Fighting for Life

Last week I mentioned the story of a woman in Texas who resigned from her position at Planned Parenthood after she watched an ultrasound of an abortion. Here's more on the story from an interview Abby Johnson (the former Planned Parenthood employee) did with Mike Huckabee:



I praise God for this woman's testimony. Please join me in praying that it reaches a wide audience.

Fuel for the Start of the Work Week

A valuable reminder from Tim Keller:

"God places a high value on his work - filling the world with excellence and beauty (Gen 1) - and therefore so should we."

Even our ordinary, "secular" work is loaded with meaning and Godlike qualities. Cleaning a house is bringing order out of chaos, the very thing God did in creating the world. So work with joy this week, in whatever God has called you to do, knowing that your work images forth the glory of our Maker.

The song won't work if tomorrow, we LIVE

If the dead aren't raised, then @DaveJMatthews is right: Eat & drink, for tomorrow we die (1Cor15:32). But that's a BIG if; be sure, friend.

Don't Forget to Groan, 11/8

Who won the World Series seems pretty insignificant when realities like this exist in the world:

MacAidan Gallegos, 5, receives a flag from Brigadier General Sean MacFarlan as Amanda Doyle, MacAidan's mother, watches during the funeral services for Army Sgt. Justin Gallegos at Evergreen Cemetery in Tucson, Ariz. Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009. The Department of Defense says Gallegos was one of eight U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009 during a fight with insurgents in a remote area near the Pakistan border.

(Why should we groan?)

Believe this, and sleep like a baby

Truth that gives sweet sleep (Jer31:26): "I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish" (v.25). Good night.

I'm not sure if Rick Reilly is a Phillies fan, but he sure sounds like one

I was mildly irritated when I visited espn.com during my lunch break yesterday and saw footage from the Yankees championship parade. Then I came across this little piece by Rick Reilly, who captured my sentiments well:

Look, the Yankees played well. But isn't that what the Yankees are supposed to do? They paid their players almost twice as much as the Phillies team they beat -- $208M to $111M. Just the Yankees starting infield made more than 15 teams this year. Throw them a parade? I don't get it. So what? George Clooney got a girl, Paris Hilton slept in satin sheets last night and Bill Gates went to the bank. Call me when you've got some news.

Read the rest here.

It's good to know at least that the Phillies have the best team that money can't buy.

Prayer & the Gospel

There were many things I enjoyed about Paul Miller's A Praying Life; one of those things was the connection that Miller made between prayer and the Gospel. Here's one of my favorite quotes:

Prayer mirrors the gospel. In the gospel, the Father takes us as we are because of Jesus and gives us his gift of salvation. In prayer, the Father receives us as we are because of Jesus and gives us his gift of help. We look at the inadequacy of our praying and give up, thinking that something is wrong with us. God looks at the adequacy of his Son and delights in our sloppy, meandering prayers.

If, like me, you desire a more enthusiastic, disciplined and joyful prayer life, Miller's book is an excellent read.

A Memorial of God's Grace

The Nittany Lion statue next to Rec Hall is the most famous landmark at Penn State (Oh well, maybe it's Beaver Stadium, but I prefer the Lion!). And when I think of Penn State I think of Jesus, because that's where I encountered Him and gave my life to Him.

Three years later, Penn State is where I also encountered and fell in love with my amazingly beautiful bride.

Now the Lord has blessed us with two extraordinary little girls.

So when I look at this picture, my heart bursts forth with awestruck wonder and praise: Grace, grace, grace!

"I Can't do this anymore"

That's what a director at Planned Parenthood facility in Texas recently said, who resigned her position after watching an ultrasound of an abortion.

Watch a news clip of the story here.

The Strangest 60 Seconds of my Vacation

I saw a commercial for this:

And it wasn't a joke. You can actually buy these things. Is Chia Jesus around the corner?

Don't Forget to Groan, 11/5

Pakistani volunteers rush an injured child to a hospital after an explosion from a car bomb in Peshawar, Pakistan.

(Why should we groan?)

The reign that never ends

The World Series is over, and it was a disappointing week for the Phils. They were only two wins from a repeat championship, but couldn't pull it off. Their reign as World Series champions is over, and though last year's victory was great, there's still a sour taste in the mouth of Phillies' fans after losing this year.

Yankees fans should know something of that taste. After winning four championships in five years in the late 90's, they had the pieces to win every year since 2000, but came up short each year until this one. And all those victories in the late 90's probably didn't make losing year after year any sweeter.

But the end of the Phillies' reign as champions has increased my joy in sharing in the reign that will never end. At the beginning of Luke's Gospel, when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her about the Son whom she would bear, the angel told her:

"He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."

Imagine that: a reign that never ends. The thrill of sharing in the triumphant reign of our favorite sports teams is an echo written on our hearts testifying to us that we were created to be part of an eternal reign, infinitely greater than the Phillies or Yankees can imagine. Their reign lasts for a season (or two or three if they're fortunate); but the reign of Jesus Christ endures forever.

So it will be a long offseason for the Phillies and their fans, as they seek to recapture their championship reign in 2010. Yet their loss this season makes me incredibly grateful that, by God's grace, in Christ I share in a reign that never ends.

Beer & Coffee

(Before reading this post, it might be helpful to keep this disclaimer in mind)

If someone were to come to you and say, "Every night I have two beers before I go to sleep, because I really have a hard time sleeping and the beers help me," how would you respond to that?

My guess is that for many readers of this blog, we'd regard this to be dangerous, unwise and potentially (or definitely) sinful. For those who tend to think that way, I'd pose this follow-up question:

If it's not ok to have a couple of beers to help you get to sleep, then why is it ok to have a couple of cups of coffee every morning in order to help you get going?

Please understand: I'm not advocating alcohol use or condemning coffee use, just trying to think through some things.

And I'd love your help in thinking it through; leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Idols of the Heart and Vanity Fair

That does it for the guest posts, so I scheduled a post to go up today with this article by David Powlison called Idols of the Heart and Vanity Fair. It looks lengthy, so it should keep you busy until my blogcation is over on Thursday.

I've not read it yet myself, but Justin Taylor says it's well worth your time to read, to ponder, and to implement. And I've come to trust his discernment, so give it a read if you have some time.

Reminders

A guest post by Matt Hartel:

Catherine spent the day with some friends at a baby shower, leaving me to take the role of mommy for a day. This is what much of our day sounded like:

"Eat your dinner, Rachel.. Just try your green beans..."
"Abby, stay close to Daddy. Don't run away Abby!"
"Rachel, don't fight with your sister. Be kind to your sister."
"Abby, hold still! Let Daddy get your diaper on."

I spent most of my day - not teaching the girls something new - but reminding them of what they already knew to be true. In many ways, they know the truth and continually need to be reminded to obey it, sometimes with a little discipline behind the reminder, much like the law presented throughout scripture.

I'm thankful for the reminders of scripture. Though I know many things in my mind about obedience to Christ, I find my heart constantly wanders away. More than ever, I realize that the laws that expose my sinfulness are not something I can fulfill on my own, no matter how hard I try. Ezekiel 36:26 reminds me of the promise that was fulfilled in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."

I thank God for doing (and continuing to do) this to my own heart. I pray for the faith to trust in this work to my own children, should He please to do so. Knowing that He ultimately works the heart transplant - and not me - is a reminder I need every day.