"Love Into Light:" New Book and Website Helping the Church Respond to SSA

I've just come across a new book and an associated website (h/t John Piper on Facebook), from Peter Hubbard called "Love Into Light."  The book is intended to help churches and pastors engage with biblical fidelity and humility those who face Same Sex Attraction (SSA), including those who have chosen to act on those desires.  The articles on the website are helpful, and would indicate an approach that echoes what I tried to share in our "No Easy Answers' series message on the subject.

Hubbard's comments on the demise of Exodus International are particularly helpful.  He rightly warns that Christians need to repent of arrogance, but that the message of repentance also is needed for those practicing homosexuality, right along with the message of the gospel--in fact, the gospel begins in both the preaching of John the Baptist and Jesus with repentance.  Of interest to me was his identification of the former board chairman of Exodus as a pastor whose teaching on the nature of grace is problematic, and follows a line I have seen in the past--thinking that says, "Christians need not ask forgiveness, they are already forgiven," and "God is not moved by our bad works any more than he is by our good works."  Historically, this has been categorized as "antinomian" thinking (the word means "no law") and has been rightly condemned as error.

Read the article, and perhaps buy the book.

And you can watch the message from the series here:

No Easy Answers (2013-03-17) "When Gay Comes to Church" from Grace Baptist Ch, Cedarville OH on Vimeo.

Saturday Fun

I am probably the last person you know to post this, but it still makes me laugh, and wonder how long this little kid was planning his deviation from the "Books of the New Testament" script.  Enjoy!



OK, so I don't watch "America's Got Talent," but I heard about this, and was pretty impressed with what I heard.   You might enjoy it, too.

Shirley Cook Is With Her Lord

Missionary.  Wife.  Mother.  Grandma.  Friend.  Teacher.  Encourager.  One of the most gracious women I have known has passed from this life into the presence of Jesus earlier this morning (July 1st).  Shirley Cook, wife of Dr. Jim Cook, died four months after her diagnosis with Bulbar's Palsy, a degenerative disease that made talking, swallowing, and muscle function in the face and neck slowly disappear.

Through her illness, she maintained her gracious spirit and her testmony.  I just spoke to and prayed with Dr. Cook, who told me of her words to the doctor who diagnosed her at the Mayo Clinic.  She thanked him for his hard work in finding out what was wrong, and in response to his rather negative outlook, she said, "I belong to the Lord Jesus, and I will not arrive in Heaven one day late."

Shirley married Jim after the death of his first wife, Sylvia, the mother of his two sons.  Shirley had worked in the office of their mission as the Cooks left for the Philippines.  Upon Jim and Shirley's marriage, she became mom to Jim and John.  A son, Jeffrey, was born to Jim and Shirley in Sri Lanka during their mission service there, but he died shortly after his birth (one of many events recounted in Jim's wonderful memoir, Under His Majesty's Command).  She served with Jim as a missionary in Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon), and as pastor's wife when they planted International Baptist Church in Honolulu and then as Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of San Jose, CA.  After Jim's retirement from the pastorate, the Cooks embarked on a ministry of teaching, preaching, conference speaking, and mentoring.  They traveled nearly one million miles until Shirley's illness made it impossible for them to continue.

I first met Shirley and Jim when Kathy and I were at Hume Lake Christian Camps and Conference Center for a summer vacation and Jim was the speaker for the adult conference.  We hadn't planned to go to the conference that week, but hearing Jim changed our minds.  Jim and Shirley met with us there, and we were blessed to begin a wonderful friendship.  They have been confidants and advisors to us, and they have loved us and our children.  We will miss her terribly.

Pray for Dr. Cook, for John and Dee (our missionaries with IMI), as well as the rest of the family.  Services for Shirley will be in Colorado and Hawaii, with the Colorado service on July 13.

Coming back, slowly

It has been a whirlwind of a spring and summer for me; with trips (both personal and professional) and guests and both the regular and special events of ministry so that my blogging has been pushed far down the list of things accomplished.  I wish it were different, but what things that WERE done would I NOT do?  That is always the question, isn't it?

I don't have any one thing to promote, but a number of smaller things that are before me...

One is an opportunity for the rest of June to get Matt Chandler's The Explicit Gospel as a FREE audiobook from ChristianAudio.com.  This is an excellent book to remind us just what the gospel is, and I really enjoyed reading it last year.  It would be of great encouragement to many of you.

And I would encourage you to bookmark that site if you like audiobooks--they make one available free every month.  I happen to use audiobooks as a great way to keep up with my "reading," especially when exercising, mowing the yard, or some other activity where listen while I work.

Second, I just want to rejoice in what God is doing for some friends who are seeking to serve the Lord around the world.  Our newest GBC supported family, the Awabdys, are closing in on 90% of their support.  The Hansons and Gatekeepers are near 90%, with potential to go into the mid 90s this month.  A dear family from California, the Gappers, just wrote that they have reached 100% of their need to head to China.

But even as I write this, I know of others who are just starting and need nearly 100%, and others laboring slowly to get the first half in.  Two such families are a part of our family here at Grace, and you will be hearing of these needs.  So much being given, yet so much still needed.  Pray for the Lord of the harvest to not only call these dear laborers, but to provide for them to be sent out!

Third, I'm very excited about this weekend as Trent and Bekah Rogers are here as candidates for the Adult Ministries Pastor position (for Trent).  I've come to appreciate this young couple and their son, Luke, and I look forward to the rest of the church getting to know them so that we can decide whether to call Trent to serve with us.  Please be in prayer for this great need.

Fourth, "The Other Initiative" is underway, with the first step of directional prayer being completed this month.  As I have prayed, I have not been surprised at the people God has brought to mind for me, maybe because my circle of contacts locally seems heavily weighted toward our church family (no surprises there), and there are just a few circles outside of that.  But I am encouraged nonetheless that God has has been confirming his answers to prayer.  How about for you?  Have you been praying?  Has God been working?

Fifth, many of you know that I am passionate about comprehensive immigration reform (you can see my earlier post here).  I am excited that there is movement on this issue in Congress.  The bill under consideration is not perfect, by a long shot.  But it does address border security, creation of laws that can be enforced, and a path toward legal status for the 11 million or so here without it that we will never remove (and in most cases would think it wrong to do so).  I'm not asking you to be a partisan, but would you pray that God would lead our officials to act in a way that is just, compassionate, and best serves the nation?

It's Wednesday, let's talk about the end of the world.

One of my alma maters, Biola University, hosts the annual "G. Campbell Morgan Lectures on Theology" that gives a great overview of theology to their honors program freshmen and sophomores.  They have put this year's lectures online, and one of them (in two parts) is by my good friend, Mark Saucy, on Eschatology.  Give yourself 50 minutes to learn something about the end times--maybe as a preparation for Revelation this fall.

If you want to see the whole lecture series, go here.

Part one




And part two

New Links and Fresh News...

Oklahoma Tragedy
By now you are aware of the devastation experienced in Moore, Oklahoma yesterday as a massive tornado swept through the city, leveling two elementary schools, hundreds of homes and buildings, and left 24 dead (as of noon Tuesday) and 233 injured.  Pray for those affected.  If you desire to give or volunteer to help, you can contact Samaritan's Purse to do both.


Social Media Lesson:

This post  by Jen Wilkins at The Gospel Coalition was a great reminder to me about the need for filters in what we post in social media--in this case about our loved ones.  Here was a quote worth reading:

In school my children were taught a memory tool to help them make wise choices when speaking, writing, or posting:  T-H-I-N-K: Is what I have to say True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, or Kind?

I wonder how many of our posts fits that paradigm?

News from the Chambers...
I don't know anyone who sends better prayer letters from afar than Rachel Chambers.  Having joined Jim and Rachel in Zambia makes these regular emails even more powerful for us, but the following paragraph is a gut punch to any of us, whether we have been there or not.  In the midst of a full update, Rachel writes...

We were made aware of an orphanage work here in Kamunza—about a kilometer from the church – whose sponsors abandoned the work.  The nationals are staggering to simply feed and shelter the sixty-four children.  Our Biblical duty and our God-designed religion is to help –but how much, and in what ways?  We are currently befriending the orphans, bring some to church, assisting where we can with food and clothing, and working with the Zambian administrator to move them towards self-sustaining status.  We really  need wisdom.  There are serious financial burdens that they are bearing: a staff of eighteen who have not been paid for three months, daily care and upkeep of the home and children, and an unfinished house.  One business man and his wife are helping to raise funds from the community, but they want our involvement for guidance and accountability.  We’d never step in unless invited by the Zambian administrator, but he HAS asked.  So... praise God we can help, but pray for wisdom from above.  We need it, and the orphans need it. 

Wow.  Would you pray for this need--not just for the funds, but for the wisdom?

Rejoicing with the Kleis family
We heard from Jonathan and Noella about an amazing answer to prayer that puts them VERY CLOSE to their need and goal of moving to their new target area in Caselle, Italy.  They found a BIGGER house than they hoped at a LOWER cost than they imagined.  Only a few thousand dollars are still needed.  Prayf for them.  And if you don't know them well, you can visit their blog to get introduced to their family!

Some Links Worth Checking Out

Friends keep me reading, and these links have been very thought-provoking:

"The Socially Acceptable Sin."  The sin that Christians ignore that threatens our life and our health.  From Relevant Magazine.  And my reading articles in Relevant does not necessarily make me relevant.

"Grace to Those Coming out of the Closet." A post by Wade Burleson that helped me crystallize some of my thinking for my most recent message.

"Do You Want To Be A Burden To Your Children?"  Russell Moore answers that, in a sense, the answer should be "Yes!"  Read to discover more.

Here is a docudrama on the life of the great Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon.  You really ought to know more about this man.  Now you can watch a video and learn!



And for a lighter moment (or five)