it, the nerve pain is worse.

The conversation with my doctor basically concluded with me on a new medication for nerve pain and some good/bad news. The good/bad news is that the pain is an indicator of either: 1) the nerve healing and the muscles getting used to being used again, or, 2) the nerve is so damaged that it its beyond total recovery and the muscles are just sore to being used.

It’s a frustrating place to be. Either I’m healing…or I’m not. Or, both. So, the only thing for me to do is to keep moving. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and pray that it’s getting better.

Here’s the deal (sorry for the rambling): If I knew either way, it would make it easier for me to accept. Either I have a goal of recovery, or I “Irish-up” and just slog through the pain for the rest of my life. I’m good with both, really. I just am frustrated not knowing.

Now, how do you communicate that on a Sunday morning when someone asks you “How’re doing?”, “Getting better?”

It’s not been 3 months yet – this is a 12 month recovery from this major surgery. Accept that I won’t be able to do it all like I used to – maybe ever. Please don’t look at me like I should be “over it” by now. I’m not – and won’t be, evidently, for a while.

That paragraph sounds so harsh. It’s not meant to be – it’s where I’m at in reality.

Just a pastor in a failing body that desires to do what he can and keeps getting yanked back – somewhere between Chronic Pain and Healing.

In an astonishing rate, the Biblical Counseling Coalition (BCC) has accumulated over 6 months of book reviews on some of today’s most popular and wide read Christian literature. The BCC’s website has only been “live” for just over six months and has over 30 reviews listed alphabetically so that you can make an informed purchase for your next book. I encourage you to click through and take advantage of this valuable resource.

There will also be author interviews and book video trailers available as well. I pray that this will continue to be a help to biblical counselors, pastors and lay leaders and congregations around the world.

Often QB Tebow is seen sporting the familiar eye black tape with “John 3:16″ emblazoned on them. Now, this familiar Bible reference isn’t new to the NFL. It’s usually seen plastered on a posterboard held high in the endzone by a rainbow-wigged individual. At least, that’s how I remember Monday Night Football back in the day.

An interesting poll by the Barna Group shows that Tebow is bringing back the awareness of the popular Bible verse. However, according to Barna, those of Tebow’s generation are struggling with an understanding of what his eye black means. Americans who are 18 to 27-year-olds had a lower basic understanding of the verse reference (61%) than the national average.

Overall, nearly seven out of 10 Americans (68%) were able to identify without any prompting from the interviewers that the “three” in John 3:16 refers to the chapter where the biblical reference is found. More than three out of ten adults either gave an incorrect answer (15%) or ventured no guess (17%).

I appreciate Tim Tebow’s humility, love for Christ and his unashamed stand as a Christian. I like that he is bringing awareness of Scripture back to our nation by just wearing his eye black tape during games.

Here is what I pray for our nation: come to know the Christ of John 3:16, not just the reference. Here’s the text of this popular verse:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (Joh 3:16 ESV)

This verse is not only perhaps the most popular verse in all the Bible, but it ranks high with the most precious. God loved you enough to actively move on your behalf so that you could spend an eternity with him. You, condemned in your sin, were separated from God, deserving eternal damnation. Jesus Christ became your substitute, becoming your sin, satisfying the wrath of God on your behalf, so that you might become righteous in God’s sight. Trusting in that finished work of Jesus Christ on a cross is the only way to be in the presence of the Father forever. What glorious truth is packed in these two dozen words!

Thank you, Tim, for bringing focus back to Jesus Christ!

Care to Comment? What is your opinion on athletes referencing their faith in interviews?

Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian by John Piper. You can download the entire book for free as a pdf. It is also available, for a price, as an audiobook or hard copy. It is worth the read.

Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr. I make this available as a free download (pdf). It is a lengthy letter but one that is worth reading to gain the perspective of this important individual in our nation’s history.

Monday is Martin Luther King Day. It is a time of celebrating progress in racial harmony and civil rights. It is a time of remembering those who bravely went before us to ensure that equality would be something to be grasped here in our country. It is a time of sober reflection of the depravity of man and the silence of the Church for so long.

And it is a time to yearn for the future.

Martin Luther King wasn’t perfect, nobody is. That does not mean that his words, his dreams and his actions should remain unnoticed either. In the providence of God he, and others, were used to shake the hateful bigotry from the accepted state of our hearts. They forced us to think the hard thoughts and enabled us to dream big dreams.

And they point us to a time when racial harmony will be at it’s finest.

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to break its seals; for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. (Rev 5:9 NAS)

The hope that we embrace is not what a passionate preacher can bring about. It is the hope that because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ we will, together with every people and nation, fall at the feet of our Savior and worship our God. The Gospel not only cleanses us from all sin but it frees us from all enslavement.

This is where I will be on Monday, January 16, 2012 – and where you are invited also:

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “Living the Dream” Program – Monday, 11:30 -1:00p, at the Rodeheaver Auditorium, Winona Lake, IN