Life Here and There

In our journey through the Word (I’ve been preaching through the entire Bible on Sundays), we’ve come up to the book of Ruth – one of my own favorites in the Old Testament. Ruth’s story takes place during one of the darker ages of the history of the Israelites. It’s a dark time in her nation, her life, and her family, yet Ruth manages to make some pretty great decisions along the way.

ONE GREAT TRUTH: Life presents a series of circumstances to us that are really opportunities for us to make a godly choice.

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I’m preaching through the entire Bible on Sundays at Bethel and we’ve entered the book of Judges. It’s a roller coaster as we watch the Jewish people’s cycle of rebellion > discipline > repentance > revival > deliverance, then rebellion again. Sound familiar? I think it’s a lot like the average life of many believers.

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The last couple of weeks have been rather interesting at the Cox house. Angie has begun a new career teaching Bible at Life Way Christian School in Centerton, just a few miles away, and Ella started second grade there today. Though Angie will take Ella with her each day, I had the privilege of delivering her to her new classroom today. All I can say is she seems a little bit less like a little girl each time we do this.

For me, I’ve remained a little emotional about it throughout the day. I’m not sad that she’s growing up, though that’s probably Angie’s feeling. Rather, I’m afraid of that day when I won’t be able to protect her. She’s a bit timid and had a difficult time when we got to the classroom. It reminded me of what a comfort zone her parents are to her. At least for now.

Over time, she’ll become a little more independent. Someday she’ll drive herself to school. Someday she’ll move off to college. Someday…

At the end of these thoughts I’m reminded that instead of wishing away the present, or dreading the future, perhaps we should enjoy each and every moment we have with the precious people in our lives. I can’t even begin to express, in this single blog post, just how thankful I am for the gift of Ella Grace, nor can I convey how proud I am of my wife. For both of them, this is a great new adventure with a lot of scariness thrown in for effect. That’s life, isn’t it? It’s how God grows us – by facing down all the scariness with faith, we learn how to run with confidence.

Who knows what else this year may bring?!

My wife, Angie, and I have been riding an emotional roller coaster lately when it comes to the particular issue of having more children. Her and I have both spoken and written about this before. Infertility (for us, it’s secondary infertility – we have one) produces this up and down. Every month is another roller coaster ride, a waiting game.

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I’m deeply concerned. Jesus made a bold statement once about the influence of believers when He said, “If the salt loses its savor, it is good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under the foot of men.” I’ve just finished reading an article by Al Mohler that gives an articulate voice to a rising concern within Christianity – are we losing our savor?

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ONE GREAT TRUTH: We need to hear, to listen, to God’s truth. But more importantly, we need to do what we hear.

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I’m a Baptist with a long history of defending the doctrine of justification by grace through faith. Nothing has changed there. I simply want to point out something that James says. (I am studying through James in my personal quiet time because I need His truth-telling.) He basically says that works justify faith.

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I am inspired daily by @nickuva who runs the Daily Spurgeon web site. Today’s devo is in reference to how to judge a Pastor…

May I beg you carefully to judge every preacher, not by his gifts, not by his elocutionary powers, not by his status in society, not by the respectability of his congregation, not by the prettiness of his Church, the grandeur of the ceremonial, or the peculiar beauty of his vestments, but by this – does he preach the Word of truth, the gospel of your salvation? If he does, your sitting under his ministry may prove to you the means of begetting faith in you; but if he does not, you cannot expect God’s blessing, for you are not using God’s ordinance, but the ordinance of man.

From a sermon entitled “The True Position Of Assurance,” delivered October 2, 1864.

Great advice!

I have a firm opinion that living out the Christian faith in the workplace is one of the most powerful keys to reaching our culture for Christ. This begins with a testimony of integrity. My friend Joshua Ramsey has written a pretty neat article about integrating the Ten Commandments into life in the business world. Wanted to pass along the link to my readers.

This past Sunday was tremendous! It started off with a pretty neat first session of our Marriage Matters class. If your marriage were an animal, what would it be, and why? Pretty cool question and we got some pretty cool answers! Angie and I sang during the morning service and I’ve discovered a special harmony with the one I love so dearly. In my more selfish times, I don’t want to suffer the embarrasment of singing before a congregation, but I’ve discovered that praising God together brings about a wonderful connection.

Sunday evening, we heard from Kurt Talley, our Awana Missionary, who did a great job of reminding us of the need to reach the next generation. The night closed with our Family Meeting in which we discussed God’s rich provision and the challenges that lie ahead in relation to our growth. How do we accomodate more people? Right now it’s looking like two services is the immediate answer.

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