My Teacher Mom

Mom’s teach. It’s what they do. Whether good or bad, they teach.

My mom is a teacher by nature, in the home, in school, and to everyone she meets.

She doesn’t impose it. Wisdom just flows. Other people have said that about her too. They recognize her God-imparted wisdom and how it has affected them.

Through her wisdom, I have been kept on the straight and narrow, I have treasured my relationship with my Savior more, and I have sought to live my life for the glory of my King.

These days I catch myself thinking, “How would I do this or that if I were a mom” or “if I am a mom one day, I want to do this for my children”. One day, I want to teach like my mom because……

She taught me to savor the Word, to know it intimately, to live by it.

She taught me that working hard for others is rewarding even if never noticed.

She taught me that one life faithfully lived in service to Jesus is worth a million lives without Him.

She taught me to be a lady, to embrace my femininity with modesty and self-control.

And now days, she teaches me to love faithfully, serve joyfully, and praise honorably my husband.

Mom and Dad’s faithful ministry side by side will forever be an encouragement, and example to both of us.

They say, you don’t really appreciate your parents until you are grown and out of the house. I know I have always appreciated my mom and the example she continues to be to me, but I think I agree with this statement.

Motherhood is a blessing. One I know my mom couldn’t wait to receive and use for the glory of God.

And my brother and I, we are living proof that she did.

Photos by the lovely Kari Nichols!

Christ and Culture Part 2

We live in a post modern world where being for or against anything is labeled “wrong”, “judgmental”, “hateful”, and “closed minded”. But as Christians we are called to engage our culture through the lens of our Christian worldview which will ALWAYS clash with the world’s. This is why having a biblical understanding of cultural engagement is so necessary. Below are some points our teacher made on Sunday. These points help us see what our Kingdom work then consists of especially when we realize that the gospel transcends culture and is the only thing that changes hearts. Gospel transformation comes before social, cultural, or physical transformation. So how are we to think?

1. God created  the world good (Gen. 1:31).  This means that the existence of the physical world glorifies God.

2. Part of God’s initial charge to humanity was to create and cultivate culture (Gen. 1:26 – 28; Gen. 2:15).

3. Because culture is an expression of human thoughts and desires, no human culture is exempt from the effects of sin (Gen 6:5; 8:21).

4. Therefore, all cultures are corrupted by sin.

5. Christians are responsible for how we consume culture (Phil. 4:8).

6. There are some expressions of culture that Christians must abstain and separate from. (I John 2:15 – 17).

7. There are some expressions of culture that Christians should critique and engage intellectually (Acts 17:28).

8. Because cultural items communicate worldviews, Christians must exercise relentless discernment (I Thess. 5:21).

9. The gospel relativizes all cultural distinctions that otherwise separate people (Gal. 3:28).

10.  Unlike those who hope in man’s ability to transform this world, Christians understand that only God’s radical, re-creative act

on the last day will finally transform this world (Rev. 21:5 – 22:1).

11. Because we are commanded to make the most of our time (Eph. 5:15 – 16), Christians must be wary of becoming infatuated

with this- worldly things and must devote ourselves to those things that have eternal import.

 

In the end, we don’t hid from culture or embrace it without thinking. We apply these biblical truths to every facet of our lives and the world around us. Jesus is FOR culture, He was A PART of a culture, and He-being the good news (gospel)- brought cultural transformation through regenerated hearts. As imitators of Christ, we are to do likewise.

Christ and Culture Part 1

I’m was an Intercultural Studies major in college. I love learning about different cultures and how to apply the gospel to people’s different worldviews. Just ask me about the 6 months I spent in East Asia doing just that. But when it comes to my own culture, I sometimes get a little baffled as how to engage it, change it, encounter it. Recently I have been thinking about how to know my own culture better in order to think rightly about it through my Christian worldview. If I have learned anything since being at SBTS is that we must not shy away from our culture or be afraid to interact with it. In fact, Christians have a responsibility to confront it head on in order to make the name of Jesus known.

There is a lot of talk out there about Kingdom work, whether or not we as Christians bring the kingdom. I believe that the Bible teaches that God brings the Kingdom. We participate in the Kingdom through our obedience to gather together in our local Churches to hear the Word faithfully preached and then go forth to make the gospel know among the nations. Therefore, our engagement with culture for the sake of the gospel and making Jesus’ name great is THE Kingdom work. *

Matt and I started a new sunday school track yesterday learning about Worldview and Apologetics. I have to admit a little more of my nerd-ism and say that I LOVE this topic. I always have and probably always will. It was really neat to go on Sunday and hear our teacher addressing culture as our first topic after having talked and thought a lot about it recently. He gave a definition of culture as: the sum total of all that humans create which reflects something that we believe.

Although we must not shy away from engaging our culture we must think rightly about how to do this. We can lean to far to the right or the left meaning we can hid from it or we can embrace it. Our teacher laid out three ways in which Christians typically respond to culture:

1) Christ Against Culture- Christians should condemn and separate themselves from culture.

• This is common among Christians and seemingly rightly so since many places in Scripture say we must be separate from the world (see1 John, OT Israelites, etc)

• The problem is the paradox that we live in a fallen world yet made in the image of God. We therefore cannot treat all creation as evil. Christians and non-Christians alike make beautiful things in this world- art, books, science, architecture etc.

2) Christ Above Culture- Christians should engage in this world but Heaven takes priority. Still, the world shouldn’t always be condemned.

• This is very close to what the Gnostics were teaching some of the early believers

• The problem: the basic materials that God created in our world are good

3) Christ in Culture- Culture is the primary means that God reveals himself and therefore it is our avenue to serve Him.

• Christians who copy and consume culture are in danger of compromising the gospel

• When taken too far we loose Christ’s transcendence – Jesus is fully God and therefore above our material world while at the same time being fully man (Christ’s immanence)

• This idea is played out in a post-millennial eschatology

• It also overlooks the Fall, its consequences, and other major portions of Scripture

• *The problem: the Bible never holds to a hope that we will attain to paradise in this life- therefore our “Kingdom” work should not be that of “renewing the earth” but should be to proclaim the gospel, make disciples etc (Matt. 28:18-20)

* Paul doesn’t go on social campaigns in his letters. He knew the gospel as it works itself out in the world would undercut social problems- (slavery, corrupt government, poverty, abortion, racism, etc.)

So now what do we do with all of this!? Tune in tomorrow for the application and conclusion!

It’s that day of the week!

Yep. Another “What I Like Wednesday”. Here is what I’m inspired by recently. Things like this remind me of the beauty of feminism and how God created us women to love, create, and be inspired by beautiful (and yummy) things.

I am a lover of flowers. Loving the rustic-ness here.

Birds. I don’t know why I love them but I do. They make me smile.

I really want to try these soon. Not healthy but fun Saturday morning treat.

I know I’ve shown these before but I have been making several recently. So if you need something for Mother’s Day just let me know!!

This would be so cool to make! Time consuming but a neat result.

This is an inspiration for an upcoming gift idea of mine.

Perhaps it’s time for a little hair cut…just some reshaping.

I Will Not Take My Love Away

I will not take my love away

When praises cease and seasons change

while the whole world turns the other way

I will not take my love away

I will not leave you all alone

When striving leads you far from home

And there’s no yield for what you’ve sown

I will not leave you all alone

I will give you what you need In plenty or in poverty

Forever, always, look to me

And I will give you what you need

~Words and Music by: Matt Wertz

True Community

Community: It was a buzz word in college.

I think only now I am finally understanding it, how it works, how it doesn’t.

We can strive so hard for it and still not “get” it. At least that’s what I have witnessed a lot.

I think true community can only be lived out among those who share the same faith family-meaning  local church

Sure there can be aspects of “community” outside of church like on the seminary campus we live on.

But without being committed and faithful to a local church, we can’t really understand the depth and beauty of it.

For the last several months now we have gone on Monday nights to our home group from church where we laugh, cry, share, encourage, admonish…now I think I get it.

Commitment breeds community…even among those who don’t seem to “fit” together.

I think this is what Jesus intended for His most treasured Bride.

I plan to learn more about growing in community for the sake of the Bride of Christ.

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. Please visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments.

Lilias and her art

Lilias Trotter was a bold woman who gave her life to Muslims in North Africa. She had a passion for art and God enabled her to use if for His glory to teach those who did not know Him. I just finished reading about her life and the life of Sarah Edwards from the book, Faithful Woman and Their Extraordinary God by Noel Piper, with our women’s group from church. I am learning a lot from these women already. I was given a link to some of Lilias’ art work from one of the ladies in our group. I really love the raw simplicity and rich quotes from her work and wanted to share.

All Grown Up

First Day of College

News flash. I’m an adult. I know that’s not new to most people, but to me, yesterday, it hit. I have a job, responsibilities, ugh. When did this happen?! While discussing summer plans with Matt yesterday, a little bit of my selfishness came out. We have about 6 wedding invites, our 1 year anniversary, graduations, and a desire to go on mission trips at some point while here and only so many of my vacation days to work with, not to mention, money that we don’t have in order to do any of these things even if we did have the time. Reality check: we can’t do it all

Recently we have come up with a vision for what the next five years might look like, all Lord willing. Having those goals to work for is actually liberating. My problem is actually believing in delayed gratification. Am I willing to see the trade-off? We may not be able to go to all the places and do all the things we want to do right now, but in the end it WILL pay off. So, during my little “come to Jesus” talk with my patient hubby, I am now realizing some truths about adulthood that I guess I was pretending weren’t true. In the midst of this little talk, he brought to my forgetful soul that we have such a good life.

In fact, yesterday’s sermon was about “the good life”, the world’s perspective and ours.When we compare the fact of our salvation to that of the world’s state, we are infinitely better off…no…eternally better off. When we took the road less traveled, we knew there would be hardship, struggle, sacrifice, but the delayed gratification in the end far outweighs the small, immediate sacrifices. Is my Jesus enough? Do I delight in Him? I want to be that tree planted and yielding fruit in season. We can read further and see that those who don’t take the first path will suffer consequences. Basically, their ending is bleak, with no hope. Their lives are blown away as meaningless.

So, as I think about a summer of mostly work and a little play, I want my mindset to shift forward to the future gratification and count my blessings as I go because I do have many. And this is life….and its a good one.

Psalm 1

 ¹ Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
   and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
   which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
   whatever they do prospers.

 ⁴ Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

 ⁶ For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

(emphasis mine)

Moments of Gratitude: 594-600

my husband and best friend on this journey

a good job

family cheering for us

a church who loves and challenges

dreams, goals, plans

friends here and there

a Savior who delights in me

What more do you need……

A Post in Pictures

As I promised, here are some pictures from our Spring Break. If you are friends with me on facebook, you can see all of them there. I just wanted to post some of my favorites from the last two weeks.

Caution: Scenic Route Ahead

This is the camp Matt spent a summer at after our freshman year. I got to visit it with him after 4 years, tour the grounds, and hike some trails.

Lots of Memories for him

Our Family Motto

Downtown Asheville

CRAZY drum circle

On to our next trail

We made it!

Matt used to think about me up here when he hiked this four years ago

360 degree view of Black Mountain, NC

The sun was so bright!

Our first vacation as a married couple!

Friends at Easter

Sweet family from our Home Group

T4G!

John Piper bringing it home!

 

Hiking, T4G, and other things inbetween….

Where to begin? Let’s just say, I am full. I don’t mean physically, although I had a good lunch. But I am talking spiritually here. Last week was a great break from normal life. I think God gives us those moments, not so we idolize the mountaintop, but to refresh us so we keep going strong where He has us.

It all started with a trip to North Carolina with Matt. We stayed at the Lifeway Conference Center in Ridgecrest, NC. We enjoyed great hiking, beautiful panoramic views, good food, and touring the grounds. What was especially good for both of us was Matt taking me to see Ridgecrest Camp for Boys where he spent a summer as a staffer after his freshman year. It was so fun to watch him relieve those good memories while I got a peak into his life then. We got to see a lot of his favorite spots from that summer during this trip, including a great little breakfast cafe, a mountaintop where he would go pray/think about me, and crazy, downtown Asheville.

After that we came back home to KY for Easter. It was such a joyful service and day spent with some of our Church family. We watched 6 little girls in their pretty pink dresses and one little boy dressed for church hunt eggs in the backyard. We were so thankful to be among “family” even when far away from our family.

Then we geared up for the Together for the Gospel conference held at the YUM Center here in Louisville. What a conference it was. I think it’s one of those things that is hard to do justice in a blog post. I will say that I wasn’t really sure what to expect, what to get out of it, or what I was getting myself into. However, I came away with truths and encounters that I know God had orchestrated specifically for me at that time.

Matt was busy working all week at the Conference driving the speakers (Ask him about it sometime!) Therefore I didn’t get to see much of him. I am thankful for good friends who let me hang with them the whole time. There were some sweet conversations that were had between friends, new and old, as well as me and Matt talking late into the nights as we spilled out of our hearts what was rising to the surface during those three days. We were exhausted physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally after it was all over. I felt like I had my mouth to a fire hydrant the whole time and I am still processing the things I came away with. It was a conference like I have never been to before and I pray that it spills out of our hearts and onto the streets as we go.

I know i can’t share everything I learned but I would like to share a few things that the Lord taught me. And, if you are interested you can go online and listen to each sermon for yourself at t4g.org. Just FYI, the real purpose of T4G is to encourage and equip pastors or those going into ministry. Don’t let that deter you from listening if that’s not you. I’m not a pastor and God powerfully taught and challenged me those three days in ways I will never forget.

I will point out a few cool things about the conference: for worship all we had was a guy and a piano and 8,000 voices lifted up to the Lord in praise. Simple but profound. Also, daily they had testimonies of people who shared how God saved them. They ended their testimony with a plea to never underestimate the power of the gospel in the life of: an illegal immigrant, a drunk, druggie, church kid, good kid, powerful business guy etc. Every story is miraculous no matter the circumstances!

CJ Maheny-

“We aren’t called to be innovative but proclaimers- those who tamper with the message underestimate it.”

“Paradox of ministry: always dying but never lifeless”

“Behind a genuinely fruitful Church is a dying pastor”

Thabiti Anyabwile-

“If we loose the language of “lostness” we loose the necessity of repentance, wrath, Hell, missions, evangelism, substitution etc.”

“If the gospel does the work, we need only to release it- slowly and clearly”

“Be careful with new converts. Paul’s conversion isn’t normal. Most often its gradual. Are we choosing methods and confidence in them over thinking the gospel is actually working?”

Albert Mohler-

“The fear is that we will come dangerously close to preaching the gospel but not get it”

“We are to be promiscuous and indiscriminately sowing the seed of the gospel”

“Whatever we do when we don’t use words is not preaching the gospel”

“We are also to PERSUADE”

Mark Dever-

“His people are the means to bring Him glory and are the plan from Genesis to Revelation”

“The problem isn’t the occasional hypocrite but a whole system that creates whole congregations of false converts”

“If you love Puritan authors but can’t get up an hour early to give a 90 year old man a ride to Church-are you saved?”

*Kevin DeYoung-

“Some of us have stalled out in sanctification for lack of effort”

“Gospel drives us to godliness from a sense of gratitude. Gratitude clears out the ugly within”

“Holiness doesn’t happen apart from trusting. Trusting doesn’t put and end to trying”

“Our sanctification doesn’t cease to be supernatural with our own effort.”

“Who sactifies? Me or God? Yep.”

“Nomaphobia- afraid of the Law- problem today in our circles- Law comes after gospel.”

*David Platt-

“Pastors have a privilege to lead the way in global missions in every local Church”

“God is in control but man is responsible”

“God involves us in His mission not because He needs us but because He loves us”

“The atonement of Christ is graciously, globally, and gloriously particular”

“Why do we go? Guilt because we have the gospel? No! it’s glory for our King among all the nations!”

“The Sovereign God has yielded us to wealth for the sake of the nations”

*Ligon Duncan-

“God ruthlessly crushes our idolatry because of His own compassion and grace”

“God weans our affections away from everything else and leaves us with nothing but Himself”

“The Lord doesn’t treat His servants as cheap. Don’t loose heart!”

Matt Chandler-

“How many in ministry say with the Israelites: “You drug me into this and left me”. Yet He brought us to a place and the Spirit doesn’t lead where He doesn’t empower”

“We need to get our mind here: The New Heaven- but we can’t use it as a type of escapism. But be faithful today with the hope of eternity to get you through to the next day. That’s our HOPE!”

*John Piper-

“If any of my life were dependent upon me, I would have ceased to be a Christian. It would not have come because it wasn’t there”

“Do we know the degree of power it took to make us awake and be continually kept alive?”

*These were my top favorites. They ALL were fabulous and used by God in different ways but these spoke loudly to my soul. I will add that Piper tweeted that Platt’s message was one of (if not THE) the best sermons on missions he had ever heard. I think that’s saying something. Also, It’s hard to give quotes out of context but I just had to share some of my favorites. Enjoy!

Oh and there will be pics to come…just as soon as I have time to boot up my old, dying computer from before college and upload them.