Pure Church

I'm about to turn my attention to writing the sermon for Sunday. I'm very much looking forward to preaching Gen. 26:34-28:9, the classic text where Rebekah and Jacob conspire to steal Esau's blessing. The text is full of drama and gospel need/hope.

I'm beat today! With a long day Monday, and a slightly slower but still long Tuesday featuring an elders' meeting, I'm running on about 2/3 power. But 2/3 power in the service of the Lord is full strength; it's the Lord Jesus at work in us. And part of what keeps the pastor rolling is the blessings of a faithful people for whom he may give thanks and express appreciation. I've missed a couple days of posting, so this post brings us reasons 3-6 for the first six days of "congregation appreciation month."

3. No Fishbowl. Boy, I can't tell you how important it is for a pastor's family to be able to live without the constant critical observation of others in the church. "The fishbowl" has robbed many a pastor and family of a healthy family life, of grace they need from others, and for opportunity to grow among the people. It's one of the things that pastors going to a new charge worry about. I don't think we have ever felt ourselves to be in a "fishbowl" here at FBC. Certainly people watch our lives, and we hope what they see glorifies our Savior. But our failures, shortcomings, and idiosyncrasies have met with grace upon grace from the saints at FBC. We've been allowed to be ourselves--my wife just another sister in the church rather than "first lady" or "pastor's wife," my children to be themselves without being labeled PKs, and so on. There is so much grace from God through our people in this one aspect alone. And I know all of the pastors are deeply appreciative.

4. Gospel Hunger. I love preaching to a people who want to hear the gospel every time we gather. The saints think something is wrong if they don't hear the cross in preaching. The other day, I had a brother tell me he didn't hear the gospel clearly in a sermon I preached. He was I right. I was thankful that he listened closely enough to tell. The gospel is simply becoming more and more foundational to our lives together, loved for the beautiful truth it is, and missed when not present in some obvious or rich way. I appreciate ears and hearts tuned to the truth.

5. Gospel Partnership. Gospel hunger has led to a deeper gospel partnership. It's nothing but encouraging to think of how the folks here have so eagerly committed themselves to the spread of the gospel. The church was supported in its early years by Lottie Moon funds, and now increasingly it's a sending church. The Lord has graciously grown our missions budget, moved a number of his people to live more actively evangelistic lives, generated constant support for pastors serving beyond the walls of the church, and so on. I feel like I know what the apostle meant when he wrote to the Philippians praising God for their fellowship with him in the gospel from the first day until the last.

6. Eagerness to Be Shepherded. I don't know that I've ever seen a church of people so eager and willing to receive pastoral care and leadership. As elders, we actually have to slow down to make sure we're not leading too fast or too easily accepting the people's support before making sure we're on the same page. If there were a choice between rebelling and perhaps too quickly submitting, the sheep here will almost always err on the side of submitting too quickly and easily, if there is such a thing. In through it all, one gets the sense that folks are genuinely grateful for their shepherds and the shepherding they receive. That's fun.

7. Compassion. I can't really keep pace with the amount of compassion in the church. There are lots of people in the body with gifts of mercy. And I really appreciate that because that's not my primary gifting. They challenge me personally, act as models for me, and call me to think about how we lead and steward that gifting. It's a good thing to be stretched by the compassion of your people.

Someone somewhere decided that October should be "pastor appreciation" month. I don't know who decided this, but I think it's a good idea. After all, 1 Tim. 5:17 reads, "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching." It's a godly and biblical thing for God's people to honor the men He raises up to watch over their souls and their work should be a joy (Heb. 13:17).

But, I think we also need a congregation appreciation month. There should be some place where pastors set aside time to express their appreciation for their people. We should do this everyday as we pray for the people, but it seems reasonable to set aside a special season of thanksgiving and gratefulness to God for saving His sheep and calling us to tend them. I know that my dull heart can use a season like this. So, this month, I'm going to try each day to give attention to at least one reason I'm thankful for the people God has graciously allowed me to serve. And since it's already October 2nd, here are two:

1. Humility. This past Sunday I had the joy of meeting with a new couple to the island. They were excited to be in Cayman and even more excited to be at FBC. They commended the church for a number of things, but what stood out to me was their praise to God for the humility they sensed in the people of FBC. I think they were spot on in recognizing God's grace in this. It's really one of the first things I noticed when I first visited in January 2006, and one of the things I say to people who ask me what the church is like. I say, "The saints at FBC are a humble people, sweet, who love the Lord and His gospel." I'm deeply appreciative of the humility that God has worked in the life of this congregation over its 32 years of existence, a humility that springs from the cross, is deepened through service, sweetened through suffering, and evident to others. May He continue to grow us in humility.

2. Generosity. Boy, there are too many instances to name in this short post. The folks at FBC do not give to be seen but as an act of private, joyful dedication to the Lord. So, I'd be out of bounds to get too specific about people or acts. But as pastors, we're well cared for. When there is a need, people respond with giving and sharing. We're growing in hospitality and openness with our lives. God has freely given us all things with Christ His Son, and the people at FBC give to one another like they know God's generosity to them in Christ.

These are two reasons I'm deeply appreciative of the people the Lord has given me to shepherd. Tomorrow, Lord willing, one other.

Pastors, why are you appreciative of your people?

It's been a really full and joyful week at FBC this past week. We've had vacation Bible school and Upward Basketball activities going on each afternoon and evening.

Yesterday we joined in the wedding celebration of Shane and Ronnie Ebanks. We try to make our weddings worship services, focused on the Lord Jesus Christ and thanksgiving to God for the gift of marriage. Yesterday was as Christ-centered marriage as I've ever had the privilege of attending. The couple did a wonderful job of focusing on the Lord. And it was a tremendous time of celebration in the church family, with seemingly everybody in the church pitching in in some way. It was truly a family affair, and it was lavish in love. The couple wrote their own vows. See them below and let me know what you think.

Today, we had the joy of baptizing four persons following the morning service. Their testimonies of God's grace and salvation were powerful. And while we were at the ocean conducting their baptism, an older lady who has attended the church for years and wrestled with many questions, decided to profess her faith in baptism. It was one more example of the Lord's kindness to us all.

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Shane and Ronnie's Vows



I confess that I am a sinner who has offended a Holy and Righteous God, as a result of my sin I was separated from God and his perfect justified wrath was upon me.

God being rich in mercy and love sent His Son. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, being without sin thus the perfect sacrifice, died on Calvary’s Cross to take the punishment for my sins. The Father has given me a faith in him, so I can now confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that the Father raised him up from the grave.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. I have been given a new eternal life in Christ. Christ has become my righteousness. I am adopted into the kingdom of God. By the spirit of Christ I call out Abba, Father. The Holy Spirit has sealed me for the day of redemption. And it is in this new life...

I promise to love you all the days of my life. I will treat you as if you were part of my own body. I will be quick to listen and slow to speak. I will exist with you in the covenant of marriage in a way that glorifies God, communicating the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Husband

Sharon I will care for you always. I will honor you and cherish you with a love that I possess only through Christ. I will esteem your counsel above all others. I will always try to be first to the cross, when it comes to sacrificing for you. Knowing that adultery is detestable to the Lord, I will keep our marriage bed pure. Should the Lord see fit to bless us with children, I will endeavor to raise them with you in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. In the example given by Christ the groom to the Church his bride I will attend to your needs helping you to become all that God wants you to be. I Love You!

Wife

Shane I will joyfully submit to your God ordained leadership in everything. I will love you and cherish you in all that you do. I will esteem your counsel above all others. Knowing that adultery is detestable to the Lord, I will keep our marriage bed pure. Should the Lord see fit to bless us with children, I will endeavor to raise them with you in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. I will support, trust and respect you, for I love God and He has given you to me. I Love You!

For the past couple of days, I've been working on a pastoral situation where it seems nothing has gone right. I've been heavy in spirit--discouraged really.

Then last night in Bible study, two members of the church approached me separately with small gifts. Both thanked me for what they see as faithful shepherding in their lives.

I can't count the number of times I've been downcast in soul and God kindly sent someone to me to point out evidence of His gracious work in and/or around me. When my soul falls He is ever there to pick it up. I'm thankful for the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:26).

I'm also thankful for the trials that push me out of myself, depletes my self-dependence, and makes me cry to the Lord. "It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn Your decrees" (Ps. 119:71).

I just wanted to give a word of thanks to the many friends and fellow-laborers, brothers and sisters in Christ, who have made some mention of The Decline of African-American Theology. I am grateful for your encouragements and support of this work.

Tim Challies offered a review at Discerning Reader.

Anthony Carter has been posting quotes and comments as he reads. See here and here.

Eric Redmond, that Man from Issachar, made some very generous comments about the book and posted a critique of Word-of-Faith churches and issues of social justice.

Lionel Woods at Black and Reformed Ministries writes, "I pray that this book will bring the Lord Jesus the glory He deserves in this world. He took on the wrath stored up for us, so that we can live in harmony with the creator. God is awesome and He has given us another nugget in this book. "

Jeff Fuller, one of the Reformed Evangelist team bloggers, has added The Decline to his list of reads for 2008.

TheoSource included a brief review of the book.

Lance Lewis plugged the book with these lines, "After reading it if you feel it’s worthwhile recommend it to friends, family, church members, Sunday school teachers, ministry leaders, assistant pastors and anyone else you think would benefit. While reading it please pray for the black church that the Lord will use this and other means to bring about a reformation for the sake of His savior and the praise of His glory."

Ronjour Locke at magnifyGOD mentioned The Decline in his reflections on reform in the African American church. A sample: "I long for my people to come to the Savior. But I fear that with liberation theology, prosperity theology, black Islam, and countless other ideologies, many blacks in America do not know the God of the Bible, nor do they know that Savior that has come to redeem them. God has uniquely designed the events of black history so that Christ would be exalted and the Gospel would spread. I long that the truth of the Gospel would be heard in black churches and spread throughout communities for the glory of God."

Thank you BaldJim for putting the book on your wish list.

Thanks Justin for mentioning the book.

The brothers at Grace Church Memphis call all to learn more about African American Christianity. They plug Carter's On Being Black and Reformed--which if you haven't read, you should do so immediately.

Laura hears the rumblings of reformation. I hear them, too, Laura!

If I missed giving you a shout, blame it on Google and Technorati :-). Actually, charge it to my head and not my heart. I am grateful to God for all of you who have given any thought or mention to The Decline. I pray the Lord uses your labors for His unceasing glory!
Thabiti

I've been working on expressing gratitude more effectively. It's been up and down quite frankly. I'm having to cultivate the habit. It's not natural to me and a good start doesn't ensure continued success. So there have been fits and starts, lulls and jumps. On the whole, I'm learning two things. First, I'm bent whether through sinful disposition or habit toward noticing the soft underbelly, poking it, and commenting on it. In other words, I'm critical. Second, people seem genuinely awkward with specific comments of praise or gratitude. Flattery they can take, but an accurate and meaningful comment leaves people a bit surprised. They're like deer in headlights. "Uhh. He said something personal and warm. Stand real still he might forget you're standing here."

So, not only do I have to cultivate gratitude in my own cold, sinful heart but I also have to do my part in setting a context where such expressions are normal.

I don't know why I shared that preamble accept to say I'm still working on it. And this morning, I want to express my gratitude to God for Mark Dever, a man I love and respect deeply. The post would be too long to try a format like some of the others. So, I'm opting for a list of reasons here. Let me tell you why I love Mark Dever.


1. I love him because he is Christ's. Christ is in Him, and He loves the Savior. That makes Mark a lovely man (I'm sure he doesn't hear that enough!).

2. I am grateful for the tons and tons he has taught me about the local church and about Christ, her Head. I'm most grateful for the ways he taught me to love the Savior and His body.

3. I am grateful for the example of generosity that he is. It's frequently "Christmas in Grand Cayman" because I'm regularly going to the post office and finding there a surprise package of music or books from Mark. And that's just a more mundane expression of his generosity.

4. I am grateful to God for Mark because of how He has used Mark to enrich my friendships. Without question, I've made more friends through Mark Dever than perhaps any other man I know. He's unusually gifted in giving friends away and I'm thankful for the blessing that habit of heart has been to me.

5. I am grateful for how Mark has shaped my preaching. Now, he shouldn't be blamed for all the poverty in my preaching! That's on me. But, specifically, he's helped me think about precision and application in preaching more than anyone else. Several years under his preaching has shaped me tremendously and I'm still discovering ways in which that's true.

6. I am thankful for the example of tenderness that Mark is. A lot of people feel intimidated around Mark. He's a big man with a big brain. But at heart he is a teddy bear. And he is tender with the sheep. I can't count the number of times I've heard him exhort us with, "Feed the sheep, don't beat the sheep." He has a large pastor's heart. He's a caring man.

7. I praise God for Mark's energetic zeal in discipling young men. Not only am I a beneficiary of that zeal, but it's been a model of what I should be doing with young men as a pastor.

8. I thank God for Mark's example of leadership. Three things in particular have stuck with me, particularly since becoming a pastor. First, Mark is relentless in keeping his eyes on the main thing and disdaining distractions. I've at times misunderstood that as "not listening" or something of that sort. On this side of the pastor's desk, I'm now quite aware of how necessary it is to keep pointing the sheep toward the Chief Shepherd, not waivering at all the bleating going on around you. Second, it's really important to have your "convictions" be biblical and few. I think Mark is exceptional at this. And learning to do this in leadership it seems to me is one of the key ways you keep yourself and the people from the tyranny of "preference" masquerading as biblical mandate. And that's good leadership. Third, the brother is a real team player. He'd rather do most things in a team. And I think that's made both his ministry and the ministries of many other men that much more effective.

9. I praise God for the fruit He is bearing through Mark's writing and 9Marks Ministries. There's an ever-increasing amount of stuff out there on pastoral ministry and the local church--from the bizarre to the brilliant. I appreciate that the stuff that comes from 9Marks and the team there is of sound quality and preeminently useful. I'm no prophet, but I think there's a quiet ecclessiological revival happening in churches and 9Marks has played a definite and critical role in that, by God's grace.

10. I thank God for Mark's impact on my prayer life. This was subtle at first. But at some point I realized that much of my prayer life is patterned on things I learned at CHBC. From praying through the church directory, to the amount of time devoted to prayer in the Sunday service, to the range of things I now pray for with some specificity... the Lord has used Mark to encourage and strengthen me in all of these things.

11. I am grateful for Mark's example of humility. I could note this in a few ways. But one way that sticks out to me now is his self-effacing attitude in conversation and preaching. He's often the butt of his own jokes and the "failure" in his anecdotes. Not to draw attention to himself in a false humility, but so as not to present himself as some superman, to war against pride. He's willing to laugh at himself and to have others laugh at and with him as well. It's a great quality--especially combined with that teddy bear quality I mentioned earlier.

12. I am very, very thankful for Mark's encouragement and support of me. It's been personal, it's been specific, it's been consistent, and it's been effective. Nearly from the day we met, he has taken me aside and given specific counsel and encouragement. I'm not sure I would have finished the couple of books now published or being published, and I may not be anywhere near pastoral ministry right now if it weren't for the Lord's grace, my wife's constant support, and Mark's encouragement.


Well... I could go on and on with reasons I'm grateful for Mark. But in the words of a classic... "these are a few of my favorite things." The Lord has been good to me and to His church in giving Mark Dever to us.

You all should meet Dave Jorge. He is the pastor of worship here at First Baptist Church, Grand Cayman. It is an honor to serve the people of FBC alongside Dave.


He loves the way I number points in the sermons; so the numbered points below are just for Dave. Here are some things you should know about Dave Jorge and why I thank God for him.


1. He is faithful.

It's required of stewards that they should be faithful. Dave in his six year tenure at FBC by all accounts has proven a faithful shepherd. He is no hireling serving when it's convenient or advantageous in some way.

How would you respond if your community and home were destroyed by some catastrophic event? What would you do if you had the opportunity to pick up and start over elsewhere after such an event? And how would your decision be influenced if you were significantly understaffed and overworked at your job, and perhaps there was great uncertainty at work?

My brother remained on island during the country's most devastating hurricane, hurricane Ivan in 2004. Many expatriates had to leave the island in the storm's aftermath. And a great number of those never returned. I don't judge them; the storm was indeed devastating. Dave and his family could have called it quits and bailed, and I'm not sure many people would have blamed him. But he has made Grand Cayman home and the people of FBC his family, and he gave himself fully to their care and recovery. The church was without a senior pastor in that time; the elders were basically brand-spanking new; and a church split would soon begin to brew. And pretty much no one had any experience with category 5 hurricane events. What did Dave do? Dave rounded up the people, loved them, organized tons of outreach and care activities. During the weeks following the hurricane, with the main church building pretty much destroyed, Dave and others organized food relief from the church's kitchen that served some 50,000+ meals. He was faithful to love and care and pray for the people--even to the detriment of his physical health. My brother is faithful

2. He is longsuffering and compassionate.

Dave does not give up on people. If anything, he perhaps assumes too much responsibility for other people. His compassion and patience seems to know no limits. I don't think I know many people who are so quick to "mourn with those who mourn" and who bear with the weak. When someone is sick or hurting, Dave is there. He has great wells of compassion, empathy and mercy.

2. He is generous and giving.

The Lord has gifted him with a strong gift of helps. The brother is a servant. Actually, both he and his wife are servants given to quickly without hesitation dropping all to serve others. They make a wonderful team. In the last year, he's done triple duty as pastor, working on everything from his day job (pastor of worship) as well as the building admistrator and contractor helping to oversee reconstruction, to counseling, and chief cook and bottle washer. I've watched him help friends with their businesses, volunteer at community playhouse productions, give a late-night tow to certain other pastors when they put diesel fuel in their unleaded car engine, and give a little girl's bike a complete lube job (when she really only wanted her brakes adjusted :-)). The Lord has made him tremendously giving.

3. He is an accomplished musician.

This is another way the Lord has gifted him. And while he could be putting that gift to lucrative secular use, he dedicated himself to the work of the kingdom in this area. He has blessed an unnumbered group of souls through the worship ministry at the church and at other places. And this is a tremendous help to me. I'm thankful for his giftedness in this area because I'm a musical illiterate! I thank God for making us a team and for using Dave in a very gospel-centered, Christ-exalting way in the music ministry of FBC.

4. He is humble and gracious.

I assure you he's already made awkward at this post. He would prefer none of the spotlight. He would genuinely prefer the background, quietly doing all the things no one else wants to do. He does not draw people to himself, but points them consistently to Christ and His glory. The Lord has worked that good fruit and disposition in him and it's a blessing to all who work with him.


I praise and thank God for the joy of knowing and laboring with Dave Jorge. He is a gift to the saints at FBC and to this preaching pastor.

I've not known Dr. Mohler for very long, perhaps three or four years. I first met him during a visit to Washington, D.C. He spoke at a Henry Forum and took a ton of questions afterward.

Because Mark Dever is who is, some of his friends have become my friends. I am grateful to count among the men who have influenced me--sometimes from a distance, other times close--Dr. Mohler.

Here's why I am grateful to God for Al Mohler.

1. The man has a big brain.

He's easily one of the smartest men I've ever met. Do you remember Cliff Claven from the TV show Cheers? Cliff was full of trivial information always awkwardly injected into some otherwise edifying conversation. Well, Dr. Mohler is like Cliff Claven--except what is stored in his mind and heart are the always relevant and edifying treasures and precious truths about the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. Open almost any subject and he's read about it, thought about, written a commentary on it, or included it in a talk somewhere or some time. He's a walking encyclopedia. The last time I saw him, he actually recommended a couple books on the history of darkness and light in Europe! Who reads about darkness and light and how candles and electric lights changed society?! Al Mohler. And write it down, that seemingly obscure knowledge will one day surface in a powerful illustration or commentary that changes how we think about an issue or culture. I am grateful, deeply thankful, that the Lord has given the Church an Al Mohler who loves the Lord with all of his mind.

2. The man is steadfast.

I'm searching for the correct adjective here, but "steadfast" keeps coming to mind. Many of you will know of Dr. Mohler's part in the "conservative resurgence" in the SBC. And some of you will know of the tremendous heat and pressure that comes along with any movement of that sort. And still others, even if you know nothing of the resurgence, will know that Al takes a lot of hits because of his engagement with the culture and ideas of our day. Homosexual advocates on the left. Moderates and liberals in the convention. Secularists on TV. Intellectuals in ivory towers. The man faces slings and darts from all around, and he does it by God's grace with biblical resolve and steadfast commitment to the gospel of our Lord. He's not moved by changing opinions and faddish winds. He's steadfast in the Lord.

3. The man is tireless.

I'm learning from Dr. Mohler that I can run harder, longer, and at times faster for the Lord. The Lord has worked in him a unique stamina and endurance. Dr. Mohler is a full-time husband and father, a university president. host of a syndicated radio talk show, author, and blogger! He's no stranger to hard work and he is redeeming the time, and I am grateful for his example.

4. The man is funny.

Trust me. When the smoke settles for the day's battles, you want to be in earshot of Dr. Mohler. A quick, sometimes satirical, sometimes anecdotal, always side-splitting humor emerges. I appreciate men who can laugh and who can make others laugh. Of the times I've been around Dr. Mohler, I can't think of one where I didn't hear a truly funny story or an occasional impression.

5. The man is caring.

This should be evident, but sometimes I think this gets lost when we think about public figures and the various causes they're addressing. I appreciate Dr. Mohler's deep gospel-centered and practical compassion for people. He appears to me to be moved by Christian love, empathy and concern. The most recent and moving example of this for me came at a Southern chapel back in March. Homosexual activists had staged a surprise protest on the campus the day before. The campus was abuzz from the day's events. The following day was chapel. I can imagine 100 ways that the situation could have been mishandled or poorly addressed. The protestors could have been met with any number of unkind comments, cold stares, or angry rants. Instead, Dr. Mohler closed the chapel service with words that at once convicted the assembly of its need for a much deeper, Christ-like compassion and stirred affection and concern for the lost. He could have "run for the door" or left the gathering unsettled and undirected. But with great pastoral warmth and care, he led us well with words of instruction and a time of rich prayer. I'm deeply grateful for his example of compassion and grace.

There aren't many Al Mohlers in the world as far as I can tell. That the Lord has placed him among us as a champion for the gospel should make us deeply grateful. And, indeed, I am grateful for our brother.

Equating gratitude and thankfulness in some ways seems to cheapen the more rarely used term "gratitude." We say "thank you," or just "thanks" in such a common, nonchalant way that to equate the two almost seems an injustice. Our "thank yous" seem almost devoid of genuine gratitude. Honest appreciation... that is, a sincere weighing, evaluating and esteeming of the person and/or the gesture/gift... appear to be almost entirely missing.

Perhaps this is why gratitude sometimes strikes us as an old, quaint word. The kind of specific, intentional, and meaningful expressions that compose genuine gratitude seem to belong to another era, a foreign people, a more idealic place.

I pray that the Lord would work deeper gratitude in my heart for all that He is to me and for all that He has done for me. He loved me and gave himself for me.

And in His continuing kindness, He has placed in my life people who have taught me to love Him better, to trust His word, and to serve him more faithfully. One such man is Dr. John MacArthur.

I became aware of John MacArthur while one day driving home from work. His radio program, Grace to You, came on during drive time in the city I lived in at the time. I remember how excited I felt just hearing the messages, how rich they were in biblical truth, and the way my thinking changed as I listened to him. For me and many of my friends, John MacArthur became something of the standard for pulpit ministry and teaching.

1. Changes the Lord wrought in me.

I am grateful to the Lord for the personal changes He worked in me through the preaching ministry of John MacArthur. I went from thinking that preaching had to be entertaining to seeing that preaching the word is beyond entertaining and exciting! I went from thinking it was the pastor's job to always "console," to seeing that it's most often the pastor's job to teach, sometimes rebuke and often challenge through the preaching of the word. Perhaps most importantly, I began to see ways in which I needed to grow as a Christian, ways I needed to be more set apart from the world and zealous for the Lord. It was probably John MacArthur's radio teaching ministry that brought this into clearer and sharper view for me. I am deeply grateful for how the Lord has used him in my personal life.

2. Faithful expositor.

I am grateful for MacArthur's faithfulness in biblical exposition. One thing you can always say about John is you know you're going to get the word, a whole lot of word, as if drinking from a fire hydrant. For 40 years now, he has expounded the word one verse at a time. I appreciate his example of longevity, faithfulness, and dedication--all based upon a rock-ribbed trust that the Bible is God's word and the preacher's job is to make it's meaning clear for the people. I suppose that in 40 years' time, there have been many men who have started out well and then been "bewitched" by strange doctrine, cultural fads, and other things that have shipwrecked their ministry if not their faith. In a time of shifting currents and trends, I am thankful for Dr. MacArthur's steadfastness in expounding the word, for his continued belief in the sufficiency of Scripture as evidenced by his continued study and teaching of it.

3. Institution builder.

Another thing that makes me grateful to and for John MacArthur is his work as a builder of institutions. Grace Community Church, Grace to You radio and TV, and The Master's Seminary are all institutions the Lord has used John to build. I am thankful for the legacy John means to leave to the church. Not that he has set out with wild ambitions and great plans. Far from it, I think. He has set out to preach the word, and from there, the Lord has given him opportunity to impact now a generation of churches and pastors. I am thankful that John has had the faith and courage to walk through the doors the Lord has opened and leave institutions that prayerfully will shape generations to come. I am thankful that he has not lived for himself but has lived for those who follow, and the institutions that stand in his wake are one evidence of that.

3. Courageous defender of the faith.

How often have you seen Dr. MacArthur on Larry King Live? And have you ever witnessed him fail to speak the truth of the gospel in any appearance? I imagine that walking into the lion's den is not something you do whistling, "here kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty." It's an experience that puts you on your toes, ready to spring, lest you be devoured. It takes courage to defend the faith on the airwaves before millions. But the same integrity John shows in his pulpit where it's "home field advantage," he shows on the opposing team's turf. And he does it with grace, clarity, humility and a constant certainty that grows out of the gospel.

And I especially appreciate that this is not limited to public appearances. Perhaps Dr. MacArthur will one day share some of his experiences as a Californian in 1950-60s Mississippi and the courageous way the Lord used him to stand for the gospel in that day. He's a man of great faith and compassion, and I am indeed humbled and happy that the Lord has made him available to the world.

4. A nice jump shot.

Perhaps you've seen the photos. I was there! John MacArthur is an athlete--pure and simple! Here's a man approaching seventy that played 3-on-3 pick-up ball with 20-somethings and held his own from beyond the arc! No matter your eschatology... you gotta appreciate and be grateful for a pastor consistently draining the three over men 1/3 his age! I am grateful to have been on his team!

I am grateful to and for John MacArthur for what he has modeled and taught so faithfully over these many years of ministry. I am deeply humbled at the privilege of getting to know him and can only praise God for the lavish kindness He has shown me through Pastor John MacArthur.

That's what my mother often says when she attends a funeral and hears all the nice things people say, or witnesses the deep grief of persons who perhaps have loved deeply but not expressed it in various ways. With a resolution born of knowing, she announces in calm tone, almost to herself and to no one in particular, "Give me my flowers while I'm living."

Over the years, it's become for me a lesson in expressing gratitude. I can see the rows of flowers and arrangements adorning the pulpit area and casket at funerals... wonderful colors, arrangements of various sizes, sometimes with ribbons bearing various sentiments. Then my mother's voice, "Give me my flowers while I'm living."

Yet, learning to express gratitude hasn't been easy for me. And I'm certain I've not expressed enough gratitude to God for my mother or for others He has placed as gifts in my life. It's sad really. I do feel grateful, and I am thankful, but I'm lousy at expressing it.

Well, I'm praying and continuing to work on changing that. I want to give flowers to people while they are living, while they can smell and enjoy them, and rejoice in the Lord who created them.

Today, I want to say a word or two about how grateful I am for my mother.

There's no one quite like her. She's strong. Quiet but passionate, and even emotional at times. She left school in the 7th grade to work in the furniture mills of NC making less than a buck an hour. But she is one of the smartest people I know. She gave me a love for books and learning, telling me I could be anyone or anything I wanted to be, even president. I believed her well past the time I perhaps should have known better, and so the Lord has used her to get more out of me than I otherwise would have thought possible.

My mother can look at a person, listen for a moment, and almost give you a life history and current trajectory. She reads people like she does books. I think that comes from a long life filled with experience, usually hard, sometimes disappointing, and occassionally surprising.

I am the youngest of eight children born to my mother. She never married. But neither did she ever complain, run down my father, bail on providing for us, grow too tired to take an interest in our schooling or extra-curriculars, avoid the responsibility of hard work, make excuses, or resign at anything. I'm sure in the long, tired nights of single motherhood she felt like doing some of those things. But she never did. Ever.

When she wept, she showed great humanity. But I've never seen a person work so hard while weeping. And I've never met someone who so consistently saved her tears for things worthy of them. The loss of her mother... and later one of her sons. The day that I was arrested at my first job while in high school. My mother wept. She could see the end of the choices I was making and wept for the loss it would be. I'm grateful for my mother's tears; they literally turned my life around. I guess you could say even her tears were strong.

One of my fondest memories of my mother is a foot race we had down the street bordering the rear of our home. I was probably 7 or so. My mother was in her mid-forties or so. She had had a heart attack and was trying through diet and exercise to take care of herself. She had smoked most of her life up to that point. When I brought home one of those scary pictures of black lungs they give school children to "evangelize" their smoking parents to a non-smoking life, she looked at the picture, looked at me, and with a purse of the lips quit her pack-a-day Pall Mall cigarette habit on the spot! Hasn't smoked one cigarette since. Well, we're walking this last block home and my mother looks at me and says, "Want to race?" I was a little surprised, but said something like, "You can't beat me." She laughed and said, "Well, let's race then."

On your mark... get set... go! Man, my mama shot down that gravel road like an Olympic track star. I can remember churning my legs as fast as possible as she toyed with me running down that street, laughing and taunting all the way!

That's when I gave up my track ambitions and settled for basketball. If I couldn't out-run my mama, there was no way I was going to out-run little speedster friends like Lamont Holt. But I was tall... so basketball seemed a likely sport. My mother rarely missed a game my entire "career." She was there for me. Which is why I could trust her sober advice when recruiters from small DI and DII schools showed up with partial scholarships and big promises. "Son, you're probably not going to go pro. You have an offer of an academic scholarship. Take that. Study. You can be anything you want to be." Man, how she served and loved me so well!

I wish you had time to read a much longer post, and I had words to honor my mother well and express my gratitude. But here's a summary. I am grateful to the Lord for my mother. I am thankful for the way she never let me down. Though a fallen, sinful person like the rest of us, her steadfast love long ago vanquished any doubt that she was a virtuous woman in her own right, interested in me not out of convenience but with sincerity and great hope, full of wisdom and strength.

I am thankful for all the extra long hours of work she put in at that furniture mill. Hours she translated into food on the table, clothes on my back (how ashamed I am for the small tantrums I threw over the latest trendy clothes "I had to have"), books to read, frivolous treats and surprises, money for college, doctors visits, and on and on.

How grateful I am for the example of industry and prudence she left. How she raised eight children on essentially minimum wages I'll never know. But was she ever an example of diligent, responsible, self-less behavior.

I'm thankful for every tear, every secret prayer, every word of encouragement (there were so many), every "idle" moment spent dreaming with me about what I'd be when I grew up (Pastor was never on the list, but now she tells me she is proud of me), every visit to the school to meet with a teacher, every reprimand, and every tender moment.

And in these later years, I am thankful to the Lord for her faith and hope in Him! As grateful as I am for my mother, I'm more grateful to the Savior who first placed me in her care and who has taken care of her soul.

So much to be grateful for. Words so feeble. But I think I'll call my mama today and give her some flowers while she is living.

Our deepest gratitude is to be expressed to Christ Jesus our Savior, who loved us, and gave himself for us, and purchased with His own blood our eternal redemption. That God gives himself not only for but also to sinners is astounding! But this is what He has done through Christ and His Spirit who quickens and seals us. There is no more profound gift and no gift more deserving of gratitude--deep, humble, joyous gratitude.

Perhaps the thing we, then, should be most grateful for after Christ are those men and teachers whom the Lord uses to draw us to Christ, to push us up into Christ, the exalt Jesus before us, to placard Christ crucified before our very eyes, and to cause us to bow in reverence before the Lord of glory. When the foolishness of preaching and the scandal of the cross becomes wisdom to us, when the Spirit opens our eyes to behold the Lamb through faithful preaching, it is proper for us to be grateful to God for such preaching and preachers.

More holy affection and joy for Jesus my Savior has been stirred in my soul through the preaching of John Piper than anyone I can think of in the past three years or so. God blesses my soul through his preaching. He pulls me heavenward while simultaneously leaving me in the dust in contrition... that odd mix of abasement and exultation in Christ. I'm so grateful.

1. I've learned from Piper to exult in Jesus

I know many of you have the same experience listening to John. My chest and heart open, Christ pours in, and my affections are set in heaven! You know, I really loathe that cliche that says, "Don't be so heavenly minded that you're no earthly good." Uuugh!! What an unbiblical, backward thought. It's only when we are heavenly minded, when our affections and thoughts are set on Christ the King who reigns and returns, that we're ever any good on earth. And more importantly, it's only when we're longing for heaven and our God in heaven that we make any progress in being fit for heaven!

I remember the first time I heard him ask that now famous question:
"Would you be happy to go to heaven... to have all your family there, to be free from all diseases, to have every kind of pleasure you desire, etc.... would you be happy to go to heaven... if God were not there?" It's an arresting question that cuts right through the heart of our materialistic, self-seeking, but ultimately unfulfilling, earth-bound, and trivial lives. And it reminds us that Psalm 73:25-26 is absolutely true!

When it comes to loving Jesus beyond all things, the Lord has used Piper in a prophetic way in my life. John Piper teaches me to exult in Christ, and for that, I am grateful... deeply grateful.

2. I've learned to "let go" a bit in the pulpit and preach with passion

When the Lord first allowed me the grace of preaching the gospel, I would preach with some measure of freedom and intensity. Over time, becoming perhaps a better student of preaching, I think I lost a fair amount of that. That loss wasn't all bad. For example, I think I grew in the ability to distinguish between truth set on fire and mere emotionalism. I hope it's the case that my sermons have taken on more meat, and rely less on personality or human cleverness.

But in the process, I think I grew a bit colder as a preacher. The Lord has been pleased to put John Piper in my life at a time when I need and desire more Truth-driven passion in my life and ministry. I can't think of many people who better exemplify what it means to "preach as a dying man to dying men." The Lord has made John Piper to be an encouragement to me in this respect, and I am deeply grateful.

3. I've learned that I can be serious and intense, and simultaneously tender

Yep, I've learned that, in part, from John Piper. I know that some perhaps have come to see Piper as "hard" and intense only, perhaps not always qualifying things to make his hearers comfortable.

But here is a man that weeps and wants to weep over the lost. Here's a man that dishes out pastoral counsel with deep concern and empathy. He cares greatly about people not like himself and that shows in the initiatives and priorities of his ministry. Seriousness and tenderness are not antithetical. And I think a biblically-informed, anchored-in-Christ seriousness will inevitably lead to great tenderness. We've seen this not just in his preaching and pastoral roles, but even in his family. Consider the comments he shared with us when his father passed... blood-earnest seriousness and great tenderness and gratitude for his father. It's a tension that not many hold together well, and I am chief among those who fail at it. But I am grateful to God for what I'm learning about this in the life and ministry of John Piper.

I could say more. I should say more. I'm working on learning how to express gratitude in a more meaningful and consistent way. But for now, let me just say I am grateful to God for John Piper and I am grateful to John for all that he models for me and so many.

Perhaps you've not met Jonathan Leeman. Perhaps you've never heard him preach, or you've not read anything he's written. That's a shame. Here's a brother the church should be thankful for.

He's not famous... yet. And should the Lord desire to make him "famous," I'm pretty confident that "fame" will mean almost nothing to him. He'll take it as an indication that he has an even greater stewardship and responsibility; he'll work harder. But I doubt he'll be anyone or anything besides Jonathan Leeman.

If you read the 9Marks e-newsletter (current issue/archives), you've come into contact with Jonathan Leeman. He is currently the communications director for 9Marks and the lead writer for issues involving church discipline. He does those things about 8 hours a day. But he is the full-time husband of Shannon and soon-to-be father of two children.

Why am I grateful for Jonathan?

1. He is humble.

That's a precious quality. It takes work to cultivate, and even more work not to be content with being "thought of" as humble but actually being humble. One of the first times I met Jonathan was during his baptism at CHBC. I didn't know him personally, only by reputation. He had been a member of the church some years before Kristie and I landed there, and was by most accounts pretty head strong. He went off to Southern to study and his years there had by all accounts a dramatic effect on his life. When I met him, he was back to join the church and to be baptized. His baptism represented a very public and significant humbling. He was, in some ways, confessing a lot of growth, growth involving the changing of his mind and heart over the years. By the time I met Jonathan, two things were consistently being said of him: he was fruitful in discipling young men at Southern and he was very humble. That reputation was obviously well earned. The work of Christ in his life is evident, producing that rare blend of certainty in Christ but lowliness and opennes before others. I'm grateful for his example of humility.

2. He is fruitful.

I mentioned that a moment ago, but it deserves mentioning again. Jonathan is diligent and faithful, which works itself out in fruitfulness. His addition to the 9Marks team is a tremendous blessing. So much has taken place in the spreading and multiplying of that ministry since he has started. Workshops have been added. Newsletters expanded. Lead writers herded and disciplined (Jonathan, I'll get that article to you soon, D.V. :-)). The brother is pouring himself out for Christ and giving himself to this very quiet, almost anonymous, but tremendously important role. He's a great "Tonto" to Matt, Mark and Josh and the rest of the team... again speaking to his humility. He continues to disciple men, teach in the local church, and encourage others far and wide. I'm grateful for his ministry of encouragement in my life and his example of gospel fruitfulness.

3. He is sincere.

I wish I could find a better word than "sincere." It's a good word, but it's fallen on hard times as people sometimes use "sincere" as the litmus test for personal truth. That's a shallow use. What I mean here is that what you see is what you get with Jonathan. And, something more. His sincerity leads him to inquiry, discussion, and exchange. I remember the day Jonathan came into my office and dropped his rather tall, solid body into my poor little wooden side chair. Slightly nervous, but with sincere intent, he asked me to explain a comment I'd made about race in the office copy room. He'd just been passing by when I made the comment, but on reflection thought he'd strike up a conversation. He told me about how he didn't "see" one of his African-American friends as African-American or black. To which I responded, "Then you don't know him much at all; you're hardly a friend." I probably spoke too rashly (still working on James 1:18). But Jonathan, with rarest of sincerity, took it to heart. That began an ongoing conversation that Jonathan I pick up from time to time on everything from Earth, Wind and Fire to what it felt like a couple decades ago to be labled "an endangered species" (see here and here for examples) and how Christ changes all of that. He's been a tremendous conversation partner, full of questions, eager to gain, and willing to push back.

I'm grateful for Jonathan. I count him a dear brother in the Lord. I thank God for the gift he has made Jonathan to be to the church and I trust there will be a crown of rigtheousness for him when He sees the Savior on that day.

Learning to express gratitude hasn't been easy for me. And I'm certain I've not expressed enough gratitude to God for the people He has placed as gifts in my life. It's sad really. I do feel grateful, and I am thankful, but I'm lousy at expressing it. Without making an excuse, maybe it's this male thing. I start to feel all squishy and goofy, like what I'm saying is waaayyyy to warm-fuzzy or cheesy or something. So, I tend to say simple, shallow things that communicate some appreciation but remain rather generic and sometimes heartless, as though I'm composing one of those non-descript greeting cards for "all occasions." In fact, it feels rather like a blank card.

Well, I'm praying and beginning to work on changing that. I want to give flowers to people while they are living, while they can smell and enjoy them, and rejoice in the Lord who created them. Today, I want to say a word or two about how grateful I am for one brother in particular, C.J. Mahaney.

Many of you will know C.J. from his books, his preaching, the Sovereign Grace family of churches, and his infectious joy in the Lord. C.J. is perhaps as grateful a person as I've ever met, and I'm thankful to the Lord for placing him in my life.

Things I've learned from C.J. about gratitude for which I am grateful:

1. Gratitude is to be an endearing and enduring mark of the Christian life.

We are to be grateful for the cross of Christ and redemption through Him. We are to be grateful for the evidences of grace we see in our lives and others. And our gratitude to God should spill over lavishly onto others in the form of meaningful and specific words and acts of encouragement and appreciation. C.J. is a bit like a cross between the Energizer bunny and a Hallmark card. He is non-stop, high energy encouragement and gratefulness. And I'm learning that such gratitude should be commonplace for the Christian.

2. Gratitude is to be taught and modeled.

Indeed, this is what C.J. does so well. Not as a show; that would make a mockery of true thanksgiving. But with genuine interest in people, he models what it looks like to hand out flowers to others around you. That's something that is not evident enough in my life and ministry and something I want to change. I once stood with C.J. outside the Covenant Life bookstore, where he introduced me to a number of members of the church. With nearly each member, he told me how long they'd been members and offered some specific encouragement or word of appreciation to each of them. One couple had been with church for 20 years or so. After sharing some specific ways they labor in the church, he turned to me with these words, "These are the kinds of people you can build a church on." How wonderful to say such things to people with no hint of flattery but with sincere appreciation. And the great thing about the exchange was it was not isolated to C.J. Nearly everyone I met that Sunday morning was full of gratitude to God and for others. It's a compelling vision and experience--all churches should be filled with people who ooze gratitude. It's to be modeled and taught.

3. Love your wife.

How many of us pastors need to think more about this one and put it into faithful practice? How many of us have almost shipwrecked our marriages on the rocks of the ministry, giving ourselves to everything but our wives? It's a sad and all-too-frequent occurence. I love C.J. for the way he loves Carolyn. His love for her is obvious. And though I'm sure he'll be the first to tell you of his many woeful failures (after all, he is the guy who wrote the book on humility :-)), one can not be around him long before he expresses in his own way the truth of Prov. 18:22. Our wives are a tangible expression of God's kindness to us, His favor received. How appropriate it is, then, that we should show gratitude to God for them and express that gratitude toward them. I'm not sure I've met a pastor who does that as obviously and faithfully as C.J. I've even stolen some of his lines when he introduces Carolyn. Like this one. "Sweetheart, when you're in the room you're the only one in color; everyone else is in black and white." Yeah... I stole that one. And more than that, he's inspired me to use carefully crafted words of my own toward my Kristie. I need to do more, to show more gratitude. It's good and right and godly that I should do so. And I'm thankful that the Lord has used C.J. to teach me that.

4. Gratitude expresses itself in love for your family.

C.J.'s example doesn't stop with the church and Carolyn. But he is active in his expression of gratitude toward his family. He obviously loves his daughters and his son. He spends time with them. He cares for them. He plans in such a way as to include them, to consider them. I'm a fan because he loves his family so well.

I guess, in short, I'm grateful for C.J. because he embodies so well a deep, passionate love for Jesus, the Lord's church, his wife and his family. He models, by God's grace, this sense of great and appropriate joy in all of life's good and godly pleasures... eclipsed by even greater joy in Jesus. He's grateful for what he has, and yet he seems most often to remember that he has nothing that he has not first received. And the One from whom he received it is greater than all.

With time and space, reflection often deepens and grows. The clearer air of separation, and to some extent solitude, often produce a more robust gratitude.

As Christmas approaches, I'm reminded of the distance in both time and space traveled over the past year. And I'm growing more reflective, which is mostly good.

Good Reflections
Preparing to preach Genesis 1 and 2 this Sunday, Lord willing, I was prompted to take a peek at Mark Dever's The Message of the Old Testament. As I leafed through its pages, flashes of memory came and went. I could remember hearing this sermon or that point. But most of all, gratitude to God for allowing me the privilege of being a part (as hearer) of so momentous a work and such a wonderful fellowship filled my heart. When I was there, these were just a collection of great Sunday morning sermons, the fare to which we were treated and spoiled each Sunday morning, whether it was Mark or Michael or a guest preacher. With time and space, I recognize in these sermons a much greater treasure for the Church and I'm thankful to God for what He has done in and with them.

Time and space and reflection have made me more appreciative of my family and friends back in the states. Separated by an ocean and a plane ride (which really aren't that great a barrier in our day), I'm reminded that seeing them isn't as easy as jumping in the car. In phone calls, where I'm asked from time to time for counsel or prayer, I'm more deeply affected with the knowledge that their well-being totally depends on God who sustains all things. There are hurts I don't see, laughter I can't share, hopes realized and dashed that escape my notice. And in it all, I'm made more grateful to God for the family and friends he's given me. Five months time and a couple thousand miles of distance have me missing these great blessings of family and friends. And, I'm thankful for them all... old and new.

This is the first moment I've had to stop and contemplate what the Lord has done in bringing the family to Grand Cayman and the FBC family. I've thought a lot, but the pace of things hasn't allowed for deeper reflection. There's reflection ahead of me, I'm sure, as we enter the week of vacation beginning Monday. But, I'm deeply grateful--deeply grateful--for the people here. Such open love and care. Several women in the congregation have absolutely adopted my family as their own, investing vast amounts of time and interest in my daughters particularly. The way people have cared for us in the birth of Titus and in a 1,000 other ways is embarrassing in its tenderness and generosity. And I'm moved to tears even now with gratefulness to God. It's an incomparable joy and privilege to labor here as their pastor and to live together with them as a brother in Christ.

My mother is here visiting with us. Kristie's mother was here a few weeks back. As with each of our children, they've come to help out with the newborn routine. I simply wouldn't know where to begin in describing my love for my mother and mother-in-law, or in describing how thankful I am for the Lord's good providence in placing me in both these families. There isn't time and space enough for me to finish reflecting on the love, grace, tenderness, compassion, wisdom, joy, patience, steadfastness, beauty, faith and courage of these women. I am grateful to God for them.

My wife is a chip off the ol' block. Tender and courageous. Patient and bold. Witty and wise. Gorgeous and gracious. Full of life and laughter and light. Her children will rise up and call her blessed. And if there is any praise in the gates for this stubborn, cantankerous ol' dog, it's in no small part because of Kristie. Gratefulness is too shallow a word to describe how I feel toward God for Kristie. Babe, I love you with an everlasting love.

Afiya, Eden, and Titus. And then there were three! These are three extraordinary children. Courteous and kind. Full of giggles; even Titus is smiling quite a bit in these last couple of days. I am thankful for the humbling the Lord produces in me through them. I am thankful for the motions of grace I see in Afiya and Eden in particular. I am thankful for their contribution to our family and am excited to see what the Lord will make them to be. I am grateful. My reflection on who they are produces a certain urgency and yearning to see them walk with the Savior. I want them to be godly, Christ-following, pure ladies... exhibiting womanly grace, modesty, knowledge of Christ, maturity, faith, hope and love. Reflection becomes dreaming... and the prayer of faith becomes so urgently necessary.

Life is good. Eternal life is best. This morning, my longing for heaven is strong. It's not always so. But right now, I want to be with my Savior, to see Him face-to-face, to know Him as I am known, to rejoice with the company of heaven at the glories of our God and King! I want all the persons I know to be there with me... but I'm ready for eternity. Christ has purchased and our omnipotent God has vouchsafed a life without end for all who repent and believe on Him, a life wihtere there is joy and pleasure forevermore, where there is no more sun or moon because God himself lights that place, where God is the Temple, where "when we shall have been there 10,000 years" we will only have just begun to sing God's praises. In the quiet of space and time... today, and I pray it would be every day all the time, I want to see my Savior.