A Good Read 5.25.12

On Fridays in "A Good Read" I share some of the top links I discover each week.

• The demise of guys: how video games and porn are ruining a generation.
• Did you know that all of the Bible points to Jesus.
• I haven't thought of it this way, but are we too catholic to be Catholic?
• Harold Camping's followers a year after the failed end of the world prophecy.
• Comedy and parenting: Some parents are permissive and lazy. Others are over-bearing kill-joys. Sadly, many of us manage to be both. I say: keep them safe, keep them away from sin, give them the gospel, and let the good times roll. Hey, I wouldn't mind being five again. So why make the five year-old miserable because she likes being five too. Kids are kids.
• Do we have a generation that can't learn?
• Check out this TED talk on religion and population growth.

The Hunger Games, Sacrifice, & Jesus

Though I have yet to read the book, Melissa and I saw The Hunger Games a while back. I enjoyed the movie, though in my opinion there was a bit too much gratuitous violence (e.g. skull bashing) for a theater packed full of children.

I hadn't thought about about the movie in a while until I came across these lines in the Bible:

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person 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. (Romans 5:7-8)

When Katniss, (the protagonist) stood up and took the place of her younger sister as the 'tribute', when she willingly went to fight and possibly die in the 'Hunger Games,' it was powerful. Watching that level of self-sacrifice was moving.

If faced with a similar situation most of us would cower away, rationalizing why we should instead stay home and live in safety. We might say, 'It was destiny that she was chosen and I was not,' or, 'I need to stay to help my mother,' etc. Humans are adept at rationalizing. Yet for some of us, perhaps all, there would be a longing to do something heroic and brave, giving up our selves to take the place of someone we love. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who resonated with Katniss' heroic deed. Our hearts burst with emotion at the power of that sacrifice, and we hope we would act similarly if the need ever arose.

So as I read Romans 5: 7-8, the thought of dying for someone else caused me to remember that moving scene from the movie. And those verses fit with Katniss' self-sacrifice. If Katniss' sister hadn't been a young, innocent girl that she loved deeply, she likely wouldn't have volunteered herself for the Games. She has had year after year to show off her bravery by offering herself as a substitute for some other unfortunate girl--yet she had declined to do so. Understandably so. Katniss was only moved to her heroic act because of the person for whom she sacrificed herself. Basically, Katniss' sister was good, and it is possible, as the verse suggests, for someone to die for a good person.

Imagine again you were in Katniss' place and you considered offering yourself as a substitute and sacrifice for another girl:

• It is unlikely that you would die if she were a righteous person, morally upright, admired by many, a church-goer who didn't smoke or drink or go with someone who did--it would be rare indeed for you to die on her behalf. Those type of people are nice. They will receive their reward from God.
• It is more likely that you would die for her if she were a good person--someone who had a stronger claim on your emotions, or she held a strong personal attachment for you because of something admirable she had done for you or society or would do in the future.
• You definitely would not die for her if she were a lousy sinner. You wouldn't sacrifice yourself for her if she were a criminal, especially if she were a repeat offender who had scorned your repeated efforts to help her in the past.

But Jesus didn't willingly sacrifice himself for righteous people. Nor did he do it for good people. Jesus died for sinners. This sacrifice demonstrates his love like nothing else could. Human sinners had scorned him and broken every rule he kindly gave to teach them a better way of life. They rejected his love and his repeated efforts to save them. Yet Jesus still died for those sinners.

And we are these unworthy sinners. In Romans chapter 5 we are called "powerless" (verse 6), deserving of "wrath" (verse 9), and even "God's enemies" (verse 10). Jesus' death on our behalf--his willingness to fight the sin and death for us, face certain death, and actually be murdered--is not merely a courageous act, though it certainly is that, but it is an act that demonstrates unparalleled love. We weren't good, innocent children who had done good things or had potential to be good, we were sinners rejecting the God who created us. Yet he stilled loved us enough to send his son, send himself, to die for us.

I was moved by Katniss' act of self-sacrifice, and I hope you were too. But if anything should move you it is Jesus' sacrifice. And not just move you to be a good person, but to trust him wholeheartedly.

A Good Read 5/18/12

On Fridays in "A Good Read" I share some of the top links I discover each week.

• Some beautiful words about pain.
• Have you ever considered that our greatest achievements are merely God's refrigerator art?
• A letter to a 12 year old girl about the eternal destiny of those who have not heard the gospel.

Don't Wait to Live: My Address to Gibbon's Class of 2012

This post contains the manuscript I used for my presentation to the graduating class of 2012 at their community graduation service (a religious service organized by the students). My address was not exactly the same (I speak extemporaneously from notes). Also, please forgive me for any grammar issues--when you speak those issues matter little!

Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. 

1 Timothy 4:12 (NLT)

When Kylie recruited me for this community service I was excited. I was even more excited when she told me the verse that you seniors had chosen: 1 Timothy 4:12. This has been an especially important verse for me and my life. In fact I memorized it a few years ago in the NIV translation: "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believer in speech, in life, in love, in faith and purity.”

Not too long ago I had a lady in the community come up to me. I introduced myself as the pastor of Gibbon Baptist Church. And she said, “Oh, you really are a baby faced kid!” I kindly laughed. But it made me realize that not only did she think I was super young, but someone else had told her that I was super young...or maybe even multiple people. Because I had memorized this verse and taken its words to heart, I simply laughed off the comment.

The reason I decided to memorize this verse in the first place was because I was a young man, but I wanted to do big things.

I remember lying awake one night my Freshman Year of college. I was camping with some friends up the Poudre River Valley outside of Fort Collins, CO. I lay there that night talking to a close friend that I admired. He was much more mature and wiser than I was at that age. And we talked about what the future would bring for us. As we lay there in the cool mountain air, I remember telling him that I wanted to be a man of conviction. Someone who believed something so strongly that my actions were shaped by it.

You see, at that age I felt blown around by the wind. Wherever life pulled me I went. I didn't get the scholarship I wanted to the school I wanted, so I went to the same school my 2 older siblings had gone. I was a history major because I liked history, and thought, why not? I didn't have convictions...but I wanted them. I wanted to know what I believed, to have a clear plan about what I would do, to know how I would act and not just go along with the crowd. Fitting in is all fine and dandy. But I wanted to do something great with my life. I didn't want to waste it.


That night in the mountains, I didn't know what those convictions were, though they had already been forming. But I knew that I needed them.

God had called me years earlier to be a pastor. In fact, I was called to preach when I was 13. Yet I put it off. I thought--once I'm older and more mature, then I'll do it. I didn't think anyone would listen to me anyways! What did I have to teach anyone about life, marriage, parenting? But God had called me. So that night in the Rocky Mountains was the beginning of me changing directions.

I switched my major to communication. I organized my classes so that I could graduate college in 3 years. Because I knew I would have to go through 3 years of seminary as well! I met and began dating Melissa my beautiful future wife, telling her from the start that I planned to pursue a life of ministry. Then I began to study at seminary. Getting a degree to learn the Bible so that I might teach the good news about Jesus with truth and power.

Yet when I  graduated from seminary I was 23. And God had called me to be a pastor. There were churches who did look down on me because I was young. But in God's plan Gibbon Baptist called me to be their pastor. And there I was, a 24 years old...a pastor. I was charged with a large task, But God had called, and he would and has empowered me. And I hope that I have worked hard to set an example for all.

But my path is not your path. You may have a calling from God. You may not know it yet distinctly. However, I tell you my story so that you can know that I have taken the words of this verse to heart. And I hope you will as well.

This verse comes in a letter from Paul, in older, experienced Christian worker, to Timothy, a young man who would be a pastor. And instead of saying like many older folks might have, that, 'Oh you need to get some experience under your belt.You need to be older before you can do these great things.' Instead of these things, Paul knew the God-given potential in young Timothy, and charged him to basically not waste his youth.

Paul told Timothy to not let anyone think less of him. To not let any look down their noses at him because of his age. And I charge you to do the same. It's not fun being told that you "have a lot to learn." Or that you're too young to understand. Yes, it may be true, but you should not let that distract you from life. That's why I encourage you to not let anyone think less of you because you're 17 or 18 right now. Now this doesn't mean you should shoot back a snarky comment, for that will get you nowhere. Have you ever tried that with your parents? Doesn’t work. Don't pretend you have it all figured out. In fact you will learn a lot quicker, and get farther faster if you admit to not knowing it all.


This verse has 2 main parts. First is the charge to not let anyone think less of you because of your age. But the second part explains how to do that...it is by setting an example. It is through your life that you demonstrate that you can get the job done. That you can do great things.

Paul provided 5 ways that this example should come: In the way you talk, In the way you live, In how you love, In your faith,  And in purity.

• First. be an example in how you talk--for it is your speech that let's people get to know your inner personality. For instance, you shouldn't just avoid profanity because it is bad...but because it makes you look bad. You won't get hired for jobs, make many friends (or at least good friends) if you talk like a character from South Park.
• Second, be an example how you live...this really encompasses all 5. But it is a higher standard. For most of the world you will be considered successful if you have a good job, make a lot of money, and in Nebraska...if you drive a nice pickup. But you should strive to be an example in all areas of life: how you treat your spouse and co-workers, how you raise your kids.
• Third, be an example in how you love. Do you truly love and cherish your family and friends? Do you love the Lord? Do you love your neighbors? Even your enemies?
• Fourth, be an example with your faith. This does not mean that you are to simply be religious and attend church. No, it means to have genuine faith. For those who are Christians it means taking to heart the words of Jesus when he said in Luke 9:23, "Take up your cross and follow me." That as Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in his book The Cost of Discipleship, "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." Jesus came and died for you. So that all who believe in him receives forgiveness of sins and real, true, life. That level of love and sacrifice can only spur on the believer to follow him the rest of our days. Your careers, families, and lives should be shaped not based on where the wind blows, or where you can be most comfortable, or where you can make the most money, but instead based on following Jesus in faith. Making him the center of everything. And really this point is the most important part. Following Jesus you will give your life true meaning. Without him, your life will be wasted.
• Fifth, be an example in your purity. You must not allow all the evil that is out there to get you off track. You must stay pure; stay true.

When you focus on these 5 areas, you will set an example, and truly be a leader, doing something great instead of being pushed around by the winds of life.

I'm sure they have told you over and over again, like they told me, that you are a leader. And yes, you all have the potential to be leaders in your field of study, in the workplace, and at your churches and community. But you do not start out upon graduation as a leader. You are followers. And most of you will be followers unless you decide to take this verse to heart and be an example. An example for others to follow.

Some of you will think, like I did for a time, that once I'm older I will do this or that...once I am more experienced. But don't wait! Unless you make the choice to not think less of you and instead be an example now while you are young you will waste a lot of useful time. You will be old, and still be a follower. I don't want you to live a life that will cause you to look back and wonder where it all went. So live the life you want now. And most importantly live a life for the person who matters most...Jesus. 

Whatever you are to do in life--don’t wait to do it.

• Did you know that Edgar Allen Poe published his first book poetry at age 18?
• At age 20 Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard and founded Microsoft.
• Mark Zuckerberg was 21 years old when he founded Facebook.

Don't wait till you are older to live the life you want. To do great things and be a leader you must start now. I am doing what I was called to do. Your life, career, and vocation will take a different path. But will you wait to pursue it? I hope not.

Take this Bible verse to heart. Memorize it. And no matter what. Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example.

A big inspiration for this address was John Piper's Don't Waste Your Life, which you can get for free here.

A Good Read 5/11/12

On Fridays in "A Good Read" I share some of the top links I discover each week.

• 6 Simple Ways to Avoid Burnout.
• Why the Bible doesn't transform us.
• From my old prof, Don Sweeting, now president of RTS, he writes on Obama, the Bible, and Same-sex marriage.

Is There a Basis for Morality Without God?

This post coincides with the preaching series at Gibbon Baptist Church called "The Heavens Declare."


Being a sinful 18 year old, I remember having a particular conversation with a Christian friend in which we basically said something like this: 'Man, if I weren't a Christian I would totally __________________.' And the blank was filled with any number of sinful cravings. I'll let you fill it in with whatever you as a teenager longed for yet knew was wrong. And I'm pretty sure the two of us weren't alone in feeling this way. If you are a Christian or have any sense of morality there are things that part of you yearns for another part knows is wrong.

From a biblical perspective, this yearning for what is 'off-limits' certainly makes sense because of we still have a sinful nature (what the Bible often calls "flesh"), yet at the same time we are called to live better lives (see Galatians 5:13-25). When we first believe our desires begin a shift from desiring sin to desiring to do God's will (see Ezekiel 11:19-20). Moreover, as we grow up in the faith our desire for sin will be increasingly supplanted by a desire to live fully for God (read this).

But I bring up that anecdote for another purpose. For the life of me, I still don't understand how someone who isn't Christian (or another religion with clear moral teaching) would have any solid basis for not engaging in what the Bible deems sinful. Moreover, even if you could contrive of some sense of morality, why does it have any authority? Let's take adultery for example. Why should you not cheat on your wife? From the Christian perspective it is clear. God created sex to be enjoyed solely within marriage, he commanded us not to commit adultery, Then he showed us how to be faithful by remaining faithful to us even though we are unfaithful to him. And his son Jesus died for us, showing how the husband ought to give his own life for his wife (which eschews cheating outright). Yet from the non-religious perspective, why not cheat?

You might say that, well, it would hurt her feelings, and since you love her, you would not do such a thing. But what if you could guarantee she would never find out? Then you might say, well our society scorns adulterers. Besides the fact that this is becoming less and less the case (Easy A is a far cry from The Scarlet Letter), what makes society's scorn matter to you? Yes, it is not fun to be rejected, but you should be able to do what you want, and who says they have to know anyways? You might then say, well I would just feel terrible. But why is that? Where is that sense of guilt coming from? It's just a subjective experience anyway--why put any real weight to it? Aren't we more evolved than that? (I am of course speaking theoretically). You might finally just say--I feel deep down that cheating is wrong. And this would be true. But again...why should your subjective feeling authoritatively determine how you ought to live. And how could you even possibly make a jump to say that anyone else ought to live by such a standard? These are some of the same ethical questions that Dostoevesky pondered through his masterful work Crime and Punishment, which by the way is free.

Perhaps adultery is too socially acceptable a sin in 2012 America. Let's replace it with something else. Rape. Murder. Torture. The abortion of babies in India and China simply because they are female. Who, or what makes certain things wrong? 

• Is it Society? What happens when two cultures contradict, who decides who wins? 
• Is it up to the individual? What happens when my morals conflict with your morals? Does the majority decide? Or does might make right? What happens when the majority favors something that is wrong, like slavery in our own nation? Does that make it right? 
• Is it simply our evolutionary instincts? As in we feel that murder is wrong because it goes against our instinct to further propagate our species? Well why does that feeling have any ultimate authority? 
• Is morality just something that is? Certain things are inherently evil? Well yes, it seems that way doesn't it. But if morality is something that just exists, why do I have any obligation to do it?

All these possible solutions and any others you might come up with are all devoid of one thing...authority. Why is something evil just because a culture says it is evil, or some individual, or evolutionary instinct, etc.? Why should I not do whatever I want and get away with it? Who or what actually has the authority to determine why people ought to behave in a certain manner?

Without a true source of morality (like the God I worship) I still see no legitimate authority for determine right from wrong. And yet deep down I know (and believe you do as well) that there are certain things that are evil.

As philosopher Arthur Leff ironically wrote:

As things stand, everything is up for grabs.

Nevertheless:

Napalming babies is bad.

Starving the poor is wicked.

Buying and selling each other is depraved.

Those who stood up and resisted Hitler, Stalin, Amin, and Pol

Pot--and General Custer too--have earned salvation.

Those who acquiesced deserved to be damned.

There is in the world such a thing as evil.

[All together now:] Sez who?

God help us.

His concluding line, though perhaps intended for other motives, points out the truth. We need a God or else there is no evil. Yet we know that certain things are evil. This conundrum must point us to God (and to Christianity). For God is the power behind Moral Law (see Romans 2:14-15). CS Lewis summed this up in Mere Christianity:

It is after you have realized that there is a Moral Law and a Power behind the law, and that you have broken that law and put yourself wrong with that Power--it is after all this, and not a moment sooner, that Christianity begins to talk.

A major source for this post was Douglas Groothuis' Christian Apologetics

A Good Read 5/4/12

Here is a new idea for what Paul's thorn in the flesh was.

This is an authentic perspective on blaming God for cancer.

An article on Ron Brown and speaking out on issues.

Craig Blomberg on money...“Gain All You Can, Save All You Can, Give All You Can”

McDonalds and Holy Affections.