My Great Treasure

I've finally finished Piper's God is the Gospel and picked up another one of his great books When I Don't Desire God--How to Fight for Joy. One of the reasons I love Piper's books is that after reading them, I find that God is the one being made much of instead of me, unlike many other popular Christian books which give me a mushy "good" feeling of being made much of.

I am grateful for the message preached in these two books-- that seeing and savoring Christ is my ultimate treasure. He Himself is the Gift. In the midst of physical trials, there are times I say to myself, I will feel better when the weather gets better. But after a week of sunny weather, I don't find my body feeling better. There are times during the day I say to myself, I will feel better when Andy gets home and provides some relief. But as the next day comes along, my body does not necessarily feel better, even with medications or other human means. Surely God can use these different things as means of grace to me, but ultimately, He is training me to see Him, for He knows that is truly what is satisfying to me and glorifying to Him. It is a difficult fight but a biblical one and a God-glorifying one. And I know I am "struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me." (Colossians 1:29) He is the One who fights in and for me. And when all is said and done, it is by His grace that I am what I am (1 Corinthians 15:10). Thank you to those remembering and praying for me. God is our great treasure.

Painful Realization: What You Win Them With Is What You'll Likely Win Them To--by Andy

If the following excerpt from Mark Dever and Paul Alexander's The Deliberate Church has any truth, I am first and most guilty, and I have scars to show. The scars are ten years deep.

Avoiding Entertainment
Many American churches have used entertainment-based methods of evangelism--theotainment, as it has been called by some--in sharing the Gospel with both adults and children. With adults, it often takes the form of surveying target audiences and creating an evangelistic service in which everything from the music to the sermon is geared toward making them feel comfortable--a "sit back and enjoy the show" approach. With children, it takes the form of youth groups or Sunday schools that spend most of their time thinking up fun activities that will sneak the Gospel in through the back door.
Now there is no reason to argue against communicating the Gospel in an understandable, creative, or even provocative way. But evangelism that takes the form of entertainment has some harmful side effects. Remember--what you win them with is likely what you'll win them to. If you win them with entertainment, they're likely to be won to the show rather than the message, which increases the likelihood of false conversions. But even if they're not won to the show, entertainment-based methods make repentance virtually impossible. We are not encouraged to forsake our sin by having our senses amused or our preferences coddled. The Gospel is inherently and irreducibly confrontational. It cuts against our perceived righteousness and self-sufficiency, demanding that we forsake cherished sin and trust in someone else to justify us. Entertainment is therefore a problematic medium for communicating the Gospel, because it nearly always obscures the most difficult aspects of it--the cost of repentance, the cross of discipleship, the narrowness of the Way. Some will disagree, arguing that drama can give unbelievers a helpful visual image of the Gospel. But we have already been given such visual images. They are the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper and the transformed lives of our Christian brothers and sisters.
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Churches are most healthy when the Gospel is most clear; and the Gospel is most clear when our evangelistic methods are most plain.

"Boring" Truth?

When we were at the park the other day, Caleb pointed out to me and the other two mothers who were with us that the sprinklers were on watering the big lawn across from the playground. Knowing me, I straightly responded explaining to him that yes the rainy season is over, the weather is getting dry, and so they need to start watering the grass so it will stay green. After that, one of my friends said to him, "The grass is taking a shower! Do you take showers too?" Caleb said with a smile, "Yes!" And I thought to myself, "That was really creative! What a figurative way of making things more interesting to a 3-year-old than my boring answer!"

A couple days later, during dinner, Caleb all of a sudden started telling Andy that the grass was dirty at the park and so needed to take a shower. At that, I recalled what had happened and explained the whole story to Andy. That's when both of us looked at each other with a quiet mutual understanding: perhaps the boring answer was more truthful. And we went on to realize how it applies to biblical truths as well. Many nowadays have used their human wisdom (with good intention) to make the "boring" Gospel more interesting by various creative means, hoping to attract more people to the Truth. But by doing so, they have sometimes twisted the truth, or removed it altogether, “minimizing” the power of the Gospel and the sovereignty of God.

Andy may have more to say here. But for now, I ask God to safeguard me from ever allowing any trace of human wisdom or creativity to taint my perception or presentation of the Truth.

"Homeschooling???" (addendum)

It is purely by God's grace that we find ourselves on the path of homeschooling. We thank God for providing the means. It is ultimately not about academic achievement or social adjustment but our calling and conviction and responsibility to provide a God-centered environment for raising the child with whom God has entrusted us, for as long as He enables and wills.

The last thing I would want to see happen is a segregation between those who homeschool and those who do not. I have many dear friends and sisters who are teachers and proponents of public education. Many of them provide me with invaluable insights and support and encouragement. And I thank God for them.

A sidenote: I finally checked out The Well-Trained Mind from the library and it looks great. Thanks Lois! I think I am going to order one...