My Mom and Dad (All About Jesus)

This is a very impromptu, unedited blog entry that I have little time for at the moment (should be in bed so I can wake up for an extra-early work day), but I just felt compelled to share what’s on my heart in thankfulness to God. It will be pretty rough – stream of consciousness style somewhat, but I am going for it. The topic: my awesome parents...
I just got off the phone with my little brother (aka my protégé!). We ended up talking about why our parents are so great. I’ll admit that it did not start out that way. I think we began talking about law school (which my protégé is currently attending) and then got into a conversation about my mom. I'll concede that I started the conversation mentioning a little tiff we had the day before. But somehow it turned into how even the spat was an example of how caring she is. Then I think my brother mentioned something about my mom and dad complementing each other as a couple, and then we just kept talking from there. I’d agree, and say something else good about them, and then my brother would, and so on. Before I knew it, we had been trading compliments about them for a good half hour!

I’ll say beforehand that these are things that I have come to appreciate more as an adult. I think it’s often much easier to relate to your parents as a grown up, especially when they are at least generally pleased with how you turned out. It’s also a chance to see more of their personalities when they’re not scurrying to get you to all your extracurriculars or make sure you eat all your vegetables. Here are just a few of the things I want to say in

1. They love Jesus.


As I’ve said many times before, my parents were never about religion, but about knowing God and living for Him. Even in the earliest memories of growing up, my dad has always studied the Word of God and taught us to do so too. My parents put my first Scripture memory book in my hands at age three, and we’d spend hours studying the Bible as a family. My parents also sent us sent us to Christian schools from even the early years when my dad was a full-time grad student and wasn’t supposed to be able to afford it. Yet they sent us there in faith, knowing that God would provide. And he always did. My mom taught us about always doing the right thing even when no one is looking, and modeled the importance of prayer. They put their faith far above their culture, and we all saw it as the most important influence in their words and deeds.


2. They have an awesome relationship.


I appreciate this so much more as a grown up (I also think it’s been rejuvenated by having adult children and more time for each other!). I’ve never once seen my dad raise his voice at my mom, hit her or otherwise disrespect her. He never lords over her, but leads gently. My mom also is the picture of what it looks like to be submissive but still have a strong, opinionated personality. As my brother pointed out in our conversation today, they really do complement each other so well! I feel like whenever such praise about a marriage is expressed there’s some unwritten rule (or maybe it's on the books somewhere) that you’re supposed to say “but all marriage is hard and work, and nothing is perfect.” But honestly, I’m not compelled to qualify it that way (other than the fact that I mentioned that statement!). Of course there are hard times – but that’s life! Yet when two people make Jesus central and then each other, and really live it, it brings God glory, and they can’t be separated. That’s my mom and dad!


3. They’re some of the greatest humans you’ll ever meet (this is inexplicably linked to number 1).


Growing up people used to always say that my parents were really nice. I used to look at those folks as if they were aliens. They were strict (although not how you might think since they grew up in another culture, in Nigeria), but now I’ve seen much more of their niceness. My dad is one of the most genuine and open people who can do really great things for people to share the love of God and meet others needs and really does not care if the recipients have wrong motives in return. He’s really learned to see people the way God sees them. He has such as heart for missions and evangelism, and share his faith in love everywhere he goes. He never gives up on anyone. My mom is one of the kindest, caring people I have ever met and knows how to use words to pep you up like a tough-talking coach would, but also to build you up. She also loves to give and be hospitable, and is just really fun. Both of them are totally dedicated to serving God. NICE!

4. They don’t look back.


If you meet them, you’d never know what they’ve experienced in their lives, although both have had tough times while they were growing up that easily could have affected them negatively – and their kids. But when they made a choice to follow Jesus, they really meant it. As the Apostle Paul said in Philipians 3, they forgot what was behind and looked forward to their calling in Christ. And they’re so free!

5. They’re leaders, not followers.

Since I was a child, I’ve seen my parents take a stand for righteousness even when it was unpopular. I’ve even seen them ridiculed for it. Yet I’ve also seen those same folks come around through my parents’ example. And they welcome them still.

My parents aren’t perfect – but they are saints, as are all followers of Christ. They have made such a difference in my siblings, and in their communities and beyond. I don’t know why I am so blessed to be born to them, but I accept it as a wonderful gift from God. As I grow up, I want to be just like them - and their Jesus.

(Orchestrated yawn) Bedtime...

The Truth (on Love)

I’m sharing another message series – this one from Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle. It’s based on the book he and his wife recently wrote called Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship and Life Together. After I saw the book featured at Family Christian Bookstore a few weeks ago, I went online to get more information about it and found that Driscoll had preached the accompanying message series earlier this year. It’s one of the best on marriage that I’ve listened to – perhaps ever (as I say frequently)!

The title of the book sums up the 11-week series. It’s a candid, biblically based treatment of marriage that is still beneficial for both married and single people. He really does preach the truth of God’s Word, without compromise, so expect to hear it! Every message is worth listening to, but there are a few that stood out for me:

Part 3: Men and Marriage – I really like the perspective this message provides about the role of the man as head of the family and how he should treat his wife. It also presents a beautiful picture of marriage as God intends.

Part 4: The Respectful Wife – Provides very good advice about submission in marriage, that loaded topic that never ceases to cause a stir. It addresses the meaning of women respecting their husbands – and ways to disrespect him that are not always addressed. I really benefitted from the teaching!

Part 6: Sex: God, Gross or Gift? - This one is perhaps my favorite! Driscoll presents three views of sex, embodied by the sermon title. Sex as God is when we make it an idol and engage in it outside God’s boundaries. Gross is when we see it as something disgusting that God did not create. Sex as a gift is when we have a healthy view of it and save it for God’s boundaries (my pastor actually referred to this chapter the day after I had listened to it in another great message on the topic – to me confirmation that God was really speaking to me through it!). As I listened, I felt Driscoll’s preaching on sex as a gift goes with my testimony that I’ve shared many times here about the importance of learning to embrace God’s design for sex in a world where it is distorted, even among Christians. I thank God I am still learning about the meaning of sex as a gift!

I also appreciate the statement Driscoll makes that, in marriage, God does not give you a “type,” but a spouse. That person is then your standard of beauty, and that’s what you have to be into (e.g., if he or she is short, you’re into short; if tall, tall; if he or she “used to be skinny,” then that’s what you’re into. Love that!). The message is a great way to gain insight into how to renew your mind in the area of sex!

Part 8: The Porn Path – Yes, it’s about pornography, and the teaching is awesome. The message is actually intertwined with the testimony of a woman formerly in the porn industry. Several sad statistics about Christians and pornography are also included – which I had also just come across a couple days before while researching for an upcoming sexual purity event that I’m hosting with some friends (another reason I felt God brought this series to my attention). Driscoll gives very sound biblical advice for overcoming porn addiction – and addiction to other sexual sin. He notes that it’s about much more than just changing a behavior, but changing your desires by learning to worship Jesus wholeheartedly. He uses a line that I totally believe in and will probably be saying forever: “Your theology can conquer your biology.”

Part 10: “Can We____________?” - Practically, this message is for married people, but principally is for everyone. It addresses how couples should set sexual boundaries in marriage. I appreciated the theological framework presented for approaching these issues in marriage. Embracing the teaching as insight into God’s design for sex, but also filing it away…

Okay, I pretty much mentioned half of the series, more than I intended, but it’s that good!

Almost all of the messages also include a Q&A with Pastor Driscoll and his wife, Grace, during which questions from churchgoers are answered. I appreciate their honest and biblically sound responses to the inquiries.

In John 8: 31-32, Jesus said: “...If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

When we follow Jesus wholeheartedly, He reveals His Truth to us. And oh, it is liberating…

Check out the messages online here, or on iTunes for free, Podcasts > Mars Hill Church : Mark Driscoll Audio > January 16 – March 25, 2012.

Happy listening!

BROKEN

I had no intention of blogging today, but the message we had at church provided me with thoughts to share...

Today we just started a series at church called “Out of the Loop,” about breaking “generational cycles” of sin, or detrimental habits that are passed down in families. These are sometimes referred to as “generational curses,” but I have never been comfortable with that terminology (or “theology,” perhaps). As my pastor actually puts it, Jesus Christ became the “curse” for us by dying on the cross, so there is no longer any curse.

Galatians 3:13-14 says, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.' He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."

Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are no longer hopelessly destined to repeat the sins of our forefathers. Christ is the answer to overcoming “hand-me-down” sins: there is no other “secret” or mystery to stopping these cycles. When we choose to follow Him wholeheartedly, the sins of our parents, and their parents, will not determine our destiny.

In Joshua 24, Joshua, who led the Israelites into the Promised Land, said this to them about how to overcome the sins of their parents:

“Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (vv. 14-15)

In the familiar story of Joshua and Caleb, after God led the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses sent them and ten other men as spies to survey the occupied land of Canaan that God had promised to the Israelites (Numbers 13). Although the 12 agreed that the land was good, flowing “with milk and honey” (v. 27), except for Joshua and Caleb, the others did not believe that they could overtake the land because of the size and strength of the people living there (vv. 28-33). The Israelites decided to listen to the naysayers rather than Joshua and Caleb, even wanting to stone the two to death (Numbers 14: 1- 10).

As a result of that generation's unbelief, they faced God's punishment as the consequence of their sin:

"Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of the men twenty years old or more who came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob— not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the LORD wholeheartedly.’ The LORD’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the desert forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone" (Numbers 32: 11-13).

In one generation, two people chose to follow God, lived and experienced His blessing; in the very same generation the others chose not to, died and failed to experience blessing.

Fast forward to Jesus’ death and resurrection, and we have complete freedom to follow God and experience true life. In Galatians 5:1, the Apostle Paul says to the church, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Because Jesus liberated us from sin by becoming that curse for us, we need only choose to live for Him and see any sin cycle of our past broken.

One reason the message of Jesus as the answer to ending generational cycles of sin resonates with me is my own history. I’m not saying that my heritage is all negative – I can think of past decisions that were made which impacted me positively. But, as with many families, there have been sins handed down that I could have inherited – but for the choice that my parents made to end them. Aside from the fact that I am geographically distant from most of my family, I have also seen how my parents’ decision to follow Christ wholeheartedly has detached me and my siblings from the pain and consequences that can come with generational cycles. Through my parents’ example, we were able to learn what it means to follow Jesus for ourselves. Now, God willing, we will have our own posterity that will continue to make the same choice to live in Christ.

As each generation chooses to follow God, He promises this:

“But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts” (Psalm 103: 17-18).

Some people put a lot of stock in family upbringing or history as the sum of a person’s potential. If a person comes from a “good” family, he or she will be “good”; if a person comes from a “bad” family, they will only make it so far. And some people who have been directly affected by generational cycles feel that they are doomed, or “cursed,” to repeat them.

But, as Scripture shows, in just one generation, things can go from bad to good – or even good to bad. What matters is that, individually, we make the choice to follow Jesus, regardless of our pasts. There may be challenges to breaking generational sin cycles, but because of what Jesus did on the cross, we are able to overcome even the worst of them.

I love testimonies of people in the Body of Christ who are surrounded by familial chaos choosing to break the cycle. I love it when followers of Christ don’t define themselves by the sins of their mother, father, grandparents or great grandparents. I love when we let the truth of God’s Word saturate our minds and fill our hearts, so that we are not conformed to the patterns of our world.

On Resurrection Sunday – and always, let’s remember that Jesus triumphed over sin so that we would not have to wallow in it. There are no familial cycles that have to enslave us. As we choose to break free by the power of the blood that brings light and covers us from all sin when we walk in it, we’ll see even generations after us reap the benefits of freedom in Christ.

You can check out messages from “Out of the Loop” here, or on iTunes, for free (Podcasts > The Bridge DC). There will be a new message of the series each week between now and May 20.

Jesus, thank you for overcoming the grave to give us true life!

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." ~ Jesus. (John 10:10, NKJV).

The Good News

Good Friday is my favorite day of the year to reflect on the Cross. I like to mediate on songs and verses that highlight the wonderful gift of eternal life that was given to us at Golgotha. But I also just like to daydream about the meaning of the Cross. When it’s warm enough, and the tree pollen isn’t thick in the air, on Good Friday I go to my favorite spot in nature to consider Calvary (unfortuantely, not this year!).

There is usually one truth that stands out to me. This year it’s the fact that The Gospel, embodied in the Cross, has brought us the good news of eternal life that we are to share with the whole world.

I love hearing The Gospel described as “the good news.” I think it brings to life just how amazing and significant Jesus’ death was to free us from the bondage of sin. Colossians 2:13-15 says,

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

What an awesome picture of victory in Jesus!

The Bible refers to The Gospel as “the good news” on several occasions when it was shared by early Christians in the New Testament. The reference that most warms my heart is in the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8.

The Holy Spirit had led Philip down a desert road where he would encounter the eunuch, an important government official who was religious but had not yet heard The Gospel. The eunuch had just gone to Jerusalem to worship, indicating that he believed in the God of the Jews, Yahweh. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, p. 374. He had stopped on the road and was reading Scripture aloud, as was customary in the day. He read a prophecy about Jesus’ death in Isaiah 53:7,8.

As Philip approached him, he asked the eunuch if he understood what he was reading (v. 30), to which he replied, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” (v. 31). Verse 35 includes the special words: “Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus." The Bible says that shortly after Philip explained The Gospel, the eunuch received it and rejoiced (vv. 36-39).

Acts, and the letters to the churches (Epistles) in the New Testament, tell the story of people who were going about their lives as usual when they heard the good news. There was Cornelius in Acts 10, the Italian military officer who was also God fearing. He was introduced to The Gospel by the Apostle Peter, who had to overcome his own prejudice to share it with him. There also was Lydia in Acts 16, a businesswoman who had also been a worshipper of God. And there were people who, in some cases, had settled into married life and then came to trust Christ, while their spouses still had not. And we cannot forget the Apostle Paul, who was going about persecuting Christians when he encountered God – and his eyes were opened to the good news.

The converts in the early church in many ways represent us. At the Holy Spirit’s direction, someone told these people in various walks of life about the message of the cross, and, at the Spirit’s leading, they believed – just like someone had to tell us the good news so we could believe.

And in Scripture we read about the challenges and triumphs the early church had as they learned what it meant to follow Jesus daily after conversion. Because of the good news, they could experience the life change found only in Jesus – and we can experience the same difference today.

The cross is a gift that we are meant to keep sharing! Just as followers of Christ in the New Testament spread the good news to whole world, so we, as little Christs, are commanded to do the same.

There are so many people out there, going about life as usual, whom God wants to transform with the power of The Gospel. He wants us to proclaim it to our coworkers, classmates, friends, family – even strangers! He wants them to know that, while they were still sinners, Christ died for them.

Over the last couple years God has really been convicting me to share my faith more. I’ll have to do a full entry another day about how God is working on me in this area, but on this Good Friday I can say that I am becoming obsessed with seizing the opportunities we get every day to voice the good news.

I just finished listening to the audio version of the book- and Movement, called “I am Second,” which tells the stories of how ordinary people (though some famous) gave their lives to Christ and have experienced abundant life in Jesus by putting Him at the center of their lives. I want to see these changes happen in people around me, too!

The Gospel – the Cross – is good, good news – the BEST news. So good that we should never keep it to ourselves.