Struck Down, But Not Destroyed!

Last week I received news of trial and tribulation from our family in Christ in Myanmar. The Bible College of Emmanuel Ministries was erected on property belonging to a Buddhist, by his permission. As it happens, he has now decided to not be so generous and ordered that the Bible College building be disassembled. This leaves the students with no shelter or school! (The pictures show the students taking down their school!)

In addition to this, Pastor J’s 5 month old son, Jedidiah, is suffering from terrible dysentery.

I immediately thought of Paul’s insight into the trials of believers found in 2 Corinthians 4:7-12. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.”

When these bible students stand firm through this persecution and Pastor J stands firm through his additional trials, God will use their perseverance to bring life to the Buddhists in Myanmar!

Pray for Myanmar, for the gospel to flood the hearts of thousands of Buddhists! Pray for Pastor J and his students to stand firm and not be destroyed! Pray for God to miraculously meet their every need!

*If you would like to support Pastor J and his students, you may do so by logging onto www.sermonaudio.com/searchandsee and clicking the “donation” button at the top of the page.

Book Review: Why We're Not Emergent

Why We’re Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be. By Kevin Deyoung and Ted Kluck. Chicago: Moody, 2008.

If you are unfamiliar or uninformed with what the term “emergent” means, you are probably not alone, even among emergents! Why We’re Not Emergent is a good place to start educating yourself, albeit from the angle of critique instead of commendation. Deyoung and Kluck have provided an excellent resource that is accessible and keyed-down in rhetoric and tone. There are three strengths and one weakness that I would point out about this work.

Strengths. (1) The authors are fair in their critique. The emergent movement is basically a reactionary movement. The problem with reactionary movements is that they tend to over-react, and this is the case with the emergent church. However, the emergent church has called attention, and rightly so, to the dead-orthodoxy, traditionalism, and cultural-disengagement of the established church. We must be careful to not only point out their weakness, but have the honesty and integrity to deal with the failures of the church. Deyoung and Kluck are quick to agree with emergents when the criticisms of our present-day church are justified!

(2) Informed. Deyoung and Kluck have done their homework! A quick glance at the endnotes of each chapter will attest to this assessment. However, blogs, books, sermons, and papers are not where their research ends. Both authors have done extensive personal investigation of emergent worship, maintained relationships with those in the movement, and carried extensive conversations with adherents. They have an experiential connection, and this helps to communicate that this movement is composed of people, people who have either been hurt by the established church or have simply become frustrated with its inability and unwillingness to confront its own weaknesses.

(3) This is an excellent “layman’s” critique of the emergent movement. I do not use the term “layman” in a negative sense at all. We need these kinds of tools when new movements arise in the Church. (BTW – for a more detailed analysis of where the emergent trajectory is leading us, read “The Courage to be Protestant” by David Wells.) Here are a few logical/theological fallacies and biblical errors that proponents (Brian McLaren, Donald Miller, Rob Bell, etc.) of this movement are committing.
a. Undermining the knowability of God. In reaction against dogmatic arrogance, adherents argue that while God can be known, one cannot know much about Him. This is a flat rejection of biblical revelation, inspiration, and authority. God has spoken, and quite clearly about who He is in the Scripture. Sure, we cannot know all about God, but we can know what He has communicated to us. Emergents attempt to cloak this “uncertainty” in spiritual language like “mystery” and “humility” to justify their hesitancy for affirming clear, propositional truth as revealed in the Bible. The authors observe, “Uncertainty in light of our human limitations is a virtue. Uncertainty in light of God’s Word is not” (p. 44). What this amounts to is a disdain for doctrine. Paul the Apostle was surely concerned with right doctrine! If our faith is not grounded in revelational propositions and sound doctrine, what is its foundation? An emergent may reply, “It is grounded in Christ!” Yes, of course, our faith is in Christ. But which Christ? And why Christ? And when you attempt to answer those questions, you begin to state doctrinal affirmations about the person and work of Christ. Emergents must understand this point! To jettison biblical affirmations will end in a rejection of the faith!
b. Misunderstanding of saving faith. The authors summarize, “This is maybe the biggest difference between emergent Christianity and historical evangelical Christianity. Being a Christian—for Burke, for McLaren, for Bell, for Jones, and for many others in the emerging conversation—is less about faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ as the only access to God the Father and the only atonement for sins before a wrathful God, and more about living the life that Jesus lived and walking in His way” (p. 120). The danger here is getting the cart before the horse! The new birth is essentially prerequisite to true, Christian living! We are not justified by works, but by faith (Rom 3:28); it is our faith that is justified by our works (Ja 2:18).
c. The irony of their position. The authors conclude, “For all their chastisement of all things modern, they are in most ways thoroughly modern. Many of the leading books display a familiar combination of social gospel liberalism, a neoorthodox view of Scripture, and a post-Enlightenment disdain for hell, the wrath of God, propositional revelation, propitiation, and anything more than a vague moralistic, warmhearted, adoctrinal Christianity” (p. 160). This “new” movement is nothing “new,” it is just wrapped in new language. Without a major refocus within this movement, it will go the way of liberalism and end up as “another gospel.”
d. Rejection of constructive criticism. The epilogue is particularly insightful. The authors appeal to emergents to take note of their own weaknesses and not only focus on the problems within the established church. The chapter is based on an overview of the seven churches of Revelation. Emergents need to “admit that Jesus’ prescription for health is more than community, authenticity, and inclusion” (p. 239). The authors propose that the established Church looks like the church of Ephesus while the emergent movement resembles the Pergamum and Thyatira churches. We both have our strengths and weaknesses. We both must be willing to confess, repent, and change!
(there are many more weaknesses of the emergent movement outlined in this book)

Weakness. Too much “filler.” Maybe the authors wrote this way to appeal to their emergent, post-modern readership, but the background information on visiting the coffee shop, driving down the road, sitting in the backyard, etc. is a distraction and has nothing to do with the purpose of the book. It sounds more like journaling rather than substantial information.

Having said that, however, the book is still very much worth the read, and I commend it to you. The authors are to be commended for approaching this task with a tone of love for wayward brothers instead of harsh, mean-spirited rhetoric, which is what you get sometimes when hot-headed professors or pastors fire off rebukes without taking the time to get to know the personalities behind the movement. Don’t misunderstand me, there comes a time to be stern and dogmatic! But that is after much prayer and loving confrontation (Mat 18:15-20).

It is not likely that WWANE will make much impact with emerging leaders, but I do pray it will make inroads into the emerging “community and conversation” as a whole. I would suppose that many participants, disgruntled with the established church, are simply unaware of how dangerous the sweet, spiritual sounding language of emergents really is. Maybe this volume will help them pause from the bandwagon, take a breath from the over-reaction, and settle down in a local church that both loves people and sound, biblical doctrine!

Book Review: The Bruised Reed

The Bruised Reed. By Richard Sibbes. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, Reprinted, 2005.

As part of my devotional reading for this year, I have decided to take the “2008 Puritan Reading Challenge.” (I know – I’m a year late!) But really, you can follow this reading plan any year. It simply assigns one classic puritan volume each month of the year. If you would like to join the challenge, you can find the list of books on this page.

The “Puritans” were a group of 16-17th C. believers who desired to “purify” the Church of its doctrinal and moral corruption. As a result, they were greatly persecuted. However, no other movement has seen a people so eager for holiness before the Lord! They meditated deeply on the doctrines of the faith and on the many aspects of Christian living. The fruit of their labors is a treasury of Christian books that are a balm of healing and direction for believers of every age of history.

Richard Sibbes was known by his contemporaries as “the sweet dropper.” In other words, in his writings he had the ability to refresh and exhort believers through the sweet promises of Scripture. It was said of Sibbes, “Of this blest man, let this just praise be given; heaven was in him, before he was in heaven” (p.viii). If I could characterize Bruised Reed in one word, it would be “comfort.” Sibbes’ main point throughout this work is that if a reed is present, even though broken, or if a flame, even though smoking, there must also be a work of grace. If God has given grace, He will eventually give victory! It is the promise of His Word.

When discouragement, depression, or hardships beat upon believers, we tend to despair of our salvation, question God’s love, and reel into seas of doubt. Sibbes reminds and exhorts us that the broken reed and the smoking flax are also part of God’s plan for our lives and His glory. His compassions will not fail!

Sibbes points out that we NEED the bruising. In pre-conversion, bruising is needed to make us aware of the greatness of the Gospel. In post-conversion, bruising is needed to remind us that we are in constant need of grace and are nothing on our own. Sibbes writes, “usually he [God] empties such of themselves, and makes them nothing, before he will use them in any great services” (p. 3). We can take comfort then in the bruising, for it is God’s work in us to sanctify us. We can then cling to His promises for His children, and we can boldly come to Him in prayer. In the final analysis, God’s work of bruising His children is to free us from the love of this world and self so that we might “prize Christ above all” (p. 12). He pleas, “Therefore let us … keep ourselves under this work till sin be the sourest, and Christ the sweetest, of all things” (p. 13).

Two insights from Sibbes were particularly helpful for me. (1) Any work of God at all is not self-manufactured! We do not accomplish a little, and then God, if finding our work, faith, obedience, baptism, etc. acceptable, finishes the work and saves us. No! If there is any faith, any move toward God at all, that itself is from God! He writes, “If there be any holy fire in us, it is kindled from heaven” (p. 38). The reason this is so comforting is that it guts the power of doubt! If we are to produce faith, then the question will continue to rise as whether or not our faith was genuine, sufficient, etc. Not so if every inclination to God is from God! If it is God-given, it is ALWAYS sufficient, genuine, etc!

(2) Sometimes the battle against specific sins can be so drawn out and our victories so scattered that we become weary and lose heart. We begin to listen to our adversary who points out how much we must love our sin and therefore must not love the Savior. This is where Sibbes brings forth such a wondrous aid and balm to the struggling believer! The fact that someone struggles with sin and is tormented in soul that some sin has a grip on him is evidence that God is working in his heart! For without the grace of God, sin would not trouble the soul to such a degree! He states, “… the very complaint, springing from a displeasure against sin, shows that there is something in him opposite to sin” (p. 41). I wrote in the margin of my copy right there “Hallelujah!”

The genius of Sibbes’ work is that he touches these and so many other areas of life that can be discouragements, and then turns these things around to demonstrate how God is working out His grace in these disturbing times of our lives! I encourage you to read Bruised Reed and be encouraged!

“The least love we have toward him is but a reflection of his love first shining upon us” (p. 66). Remember, when you are bruised and when your flame has been smothered to a spark, the One who brought you to life WILL bring you to glory! (Phil 1:6)

God's Will in Good Options

There are times in our Christian journey when the Lord’s will for our lives is explicitly evident. For example, there is really no choice for the believer when one option would include sin. Another example would be when we are clearly driven by a heart for one of the choices before us.

But there are times when the Lord lays in our path a choice between two or more seemingly good options. We find ourselves at a crossroad that does not involve choosing or not choosing sin and both appearing to entail equally good and viable qualities for our future, family, and devotion to the Lord. So what do we do then? You have to choose. Which one do you choose? And how?

I know some would say, “Just choose. You really can’t make a ‘mistake’ because sin is not involved, and if for some reason you do make a less than best choice, God is sovereign over our mistakes as well.” To that counsel, I would give a hearty “Amen!” God is sovereign – even over our mistakes – to that I can personally vouch for hundreds of times in my own walk!

But you don’t really want to go down that road again do you? So what do you do?

I have heard advice on this kind of dilemma from godly men. Below I want to offer my suggestion to fellow laborers in the kingdom based on the advice I learned through listening and some through living. Here are 8 things we can do to aid our understanding of God’s will for us between two good options. (No particular order!)

1. Take it to Prayer! It shouldn’t have to be said, but sadly, we pray far less than we should and worry far more than we should. Seek the Lord’s face in prayer and call on others to seek Him on your behalf as well. God has promised to answer IF we ask! ASK! And ask over and over until He answers! (Matt 7:7, Luke 18:1-8)
2. Examine the Facts. Leave no stone unturned. Know what you are getting into. Make lists, ask questions, do research, be observant. This will help to inform your praying so that you pray in very specific categories.
3. Search the Scriptures. Stay in the Word and listen for God to give you a special “word” from His Word. Be careful here. Don’t approach the Bible with an agenda to “make” it say what you want to hear. Just be attentive and open. God still speaks today specifically to His children through His Word. (Ps 119:105)
4. Seek Godly Counsel. Proverbs 11:14 and 15:22 speak of the wisdom of much, godly counsel. Do not approach life-changing options on your own. Seek the input of godly, trusted friends who love you enough to shoot straight with you. You may or may not take their advice, but they are sure to raise issues you have overlooked or have not yet considered. And they just may have a divine word for you! Be careful not to choose those who will just try to please you and guard against slanting the conversation your way in order to influence their advice. Just lay out the facts and trust that God will direct them in helping you.
5. Think about your Gifting. How has God wired you? What are your God-given joys? How will you be able to utilize your gifting to the utmost for the kingdom of God? Does your particular gifting fit the particular situation or need? Will you be free to exercise your gifting and “be yourself?” God has made you who you are. Who you are speaks volumes as to where you should be and what you should be doing.
6. Evaluate the present Needs. In which option are the needs and expressed concerns counterpart to your gifting? More than being free to be who God made you to be is the question, “Is that who is needed here?”
7. Be Attentive to God-given Desire! This is the most important, albeit maybe the most subjective. But you will need to answer the question, “Where has God directed my heart?” Between the two options, where does God eventually “put” your heart? Facts are important. It is unwise and foolish to make life-altering decisions in a willy-nilly fashion! But at the end of the day, God will give confirmation not through facts but through a sense of calling – a heart for one of the options. You will know when it is God-given because you will not have generated it. You can rationalize your way to decisions – but you cannot “heart” your way. Only God can move upon the heart! Be careful here as well that your desire is God-given and not flesh-generated. How do you know? Is your choice based on the benefits you would derive or how you would be able to be spent for God’s glory!
8. Lastly, if you are married, involve your spouse in all the above! Remember, you have been made one! God will not send you where He is not leading your spouse. If God is not calling you both now, it may be that the timing is not right. It may be that God is still preparing one or both of you. It may be that your choice is not right. It may be that God has a whole new place just beyond your sight.

Hang in there and be patient. God will speak, and He will direct your heart. He is your Father, and He is wise and good and loving!

The Lord’s blessings, wisdom, and grace upon us all as we strive to live out His will for our lives!

*To our friends who are waiting for our decision, we are close!

Myanmar Baptism

We received exciting news from Myanmar and wanted to share it with you!

“Yesterday Sunday morning three persons repent their sins to the Lord and accepted His as Savior and Lord and they are saved. So I gave them water baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit as Christ commanded His disciples found in (Mt 28:19)
In Jesus word how precious a man soul is in (Mk8:36) and how is more joy in heaven one sinner who repents than ninety-nine persons who no need repentance.(Luke 15:7)”
Yours in His great commission,
Pr.JBC

Praise the Lord for the progress of the Gospel in Myanmar through Emmanuel Kalay Ministries! Pray for Pastor J., his orphans, his Bible students, and these new converts!

*Search And See desires to raise $1,800 to provide food for the entire year to Pastor J’s Bible College students. If you would like to give toward this project, you may do so by clicking on the "donation" button on this page.

It's All Downhill From Here

When I turned 36 years old (back in December 08), I remember telling my Dad that day that I really didn’t feel any older than I did when I turned 30. I try to keep up a good exercise routine, eat less salts and fats, drink few sodas, etc. (although I admit my diet needs stricter attention!)

Then a few days later, I went to my Dad’s field and took down a plum bush and briar thicket. It took me about 4 hours. When I got back home, I was zapped! That night, I ached all over and could not go to sleep although my entire body was craving rest. Then somewhere in the wee hours of the morning a thought hit me with unusual clarity – “yes, I do feel 36 years old, and I am feeling every bit of it!” You see, not too long ago I could put in 6-8 hours of hard manual labor and then sleep like a baby! So it came time to face what I was denying or at least ignoring. Middle age is here, and it is different than being young! I don’t have the energy level I used to enjoy. I used to stay up until 11pm or later every night because I was so keyed-up – now I’m wiped out around 8pm! My recovery time from a hard workout is days now instead of hours! The hairline is not receding, it is running, and the hair is retreating from my head and sprouting in my ears!

Psalm 90:10 says, “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.”

Our lifespan is somewhere around 70 years (God willing). That means I’m not climbing the hill, I’m not cresting the hill, I’m on my way down the other side!

So what does this mean for me as a believer? Why post this as a blog? Three things come to mind.

(1) I have an increasing determination to “make the best use of the time” I have left! (Eph 5:16) I’m on the second half of life now, and I want every day left to be spent for the glory of God! I want to lay treasure up in heaven. I want to joy in my wife and kids! I want to commune with my Father. I want to proclaim and promote the Gospel in every possible way afforded to me. I don’t even want to think about the time I wasted on the front side of life! I want to learn from the psalm of Moses – “Lord, teach us to number our days so that we get a heart of wisdom.” (Ps 90:12)
(2) I want to embrace the eternal joys that await all who are in Christ with zeal, joy, satisfaction, and anticipation. I don’t want to leave clinging to this fleeting world and this finite life! I want to leave, when it comes my time to leave, with a heart overflowing in jubilation at the thought of meeting my Savior face to face.
(3) Finally, I want to kill the sins that have lurked around the corners of my heart and clung to the hallways of my mind and made havoc on my spiritual growth and maturity for 20 years! I want them dead before I meet my Savior! When I see Jesus, I want to embrace him having demonstrated in this fallen world, living in this fallen body, that I loved him above all things!

Now that my physical strength begins to slowly fade, there is the challenge now to be strengthened in my spirit. As Paul said in 2 Cor 4:16, “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.”

I have faced the facts. I know I’m getting older, and one day I will be old. Those things do not trouble me. My concern now is “how” I will grow older. Therefore, I pray that by the grace of God and the power of His Spirit, I may grow stronger and wiser in the knowledge of the Lord and in my affections for Christ! When I am freed from this body of sin and death, may my spirit soar in thrilling joy to find rest in the arms of Him who has been eagerly sought and thirsted after for a lifetime!

Lord, we need Your grace to make it so!

Book Review: The Christian Life

The Christian Life: A Doctrinal Introduction. By Sinclair B. Ferguson. Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, Reprint, 1997.

I have finally found it—the book that I will use to disciple new believers! I have used other great books by great authors before, but they just did not seem to fit correctly with the needs of brand new believers. However, when it comes to teaching fundamental truths concerning salvation, TCL fits perfectly. (Of course, all believers should read this one. We need to pour over our salvation again and again. This is a terrific tool for that purpose as well!)

Another reason this is such a great tool is how it is written. Ferguson writes just like he preaches; humble, exegetical, and applicable! (I listen to his sermons every week!) In TCL Ferguson takes the enormity of explaining salvation, explains it in simple language, and yet retains its enormity! Some authors think you need to use complex language to explain complex truths. They should read Ferguson! His explanation compromises none of salvation’s majesty but is written in such a way that one can begin to grasp it!

The layout of the book is helpful as well. Ferguson’s approach is something of an ordo salutis, that is, chronological steps of salvation. Laying out salvation in its stages is a wonderful way for believers to comprehend the eternal and present nature of being born again.

Ferguson explains the purpose for giving believers doctrine in chapter one, “Knowing is for Living.” He laments, “…many of us who are professing Christians are distressingly weak in our grasp of the basic framework of biblical doctrine. (p.1)” True, but then, so what? Why should we bother to learn doctrine? Listen to these quotes as Ferguson is answering these questions and building the case for his book. “The conviction that Christian doctrine matters for Christian living is one of the most important growth points of the Christian life. (p. 2)” “The point to be understood is that these great truths, which we tend to isolate in a category of ‘doctrines’, are in fact the very foundation of Jesus’ encouragement of his disciples and even himself in an hour of great practical need. (p. 4)” “The doctrines of the gospel are meant to mould us so that our lives begin to ‘set’ in the likeness of Christ. (p. 6)” “Christian doctrines are life-shaping. (p. 9)” Amen and Amen! Doctrine is practical and necessary!

Two additional points of the book really stood out to me. First, Ferguson includes a chapter called “Asleep in Christ” to provide biblical teaching on death for the believer as part of what one will experience in their salvation apart from the return of Christ in one’s lifetime. I have never heard of anyone else doing this, and this was such a helpful chapter! Second, in his chapter on sanctification, “Crucifying Sin,” Ferguson provides an insightful definition of what it means to fight sin. He writes, “To follow Christ means to pronounce the death-sentence upon sin and to be in process of putting that sentence into effect by a daily crucifixion of all that sets itself against God’s purposes in our lives. (p. 159)” (emphasis original) That’s not only powerful and hits you right between the eyes, that’s tremendously helpful! Sanctification is about daily putting the death-sentence to sin in our lives!

Finally, I’d like to share a personal note with you. Ferguson is definitely one of my heroes. However, he is Presbyterian, and I am Baptist, so we differ on how we explain and understand some biblical language and concepts. I wondered throughout the entire book if in the end, it would really only serve as a great resource for Presbyterian believers, which would have been a wonderful asset indeed! I was so joyful to find that Ferguson writes of salvation in terms and structures broadly enough that any evangelical believer can affirm it and recommend it! And he does so without losing any essential doctrinal elements. Again, his humility and generosity of personality show themselves in his writing this work for the benefit of all true believers.

I commend TCL to you as a new believer, a growing believer, or a mentor to other believers. And I praise God for his servant Sinclair Ferguson who has given us such a useful tool.

Report on Christmas Project 2008

While we didn’t reach our goal for Christmas Project 2008, the Lord took our offering, multiplied it through other ministries, and gave rich blessings in South India!

Global Ark presented 3 Christmas programs. (1) One was for street kids. They gave them small gifts. (2) A community program. Many non-believers attended. Guptha, a former Hindu, gave his testimony of coming to Christ, and as a result, some trusted Christ as Savior. (3) Christmas with a village. At the village service, many people came to Christ! The orphans took part in the service with dance, drama, and skits!

Praise the Lord for the great things He has done! Pray that God would continue to flood India with the Gospel and that thousands may come to Christ in 2009!

Thank you for praying and supporting this project! Enjoy the photos!

*Our current project is to complete the worship/ministry facility in Kenya. If you would like to give toward this project, you may do so by logging on to www.sermonaudio.com/searchandsee and clicking on the "donation" button at the top right of the page.

Book Review: The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner. By Khaled Hosseini. New York: Riverhead Books, 2003.

Kite Runner proved to be one of those books I just could not put down. I read it in about 4 days. Hosseini is a gifted writer and has the ability to capture the reader and hold him in sway until the finish. Kite Runner is a novel that transcends the history of Afghanistan from before the Russian takeover until it landed under Taliban control. The storyline itself is about two boys that grow up together as friends, yet live very different lives. Hosseini’s telling of how these boys grow up is a powerful and compelling drama of the human heart.

The boys, Amir and Hassan, are actually half-brothers, but they do not know this. Hassan is the servant to Amir and his father. Amir lives in luxury, Hassan lives in a hut behind Amir’s house. Amir takes everything and everyone for granted, including Hassan. Hassan loves Amir as his greatest friend and is willing to undergo anything to be faithful to him.

What drew me to this volume is my desire to learn as much as I can about the world of Islam. It is the challenge and opposition for the cause of Christ in our generation. Countries opposed to and closed to the Gospel are mostly Muslim. Some of the harshest tales of persecution against Christians are coming out of Muslim countries. I want to know how Muslims in these nations live and how they think. Kite Runner was an excellent introduction. Not only did it bring out daily life as a Muslim in a Muslim community, but it also vividly describes the racism within the Muslim world, and the horror and evil of the Taliban regime.

Along the way though, Kite Runner has much to teach about loyalty. Hassan tells Amir before he runs a kite for him, “For you, a thousand times over.” Hassan’s lifelong faithfulness to his friend (brother) is a heart-wrenching, soul-searching drama.

Just as strong as Hassan’s loyalty is to Amir, is Amir’s shame. It takes Amir a long journey of guilt, sleeplessness, and pain before he comes to terms with how wrongfully he treated the greatest friend he would ever know. When you read this book, you will find yourself wanting to emulate the servant and guard against falling prey to the error of Amir.

From a Christian’s perspective, one of the key phrases of the novel also reveals the emptiness of man’s attempt to be good. Rahim, a friend of Amir’s father, tells Amir, “There is a way to be good again.” Amir ends up performing a daring and honorable task to try and somehow “atone” for his actions against Hassan. It does provide him with some relief from his tortured soul, but in the end, it does not rectify the pain he caused his dearest friend. He will always live with that demon.

The fact is there is NO WAY for us to ever be good on our own! The only way to be good is to be in Christ! “In Him, we have redemption through his blood, forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace (Eph 1:7)!”

Kite Runner informed me about Islam, taught me a lesson on loyalty and selfishness, and reminded me once again how desperately the Muslim world needs the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

12 for 2009

As you probably know by experience, most New Year’s resolutions come and go pretty quickly. Though made with good intentions, the willpower eventually gives way to old, lazy, unhealthy, and wasteful habits. I have found that to be the case in my own life, especially in the physical realm. I find myself making a particular physical resolution this year that I have made years upon years. The reason I keep making it is because I keep breaking it!

However, I don’t think we should toss out the practice of resolutions just because our flesh is weak! It’s a good way to evaluate life once again and put our lives back in a proper perspective. I have found this time of year to be especially beneficial in my fight to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ! For me, my spiritual resolutions are by far the most important. Making them is another way for me to work on instilling healthy, sound disciplines into my life. The old adage is true, even in the spiritual realm: “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time!”

This year, my spiritual resolutions are all about TIME, spending it wisely and not wasting it!

1. I will spend quality time with my heavenly Father! I will rise before dawn and cry for help (psalm 119:147). I will seek the face of God before I see the face of any man! I will hope in his words, cherish them, memorize them, read them, and pray them.
2. I will spend quality time with my wife! I will learn to live with her in an understanding way (1 pet 3:7). I will listen more. We will take more walks and have more dates. She will be my foremost priority in ministry.
3. I will spend quality time with my kids! I will nurture and admonish them in the Lord (eph 6:4). I will play dolls with my daughter and trucks with my son. I will labor to teach them the Word and display it before them in my life. I will work to develop within them a love for God, love for others, and a string work ethic.
4. I will spend quality time with others! I will practice loving others as myself (matt 22:39). I will develop relationships with others, seek to meet the needs of others, pray for others, and put their desires and needs above my own.
5. I will spend quality time with some good books! I will broaden my knowledge of this world (classics, history, novels, other faiths, biographies), and I will deepen my knowledge of the Lord (theology, history, doctrine, practice, exegesis).
6. I will spend time listening to sound, biblical teaching/preaching. As I exist to proclaim the Word and feed others, I will absorb Bible proclamation and be fed.
So where will I find time to accomplish these large goals this year?

1. I will spend less time watching TV and being distracted by technological gadgetry and entertainment media that results in nothing eternally beneficial and much time wasted!
2. I will schedule my days in order to get the most out of them and use them to the utmost for the glory of God.
3. I will not allow laziness and over-sleeping to keep me from giving myself to the Lord, to the Lord’s work, and to others!
4. I will not allow a favorite pastime or hobby to become a dominating habit in my life. I will restrain them to needed rest and not daily practice.
5. I will only give my attention to those activities and tasks that somehow fit into the categories above.
6. I will evaluate how I spent my day every day!

Now the question is how? How in the world can I maintain any success in these areas at all? Don’t let the dogged determination in the words fool you! I am extremely weak in all the areas mentioned above!

Only by the grace of God! I will pray and pray hard and pray often for grace to spend my life and my time well this year!