Saturday, January 23, 2010

Email from Haiti

This is an email from Pastor Jean Petite-Frerer, a pastor we support in Port au Prince, Haiti.

To all our brothers and sisters in Christ all around the world:

Greetings,

As most of you might already know, Haiti was hit on Tuesday, January 12th, with a devastating earthquake that measured 7.0 on the Richter Scale. All symbols of governmental authority have been erased as most government buildings have been demolished including the National Palace, the Supreme Court, the Public Works Department, the Ministry of Planning, the Ministry of Education, etc.

Most of the symbols of our culture as a people that existed in Port-au-Prince have also been reduced to rubble. We have lost many important personalities. Many universities no longer exist and many families are missing a loved one or have had all their earthly possessions and hopes destroyed.

With no electricity, the people are sleeping in the streets or in any open spaces because it is not yet safe to go back into any building of any sort. There is also the added emotional trauma of repeated tremors throughout the day and night, some harder than others. Adding to all of this is the fact that many hardened criminals are on the loose as the prisoners from the major prison in Port-au-Prince have all escaped. (for these reasons we would ask that no one, except emergency relief workers, try to visit us for the time being)

Yet, the apostle Paul reminds us not to grieve as those without hope amidst trouble. We are further reminded in the gospels of the two houses that were built and went through similar hardships, yet their fates were not the same. The reason for this was their foundation; one was built on the sand, the other on the rock. This is an opportune time to show what we truly are made of.

So far we have responded to the situation in very small ways due to lack of means. As you may know, many streets have dead people lining them or have the dead trapped under collapsed buildings. Because of this, we went and helped transport some of the dead to a common grave for burial yesterday. Today, instead of helping those already dead, we attempted to keep those who are alive from dying of dehydration and lack of food. We say attempt because what we did was very insignificant to the size of the need here. We were able to purchase 20 bags of rice on credit and distribute five pound packets to 147 people. What is this, though, amidst millions of people in trouble?

We have also been able to establish relationships with three wholesalers who have agreed to sell us food items on credit for distribution. Because the owners fear their warehouses will be broken into and looted they have asked us to purchase every item and to move all of it out of their warehouses. That being the case we have arranged for a police escort by some men in our church who are on the police force. The food will be transported to a separate location and distributed to those in need.

We are, therefore, asking you to hear this Macedonian cry for help. We need food, water, medical supplies, clothing, toiletries, feminine products, and diapers for children. As most of these resources can be purchased locally our greatest need has become funds to help purchase them. Even though the airport is presently flooded with aid coming in from various governments, it will be some time (if ever) before the hurting people in our community will see any of it.

For now, we are all living on the streets or in open spaces; however, when those that can move back into their homes do so thousands will still be left homeless on the streets. We are, therefore, asking you to partner with us in making an impact for His Kingdom and for His name's sake.

May the Lord bless you for your kindness and surely reward your generosity. God bless you.

Jean Petite-Frerer


To donate – make checks payable to Church of the Living God and write Haiti or Frerer in the memo line.

You can turn them into the church office or mail them to: Church of the Living God
1514 Brimley Road
Traverse City, MI 49686

Monday, January 4, 2010

Holiday Joy

Our family went away for Christmas. We headed west to see my sister and her family and my Mom and her husband, Wes. The journey was fairly uneventful other than some weather/road challenges and a sporadic car sound (which led to a repair in Wisconsin).

However, I wanted to share about a car ride that was pure joy for me. Due to the above car issue, we rode to my Mom’s with my sister. And on the way back from my Mom’s to my sister’s, we (John, Alisa & Chip) were with my sister and her kids (Mary, Emma, Cade, and Jack). Thankfully we were not in a Mazda Miata but a big Yukon (or something like it). Mary and Alisa were in the front engaged in all sorts of conversation. I and the kids were in the back two seats. The first hour went fairly smoothly with each doing their own thing, but after an hour, the tension of close contact with family was leading to arguments, teasing, blaming and telling on each other. I determined that as the lone adult in this chaotic atmosphere, I needed to do something. So we played a few “car games.”

The first game we played had to do with me asking each of the kids a question. They had to respond as quickly as they could. The only catch was that you could not say the sound of the letter R. So instead of “What’s wrong with you:?” “Nothing. I’m just a little tired.” It became, “What’s wong with you?” “Nothing, I’m just a little tied.” This may sound silly and infantile, however, it was also very entertaining to see each child struggle saying words without the letter R. “Whe’e ae we going?” “I’m not sue, but I hope we get the’e soon.”

That lasted for about fifteen minutes before it was clear it was time to move on.

The second game, which I highly recommend with kids, and even adults, is to tell a story together. I would start the story by saying, “Once there was this kid, Jimmy, who loved to play outside. He loved to wander through the woods looking for animals and anything else he could find. But one day, he had an adventure he’d never forget. As he walked deeper into the forest, he heard a noise he’d never heard before, so he turned and much to his surprise saw a . . .” (Next person’s turn). They carry on the story. What stories we told in the back of that Yukon. There was a 12 year old and a 10 year old and a 7 year old and a 6 year old and a 41 year old. We laughed and laughed at the creativity and imagination of these stories unfolding through our different personalities and senses of humor. But like any activity, it gets old and we (I) knew that was taking place when all of our stories began to lead to flying cows causing things to blow up. Plus, we had the added challenge of John. Every time it was his turn, he would end the story no matter if he was the second or tenth person to share . . . “and then the flying cow blew up the forest and flew away. The end.”

These two games were so much more entertaining than whack Uncle Chip in the back of the head until he turns around and tickles us. That was fun for them, but not so fun for me.

All of this reminds me of a simple truth worth stating:

SPEND TIME PLAYING AND INTERACTING WITH YOUR KIDS. KIDS ARE GIFTS. SOON, THEY’LL GROW UP. WHAT JOY THEY BRING. INVEST IN THE KIDS IN YOUR LIFE. SPEND TIME WITH THEM.

Counterfeit Gods - Timothy Keller part II

Here are a few more excerpts from an excellent book, Counterfeit Gods, by Timothy Keller:

According to the Bible, idolaters do three things with their idols. They love them, trust them, and obey them. “Lovers of money” are those who find themselves daydreaming and fantasizing about new ways to make money, new possessions to buy, and looking with jealousy on those who have more than they do. “Trusters of money” feel they have control of their lives and are safe and secure because of their wealth. (56-57)

Yet, even though it is clear that the world is filled with greed and materialism, almost no one thinks it is true of them. They are in denial. (58)

Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.

5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” 6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.

8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”

9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Luke 19:1-10

Zacchaeus . . . went from being an oppressor of the poor to being a champion of justice. He went from accruing wealth at the expense of people around him to serving others at the expense of his wealth. Why? Jesus had replaced money as Zacchaeus’s savior, and so money went back to being merely that, just money. It was now a tool for doing good, for serving people. Now that his identity and security were rooted in Christ, he had more money than he needed. The grace of God had transformed his attitude toward his wealth. (64)

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
2 Corinthians 8:9

Jesus gave up all his treasure in heaven, in order to make you his treasure – for you are a treasured people (1 Peter 2:9-10). When you see him dying to make you his treasure, that will make him yours. Money will cease to be the currency of your significance and security, and you will want to bless others with what you have. (67)

What breaks the power of money over us is not just redoubled effort to follow the example of Christ. Rather, it is deepening your understanding of the salvation of Christ, what you have in him, and then living out the changes that that understanding makes in your heart – the seat of your mind, will, and emotions. Faith in the gospel restructures our motivations, our self-understanding and identity, our view of the world. Behavioral compliance to rules without a complete change of heart will be superficial and fleeting. (68)

The Idolatry of Success

One sign that you have made success an idol is the false sense of security it brings. The poor and the marginalized expect suffering, they know that life on this earth is “nasty, brutish, and short.” Successful people are much more shocked and overwhelmed by troubles. As a pastor, I’ve often heard people from the upper echelons say, “Life isn’t supposed to be this way,” when they face tragedy. I have never heard such language in my years as a pastor among the working class and the poor. The false sense of security comes from deifying our achievement and expecting it to keep us safe from the troubles of life in a way that only God can.

Another sign that you have made achievement an idol is that it distorts your view of yourself. When your achievements serve as the basis for your very worth as a person, they can lead to an inflated view of your abilities. (75-76)

The idol of success cannot just be expelled, it must be replaced. (93)

The Signs of Political Idolatry

One of the signs that an object is functioning as an idol is that fear becomes one of the chief characteristics of life. (98)

Another sign of idolatry in our politics is that opponents are not considered to be simply mistaken, but to be evil. . . After each election, there is now a significant number of people who see the incoming president lacking moral legitimacy. The increasing political polarization and bitterness we see in the U.S. politics today is a sign that we have made political activism into a form of religion. (99-100)

(Reinhold Neibuhr said) . . . pride in one’s people is a good thing, but when the power and prosperity of a nation become unconditioned absolutes that veto all other concerns, then violence and injustice can be perpetrated without question. (102)

Niebuhr argued that human thinking always elevates some infinite value or object to be The Answer. That way we feel that we are the people who can fix things, that everyone opposing us is a fool or evil. But as with all idolatries, this too blinds us. (106)

Pride

One of the great ironies of sin is that when human beings try to become more than human beings, to be as gods, they fall to become lower than human beings. To be your own God and live for your own glory and power leads to the most bestial and cruel kind of behavior. Pride makes you a predator, not a person. (121)

The Year of the Bible

This is not to say that 2010 is a year where the Bible should be more important than it was in 2009 or that we will put less emphasis on it in 2011. The hope is that 2010 will be a year in which all of us grow in our commitment to be in God’s Word and our commitment to live out God’s Word. It isn’t simply about accomplishing our reading plan; it’s about incorporating what we read into our daily lives. It means nothing to God for you to read the entire Bible in a year and live contrary to what you’ve read.

For some of us, the Bible really plays no active role. Yes, we’ve heard most of its stories. Yes, we have it read to us each Sunday we go to church. But too few of us are actively investing time and energy into not just reading Scripture but meditating and reflecting on what God is saying to us.

Foundational to growing in faith is to reflect on Scripture. We can’t claim commitment to Jesus Christ and ignore what He has said. It’s like taking a new job and saying to your new employer, you know, I’m not real interested in your job description. I’m going to make that up as I go.

Here are a few suggestions about how you can increase your commitment to being in God’s Word:

1. Tell someone else about your new plan and ask them to hold you accountable. You could even do this together and plan to meet consistently to talk about what God has been showing you.

2. Don’t give up if you miss a few days, even a week. Keep at it. It’s like exercise. If you miss a few days, the worst thing you can do is stop. Keep going and don’t beat yourself up for what you haven’t done, focus on what you can do today.

3. Find a resource (commentary, devotional) to help provide direction and additional insight. Be sure you have a Study Bible. They are helpful in better understanding the text you read. The NIV Study Bible, Life Application Study Bible, or the ESV Study Bible are all good options.

4. Read Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart’s book, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth OR Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart’s book, How to Read the Bible Book by Book .

5. Every time you open God’s book, ask Him to help you hear what He desires to say. Make prayer foundational to your time in God’s Word. Remember, the goal is not to figure it out and understand everything, it’s to be drawn into the presence of God so He can speak and help you to grow.

6. Remember if you want drama, intrigue, suspense, mystery, action, a love story, and even some comedy, there is no greater book than the Bible. If you ever wonder if God could use someone like you, the Bible makes very clear that God doesn’t pick the most capable; He picks those who makes themselves available to Him.

7. Memorize. You can’t underestimate the significance of letting God’s Word dwell in your heart. You can do it. Everyone can. At the very least, try. Don’t talk yourself into not trying because you think you can’t. Know that the voice of discouragement is not God’s. He calls us to memorize, and He never asks us to do anything He doesn’t equip us for. Memorizing almost always is thwarted not by “I can’ts” but by “I won’ts.” You can. Will you?

8. If you have access to the internet, use it in your study. There is an unending supply of great resources for Bible study and theology. The sites I frequent most are:

a. www.desiringgod.org – John Piper’s excellent site
b. www.monergism.com – Type in an area of interest and see the vast resources that come.
c. www.challies.com – One of the most well-known Christian blogs. It’s his full-time job. He reviews all sorts of books.
d. www.biblestudytools.com – A great resource for deepening your Bible study.
e. www.crosswalk.com – A comprehensive sight with devotionals/resources
f. www.biblegateway.com – An online Bible – can choose from lots of versions

Let the Word of Christ dwell in your richly. Colossians 3:16

Will you make the Bible one of your most important New Year’s resolutions? Will you let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in 2010? Let’s do it together.