The Donkey Who Carried a King

Today is a rainy day, the perfect kind of day to drink a delicious cup of coffee and grab a good book to read. Recently, I have begun teaching English classes to some younger students. So with that in mind- I decided to read a children's book. (I think all of us deep down inside still love to read children's book with all the colorful pictures and illustrations.)
The story I chose is called, "The Donkey Who Carried a King" by R.C. Sproul. I was extremely interested to read this book because some of my favorite books contain a theological theme so I was curious as to what a book written for children would look like by the renowned theologian, R.C. Sproul. First- the illustrations for the book were fantastic, from cover to cover it was filled with delightful pictures that would help to keep any child entertained. Second, the content- or story itself was well-written and also enjoyable. I was even surprised by a few twists and turns that the story took so it was far from the usual Bible story for children.
The main character of the story was Reilly, a little boy who was incredibly sad that he was being picked last for every game he wanted to play with his friends. The theme of course is something that many children could relate with so it is easy to follow along. Then Reilly's Grandpa begins to tell him a story about Davey the donkey and the disappoints this little donkey had to endure. Through twists and turns we follow the life of little Davey and learn a great spiritual truth in the process.
The theological content is very good and also written in a simple manner. Also a unique feature of the book is that at the end it contains questions for the parent to ask their child to discuss further the truth of Jesus Christ on a level that a child would be able to understand and to converse about.
I would recommend this book for any parent interested in teaching their child about spiritual truths- not just moral ones that you can find in any children's book. This book helps to point children to the most important book they can ever read- the Bible and the most important person they can ever hope to know- Jesus Christ.


- I will receive a physical copy of the book for writing a blog post.

Everyone's a Theologian- whether you think so or not

Coffee and a book review seem like two things that are made to go together. Recently, I was reading "Everyone's a Theologian" by R.C. Sproul. It was one of those books that you wish you would've had in your library when... I'll let you fill in the blank. My personal experience was one of growing up in church and being surrounded by Christianity- yet, having a hard time accepting it for myself.

The problem was that I had so many questions and no idea where to go to get those questions answered. To ask the question, "Well, how do you know God is actually real?" or "How do you know the Bible is the Word of God?" to a leader at church just didn't seem like a good idea to a teenager. Ultimately, those are just the basic questions because the more you read what is actually in the Bible, you start to come up with more questions. Finally, you start to meet people from every walk of life whether religious or non-religious and you start to wonder- well what really is the difference between Christianity and everything else?

Amidst all those questions- Jesus brought me to himself and humbled the sinner to bring me to himself and to justify what I could not make right with my own strength. Justify or Justified these were the words I used to skip past in Bible reading and not understand the significance of what it was declaring. Then I went to University and took a class called Systematic Theology, there was never a class that changed my life more than this one. It gave me the chance to ask my questions and to find the place I could go for the answers- the Word of God. It even helped me understand multiple reasons why we can have assurance that the Scripture we read and study truly are the Words of God. 

In this book, R.C. Sproul lines out basic Systematic Theology- he does it in a straightforward and simple manner. You might think a work like this would be boring or unnecessary but it may be of vital importance for your life. This is the kind of book that you read and find yourself worshipping Jesus Christ with a renewed spirit and understanding of what He accomplished when He died, was buried, and rose again. I would encourage anyone to read this book, study it, and enjoying a renewed and refreshed view of the mighty power of God.

~For writing a review I will be given a free copy of the book. 

A Short Reflection

Reflection is good for the soul- and with a cup of coffee it can't get any more refreshing, well maybe with a piece of chocolate cake it could be a little better... There are moments in life where I enjoy to sit, put music on, and write. It has been a long time since I sat down to write, to think, to reflect on things, but recently after a trip to the States there was something said that has come to mind repeatedly and I felt the need to write it down before I forgot which then caused a whole stream more of other thoughts so if you have the time and the desire to read my reflections, grab your cup of coffee and read on...

It all began in the midst of a sermon while the Preacher was giving an illustration of mercy, he told a story about a little child who was afraid of a thunder storm and she ran to her parent's room to crawl into their bed, her mother began to tell her that she didn't need to be afraid because Jesus was with her and the little girl replied, "I know but right now I need a Jesus with skin on..." 
This is the thought that caused all that reflecting, because number one how much do I contemplate the fact of the incarnation of Christ. That Jesus was willing to humble himself and take upon the form, the flesh of man. That the Creator became as the creatures that He had created, the ones who were made to bring glory to him and yet had rejected Him, the ones who had gone astray as sheep and were turned to their own way. Yet, he became as man so that He could be oppressed, afflicted, to literally have all the wrath of a Holy God against sinful man poured out on himself, and for what purpose? That he would bear man's iniquities that many might be accounted righteous (Is. 53). 
The next thought that comes, what does it mean to be a Jesus with skin on? This brought me to I Jn. 4 where we find a powerful passage on all that the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection accomplished for sinful man and showed to us the love of God. In the midst of this we are told- "no one has ever seen God" and then following directly after is the statement that "if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us." It is almost to say that by loving one another we get a glimpse of the God that no one has ever seen. Perhaps a little of the idea of being a Jesus with skin on...
Then in reading I Jn. 4, I was brought to further reflection as often happens as I'm thinking and writing... I was so touched by the strength that is found in verse 4 in the middle of a passage filled with warning, "Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." 
Yes my Father- we are children, we are your children. How powerful that we are justified in the blood of Jesus Christ and now am come from God when once we were a slave to the sin and deceitfulness in our heart. You said that we have overcome them and yet often we feel the opposite. How often is it that the feelings inside are seemingly more stronger than the opposition that comes from outside? The pangs of jealousy when you view other's lives that seem easier than yours and you call out to God and ask him why can't he do this for you? why couldn't you have followed in the ordinary? why can't you rest in what you think is security? and then you struggle and war against the feelings you know are wrong and ask God to give you the faith to believe and the ears to hear His Word. 
Then in His time- the Grand Weaver, the infinite and sovereign one gives you a glimpse of what He knew all along and you simply couldn't see in that moment. And now you fall to your knees weeping in gratitude because you catch a glimpse of how the Weaver was protecting you from the very thing that you had wanted, that thing that you would've put your trust in if you could have- but He was weaving that thread out of your life and now in sincere humility you weep at the feet of Jesus because He is far greater than the heart within us.

The World Could Explode- but I won't get out of bed, except for a cup of coffee...

Have you ever had one of those mornings where you did not want to get out of bed? I mean the kind of morning where the world could explode, implode, or do whatever else the world wanted to do, but under no circumstance were you going to get out of that bed. Except maybe, for a cup of coffee. Yes, the urge for a cup of coffee is what pushes you from your bed to the dining room table, and since you're out of bed and drinking coffee might as well grab a book and read a little bit...
Yet, since it's one of those days, depending on what you read, it could send you straight back to bed in fear of the world, it may be wise to chose your reading material carefully. So since anything news related is out of the question, and since yesterday was Sunday why not something Theological. So now I offer you a page from C.S. Lewis and afterwards you can decide whether to flee to your bed for refuge or if you have just a little more strength to continue through your day:

"...Christian charity sounds a very cold thing to people whose heads are full of sentimentality, and though it is quite distinct from affection, yet it leads to affection. The difference between a Christian and a worldly man is not that the worldly man has only affections or 'likings' and the Christian has only 'charity'. The worldly man treats certain people kindly because he 'likes' them: the Christian, trying to treat every one kindly, finds himself liking more and more people as he goes on- including people he could not even have imagined himself liking at the beginning.  

This same spiritual law works terribly in the opposite direction. The Germans, perhaps, at first ill-treated the Jews because they hated them: afterwards they hated them much more because they had ill-treated them. The more cruel you are, the more you will hate; and the more you hate, the more cruel you will become- and so on in a vicious circle for ever. 

Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible."

                                                           Mere Christianity pg. 131

 I chose this page on the idea of charity for two reasons, 1. yesterday was Sunday and 2. often the reason we want to hide in bed is because of what someone has said or done to us. Yesterday was Sunday- sadly, this doesn't always bring the encouragement and corporate worship of Christ as it ought to. No, and way too many times, it brings the opposite. Why is it that those of us forgiven all by Jesus Christ find it so difficult to forgive others? Why do we stay in the vicious circle of hating and ill-treating and then hating more and ill-treating more? How is it possible that we have forgotten that we are to forgive as we have been forgiven? If God were to forgive us as we forgive others- than I think we would find that none of us would be forgiven. 
I don't know who has hurt you, ill-treated you, gossiped or spoken lies about you- and truly, I don't know how to forgive them. Yet, this points me to the understanding that it has to be something supernatural because in my flesh- I hate them. They have stomped on my heart and they have hurt many around me that I love but I know that hate and bitterness are a vicious circle, so then how do we get out? We remember...
We remember that when we were enemies of Jesus Christ: mocking, cursing, and fully engulfed in our sin- He died for us. He took upon himself our shame and our guilt and nailed it to His cross. 
I'm not sure where this morning finds you, or what you are thinking about as you drink your cup of coffee- but if I could encourage you with anything it would be "to remember". It is when we look up and see our Savior that we are able to find strength to do what would otherwise have seemed impossible. 

 

 

Why I Love Rosie the Riveter

 Recently I listened to a talk discussing what the Gospel looked like in the lives of women; how they were impacted and what it meant specifically for women. However, I was disappointed to hear that they only spoke about its impact concerning women in the context of wife and mother. Yet, that leaves out so many women: what about the single and the childless? Does the Gospel mean nothing for them or are they in just a waiting period until they can be that perfect "virtuous" woman, married with children? Or what about the woman who can never meet all the prerequisites for "virtuous", is the Gospel able to impact her life in any way?
So maybe you are thinking what does any of this have to do with Rosie the Riveter, well you have to take a little walk in my shoes. That walk begins with my wonderful parents- but with this blog being on women- it began with a strong Mother. A mother who faced great adversity from various circumstances in her life, but to whom God gave grace, a loving husband, and some awfully fantastic children (and two little grand babies on the way).
The problem was that it seemed some would shame women like my mother because they didn't fit their mold of "virtuous". Their idol of the virtuous woman: I remember hating to hear messages about this "virtuous woman" in Proverbs because really who could meet all the requirements that people would then put on women. So instead of idolizing her, I decided to create my own interpretation of the "virtuous woman" which involved a worn out lady who worked herself to death, that had a husband who lazily sat by a gate talking with his friends. Needless to say it is a horrible interpretation but nonetheless it is what I chose to believe. Then just try to joke about how Eve ruined it for all mankind, how it was "all women's fault": and you'd find yourself being shown where it says in Genesis that Adam was WITH her, once again the man sitting lazily by, not helping and then later on blaming his wife.
I used to think if this is what scripture calls me to be like than I want nothing to do with marriage or children: give me freedom, give me liberty, but don't give me that. The problem is that this is never what scripture called me to be, this is never what Jesus called me to be, this was man-made and it was a misinterpretation of what the Gospel means for women.
I was trying to live in religion, but I found the rules to be poison. I was told there would be "joy of the Lord" but I was watching these "virtuous" women live in unhappiness and bitterness. I watched them resent their husbands, their children, and women like Mother who were strong and courageous.
The problem was that I was blind myself, lost in the depths of my sin- until one day Jesus walked in and began to change everything I had once believed was true. The Gospel began to change my preconceived ideas about women. Suddenly the virtuous woman became precious when I realized what woman it was that wrote the story: Bathsheeba, one of the most misunderstood women in the Bible (but that's a blog for another day). It is interesting to me the women who idolize the "Virtuous Woman" but have no grace for their fellow sisters who are bruised and broken: when it was a bruised and broken woman who God gave grace to write this Proverb.
The Gospel is life, breath, restoration, grace to all who are broken and lost. The Gospel changes women by placing our eyes on Jesus and finding all our worth in Him. The Gospel is strength and creates strong women, it is mercy and it creates clean women, it is victory and creates courageous women. Sometimes Christ calls a women to be as Lydia (Acts 16:14-15, 40) a single businesswomen who allowed her house to be used for the Church to meet or it could be as Priscilla (Rom. 16:2-3) who was married and yet courageous as she and her husband risked their lives for the cause of Christ. This is the beautiful thing about the Gospel, it transforms us to bring glory to the Father. Not every life will be the same because God uses us differently to accomplish his purpose.
After my husband and I were married- someone asked him, "So when was your wife called to be a missionary's wife was it a dream that she always had?"  I will never forget his response, "Never, my wife only wants to follow Jesus." I remember smiling and thanking God for giving me a husband who loves me for who I am, for who God has created me to be. In following Christ, God led us to each other to continue his purpose together, as a marriage now to show the Gospel. Yet, when my husband was single and when I was single we were still able to show the Gospel and how it transforms us. You see each day God is working within me to make me more like Him, and when I humble myself it is then that in every aspect of my life Christ is shown: as a wife, as a women, and as a servant to others. By loving Jesus, my love for my husband is made perfect, by following Jesus, my will is transformed.
One of my favorite passages in scripture is Colossians 3:1-4: If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
This is what the Gospel means for me: Looking unto Jesus- adoring him because I have died and my life is no longer mine to live because it is hidden with Christ in God for eternity because when Christ appears then I will also appear with him in glory.
So please as women let's let the Gospel show through us so that others will see our good works and glorify our Father who is in Heaven. Let us embrace our differences, whether it is a women who shows the Gospel by staying at home with her family and attempts to teach them the love of God each day, or the women who works and shows the Gospel to her co-workers each day (this includes whether she has children or is single). God is not limited to our preferences and He has a purpose for our lives: to be glorified. For each of his children it will look different how that occurs, but the goal is always the same that God will be glorified.