Recent Happenings

It's been awhile since I have updated the blog, and although I love blogging, sometimes I just don't get around to writing more on this thing. That's not to say many many things have happened in my life, not the least of which my son was born about four months ago. :) And I continually thank God for him. But in the interest of keeping this post parallel with some of my previous ones, I thought I'd write about some stuff that I have read/watched that has been spiritually challenging to me.

Our good friends Rachel and Derrick DeLain came and visited Joy and I in November. It was a totally awesome time! When he was here though, Derrick recommended I read the book Radical by David Platt. He was also going through another book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. So I thought I would check both of those out.

Radical was a wake-up call to me. Here's an excerpt from the back of the book: "It's easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. The would, He said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for Him. They would abandon everything for the Gospel. They would take up their crosses daily..."

In the book, Platt challenges Christians to forsake the American Christian dream. Forsake everything to follow Him, if that's what He asks. And start living radically for Him. While the title may sound cutting edge and contemporary for the younger Christian audience, I would say that instead it cuts to the core of your soul no matter what age you are. For example, after I finished this book, I understood more deeply why John Piper doesn't believe in retirement and saving for retirement. And it really pressed me to think of things in my life that aren't based on biblical concepts and/or principles. Not only that, the book totally challenged me to really explore what the Bible says that Jesus' followers would look like. Are they supposed to look like the comfortable, upper middle class Christians who we are so used to being around? Or are Jesus' followers more... radical?

The second book, Crazy Love, was even better than Radical. Here's the first part of the back of Crazy Love: "Have you ever wondered if we're missing it? It's crazy, if you think about it. The God of the universe - the Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies, and E-minor - loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss. Whether you've verbalized it yet or not... we all know something's wrong. Does something deep inside your heart long to break free from the status quo? Are you hungry for an authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical, solutions? God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn't working harder at a list of do's and don'ts - it's falling in love with God. And once you encounter His love, as Francis describes it, you will never be the same."

This book explores the believer's relationship with God, and challenges so many Christians that are satisfied with a mediocre or mundane spiritual walk with God, to discover that the Bible speaks about no such thing. This book gives the why to the believer's life. Why witness to non-believers? Why be kind to my neighbor? Why should I give money to the church? If you get caught up in doing all of these things that are commanded in scripture, but your motive is not right, it will feel like drudgery and mundane duty. This book aims to shatter that bubble of just going through the motions because "God commands me to". I was soooooo challenged and convicted of my weak affections for Jesus.

And, I think I'll leave everyone with this challenge from Paul Washer.

Arcing

I recently discovered a pretty awesome way to study God's Word for personal devotions. It's called arcing. Basically, "arcing involves dividing the text into its propositions and then noting the logical relationships between the propositions." So then what makes up a proposition (not to be confused with a PREPosition)? John Piper puts it well: "Paragraphs are made up of propositions. These are statements, questions, acclamations. They have a verb, they have a subject, and then other things surrounding those. That's a proposition."

Here, John Piper explains the importance of arcing:


I recently finished the 44-step tutorial on learning how to arc at the website here. It was pretty deep for me, mostly because my English isn't very strong right now. But it was totally awesome!! I loved learning how to arc, and then being able to see the bigger picture of the text that was being looked at. It really helped me to gain insights into God's Word that I wouldn't have been able to see if I hadn't broken up the verses into propositions.

This seems like a great tool to use for sermon or lesson preparation, but I'm planning on using it for my personal devotions; and maybe if I run into some sweet passages of scripture that I really like, I will post my arcs of them here on my blog. They definitely won't be perfect though.

The tool that I have been using (not very faithfully though) is Tim LaHaye's method of personal devotional study. He outlines it in his book "How to Study the Bible For Yourself". I really like his approach to Bible Study and will definitely still use some of the same principles that he recommends. However, I am going to supplement that with some arcing, because frankly, arcing excites me! It really breaks the text up and helps me to delve into the issues of the text that I never have before. My impression has been that only those who have been to bible college or seminary have received training on how to properly exegete (sp?) scripture. But now there is a method for the common, untrained laborer to really wrestle with the text, the author's intent, the nature of the passage, and how that applies to my life??? SWEET!! Sign me up.

I encourage everyone to check it out, if you haven't already.

Joy

I took a couple days of Annual Leave this past week to spend some time with Joy and get things ready around the house in preparation for the arrival of our baby, Isaiah. It was a much-needed week off of work. I have not taken leave since last year, and that time was less than a week as well.

Monday was spent doing some chores around the house; sweeping the floors, giving Izzy a bath, organizing things in the baby's room, deep cleaning our carpet, vacuuming and cleaning both vehicles, etc. We got most of the stuff done that we needed to complete before Isaiah's arrival, on Monday.

We did some errands on Tuesday and picked up a few things for the baby's room and some odds and ends here and there. But then the rest of the day (and subsequently, the rest of the week) was for US!

I think somewhere along the line in the past year, I forgot that I was a husband. I mean, I didn't "forget" that I am a husband, but I forgot what a husband is supposed to do. And as a result, I forgot about my wife. I have gotten so caught up into work and military life and the busyness of it all (taking college classes, extra formal courses thru the Marine Corps, participating in training exercises... let alone all of the extra time during evenings and weekends that the Marines need something that requires my attention or presence), that I have forgotten that I am first and foremost a husband who's number one priority (apart from God) MUST be his wife. And in this past week that I have spent with my wife, I have seen where I have so epicly failed.

I have taken my wife for granted. It is so obvious to me now, I don't see how I missed it before. She is so patient with the demands of the military on our relationship. She is so patient with me, as day after day I seemingly place a higher priority on other things in my life than on her. She is so understanding of my lack of love and leadership as I feebly attempt to be a good husband and leader of the home, all the while forgetting who I am a husband to. I have somehow forgot who I married over the past year. And in taking some days of leave that were spent solely with Joy, I realized that I forgot who my best friend was. And I missed her!

I remember when we were dating and courting and even after getting married, a lot of times we would just sit down and talk. Talk about what God's been doing in our lives, talk about goals and plans, talk about choices to make and bouncing ideas off of each other.... and somewhere, somehow, that kind of ended and all of these other things started taking up my time and devotion so that I forgot to simply sit down with my wife and see what she's thinking and just spend time with her. WOW! I have missed that time with her, and along the way she has been changing and I haven't even seen it. So this last week, I spent some time with my best friend again.

It was a wonderful week. Pretty much every morning we'd sleep in (well, mostly me) and then we'd do a little devotional and then just talk. About whatever, but mainly future choices that we are going to have to make, like staying in the Marine Corps or getting out, etc. But it was good. Because we were sharing our thoughts with each other and coming to conclusions together, rather than just one of us. I remember when we were going through pre-marital counseling together and our missionary friend that was counseling us told me some very specific things. He said that when we became married, I must remember to always be 3 things to Joy. Her lover, her leader (spiritual and otherwise), and her student. I have been okay at being the leader of our home and to her. I have been even worse at being her lover. But I think I have totally forgotten to be a student of my wife. To learn her, discover her likes and dislikes, understand her disposition under certain situations, sympathize with her strengths and weaknesses, etc. And when I've figured her out, continue learning!!! Because after our first year of marriage, I think that I had Joy figured out. But unbeknownst to me, people ACTUALLY change as they grow older. Who d've thunk? So maybe Joy reacted one way to something when we were first married, but now two years later and a whole lot more mature, she acts a little differently to the same situation. And I missed that concept entirely. I stopped being a student of my wife and stopped studying her and learning her and learning how I can be the best possible husband and best friend, fit only for her. THAT is where I have epicly failed.

So that's what I did this past week. We spent time together. We didn't really do anything fancy, but just hung out like best friends do. And I got to know my wife again. And let me tell you, she is an amazing woman. It takes a special kind of woman to be a military spouse, and an even more special kind of woman to love someone as special (deet da dee!) as me. I am so thankful to God for how He has blessed me and blessed my family. I truly do not deserve His goodness.

Maybe I will write another blog soon about how amazing my wife is, but that might be boring to everyone else but me. So I'll save you. But I hope that this blog encourages anyone who reads it (who's married or hopes to be someday) to share life with their spouse, and to not forgot about that faithful lover who is at their side thru thick and thin.

Here we are (yesterday) enjoying some coffee at Hiro's Coffee Farm, a local coffee farm that grows, roasts, and produces their own coffee on Okinawa.

Family Driven Faith

Joy and I recently started reading a book together called Family Driven Faith by Dr. Voddie Baucham. So far, I think it's pretty outstanding! Brian and Keri turned us on to Voddie Baucham back when we were in North Carolina, and he's got some great stuff to read and listen to. I subscribed to his podcast awhile ago, but haven't really listened to too many of his sermons. The ones that I have listened to are very good though.

I'm only on like the third chapter, but I've been convicted and challenged already! Basically, what I've gotten so far out of Family Driven Faith is that the salvation and sanctification of our children is of the utmost importance. But it doesn't start there; first it starts with my marriage. Which is the convicting part for me. If my marriage with Joy is not loving, God-honoring, and focused on Him, then it will be difficult to point my children to the Lord and show them how to honor Him. Very convicting!

Speaking of marriage, it is Joy and my 2nd anniversary this Sunday, July 4th. Pretty crazy, we've already been married for 2 years! It is amazing. I look back on these two years and see that I have been a fool sometimes in the way that I lead my family and treat my wife. It is a miracle that we are still married, but only by God's unfailing grace do we continue on. I am so undeserving of such a wonderful woman who has followed me halfway around the world and who has been patient with my hard-headedness and pride. She is very patient and understanding of military life, and she is truly my better half that keeps me sane and somewhat level-headed (as best she can, lol). I look forward to welcoming Isaiah to our family, and to see the kind of mother that Joy will be.

I don't really write on this blog very often, even though I have a lot of stuff that I'm going through. I guess I'll just chock it up to laziness. I'll try to be better about it. I will say one thing though: I really really really miss my family. Sometimes I feel like I'm missing out on everything that is going on with them back in the states. My nephews are growing bigger, my parents' business is growing, things are happening with my brothers, Joy's parents are going through a different stage in life, and her brother Jon is taking college, and things are happening at Grace Bible Church and definitely Maranatha Baptist Church that I wish that I could be a part of. I feel like my family and friends back home are living life without me, and I'm watching life pass away in front of me. Cause I'm kind of stuck here in Okinawa, and everyone's getting older and doing different things and enjoying new things, and I'm going to come back and will have missed out on all sorts of birthdays and milestone events in my family members' lives. I guess this is the tough part about being in the military. Or well, at least ONE of the tough parts. Buuuuut..... I know that God has placed me here and that I need to be content with where I am for the time being. It's just hard.

Future Grace

Just started reading the book Future Grace by John Piper.

I've only read the first chapter, but so far it's great.

Future Grace.

Faith in future grace, to be more exact.

I have not thought about something like faith in quite some time. I've been caught up with daily activities and work and the stress of everyday life, and just trying to stay afloat spiritually by doing the small things right like devotions and stuff. I have been seriously lacking in the faith department. Maybe that is why I struggle as much as I do to stay faithful? Because I have little faith....

I have definitely been convicted of my lack of faith, having just started this book. And I also ran across a good video from John Piper from his "Battling Unbelief" DVD, concerning this topic. It's a good listen:

I pray that my faith would grow as I read and understand more of what God has

done and will do for me.

What Makes Bad Language Bad?

I have long wondered that very question, probably since junior high or something. What makes a curse word a curse word? After all, it's just a word. Is it the Bible that makes it that? Is it culture or our society? I've actually deliberated with people on this very issue, not the least of which was my dad on numerous occasions.

But what makes a bad word a bad word? When I first started thinking about this idea, it was mainly to try to figure out if it was okay to say curse words, then I could be "cool" and curse around my non-believing friends, or even in some instances, my believing friends. It was actually pretty dumb; I was just trying to justify my motives. But after doing some research, and learning that at different times in history, different words/sayings were considering curse words, I came to the conclusion that our society and culture dictate what are considered curse words.

For example, around the life time of John Bunyan (17th Century), if anyone was to swear by any of the saints, it was considered cursing, i.e. 'By St. Mary', or 'By St. Nicholas beard', etc. A person would be using their name in vain, and it was EXTREMELY offensive to those who were religious. Of course, to me today, it just looks like a prepositional phrase. Nothing offensive about it. And quite possibly our curse words in contemporary society would be as nothing to those that lived in the 17th Century. So I came to this conclusion sometime in college that my society and culture decide what is a bad word. And since it has been decided that the 'S' word is bad, then as a believer who strives to glorify God with my life, I will refrain from saying that word because I want to avoid all appearance of evil. I do not want to cause a weaker brother to stumble, and so on and so forth. And I could state several other reasons from scripture why I as a Christian, would not say something that the world understands as unholy.

So after coming to this conclusion awhile back, and being somewhat satisfied with it, I recently came across an awesome video that I think does this topic justice, and finally settled the issue of it in my heart.

The reason that I decided to write this blog on this issue, is mostly because I have often often often struggled with cursing/swearing in the workplace. Meaning, I am continually tempted to swear to fit in with the Marines I work with. And I tell myself, no, I am a testimony to God and that is not the image that I want to portray. Then, my flesh gets on me, and tells me that it's ok to swear, because after all, they are just words. So I get tempted externally AND internally and it's quite the struggle sometimes. Obviously, God is gracious. And He does not allow me to be tempted above that I am able, and I praise Him for that. But this video was so awesome for me to see, and an encouragement to me, that I figured I would share it on my blog, as well as my background ponderings on the issue.