Hearing the Music

What a Story!

Lisa and I are back on American soil and grateful for all your prayers that sustained us during our recent 12 day excursion to Israel. What an incredible blessing it was to immerse ourselves in the Greatest (True) Story that ever played out. A story where a mouse (Israel) prevails despite all the big cats (Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, etc ...) and our King gains his throne by means of a cross. Along the way we revisited parts of the story in wilderness of Sinai, the strongholds of En Gedi, the towns along the Via Maris, the regions around the Sea of Galilee, culminating outside of Jerusalem's old city walls with a cross, and a tomb.

What is amazing among all the ancient ruins and modern reconstruction of Israel is that while you find evidence of the story played out in broken down stones of temples, synagogues, fortresses, and palaces, God is still erecting a lasting monument to King Jesus by means of "Living Stones", including you and me ( cf. I Peter 2:4,5). Herod the Great was truly incredible in putting Judea on the Roman map, but his accomplishments lie in ruins, while the kingdom of King Jesus is growing to this day awaiting its final consummation!

We look forward to sharing more with you as occasion arises. This Sunday we will be jumping back into the story in I Samuel 16. Now that the people's king, Saul, has been rejected, it is time for God's king, David to be anointed. I look forward to diving into it with you again.

Seven Thoughts

Have you ever noticed that sometimes in life things just lack coherence, such as the conversations that you have with your teenager, the reporting of world events, or the fact that one day your car can work and the next day it won't? Now you can add this week's Friday letter to things that lack coherence, as I have assembled a collection of thoughts with no discernible theme.  

1. Be praying for Jerry Stutzman, Bryan Burke, and Bob and Cheryl La Fleur who will all be traveling to Memphis next week to take place in the PCA's General Assembly.  It is fantastic to have Ruling Elders involved in these denominational processes. Pray for the business of the church. Pray for the Spirit attended worship of the church which is sure to be meaningful in the wake of losing men like Stephen Smallman, Harry Reeder and Tim Keller so recently.
2. I will not be attending GA this year because Lisa and I have been given the opportunity to go to Israel with a group led by a good friend of ours. We will be leaving next Friday and returning around the 28th. We are grateful for this opportunity and would appreciate your prayers for safety in travel, a teachable spirit to take in the lessons that the Lord would have for us, and the ability to hike through the heat of an Israeli summer.
3. How do you feel about pickleball? It is actually an intensely debated topic with many proponents and some fierce detractors. Regardless, you can now get a group together for some play at church. That's right, when you pull in this week you will notice the newly re-asphalted lots resplendent with new striping AND two pickleball courts! Game On! (Many thanks to the deacons and Greg Meibeyer for leading this long talked about repaving project to completion.). 
4. I have had so many songs from the Festival of Praise in my head this week ... It has been a blessing.
5. Couple of things I have been listening to: I really appreciated this interview with Molly Worthen, author and journalist, that focused on conversion to Christianity. It is great to hear how God is at work. For those of you who have fostered, are thinking about fostering, or are interested in being more informed advocates for Foster Care, some friends of ours share their story. This episode on the Lost Art of Dying is really thought provoking. Lord help us to live well and to die well.
6. Strong black coffee in the morning is such a gift.
7. This Sunday we will install Michael Anderson as an associate pastor. This is a sweet time, not only for Michael, but for the church as well to pause and give thanks for God's provision of an undershepherd. In God's good providence (there is that word again) we will reflect on 1 Samuel 12, Samuel's own reflections on his leadership role with the people and God's faithfulness through it all.

Well, they say seven is the number of perfection. I guess perfect is as good a place as any to stop.  I look forward to seeing you Sunday.

Just Can't Quit

Do you have something that you just can’t quit? Maybe a TV show, an author, a musician, golf, pickle ball, pickles? Even after a bad outing, a disappointing album, something sour; you just find your self going back for more! You can’t quit even if you tried. In many ways this describes YHWH as we are seeing Him in 1 Samuel. It probably is more accurate to say that He won’t quit His people than he can’t, but such is his determination. This week we are going to be looking broadly at chapters 9-11, focusing on Saul’s call to the kingship and his anointing in chapters 9 and 10. These are not glorious chapters, either for Saul or for Israel. Saul’s reticence and Israel’s rejection of YHWH are still front and center. But despite that (maybe because of that?), YHWH continues to purse his people. D. Ralph Davis puts it this way in his commentary,

      “Although YHWH sees Israel’s idolatry in her cry for a king, he also hears her distress in her cry for relief (9:16). Israel’s stupidity cannot wither YHWH’s compassions.” YHWH just won’t quit his people!

I look forward to digging into this good news with you Sunday morning. My guess is that we could all look at this past week and, if we are honest with ourselves, see a lot of reasons why YHWH might give up on us. But praise be to Him, the Gospel is that no matter how hard we might run away, He pursues us with His grace even harder.