Beavertails

I mentioned on this blog a month or so ago that I’d do a bit more reflecting on K and my time overseas. I’ve mentioned some of the things we learnt at Worship God 09 and L’Abri – but there’s something else I think you need to know about. They’re called Beavertails – and they’re a Canadian secret (I’ve never seen them anywhere else). They’re kind of donut-ty but not as sweet by itself – a bit more like bread, but then once you add the sugar / cinnamon / lemon / maple butter / chocolate / bananas etc they’re incredibly tasty!

Maple Butter

Kallaloe Sunrise

If I was more of an entrepreneur type, I’d introduce them to Australia. But unfortunately I’m not, so you’ll just have to take my word for them and head to Canada!!

A 204 year-old testimony that still speaks today!

Some people think it’s pretty weird, but one of K and my favourite things to do is visit cemeteries and read gravestones. You can tell a lot about someone’s life from their epitaph. Every now and then, you come across one that blows you away. Below is a photo K took of one of my favourites, found on a gravestone in the second oldest cemetery in Boston.

It’s a bit hard to read, but here’s what it says: Miss Mercy Jones died in 1805 aged 20 years and 6 months; and the epitaph:

“Adieu my friend forever ever gone

Her happy soul has put full glory on

The tend’rest ties could never her detain

But O! our loss is her most happy gain

Gentle her manner were, her taste refin’d

Her face an emblem of her heavenly mind

Her speech sincere, and open as her heart

Her conversation did delight impart

Tho’ young she listened to the voice of truth

And trod a Saviour’s steps in early youth

Calm and serene she yielded up her breath

And even triumph’d at th’ approach of death.”

“Adieu my friend forever ever gone

Her happy soul has put full glory on

The tend’rest ties could never her detain

But O! our loss is her most happy gain

Gentle her manner were, her taste refin’d

Her face an emblem of her heavenly mind

Her speech sincere, and open as her heart

Her conversation did delight impart

Tho’ young she listened to the voice of truth

And trod a Saviour’s steps in early youth

Calm and serene she yielded up her breath

And even triumph’d at th’ approach of death.”

What a wonderful testimony! It reminds me of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:21 - for to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Satisfied in God alone

I wrote this prayer while at the Worship God 09 conference this year. It might be a simple prayer, but it reflects a lot of the thoughts that John Piper helped me to see in his sermons on the heart of worship:

Heavenly Father,

My soul never finds rest, until it rests in you.

You are infinite, eternal, unchangeably

good, wise just, gracious, powerful, loving and holy.

I see pretty things and wonderful things,

that are made by You – but they’re not You.

I love so many images of God, but they’re not God.

Only You are – Father, Son and Spirit.

I was made by You to worship You.

I’m learning what this looks like.

It means worshiping You as You told us to.

It means coming to You through Jesus death and resurrection.

It means empty hands and a pure heart.

It means calling you Father.

It’s in the power of Your Spirit.

It’s seeing You, and not Your gifts -

You alone as my all-surpassing treasure.

For You are most glorified in me

when I am most satisfied in You.

You give and have given and will give

more than enough of Yourself to satisfy me -

Your Son, Your Spirit, You as Father.

I long for You – to encounter You afresh.

Please show me Your glory

And be glorified by my response.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

You resisted, sacrificing your life…

K and I just watched the film Valkyrie. It was an interesting film about the efforts of a group of politicians and military officers who made a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler. I’m thankful for the opportunity at both high school and Bible College to study Germany during WWII. I’m greatly challenged by the men and women who stood up to the monster that was Nazi Germany. At the end of the film, the following was left on the screen for us to read. It really affected K and I – so much so that I wanted to write it here.

You did not bear the shame

You resisted

Sacrificing your life

For freedom, justice and honour

(from the German Resistance Memorial, Berlin)

Psalm 82:3

Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.

Although we don’t live under a Nazi-like regime, others in this world do – with genocide an all too familiar occurrence. In Australia, there are people on the fringes of society who don’t have a voice, and need someone to speak for them. And if I/we don’t need more reason to act, God commands us this in Psalm 82:3: Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Many Germans still feel the shame of allowing something so horrid to happen in their own country. Lord, give me compassion to speak up, not bearing the shame of ignoring evil, and give my life for the good of the least and the lost.

reflections on some good reads

I’ve been off this blog for a little while, but hopefully I’ll write more here. I’ve been blessed with reading quite a few really good books lately. Here are some quick reflections on them:

Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan

What a book! I’ve never read a book (apart from the Bible) that nails the Christian life quite like this one. It’s thoroughly biblical, deeply pastoral, genuinely absorbing, and wonderfully heart warming. The complete package. I was reading an article by J.I. Packer on this book, and he said the following:

For two centuries Pilgrim’s progress was the best read book, after the Bible, in all Christendom, but sadly it is not so today. When i ask my class of young and youngish evangelicals, as I often do, who has read Pilgrim’s Progress, not a quarter of the hands go up. Yet our rapport with fantasy writing, plus our lack of grip on the searching, humbling, edifying truths about the spiritual life that the Puritans understood so well, surely mean that the time is ripe for us to dust off Pilgrim’s Progress and start reading it again. Certainly it would be great gain for modern Christians if Bunyan’s masterpiece came back into its own in our day. Have you yourself, I wonder, read it yet?

(Source: J.I. Packer in Kapic and Gleason (ed), A Devoted Life, p198-199)

Amen! K and I have two copies if anyone would like to borrow it.

Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung

K and I bought this book while we were in the U.S. and it quickly became our pick for books on guidance. We’ve already lent it out a number of times, and will continue to do so. For a really good review in detail, go here and see why you should read this book too!

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

I remember reading this book when I was in early high school. I loved it then, and still love it now. It’s such a nice book about friendship and loyalty. I’ve even started to appreciate spiders more these days!

They used to call me White Jesus by Bill Reiser

K and I bought this one in Canada – it’s the story of an arrogant, womanising  New York basketball legend who met Jesus and found new hope, life and purpose. It’s a graphic book, full of his childhood pain (which included his father being murdered, and Bill being raped as a young teenager). At times I could barely keep myself from crying over the shame and humiliation he went through, and the way he took this out on other people (including his wife). But if you’re looking for a book detailing dramatic life-transformation, here’s your book (I also read Run Baby Run by Nicky Cruz recently, and their battles and transformation are quite similar). Bill Reiser has become a prayer-warrior, and has a lot to say to us who struggle in prayer. Here are some quotes from the book on prayer:

Prayer is the engine that activates the life and will of God in our lives. It is not how we obtain things but lay hold of the things of God for our lives. It is the life breath of communication with God. It is how we draw closer to Him. It is God’s #1 relationship enhancer tool for us to keep our fellowship with Him growing and strong (p68).

Prayer tells your problems how big your God is instead of you telling God how big your problems are. True prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance but laying hold of His willingness (p63ff.)

Prayer tells your problems how big your God is instead of you telling God how big your problems are. True prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance but laying hold of His willingness (p63ff.)

That’s all for now. Let me know if you’d like to borrow any of these books!

Pray continually

One of the great memory verses in the Bible, and one of the easiest to memorize, is 1 Thessalonians 5:17. It simply says: ‘pray continually’. It’s a simple statement, but a hard thing to do.  What makes it all the more important is that 1 Thessalonians 5:17 is a command. We’re told to pray continually.

There’s heaps of reasons in the Bible why we should pray. And at 5:17 church this Sunday, we’ll be looking at another reason for prayer (Ephesians 6:10-20). But here’s a story from church history that I’ve found especially encouraging – that gives me courage to continue praying. It’s about a man named George Mueller, who is famous for the many orphanages he set up and ran, as well as his sheer dependence on God for everything:

“Things looked bleak for the children of George Mueller’s orphanage at Ashley Downs in England. It was time for breakfast, and there was no food. A small girl whose father was a close friend of Mueller was visiting in the home. Mueller took her hand and said, “Come and see what our Father will do.” In the dining room, long tables were set with empty plates and empty mugs. Not only was there no food in the kitchen, but there was no money in the home’s account.

Mueller prayed, “Dear Father, we thank Thee for what Thou art going to give us to eat.” Immediately, they heard a knock at the door. When they opened it, there stood the local baker. “Mr. Mueller,” he said, “I couldn’t sleep last night. Somehow I felt you had no bread for breakfast, so I got up at 2 o’clock and baked fresh bread. Here it is.” Mueller thanked him and gave praise to God. Soon, a second knock was heard. It was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. He said that before the milk spoiled, he would like to give it to the children.”

It’s a striking story. But even more striking to me is that these stories are so rare. Have you ever experienced anything like this? I’m not sure if I have – even if I have, I’m not sure if I saw God’s mighty hand of providence in it. George Mueller’s life was full of such instances. He was an intelligent man and a good planner – but over and above his intelligence and good planning was his trust in God. George Mueller knew that God is a good God, and that God loves to give good gifts to His children. Prayer was of first importance in Mueller’s life, and it showed. Prayer is what showed him to be a man of faith. To approach the throne of grace to receive help in our time of need is such a privilege. Why am I not taking up this privilege more often? From reading the Bible and hearing stories like George Mueller’s, it certainly seems worth it!

Finding someone to imitate

Yesterday I referred to the message I gave on The Future of Worship at WorshipGod09:From Generation to Generation, I spoke from Ps. 78:1-8 and shared the story of Asaph. My first point was that God commands us to tell the coming generations what he has done.

Psalm 78 is a maskil of Asaph, and one of 12 Psalms ascribed to Asaph. Whether Asaph actually wrote them or not, we can’t be sure. But one thing we can be sure of is that his influence lasted for centuries.

Asaph ministered at the tabernacle as a Levite. When David recaptured the ark of the covenant and returned it to Jerusalem, Asaph was appointed by the other Levites “to raise sounds of joy” on the cymbals (1 Chron. 15:16). Later on, Asaph was elevated from cymbal player to chief musician. David commissioned him to be among those who ministered and worshiped regularly in the tent of meeting, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the LORD (1 Chron. 16:5).

When David assembled other musicians for worship in the tent of meeting, he chose some who were the “sons of Asaph.” The “sons of Asaph” could refer to Asaph’s blood relatives or those he was mentoring. These “sons” were to serve the Lord by prophesying with lyres, harps and cymbals (1 Chron. 25:1-2).

Asaph and his sons served so faithfully under David that Solomon appointed them to serve at the dedication of the temple. It was there that “the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments, in praise to the LORD.” And they sang, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever” (2 Chron. 5:13). Side-by-side, Asaph faithfully taught, instructed, and ministered with his sons and others, who in turn did the same to their sons, who in turn taught their sons, and on down the line for generations.

About 100 years later, king Jehoshaphat prayed for protection against the invading armies and received a prophetic word given by Jahaziel, one of the sons of Asaph (2 Chron. 20:14). 140 years after that, during when Hezekiah was king, the sons of Asaph were among the Levites who cleansed and consecrated the temple so worship to God could be restored. (2 Chron. 29:12-15)

80 years later, after the great apostasy and the Book of the Law was found, King Josiah wanted to celebrate Passover again. The singers turned out to be descendents of Asaph (2 Chron. 35:15).

When the Israelites returned to Jerusalem from their captivity in Babylon, nearly 400 years after the dedication of the temple, Ezra records that numbered the exiles included 148 “singers: the sons of Aspah.”  And when the foundation of the temple was laid, once again it was the sons of Asaph who led the worship (Neh. 7:44; 11:17).

Asaph and his descendents were purposeful and intentional in passing on the practice and understanding of musical worship to future generations. And their focus was unmistakeable: “God is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.” They took seriously the command to proclaim that truth to coming generations.

How seriously do we take the command to tell the coming generations what we know of God and worshiping God?

How many of our thoughts about music and worship revolve around what we like, what we prefer, what interests us, and what we find appealing? And how often is that attitude passed on to the next generation, who then focus on what appeals to them?

I suspect this may be one of the reasons churches develop separate meetings for different musical tastes. In the short run it may bring more people to your church. But in the long run it keeps us stuck in the mindset that musical styles have more power to divide us than the gospel has to unite us.

How do we pass on biblical values of worship to coming generations when we can’t even sing in the same room with them?

We have to look beyond our own generation, both past and future, if we’re to clearly understand what God wants us to do now. Otherwise we can be guilty of a chronological narcissism that always views our generation as the most important one. As Winston Churchill insightfully wrote, “The further back you can look, the further forward you can see.”

Enough thinking about ourselves and what kind of music we like to use to worship God. God wants us to have an eye on our children, our grandchildren, and even our great grandchildren. We have a message to proclaim: “God is good, for His steadfast love endures forever.”

Let’s not allow shortsightedness or selfish preferences keep us from proclaiming it together.

I don’t usually get carried away after I meet someone new. I think I’m a bit of an introvert at heart. I like meeting new people, but I don’t go after this experience like others do. But I have to say that one of the great highlights of K and my trip away was meeting a man named Bob Kauflin. Who is Bob Kauflin? He’s the music director for Sovereign Grace Ministries – they produce many of the songs we sing at 5:17 church. He was also the chairman of Worship God 09 conference (WG09). I’d heard about Bob. I’d read about Bob. I’d read a lot of Bob’s stuff. I’ve loved singing his Christ-exalting songs. I wanted to meet Bob, but meeting him was literally quite life-changing for both me and K. Why so?

K and I got to have a couple of short yet highly edifying chats with Bob during the conference – chats which were marked by his profound humilty and Christ-centredness. Then after church on the Sunday, Bob invited us back to have lunch with him and his family. There were heaps of people at his house, and their hospitality was rich and warm. We were left stunned by the personal graciousness and generosity of the Kauflins, and are now praying how we can ‘imitate them as they imitate Christ’.

This whole experience has made me think of the effect we have on other people. Here’s a question for us: whether it’s for a short or long time, what do people take away from their time with us? Meeting Bob has left a lasting impression on me like few people have done. He’s an older brother who I want to be like. I am different to Bob in a number of personality traits, but I now pray to God that He will grow me to be a man after His own heart, just like Bob Kauflin – so that I too will humbly pour out myself for the service of others, pointing people to the cross and the amazing grace of our God and King.

A prayer to start each day

Another highlight of K and my time overseas was for the first real time, I started writing out my prayers. It was very refreshing to write our my prayers – both in response to what God’s Word had shown me that morning/evening or for things that were going on in and around me. The following prayer is one that I wrote while visiting friends in Amherst, Massachusetts; August 1, 2009. It reflects my daily battle with ‘low self-esteem’, and fighting for a right view of myself in view of being united to Christ.

Father, I wake up this morning needing grace.

I know that today, I will be tempted to:

seek significance apart from you,

ground my identity not in Jesus,

feel my worth fading away,

fear man, not you.

Father, your mercies are new every morning,

your loving kindness never ends,

great is your faithfulness,

therefore, today I will hope in You.

Father, by your grace I am significant,

by your grace my identity is set in Jesus,

my worth is great and eternally so,

there is no-one and nothing to fear.

Father, hold me in your grace today,

without it I have nothing,

with your grace I have everything,

your grace is sufficient,

And I thank You that today,

I stand in it. Amen.

Mine was the cup of wrath

During the Worship God 09 conference Keiyeng and I recently attended in the U.S., I was inspired to start writing poetry. I’m not sure if the following counts, but it’s my first attempt. It’s entitled “Mine was the cup of wrath”

Mine was the cup of wrath

filled with your anger, justly

at my declaration, and

subsequent declarations of autonomy

The cup was full, and my future bleak

Yet Jesus took the cup, my cup

and He drank it

In the garden He feared it

Yet for Your justice vindicated

and my redemption

He drank it

In my place, condemned He stood

My cup was full

My cup was emptied

My slate was wiped clean

I became empty, only to be filled

You fill my cup to overflowing

Not with wrath, no never again

No, now I am filled with Your Spirit

And every spiritual blessing in Christ

It’s all grace and mercy

It’s all now peace

Triune God, thank you

Holy love

Wise a

One of the books I read while on my recent holidays / study leave was Francis Schaeffer’s ”The Church before the watching world’. It was a really good read – and one of the most helpful sections of the book is the need for all Christians to simulaneously practice the holiness of God and the love of God. Instead of me quoting directly from Francis Schaeffer, I found this helpful summary on Christ is Deeper Still. It’s wise advise for Christians – especially in times of conflict within the church.

Francis Schaeffer used to remind us that we cannot walk in both the holiness of God and the love of God, together at the same time, without relying on the power of God moment by moment. On the one side is the holiness of God, the truth of God, the high standards of God. On the other side is the love of God, the compassion of God, the mercy of God. Naturally, in ourselves, we’re all biased one way or the other. But truth without love is harsh and destructive. And love without truth is permissive and destructive. This is what we do, one or the other, if we “go by our gut.” But if we humble ourselves, look to the Lord and lean hard on him moment by moment, he will help us to rise above ourselves and hold both truth and love together by his miraculous grace. Still, some will misjudge us and accuse us. But we must leave that with the Lord.

God bless you as you find your way. He is with you.