by Kimberly | May 16, 2012 | Uncategorized
Buzz word: gospel.
It seems like a lot of people have their own definition of what the gospel is. I recently have heard many different ones: social gospel, your relationship with Jesus, prosperity gospel, family.
Dr. Moore in his book, Adopted for Life, says this: “Adoption is, on the one hand, gospel. In this, adoption tells us who we are as children of the father. Adoption as gospel tells us about our identity, our inheritance, and our mission as sons of God.” (pg 17-18) I heard this quote as “the gospel is fundamentally about family”. Hearing this quote in the context of where I was made perfect sense. But, it led me to think that it may not be understood in a larger cultural context.
I know both the speaker and Dr. Moore and I know that they fully believe the gospel is the cross of Jesus Christ and how he died to reconcile sinners to the perfect Father who is sovereign and creator of all things. There is no doubt about that.
But, when we have one chance to explain the gospel to unbelievers: this may not be the best place to start. If we are given one hearing, one audience, I would start with the holiness of God, the sin of every human, the need for the cross, and salvation that comes only through Jesus. I know these men would say this as well.
I love that adoption pictures the gospel in that we can see God’s heart for the unwanted, the outcast, the bringing people to Himself that aren’t just like Him. It is amazing.
But, in this world of universalism, synchritism, and plurality of what is actually truth – may we be cautious in how we explain the gospel. I know people who have adopted children and aren’t believers (they may be a perfect audience for hearing what God did for them through Christ), but some people and different world religions place a lot of emphasis on family. If I have family then I’m good to go. Or I’m a good person and family is important to me – that’s all I need. I don’t want to let anyone think that that is what I mean if I say “the gospel is fundamentally about family.” Sometimes we don’t have time to go through a whole conversation – we are given one chance.
One book I would HIGHLY recommend if you are thinking about adoption or are wondering how this cultural hot topic applies to the gospel and the Christian life is Dr. Moore’s Adopted for Life. Here are some other quotes that I love that talk about this topic:
“The gospel is good news because it announces to us that God has acted in Christ not just that we may have heaven, but so that we may have God.” – John Piper, God is the Gospel, pg 148
“The gospel of Jesus Christ is humbling because it tells us that we are broken and need fixing. All false gospel, {including anything we can do to make ourselves feel better or be more culturally aware of significance} appeal to our human vanity because they tell us that we are less broken and can at least participate in fixing ourselves.” – Josh Moody, No Other Gospel, pg 37
“The pressure to find a bigger more relevant gospel seems to have taken hold of a great many people.” – Greg Gilbert, What is the Gospel?, pg 103
The true gospel has been around for a long time (since before the foundations of the world) and we as humans can’t do anything for ourselves. We must wholly believe that Jesus is our only hope.
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” – 1 Timothy 1:15
by Kimberly | May 15, 2012 | Uncategorized
The only sermon I heard live at T4G…Ligon Duncan’s…most memorable as well. It was just what I needed.
Shortly after I began writing for Providence in April 2010, my wonderful, caring, God-honoring boss said something along these lines to me: “Kim, have you ever done something so big in your life that it had to be done by faith?” I thought for a moment, then honestly answered no. That was a humbling and convicting. That conversation got me through writer’s block and frustrating times of no vision.
I’m there again. And that’s why this sermon was so needed for me.
Ligon preached on Elijah in 1 Kings 19. For a brief synopsis: Elijah had just come off a great victory against the gods of Baal. God’s name was declared to the people as the Only God. Then, he immediately started hiding from the queen. You would think he would have been on top of the world? Then…he wanted God to act in a certain way in his life. He, in His sovereignty, chose not to. God then spoke to Elijah, giving him some action points. No where in the rest of the Bible does it say that Elijah accomplished these to-do items from the Lord. Was he so struggling that he saw no point in the obedience. Scripture speaks from absence.
But, later when Elijah meets up with Elisha God takes him in an unexpected way to heaven. Then, we see that Elijah gets to be on the mountain when the Savior of the World is transfigured before him. He got to see God’s glory displayed in Christ on the face of the earth: that’s really what Elijah’s whole earthly ministry was about. I love how Ligon said this: “I would have loved to have been in heaven to hear that conversation between Elijah and God the Father after the moment at the mount of transfiguration (when Elijah returned to heaven).” Would Elijah have finally gotten it – that he just witnessed the answer to his life long prayer and vision?
One of Ligon’s main emphasises through the morning sermon was isn’t it just like God to not give you what you want. God has been so gracious in my life, but there is struggle to keep vision and dreams and wanting God to speak when He seems silent. Not distant, just silent.
When weariness and blindness set in – do we still dream?
Ligon said something very hopeful to me that I am still learning: “He is able to fulfill your biggest dream, even when you can’t dream anymore.” When the vision is gone, when every day is a step of faith, when the dream is losing its brightness – what do you cling to?
As the name of Elijah means: “my God is God.” And the verse I cling to right now is: “You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.” (Psalm 119:68)
“We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving. And we all have some power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing.”
Louisa May Alcott
by Kimberly | May 10, 2012 | Uncategorized, Women
With all this political talk this week – that I am sure will continue and clog up social media from now until the end of January 2013 – don’t worry – this post has nothing to do with politics.
One of my sin problems I dealt with as I got older and remained single was my pride in my independence. I would say all the time “I love being single! I can come and go whenever I want, spend my money, cook whatever I want, etc. I worried about me.” I was so independent. That is actually one of the things that people in my life told me would be the hardest for me and would make marriage very hard: my independent spirit. I won’t say that the transition to married life and being in close relationship with someone else, especially my spiritual head, leader of our home, hasn’t been tough some days – but God has been very gracious.
One way I see that I still need work is when I am trying to solve problems, fix things, live the “spiritual” life on my own. I can be dependent on my sweet (yet human) husband, but I find far too often I live my life independent of God. I got this reality check when I met a sweet, decade+ friend for breakfast recently. She is also a pastor’s wife; so there are similar struggles with life in the ministry and marriage. I slid into the booth at Panera, looked at her, and said, “Ok, I need some honest wisdom. How did you do ____________?”
This was her answer: “I prayed. Some days all I could do was sit on the couch with my Bible and read. I had to depend on God.” That was definitely my takeaway from that time with her and I’m thankful that God used the Spirit in her life and her experience to convict me of sin in my own heart.
So, as I’ve been thinking about what this might look like as I continue going down this road of marriage and the Christian life, here are some thoughts:
1. God is most glorified in us when we are most dependent on Him. Yes, I stole the title from this blog post from the Resurgence. So good! Please read it. God wants to be glorified in our lives and will be when we place all of our hope and trust and dependence on Him.
2. I can’t make it every day without Him. I am realizing that with my new role as a mother of a little boy and a wife to an amazing, godly man – that I can’t just live life on my own. I need God to direct my words, be in my actions every day, force me to put a smile on my face when I may not feel like it, worship even when there is “pain in the offering”, be steadily rejoicing and counting the trials as joy (James 1).
3. God is good and can be fully leaned on. E will not always be there for me. I am going to the mountains for 4 days with a friend in 2 weeks and I can’t bear the thought of being without my hubs for that long. Thank goodness for cell phones and facetime. I don’t look forward to not being able to wake up with him in the morning or talk about our days at the time when we crawl into bed. But, without E with me, God will still be with me. He is always with me. He is dependable. The Psalmists talked about this often and I love reading these when I am tempted to lean on anything but God:
Psalm 66:5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
Psalm 59:9-10a O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. My God in his steadfast love will meet me.
As single women – don’t get too stuck in your independence that you are afraid to trust your heart to the one kind, gentle, masculine man that loves Jesus and that God has created for you. Wives, don’t fully depend on your husband for everything you need and forget God. I’ve learned (am learning) both. God is gracious.
by Kimberly | May 1, 2012 | Uncategorized
Its the first day of a new month, so these are the books I hope to complete this month. We’ll see how the book reviews are this month to see what I finish:
Boyhood and Beyond – Bob Schulz
My former boss recommended this book for me to read as I continue to pray for baby Campbell and as we raise him to fear God and be a man. I look forward to jumping into it!
Parenting by God’s Promises – Joel Beeke
Picked this one up while in Louisville for T4G at SBTS’s Lifeway. Looks like a helpful read for us as new parents.
Help! I’m a Minister’s Wife – Tina Wright
A sweet friend, mentor, and minister’s wife herself (and new Florida resident) wrote this book a while ago. This has already been such a blessing to me as a I read it and think through how she has lived this out and how I can live its principles out too in my marriage.
A Faith That Endures – Brian Croft
My pastor just finished preaching through Hebrews 11 and reading Brian’s thoughts on it are proving a helpful reminder. Also, getting to know his family and him (as he is one of my hub’s best friends) is a laugh!
Loving the Way Jesus Loves – Philip Ryken
Yes, I’m still working on this. It is a quite difficult read just because its convicting!
Treasuring God in Our Traditions – Noel Piper
This book has been helpful in thinking through what I want our family to be like and how we incorporate the gospel in our daily lives as a family.
A Woman’s Wisdom – Lydia Brownback
This is my book for Crossway this month. Very excited about this as the hubs and I have been reading, meditating, and attempting to memorize James (some say the NT book of Proverbs) this year. I always need to know how to apply God’s Word in my life!
by Kimberly | Apr 30, 2012 | Uncategorized
“Curse God and die!”
No, that would probably never come out of our mouths, but what else comes out of our mouths when we speak to our husbands that lead us down the road to becoming like Job’s wife.
Job, the very real, very discouraged, very Godly man in the Old Testament, had a wife who told him what to do when all was seemingly falling apart in his life (and in the life of his family).
Job 2:9 says this “Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.’
Job had just lost his children, his property and his health. He was down and being tempted and tested by Satan (Job 1-2:8).
Taken from John Piper’s The Misery of Job and the Mercy of God:
“That day was like a hundred years. At dusk his wife returned. And she was brusque and cool. “Do you still cling to God?” she asked, and saw his wordless nod. “I think you are a fool. How much from him will you endure till such a love as this from God, the Great, is seen to be a form of hate? Here’s my advice for you to try: Curse God, tonight, and die. And I will follow soon – a widow robbed of everything.” And Dinah sobbed. And tears ran down Job’s horrid face. He pulled himself up from his place, and by some power of grace, he stood beside his wife and said, “I would, no doubt, in your place feel the same. But, wife, I cannot curse the name that never treated me unfair, and just this day has answered prayer.” “What prayer? What did you bid him do?” “That I should bear this pain, not you.”
Are we like Job’s wife?
When times are tough and ministry is discouraging? When our children are not following in the patterns that we have set up for them as parents? When life is depressing to our husbands and he wonders what to do…who are we to him? When he works on a project and doesn’t see it go anywhere? When his writing is slowly coming? When his students don’t do well on exams that he gives them? When God seems to be silent to him? When he has disagreements with co-workers? When people slander him in the workplace? Do we encourage him or do we tell him to curse God and die. Like I said at the beginning, I’m sure none of you would say this to your husband. But, do we say something similar?
Have words like the following ever come out of your mouth:
“Honey, just do _____________ and get out of the situation. I know its not quite right but what else can you do?”
“Dear, why are you always so miserable when you come home from the office? Don’t you know that I and the kids need you to be here.”
“_____, God really doesn’t care about us right now, and you aren’t leading us very well. Why can’t you lead better?”
“Oh, honey, please stay in bed, you know you don’t want to go to work today. It’s going to be a tough day. Home is better!”
Or maybe its not even what we say, but our demeanor when our husbands walk through the door at night. Are we comforting and make home to be a calm place for him to be, or do we demand to have our way, and try to offer our “opinions” on any given matter at work, claiming that we know better because we are women and have those great “personal skills” and “a woman’s intuition”.
If our adivce isn’t rooted in Scripture and Biblical principles, then we are not benefiting our husbands.
There are several truths of Scripture that come into play when the situation at home or our husband’s work is not what it should be, when we are faced with a discouraged spouse, or when life is just hard. Memorize these, ask the Spirit to help you the next time you really want to act out in the flesh, but instead you should be a helpmeet to your husband.
James 3:8-12: So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.
Proverbs 31:11-12, 25-26: “The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good, and not harm all the days of her life. Strength and dignity are her clothing and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness if on her tongue.”
1 Peter 3:4-5, 10-11: “Let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands. For whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.”
One of the aspects of marriage that I know is a blessing to my husband is a quiet peaceful home. Let me be honest – I was pretty good at this before getting pregnant, now…not so much. But my hormones and throwing up activities don’t warrant me to not aim for this type of home. Reading Tina Wright’s book this week has been a helpful reminder to me. Knowing how she lives her life is also a great reminder. What I’ve tried to start doing is not doing any housework when the hubs is home. Then I’m not stressing out, complaining about everything I have to do – and I’m able to sit with him, do activities with him, and just be near him. This is a way to be “not Job’s wife” for my husband.
What will it take for you to put aside your desire to be in control of every situation and be Job’s wife to your husband? I hope the above Scriptures will help and the following quotes will help as well. This is an area I DAILY need to work on and am thankful for the Spirit’s help as I pursue biblical womanhood.
“The goodness of the gospel news is the magnificent beneficial overflow that comes from the God who is bountiful in mercy to sinners like me.” – Sam Crabtree, Practicing Affirmation, pg 19
“The startling truth about speech is that our words either serve to glorify and please Him or they exalt and please ourselves. A wife who doesn’t control her language has the power to make her husband miserable” – Elyse Fitzpatrick, Helper by Design, pg 167, 173 (my number one resource for recommending to women if they are engaged or if they are already wives)
Elyse counsels women to follow this line of thinking/action when speaking to our husbands:
1. Speak to God first. I often do this in reverse. I say something, then speak to God, then have to apologize and seek forgiveness.
2. Use pleasant, helpful words (Prov 16.24). This goes not only for what you say but how you say it. I often don’t raise my voice (because I don’t see much use in it), but I can say hurtful, unnecessary words in a hushed tone.
3. Use graceful, deliberate words (Col 4.6). Do we talk just to hear ourselves talk or to make sure our husband knows what we want? Most of the time, this isn’t beneficial. I am quite opinionated, but my husband will not benefit by always knowing my opinion. That’s usually just my pride talking.
4. Use truthful, yet loving words (Eph 4:15). When we do have an opportunity to correct or exhort our husbands, how do we take care with that engagement to bless him? Do we show grace and mercy and apply the gospel and Scripture, or do we spout off whatever we feel and speak out of hurt or self-righteousness?
5. Use wise, kind, and comforting words (Prov 31). I need to ALWAYS work on this one. Thankful so much my husband is patient with me when I fail in this area.
May we serve our husband’s well by speaking blessings to them and not want and desire our own way when life isn’t going quite like we planned it.
by Kimberly | Apr 24, 2012 | Uncategorized
Tweet from Troy Temple, professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary:
“Presentation is to communication what location is to real estate.”
As I’ve spent much of my post seminary life teaching or writing Bible studies or curriculum, with the latest endeavor being Treasuring Christ Curriculum for Providence Baptist Church, I’ve learned many tools of the teaching trade – without actually being a teacher in the “classroom”.
1. Message is crucial. Yes, by all means, this is the most important aspect of anything you write or teach. Whether you are teaching chemistry, algebra, or lessons from the Sermon on the Mount – you must have your matter accurate. I think we learned this from the master teacher of them all: Jesus. Everything He spoke was truth.
2. Presentation, presentation, presentation. With this, I’m primarily talking about two different things, which I’ll discuss separately: activities (engaging with learning styles) and presentation (or the speaker).
Engaging with Learning Styles. I took a few education classes in college and then had education as my emphasis in seminary. I learned over the years and many books later learning style varies from person to person. Especially in writing TCC, I knew I needed to rely on experts (those who had been in the classroom for years or had children/teenagers) for activities. I didn’t want to use the same resources or learning activities every week. Every student has different learning styles. Some students (of all ages) learn by hearing, or some by doing, or writing, or being active. There are so many different ways to teach a subject, why stick with the same way every week? A saying that I heard often while doing Young Life in college was “its a sin to bore a kid with the gospel”. I think this goes for every subject, but ESPECIALLY the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Think about different questions as you are preparing a lesson each week (whether you use written material or produce your own):
1. How do you learn? Is that the only learning style you have incorporated into the lesson?
2. Have you included any time to be up out of a chair?
3. Is there anything a learner can touch, feel, eat? (Tactile)
4. Do you include adequate time for discussion and interaction?
5. In this world of technology, have you included any graphics, artwork, media, etc?
For me, to answer these questions, I usually stick with lecture and discussion, with some forms of media brought in. So, writing learning activities for younger children came into my job description with TCC, I had to ask others for help. There are some talented people in my life who were a big help and made TCC what it is too! But we can’t only teach in the style in which we learn. We can’t only continue to learn in one way. A greatcharacteristic of growth in a person is seeing, teaching and learning new and different things.
This topic of learning styles/activities doesn’t stop when you get to the adult years. All adults do not learn by lecture. And unfortunately, that is most of what our adult learning is boiled down to. Have a class that incorporates group discussion (for more than 5 minutes) and allows for application of the text. This not only gets your audience thinking but also helps you as a teacher. Many times a question an attendee has asked has opened the floor for honesty and relevance and application.
Presenting the Presenter. This is HUGE too! For TCC, one would never want to read the curriculum if we just kept it in Word format without any graphics at all. But, we brought on a graphic designer and resource artist that made the curriculum appealing for both teachers and students. But, I want to focus more on the presenter.
1. Be excited about what you are presenting. This will come across in how you are talking about your given subject. Are you excited and eager to share what you have to say? If you aren’t excited about it – then do you really think other people will be excited. I had a biology teacher in high school by the name of Mr. Musick. I STINK AT SCIENCE! But, he made me at least be interested in the subject, so did my Matter and Energy Prof Mr. Edgar. We flew paper airplanes. So cool. But, I had a US history prof named Bruce Morgan and he taught that subject in such a way that made me want to be a teacher. He was incredible – just because he loved the subject and it showed!
2. Look the part. When giving a presentation – look like you care. I speak at women’s events all over the southeast and when I do, I ask the person in charge what will the attendeed most likely be wearing. You don’t really want to show up all dressed up if most of the attendees are in sundresses or jeans and t-shirts. If you are female, wear makeup, put on jewelry, have those cute pair of shoes that go great with your outfit – and by all means, dress modestly. I learned this by the time I graduated seminary. All people care in some part as to how their presenter looks. We are a visual society. When I went and took a test in college or seminary, I dressed up, just a bit. I wanted to look the part of a smart student – it usually made me do better on the test. And if I was giving a presentation, I took even more time with how I looked. This made me look respectable and someone who the audience needed to listen to.
3. Know Your Subject. Be prepared. I used to write down everything I was going to say. I think that is now one of the most boring ways to present. Some folks stand up there and read their manuscript without ever looking up and read it in a monotone voice. PLEASE don’t do this – no matter what age you are presenting too. Practice, write an outline, ask people for advice. This comes with practice. Also, if you are going to have a time of Q/A, know what you are talking about if you give an answer. Have resources that will back up your answer. This comes in handy when talking about ethical issues or when talking with parents who want more help in discipling their students. And if you don’t know the answer, be humble. Tell them you will find out and actually follow through.
How have you learned to be a better presenter? Have their been presentations you would rather never hear again?
Links mentioned in this post:
Treasuring Christ Curriculum
Flagler College
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Bryan College
Lakeland Christian School
It seems like a lot of people have their own definition of what the gospel is. I recently have heard many different ones: social gospel, your relationship with Jesus, prosperity gospel, family. 
