Life2gether

My friend, Eric Schumacher, in collaboration with David Ward (and others) through the ministry of Reformed Praise, just released their latest album, Merciful to Me. It was co-produced by David Ward and Steve Cook (of Sovereign Grace Music). It contains the vocals of Devon Kauflin, Shannon Harris, Jake Armerding, Lucia Newell, and others, as well as a host of great instrumentalists from around the country. The 13 tracks are an eclectic mix of styles, including bluegrass, pop, classic jazz, driving rock, and orchestral arrangements.

This album is rich in the deep realities of the gospel.  I especially enjoyed the song, There is No Sin That I Have Done.  I found myself literally stopping and resting in the finished work of Christ.  My Worship Pastor, Benjamin Brainard, also reviewed the album and gave this recommendation:

This CD has been encouraging to my soul and is filled with lyrics that enjoy the full realm of the Christian life.  I think of Sovereign Grace, Sandra McCracken, Fernando Ortega, Indelible grace, Red Mountain Church, CD’s when I hear this.  Some songs are meant for contemplation, and others for congregational worship.  I do enjoy the stylistic variance throughout the CD.  If you want a CD to worship to, or to be encouraged by, compliment your collection with this one.

You can preview all 13 tracks here …

Brent Thomas outlines 4 ways the American Church has had bad posture toward the surrounding culture:

• The Church As Bomb-Shelter (Fundamentalism and some Seeker-Sensitives/Attractionals)
• The Church As Mirror (Liberals, Emergenters, some Seeker-Sensitives and “Nominal” Christians)
• The Church As Sanitizer of Culture (Evangelicals at Large)
• The Church As Legislator of Morality

Read the entire post to see how he explains each one

Larry Shallenberger on the biggest cultural forces that challenge families today:

1) The crisis of fatherlessness in America: There’s an epidemic of children being raised without dads. When this happens, moms tend to be overworked and chronically exhausted; boys tend to get caught up in violence and crime; and educational performance goes down in boys and girls. The family lowers its goals to survival and connection with God drops off the radar. Every children and youth pastor in America should read two books– Fatherless Generation by Dr. John Sowers and Father Fiction by Donald Miller.

2) Consumerism: My greatest fear about family ministry is we package them as commodities that will fix families and make them happier, more virtuous, and godlier. Those are all fantastic goals. However, I don’t see those families in scripture. What I see, particularly in the book of Genesis, is that God collects a large train-wreck of a family, and, by his mercy, enfolds them into his plan for redemption. God isn’t a product to fix families.

(This excerpt was taken from a recent interview with Tony Kummer)

Jay Younts on why the gospel matters for your toddler:

Parents who view presenting the gospel as primarily information transfer will lack a sense of urgency. I do not mean that this parent is unconcerned about the spiritual condition of his child. He may be deeply concerned. However, seeing the presentation of the gospel as transfer of information means waiting for when the child is willing to engage in this transfer.  The parent who sees the presentation of the gospel as one of search and rescue will have an immediate sense of urgency. Thus, even before the toddler can speak, he will be interacting with  parents who see the gospel as the most important reality of life. This child will hear his parents passionately talking to others about the gospel. He will hear his own actions explained in terms of his need of the gospel even before he can articulate a response.  He will see and hear that his parents are driven by truths that transcend the temporal. This is the process outlined in Deuteronomy 6. The very thoughts of God, revealed in Scripture, are graven into the hearts of this toddler’s parents. These parents are gripped by God’s call to rescue the lost. This mission defines these parents. This is an immense blessing to our toddler. He is being raised by parents whose mission in life coincides with God’s purpose for each day. That purpose, at least in part, is to bring honor to his great name through the rescue of the lost.

Practically this toddler will hear often of the wonder of Jesus Christ. His parents will see his sin as an opportunity to present the gospel to him and not merely to correct his behavior.  He will live in a home that is focused on the wonder of a God who forgives sins. This focus leads to joy. Joy comes from the reality that Jesus is our effective and loving high priest. Living for the gospel means living with joy.

So, when this toddler spills a cup of milk because he is still learning how to handle a cup, he is not scolded. His parents speak lovingly and reassuringly to him. They help him learn to handle the cup with more precision. He knows that he is more valuable than spilt milk. He is lovingly disciplined when he sins, but he is also lovingly embraced when he acts like a 2 year old. He is on the road to knowing what it means to be loved and being secure. The gospel matters to his parents. In time, Lord willing, the gospel will also matter to him.

Here’s a few recent posts gathered together on the topic of generosity and the gospel:

Pastor J.D writes, “If you are not generous, you’ve never really experienced the Gospel. If you feel guilty about how little generosity you show, you don’t understand the Gospel.”  Read the rest for an explanation on how he understands this.  (HT: Z)

Check out this video where Randy Alcorn shares his concerns about the stinginess of 20-30 year olds. (HT: J Dodson)

Who gives more?  The rich or the poor?  The answer might surprise you. (HT: Michael Wallenmeyer)

My twin brother, Mark Wolter, on his 10th anniversary of serving in Japan:

September marks ten years since I first came to Japan. It is amazing to think about all the Lord has done since I first came here as a naive 24 year-old foreigner.  Though we may not see all of what God has done in those ten years, it is enough to know that He continually has given me a heart and a love for the precious people of Japan, and that it is a pleasure to give my life away for them every day.

More than 99% of Japanese are like sheep without a shepherd, going about life trying to find the best way, and yet lost, and starving, and dying. Every day more and more are suffering and dying. They do not know the wonderful food – the love, peace, and joy of God that surpasses all understanding, both in greatness and in duration. It is my longing for my dear brothers and sisters in Japan to know that, and to know Him personally. Please pray with me that they would; that their eyes would be open and that they would seek and find God through Christ Jesus.

Thanks to all of you who support my brother prayerfully and financially.  If you’d like to learn more about how you can partner with Mark and Maki and/or receive their email updates, email me at dwolterATlagrangebaptist.com.

This is a must-read article for church leaders (especially those who work with children and families). Instead of casting judgment on parents, we must “consider the possibility that an undisclosed or undiscovered disability may be driving problematic behavior.”

I also recommend this follow-up article entitled, “A Parent’s Greatest Fear,” where the author ends with this exhortation:

There may be parents who are trying their best visiting the church with kids who have bad genes, kids who experienced trauma or abuse, or kids who haven’t yet developed the skills to effectively self-regulate their emotions and behavior.  How do we welcome them and share with them the unconditional love Christ has for them? How do we as the church best communicate so we build the relationships necessary to cast influence in their family?

(HT: Jared Kennedy)

Poverty is not always financial, it is spiritual too. In Death by Suburb, author David Goetz identifies eight toxins that are plaguing the suburbs. These are the factors that are driving your neighbors to live the life they do. As Christians, it is our responsibility to be aware of these toxins, and their corresponding remedies, so that we can begin to reach out to our neighbors in meaningful ways. Identifying these addictions and offering something counter, something beautiful, will profoundly change the real face of the suburbs.

Here is a video where David Goetz talks about “suburban addictions”.

I read this book awhile back and posted my reflections on it here.  For those who live and serve in suburbia, it’s worth checking out.

(HT: Michael Wallenmeyer)

Sometimes we separate preaching and counseling as two distinct parts of pastoral ministry.  But good, gospel-centered preaching is a means of soul care to believers as Lloyd Jones makes clear in this quote below:

The preaching of the Gospel from the pulpit, applied by the Holy Spirit to individuals who are listening, has been the means of dealing with personal problems of which I as the preacher knew nothing… D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

My pastor, Tony Rose, models this well.  You can listen to his radio broadcast on 94.7 FM/900 AM at 6:00 PM. or go here for past broadcasts.

Here’s a brief description of Kenda Creasy Dean’s provocative book, Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church:

In Soul Searching, Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton found that American teenagers have embraced a “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism”–a hodgepodge of banal, self-serving, feel-good beliefs that bears little resemblance to traditional Christianity. But far from faulting teens, Dean places the blame for this theological watering down squarely on the churches themselves. Instead of proclaiming a God who calls believers to lives of love, service and sacrifice, churches offer instead a bargain religion, easy to use, easy to forget, offering little and demanding less. But what is to be done?

In order to produce ardent young Christians, Dean argues, churches must rediscover their sense of mission and model an understanding of being Christian as not something you do for yourself, but something that calls you to share God’s love, in word and deed, with others. Dean found that the most committed young Christians shared four important traits: they could tell a personal and powerful story about God; they belonged to a significant faith community; they exhibited a sense of vocation; and they possessed a profound sense of hope. Based on these findings, Dean proposes an approach to Christian education that places the idea of mission at its core and offers a wealth of concrete suggestions for inspiring teens to live more authentically engaged Christian lives. (Taken from Dean’s website)

• Buy the book here
• Read CNN’s take on it here