Saturday, December 31, 2005
San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos
Eight seconds was all it took to change my life forever. Eight seconds at the end of the second quarter, in the middle of a meaningless game. (Drew Brees, Coming Back Stronger)

Drew Brees is the starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints and a Christian with a strong testimony. Drew’s new book, Coming Back Stronger, was just released today. Drew shares his life story — from his parents’ divorce when he was a child, to his coming to Christ in high school, to his devastating shoulder injury with the San Diego Chargers in 2005, to his amazing comeback and the Saints’ Super Bowl win over the Indianopolis Colts in 2010.

Set against the backdrop of New Orleans, the book tells two stories: the story of Drew’s comeback from his injury and the continuing comeback of New Orleans from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Drew has an amazing story to share, and through it all he points to the Lord who uses adversity in our lives to help us not only come back, but come back stronger.

Dallas Willard, commenting on the request, “Give us today our daily bread,” from the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13):

The emphasis is on provision today of what we need for today … So we do not ask him to provide today what we will need for tomorrow. To have it in hand today does not guarantee that we will have it tomorrow when we need it. Today I have God, and he has the provisions. Tomorrow it will be the same. So I simply ask today for what I need for today or ask now for what I need now.

This is how children do it, of course. A mother who discovers that her child is saving up oatmeal, pieces of toast, or strips of bacon for fear of not having food tomorrow has cause to be alarmed. The world being what it is, we can all too easily imagine situations in which the child’s action would be reasonable. But in any normal situation parents will be astonished and pained that the child does not trust them to provide for it day by day …

Now, to make it clear about the teaching and the prayer, it is quite all right, as earlier noted, to have things now that we intend to use tomorrow and to work or even pray in a sensible way for them. What hinders or shuts down kingdom living is not the having of such provisions, but rather the trusting in them for future security. We have no real security for the future in them, but only in the God who is present with us each day. (Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy, p. 261, Kindle location 4991)

I am in between jobs right now, and so I found this a very encouraging word. Today I have God, and that is enough.

“Spiritual discipline means simply this: Do what you don’t want to do, and you will become what you want to be.”

    – Patrick Morley (Seven Seasons of the Man in the Mirror, p. 234)

Tim Challies has put together a helpful series on breaking away from pornography before marriage especially directed towards young men. Here are the links to the articles in the series.

• Sexual Detox I: Pornifying the Marriage Bed
• Sexual Detox II: Breaking Free
• Sexual Detox III: A Theology of Sex
• Sexual Detox IV: Detoxification
• Sexual Detox V: Freedom
• Sexual Detox: Recommended Resources

Thanks, Tim, for a helpful and timely series. (Update: The complete series is now available for free download in E-book form. Click here to learn more.)

Related post: Taming the Internet in the Home

Pastor Mark Driscoll responds to the Newsweek article on Christianity declining in America by distinguishing between Christian America and Christendom America. (And he does it on the Fox News website?!)

Christian America is comprised of those people who have had a truly transforming experience with Jesus Christ and are living new lives as practicing Christians. Experts such as sociologist Bradford Wilcox at the University of Virginia have well documented the fact that those who practice Christian faith by reading their Bibles regularly, attending church, praying, and so forth are far less likely to engage in acts such as adultery, divorce, substance abuse, and the like.

Christendom America is comprised of those people who have not had a truly transforming experience with Jesus Christ and are living lives virtually indistinguishable from those who are non-Christians. The confusion is that it was common in Christendom for people who did not practice Christianity to profess Christianity. This was often done for social reasons, such as living in a culture that expected church affiliation, being born into a religious tradition and assuming it was simply part of one’s identity (like a cultural or racial connection), or personally, socially, and vocationally benefitting from being connected, even loosely, to a church or denomination. Researchers such as George Barna have documented the fact that, as Jesus himself said, not everyone who says he or she is a Christian is in fact one.

Subsequently, the Newsweek report simply confirms the fact that, just as Christendom has died in Europe and the major American cities, it is now dying in the suburban and rural areas of America as well. With the social benefits of professing to be a Christian no longer in place and the social stigma of not professing to be a Christian now lifted, those who were part of Christendom America are simply no longer pretending to be part of Christian America.

Since those who professed faith but did not practice faith were confusing to account for, this is actually a good thing. Now, it is more likely that if someone is a Christian or non-Christian, he or she will state so plainly. Therefore, the number of Christians has likely not diminished as much as has been reported, but rather we are seeing an increasingly accurate accounting of actual Christian America.

Jon Meacham wrote the original Newsweek article on The End of Christian America. He defines his terms a little differently, and you can read his follow-up on the difference between Christian America and Christianity here.

HT: Between Two Worlds

• Reach Out. Jonathan Dodson shares eight simple ways you can spend more time with non-Christian friends.
• Lost and Narnia. I have never seen the TV show Lost, but apparently it contains some interesting (and intentional) parallels to the works of C. S. Lewis and the Narnia Chronicles.
• Kideo Video Player. Kideo Player is a kid-safe YouTube video viewer with an emphasis on fun and educational videos. Just hit the spacebar to advance to the next video.

Earlier this week I shared a quote from Kevin DeYoung’s book, Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will. Here is another good quote to ponder:

Of the five reasons for our obsession with finding God’s will, this may be the most crucial: We have too many choices. I’m convinced that previous generations did not struggle like we do trying to discover God’s will because they didn’t have as many choices. In many ways, our preoccupation with the will of God is a Western, middle-class phenomenon of the last fifty years … My hunch is that most of our obsession with knowing the will of God is due to the fact that we are overburdened with choice. (Just Do Something, p. 16)

What do you think?

Related post: Just Do Something

Kevin DeYoung has a new book out on finding God’s will called Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will. This looks like a great book, especially for high school or college-age students. Here is a sample quote:

In short, God’s will is that you and I get happy and holy in Jesus. So go marry someone, provided you’re equally yoked and you actually like being with each other. Go get a job, provided it’s not wicked. Go live somewhere in something with somebody or nobody. But put aside the passivity and the quest for complete fulfillment and the perfectionism and the preoccupation with the future, and for God’s sake start making some decisions in your life. Don’t wait for the liver-shiver. If you are seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, you will be in God’s will, so just go out and do something. (Just Do Something, p. 61)

On the same topic, I would also recommend the following:

• Decision Making and the Will of God, by Gary Friesen. Friesen’s book presented a new paradigm when it was first published in 1980 and influenced many of the books that followed. This one is longer and more in-depth than the others, a true classic in its field.
• Finding the Will of God, by Bruce Waltke. Waltke does a good job of explaining why some of the more popular methods of finding God’s will are closer to paganism than Biblical Christianity.
• Discovering God’s Will for Your Life, by Ray Pritchard. Pritchard’s book is practical, readable, and Biblical with lots of examples.

Do you know of other good books or resources on knowing God’s will that you would recommend?

Here are ten wise sayings from the Bible fitting for April Fools Day:

• The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1)
• The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin. (Proverbs 10:8)
• He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise. (Proverbs 11:29)
• The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice. (Proverbs 12:15)
• A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult. (Proverbs 12:16)
• A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions. (Proverbs 18:2)
• It is to a man’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel. (Proverbs 20:3)
• As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. (Proverbs 26:11)
• He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe. (Proverbs 28:26)
• A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control. (Proverbs 29:11)

Can a fool change? Probably not, but God can change a fool! (I can testify to that.) So don’t be an April Fool this year — or a January, February, March or any other type of fool either. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Related posts:

• ¡¡¡ʎɐp slooɟ lıɹdɐ ʎddɐɥ
• Best April Fools Day Jokes

Each month ChristianAudio.com offers a free audiobook download. This month’s free selection is Donald Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (run time 9 hours; normally $14.98). I have read a number of Whitney’s materials and found them helpful and clear. Use the coupon code MAR2009 to download the book for free this month only.

Here is a description from the site:

It’s not uncommon for an accomplished musician to be able to sit down in front of a new piece of music and play it through without a hitch. To make it seem easy, as if it required no effort. Yet the “freedom” to play with such skill comes only after years of disciplined practice.

In the same way, the freedom to grow in godliness—to naturally express Christ’s character through your own personality—is in large part dependent on a deliberate cultivation of the spiritual disciplines.

Far from being legalistic, restrictive, or binding, as they are often perceived, the spiritual disciplines are actually the means to unparalleled spiritual liberty … Whitney takes you through a carefully selected array of disciplines that includes Scripture reading, prayer, worship, Scripture meditation, evangelism, serving, stewardship, Scripture application, fasting, silence and solitude, journaling, and learning.

You can listen to a free audio sample from Spiritual Disciplines here.

Lenten Series:
    1. What is Lent?
    2. Should Christians Celebrate Lent?
    3. Should I Give Something Up for Lent?
    4. What is Ash Wednesday?
    5. What is Maundy Thursday?
    6. What is Good Friday?
    7. What is Easter?

Many people observe the tradition of “giving up something” for Lent. Is this something that we should practice as Christians, and if so how should we go about it? I must confess that this is not something that we practice in our own home. However, I believe it can be a good thing when done with the proper attitude and a right understanding of the Scriptures.

What is the right attitude in giving up something for Lent? First of all, we should do so in a spirit of love and humility before Christ. It is not a religious requirement, but rather, like fasting, it is something that we do voluntarily in response to God. Also, we should not think that this is a way to gain acceptance before God. Scripture is clear that we are accepted before God by faith in Jesus Christ alone, without any added works of our own. (Romans 4:5)

So what should you give up for Lent? It has been said that the only thing some people give up for Lent are their New Year’s resolutions! If you do decide to give something up for Lent, here are a few guidelines.

1. Don’t make it something light or frivolous, something you would never miss anyway. It is an offering to the Lord, and you should consider it sacred. It is a recognition of the price Jesus paid for you. Don’t make a mockery of it. On the other hand:
2. Don’t make it something so heavy or burdensome that you cannot follow through on it (food, water, air, etc.). The Bible encourages us to consider our vows carefully before making them. It is better not to vow at all than to make a vow and break it. (Ecclesiastes 5:4-5) Some of us would do better to apportion our sacrifice throughout the Lenten period rather than try to make it through the whole season. You might find some personal fast days between you and the Lord scattered throughout the Lenten season to be very meaningful in your spiritual life.
3. Don’t give up something sinful for Lent. It’s not that you shouldn’t give up sin, but repentance is not seasonal. Sin must be rejected daily, all the time, not just given up for a season. Lenten offerings, like fasting, should be the temporary yielding of something good out of love for God.
4. Don’t give up something thinking that somehow God will view you as more righteous or acceptable in his sight because of your sacrifice. If you are a believer, you can never be more accepted by God than you already are in Jesus Christ. Always remember, it is Christ’s sacrifice that makes you righteous in God’s eyes, not yours. “To obey is better than sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 15:22) God wants your heartfelt obedience far more than any sacrifice you may make for him. (Mark 12:32-33)

In the long run, perhaps we should think more along the lines of giving things up for the Lord rather than for Lent. What do you think?

Related post: Giving Up Church for Lent

Stuart Briscoe shares the following wonderful story Captain H. S. May shared with him when Briscoe was preparing to join the Navy at age seventeen.

“The first night in the barrack room I knelt by my bed and prayed.”

“What happened?” I ventured.

“They threw boots at me,” he replied casually, as if this were an everyday occurrence.

“What did you do?” I queried, hardly daring to ask.

Looking at me as if the answer was so obvious he was surprised I should ask, he replied, “I cleaned them and returned them, of course!”