Small Repreive Before the Storm

By providence I will actually NOT have to be in court tomorrow, since I was able to get my cases in one area covered by another attorney, as well as get another case docket covered that I thought I might have to go on. Being in the office is crucial since the attorney that is leaving will be here only until Friday, so I have to learn as much as I can by then.

To say that I am unsure what the future holds with this position is to understate the case, but I do know that God ordains all things to pass as they do (if I did not believe that, worry and/or anxiety could easily paralyze me to the point I could not function!). I do have to work hard at not getting overwhelmed within the moment (it's easy to do when you get back to the office and have 30 voicemail messages!), but that is getting easier.

The good news is that I'm pretty sure we found a paralegal last week that should start soon, which will be a quite welcome thing, especially for our sole (and stressed) paralegal.

The thing that I pray in all of this is that I continue to work to be able to live, rather than living to work--my law career, while it is a profession, is simply a means to provide for my family and never supersedes my family or my faith (at least it shouldn't, though as busy as I have been, my devotional life has not been good as of late).

But one thing that keeps me going more than ever is the amazing event that will happen sometime in late September when I will be holding MY child in my arms. It's so amazing just to be able to type those words--I'll try to live in that moment for a long time, even though I know I won't be able to.

Still Dealing With It!

This week has had its ups and downs--Tuesday I felt really horrible, Wednesday I felt better, Thursday was worse, yesterday was so-so and last night I slept a little better but now I believe I have a full-blown sinus infection (I took generic brand Afrin last night but then read somewhere online this morning that while it helps you to breathe, it swells your sinuses and can actually CAUSE an infection!).

I really don't want to have to do this, but I may have to break down and go to a doctor (I haven't seen one at all for about two years), but I have a full slate next week, and I certainly can't continue sleeping so irregularly.

The Maundy Thursday service we had at church this past Thursday was pretty good and the sermon on Christ having to suffer alone in the last hours was quite moving and very thought provoking.

Have a wonderful Easter!

When the Body Is Attacked

This post this morning has two different levels, the immediate one being that I woke up at about 2AM with a very stuffy feeling, a headache, and the starting of a sore throat. I tried several remedies and managed to make my way through the night but it was not a restful one. There was a time which I would simply cry out to God that He could just take this away if He wanted (it's easy to think you're going through the WORST THING EVER when you're in the middle of it, no matter what it is), but through His grace (and His faithfulness in increasing my humility and my trust in Him) over the past ten years, I was able to pray: "Lord, I ask for your healing power and rest but if your will be for me to endure this I pray you give me the grace to bear it."

So I woke up this morning, somewhat rested, still have a little bit of a sore throat and headache, but grateful to have gotten the sleep I did.

The other meaning this post has this morning is that these are trying times for those I am surrounded by--my father right now is dealing with unemployment, my mother in trying to deal with finances as a result of that, my brother trying to figure out the next big step in his life, a dear church friend who is dealing with a son and his girlfriend who have gone so far in playing "jokes" as to swear out a warrant for her arrest, another church family member who is dealing with cancer, and neighbors who are contemplating ending their marriage.

The "easy" thing to do with those outside one's family is to give in to "bystander effect": someone else will help them. It's not my problem, right? The pastor is better equipped to handle these situations. WRONG! As the Body of Christ, we have been created for interdependence with one another. God's providence has placed you where he has for a reason and if you are presented with an opportunity to minister to a brother or sister in their time of need, even if it's just being there for them.

If you've ever watched one of those nature shows where an animal or group of animals is hunting prey, when are they most successful? When they get one of the herd alone. So too does the Enemy win by making us feel alone, putting such thoughts in our heads like, "those people at church don't care about you, you'll have to deal with this by yourself" or even worse "where is God in your pain?"

But Paul points out in 1 Corinthians 12 how we are all members of the Body, and we each have a function:

14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, [5] yet one body.

We all have a function, and we are all members of the Body. Be aware, Christian, of the hurting people around you, and meet them where they are--not in judgment, but in love, building up the Body so that the Word can be proclaimed and God glorified through the restoration of others.

Immigration and the Muslim Question

Recently I've been reading a book by Mark Steyn called America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It. In this book, Steyn points out that America is really the last bastion against the ever growing Muslim population and ideology. In fact, one of the major points he makes is that the Muslim birthrate far exceeds that of continental Europe, so much so that the Muslims, if the trend continues, will be the majority segment of the population in most countries in Europe by the middle of this century.

On the flip side, Europeans are not reproducing. Hardly at all--Spain and France have a birth rate closer to one child per family, which means they are not producing at a replacement rate (closer to 2 births per family). On top of that, Europe is often labeled "progressive" for how government plays a VERY large role in every part of their lives, providing them everything yet (as in France) requiring very little of the populace. They want their 30 or so hour work weeks but their paid vacations and benefits too. Unemployment is in the DOUBLE digits over there, while Americans complain if it breaks FIVE percent.

But the Muslim question centers not only around demographics, but ideology. The Muslim religion, in most parts of the world, is the fast growing religion at the moment. The situation with Muslim immigrants, more so than any other group, is that when they enter a country, they create an enclave of their own society rather than assimilate into the surrounding culture. They import their way of life and export that to their new community--so much so that Steyn notes in the Netherlands (a very "progressive" and modern society), women--who are not Muslims--are seen wearing head coverings if they live or work near Muslim areas.

The reason I wanted to comment on this issue is that Steyn commented on the American church, and while he is not a theologian and I have no idea of his faith, he said this:

Most mainline Protestant churches are, to one degree or another, post-Christian. If they no longer seem disposed to converting the unbelieving to Christ, they can at least convert them to the boggiest of soft-left political cliches, on the grounds that if Jesus were alive today he'd most likely be a gay Anglican bishop in a committed relationship driving around in an environmentally friendly car with an "Arms Are for Hugging" sticker on the way to an interfaith dialogue with a Wiccan and a couple of Wahhabi imams.

Now, is the above statement a little over the top? Maybe, but it does illustrate how mainline churches have forsaken the Gospel and have abandoned their duty to preach it. As a result, and letting down its guard, the Church (as a whole) has fallen down in Europe and allowed the Muslim influence to overtake it to the point where it is impotent in Europe (though through God's grace there may be an awakening yet).

He also stated that while there are "moderate" Muslims, there is no moderate Islam. Be on your guard, Christian, for the day may come that this comes to your doorstep. Gird yourself up in the Word and stand fast in the faith.

Saint and Sinner

Oftentimes I think it is hard to think of ourselves as both sinners and saints simultaneously--we are "saints" in the sense that we are identified with Christ (if we genuinely believe in Him) since He, having saved us, will sanctify and glorify us. And we are in the communion of saints that have gone before us (see Hebrews 11).

However, I think it is easy for us as Christians to think of ourselves as more saintly than we actually are--we often forget that God declares us as righteous, not that we are actually righteous. As a result, we set up a false dichotomy in our thinking that our sins are not as bad as the next guy and we set up a hierarchy of sin.

My morning Spurgeon reading this morning really illustrates how we become dull to our sin:

Beware of light thoughts of sin. At the time of conversion, the conscience is so tender, that we are afraid of the slightest sin. Young converts have a holy timidity, a godly fear lest they should offend against God. But alas! very soon the fine bloom upon these first ripe fruits is removed by the rough handling of the surrounding world: the sensitive plant of young piety turns into a willow in after life, too pliant, too easily yielding. It is sadly true, that even a Christian may grow by degrees so callous, that the sin which once startled him does not alarm him in the least. By degrees men get familiar with sin. The ear in which the cannon has been booming will not notice slight sounds. At first a little sin startles us; but soon we say, "Is it not a little one?" Then there comes another, larger, and then another, until by degrees we begin to regard sin as but a little ill; and then follows an unholy presumption: "We have not fallen into open sin. True, we tripped a little, but we stood upright in the main. We may have uttered one unholy word, but as for the most of our conversation, it has been consistent." So we palliate sin; we throw a cloak over it; we call it by dainty names.

Christian, beware how thou thinkest lightly of sin. Take heed lest thou fall by little and little. Sin, a little thing? Is it not a poison? Who knows its deadliness? Sin, a little thing? Do not the little foxes spoil the grapes? Doth not the tiny coral insect build a rock which wrecks a navy? Do not little strokes fell lofty oaks? Will not continual droppings wear away stones? Sin, a little thing? It girded the Redeemer's head with thorns, and pierced his heart! It made him suffer anguish, bitterness, and woe. Could you weigh the least sin in the scales of eternity, you would fly from it as from a serpent, and abhor the least appearance of evil. Look upon all sin as that which crucified the Saviour, and you will see it to be "exceeding sinful."

Sin is not a little thing--we must remember who it is the sin is against! Whether it is a "white" lie or capital murder, it is a sin against a holy and righteous God who calls us to strive in holiness and asks us to die to ourselves. Thinking of sin in light manner only cheapens the grace that Christ gave through his sacrifice to satisfy the just wrath of God. In addition, a light view of sin also leads one to think less and less of the repentance that we must daily ask of God for our sins and can lead us to simply take our failings lightly, as if they do not need to be addressed. The war that we wage on sin will continue until we are glorified--part of making our calling and election sure is showing growth in the faith. Growth in the faith cannot exist without a hatred for sin (and a refusal to treat it lightly) and a love for glorifying the Father and His Son.

The Apostle Paul, who wrote so many New Testament epistles called himself the chief of sinners--would it be that we would take sin that seriously.

WHAM!

That was the sound of my jaw hitting the floor when the big boss (guy with name on the door) told me that my supervising attorney (only other attorney than me at the firm other than the big boss) was leaving our firm at the end of THIS MONTH! I was just stunned.

I'm still reeling a little bit and I had a short meeting today with the departing attorney, and while they are interviewing some attorneys to replace her (they will try to hire two attorneys to do her position because the job really requires it), if they don't find some, my job after this month will go from difficult to downright impossible. And just having let go a paralegal last week and finding a new one is also on the plate at the moment--I will have to watch and make sure that our only existing paralegal doesn't get too overwhelmed.

So we'll see. I (and my pregnant wife especially) would appreciate your prayers.

Caedmon's Concert--Afterthoughts

The concert was an amazing event, but beside the songs, the great presentation about the Dalit people and Compassion International, one statement really stood out to me the whole night. With the election this year and all that entails, Derek Webb said this (I'm paraphrasing):

"Getting to know the 6 to 8 people that are your neighbors and knowing what their needs are and how you can meet them will have longer lasting effects than what you will ever do in that voting booth."

Whoa. I mean, WHOA! That was convicting for me--how well do I know my neighbors? Do I choose who I want to know? Of course I do! I have chosen to know the neighbors on either side of me because they were nice and solid, Christian people. I haven't tried to get to know the unchurched younger man across the street who lives by himself or the new family across the street because THEY AREN'T LIKE ME. Driving to court today, I really felt sick knowing that I have not been living the Gospel like I should and I repent of that today.

While living at the Beach, I did this kind of selective getting-to-know my neighbors. At the townhouse, there was a Jamaican-American family on one side and a Puerto Rican-American family on the other side, and in living there two years I got to know their names and maybe where they worked. TWO YEARS!

I don't know what I am going to do to rectify the situation but I do have some ideas that I will be praying about that will help in living out the Gospel as I know that I am called to do.

Can you imagine what this country would be like if everyone got to know their neighbors? What a concept. Now have the life-source of that idea be the Gospel, and man, the Holy Spirit will work.

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As promised, I'll give a short comment on what happened after the concert that night at a certain fast-food restaurant in downtown Hickory when I wanted to order four milkshakes for my friend and his wife and my wife and me (this is a replay of what happened--you have to remember, this is 10:30 PM and we're all tired after a long drive/concert):

Me: "I'd like two small chocolate milkshakes, two small vanilla milkshakes and a burger."

Girl on the intercom: "What kind of small milkshake do you want? Do you want the regular small or the 12 oz. small?"

(After a few moments of staring at the menu quite confused and in disbelief at the question asked, having seen only Small, Medium and Large as options on the milkshake menu)

Me: "I want the smallest small that you have!"

Upon reflection in a more lucid moment later that night, maybe there was some "kid" small size that was not on the menu but for someone like me who was tired, it was too much to try to think at that point. I was only concerned of having enough thought of how to drive to get home.

What a Concert!

My wife and I went down to Hickory, NC with another couple from church for a Caedmon's Call concert Saturday night. Now, those of you who have read the blog for a while know that I went to see them in October, but Cliff and Danielle were not there (due to having a false alarm on the delivery of baby #4) and Derek Webb had not joined the Overdressed tour yet. Well, all three were present and accounted for (though their keyboard guy, Josh, was not present and they did not mention him).

What a great concert! Courtesy of caedmonscall.net, here was their song set:

Derek Webb opened the night with songs from his solo albums (so talented that he performed them ONLY with his twelve string and no other instrumental backup):

1. Lover
2. Nobody Loves Me
3. A New Law
4. King and a Kingdom
5. Name
6. Wedding Dress

7. I Wanna Marry You All Over Again
8. Savior on Capitol Hill
9. This Too Shall Be Made Right

The great thing about Derek's songs is that they are a bit controversial at times but I really think they cause people to think about where they are in their own walk with Christ and what they define as Christianity. Unlike some people that break away from a band to pursue their own career, I don't think Derek did it because he didn't like Caedmon's (as could easily been seen the other night--he had a blast), but that he had something that needed to be said (and wasn't being said by ANYONE else in the Christian music industry).

Then Caedmon's came out and did the following set:

1. My Calm Your Storm
2. There is a Reason
3. Climb On (A Back That’s Strong)
4. Trouble
5. Expectations
6. Two Weeks In Africa
7. Share In The Blame
8. Hold The Light
9. Forty Acres
10. In God’s Country
11. Share The Well

Then Cliff did a little spiel on the Dalit Freedom Network and spoke more in general about Compassion International, a group that they are very involved with and really do more than just give lip service to (Cliff and Danielle sponsor two children themselves).

Then Caedmon's took a break and new member Andy Osenga (who had at least 8 guitars on stage!) came out and sang the following songs from solo projects he has done:

1. When Will I Run (with Derek singing backups)
2. Swing Wide The Glimmering Gates (w/o the band)
3. New Beginning (with Todd, Garret, Jeff, and Josh)

The band then came back on and did this set of songs:

1. There’s Only One (Holy One)
2. Not Enough
3. Faith My Eyes
4. Shifting Sand
5. Hope to Carry On (this one REALLY made my wife and I feel like we were back in college seeing them)

Then the band went off in preparation for the encore, and Derek was the first out, to do one off the Overdressed record that is going to be featured in a Grey's Anatomy Episode:

1. Ten Thousand Angels

Then the band joined him and sang the last two songs--the crowd was actually not as young/energetic as the crowd in Salem in October, but got into it with Thankful. Caedmon's pulls out all the stops on this song, even Cliff does some percussion.

2. April Showers
3. Thankful

All in all, it was a great show--if you're counting, that's 31 songs and almost three hours of music. We didn't get out of Hickory until about 10:30 PM (I'll have a post on a certain fast-food incident later) and didn't get home until about 2:00 AM. But it was certainly worth the drive, for sure. Caedmon's and Derek Webb may never be back together again but I'm glad I got to see them. What a great concert!