Neighbor Love From a Distance

March 30, 2020

How do we fulfill the second great commandment to love our neighbor as we love ourselves during a time when we cannot be physically present with them? It’s a question you’ve likely asked yourself, or a friend, and it’s something that we will have to be thinking about for at least the next month or longer, it appears. Here are a few simple, practical suggestions. This is certainly not a comprehensive list, and I encourage you to share your ideas in the comments section under this post.

1. Make a phone call. Texting is fine and helpful, we’ve become more and more used to communicating to one another in this manner, but in a time when we’re homebound, it’s great to hear someone else’s voice, particularly someone you know and love, and particularly if you live alone and don’t have anyone else to talk all day. God gave us voices, and when we don’t get to use them regularly, technologies that connect us more physically than less physically are a rich blessing. So call your friends, yes. But also call someone you don’t know as well, just to check on how they’re doing. Call someone that you suspect is likely lonely. Call the neighbor down the street that you haven’t seen since the block party last year. And if in God’s providence they are still alive, absolutely, definitely, without a doubt call your mother and father.

2. Make video calls. Whether you use Facetime or Skype or Zoom or whatever your favorite video conferencing platform might be, take advantage of newer technologies that allow us to see one another. Sure, no one loves to see or hear themselves on camera, but at this point, it’s probably just great to see someone other than your family members. I participated in my first Zoom video call this past weekend, and it was so good to catch up with the three other couples on the screen, to share stories from the past two weeks, to laugh together, to pray together. Sure, it was glitchy, and we spoke on top of each other several times. But we finally figured it out.

3. Write letters. Again, texts and emails are fine too, but there’s something about receiving an old-fashioned, hand-written, smudged, signed letter in the mail. A letter can communicate emotion and feeling even better than a text or email. It can be placed on a coffee table or in a book and read again and again. It can be preserved for decades and centuries (“Grandpa, can you show me your letters from the COVID crisis again?”). It doesn’t have to be long - a short note will suffice.

4. Share what’s in your pantry. You may have gotten to the grocery story to stock up on some needed items before the stores ran out. And while it seems that the supply is returning on important products, you may hear of someone who doesn’t have something you have multiple packs/units/items of. Be generous, trusting the Lord to provide for you and your family and you give away what He has already provided for you. Maybe it’s toilet paper. Maybe it’s hamburger meat. Maybe it’s bread. If we panic-shopped, then what isn’t in the stores is in someone’s pantry. So don’t be ashamed to ask around if you’re out of something. Give folks an opportunity to love you. I’m almost certain you’ll have an opportunity to love in return before this is all said and done. (In this category would also fall going shopping or going to the pharmacy for someone who shouldn’t get out due to a higher risk of catching the virus.)

5. Share the gospel. People are going to be asking spiritual questions during this season. They will be more open to talking about God, about death, about eternity, about sin and suffering. Remember the words of Peter: “In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (I Peter 3:15). Jesus’ words could not be more appropriate than they will be in these coming weeks: “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Now is the time to grow in evangelistic zeal and courage, to practice sharing the gospel. Have a basic outline in your head: God, Sin, Christ, Faith. Talk about the sovereignty of God as the basis of our hope in times like these. Talk about the holy justice of God, and how we deserve far worse than we actually receive because of our sin. Talk about the fall of Adam as the source of all misery and suffering. Talk about the death and resurrection of Jesus as the only hope for sinners, and the return of Jesus as the day when all sorrow will be wiped away. Talk about what it means to trust Jesus, to turn from sin, to strive for holiness by grace, to walk by faith and not by sight. Pray for revival, and pray for opportunities to talk about Jesus with your neighbors.

As I said - there are certainly more practical ways we can love our neighbors; please share them with us! You’ve probably already thought of the ones I’ve mentioned. But if not - try them out.

What Should You Do When You Don't "Feel" Loved By God?

Feelings. Man, they’re weird. Like the winter in Mississippi, they don’t always seem to work the way they should. Dr. Kwasny once told me that feelings are like a car’s “check engine” light. They don’t tell us the whole story but they tell us that a story is there.

Feelings are like a magician. They show us one thing but the entire process remains a mystery. If we’re not careful, we can be fooled like the magic trick. We are tempted to “see” one thing when in reality the result has come about a totally different way.

One of the many different feelings that Christians “get” is when they don’t feel loved by God. As I often hear from young people (youth and college), “I understand it but I don’t really feel it.” Yes and amen to that! I’ve been there with you in this feeling before. There are still times that I don’t feel what I acknowledge to be true. It’s those 18 inches between head and heart that often feel like miles apart.

Head To Heart

The head and the heart have an interesting relationship within us. The heart cannot feel what the head does not know. The way to the heart is through the head. It is theology that fuels doxology. If you want to feel with your heart, you must think with your head. We will never have right affections for God until we are taught the truth about God. This means that truth comes to the head before it gets to the heart. But, the heart often feels like a memorable experience for me.

My mother is tall and, therefore, has long legs. When I was young, and obviously had shorter legs at the time, I would struggle to keep up with my mother when we walked. Not only was she tall, she also walked very fast. This was double trouble for young and short Wilson. One of my biggest memories from my young days is our trip to Disney World. I remember the rides, the food, and the Summer heat. I also remember one quote that was often repeated. “Keep up!” Yup, that was young Wilson’s biggest memory during those days. My mom would walk so fast and young Wilson would desperately try to keep up. Our head and heart are sometimes like my mother and young Wilson. The head often seems to be telling our hearts to “keep up!”

Can We Get Practical?

It’s important that we put our feelings in their proper place in an age that is all about “the feels”. As “indicator lights”, we need to make sure we use our feelings to search our hearts. One of the common feelings that Christians often get is the feeling that they’re not loved by God. We’d never admit that God doesn’t love us out loud but the feeling still lurks within. Our heads (aka our doctrine) tell us that we are loved but our hearts tell us that we’re not. So, why is there that head-heart gap? Why do we get that feeling of not being loved by God?

There are many different reasons that should be explored. This is the reason why we need solid biblical counseling in every season of our lives. There is no replacement for having someone regularly search the dynamics of your heart. But, there are some practical tools that we can use to help us truly know this love of God more.

Three Ways To “Feel” God’s Love More

1. We need to understand the love of God more.
   In my first class at Tulane, our professor took our entire class to a restaurant for us to learn how to make gumbo. Having a father who grew up in Mobile, I grew up having my fair share of good gumbo. I loved gumbo but I had never made gumbo. Our professor separated the class into three teams for a cook-off. It was here that I had to actually learn how to make gumbo. After about two hours of cooking, I finally tasted a bowl. It was amazing!
   Now, here is the question: Was it really the best gumbo that I ever had? Or, did it taste better because I knew more about how to make it? In my most humble moment, I would say the latter. You see, it’s because I understood more about it that I tasted more of it.
   My wife works with John Wiggins and Mark Brown at Trinity Apparel. They work on tailored suits. I like suits but I don’t know the first thing about style. Then, my wife started to explain to me the different parts of the suit and what some look better than others. You want to know what happened after that moment? I began to see everyone’s suit totally different. I still don’t know much at all but even the microscopic knowledge that I do have made me love suits even more.
   In the same way, there are many times that we don’t feel loved because we actually don’t understand enough about God’s love. Your head might be telling you, “You already know that God is love and that God loves you. So, just get with the program buddy!” But in reality, you don’t know enough about God’s love. If God is infinite then the knowledge of God’s love can never be complete. It’s when we see a bigger God than we know a bigger love. The more we understand the doctrine of love the more we understand the majesty of God’s love.
   There is more to this. We need to understand more about who God is and what the gospel tells us. We don’t merely need to study the doctrine of love but we also need to study the entirety of God’s being. We need to see God’s sovereign love and His wise love. We need to see His gracious love, all-powerful love, unchanging love, everywhere-present love, and jealous love. It’s as I grow in my knowledge of who God is that I then can apply it to my knowledge of God’s love.
   Think about it this way. In cajun cooking, the onion is key. But, if you want to understand how awesome an onion is then you need to study how peppers, celery, thyme, and garlic interact with onions. It’s when you understand more about other vegetables and herbs that the wonder of the onion is seen.
   Maybe you don’t feel loved because your understanding of the storyline of the Bible is lacking. Maybe you don’t feel loved because your understanding of love is determined by the world. Maybe you don’t feel loved because your understanding of the Trinity is not correct. Our feelings depend on our knowledge.
   Apply: Find the resources to help you learn more about who God is and what the Bible says. We need to find the most helpful resources that grow us in our knowledge of God. We need more exposure to the Word, not less.

2. We need to compare and contrast the love of God.
   Describe a dog. What would you compare a dog to? What would you use to show the contrast? Imagine trying to explain how a dog is an animal that also lives with us. If you met someone who had never seen a dog, how would you describe one? Those comparisons and contrasts help us better picture what a dog is like.
   It’s when we have better comparisons and contrasts of God’s love that we understand it better. For instance, there are many great comparisons of God’s love in movies, books, and TV shows. Think about the movie The Lion King where we see the love of Mufasa for Simba. Think about the book Harry Potter where we see the love of Lily Potter laying down her life for her son Harry. There are many fascinating examples of substitutionary love.
   It’s when we use these comparisons that we can have a better “picture” of that love. That’s why preachers and teachers use illustrations in sermons, lectures, and lessons. The best preachers have used great illustrations to paint mental pictures in people’s minds. Just read the sermons of Thomas Watson, Jonathan Edwards, Augustine, John Calvin, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Charles Spurgeon, and Tim Keller.
   Jesus was a master of using illustrations! He knew that it helped us to see comparisons to God’s love. Just think about the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Why didn’t he just say, “Hey guys, God loves you”? God created a physical world and gave us five senses. He created us inside His story. We were made to love stories, illustrations, and pictures.
   But, there are also contrasts. The best love of an earthly father fails to compare totally to our heavenly Father’s love. The best love of a friend laying down his life for another doesn’t totally encapsulate the loveliness of the sacrifice on Calvary. We need to be reminded that the best earthly examples are like the Sun. The Sun is massive! It’s so big and bright that we can see that burning ball from 92 million miles away (sometimes I feel like that’s how far away my heart is from my head). Even though the Sun is that big, we know that outer space is even bigger. Have we measured even half of space? Have we sent a satellite to each solar system? We have such a small view of the universe. God’s love is like outer space and the earthly examples are like the Sun. There is no example (including this one since outer space isn’t infinite!) that can fully contain the knowledge of God.
   Apply: Don’t shy away from comparing and contrasting God’s love with the things, events, and people that you see. Creation is crying out that we take notice. It’s when we find helpful illustrations that we can picture God’s love more. Natural Revelation gives us good pictures of truths in Special Revelation.

3. We need to apply the love of God.
   What does it matter if we do all the studying and paint all the pictures if we never ask “so, what?” There was once a preaching professor who used to sit at the back of each class when his students would preach. He would sit and listen to students explain and illustrate the text. It wasn’t long until the students improved significantly in exposition and delivery but many would still forget to ask “so, what?” When there were 5 minutes left in the sermon, the professor would always hold up a giant sign that said, “So, what?” It was a reminder to the preacher that the people must not only see what the Bible says but they must also see how the Bible changes the way they live, feel, think, and love.
   We need to do the same thing to ourselves. When we study theology, we must do the painstaking work of asking how this truth changes the way we live. We need to spend time thinking about how it changes the way I interact with my micromanaging boss. I need to meditate on how a truth changes the way I respond to kids who pester me with questions whenever we’re on a retreat. I need to think deeply about how God’s love changes the way I respond whenever I’m reminded of how sinful I really am. We need to ask “so, what?”
   I remember one year for Christmas getting a set of plates from my brother and sister-in-law. I had the face of my wife when she was seven years old and she got clothes for Christmas. Let’s just say that she wasn’t happy. Here’s the thing, that was me and I was 27! Like all good Southerners, I put on a happy face and said “thank you” while I pouted to my wife about it later. Let’s just say that she was wise in how to respond to me. I didn’t see any use for these plates. We already had plates! Well, then I started to use them. I found that the semi-bowl/semi-plate looking thing was actually amazing. Do you know what my favorite dish in our pantry is now? It’s that Christmas gift! You see, whenever I actually used it and saw how it changed the way I could plate food then I realized how awesome it was.
   It’s when we see how a doctrine changes the way we live that we see more of the beauty of God’s truth. This is what good writers, preachers, and teachers do. They show us how God’s love actually changes the way we live. They say things such as, “If God’s love is sovereign then that means nothing and no one can stop Him from loving you.” Or they might say, “If God’s love is infinitely wise then that means that everything that God brings in your life will be used for you to know more of His love for you.” We often don’t feel loved because we don’t apply God’s love.
   Apply: Read books by people who show you how the gospel actually changes your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Read books by Tim Keller, Ed Welch, Heath Lambert, Kevin DeYoung, and Jerry Bridges. Find books by Sinclair Ferguson, Paul Miller, Paul Tripp, Tim Chester, and Michael Reeves. Read what John Kwasny and John Perritt have written!

If the Lord wills...

March 27, 2020
John C. Kwasny

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)

Full disclosure:  I don’t like these verses.  I don’t like them at all.  As someone who lacks the gift of spontaneity, and believes planning is next to cleanliness (and godliness), James’ words are ones I’d rather avoid.  But, alas, this is the Word of God, not some lackadaisical thoughts from an anti-planning man.  Under the inspiration of the Spirit, James confronts the ancient merchants who were making their business plans for the future.  These folks were looking at the best markets to sell their wares, seeking the greatest profits possible.  While this is capitalism at its best, it is also Christianity at its worst.  In no way were these planners seeking the Lord’s will--they were simply using their own brains (and lessons they probably learned in business school).

So James brings the hammer down on their (and our) hearts with two radical truths: 1) You have no idea what tomorrow brings (much less next week, month, or year); and, 2) You are nothing but a mist that will vanish in a little while.  Thanks, James, for building our self-esteems!  In all seriousness, thank you, God’s Word, for humbling us with these vital truths.  At all times, but especially during this current international crisis, we need these verses tattooed on our hearts and minds.  Why?  Because our natural inclination is to make plans according to our own desires and interests.  Because our normal impulse is to forget that we are mist that only appears for a short time.  Let these truths wash over your minds to bring you peace.  After all, if you don’t know about tomorrow, and you are just temporary in this world, you can spend less time trying to be God and more time resting in the One who alone knows tomorrow--and is permanent!

Thankfully, James doesn’t just tell us how we ought NOT to think about today or tomorrow, but how we must think (and what we should say).  As Luke 6:45 reminds us, out of the abundance of the mouth his heart speaks.  Our hearts and minds (and words) must be corrected to always see and speak of life in context of the Lord’s will, not ours.  If the Lord wills…then we will do this or that.  If the Lord wills…our plans will actually come to pass.  If the Lord wills…then we will live today and tomorrow.  This heart attitude is more than a reluctant acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty.  It is the joyful recognition that, if the Lord wills, then “it” will happen!  Why would the Christian want anything less than the Lord’s will?  Do we secretly believe that our will, our plans, our desires, are much better than the Lord’s?  Do we fear that God is unloving, unconcerned, or disinterested in our mist-like lives?  Or, are we simply more focused on what we want--when we want it--than what He wants?

We want the virus eradicated yesterday.  We want our friends and loved ones to be untouched, or at least survive this pandemic.  We want our jobs and incomes to be guaranteed throughout this crisis.  We want our thriving economy back.  We want to be at church, with our friends, at school—free to gather in large groups again.  We don’t want our lives to change.  But, what does the Lord will?  What are his foreordained plans for this time in human history?  He’s not scrambling to figure this thing out!  He’s not social distancing from us in order not to catch it.  He’s not using the data and crunching the numbers in order to make a plan.  His will WILL be done.  That fact leaves just one question for you and me: Will we humbly and joyfully acknowledge the Lord’s will while we make our plans for today, tomorrow, next week and next year?  May we all say to one another “if the Lord wills” because our hearts truly rest in the Lord’s will for this virus and for the entirety of our lives! 

C. S. Lewis on Coronavirus, Excitement, Frustration, and Fear of Death

C. S. Lewis’ essay “Learning in Wartime,” found in his book Weight of Glory, is an amazing essay in its own right. But it’s even more powerful right now, as we face a virus which is just as life-altering as World War II was back in the 1940s. Originally an address in Oxford in October 1939, a month after Britain had declared war on Germany, Lewis writes to students who may be wondering why they should worry about their studies in light of something so threatening and all-encompassing. Even if you are not a student, no matter what your calling might be, this essay is applicable to you on many levels. The last few pages are particularly rich. I quoted a part of these paragraphs in my sermon this past Sunday, but want to give you more of Lewis’ classic work. As in my sermon, I’m going to replace “war” with “coronavirus” so that we might be helped to apply these words more directly to our situation:

I would again repeat what I have been saying in one form or another every since I started - do not let your nerves and emotions lead you into thinking your predicament more abnormal than it really is. Perhaps it may be useful to mention the three mental exercises which may serve as defenses against the three enemies which coronavirus raises up against the scholar [enter your calling here].

The first enemy is excitement - the tendency to think and feel about the war when we had intended to think about our work. The best defense is a recognition that in this, as in everything else, coronavirus has not really raised up a new enemy but only aggravated an old one. There are always plenty of rivals to our work. We are always falling in love or quarreling, looking for jobs or fearing to lose them, getting ill and recovering, following public affairs. If we let ourselves, we shall always be waiting for some distraction or other to end before we can really get down to our work. The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable conditions never come. There are, of course, moments when the pressure of the excitement is so great that only superhuman self-control could resist it. They come both in coronavirus and peace. We must do the best we can.

The second enemy is frustration - the feeling that we shall not have time to finish. If I say to you that no one has time to finish, that the longest human life leaves a man, in any branch of learning, a beginner, I shall seem to you to be saying something quite academic and theoretical. You would be surprised if you knew how soon one begins to fell the shortness of the tether, of how many things, even in middle life, we have to say “No time for that,” “Too late now,” and “Not for me.” But Nature herself forbids you to share that experience. A more Christian attitude, which can be attained at any age, is that of leaving futurity in God’s hands. We may as well, for God will certainly retain it whether we leave it to Him or not. Never, in peace or coronavirus, commit your virtue or your happiness to the future. Happy work is best done by the man who takes his long-term plans somewhat lightly and works from moment to moment “as to the Lord.” It is only our daily bread that we are encouraged to ask for. The present is the only time in which any duty can be done or any grace received.

The third enemy is fear. Coronavirus threatens us with death and pain. No man - and specially no Christian who remembers Gethsemane - need try to attain a stoic indifference about these things, but we can guard against the illusions of the imagination. We think of the [hospitals of Wuhan, Italy, New York, etc.] and contrast the deaths there suffered with an abstraction called Life. But there is no question of death or life for any of us, only a question of this death or that – of a virus now or a cancer forty years later. What does coronavirus do to death? It certainly does not make it more frequent; 100 percent of us die, and the percentage cannot be increased. It puts several deaths earlier, but I hardly suppose that is what we fear. Certainly when the moment comes, it will make little difference how may years we have behind us. Does it increase our chances of a painful death? I doubt it. As far as I can find out, what we call natural death is usually preceded by suffering…Yet coronavirus does do something to death. It forces us to remember it. The only reason why the cancer at sixty or the paralysis at seventy-five do not bother us is that we forget them. Coronavirus makes death real to us, and that would have been regarded as one of its blessings by most of the great Christians of the past. They thought it good for us to be always aware of our mortality. I am inclined to think they were right. All the animal life in us, all schemes of happiness that centered in this world, were always doomed to a final frustration. In ordinary times only a wise man can realize it. Now the stupidest of us knows. We see unmistakably the sort of universe in which we have all along been living, and must come to terms with it. If we had foolish un-Christian hopes about human culture, they are now shattered. If we thought we were building up a heaven on earth, if we looked for something that would turn the present world from a place of pilgrimage into a permanent city satisfying the soul of man, we are disillusioned, and not a moment too soon.”

Weekly Devotional from Pastor Caleb

I Know God Is Able To Do It; But Is He Willing? (Daily Devotion)

When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

Matthew 8:1-4

Think of the 4-5 most powerful people on the planet. These people have unparalleled authority. These people have unmatched power to get things done. Who comes to mind? Is it Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos? Is it President Donald Trump? What about Russian President Vladimir Putin? All of these men are incredibly powerful and have unsurpassed authority. But here is the question: With such power and authority, can you picture any of them stooping down to the lowest of the low?

This isn’t a dig at any of them but rather just an observation. We rarely think of the most powerful people as those who stoop down to the lowly. Take a look at Matthew 8:1-4. Up to this point in Matthew, Jesus has been seen as the greater Moses, the Divine Warrior, and the King of the already/not yet kingdom. Matthew has painted a picture of Jesus as not merely a man but God in the flesh. This person is unusual. He is unrivaled. He is at the top of all authority and power.

Mountain Theology

In Matthew 5-7, Jesus has just finished preaching the now-famous “Sermon on the Mount”. In 8:1, it says that Jesus “came down from the mountain”. Why would it say this? Surely Matthew isn’t wasting words here. So, if he isn’t, then why does he want us to be reminded that Jesus is coming down from the mountain?

Did you know that there is such a thing as mountain theology? Mountains play a crucial part in the Old and New Testament. Mountains represent the presence of God. Think about the Garden of Eden that was on a mountain. Think about Mount Sinai and Mount Zion. These high and lifted up places have always been where we have seen God’s glory.

Listen to what biblical scholar T. Desmond Alexander says: “The concept of God living on a holy mountain is a significant theme in the Old Testament. However, this same theme frames the entire Bible.” The theme is that our God is high and lifted up. There is no one so glorious and great as our God! And here is what’s awesome, God’s plan is for His people to dwell on His mountain with Him. God wants us to be in His presence. God desires to glorify His people and redeem them from their sin. That’s why the Bible begins on a mountain and ends on a mountain. Have you ever noticed that?

So, how does this relate to Matthew 8? Jesus, God in the flesh, has just gotten done proclaiming the law of the kingdom on the mountain. Does this remind you of something from the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy (Hint: see Exodus 19-20)? Matthew is saying that the same God who proclaimed the Law from the mountain in the Old Testament is the same God in the flesh here. Jesus is no ordinary man. Jesus is Yahweh in human flesh!

Mountains and Mr. Clean

Because the mountain represents God’s holy presence, it means that the mountain also represents purity and cleanliness. Everything unclean cannot dwell on the mountain in God’s presence. Now, this is where it gets REALLY cool! In Exodus, God speaks from the mountain. At the end of Exodus, God tells Moses to build a tabernacle. The tabernacle becomes the “mobile version” of the mountain. In other words, it’s where God’s holy presence is.

So, in Leviticus (the next book after Exodus) God speaks to Moses from within the tent of meeting (the “mobile mountain”). In Leviticus 13, God tells Moses about what they should do with people with leprosy. Twenty-one different times (21!!!), God tells Moses that people with leprosy are unclean. Here is what this meant for them. Because they were “ceremonially unclean”, people with leprosy had to stay away from the “clean” people. God told Moses in Leviticus 13:45 that if people with leprosy went in public that they had to cry out “Unclean! Unclean!” to warn people to stay out of the way. Could you imagine having to do that for a long time? This wasn’t a disease that was easily healed. People who got it were those who would be socially shamed by others.

“OK, Wilson. What in the world are you talking about?” Wait for it. This is so cool! Jesus, the Holy One who speaks from the mountain, is now coming down the mountain to a man with leprosy. Jesus (aka Mr. Clean himself), approaches someone unclean.

I wonder if you feel your uncleanliness. Do you see the depths of your depravity? Do you understand how dirty and shameful your sin really is? If we’re honest, we’re spiritual lepers. In God’s presence, we should have to go around saying, “Unclean! Unclean!” We don’t deserve to dwell with the God of the Mountain. We are unholy and He is Holy, Holy, Holy (Is. 6:3). Did you notice that the word “clean” or “cleansed” was used three times in this short section in Matthew 8:1-4?

So, what’s Jesus going to do? Do you see the tension here? This guy doesn’t deserve Jesus to respond to him. Jesus doesn’t have to approach him. But, He does!

Mr. Clean and Mr. Unclean

Look what the leper asks Jesus. “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” Do you notice what he’s saying? He calls Jesus “Lord”. This leper is recognizing that Jesus is not merely a man. He is more than just a man! But then he says something else. “Lord, I know you’re powerful enough to clean me but I’m not sure if you are willing to clean me. I know you’re able to do it but I’m not sure if you really want to come near someone as unclean as I am.”

Haven’t you and I been here before? It’s easy to think about God’s power and even His sovereignty at times but it’s often harder to believe in His goodness, His compassion, and His desire to help us. Don’t our cries often sound like this: “Lord, I know you’re powerful enough to provide for me but I’m not sure if you are willing. Lord, I know that you are powerful enough to forgive me of my sins but I’m not sure if you are willing. Lord, I know that you are powerful enough to turn this past mistake into some form of redemption but I struggle to believe that you’re willing.”

So, what does Jesus do? Look at v3. This is wild! Jesus reaches out His hand and TOUCHES the leper! “Jesus! You’re not supposed to do that!” But, He does. And notice how Jesus responds. “I am willing; be clean.” Why didn’t Jesus just say, “Be clean”? Why did He have to also say that He is willing?

Jesus wanted to grow this man’s faith. The man had unbelief in Jesus’ willingness to stoop down to the lowly. He saw Jesus as Lord and someone of God-sized authority and power but he doubted that Jesus would want to take His time with someone as small and unclean as a leper. So, what does Jesus do? Jesus not only touches the leper but also speaks to him. Jesus shows him that He is more willing to stoop down low than anyone could ever imagine.

Jesus is like no one else! Jesus is simultaneously the Sovereign King and also our Compassionate Savior. Jesus is the Divine Warrior who fights the strongest enemy and He is also the Prince of Peace who goes to the lowest of the low. Don’t you see how different and amazing Jesus is? No one is like Him!

Jesus really cleansed this guy. There were eyewitnesses and everything! There was no denying that this happened. There was only a matter of how they would respond to Him in light of this happening. It’s the same with us. We must respond in faith in our all-powerful, all-compassionate King. We must trust that God is not only able but He is also willing. The reason why this moment in history is recorded in Holy Scripture is that God wants you to trust that He is the most willing person to cleanse you! The God of the Mountain is also the one who comes down the mountain to transform us.

So, What?

Take all your sin and shame to Jesus. Take all of your failures and faults to God. The Holy One deeply desires to cleanse you. The greatest yearning that you have to be cleansed doesn’t compare in the slightest to God’s desire to cleanse you.

But, how does He do this? He does this by coming down the Mountain into the Valley of the Shadow of Death. Jesus came to die. Jesus came to be declared unclean so that we might be able to cry out “Clean! Clean!” If you’re a Christian, you stand in cleanliness because of the Cross and Resurrection. Not only that; you are also being practically cleansed as you walk in faith.

There is nothing in the Christian that will remain unclean. All of your life will be cleansed and you will be brought home to the Mountain. That’s your destiny because Jesus took your place! This is what Matthew wants us to see. This is the Jesus that Matthew proclaims to us. He is simultaneously the Holy One of the Mountain and also the Suffering Servant who shows compassion to the unclean. Now that’s a Savior you can trust in these times and any other time!

Absent in Body, Present in Spirit

March 23, 2020

Though my formal and official installation by Presbytery as Senior Pastor of Pear Orchard Presbyterian Church has been postponed until we’re able to gather for corporate worship again, I have begun my new role today as we have been planning all along - and what a strange set of circumstances in which to take the baton from Carl! To be unable to assemble for worship or to meet in groups greater than 10, to be practicing social distancing, not to be able to meet for breakfast or lunch or coffee or visit you in your home - pastoral ministry will have to look very different from what I’m used to in some ways for the foreseeable future. In that light, I have been so thankful that our elders have continued to shepherd the flock, that our deacons have continued to serve those in need, and that our staff have tirelessly worked to make sure that we can worship through our live-stream and that the operations and ministry of the church persist as much as possible as this pandemic unfolds.

The weirdest part of this coronavirus crisis for me is our inability to meet for corporate worship. Such has been the case in previous pandemics, though, and we ought to give thanks to God that we live in a time when the internet exists and we can still worship the Lord together, albeit separately in our homes. And we must not forget that because of our spiritual union with Jesus Christ, even when we are absent in body, we are present together in spirit. The Bible, particularly the apostle Paul, strikes this note in several ways that are instructive for us in a season of pandemic.

1. Our Savior is absent from us in body, but present with us by His Holy Spirit. “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20). “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7; see also John 14:16, 26). Jesus is the Head of the church and we are His body. Because He is absent yet present with us by His Holy Spirit, in union with Him we are able to present in our spirits with one another even when we are absent in body.

2. Our bodily absence yet spiritual presence ought to motivate each of us to pursue holiness. Paul wrote to the Colossian church, “For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ” (Colossians 2:5). He wanted the believers in Colossae to continue to walk by faith in Jesus even though he was not, and likely never had been, with them physically. He speaks in similar ways to the church in Philippi: “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents…Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 1:27-28; 2:12-13). Recalling the spiritual presence of our absent brothers and sisters in Christ, even of your absent pastors, is a strong incentive toward godly living. Certainly I can say with Paul that I long to hear that the saints of POPC are growing in grace even while we are physically separated from one another!

3. Our bodily absence should drive us to pray for one another earnestly. Paul remembered the saints to whom he wrote in far away places, and he prayed for them: “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy…” (Philippians 1:3-4). When we cannot be present physically, we can be present spiritually with our prayers for one another. Mine the Scriptures, especially the prayers of Paul for the churches, as you pray for your church family. Pray with joy as you remember one another and long to see each other again.

4. Our bodily absence should create a deep longing to be restored to one another physically. In I Thessalonians 2:17, Paul writes, “But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face.” Knox Chamblin, one of my seminary professors at RTS, used to say, “The same sun that melts butter hardens clay.” Being away from one another and from corporate worship will either cause your heart to long all the more to be reunited with the saints in the presence of God, or will lead you to be even more careless about worship and about the people of God. Which will it be for you? Again, with Paul, as your pastor, I long to be together again, to see you face to face. As he writes in I Thessalonians 2:19-20, you are my glory and my joy, my hope and my crown of exultation, when Jesus Christ returns to be physically present with us once again.

May the Lord restore us quickly to one another, and may He be with us and watch over us while we are absent from one another!

Casting out Fear

March 20, 2020

John C. Kwasny

18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (I John 4:18)

We are most familiar with the opposing emotions/heart attitudes of love and hate.  One person loves Brussels sprouts, the other hates them with a passion.  Half of our church loves Ole Miss, but the other half…well, you get the idea.  While love and hate are certainly opposites, they are not the ones the Apostle John addresses in I John 4.  Instead, he writes first that people can only truly love God and one another when they know the love of God in their lives.  According to verses 16-17, God’s love for us is so powerful that when we abide in His love, and His love abides in us, then we are “perfected” in love.  And that perfect love gets rid of the fear that so often characterizes our lives.  Thus, fear is the opposite of love as well.

Now, what does John mean by perfect love?  Since none of us are perfectly holy, how can we expect to achieve this sort of love--and thereby get rid of our fears?  According to the late James Montgomery Boice, perfect love “means ‘whole’ or ‘mature,’ and it refers to that state of mind and activity in which the Christian is to find himself when the love of God within him … has accomplished that which God fully intends it to accomplish.”  In other words, the more we enjoy the love of God in our lives, the more mature and complete we become in loving Him and loving one another. Then, as that love becomes increasingly mature, we find ourselves with much less fear, dread, and sinful anxiety.

Practically speaking, when we are afraid, the Biblical solution is to not only to trust God more, but to love God more.  He is perfectly loving and perfectly trustworthy to handle all things perfectly! Then, this love versus fear dynamic moves to human relationships as well.  For example, If I am deeply afraid of another person hurting me, it may actually be unwise to trust him or her to not hurt me (for lack of trustworthiness).  Yet, according to I John 4:18, I can still work to love him or her with the love of God, which will also greatly reduce my fear of being hurt.

So, let’s apply this Biblical principle to the fear that is being experienced by many during this coronavirus pandemic.  Should we all be trusting God more during this time?  Definitely.  Should this crisis move us to love God more?  Yes!  But an overlooked opportunity is for all of us, as the Body of Christ, to learn to love our neighbor much more intentionally and intensely.  Loving others with Christlike service has the God-given power of getting our minds off self, and by extension, our fears.  Perfect love casts out fear!  Go in that grace today, loving God and loving one another with the love of God.    

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms Through Times of Storm

In light of the current pandemic we’re experiencing as a nation, and with my concern for the people of God in particular, I found myself reflecting on the statement “All we as Christians need for faith and practice is found in the law of God.” While reflecting on this statement, the following questions then came to mind: “How can we, in light of our current circumstances, practically experience and live out this statement in a manner that centers our focus on Christ, and not on the negative emotions we’re so prone to wallow in? How can we be strengthened in a time when a key source of our strength, our fellowship with one another, has been restricted or taken away?” My thoughts:

In the Reformed tradition, based on Scripture, we assert that the requirements of the law of God, as it pertains to our salvation, have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and thus, we are saved by faith in him, apart from the law. This reality is a source of great comfort for those who know and understand the depths of their own sin and waywardness. We also assert that the law still has a purpose in our lives; it guides us into paths of righteousness for our Lord’s sake, for His glory, and towards the betterment and sanctification of his people. Our Westminster Larger Catechism, answering the question, “What are the duties required in the first commandment?” provides the following answer:

The duties required in the first commandment are, the knowing and acknowledging of God to be the only true God, and our God; and to worship and glorify him accordingly, by thinking, meditating, remembering, highly esteeming, honoring, adoring, choosing, loving, desiring, fearing of him; believing him; trusting, hoping, delighting, rejoicing in him; being zealous for him; calling upon him, giving all praise and thanks, and yielding all obedience and submission to him with the whole man; being careful in all things to please him, and sorrowful when in anything he is offended; and walking humbly with him.

Encapsulated in this answer is an acknowledgement of God’s control, His authority, and His presence among, and specifically with, those who are His. It is in times like these that we need to be reminded of our duty to engage in the volitional acts described in our catechism. The Apostle Paul sums it up well, writing to the church at Philippi, and by extension to us:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)

Our Lord has graciously called us to live in the manner described above. Let us, therefore, respond by committing our hearts to walking in the manner he has prescribed, turning to him, loving him, and walking with him, in Christ our Lord, and not our fears and anxieties. As we experience the type of separation that goes against the very grain of the gathering together we’ve been called to (Hebrews 10:25), let us take this opportunity to strongly lean into the Everlasting Arms: through prayer, increased personal reading of God’s Word, family devotions, and encouraging one another as much as is possible, through the means (phone, media, distance socializing) we have available to us.

In His Service, Pastor Dean

Livestream Devotional from Carl Kalberkamp on Psalm 46

Fast forward to 7:30 in the video to start the beginning of the teaching.

How Do We Effectively Pastor During This Time?

This is the question the entire Church is asking today: How do we effectively pastor during this time? This is the question that Jared Wilson responds to in his very helpful blog:

A friend messaged me yesterday asking, “How do we effectively pastor during this time?” In this odd season of quarantining and social distancing and church service suspending, how can pastors maintain their duties to the flock?

In some contexts, perhaps the work of shepherding continues fairly normally. For many others, however, the daunting prospect of ministry in the season of COVID-19 entails more than simply figuring out how to live stream a service. If you can’t be near much of your congregation, how do you pastor them? Some suggestions:

1. Keep preaching.

Obviously, conscience and conviction may dictate whether you want to preach via the internet, but it’s still important to put the gospel in front of your people as many ways as you can. If that means broadcasting a full sermon each Sunday, do it. It may also mean publishing podcasts, vodcasts, blog posts, tweets, or Facebook updates involving devotional thoughts. Right now, your people are taking in all kinds of messages—some helpful, some not, some simply distracting. Don’t let other voices tempt them in their loneliness or anxiety to tempt their eyes away from Jesus. Figure out the ways that work best for your convictions and your context to “show them Jesus.” This is your prime directive.

For the rest of the list, click here.

Hope for the Hurting and Confused

March 17, 2020

What surreal and sobering times in which we live! And yet we can confidently say with David, “But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD, I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hands…” (Psalm 31:14-15). Each day this week, and for the indefinite future, the staff at Pear Orchard will aim to post a brief word of encouragement and counsel here on our website. This morning I want to share three truths that have been bouncing around in my head and heart these past days.

1. Plague and pestilence are from our sovereign Father. In all our human efforts to stem to spread of this virus, let us not forget that this physical, social, and economic disaster is according to the sovereign will of God. He was not caught by surprise by this outbreak like we have been, for He “works all things after the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11). We learn that pestilence and disease specifically is from the hand of God in I Chronicles 21. After David had sinned against the Lord by numbering the people of Israel, God sent the prophet Gad to declare to David, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Take for yourself either three years of famine, or three months to be swept away before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the LORD, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of Israel’” (I Chronicles 21:11-12). David responds, “I am in great distress; please let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.” George Armstrong, a Presbyterian pastor in Norfolk, Virginia, during the days of the yellow fever epidemic in 1855, noted regarding David’s words: “Thus he speaks, not because David did not regard famine and war as a part of God's providence, but in the pestilence, the mysterious, the terrible pestilence, "the pestilence that walketh in darkness, the destruction that wasteth at noon-day" [Psalm 91:6], the soul instinctively acknowledges the presence of an agent, fresh from before the eternal throne.” God sovereignly sends pestilence, even as He sovereignly sends the hurricane or tornado, according to His inscrutable, mysterious will. Like any trial, though, for the people of God this affliction comes as His fatherly discipline (Hebrews 12:5ff.; I Corinthians 11:32). So David could acknowledge that suffering through a period of plague (which in that case killed 70,000 Israelites) was actually falling into the hands of a God whose mercies are great. “Though He slay me, yet I will hope in Him,” declared Job in Job 13:15. And so must we hope in Him as we endure this judgment of God from His loving hand of discipline. He causes all things to work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). And so we can say with Jeremiah, “For the Lord will not reject forever, for if He causes grief, then He will have compassion, according to His abundant lovingkindness” (Lamentations 3:21-32).

2. Our joy in changing times is grounded in our unchanging salvation. Few passages of God’s word state this as explicitly as I Peter 1:3-6. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials…” As we are distressed by various trials for a little while, as God deems it necessary, we greatly rejoice in “this” - and what is the “this”? It is the salvation that God has accomplished for us in Jesus Christ. Salvation past - God has raised Jesus from the dead, and has caused us to be born again to a living hope through His resurrection. Salvation future - we have an imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance reserved in heaven for us and ready to be revealed in the last time. Salvation present - even now God is protecting us by His power for this salvation to come. Because this salvation is sure, then our joy is great - no matter what we might be suffering. Our joy is not found in our circumstances but in our God and in His grace to us in Jesus. Are we distressed right now? Absolutely, and Peter does not deny the distressing, sorrowful nature of trials and afflictions. Yet he affirms that even in our sorrow there is a deeper undercurrent of joy that holds us up as we suffer. So let us rejoice and be glad even as we endure the hardships of these days.

3. Though we cannot gather for corporate worship right now, we can and must gather for private worship and family worship. The desire to limit the spread of the coronavirus has led us to forego assembling together in person on the Lord’s Day for a season, and thankfully we have the technology to meet virtually through the internet. But formal worship in the public assembly is not our only opportunity to worship God. Yes, it’s true, all of life is to be worship for the Christian, so that whether we eat or drink or work or play, we are to do all to the glory of God (I Corinthians 10:31). But more specifically, we are to worship God in secret, each one by ourselves, and in our families. Spend time by yourself each day crying out to God in your distress, and thanking Him for His mercies that are new every morning. Listen to His word before you listen to the morning news or to your newsfeed on Twitter or Facebook. Fill your hearts with His truth before they are filled with fear and trembling at the increasing number of COVID-19 cases or the decreasing number of the stock markets. With our children off of school, and so many activities cancelled, even at church, it is all the more imperative that we redeem the time and take advantage of these strange circumstances to engage in family worship each day. Whether first thing in the morning or right after dinner or just before bed, gather your family together to sing, to read the Bible, and to pray. Keep it simple, especially if you’re doing family worship for the first time. Sing the assuring hymns and songs of the church down through the ages. Comfort and encourage the hearts of your children with God’s truth and grace. Answer their questions from His word. Praise and thank God for His goodness in the midst of suffering. Intercede for the sick, for our leaders, for health care workers, for those who don’t know Jesus, for missionaries in other countries. Worship Him as the God who does as things well.

There are so many more truths that we can take hold of and live in the light of, but I hope that these three will sustain your heart this day. God is sovereign, wise, and good.

How To Survive and Have Fun At Home During A Pandemic

One of the biggest concerns that I have been hearing recently has been what parents can do to keep their children active and not merely in front of screen during this time. How can we have some sort of “normalcy” during this time? I am sure that there are many helpful articles out there (and I will seek to pass several of those along as well) but here are some things that might help a family who has their children at home more than usual.

1. Exercise
   Going to a gym or sports practice seems to be a “no-go” right now since things are touched by everyone. So, how do we stay active? Here are some helpful tips:

   1. Walk/Run/Bike around the neighborhood. You can still practice “social distancing” by walking around the neighborhood with your friends.

   2. Find good YouTube workout videos. There are TONS of people who have developed helpful videos for at-home workouts with no weights needed. Trust me, if you find the right video, it’ll get the job done.

   3. Walk the dog/cat/hamster. Just kidding. Don’t walk the cat. I’ve done that before. We hardly got 50 feet.

2. Yard Work
   The grass is growing. Get out there and cut the grass! Look, you can even spread it out. Cut the back yard one day and cut the front yard the next day. As experts are telling us, it helps to be outside in the heat to defeat the spread of the disease.

3. Pick up books
   This is the perfect time to replace the phone, Netflix, and video games with a good book. Pick up Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, or The Hunger Games. Read a good fiction book. Get immersed in the wonder of a good story told. Pick up a good book to aid in the Christian life. Check out books by John Piper, Tim Keller, Kevin DeYoung. Don’t do audiobooks! Get a real book in your kid’s hands. Matter of fact, I bet Amazon will still deliver books to you!

4. Grill Out, Bake, Cook
   Teach the kids how to cook. Parents, what could be better than you taking time to teach the kids how to grill out, bake, and cook now so that when life gets back to normal you can get your kids to cook for you? Teach them how to cook the basics so that they don’t have to survive on Easy Mac and Ramen Noodles when they go to college. They’ll make more friends when they know how to make an awesome “White Chicken Chili”. Don’t microwave food (unless it’s leftovers). Enjoy the process of creating, putting together, and enjoying a hard-earned craft. Cooking can take about an hour to three hours from getting off the couch to finishing your last bite. Take advantage of it.

5. Find a Hobby on YouTube
   I have seen several of our students who can woodwork, build stuff and every other synonym that goes with what I just said. There are tons of awesome tutorials and “how-to” videos on YouTube that our students have already learned from. I know students who have learned how to work on cars, knit, cook, bake, do magic tricks, play the guitar, and many other things off of YouTube. Take advantage of technology during this time to get them to do things that will take their eyes off of screens. Yes, it means that they’ll have to get on screens in order to find something. But, it’ll pay off in the end.

6. Space Out Your Entertainment
   One of the best ways to promote boredom and complaining teenagers is if we watch all of our entertainment in only a few days (or hours!). Space it out. Don’t watch a movie every night. Don’t spend all the time in front of the TV. To be sure, we need to watch how much we’re in front of screens but let’s also be realistic that we will certainly be in front of screens a good amount during this time. This isn’t all bad. We just need to be good stewards.

7. Board Games
   It’s time to break out the board games. There are some really fun games you can purchase or dust off:

   1. Bang!

   2. Pandemic (Yes, this might be the most fitting game during this time!)

   3. Forbidden Island

   4. Risk

   5. Ticket To Ride

   6. Settlers of Catan

   7. Exploding Kittens (don’t worry, it’s a fun and silly game)

   8. Superfight

8. Keep a Normal Sleep Schedule
   Not every day is the weekend. Even though it feels different, avoid the late nights. Go to bed at a normal time and wake up at a normal time. This is definitely a time to get more sleep (as many youths get only around 4-6 hours a night) but don’t over-sleep.

9. Don’t Wear “Lazy Clothes” All The Time
   When I was on my “paternity leave” with Knox, I quickly realized that if I put on jeans, shoes, and a decent shirt that I would not feel as drowsy and lazy. Get your kids to still put on decent clothes at times to help the mood. Now, to be sure, don’t make them wear their school uniforms or a suit. Actually, I’d love to see kids wear suits. Send me the pictures! But seriously, don’t go overboard but do figure ways to have them realize that it’s not the Summer yet.

10. Get on FaceTime and Make Phone Calls; Don’t Just Text
    Get the kids off of texting during this time and get them on FaceTime, House Party, Instagram Live, or whatever else it is to get them talking with each other. Keep up social contact during this time but foster good conversations and not sporadic texting. Bring back the days where you might have a 30+ minute phone conversation with one person. That’s not bad!

11. Don’t Overload Chores
    Some of us might be grinning from ear to ear like the cartoon Grinch did when he figured out how he could destroy Christmas. Don’t overload your kids with chores. Like the entertainment, space it out. Don’t burn them out. Dads, don’t burn your kids out of yard work. Get them outside but don’t keep them outside until the sun goes down. Moms, don’t worry if they take some time to sit down and watch TV or play games. Give them stuff to do but give them time to hang out. It’s very healthy for them to work hard AND play hard. That creates a good mindset. We don’t want workaholics. We want to create good stewards.

12. Consider Buying “Table Topics”
    This is one of the BEST conversation starters. It’s a box of tons of questions that help you start genuine conversations. Grace and I have done these and one day we spent hours outside without phones going through some questions. There are tons of different options that they have. I’ll include some below:

    1. Original

    2. Family

    3. Teens

    4. Dinner Party

13. Go Fishing!
    This is a great way to get outside and still have social distance. Get your hands dirty. Dig up some worms from the ground. This is a good way to get with friends without getting sneezed on.

14. Make A Literal Bucket List
    Make a bucket list or a “jar” list that you write your own ideas on. Do one a day. Figure out some fun things that you know your family loves to do.

15. Plant a Garden
    Plant some thyme, oregano, basil, tomatoes, peppers, and anything that you can consume. Plant some bushes, flowers, vines, or whatever else to decorate your home. If your kids help you plant the garden, I guarantee you they’ll think twice before running through it next time.

How Do We Love Each Other Well During A Time Of A Pandemic?

Many of you know Andy Crouch from his books on leadership, culture, or technology stewardship. Andy always seems to put his finger on the pulse of where things our in our culture. In this timely article, Andy Crouch talks about how we can love each other in leadership during this time. Here is an excerpt:

At this extraordinary moment, local leaders — people who lead groups of 10 to 1,000 people — have perhaps the greatest opportunity to shape culture in the United States that they have ever had. This is a guide for those of us who are Christian leaders at this moment.

Shaping culture is a matter of changing “the horizons of possibility.” Culture tells us, in countless direct and indirect ways, what we are able to do, and what we are not able to do. And leaders play an outsize role in moving those horizons, especially at times of disruption and crisis. They play that role through both symbolic action — what they say, how they say it, even how they hold themselves and respond to others — and through decision-making on behalf of others.

A leader’s responsibility, as circumstances around us change, is to speak, live, and make decisions in such a way that the horizons of possibility move towards shalom, flourishing for everyone in our sphere of influence, especially the vulnerable.

With the arrival of COVID-19 in the United States, we need to change the horizons of possibility extremely rapidly in two fundamental ways:

We need to change norms of social interaction literally overnight to minimize the transmission of the virus. I will outline below what I believe are the most important steps, based on the best public information about SARS-CoV-2 (the virus) and COVID-19 (the disease). These steps feel drastic. Crucially, implementing them early enough will require tremendous leadership because they will not initially seem necessary to most of the people we lead. When dealing with pandemics, the measures that will actually make a difference always need to be taken sooner than we think.We need to redirect social energy from anxiety and panic to love and preparation. This crisis presents an extraordinary opportunity to fortify small communities of love and care for our neighbors. That will only happen if we lead in a way that reduces fear, increases faith, and reorients all of us from self-protection to serving others.

There are several reasons that now is an almost uniquely important moment for local leaders. We have become accustomed to culture being shaped “somewhere else” — by elected officials, especially national ones; by celebrities; by media. But we are dealing with a virus that is transmitted person to person, in small and large groups of actual people. This is not a virtual crisis — it is a local, embodied one. Local, embodied responses will quite literally mean life and death for people.

For the full article, click here.

Francis James Grimke and the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918

One of my hobbies is collecting and reprinting the writings of and about 18th and 19th century American Presbyterians (I was a history and mathematics major at LSU, and have enjoyed studying history for as long as I can remember; combine that with my love for the Presbyterian Church and books, and I guess it was only a matter of time before Log College Press happened). Preserving and reading old books is important for many reasons (if you’ve never read C. S. Lewis’ essay “On the Reading of Old Books,” do it as soon as you can), but one of my favorite reasons is that “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 7:10). The trials and issues we face today have already been faced by Christians in generations past, and their writings continue to minister powerfully to us.

One example is immediately obvious: a recent precursor to today’s coronavirus pandemic was the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. Between October 1, 1918, and November 1, 1919, nearly 3,000 citizens of our nation’s capital died from the virus. During October 1918, as we’re experiencing somewhat today, public gatherings were banned. Francis James Grimke was an African American Presbyterian minister in Washington, D.C., who pastored Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church from 1878-1928. When his congregation was allowed to gather for corporate worship again on November 3, 1918, he preached a sermon entitled Some Reflections, Growing Out of the Recent Epidemic of Influenza That Afflicted Our City. In it he elaborates upon several lessons he learned during the worst season of the deadly flu. I encourage you to read all eleven pages of Grimke’s sermon, but I want to summarize a few of the things he learned in hopes that God might teach us similar lessons over the next few months.

1. In spite of all the resources of modern science and all the skill of trained professionals, it is easy for viruses to kill large numbers of people. Grimke soberly reminds us, “How easy it would be for God to wipe out the whole human race, in this way, if he wanted to; for these terrible epidemics, plagues, the mighty forces of nature, all are at His command, are all His agents. At any moment, if He willed it, in this way, vast populations or portions of populations could be destroyed.”

2. Why do some who get the virus die and others recover? Why do some get the virus and others do not? Certainly there are physical answers to those questions. But ultimately, the answer is that God has written all our days in His book, when as yet there was not one of them (Psalm 139:16). Grimke explains, “[The reason] is to be found in the will of God. For some, the time of their departure had come, the limit of their earthly existence had been reached, and this was God's way of removing them out of this world into the next. Some day we have all got to go, but how, or when, or where, we do not know; that is with God alone.”

3. Viruses are no respecter of persons, and certainly no respecter of skin color. In Grimke’s day, racial discrimination against African Americans in the United States was present to a large degree. He was struck by the way that white Americans were having to face the fact that white skin was no guarantee of a stronger constitution, as some in his day were claiming. “In this terrible epidemic, which has afflicted not only this city but the whole country, there is a great lesson for the white man to learn. It is the folly of his stupid color prejudice. It calls attention to the fact that he is acting on a pinciple that God utterly repudiates, as He has shown during this epidemic scourge, and, as He will show him when He comes to deal with him in the judgment of the great day of solemn account.”

4. Flu pandemics keep death and eternity before people in a way that only wars tend to do. Grimke puts it beautifully, and I quote him at length: “While it lasted, it kept the thought of death and of eternity constantly before the people. As the papers came out, day after day, among the first things that every one looked for, or asked about, was as to the number of deaths. And so the thought of death was never allowed to stay very long out of the consciousness of the living. And with the thought of death, the great thought also of eternity, for it is through death that the gates of eternity swing open. We don't as a general thing think very much about either death or eternity. They are not pleasant things to think about, and so we avoid thinking of them as much as possible. It is only when we are forced to that we give them any consideration, and even then only for the moment. They are both subjects of vital importance, however, involving the most momentous consequences. For after death is always the judgment. The grim messenger is God's summons to us to render up our account. That there is an account to be rendered up we are inclined to lose sight of, to forget; but it is to be rendered all the same. The books are to be opened, and we are to be judged out of the books. During the weeks of this epidemic—in the long list of deaths, in the large number of new made graves, in the unusual number of funeral processions along our streets, God has been reminding us of this account which we must soon render up; He has been projecting before us in away to startle us, the thought of eternity.”

5. Finally, it is only a living faith in Jesus Christ that can give a true sense of security in the midst of deadly perils. “While the plague was raging, while thousands were dying, what a comfort it was to feel that we were in the hands of a loving Father who was looking out for us, who had given us the great assurance that all things should work together for our good. And, therefore, that come what would—whether we were smitten with the epidemic or not, or whether being smitten, we survived or perished, we knew it would be well with us, that there was no reason to be alarmed.” For the Christian, to live is Christ and to die is gain. And so while we live, we live for Christ and for the good of our neighbor, not for self. And if He chooses to take us home, then we rejoice that we will be with him forever.

May the Lord grant us protection and peace, as well as grace to use this trial for our spiritual growth and His glory!

Dear Christian, When The Pandemic Hits, This Is Our Time (TGC Article Excerpt)

Once again, I would like to provide another article that might aid your faith in our all-Sovereign God who is completely in control of every molecule and disease in this world. I have been greatly helped by several articles and blogs this week and I am only wanting to pass these along.

This is a season where the “rubber meets the road” for our faith. How big is our God? What are the demands of the gospel? Do we really love our neighbors? What an opportunity for us at Pear Orchard!

Here is another helpful excerpt from a good blog post from The Gospel Coalition:

And so we’re wondering: how bad is this crisis going to get? Is our society going to pull together, and get through it together? Or is the panic buying a sign of things to come?

Will we be praising the bravery of our medical staff, like we praised the RFS during the bushfire crisis? Or will many of the hospital staff go AWOL if the crisis picks up, like they did in the Matt Damon movie Contagion?

How bad will this crisis be?

The truth is, we don’t know for sure.

And so as a society, we’re increasingly anxious. Anxious for our loved ones. Anxious for ourselves. It’s a time of fear.

But whatever happens, dear Christian, know this: this is our time. God has raised us up for such a time as this. It’s no accident you’re here.

This is our time to think not about ourselves, but about our neighbours. Many of whom are scared, and will only grow more so as the virus spreads.

For the full article, click here.

How To Encourage Young Adults To Drop Out Of Church (Yes, You Read The Title Correctly)

The stats are nothing new. We’ve seen the numbers for several years now. But, we saw again recently that the numbers have remained the same. Young Adults are dropping out of church when they go to college or when they enter into the professional world.

In his VERY helpful blog, Jared Wilson gives us six ways how we can encourage this trend. Yes, you read that right. In other words, if you want to see these numbers stay the same rather than get better then here are six recommendations he has:

1. Attend church sporadically.

2. Complain about your church.

3. Insulate them from the rest of the body.

4. Ignore their crucial questions.

5. Church hop.

6. Marginalize or muzzle the gospel.

If I might be so bold, I would add a couple more that would encourage this trend:

1. Don’t talk to your children about the difference between going to church versus listening to a podcast or watching a YouTube video of a sermon.

2. Don’t model vulnerability with close friends at the church.

3. Treat Jesus as a means to an end rather than the end in Himself.

4. Only attend what is “absolutely necessary” in order to keep up your membership at the church.

5. Criticize the sermon every week in front of your kids.

6. Teach them that doctrine isn’t important as long as they just “love God and love others”.

7. Don’t prepare for Sunday worship like it’s an important day.

8. Don’t talk about how Sunday worship applies to the rest of the week.

For Jared Wilson’s full article, click here.

How Would C.S. Lewis Respond To The Coronavirus?

In this phenomenal excerpt from C.S. Lewis provided by Matt Smethurst from The Gospel Coalition, it is helpful to replace “atomic bomb” with “coronavirus”. The reason why I wanted to post this helpful except is to show us yet again another man who has a balanced response amidst a crisis. Here is a man who reacts with faith in a great God while also using common sense. In this, we see how C.S. Lewis might respond:

In one way we think a great deal too much of the atomic bomb. “How are we to live in an atomic age?” I am tempted to reply: “Why, as you would have lived in the sixteenth century when the plague visited London almost every year, or as you would have lived in a Viking age when raiders from Scandinavia might land and cut your throat any night; or indeed, as you are already living in an age of cancer, an age of syphilis, an age of paralysis, an age of air raids, an age of railway accidents, an age of motor accidents.”

In other words, do not let us begin by exaggerating the novelty of our situation. Believe me, dear sir or madam, you and all whom you love were already sentenced to death before the atomic bomb was invented: and quite a high percentage of us were going to die in unpleasant ways. We had, indeed, one very great advantage over our ancestors—anesthetics; but we have that still. It is perfectly ridiculous to go about whimpering and drawing long faces because the scientists have added one more chance of painful and premature death to a world which already bristled with such chances and in which death itself was not a chance at all, but a certainty.

This is the first point to be made: and the first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts—not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.

What Would Martin Luther Say About The Coronavirus?

As the tensions, panic, and severity of the coronavirus seem to be ramping up over the past 48 hours, Martin Luther is certainly someone who comes to mind in circumstances like this. Luther, the man who fired the theological shot that was heard about the world, was a man who also went through a legitimate plague.

In August of 1527, the infamous Black Plague visited Wittenberg where Luther lived. What was his take on the plague that had knocked out far more than our coronavirus? Was it to downplay the disease in light of God’s sovereign provision? Was it to overreact in fear and hysteria? No. As you might see, Luther has one of the most balanced responses in circumstances like ours.

In his helpful overview of how Luther responded, Marvin Olasky from World Magazine has shown how Luther might react were he to be alive today. Here is a helpful excerpt:

Luther’s step one was to follow Christ’s statement, “‘As much as you did to one of the least, you did to me’ (Matthew 25:40). If you wish to serve Christ and to wait on him, very well, you have your sick neighbor well at hand. … This is said as an admonition and encouragement against fear and a disgraceful flight to which the devil would tempt us so that we would disregard God’s command in our dealings with our neighbor and so we would fall into sin of the left hand.”

Luther went on to say: “Others sin on the right hand. They are much too rash and reckless, tempting God and disregarding everything which might counteract death and the plague. … They do not avoid persons and places infected by the plague, but lightheartedly make sport of it and wish to prove how independent they are.”

Luther concluded, “It is even more shameful for a person to pay no heed to his own body and to fail to protect it against the plague the best he is able, and then to infect and poison others who might have remained alive if he had taken care of his body as he should have. He is thus responsible before God for his neighbor’s death and is a murderer many times over. My dear friends, that is no good. … Shun persons and places wherever your neighbor does not need your presence.”

For the full article, click here.

Should Christians Feel Guilty All the Time? (Kevin DeYoung)

This article is one that was written in 2016 but the power of the gospel still speaks in this short blog. This blog greatly helped my own heart especially when feeling the guilt and shame of past mistakes that can go back as far as 10-15 years ago. So, for those of you who struggle with something similar, maybe this excerpt will help you too:

1. We don’t fully embrace the good news of the gospel. We forget that we have been made alive together with Christ. We have been raised with him. We have been saved through faith alone. And this is the gift of God, not a result of works (Eph. 2:4-8). Let us not be afraid to embrace the lavishness of God’s grace.

2. Christians tend to motivate each other by guilt rather than grace. Instead of urging our fellow believers to be who they are in Christ, we command them to do more for Christ (see Rom. 6:5-14). So we see Christlikeness as something we are royally screwing up, when we really should see it as something we already possess but need to grow into.

3. Most of our low-level guilt falls under the ambiguous category of “not doing enough.” Look at the list above. None one of the items is necessarily sinful. They all deal with possible infractions, perceptions, and ways in which we’d like to do more. These are the hardest areas to deal with because no Christian, for example, will ever confess to praying enough. So it is always easy to feel terrible about prayer (or evangelism or giving or any number of disciplines). We must be careful that we don’t insist on a certain standard of practice when the Bible merely insists on a general principle.

For example, every Christian must give generously and contribute to the needs of the saints (2 Cor. 9:6-11; Rom. 12:13). This we can insist on with absolute certainty. But what this generosity looks like–how much we give, how much we retain–is not bound by any formula, nor can it be exacted by compulsion (2 Cor. 9:7). So if we want people to be more generous we would do well to follow Paul’s example in 2 Corinthians and emphasize the blessings of generosity and the gospel-rooted motivation for generosity as opposed to shaming those who don’t give as much.

For the full blog, click here.