Cotten Songs

Knowing the Unknowable

2012-01-19T14:25:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid, my parents had a relic of a TV. With its unsightly box and tiny 13 inch screen, I was certain that it was the first TV ever made. Not only was the picture in grainy black and white, this fossil only had four channels. And changing the channel resulted in a sickening “k-thhhunk” (a process that required needle-nose pliers since this poor veteran lost its knob during the war).

Trying to watch a program on this ancient machine was always an aerobic exercise, since an adjustment to the antenna was needed every few seconds. Once the antenna was set, however, it was indeed possible to watch a program. You could actually understand the plot of a movie or follow the progression of a ballgame. But even back then, at a time when “1080p” was meaningless, we were fully aware that this tiny TV did not deliver a realistic viewing experience.

Recently, I received one of those “1080p” TV’s. I’d seen glimpses of high definition in the stores, and friends had tried to tell me of the glories of “HD,” but until I saw it for myself, I had no concept of just how much clearer the picture could be. Suddenly, all the actors seem a little older as more wrinkles come into view. And if I ever had the desire, I could now count the blades of grass during a slow football game.

But even the most incredible TVs still lack the all-encompassing sensation provided by actually being there. For example, no TV, no matter how many combinations of letters and numbers are stickered to it at the store, can match the experience of attending an actually football game. The overwhelming sound engulfs you, the sight overwhelms you, the smells intrigue you, and the taste disappoints you (I paid $17 for stale nachos?!). No matter how good TVs get, nothing will compare to actually being at the game.

Whether we realize it or not, every one of us are given an opportunity to know about God. By looking at what He created, we can see the results of His power, His ingenuity, and His creativity. By recognizing the perfect balance necessary to sustain life, we can see His grace at work. Romans 1:20 reminds us that “His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made.” But if all we know of God comes from His creation, then our understanding of Him will be severely limited – like watching a game on an antiquated 13” black and white TV.

What is more, such limited knowledge of God does not bring with it any hope of redemption. Instead, as the last part of verse 20 tells us, it removes any excuse. Knowledge about God cannot make us right with God. A different knowledge is desperately needed.

Enter Jesus – fully human and yet fully God. (No, I don’t understand how that’s possible, either…) Jesus provided a way for us to actually know God, not just know about Him. As a result, we gain a vastly better understanding of who God is – like watching a game on a modern high-definition TV. Unfortunately, like the TV, there is really no meaningful way to fully explain the difference. You have to see with your own eyes; you must experience His grace for yourself.

But when we take that step, place our faith in Jesus as our Savior and Lord, and enter into a relationship with God Himself, the result is absolutely jaw-dropping. Suddenly we see God’s hand at work in ways we’ve never realized. Suddenly we recognize that He loves us far more than we could understand. Suddenly we gain a better understanding of who we were meant to be. 2 Corinthians 3:18 puts it this way:

We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.

There simply are not enough words to even begin to describe the glorious transformation that occurs when we know God personally.

And yet, the best is still to come. If we know God, if we believe that Jesus is His Son and accept Him as our Lord (or master) and Savior, then we can trust that this world is not our true home. We have the incredible hope of actually seeing God face to face – like actually attending the game (no TV necessary!). 1 Corinthians 13:12 says,

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror, but then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Can you imagine it? Seeing God face to face – seeing that which is infinite – seeing the hands that created the universe – seeing the majesty of the King of Kings – seeing the scars that purchased my redemption and paid for my ticket to heaven… Even then I doubt that we’ll be able to fully know or comprehend how great and glorious He really is.

No one these days would ever choose to watch a sad little black and white 13” TV when a massive HD screen was freely available. Look around. You know God is real. You can see His handiwork. But please don’t be content with that limited knowledge. Instead, I pray that you will accept His free gift and get to know God personally. Not just for this life, but for the next as well.

Soli Deo Gloria

Tim Cotten

Saving Christmas...

2011-12-23T00:22:00.000-05:00

I couldn't do it.

I claim to love people, and I genuinely do care for those around me, but I don't think there's any way in the world that I could bring myself to do what He did - God gave us His only Son.

I couldn't do it.

I'm just not that compassionate. I love my girls too much. Actually, more accurately, I simply don't love others as much as them. If I were God, the world would be out of luck.

But, thankfully, I am definitely NOT God. And the salvation of the world does not rest on my shoulders, or upon the shoulders of my children.

Meanwhile, God demonstrated His absolutely incredible, totally amazing, and perfectly unselfish love to us - that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. While we were still ungrateful, rebellious little clods of nothing, the Creator of the Universe gave up His Son for us. And most of us carry on without a clue - focusing instead on the thousands of sparkling good things that so often overshadow the best. Like I said, I couldn't do it.

This Christmas, my prayer is that we all might recognize the jaw-dropping sacrifice that the day represents. God sent His perfect Son out of Heaven to be born to a poor Jewish couple in a remote Roman province. And, He did it for one purpose: so that His Son could die for people like you and me. Did I mention that I couldn't do it?

Jesus came to earth so that we might be saved through His death. God gave up His Son so that sinners like you and me could know Him. Suddenly, all the presents, the get-togethers, the decorations and the food seem quite trivial, don't they? Christmas is about the greatest gift ever given: the gift of a Savior. And I pray that you might know His saving grace and selfless love personally.

A Time to Love

2011-11-02T09:51:00.000-04:00

I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but a monumental paradigm shift has occurred. Back in my grandparent’s generation, Christianity formed the rock-solid foundation of America’s culture. Sure, there were plenty of detractors, but even they had to admire the moral integrity provided by an acceptance of the Church. Even in my parent’s generation, one dominated by talk of Woodstock and moon landings, the truth of Christianity provided the strong backdrop against which the culture departed.

Today, sadly, America no longer seems to be a Christian nation. Instead of simply railing against Christianity, our culture has bought into the lie that Christianity is but one of many truths. “Tolerance” is the new religion.

In the midst of this paradigm shift of core beliefs, those of us who still follow Christ often cling to the old status quo. Christ is all-important to us, so why wouldn’t He be all-important to everyone around us? We fail to recognize that our world has changed dramatically, and we suddenly find ourselves slack-jawed when we become the victims of choice for the soldiers of Tolerance.

While we should be saddened by the secularization of our society, Christ-followers should realize that this is not the first time in history that Christianity has been in the minority. In fact, a quick glance at history reveals that most believers have faced a monumental up-hill struggle against the world around them. True Christ-centered cultures have been exceedingly rare and short-lived, plagued as they are from constant attacks from internal and external forces.

In fact, in a promise we often like to overlook, Jesus says that “all men will hate you because of me” (Mt. 10:22). Therefore, we should not expect to be viewed as the moral saviors of our society. Respect for the Church is at an all-time low, so much so that scores of believers (including myself) tend to shy away from term “Christian,” preferring instead to be considered a “Christ-follower.”

There are many aspects to this shift to the secular that should shame us as believers. We should be ashamed that the Church did not do more to prevent it. We should be ashamed that our nation chose this path. We should be ashamed that our leaders have led us away from biblical truth. And we should be ashamed that we, Christ-followers, are surprised that the world hates us.

If we truly reflect Christ within us, than we can be assured that many people, indeed an entire culture, will despise us. After all, we represent truth in an age where truth has been rejected. We’re the victims of unjust prejudice, unwarranted rage, and undeserved slander. Grievous mistakes in our history are held up and declared to be our greatest legacy (the Crusades come to mind…). We’re blasted with labels of every kind: close-minded, weak, ignorant, intolerant… And we are blamed for all the glaring failures in our history.

Given what Christ said, it is indeed shameful that Christ-followers are surprised that the world hates us. But it is even more shameful that we often hate back. Our natural tendency is to retaliate – to use the same tactics and labels that are used on us, and to seek to prove that we are right. In the process, we cross a subtle yet incredibly important line: we begin to hate those that hate us.

Scripture teaches us to hate evil (Rom. 12:9). And there is plenty of evil around us. But, there is absolutely no excuse for a follower of Christ to hate the person who does the evil. No one is without sin, and so all of us are in desperate need of God’s grace. We have absolutely no right to cast stones (see John 8:7).

To put this plainly, Christ-followers cannot cross the line between hating homosexuality to hating homosexuals. We must not begin hating pro-choice advocates simply because we hate abortion. We even must show love to those who follow other faiths like Islam, even when their faith demands our destruction.

The world hates us because of Christ. But the moment we begin to hate it back, we cease to follow Him. He modeled love, even to the point of death. Could it be that one reason our society has lost its respect for the Church is that church-people have lost their respect for others? We attack and argue all in a vain attempt to prove ourselves to be right. While we should never shy away from standing firm in the truth, if that truth is not bathed in love, is nothing but a “resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Cor. 13:1).

Christ-followers, we desperately need to demonstrate His love to the world around us. Let us stop the retaliation, cease the counter-attacks, and lower our fists. If someone strikes us because our guard is down, then let us turn the other cheek. (Jesus modeled that, too.)

If we claim to love God, then hating another person is simply not an option. May we do everything possible to demonstrate to the world the vast difference between hating the sin and hating the sinner. After all, that’s one label that can be applied to us all.

Unimaginable Heaven

2011-08-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

Worship the Lord of Heaven

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

1 Corinthians 2:9

As I entered the room, time seemed to relax. The sights and sounds coming from that magical place nearly overwhelmed me, and I suddenly became aware that my jaw was hanging down loosely. I didn't care, for before me was heaven. No, not the real thing, but for a guitar player, nothing this side of a flat-line can come close. My dad and I had just entered the Healdsburg Guitar Festival's main exhibition hall, and the term "kid in a candy store" cannot even begin to describe the experience.

This festival is a gathering of the custom guitar elite; existing on a plane (and price!) that I have never known. Exotic woods from all over the world littered the entire room, and every glance treated the eye to the most incredible acoustic guitars the world has ever seen.

Most amazing, however, was that participants were actually allowed to play these exquisite instruments (I call them instruments, though most were so gorgeous that they are better described as "art.") And so we went about the serious business of playing everything we could get our hands on. After a while, I realized that, in addition to my fingers, my cheeks were literally sore from smiling.

The reason for our visit to Healdsburg was equally special. The Acoustic Guitar Forum, with which my dad volunteers much time as a moderator, awarded him an "Outstanding Service Award." The prize? A custom-made acoustic guitar of his choice. We were there for him to receive this inspiring instrument.

As I mentioned, up until this amazing experience I did not know that these guitars existed. For me, the ultimate example of an acoustic guitar might be a nice Martin or Taylor. And while many of those are fantastic instruments, I could never have imagined the absolutely stunning sound, playability, and aesthetic perfection that these custom guitars present.

In the same way, Heaven (the real one…) is simply unimaginable. The Apostle John paints a fascinating picture in Revelation 4, but I am certain that his words are totally inadequate to even remotely describe the splendor that he witnessed. After all, he was using earthly, human language to describe an other-worldly, supernatural place. Like my description of the Healdsburg festival, a few words can barely begin to accurately describe it.

A few years ago, the band "Mercy Me" wrote what is now a well-known song entitled "I Can Only Imagine" (referring to Heaven - the real thing...). I love the song and have sung it many times. Yet recently I've come to the conclusion that the lyrics are incorrect. In truth, there is no possible way for us to truly imagine what Heaven will be like, because it exists on a level beyond our comprehension. While it might not have the same ring to it, perhaps the more correct title would be, "I Can't Even Imagine."

The main reason why Heaven is simply indescribable is because its chief Occupant is far more holy, more awesome, more powerful, and more magnificent than what we are capable of understanding. God is both perfect and infinite, and the greatest gift that He gives His children is not a sea of glass or an emerald rainbow (see Revelation chapter 4), but the gift of Himself. Above the spectacular views, beyond the reunification with loved ones, and even past encounters with angels, the single-most awesome part of Heaven will be that we are in the presence of the Lord God Almighty!

So infinitely precious is His presence that Jesus describes Heaven like “a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Matthew 13:44) Even if we can’t fully imagine it, what we do know of Heaven should be enough to make us realize that getting there is worth absolutely everything.

The best part, however, is that getting there is free. Like my father’s award guitar, the way to Heaven is a totally free gift given by God. But, also like his guitar, we must be willing to accept it. Jesus, who is fully God, sacrificed Himself for us so that we might have a way to spend eternity with Him. Our job is to accept and believe.

But, that’s not the end of the story… I’ve recently found myself telling everyone around me about the joys of attending a fantastic guitar festival. I can’t help it – it’s just a natural response to a great joy. In the same way, those of us who are certain of our future in Heaven should always be willing to share our hope and our joy with those around us. May God’s children always do everything possible to let others know that He is worth absolutely everything!

Soli Deo Gloria

Tim Cotten

Ignoring Freight Trains

2011-07-19T10:42:00.002-04:00

Freight trains are common sights in the small town of Locust Grove, Georgia, where my mother was raised. Rambling through every hour or so, most residents hardly notice them anymore – that is, until they collide with something. In 1987, my grandmother, then 66, experienced such a collision first-hand. She was driving home from church one Wednesday night in her old Ford when the car in front of her stopped suddenly to make a left turn, forcing her to stop on the main railroad tracks. Thankful that she did not hit that car, she soon realized that a train was approaching. After a tremendous amount of honking, the car in front of her finally inched forward enough into the intersection for my grandmother to get out of the way of the oncoming train – or so she thought.

The train caught the last ten inches or so of that old Ford – but instead of just tearing off the bumper, the collision sent my grandmother’s car flying through the night sky, finally coming to rest about 70 feet from the intersection. The car, formerly a solid tank-like sedan built from Detroit iron, was absolutely totaled. And my grandmother was not wearing her seatbelt. Miraculously, however, she survived with only minor injuries. She suffered no lingering effects and lived on until 1996 (and she always wore a seatbelt after that night…).

I’ve often wondered about who witnessed that wreck. As they saw the oncoming train, and realized that my grandmother’s car was not clear of the tracks, what thoughts went through their heads? Did they honk their horns to warn her? Did they flash their lights to get her attention? Did they attempt to push her car out of harm’s way?

What about us? If you or I were there, what would we have done? Even if we were unwilling to put ourselves in harm’s way for the sake of a stranger, most of us would probably do everything within our power to warn someone about an approaching freight train. After all, if their injury could be avoided by our action, then our lack of action could be said to have caused their injury (at least indirectly). In other words, if we see someone in mortal danger and do nothing to warn or help them, then we might as well hurt them ourselves.

In our 21^st Century society, this concept has been grossly overshadowed by the reigning king of our politically-correct vocabulary: “Tolerance.” Truth, we’re told, is relative. And so any attempt to help someone else see truth from our perspective is met with severe contempt and prejudice.

The result of such “tolerance,” however, is not peaceful co-existence, but increased apathy as one group or another gets hit by a freight train. Think of it this way:

Group ‘A’ believes that 2 + 2 = 4.

Group ‘B’ believes that 2 + 2 = 5.

Group ‘C’ believes that 2 + 2 = fried chicken.

“Tolerance” dictates that Group ‘A’ refrain from interfering with the other groups. It demands unconditional, blind acceptance not just of the group, but of their strange (and incorrect) math. In essence, tolerance requires Group ‘A’ to look on the other groups with apathy (at best) and outright disdain (at worst). Group ‘A,’ meanwhile, believes that there is something better than “tolerance.” It’s called “love.”

In our silly example above, the best, most loving thing that Group ‘A’ can do is not to ignore the other groups. It is also not to fight and argue with them and beat them over the head with a math textbook. Instead, the most loving thing they can do is to gently help the other groups see and understand that there is only one correct answer – there is only one truth.

Whether you agree with Christianity or not, it is important to understand why Christians share their faith. It’s not out of some warped superiority complex or out of some distorted need to have the biggest church (though some self-proclaimed “Christians” have likely had those goals). Instead, we share the truth of Jesus Christ because we want to do everything within our power to help (and warn) others. We share because we love.

Interestingly enough, even atheist Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller) understands this:

How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? If I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you and you didn't believe it, and that truck was bearing down on you, there's a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that.

So, here is some truth: There are two possible destinations for you after you die. Belief in Jesus Christ is the only way to avoid the hotter of the two (check out John 14:6). By the way, He loves you more than you can imagine. And 2 + 2 = 4.

I share this not to judge or to condemn, but because someone loved me enough to warn me that I was about to get hit by a train.

Soli Deo Gloria

Tim Cotten

At the Edge of the Promised Land

2011-06-09T09:05:00.000-04:00

The land, by all accounts, was simply amazing. After all, where else did grape clusters grow so large that it took two men to carry them? What other land was described as flowing with both milk (a necessity) and honey (a luxury)? Yet the Promised Land was not without its challenges. Armies of Goliath-sized soldiers protected the inhabitant’s fortified cities. Without God’s help, Israel had no chance of conquering them.

And so, the young nation of freed slaves stood at a cross-road with an identity-defining decision to make:

Trust God or rebel.

Sadly, ten men persuaded nearly the entire nation to rebel and lose faith. Ten of the twelve spies sent into the Promised Land returned disheartened and afraid. These ten had seen the plagues in Egypt. They had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground. They had depended upon manna from heaven. They had even followed the supernatural pillar of cloud and fire to this very place. But this last obstacle proved that their faith was merely superficial. They didn’t really believe that God would give them the blessing of the Promised Land. Despite the pleading of the more faithful spies Caleb and Joshua, the nation turned its back on God at the very brink of extravagant blessing.

The sin that Israel committed that day cost an entire generation their lives. None of them, except for Caleb and Joshua, entered into the Promised Land. What should have been theirs immediately would now be delayed by 40 years.

Several thousand years have passed since that sad rebellion. We now live under a different covenant, and our Promised Land now comes through the person of Jesus Christ, who came that we might have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). In other words, the blessings promised to us are eternal life and abundant life here on earth.

Unfortunately, mankind’s rebellious nature has not changed over those countless generations. As a result, even believers, whose eternal future is certain, are quite capable of missing out of the blessings that God desires for them here on earth.

The story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 is a perfect, if sad, example of how Christ follower’s rebellion can sabotage God’s blessings. This crooked couple wanted to be recognized and applauded for being generous and selfless. When they saw how a Levite named Joseph was praised for selling a field and giving the money to the disciples, Ananias and Sapphira allowed their desire to impress others trumped their desire to please God. So, they sold a piece of property and presented the money to the disciples, just as Joseph had done. However, they had secretly kept a portion of the money for themselves. Their deception did not fool God, however, and both of them fell dead as soon as Peter confronted them.

I can certainly understand how “great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.” (Acts 5:11) Clearly, rebellion of any kind is not a trivial matter. God takes sin very seriously, and we would do well to remember that there is no middle ground. Either we trust Him and obey, or we rebel and sin.

The central truth that the nation of Israel (and later Ananias and Sapphira) missed is that our greatest, most abundant life can only come when we trust and follow God. Without Him, there is no future hope, no unflappable joy, no rock-solid peace, and no abundant blessing. Without Him, there is no Promised Land and no chance of hearing “Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share your master’s happiness!”

We do need to utter a word of caution, however. Trusting in God is not a recipe for a perfect, trouble-free life. And anyone who preaches that believing in Christ will result in a new Rolex watch and a new Bentley in the driveway is spreading false doctrine. God’s blessings are not always physical or financial. In fact, our ultimate blessings won’t come in this life at all!

But, we can be absolutely certain that the best, most fulfilling, most satisfying way to live life can only come through following Jesus Christ. I feel that we, as both individual Christ followers and as a church, have a decision to make each and every day:

Trust in Christ (and obey) or rebel. May we always choose correctly.

Soli Deo Gloria

Tim Cotten

Imaginary Strawberries (and other disasters)

2011-03-31T16:18:00.000-04:00

I could hear the sobbing from down the hall; my daughter was clearly heartbroken. As I ran to comfort her, to push aside her anguish and replace it with the massive onslaught of a fatherly hug, I asked her what was wrong. By the size of her monstrous tears, I immediately guessed that some small bone of hers must be broken, or at the least some treasured doll had been digested by the dog. Instead, she looked down limply and wailed,

“I don’t have any more strawberries!!!”

Now, a word clarification: this catastrophe occurred in February, and our house had not hosted strawberries of any sort since last summer. Yet, in my three-year-old’s amazingly-vivid imagination, a lack of imaginary strawberries was as disastrous as any Japanese tsunami.

Wanting to quiet this surging, blubbering tide, I quickly reached into my pocket and offered a fistful of air that I desperately hoped would be accepted as imaginary fruit. While suppressing the rising grin that threatened to undermine a daughter’s trust in her Daddy’s sympathy, I said, “Here, sweetie, I have some strawberries for you.” Apparently, however, my imagination was insufficient to adequately create new strawberries, and the meltdown continued until I suggested we forget the strawberries completely and go play a riveting game of “Candy Land” – a proposition that was gleefully accepted.

Unfortunately for most of us, what troubles us the most is far from imaginary. We have no need to invent devastation, as our lives are often full of all-too-real storms. For some, the storm involves a sudden and unwanted education about an evil disease. For others, it has been born on the winds of a declining economy. Some may simply have been awakened to the fact that their life is not as they had planned, and that they’ve spent more time trying to survive the storms than chasing their dreams.

None of us, however, have ever faced a storm quite like the one that was quickly approaching a young carpenter from Nazareth. Every step that He took carried Him closer not only to certain death, but the unimaginable suffering of bearing the whole world’s sin. And unlike the sudden traumas that often assault us, Jesus knew full-well the scope of this impending storm even before He first visited Bethlehem. He knew of the opposition that would arise, of the betrayal that would occur, of the torture, of the nails, and of the death.

And above all the impending suffering was the inescapable destiny of being forsaken by God the Father. Nailed to a tree, cursed by men and demons alike, Jesus took upon Himself a massive guilt – the tremendous burden of every sin ever committed. And in so doing, His fellowship with God the Father was severed. For the Son of God, nothing could have been more devastating.

As for us, even though it was our sins that put Christ on the cross, even though it might as well have been our hands that bore the hammer, His tremendous sacrifice does not add to our guilt. Instead it actually does quite the opposite. Jesus freely took our sins from us, and thus has provided us with the greatest possible gift: restoration. Through Him, sinners like us are redeemed and restored to right standing before the Father. By being forsaken, Christ secured our adoption.

But, like my daughter, we have to accept the free gift from our Father (whose gift, I should point out, is far greater than a fistful of air!). The exchange from sinful rebellion to forgiven restoration is not complete until we accept and believe that Jesus was who He said He was and that He did indeed die for us. Thankfully, though, this call to belief is not really a call to blind faith. Instead, it is based upon the single most important evidence in history:

an empty grave.

We can know for sure that Jesus is both fully God and fully man because He not only died, He was resurrected. We can know for sure that His sacrifice is sufficient to remove our guilt and our sins because He has the power over death itself. We can know for sure that His gift of redemption, His gift of grace, His gift of salvation is true because He proved His own deity on that first Easter.

And we can know for sure that Jesus is with us even when we lose all our strawberries. He has proven that He is alive, and when we trust in Him, no storm we will ever face will be too powerful, too traumatic, or too catastrophic. His sufficient grace will strengthen, sustain, comfort, guide, and heal everyone who follows after Him. The ironic beauty of the cruel cross is that Jesus provides not only the future hope of eternal life, but the present peace and joy of abundant life. Eternal and abundant life: far better than even the best game of “Candy Land.”

Soli Deo Gloria

Tim Cotten

Hard Questions...

2011-03-07T09:30:00.000-05:00

“God is love.”

1 John 4:16

Every now and then, a question comes along that is so profound in its implications that all of life seems to pause while an answer is pondered. This happened recently to me while watching cartoons with my daughter. Though I’ve been familiar with them for years, I suddenly realized that both Goofy and Pluto are dogs, yet one was a talking character and the other merely a pet. How could this be?! My mind reeled in a futile attempt to comprehend this animated conundrum.

This is not the first query to cause such internal turmoil. Many moments have been spent considering such things like why someone would put an ‘s’ in the word “lisp.” Or what exactly a “turvy” refers to in the phrase “topsy-turvy.” Or whether or not an individual player for the Boston Red Sox’s should be identified as a “Red Sock.” And this doesn’t even include more profound questions like, “Did Adam have a navel?” or “Where did Seth get his wife?”

Yet there is one question that plagues any serious thought about God. Indeed this question is so deeply profound that it has often been labeled “the problem of evil,” and is one of the chief causes of doubt in the existence of God. In a nutshell, the question is:

Why does God allow evil?

Nearly everyone agrees that evil exists, both in “natural” forms (cancer, earthquakes, etc.) and “moral” forms (murder, rape, etc.). Now, if God is who He says He is, if He is real, if He is all-loving, if He is all-powerful, and if He is all-knowing, then we have a serious problem. He has the desire, the means, and the knowledge to stop all forms of evil, and yet He does not do it. Why?!

While a comprehensive treatment of this profound question cannot be covered here, on a basic level, the answer is: Love. At first glance, this may seem like nonsense. “Evil exists because of love?” Well, yes. Please let me explain…

A couple of years ago, as our daughter Micah was first learning to speak, my wife and I taught her to open her arms up wide and say, “I love you this much.” Occasionally we would prompt her, and Micah would dutifully (and usually cheerfully) perform the phrase on cue, much to the delight of the nearest grandparent. Micah’s little act was precious, even though we all knew that she didn’t really understand what she was saying.

Fast forward a couple of years, and Micah has developed into a little girl who sincerely loves her family. Every so often, she’ll come over to one of us, open up her arms as wide as they’ll go, and exclaim gleefully “I love you THIIIIIIIIS much!” Unprompted, unrehearsed, un-coerced… just a natural expression of a little heart that explodes with compassion and love for those around her.

As her father, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her as a toddler imitate our actions. The cuteness was nearly unbearable. But what truly melts my heart is when she comes, on her own free will, to tell me that she loves me. That is real love.

You see, God could have created us to be puppets; merely repeating the commands of the master. We could have been robots – programmed only to do certain tasks. We could have been programmed to praise God, to do good things, and to live holy lives. But something would have been missing. Any “love” that we might have shown would have been hollow – no more sincere than when Micah’s favorite doll squeaks “I love you.”

Instead, God knew that any true expression of love must include free will – the capacity to choose. This however, is where evil comes in. Ultimately, God allows evil because He loves us enough to give us the freedom of choice. And, beginning with Adam, we have all chosen poorly. A long history of natural and moral evil has been the result.

While the necessity of choice helps explain why God allows evil, there is another reason. Personally, I would love for my children to grow up in a perfectly sheltered environment – free from all scrapes, bumps, skinned-knees, and other tragedies. I would like to totally protect them from the evil that’s in this world. Yet that type of absolute-shielding is not what my girls need most. They need to learn how to live well in spite of evil. Ultimately, my job is not to totally protect them, but to train them.

Likewise, God is more glorified when we learn to love Him in spite of evil – when we worship Him in the midst of hardship. Indeed, God did not totally shield His own Son from evil, but used it to achieve something far greater.

While it is perfectly acceptable to ask for God’s continued protection against evil, I pray that ultimately we might learn the greater lesson that Christ has taught us all – to open up our arms as wide as they’ll go and say to our Lord, “I love you thiiiiiis much!” After all, that's exactly what He did for us.

Soli Deo Gloria

Tim Cotten

Refuge

2011-02-16T09:46:00.000-05:00

“But You, LORD are a shield around me,

My glory, the One who lifts my head high.”

Psalm 3:3

As a freshman in college, I had the pleasure of getting to know a young refugee from Ghana, Africa. While his entire story was fascinating, I was particularly captivated by his account of how he and his brother escaped their native country during the mid-1990’s. Forced to flee in the midst of ethnic conflicts, they became separated from their parents and had to walk several days to the Atlantic coast. There, they illegally boarded a cargo ship that was bound for America. Amazingly, they survived on nothing but a large jar of mayonnaise.

Most of us probably have no concept of what it means to be a refugee. We can scarcely imagine being forced to flee from our homes and go for days without food (and then only find mayonnaise!). Yet we don’t have to be political refugees to recognize the importance of finding refuge and shelter. Whether we’re fleeing for our lives, like my friend, or simply looking for rest after a hard day, we all understand our need to find a place of peace and safety.

Ultimately, such a place exists not so much as a physical location as a spiritual condition. King David was still in the wilderness, fleeing from his own son, Absalom, when he wrote the words above. My friend commented several times about the supernatural peace that he and his brother felt, even when their circumstances were in turmoil. Conversely, many of us can probably testify that a physically quiet and peaceful place can be a place of tremendous internal struggle (or am I the only one who has wrestled with their thoughts while lying in bed?).

True refuge depends not on our circumstances, but on our connection with the sovereign God. When we are at peace with Him, all other turmoil fades. There is a catch, however. Peace with God depends upon both repentance and surrender; neither of which are particularly comfortable. Yet there is no better place of refuge, no more secure place of shelter, and no stronger fortress than being in true fellowship with the One who controls it all.

Saturated with Truth

2011-01-31T09:02:00.000-05:00

“The mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

Matthew 12:34

At my house there lives a three-foot-tall parrot. Well, not really, but my daughter Micah does repeat nearly everything she hears. Most of the time, this is a good thing. For example, throughout the Christmas season (and for a few weeks afterwards), she told the Nativity story to everyone who would listen (and to several who would not!). Actually, her version of the story usually involved some extra-biblical elements pieced together from various events and conversations she’s witnessed. She once told her grandparents a version of the Nativity story which included how a camel broke Joseph’s cell-phone but the wisemen came, fixed it, and gave it to baby Jesus…

Needless to say, her mother and I have been forced to become quite selective about what words we use. While playing with a doll recently, Micah abruptly told the doll to “shut-up.” She promptly received a warning that that phrase was not welcome in our house. A few days later, however, I caught myself saying that exact phrase to my hyper-excited dog who was threatening to wake our sleeping baby. …Oops.

Like it or not, what we say and do is often absorbed and imitated by those within our influence. This is true not only for our children, but for anyone with whom we have a relationship – friends, family, coworkers, etc. Conversely, our language is often highly influenced by what we ourselves witness. Think about it for a moment. If we hear someone use a humorous phrase, we tend to remember it and use it ourselves sometime. If we frequently hear certain jargon at work, we tend to begin using that same jargon later. Even within the context of church, new believers quickly adopt “churchy” words that may not have been previously a part of their vocabulary.

The point is this: we are highly influenced by what we see and hear. While I do not believe that we are totally a “product of our environments” as some educators insist, all of us are naturally influenced by what goes on around us. And as with Micah, this can be a good thing, or it can be very, very negative.

Actually, there is an underlying principle that we all need to remember: we become that which we ingest. Perhaps the more common way to say this is the old maxim,

you are what you eat.

Even for Christ-followers, a steady diet of worldly words and ideas will eventually produce worldly thinking and language. Unfortunately, many of us mistakenly believe that an hour or two on Sunday can overcome a week’s worth of secular intake. We forget that, no matter our age, we are all like Micah in that we tend to repeat that which we see and hear. To use another metaphor, we are like sponges; only dripping out that which is soaked up.

Here’s why all this is important: If we claim to be Christ-followers, then we must be very diligent to “set [our] minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Col. 3:2) This begins with what we intake; what we read, what we watch, what music we listen to. After all, in order to truly set our minds on things above, we must actually know about the things above.

This does not mean that we withdraw from the world. Jesus even prayed that God would not remove us from the world, but that He would protect us from the evil one (John 17:15). He goes on to ask that we might be “sanctified by the Truth,” meaning scripture. In other words, we must be so saturated with Godly things, chiefly His Word, that the world loses its influence and power over us.

Being saturated in truth demands a steady diet of scripture. There are no shortcuts. If we claim to follow Christ, we must spend time regularly reading and studying His word. And the more we know scripture, the more our thoughts and language begins to reflect it. Ultimately, the more we know the Word, the more we grow to resemble Christ.

While nothing can take the place of scripture, I would also like to strongly encourage us to listen to music that reflects scriptural truth. Whether it’s hymns and praise choruses like we use on Sundays, or something completely different (did you know that there is such a thing as Christian country music? Or Christian rap?), our personal choice of music can greatly encourage us to keep our minds on “things above.” I would personally be happy to assist in suggesting Christian alternatives to any style of secular music.

If our ultimate goal on this side of eternity is to be as Christ-like as possible, then I pray that we might all do everything within our power to know and follow His commands. That includes being totally saturated with His truth, constantly thinking of “things above.” May we be disciplined in our intake so that we reflect only Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria

Tim Cotten

High Expectations

2011-01-19T10:16:00.000-05:00

I read recently that boys in America have a 0.008% chance of eventually playing football in the NFL. Yet around our country, many parents and coaches (as well as the boys themselves) have expectations that the young athlete will one day play on Sundays.

Unhealthy and unrealistic expectations can be devastating. They destroy trust and create a barrier for open relationships. Yet you don’t have to know the next Peyton Manning to be guilty of improper expectations. In fact, you don’t have to be a parent or coach at all. We all tend to create our own unhealthy expectations for God.

Most church-goers are probably familiar with the Matthew 7 passage in which Jesus commands us to “Ask… Knock… and Seek…” Verse 11 goes on to say that "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" God indeed promises to give good gifts to us, His children. A problem arises, however, when we begin to think we know what gifts should be given (and when they’re to be given… and how...).

For example, our affluent culture leads us to expect some things that probably should be classified as “wants” rather than “needs.” A good job; a nice car (or two); a large house – these are not bad things, but scripture never promises that they will be given to those who follow Christ. And those unrealistic expectations lead to distrust and disunity with Him.

Even the things we think we absolutely “need” such as food and water actually pale in comparison to what we need most – the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. And He told Paul:

“My grace is sufficient for you.

My Power is made perfect in your weakness.”

2 Corinthians 12:9

What is most amazing is not just the boldness of the statement, but its truthfulness. Nothing else is needed more than His grace. Not food. Not clothing. Not shelter. Not a family. Nothing. That is because ultimately, this world is temporary. His grace is eternal. When we believe in Him and receive His grace, we gain what is most important not only in this life, but access to the next. Nothing else can sustain us here more perfectly, and nothing else can give greater hope for the future. Simply put, we can expect much from His grace.

Not I, but Christ…

The Greatest Gift...

2010-12-19T07:28:00.001-05:00

You are not here by accident.

God loves you, and He wants you to get to know Him better. Why? Because He knows that only by following Him will we be able to live an abundant, significant, and wonderful life full of hope, peace, joy, and love. What is more, He wants desperately for you to know Him so that you can literally gain eternal life.

But, there’s a problem. The Bible calls it “sin.” It’s anything that we do that goes against God - the “white” lie, the unkind word, the greedy spirit. Sin doesn’t have to seem huge to still have huge consequences. In fact, the Bible says that any sin at all deserves the punishment of death (Romans 6:23).

Yet, there’s good news. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). You see, the greatest news on the planet is this:

Jesus Christ died in our place so that we might have life - abundant and eternal.

There’s nothing we can possibly do to earn this incredible gift. But - we must receive it. We must believe that Jesus is who He said He was - God’s Son. We must recognize the seriousness of our sin, and ask God to forgive us. And, we must begin exploring what it means to live the abundant, hope/peace/joy/love-filled life that He gives.

Being a follower of Jesus Christ is not about avoiding a list of “Thou Shalt Not’s.” It’s about knowing that Jesus’ sacrifice purchased a way for us to know God personally - to know the Creator of the Universe so well that we get to call Him “Father.”

Think about it this way: who is the most amazing person you know? Don’t you just love being around them simply because they are smart/funny/talented/etc.? Well - imagine that on an infinite scale. God, who is the definition of smart/funny/talented/etc., wants you to be close to Him.

You are not here by accident. God has a plan and purpose for you - and the first step is to get to know Him. Want to know more? Stop by Lakeview this Sunday. We’d love to help.

Peas and Lollipops

2010-11-01T09:13:00.000-04:00

In our cabinet, down next to a leftover bag of Easter candy, lies candy nirvana. It’s the sweet-tooth mother-load, the tooth decay treasure of treasures. It’s a small bag of lollipops, complete with all the most delicious flavors like red, blue, and… purple! No culinary masterpiece can compare to the sticky, colorful sweetness of those lollipops – if you’re three.

Our daughter Micah will ignore cookies, scoff at brownies, and turn her nose up at cake, all if there’s a remote chance that a lollipop might be obtained. Obviously, her mother and I have taken advantage of this as a means of encouraging the intake of more nutritional foods. (No, it’s not bribery, it’s, uh… selective rewarding.) Usually, the promise of a lollipop is enough for Micah to stomach less appealing foods. Yet occasionally she encounters the only four-letter-word in her vocabulary: peas. Actually, it doesn’t have to be peas. Sometimes it’s macaroni and cheese (which she usually loves). But there are times when even the reward of a lollipop fails to motivate her to do what’s beneficial to her.

As we mature, our lollipop/peas struggle morphs into more complex issues. For me, one prime example is exercise. I know that running is good for my overall health, but I still secretly hope to discover a little known verse of scripture that reads, “cursed are the legs that run, for they shall never know peace.” Or perhaps one that says, “I tell you the truth, anyone who runs in his mind has already run in his heart.” Yet despite my disdain, I force myself to regularly get up before God intended, put on my running shoes, and go trudging through the early morning mist with my horse-sized dog in tow. Ultimately, I have learned that the best rewards (i.e. being in relatively good shape) often require enduring that which is difficult and unpleasant.

Regardless of our age, this issue of delayed gratification is one of the toughest lessons we have to learn. I recently read an article that mentioned a behavioral study conducted by Dr. Walter Mischel of Columbia University. In the study, which has been ongoing since 1968, four-year-olds were left in a room alone with a bell and two marshmallows. The kids were given a choice: if they rang the bell, the professor would come in and give them one marshmallow. However, if they were able to wait until the professor came back on his own (after 20 minutes), then the kids got both marshmallows. Most interestingly, Dr. Mischel has followed the preschoolers into adulthood. On average, those that were able to wait made better grades, went to better colleges, and became more adept at coping with frustration and stress. Those that gave in and rang the bell early were more likely to be bullies and to develop addictive behaviors as adults (often with drugs). As remarkable as these findings are, what took Dr. Mischel 30 years to discover, God’s word has been proclaiming for ages:

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12:11

Most often, we think of discipline, even God’s discipline, as a response to wrongdoing and as a means for correcting bad behavior. Yet the primary meaning has to do with training, not correction. Training implies self-discipline. Whether we’re learning to eat our peas, striving to get into better shape, or looking to increase our ability at a new skill, the practice and training may be tough and unpleasant, but the reward is worth the effort.

I believe that most of us understand this concept as it relates to worldly things. Yet far too many of us fail to apply this discipline to our spiritual lives. We are content with mediocre, weekend-only “faith” that focuses more on religious culture than on life-changing obedience. We’ve added a little bit of God to our lives, and that suits us just fine.

Unfortunately, that “faith” is no faith at all. It’s a pathetic and immature attempt to follow God without actual obedience. Ultimately, we will all answer for what we do with our lives – how we lived, how we treated others, how we spent our money. Incredible rewards will be given to those who have disciplined themselves as they followed Christ as Lord. Daily Bible study, consistent prayer, selfless living, and joyful giving all may be difficult and even painful, yet the promised rewards far outweigh the momentary discomfort.

Everyone who claims to follow Christ must take seriously spiritual training and discipline. It is time for each of us to eat our peas, run our race, and live a disciplined life that ultimately grants the greatest rewards possible.

He's Alive!

2010-10-06T09:02:00.000-04:00

“I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold, I am alive for ever and ever!”

Revelation 1:18

Think about these questions for a moment: If Jesus’ bones were found, how would that discovery change your life? Assuming that it could be reasonably proven that Jesus is dead, what kind of impact would it have on you? Would it affect your daily life? Would it affect your relationships?

This hypothetical (and impossible…) event would be absolutely devastating to anyone who claims to follow Christ. This is because Jesus’ resurrection is the main proof of His deity. Find His bones, or prove in some other way that He is still dead, and He becomes just another finite, mortal man who died for his own sins. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:14, “And if Christ has not been raised [from the dead], our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” In other words, if Jesus did not rise, then He is not God. And if He is not God, then He cannot be our Savior. The entire Christian faith either stands or falls with the Resurrection.

Thankfully, we do not have to worry about someone finding Christ’s bones. Not only did Jesus rise from the dead, He arose with a new, glorified body (unlike Lazarus, who died again…). What is more, we have abundant proof that His resurrection actually occurred. First, also in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul writes that Jesus appeared to more than 500 believers after His death. Second, all of the disciples suffered tremendously, and all but one died tragically because of their faith in Christ’s resurrection. No lie is worth that kind of agony.

The final proof that Jesus rose from the dead is the relationship that His followers have with Him right now. Jesus is our living High Priest, and our direct fellowship with God proves the truth of His resurrection.

Jesus’ resurrection is the greatest single event in all of history. In it lies all our hope and joy. May we always be quick to proclaim that Jesus is indeed alive! He is alive for ever and ever!

Not I, but Christ…

Hymns vs. Choruses

2010-09-15T09:39:00.000-04:00

[Although our church uses a wide variety of musical styles, there may be some for whom more explanation of terms may be needed. The following story (of unknown origin) should provide some humorous assistance.]

An old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was. “Well,” said the farmer, “it was good. They did something different, however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns.”

“Praise choruses?” asked his wife. “What are those?”

“Oh, they're OK. They are sort of like hymns, only different,” said the farmer.

“Well, what's the difference?” asked his wife.
The farmer said, “Well, it's like this - If I were to say to you, “Martha, the cows are in the corn,” well, that would be a hymn. If, on the other hand, I were to say to you,

Martha, Martha, Martha; Oh Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA,

The cows, the big cows, the brown cows,
The black cows, the white cows,
The black and white cows, the COWS, COWS, COWS
Are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn,
Are in the corn, the CORN, CORN, CORN!

Then, if I were to repeat the whole thing two or three times... well, that would be a praise chorus.”

The next weekend, the farmer's nephew, a young, new Christian from the city came to visit and attended the local church of the small town. He went home and his mother asked him how it was.

“Well,” said the young man, “it was good. They did something different however. They sang hymns instead of regular songs.”

“Hymns?” asked his mother. “What are those?”

“Oh, they're OK. They are sort of like regular songs, only different,” said the young man.

“Well, what's the difference?” asked his mother.
The young man said, “Well, it's like this - If I were to say to you, “'Martha, the cows are in the corn,” well, that would be a regular song. If on the other hand, I were to say to you,

Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry,

Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth,

Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by,
To the righteous, inimitable, glorious truth.
For the way of the animals who can explain,
There in their heads is no shadow of sense
Hearkenest they in God's sun or His rain,
Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced.

Yea those cows in glad bovine, rebellious delight,
Broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed
Then goaded by minions of darkness and night,
They all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn have chewed.
So look to the bright shining day by and by,
Where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn
Where no vicious animals make my soul cry,
And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn.

“Then if I were to do only stanzas one, three and four and do a key change before the last, well that would be a hymn.”

Pure Gold

2010-09-01T08:33:00.002-04:00

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him…

And I will give thanks to Him in song.”

Psalm 28:7

A few years ago, I came across a quote by a Chinese pastor who had been imprisoned for his faith (and who was later martyred):

Pure gold fears no fire.

Referring to the smelting process used to refine gold, it reminds us that only impurities and unwanted elements are removed during the melting process. The gold itself is not harmed or destroyed.

Likewise, as followers of Christ, we have no reason to fear the trials and hardships we encounter in life. If our focus is correctly placed on Him, then these “fires” only refine our faith, and we emerge from the furnace more pure than when we entered.

Yet this simple concept is unbelievably difficult to accept sometimes. Even small “fires” often bring with them a flood of questions that haunt us, the most prominent being “Why is this happening?” Whether it’s just a frustrating day filled with annoying little setbacks, or a massive, life-altering event, we tend to become preoccupied with “why.”

Unfortunately, we are not always given the answers that we seek. What we are given, however, is far greater. “They cried to You and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.” (Ps. 22:5) Comfort, peace, hope, and even joy can be found in the midst of even the most intense furnace if we trust in God and praise Him. And few things in this world proclaim the hope of Christ more loudly or clearly than the praise of a suffering believer.

Although we are not all facing a massive furnace, even in the small tests, we can truly refine our faith if we are willing to praise God in the midst of hardship. And that kind of faith tends to work like a spark - that ignites the faith of others and soon encourages many to become like pure gold.

Not I, but Christ…

Tim

The Language of Worship

2010-08-01T03:02:00.000-04:00

      It didn't start on time, the temperature was brutal, and we couldn't understand a single word that was being said or sung. Yet there was a nearly pallitable connection between us and our Indonesian brothers and sisters.  You see, the method was strange and unfamiliar, but the focus was one and the same. We had gathered in the middle of an Islam-dominated city to worship the only true God, and no language or cultural barrier could divide us in our purpose.
      In the midst of such foreign surroundings, we couldn't help but sense that we were among family.  We may have been butchering their language, but they recognized that our hearts were singing the same songs. Eventually, they came to a song that we knew: "Lord, I Give You My Heart." As English and Indonesian was lifted up side by side, I was amazed by the vastness of our God. Our Lord is not an American God. He is not even a Western God. He is not confined to the West, East, North or South. No one culture or people group has a monopoly on Him, for He is the Creator of us all.
      There was, howevwer, one important differenct between us and the beautiful worshipers around us. As American's, we face no threat of persecution. At worst, we might endure ridicule or scorn. Our brothers and sisters around the world, however, are not able to benefit from America's freedom. Even here, in a city where persecution is relatively rare, we've heard reports of homes being destroyed, jobs lost, and family members kidnapped. Not far from here, Christians are regularly martyred for their faith. As I looked accross the congregation, I couldn't help but think of the risk they were taking to meet - to worship openly. While not illegal, following "Isa" (Jesus) is not something encouraged or condoned by the community. Needless to say, those that attended the worship service were serious about their faith. There is no "casual Christianity" where persecution exits.
     I pray that we, the church in America, might take our faith just as seriously. May our freedom not lead to apathy, but to greater boldness. We have nothing to fear, so let us relentlessly make the name of Jesus known to all those around us. He is, after all, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords - the one true God and the only source of salvation and hope. May the joy that we claim to know spur us to share. May the Word we claim to follow challenge us to witness. And may the God we claim to love empower us to be His witnesses - at home, in our country, and around the world.

Greetings from Indonesia

2010-07-29T09:01:00.000-04:00

To most of the people around, the menacing and noisy device (which bore an unnerving resemblance to a .50 calliber machine gun) did nothing except spread a welcome mist of mosquito-killing smoke. Yet as household after household gathered in the streets, it became clear to me that our smelly task today was doing much more than just bringing the whole village together in bug genocide.

Fogging mosquitoes actually was a means of accomplishing two major goals: 1. It helped us connect with an often-hesitant people group. 2. It provided opportunites to share about a hope that is far greater than the thought of bug-free living.
As I terrorized those of six-legged-persuasion, I couldn't help thinking that this was not one of the more glamorous tasks of a Christ-follower. Yet God brought to mind a verse that often encourages me in the midst of mundane tasks: "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Col. 3:17)
You may not be fogging mosquitoes halfway accross the globe, but I am certain that we all need a reminder that no matter what we're doing, we need to be doing it for God's glory. After all, when He is exalted, every task accomplishes far more than what we might think.

Highest Priority

2010-06-28T16:58:00.000-04:00

Standing in the delivery room, watching my beautiful bride go through the second-most grueling and excruciating experience of her life (this being her second child), I found myself intensely focused. It was one of those “BIG” moments in life – the kind in which you try to press “record” on your long-term memory as to not forget any detail. Yet, my mind was exploding with prayer: prayer that Amy would have the strength to get through this, prayer that the baby would be healthy, prayer that this child might always glorify God…

As I held newborn Rinnah (which is Hebrew for “joyful song” or “praise”) later that night, it dawned on me just how much the non-essential things in life had faded away. Suddenly I couldn’t care less about anything on TV. Once-pressing matters about nursery furniture arrangements totally disappeared. All thoughts about entertainment, politics, sports, and even work were completely consumed by the one, all-important reality in front of me:

My God is an Awesome Creator.

In the quiet (Rinnah was sleeping…), I found that I couldn’t help but worship my incredible God. He had reminded me of both His power and His love; His miracles and His blessing. Rinnah was proof of both. In awe of Him, I knew that nothing else in my entire life, including the sweet little bundle in my arms, was worthy of more of my affection and attention than Him. Simply put, Rinnah’s birth reminded me of my highest priority: to love God.

Generations of Jews and Christians have understood that loving God is indeed our highest priority. In fact, even today children of devout Jewish parents learn the passage above before all others. Referred to as the Shema (the first Hebrew word in the passage), it is the most commonly recited scripture passage in Jewish culture. Jesus undoubtedly knew it well since He quoted it in Matthew 22:37. Yet Jesus did more than just quote this vital passage, He added to it: “And the second [most important commandment] is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

In our culture, many things clamor for the high ground of our priorities. We are bombarded daily by media that tells us to place money, stuff, and worldly success on top. Even within our church culture we often give in to the temptation to place something other than God at the pinnacle of our priority list. Good things, such as a desire to be a good husband, father, student, or employee are all admirable, but they pale in comparison to our call to love God first. In fact, unless God is the top priority, it is impossible to truly be a good husband, father, student, or employee.

This idea may sound unusual to those unfamiliar with scripture, but our love for God (and our obedience to His Word) enables us to love others the way that we should. For instance, Ephesians 5:25 tells husbands to “love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Without knowledge of Christ and His sacrifice, my love for my wife would be incomplete at best. Instead, it is only through my following of Christ that I become the husband that Amy desires and deserves.

Even more unfamiliar, though, is Jesus’ lesson in Luke 14, where He states one of the most potentially troubling verses in all of scripture: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters – yes, even his own life – he cannot be my disciple.” Our love for God should be so great and so complete that our love for everything else, including our families, should seem like hate in comparison.

This may sound radical, but unless God by far the most important part of our lives, nothing else will be quite right. A good (if a little geeky) analogy is a brand new computer, complete with massive memory and a slick graphics card, that has to operate with an old, outdated processor (that’s the brain…). None of the components of the computer will operate at their highest potential unless the best possible processor is installed. Likewise, no matter how hard I try, Rinnah will not have the best possible father unless my first priority is Someone bigger than her – and me!

This matter of making God your highest priority is not a one-time thing. Instead, it is a constant, continuous struggle. The good news is that He regularly reminds us and encourages us to do so (and often without any labor pains!). I pray that we all might learn daily what it is to love our Creator above all else.

Desperate for Him

2010-06-23T15:01:00.000-04:00

Nearly three years ago, I wrote that 9 lbs of swaddled, screaming joy taught me more about God’s tremendous love than 238 lbs of seminary textbooks. Today, in the wake of our newest daughter's arrival, I’m amazed again at how such a small gift can teach us so much about our ultimate Giver. Like Rinnah (which means “joyful song” in Hebrew), we are utterly helpless and in total need of our God’s provision and grace. Our best efforts produce nothing but frustration and tears, and we can only find true peace when we’re resting in His arms.

Unfortunately, all of us are quite self-sufficient according to the world’s standards. None of us require another’s hand to feed us, yet we must always remember that there are two ways in which we will always remain dependent upon our Creator.

First and foremost, we are dependent upon God for salvation. Our chances of reaching Heaven on our own are about as slim as 4-day-old Rinnah’s chances are of building a functioning spaceship. No matter how “successful” we become in this world, we must always remember that our salvation is bought and secured by Jesus Christ alone. Therefore, we should always be willing and able to make our hope visible to those around us.

Second, we need to recall that we are dependent upon God for abundant life here on earth. Left to ourselves, apart from His Spirit and His will, we will only make a mess of ourselves. Therefore, we should always be willing and able to take up our cross daily and follow Him – the One who is both our Savior and Lord. He is the only one who can give us both hope and purpose.

Above all others, including even our beloved families, we need to cling desperately to our King – the true source of our abundant and eternal life.

No Rambo!

2010-06-16T11:54:00.000-04:00

Although I was not allowed to watch the movies as a kid, Rambo was one of my childhood heroes. Who else could annihilate a whole battalion of enemy soldiers with just a bow and arrow and a really cool knife? (Ok, I may have watched a little while at a friend’s house…) He was not only invincible, he was able to accomplish his goals all on his own. He was, in every sense, an army of one.

Much to my childhood-self’s chagrin, however, Rambo does not exist. No modern warrior would dare to go out alone. Our military is not in the practice of going against all odds. Battlefield safety is truly found in numbers (and having a few F-22’s providing air support doesn’t hurt!)

Unfortunately, Christ followers all too often forget (or neglect) this most basic of military concepts. Sometimes this occurs when we forget that we are indeed in a battle. Other times it is due to a Rambo-like complex that convinces us that we can go out alone, protected only by a red bandana wrapped around our ‘80’s big hair.

Whether we realize it or not, a spiritual battle is constantly raging around us. Paul reminds us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers… the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” We may not always see it, but attacks from the enemy are regularly trying to make us ineffective warriors.

We need, therefore, we need to always be prepared and protected – both by the armor of God (including the sword!), and by our fellow soldiers. Corporate worship, fellowship, encouragement, and accountability are incredibly important in this war. On our own, playing Rambo, we will quickly discover that his story was pure fiction. But united in Christ, resting in God’s perfect strength, none of the enemy’s attacks will ever overcome us.

This Changes Everything!

2010-04-01T09:20:00.000-04:00

That Friday night, they probably didn’t sleep well (if at all). Dawn brought little relief, and for the first time in ages, they did not turn their attention to worship on the Sabbath. Instead, despair and mourning ruled their Saturday as the disciples tried in vain to make sense of the last 24 hours. How had this happened?! Why didn’t He stop it?! Were the last three years wasted? Why did we all run away?

The Pharisee’s jeers certainly still rang in their ears as Jesus’ closest friends looked for any trace of hope. Undoubtedly, more than a few vented anger at the betrayer. The question of the day was probably “now what?” Do we go back to our lives before we met Him? Did we just waste the past three years?

All of this is nothing but my speculation, but I can imagine the disciple’s confusion, if not their grief. Their leader was dead. Their cause was lost. Their Messiah was now buried in a borrowed tomb. Did any of them remember His words about rising again? Not likely. After all, when Jesus mentioned His resurrection on the way to Gethsemane, all Peter could focus on was not falling away (Mt. 26:21-33).

Jesus’ disciples believed that He was the Christ – the Messiah and Savior, but they were certainly not expecting what happened that Sunday. Even when the women came back with word of an empty tomb, the disciples were skeptical. Their loss was so real and permanent, how could resurrection be possible?

Jesus’ resurrection, however, changed everything. Hope was not only renewed, it was made complete and secure. Joy exploded even in the midst of persecution. Purpose and meaning came flooding into the lives of the disciples, and never again did they wonder about their calling. Confusion melted away as God’s redemptive plan became clear.

This week, may we do everything possible to magnify the Risen Messiah, so that all who worship with us might be changed by that empty tomb!

Lost in Christ

2010-03-10T08:55:00.012-05:00

In the ancient world, he was a rock star - able to captivate and influence large crowds, yet totally weird in his behavior and life. Only someone as eccentric and strange as him could pull of his camel-hair wardrobe and six-legged diet. His booming charge of "Repent!" divided the population. Was he really a prophet? Or a demon? The answer can be found in what is perhaps the greatest compliment ever given - "I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist..." Those are red-letter words, spoken by Jesus himself.

John the Baptist is one of the most fascinating people in scripture. A prophet similar to the Old Testament greats like Elijah, yet one who lived to see Jesus. He became so popular in Israel that even the king (Herod) feared the potential riots that might happen should John be executed. Perhaps what is most amazing about John, however, is that his whole life and ministry was spent trying to magnify someone else, someone far greater - the throngs of whose sandals John was not worthy to untie.

John's greatness - his popularity, his fame, his success, and his trials and adversity - all came because he constantly pointed others to the Messiah. In that way, he was unlike any modern rock star - never seeking recognition or glory for himself. In John 3:30, he sums up his whole life: "He [Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease."

Did you catch that? Read it again -

He must increase, but I must decrease.

Even in a culture saturated with people who claim to be "Christian," this idea is radical. Claiming that Jesus is our Lord means far more than attending church or saying an occasional blessing over a meal. It means surrendering every part of life to Someone far greater - the throngs of whose sandals we're not worthy to untie. Ultimately, this constant surrender leads to transformation, as our very identity is lost in His.

Losing one's identity is usually a frightening thing, especially in our hyper-individualistic society. Yet losing one's identity in Christ is hardly cause for alarm. In fact, it's probably better said that we gain true identity in Christ rather than lose our old identity. Think of it this way: when we know Christ as our Lord, we lose our old self in the same way that an adopted young prince might lose his status as a forgotten orphan. The old identity was but a bleak existence void of hope. The new identity provides endless hope, joy, and possibilities for a meaningful life. No orphan sheds a tear at the loss of his orphan-ness.

He must increase, but I must decrease - a simple phrase that defined one of the greatest men in history; a simple idea that will help transform sinful orphans into adopted children of God. If you claim that Jesus is Lord of your life, I pray that you will not soon forget those words. May they remind you daily to surrender to His far-better will, and may you rejoice when others see more of Christ in you than anyone else. That is the goal - that is our highest earthly aim.

Author Beth Moore and songwriter Travis Cottrell wrote a song a few years ago that beautifully capture this whole idea. May it encourage you as it has me to become lost in the fullness of Christ.

There is a name above all names,

let mine be lost in His.

Hide me in His crimson heart,

Oh, way of secret bliss!

One life alone is worth the find,

nail mine into the tree

Till Jesus ever shining here

is all beheld in me.

Bring Him forth each day I live

and leave me in the tomb.

I seek no other glory here,

make not the smallest room.

Blessed anonymity!

Count my life but loss,

Jesus, the One and Only,

tread over me, dear cross.

Love Another

2010-01-21T09:49:00.001-05:00

The tears were what captured my attention. I was looking through (and praying over) a sea of powerful images from Haiti, all taken shortly after the earthquake, when one little girl's close-up seemed to capture the terror. She couldn't have been more than 18 months old, and the caption read that she had just awoken in the midst of hundreds of frighten people that were sleeping in the street the day after the quake, afraid of all buildings. As the little girl looked up toward an unseen care-giver, her expression was one that I pray my own daughter never knows - an expression of total despair. It looked as if she had been crying nonstop and had yet to be comforted. Exhausted, her innocent hope had all but died.

Unable to look through any more of the Haiti pictures, my eyes shifted slightly to a picture of my wife and then-18-month-old daughter that resides next to my computer. "I would do anything to protect them," I thought while choking back my own tears. I realized that if needed, I would gladly lay down my own life to prevent my family from knowing that same despair and terror.

Later, I was reminded of the words of Paul in Romans 5: "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." What hit me most as I read those words was the vastness of His love and grace. I can imagine giving up my life for those I love - and perhaps even for an innocent stranger like that young girl in the picture. But God convicted me of something - something so powerful I had to go back through those Haiti pictures.

There - a few pictures before the close-up of the girl was a picture of men fighting in the streets. They were not fighting for food or water, but over commercial goods stolen and looted from a demolished building. While newly-orphaned children weep nearby, they are trying to make a profit. One man in particular caught my attention as he raised a makeshift weapon in anger - ready to kill to secure his advancement.

That man - full of hatred and selfishness, consumed with rage and blind to compassion - that man is loved by my Savior as much as anyone else.

As I sat wondering about the moments after that snapshot was taken, God gently reminded me that there have been times when I have been that man - perhaps not physically hurting someone, but angry and blind just the same. Yet even while I was a sinner, Jesus laid down His life for me. How wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ!

I heard a quote recently that has stayed with me: "If you don't have someone or something in your life worth dying for, then you probably aren't living." The love that Christ has modeled for us is total and unconditional. If I am to follow Him, than I need to strive to love others with that same agape love - not just toward my family or those whom I deem worthy, but toward everyone. Just imagine how different Haiti - how different America - would be if we lived out that kind of selfless and total love.

Avoiding the Echoes...

2010-01-12T09:08:00.000-05:00

Standing in front of 96,828 fans, your ears tend to deceive you. Yet standing there on the field of Sanford Stadium at the University of Georgia, it was hard to ignore what you heard. With trombone in hand I fought alongside the rest of the Redcoat band our biggest temptation: to play with the echo.

(Ok... second biggest temptation. The first was to trip the Georgia Tech players as they ran past us into the locker room...)

With 400 plus members, our band produced a massive sound - a sound that bounced around the stadium for what seemed like minutes. If we weren't careful, it was very easy to begin playing along with the echo that came bouncing off the red-clad fans. The result was musical chaos. The key to staying together was for each member to keep their eyes on the director, the drum major standing on a platform on the sideline.

We've probably all experienced some sort of echo or another. Whether we're standing at the edge of a canyon or in the midst of downtown skyscrapers, echoes are a faint reflection of the original sound. While echoes can be fun sometimes, there are plenty that should be avoided. One of the most critical occurs in our worship services. Songwriter and worship leader Paul Baloche developed this idea recently: the songs we sing to God (and perhaps even the way we sing them) can be categorized into two groups. They are either a true expression of praise (an original source), or an impartial repetition of something previously heard (an echo).

Baloche focuses this idea on the songs themselves (how some songs seem to truly be a fresh voice of praise while others seem to only repeat previously heard ideas), I believe that this concept applies to each person that attends a worship service. Think about this: two people, standing side by side, can sing the same song at the same time to the same God, yet one is an authentic voice of worship and adoration and the other an unemotional and uninvolved echo. The difference lies not with their voices or with the lyrics, but with the focus of the heart. The first person has their eyes on the Director - on His holiness, on His grace, on His love. The second is lost in thoughts of lunch, or someone's wardrobe, or perhaps they're too weighed down by all the baggage they dragged in to realize that freedom is only a prayer away.

An interesting thing occurs in worship services each week that most people fail to recognize: No one leaves unchanged. Those that join together in truly praising their Savior are drawn closer to Him and encouraged to live a life that honors Him. Those that only sing an echo of praise usually leave more hardened and cold; their lives descending more and more into chaos. To be sure, nothing is impossible with God, and His Spirit can melt even the hardest heart at any time (just ask Paul!). But any encounter with God that does not lead to repentance and submission (at least in part) leads instead to hardening and bitterness.

I would like to encourage us all to keep our eyes fixed on the Director, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He alone is worthy of praise, and He is truly worth worshiping. May the words we sing each week be more than an echo - may they be an authentic voice that exalts our King.

Lessons from the Magna-Doodle

2010-01-04T11:37:00.001-05:00

“Oooo… what a pretty snake,” I said as I looked down at my daughter’s drawing. She frowned and exclaimed, “No, Daddy, [it’s a] dog!”

We were sitting more or less patiently in the portrait studio’s lobby, waiting to have Christmas pictures made, and Micah had just discovered a new toy in their toychest: a Magna-Doodle. This fascinating evolution of the Etch-a-Sketch uses a magnet-tipped pen to draw on the screen. Then, with one swipe of a lever at the bottom, the picture is erased, thus allowing even two-year-olds to draw continuously until their heart’s content (usually about 12 seconds…).

As Micah sat drawing various curved lines (“elephant, Daddy!”), I was pondering upon some of the profound ideas that this little toy presented: How does this thing work?! Would it be worth it to open it up to see? Or just messy? Is it on sale at Wal-mart? Will this fit in Micah’s stocking?

Seriously, one thought did present itself as I watched Micah erase giraffe after giraffe. The erased picture is truly gone once the lever is swiped. There is no recall, no “restore” button. Only in our memories does it still exist. I was reminded of an amazing passage in Psalms:

God is sheer mercy and grace; Not easily angered, He’s rich in love. He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold, Nor hold grudges forever. He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve, Nor pay as back in full for our wrongs. As high as heaven is over the earth, So strong is His love to those who fear him. As far as sunrise is from sunset, He has separated us from our sins.

Psalm 103:8-12 (The Message)

Another translation says that God has removed our sins from us as far as east is to west. What an incredible thought! There is no limit to the distance between east and west. So in other words, God completely erases our sin. There is no recall, no “restore” button. In fact, God forgets our sin (Heb. 8:12). It unfortunately remains only in our own memories.

As we look to the start of a new year, I cannot think of a more comforting thought – that God can totally erase our mistakes and allow us to start off the new year fresh. No matter what we’ve done, or how badly we’ve drawn our lives, He is gracious and will forgive us if we repent and turn to Him.

The lesson of the Magna-Doodle doesn’t end there, however. Micah eventually grew tired of trying to imagine that her misshapen lines were actually pictures of Mickey Mouse. No matter how hard she tried, she simply hasn’t developed the skill to draw recognizable pictures, yet. So she handed the toy to her father and said, “Here, Daddy, draw Mickey.”

It wasn’t until a few days later that the profundity of this scene hit me. Micah knew that her pictures were not right. No matter how hard she tried or how many times she started over, she simply couldn’t draw it the way that she wanted. So, she gave the job over to her slightly-more-artistic father.

The lesson? Wiping the slate clean and gaining a fresh start is absolutely worthless if the flawed “artist” retakes control of the pen. Forgiveness is always available, but what God desires just as much as our repentance is our submission and obedience.

The problem that most of us face is that we hate giving up control. Even while we are drawing a mess in our lives, we resist letting the Master take over. But oh, what a picture the Creator can make when we allow Him to draw for us! Suddenly our lives begin to transform into what they were meant to be all along. Joy and hope spring up in unexpected places, and love begins to be our theme.

Something else begins to occur when we allow God to paint our life’s story. As I finished drawing the famed mouse for Micah, she excitedly began to capture all attention by squealing, “Look!Mickey!!!” (Trust me, Mickey wasn’t that great, but he was recognizable…) Mommy, Granna, Papa John, and even the photographer were made very aware that a mouse had been drawn.Likewise, when we submit to God and He begins to paint a masterpiece in our lives, others can’t help but take notice (and we can’t help but make Him known).

This coming year presents each of us with an opportunity. Will we continue to make a mess out of things, or will we repent and submit – allowing our Daddy to paint in us a beautiful picture of Christ that is certainly worth sharing?

Lami-what?

2009-06-29T08:30:00.003-04:00

Sometime last year a friend of mine emailed me a video. Most of the videos he'd previously sent me consisted of cats falling into fishtanks or some redneck finding new ways to hurt himself (usually proceeded by "hey ya'll, wuach dis..."). Needless to say, it took me a while to actually watch the video.

When I did actually press 'play,' I was amazed. It was a video of a sermon by Louie Giglio, an incredible preacher out of Atlanta. I'd heard Louie several times, so I was expecting a good sermon, but this one was different. It was the middle of a busy day, and I soon found myself staring at my computer screen crying. Our God is truly amazing.

Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e4zgJXPpI4

(note: this video is about 9 minutes long and best viewed using something faster than a dial-up internet connection. If you have trouble viewing the video, please feel free to come by the church. I would be happy to let you watch it here.)

Seeing more...

2009-06-25T10:30:00.004-04:00

Each and every morning, before any other mundane ritual, I take a couple of minutes to put in my contacts. Why? Because life without them would consist of mostly blurry clouds.

Even after I put those contacts in, however, I realize that my vision may still be clouded. Oh, I can see fine physically, but I often have a tendancy to still look at the world through the wrong lenses. I see the day ahead, the appointments and tasks at hand. I see my agenda and my responsibilities. I see myself persuing what makes me most happy, what is least painful, and what is most convenient. While this may not be bad in and of itself, my self-focused vision can easily make me miss seeing the bigger picture.

Years ago a youth pastor taught me the concept of "I am third." To this day, I strive each day to let that concept govern my vision. The idea is simple: Look first to God. Worship Him and walk with Him constantly. Second, look to love others. Pay attention to the needs and desires of those around us. When God and others come first, then we become third. Our self-centered vision is corrected to see as God intended.

The problem with this self-less perspective is that it is not easy, and it is certainly not convenient. Yet something amazing happens when our focus is correct. Even if we don't say a word about God, His love is preached. Suddenly every encounter becomes a testimony, and every moment an opportunity.

If our goal is to follow Christ, then we have to see things from His perspective - constantly focusing on things above, and constantly looking to love those around us. May these words by Brandon Heath be our prayer:

Give me your eyes for just one second.

Give me your eyes so I can see

Everything that I keep missing,

Give me your love for humanity.

Give me your arms for the brokenhearted

Ones that are far beyond my reach

Give me your heart for the ones forgotten

Give me your eyes so I can see.