As you can see, there were no shortage of comments regarding Al Mohler’s blog on ADHD. Thanks to all those who contributed to the discussion! Now I would like to ADD a few comments of my own (pun intended).
According to the Diagnostic Criteria from DSM-IV (the manual listing and describing psychiatric disorders recognized by the American Psychiatric Association), ADD (Attention Deficit Discorder) is characterized by inattention and impulsivity. ADHD includes a third characteristic: hyperactivity (hence the addition of the ‘h’ in the abbreviation).
I checked out a detailed list of symptoms for each of these three areas (inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity) by going directly to the DSM-IV criteria for Attention-Deficity/Hyperactivity Disorder. What struck me about these symptoms is that they can characterize almost any child (especially boys) – and some adults – on just about any given day, at varying degrees and levels. Thus it is difficult to ascertain as to whether one is dealing with a disorder or a discipline issue.
When you think about it, ADD/ADHD is basically a description of behavior, not an explanation. It answers the question what is happening but not why. Virtually every symptom could be indicative of a spiritual problem as opposed to a medical problem. That is not to say it is a spiritual problem, but that it could be. Christian counselor Ed Welch offers a couple of helpful illustrations in this regard – ones that show discernment and sensitivity in dealing with such children:
Say, for example, that your child is hitting another child because the other child is playing with his toy. This is clearly a spiritual problem. Even though your child may also struggle with inattention and hyper-activity impulsivity, these cannot be excuses for such behavior. Physical problems do not force a child to sin. Of course, it is not always easy to determine the relative contribution of the spiritual and the physical. That is why we must be careful students of those who fit the ADD description. But the basic principle is that we just take Scripture for what it says. If we find that either our behavior or that of our children violates what God says in Scripture, then "the treatment" is to grow in faith and obedience, knowing that the Holy Spirit can give the grace to change.
One word of caution, though. Sometimes children disobey parental commands and there might not be a spiritual problem. Scripture clearly instructs children to obey their parents, so disobeying them would seem like an obvious infraction of God’s law – a spiritual problem. But it is possible that the child did not understand or remember the parental request. Inadequate understanding or forgetting is not sinful in itself. Parents need to be sure that they have not given their child a command that is indecipherable to him as a calculus assignment. Keep your mind on the child and not just on the chore.
What if a child is told to clean her room and doesn’t? Before deciding that this is a spiritual problem, a wise parent must be certain that the child understands what is expected and has adequate help avoiding distractions. What if a child is disruptive at the dinner table? It may be that the child is naturally more active but is also unwilling to listen to parental instruction. In these cases and hundreds of others, parents must know how to address both a sinful heart and an energetic constitution.
One of my own children has learning disabilities. He has very under-developed processing skills. This has been verified through a battery of tests and rigorous analysis by cognitive therapists and other specialists. What led us as parents to have our son undergo such tests? We saw that in school, he just wasn’t "getting it." He had to repeat kindergarten and never did make it into the first grade at First Baptist Christian School, where he was attending. Since graduating from kindergarten, this particular child of ours has been on his own Individual Educational Progam (IEP), as determined by us his parents working with this team of specialists and his teachers.
Our son has a legitimate disability. At the same time, his learning disability makes him susceptible to laziness in his schoolwork. Because he’s not naturally good at it, he often does not want to work at it. This is a spiritual problem whereas his disability is not. Therefore, we as his parents need to discern between his disability and his disobedience or lack of discipline.
Years ago, I remember reading Chuck Swindoll’s book on parenting, You and Your Child. In a chapter entitled, "Those Extra-Special Children," Swindoll affirms that while all children are special and unique in their own personality and make-up (Psalm 139), some children are "extra" special due to "unusual circumstances during the prenatal period or at birth.... These very special gifts from God’s heart to our home require from their parents an extraordinary amount of time, love, understanding, and attention. But the rewards are immeasurable." Swindoll goes on to talk about the adopted child, the handicapped child, the gifted child, the single-parent child, and, yes, the hyper-active child. In talking about all these various situations, Swindoll brings his readers back to "our scriptural home base, Prov. 22:6: 'Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he is old, he will not depart from it.'"
Swindoll offers a helpful paraphrase of that verse: "Adapt the training of your child so that is in keeping with his God-given characteristics and tendencies; when he comes to maturity, he will not depart from the training he has received." Much farther into the book, when Swindoll addresses those "special" cases listed above, he says the following regarding hyper-active children:
...Our training methods are to be in keeping with our child’s ‘way’ – his bent, characteristics, and needs.... This is never more important than in the case of a hyperactive child. You, his parent, must remain confident you can handle your child. Your consistent and firm leadership is the key to your child’s training. Don’t relinquish it under any circumstances.... The setting of firm, fair rules is absolutely essential. Follow through. Hyperactive children will need a more structured environment than other children.
Swindoll says many other helpful things, but time and space forbid me from going into them. I would encourage you to order his book for further reading. It’s thirty years old, but still relevant.
Well, two articles and a dozen comments won’t do much to solve the dilemma of ADD/ADHD. That’s not the purpose of this blog. My goal is to get our readership to consider real, everyday issues in light of God’s Word, wrestling with any tensions it may raise with what we do, how we do it, and why. Certainly this includes our mindset and methods in parenting. In closing, let me give you these words of wisdom from Alistair Begg:
In counseling, ... we must recognize the point at which we have to say, "You need specialized help of another sort, not just spiritual help." We may do great damage if we fail to do this, because we may imply the person’s problem is wholly spiritual, when it may be far from that. One way of testing whether or not a person’s problem is spiritual is to apply the spiritual remedy. If that does not suffice, then we must consider the possibility of some other area, besides the spiritual, needing investigation.
These are wise words, in my opinion. In dealing with our problems, or those of our children, we must never minimize, undermine, or rationalize away the biblical, spiritual principles involved. These must be addressed first. Having done that, we have the liberty to pursue other options within the bounds of God’s Word. As we continue to wrestle with issues such as these, may we remember the following exhortations from Romans 14:
Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. . . .
Let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
Have a good weekend!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Boys Will Be Boys?
In light of the fact that this has been a busy week at First Baptist, thus hindering me from writing a full-fledged blog of my own ... and in light of the fact that my last posting was so "soothing" in nature and elicited no responses ... I thought I would generate a discussion (start off a firestorm?) by linking you to the most recent posting of prolific blogger Al Mohler, who also happens to be the President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.
Mohler is sure to generate some heat over his thoughts on ADHD. What are your thoughts? Read Al's article, then return here to TruthWalk, and leave a comment!
Mohler is sure to generate some heat over his thoughts on ADHD. What are your thoughts? Read Al's article, then return here to TruthWalk, and leave a comment!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Wait
On Wednesday night, we witnessed a total lunar eclipse. This phenomenon occurs when the moon passes completely through the earth's shadow. This is called the umbral shadow. Within the umbra (shadow), the source of light is completely blocked by the object causing the shadow. This accounts for the dimming of the moon.
Herein is a great illustration of the Christian life. Many times we find ourselves in the shadow of our circumstances. Our problems loom so large, that we can’t see the light of our Savior’s love. Depending on the size of the problem, there might be a "total" eclipse or a "partial" eclipse, just like the kind we see in the sky. We can be just a little discouraged, or we can be totally depressed. The range is vast, and the problems are real.
When you find yourself in such a shadow, take encouragement from the Scriptures. The psalmist prayed, "My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word.... My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to Your word." (Psalm 119:25, 28)
When David found himself in difficult circumstances, he reminded himself, "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1)
There are times when we feel that God is not there. We don’t sense the light of His presence. But that doesn’t mean He isn’t there. He is there! "For He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’" (Heb. 13:5). The challenge for us is to trust God’s word over our feelings. In fact, the psalmist went so far as to say, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes" (Psalm 119:71, emphasis mine). Some of life’s best lessons can be learned in the most trying seasons, if we will but turn to God in prayer, clinging to His promises.
Also remember that God’s word abides forever, but our trials don’t and won’t. The total phase of Wednesday’s eclipse (the time that the moon was completely immersed within the Earth’s dark shadow) was under fifty minutes. This is significantly less than the last total lunar eclipse (Aug. 28, 2007), which lasted ninety minutes. Likewise, some trials we experience are comparatively longer or shorter than others. But the point is that regardless of their length, they are all temporary and will eventually pass.
The key for us is to wait. Isn’t that precisely what David told himself to do in his dark moments? He began Psalm 27 by saying, "The LORD is my light," and he ended the psalm by saying, "Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!"
Wise counsel! With that in mind, I leave you with this beautiful song entitled Wait that my cousin Ted Fletcher composed a few years ago and just recently posted on YouTube. (In the video, Ted is the man kneeling in prayer.) May this song encourage you to wait on the Lord in the midst of your trial – and He will strengthen your heart!
Herein is a great illustration of the Christian life. Many times we find ourselves in the shadow of our circumstances. Our problems loom so large, that we can’t see the light of our Savior’s love. Depending on the size of the problem, there might be a "total" eclipse or a "partial" eclipse, just like the kind we see in the sky. We can be just a little discouraged, or we can be totally depressed. The range is vast, and the problems are real.
When you find yourself in such a shadow, take encouragement from the Scriptures. The psalmist prayed, "My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your word.... My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to Your word." (Psalm 119:25, 28)
When David found himself in difficult circumstances, he reminded himself, "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1)
There are times when we feel that God is not there. We don’t sense the light of His presence. But that doesn’t mean He isn’t there. He is there! "For He has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’" (Heb. 13:5). The challenge for us is to trust God’s word over our feelings. In fact, the psalmist went so far as to say, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes" (Psalm 119:71, emphasis mine). Some of life’s best lessons can be learned in the most trying seasons, if we will but turn to God in prayer, clinging to His promises.
Also remember that God’s word abides forever, but our trials don’t and won’t. The total phase of Wednesday’s eclipse (the time that the moon was completely immersed within the Earth’s dark shadow) was under fifty minutes. This is significantly less than the last total lunar eclipse (Aug. 28, 2007), which lasted ninety minutes. Likewise, some trials we experience are comparatively longer or shorter than others. But the point is that regardless of their length, they are all temporary and will eventually pass.
The key for us is to wait. Isn’t that precisely what David told himself to do in his dark moments? He began Psalm 27 by saying, "The LORD is my light," and he ended the psalm by saying, "Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!"
Wise counsel! With that in mind, I leave you with this beautiful song entitled Wait that my cousin Ted Fletcher composed a few years ago and just recently posted on YouTube. (In the video, Ted is the man kneeling in prayer.) May this song encourage you to wait on the Lord in the midst of your trial – and He will strengthen your heart!
Friday, February 15, 2008
My Call to the Gospel Ministry
While cleaning out some files, I came across a two-page paper I was required to write for a Pastoral Ministry class in seminary. The assigned subject was "My Call to the Gospel Ministry." On the cover page I noticed that it was sixteen years ago this month that I wrote out this assignment which, of course, was very subjective, being based on my personal experience.
At the time I wrote this paper, I was 23-year-old youth pastor who had been in full-time pastoral ministry not even a year. Reading the paper now, I can sense some youthful pride and immaturity in some of my testimony. Nevertheless, I smiled at the zeal and vigor that was evident, too. I was just starting out in my life's work, and I was so excited, I could hardly contain myself.
Sixteen years later, to the praise of God's grace, the fire has not abated. Over the years, God has continued to stoke the coals of my heart through life-changing, life-giving truth of His Word in the context of a ministry that constantly presents new challenges and opportunities for service. Yet what keeps the flame from getting out of control are manifold trials and temptations, as well as an ever-increasing awareness of my own deficiencies and insufficiency, all of which subdue my spirit and force me to come under the control of the Holy Spirit's tempering influence.
With that little "preface" out of the way, here's a copy of the paper I wrote, word-for-word:
There has never really been a doubt in my mind that I have been called to the Gospel ministry.
I was raised by godly parents in a Christian home and was saved at the age of four. Although my parents were not called to full-time ministry, they were godly lay persons who devoted much time, energy, and finances to the ministry of the local church. They would have missionaries and other guest speakers stay in our home at every available opportunity. This gave me a healthy exposure to life in the ministry. I was fascinated by missionaries' stories and loved to ask them about their work. My interest in the Gospel ministry was intensified by my own parents' interest and involvement.
By the time I entered my junior high years, I was already actively involved in various programs of our church (children's choir, Awana, etc.). But I really sensed the Lord's hand on my life the summer following my seventh grade year. I was maintaining a consistent, daily quiet time and memorizing much Scripture from my Word of Life Scripture memory packet. My parents, pastor, and youth leaders strongly encouraged me to enter Word of Life's Preacher Boys competition. I followed their advice and thoroughly enjoyed preparing my "very first sermon" over the next several months. By winning first place in the state and regional competition, I had the privilege of going up to Schroon Lake, New York, for the national competition. I finished fourth place and repeated my performance the following year. I realized that God had given me both a love and a gift for preaching His Word to others.
Throughout my high school years, I continued to participate in several different ministries of our local church as well as the Christian School which I attended. The three ministries that I enjoyed the most were the bus ministry, Vacation Bible School, and the nursing home ministry. These ministries were quite diverse and gave me broad exposure to all different areas of Christian service. The bus ministry allowed me to evangelize inner-city kids and their families, Vacacation Bible School gave me the opportunity to know and teach many children, and the nursing home ministry allowed me to meet some needs that older folks have. As I continued to serve the Lord in various capacities, He opened more doors for ministry, which helped me to further use and cultivate my God-given abilities for His glory.
Upon graduating from high school, I enrolled at Washington Bible College. The four years I spent there afforded me not only the opportunity to absorb enormous amounts of Bible knowledge and doctrine, but also the opportunity to use what I was learning in various ministries (campus evangelism, youth work, directing summer camp, etc.). I received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington Bible College with my major being Bible and my minor being Pastoral Ministries.
My whole life has been geared toward the Gospel ministry. No lightning bolt struck me from the sky. No dramatic experience or crisis drove me to the Lord's work. The continuous prompting of God's Holy Spirit in my own heart has given me the intense desire and inescapable obligation to serve my Lord and Savior in the Gospel ministry.
Well, there it is. In closing, let me say that while the Holy Spirit called me into ministry, He used two specific means of influence during my most formative years: (1) my parents' godly teaching and example; (2) my participation in the ministries of the local church. I pray that these two influencing factors would be prevalent in your home, so that regardless of what God calls your children to do in terms of their vocation, they will love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.
And if you're a young person reading this, I pray that you will appreciate your parents' attempts to mold you into a man or woman of God. You may not always agree with them, but I hope that you will appreciate them. I pray, too, that you will not discount or neglect the role of the local church in your spiritual development but will take advantage of present opportunities to learn God's Word and to use the gifts that He has given you to serve others for His glory.
At the time I wrote this paper, I was 23-year-old youth pastor who had been in full-time pastoral ministry not even a year. Reading the paper now, I can sense some youthful pride and immaturity in some of my testimony. Nevertheless, I smiled at the zeal and vigor that was evident, too. I was just starting out in my life's work, and I was so excited, I could hardly contain myself.
Sixteen years later, to the praise of God's grace, the fire has not abated. Over the years, God has continued to stoke the coals of my heart through life-changing, life-giving truth of His Word in the context of a ministry that constantly presents new challenges and opportunities for service. Yet what keeps the flame from getting out of control are manifold trials and temptations, as well as an ever-increasing awareness of my own deficiencies and insufficiency, all of which subdue my spirit and force me to come under the control of the Holy Spirit's tempering influence.
With that little "preface" out of the way, here's a copy of the paper I wrote, word-for-word:
There has never really been a doubt in my mind that I have been called to the Gospel ministry.
I was raised by godly parents in a Christian home and was saved at the age of four. Although my parents were not called to full-time ministry, they were godly lay persons who devoted much time, energy, and finances to the ministry of the local church. They would have missionaries and other guest speakers stay in our home at every available opportunity. This gave me a healthy exposure to life in the ministry. I was fascinated by missionaries' stories and loved to ask them about their work. My interest in the Gospel ministry was intensified by my own parents' interest and involvement.
By the time I entered my junior high years, I was already actively involved in various programs of our church (children's choir, Awana, etc.). But I really sensed the Lord's hand on my life the summer following my seventh grade year. I was maintaining a consistent, daily quiet time and memorizing much Scripture from my Word of Life Scripture memory packet. My parents, pastor, and youth leaders strongly encouraged me to enter Word of Life's Preacher Boys competition. I followed their advice and thoroughly enjoyed preparing my "very first sermon" over the next several months. By winning first place in the state and regional competition, I had the privilege of going up to Schroon Lake, New York, for the national competition. I finished fourth place and repeated my performance the following year. I realized that God had given me both a love and a gift for preaching His Word to others.
Throughout my high school years, I continued to participate in several different ministries of our local church as well as the Christian School which I attended. The three ministries that I enjoyed the most were the bus ministry, Vacation Bible School, and the nursing home ministry. These ministries were quite diverse and gave me broad exposure to all different areas of Christian service. The bus ministry allowed me to evangelize inner-city kids and their families, Vacacation Bible School gave me the opportunity to know and teach many children, and the nursing home ministry allowed me to meet some needs that older folks have. As I continued to serve the Lord in various capacities, He opened more doors for ministry, which helped me to further use and cultivate my God-given abilities for His glory.
Upon graduating from high school, I enrolled at Washington Bible College. The four years I spent there afforded me not only the opportunity to absorb enormous amounts of Bible knowledge and doctrine, but also the opportunity to use what I was learning in various ministries (campus evangelism, youth work, directing summer camp, etc.). I received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington Bible College with my major being Bible and my minor being Pastoral Ministries.
My whole life has been geared toward the Gospel ministry. No lightning bolt struck me from the sky. No dramatic experience or crisis drove me to the Lord's work. The continuous prompting of God's Holy Spirit in my own heart has given me the intense desire and inescapable obligation to serve my Lord and Savior in the Gospel ministry.
Well, there it is. In closing, let me say that while the Holy Spirit called me into ministry, He used two specific means of influence during my most formative years: (1) my parents' godly teaching and example; (2) my participation in the ministries of the local church. I pray that these two influencing factors would be prevalent in your home, so that regardless of what God calls your children to do in terms of their vocation, they will love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.
And if you're a young person reading this, I pray that you will appreciate your parents' attempts to mold you into a man or woman of God. You may not always agree with them, but I hope that you will appreciate them. I pray, too, that you will not discount or neglect the role of the local church in your spiritual development but will take advantage of present opportunities to learn God's Word and to use the gifts that He has given you to serve others for His glory.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
One Hour Last Sunday
Where were you last Sunday evening between 5:30 and 6:30? (Sounds like a question they would ask on Law and Order, huh?) I can tell you where twenty people were. They were gathered for prayer in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church. Here's what happened:
Eric Briscoe, who serves as one of our elders, began the meeting by drawing our attention to the first verse of Psalm 116: "I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy." If we are believers, there are many times that the Lord has heard our cries for mercy. But the initial cry was calling on Him to save us, much like the tax collector in Luke 18:13, who "standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'"
The next twenty minutes were spent doing nothing but thanking God for saving us. Multiple prayers were offered to God, one right after the other, each one being its own unique testimony of God's saving power. In hearing one another's prayers to God, we were blessed to learn how each one came to faith in Christ. Each story was different. Each account was precious.
Eric then took us back to Scripture, this time to Psalm 66:18: "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear." We were reminded that sin hinders our prayers. Confession is therefore a big part of the Christian life. In his New Testament epistle, James reminds us that we are healed as we confess our sins and faults to one another and pray for one another (5:16). The congregation was encouraged to confess any known sins, and even to ask God to search their hearts, exposing any blind areas (Psalm 139:23-24). We could pray silently or allowed, however the Spirit of God led us. Many confessions were vocalized, and we realized that in one form or another, we are all guilty of many of the same sins. As we prayed, our confessions of sin were mingled with renewed thankfulness for God's forgiveness and mercy in Christ.
After this portion of our prayer time was ended, Eric asked for the names of five people who are unsaved and therefore in desperate need of God's saving mercy and grace. Immediately five names were shared, most of whom had heard the gospel but had yet to believe. Several fervent prayers were offered on their behalf, confident cries to God for their salvation.
One hour last Sunday, twenty souls joined their hearts together in thanksgiving to God for His awesome salvation ... poured out their hearts together in sincere and contrite confession ... and prayed with great fervor for the salvation of lost loved ones and friends. In the midst of it all, we were reminded just how great and merciful our Father in heaven is to us His children. We left on a spiritual high, more intimate with God and one another than we had been sixty minutes earlier.
All this took place one hour last Sunday, 5:30-6:30 p.m. How did you spend that hour?
Eric Briscoe, who serves as one of our elders, began the meeting by drawing our attention to the first verse of Psalm 116: "I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy." If we are believers, there are many times that the Lord has heard our cries for mercy. But the initial cry was calling on Him to save us, much like the tax collector in Luke 18:13, who "standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'"
The next twenty minutes were spent doing nothing but thanking God for saving us. Multiple prayers were offered to God, one right after the other, each one being its own unique testimony of God's saving power. In hearing one another's prayers to God, we were blessed to learn how each one came to faith in Christ. Each story was different. Each account was precious.
Eric then took us back to Scripture, this time to Psalm 66:18: "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the LORD will not hear." We were reminded that sin hinders our prayers. Confession is therefore a big part of the Christian life. In his New Testament epistle, James reminds us that we are healed as we confess our sins and faults to one another and pray for one another (5:16). The congregation was encouraged to confess any known sins, and even to ask God to search their hearts, exposing any blind areas (Psalm 139:23-24). We could pray silently or allowed, however the Spirit of God led us. Many confessions were vocalized, and we realized that in one form or another, we are all guilty of many of the same sins. As we prayed, our confessions of sin were mingled with renewed thankfulness for God's forgiveness and mercy in Christ.
After this portion of our prayer time was ended, Eric asked for the names of five people who are unsaved and therefore in desperate need of God's saving mercy and grace. Immediately five names were shared, most of whom had heard the gospel but had yet to believe. Several fervent prayers were offered on their behalf, confident cries to God for their salvation.
One hour last Sunday, twenty souls joined their hearts together in thanksgiving to God for His awesome salvation ... poured out their hearts together in sincere and contrite confession ... and prayed with great fervor for the salvation of lost loved ones and friends. In the midst of it all, we were reminded just how great and merciful our Father in heaven is to us His children. We left on a spiritual high, more intimate with God and one another than we had been sixty minutes earlier.
All this took place one hour last Sunday, 5:30-6:30 p.m. How did you spend that hour?
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
The Superbowl, Brady, Belichick ... and Bread
Superbowl Sunday was marked by black Monday – at least here in Boston – as Patriot fans licked their gaping wounds from Sunday’s Super-disappointment. One gentleman sent me the following e-mail on Monday morning, which I have posted with his permission:
Good morning, Pastor Matt.
I have to confess, I am coming off a pretty much sleepless night. It is amazing to me how emotionally involved we can become in matters such as Super Bowl wins and losses. I need to find a way to disassociate myself from sports. I get so emotionally distraught when our "home teams" lose….primarily the big games. Have winning and sports become gods to us? Pastor Matt, I don’t understand how we can get so wrapped up in these things. The winning affects my life in no way at all other than the "good feeling" that accompanies rooting for the home team. The flip side seems so unbalanced.
Anyhow, I just thought I’d send you a note and ask that you somehow put this into perspective for me. No family member died…..no one got hurt….all are healthy and there are no debt collectors beating at the door…..and yet after the game, there was this giant sized hole/pain. Why do we take these matters so seriously? It’s silly really.. Have a great day.
I’m glad this brother wrote what most others are probably feeling but perhaps wouldn’t say. He raises some good questions, like why is it that we get so "emotionally distraught" over a simple game? Why do we take these matters so seriously? And perhaps the most important and revealing question of all: Have winning and sports become gods to us?
I think they have. After all, what is an idol but the object of our desires? "Worship is basically adoration, and we adore only what delights us" (John Piper, Desiring God, p. 19). Bear with me for a moment, as I paraphrase a few verses from the Psalms:
"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for the Patriots. My soul thirsts for the Patriots, the undefeated Patriots. When can I go and watch the Patriots?"
"O Patriots, how sweet are your wins to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"
"My soul thirsts for a Superbowl win, my flesh yearns for one, in a dry and weary land where there is no water."
My intent is not to be sacrilegious, but to engage in hyperbole for the sake of making a point. Isn’t it ridiculous that our enthusiasm and sentiments for a sports team comes even close to paralleling our affections for God?
The problem is not that we’re pursuing pleasure but that we’re trying to find it outside of God. The prophet Jeremiah put it like this:
"My people have exchanged their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate," says the Lord; "for my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that hold not water." (Jer. 2:11-13)
Like C. S. Lewis said, "We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
We settle for football instead of Christ. If it’s not football, then it’s something else: clothes, computer games, a higher income, the approval of others, a great sex life, etc. The tragedy is that we have seen our worship of God as something separate – and perhaps even in opposition to – our pursuit of happiness. This is what John Piper has rightly called "the moral enemy of worship." Says Piper, "When worship is reduced to disinterested duty, it ceases to be worship. For worship is a feast."
Isn’t this precisely the point that our compassionate Lord makes in Isaiah 55:2, when He says, "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food." You see, "the great hindrance to worship is not that we are a pleasure-seeking people, but that we are willing to settle for such pitiful pleasures" (Piper). We think that football or sex or popularity or more money or a better marriage or physical fitness or the affirmation of others can satisfy the longings of our soul. The fact is, they can’t; only Christ can.
Even those who "follow Christ" must be careful to seek their pleasure in HIM, and not just His gifts. Remember what Jesus told the crowds when they followed Him after He fed the five thousand? He said, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval" (John 6:26-27 NIV).
Rather than seeing Jesus as the object of their desires, they saw Him only as a means of fulfilling their wants. Recently I read an outstanding lesson on John 6 by Paul David Tripp in his book, The War of Words. In a chapter entitled "Following the King for All the Wrong Reasons," he asked: "If you had to write down your dream for your life, what would you write? What is your ‘if only,’ ‘if I could just have,’ ‘if God would just give me. . . then I would be happy?’"
Think about that for a second. What would your answer to that question be?
Tripp goes on to share insights from John 6, centering on our struggle between physical bread and spiritual bread: "In the middle of this struggle is the Deceiver, who would have us believe that life is all about physical bread, that spiritual things are of little consequence." Tripp then goes on to share four subtle but persuasive lies that Satan puts before us. Time and space forbid me from expounding on all four lies, but they all culminate in the fourth deception, which is: Life is found in physical bread. Read carefully Tripp’s comments on this vital point. It will be well worth your time:
This is the lie of lies–that somehow, some way, life can be found outside of a relationship with God. This was the lie told by the Deceiver in the Garden, and it is the lie told countless times again every day. Feeding on physical bread only leads to more hunger. It is only as you feed on Christ by faith, receiving his life, that you can ever be satisfied. He is the Bread. He is life! All other offers of life outside of Christ lead parched people to drink at dry wells. He is the True Bread. He is the river of life. Follow him and within you will flow rivers of living water (John 4:13-14). Without him you are dead, even though you physically live (Eph. 2:1-10).
It is so easy to buy into the lie that life can be found in human acceptance, possessions, and positions. It is so easy to have your life controlled by dreams of success in your career. It is so easy to believe that nothing else satisfies like romantic love. It is so easy to fall into pursuing the idol images of Western culture–big suburban house, luxurious car, lavish vacations, etc. When we do this, we quit feeding on Christ. Our devotional life begins to suffer. We pray less, and when we do, we pray more selfishly. We find our schedule doesn’t leave much time for ministry, and we spend more time with our colleagues at work than we do with brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. Functionally, we are feeding on the world’s bread, not on Christ.
Our entire life will be determined by which bread we pursue. There are no more dangerous lies than the ones that lead us away from a loving hope and surrender to the Creator we cannot see, and toward a bondage to an endless, unsatisfying pursuit of what is passing away....
We fall into spiritual depression when [Christ] removes the physical bread so that we would hunger again for the Bread that really satisfies....
To the degree that you have based your life on something other than the Lord, to that degree God’s love and the hope of the gospel will not comfort you. You will not be comforted because you are hungry for another kind of bread. You long for a king who will give you the bread you crave....
As we look at our own lives and all that we are living for, we need to ask, Whose dream, which bread do we seek?...
Perhaps many of us, even though we have not physically forsaken the King, have lost our enthusiasm for his grace and mercy because following him has not led to the fulfillment of our dreams....
This can be something as "silly" as a Superbowl win or something more subtle but just as superficial. You can find your satisfaction in physical bread, or you can find it in Christ, the living Bread. You can pursue your own dream, what you think will make you happy – or you can pursue Christ and His dream for you -- "the good portion, which will not be taken away from [you]" (Luke 10:42).
Good morning, Pastor Matt.
I have to confess, I am coming off a pretty much sleepless night. It is amazing to me how emotionally involved we can become in matters such as Super Bowl wins and losses. I need to find a way to disassociate myself from sports. I get so emotionally distraught when our "home teams" lose….primarily the big games. Have winning and sports become gods to us? Pastor Matt, I don’t understand how we can get so wrapped up in these things. The winning affects my life in no way at all other than the "good feeling" that accompanies rooting for the home team. The flip side seems so unbalanced.
Anyhow, I just thought I’d send you a note and ask that you somehow put this into perspective for me. No family member died…..no one got hurt….all are healthy and there are no debt collectors beating at the door…..and yet after the game, there was this giant sized hole/pain. Why do we take these matters so seriously? It’s silly really.. Have a great day.
I’m glad this brother wrote what most others are probably feeling but perhaps wouldn’t say. He raises some good questions, like why is it that we get so "emotionally distraught" over a simple game? Why do we take these matters so seriously? And perhaps the most important and revealing question of all: Have winning and sports become gods to us?
I think they have. After all, what is an idol but the object of our desires? "Worship is basically adoration, and we adore only what delights us" (John Piper, Desiring God, p. 19). Bear with me for a moment, as I paraphrase a few verses from the Psalms:
"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for the Patriots. My soul thirsts for the Patriots, the undefeated Patriots. When can I go and watch the Patriots?"
"O Patriots, how sweet are your wins to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"
"My soul thirsts for a Superbowl win, my flesh yearns for one, in a dry and weary land where there is no water."
My intent is not to be sacrilegious, but to engage in hyperbole for the sake of making a point. Isn’t it ridiculous that our enthusiasm and sentiments for a sports team comes even close to paralleling our affections for God?
The problem is not that we’re pursuing pleasure but that we’re trying to find it outside of God. The prophet Jeremiah put it like this:
"My people have exchanged their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate," says the Lord; "for my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that hold not water." (Jer. 2:11-13)
Like C. S. Lewis said, "We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
We settle for football instead of Christ. If it’s not football, then it’s something else: clothes, computer games, a higher income, the approval of others, a great sex life, etc. The tragedy is that we have seen our worship of God as something separate – and perhaps even in opposition to – our pursuit of happiness. This is what John Piper has rightly called "the moral enemy of worship." Says Piper, "When worship is reduced to disinterested duty, it ceases to be worship. For worship is a feast."
Isn’t this precisely the point that our compassionate Lord makes in Isaiah 55:2, when He says, "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food." You see, "the great hindrance to worship is not that we are a pleasure-seeking people, but that we are willing to settle for such pitiful pleasures" (Piper). We think that football or sex or popularity or more money or a better marriage or physical fitness or the affirmation of others can satisfy the longings of our soul. The fact is, they can’t; only Christ can.
Even those who "follow Christ" must be careful to seek their pleasure in HIM, and not just His gifts. Remember what Jesus told the crowds when they followed Him after He fed the five thousand? He said, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval" (John 6:26-27 NIV).
Rather than seeing Jesus as the object of their desires, they saw Him only as a means of fulfilling their wants. Recently I read an outstanding lesson on John 6 by Paul David Tripp in his book, The War of Words. In a chapter entitled "Following the King for All the Wrong Reasons," he asked: "If you had to write down your dream for your life, what would you write? What is your ‘if only,’ ‘if I could just have,’ ‘if God would just give me. . . then I would be happy?’"
Think about that for a second. What would your answer to that question be?
Tripp goes on to share insights from John 6, centering on our struggle between physical bread and spiritual bread: "In the middle of this struggle is the Deceiver, who would have us believe that life is all about physical bread, that spiritual things are of little consequence." Tripp then goes on to share four subtle but persuasive lies that Satan puts before us. Time and space forbid me from expounding on all four lies, but they all culminate in the fourth deception, which is: Life is found in physical bread. Read carefully Tripp’s comments on this vital point. It will be well worth your time:
This is the lie of lies–that somehow, some way, life can be found outside of a relationship with God. This was the lie told by the Deceiver in the Garden, and it is the lie told countless times again every day. Feeding on physical bread only leads to more hunger. It is only as you feed on Christ by faith, receiving his life, that you can ever be satisfied. He is the Bread. He is life! All other offers of life outside of Christ lead parched people to drink at dry wells. He is the True Bread. He is the river of life. Follow him and within you will flow rivers of living water (John 4:13-14). Without him you are dead, even though you physically live (Eph. 2:1-10).
It is so easy to buy into the lie that life can be found in human acceptance, possessions, and positions. It is so easy to have your life controlled by dreams of success in your career. It is so easy to believe that nothing else satisfies like romantic love. It is so easy to fall into pursuing the idol images of Western culture–big suburban house, luxurious car, lavish vacations, etc. When we do this, we quit feeding on Christ. Our devotional life begins to suffer. We pray less, and when we do, we pray more selfishly. We find our schedule doesn’t leave much time for ministry, and we spend more time with our colleagues at work than we do with brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. Functionally, we are feeding on the world’s bread, not on Christ.
Our entire life will be determined by which bread we pursue. There are no more dangerous lies than the ones that lead us away from a loving hope and surrender to the Creator we cannot see, and toward a bondage to an endless, unsatisfying pursuit of what is passing away....
We fall into spiritual depression when [Christ] removes the physical bread so that we would hunger again for the Bread that really satisfies....
To the degree that you have based your life on something other than the Lord, to that degree God’s love and the hope of the gospel will not comfort you. You will not be comforted because you are hungry for another kind of bread. You long for a king who will give you the bread you crave....
As we look at our own lives and all that we are living for, we need to ask, Whose dream, which bread do we seek?...
Perhaps many of us, even though we have not physically forsaken the King, have lost our enthusiasm for his grace and mercy because following him has not led to the fulfillment of our dreams....
This can be something as "silly" as a Superbowl win or something more subtle but just as superficial. You can find your satisfaction in physical bread, or you can find it in Christ, the living Bread. You can pursue your own dream, what you think will make you happy – or you can pursue Christ and His dream for you -- "the good portion, which will not be taken away from [you]" (Luke 10:42).
Friday, February 1, 2008
Teaching Good Manners: Part 5
This fifth and final segment of Teaching Good Manners are general tips that cover a variety of situations. These can be found on pages 132-133 in the book, Disciplines of a Godly Family, by Kent and Barbara Hughes:
1. Knock before you enter a room if the door is closed.
2. If you chew gum in public, do it discreetly and with your mouth closed.
3. Return everything you borrow in the same condition as when you received it, or better.
4. If you lose or break something you have borrowed, even from a relative, replace it.
5. Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough.
6. Teach your sons to show deference to the opposite sex and the elderly. Encourag ethem to offer to help you (the mother), or any woman, bring in the groceries or packages. Instruct them to unhesitatingly offer their seat to a woman or someone in need in a crowded public place. When walking with a female, boys should walk on the side closest to the street. They should help women and girls with their chair at the table and should open doors for them as well. Although a few women may think such actions are insulting or condescending, we have found that most women appreciate the courtesy.
7. Return telephone calls. (Fletcher’s footnote: Reply to personal e-mail messages, too, provided that they come from a trusted source.)
8. Promptly pay back money you borrow – even a quarter.
9. Be respectful of national flags.
10. Be patient with service people who may find it difficult or confusing counting change or taking your order.
11. Teach your children how to behave with the handicapped. Discreetly explain why they may be different, but teach your children they are just like them, and certainly equals. Explain why most public places have wheelchair ramps and bathroom facilities designed to help the disabled. Instruct your children not to speak in a louder tone of voice to a handicapped person unless the person suggests it, and forbid them to stare. Teach them to treat the handicapped like everyone else, as naturally as possible. Above all, encourage your children not to shy away from conversation with handicapped people.
Manners do not make the man or woman. The radical reorientation that says “my life for your life” can only come from the regenerating work of Christ, who instills his life and ethic in us. Nevertheless, manners teach the need for and complement the character that Christ’s life gives. Lives that say “my life for yours” are channels of God’s grace to a needy world.
1. Knock before you enter a room if the door is closed.
2. If you chew gum in public, do it discreetly and with your mouth closed.
3. Return everything you borrow in the same condition as when you received it, or better.
4. If you lose or break something you have borrowed, even from a relative, replace it.
5. Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough.
6. Teach your sons to show deference to the opposite sex and the elderly. Encourag ethem to offer to help you (the mother), or any woman, bring in the groceries or packages. Instruct them to unhesitatingly offer their seat to a woman or someone in need in a crowded public place. When walking with a female, boys should walk on the side closest to the street. They should help women and girls with their chair at the table and should open doors for them as well. Although a few women may think such actions are insulting or condescending, we have found that most women appreciate the courtesy.
7. Return telephone calls. (Fletcher’s footnote: Reply to personal e-mail messages, too, provided that they come from a trusted source.)
8. Promptly pay back money you borrow – even a quarter.
9. Be respectful of national flags.
10. Be patient with service people who may find it difficult or confusing counting change or taking your order.
11. Teach your children how to behave with the handicapped. Discreetly explain why they may be different, but teach your children they are just like them, and certainly equals. Explain why most public places have wheelchair ramps and bathroom facilities designed to help the disabled. Instruct your children not to speak in a louder tone of voice to a handicapped person unless the person suggests it, and forbid them to stare. Teach them to treat the handicapped like everyone else, as naturally as possible. Above all, encourage your children not to shy away from conversation with handicapped people.
Manners do not make the man or woman. The radical reorientation that says “my life for your life” can only come from the regenerating work of Christ, who instills his life and ethic in us. Nevertheless, manners teach the need for and complement the character that Christ’s life gives. Lives that say “my life for yours” are channels of God’s grace to a needy world.
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