Assurance and Salvation Statistics

I bet it has been statistically proven that you can find a statistic for just about everything.

There are even statistics regarding parenting and the likelihood of your success as you attempt to “train up a child in the way he should go” (Prov. 22:6). As Christian parents we resolutely affirm that “salvation belongs to the LORD” (Ps. 3:8), but sadly, we are tempted to place our trust in our ability to fit in with statistics.

Recently I read a stat that said two out of three children who are missionary kids grow up to be faithful church members and marry believers. But I’ve got four kids, so…?

How is a mother’s heart supposed to respond to “statistics” like these?

We can certainly learn a lot from considering statistics, provided they are based on truth. Ed Stetzer has written a helpful article on how to recognize bad stats.

And with that said, I think one of the best ways to set your heart aright if you’re tempted to rest in your ability to fit a stat is to meditate on these kinds of “statistics” instead…

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“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day” (John 6:37-39).

“And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd” (John 10:16).

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand” (John 10:28-29).

“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him” (John 17:1-2).

“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’” (Matt. 28:18-20).

“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Rom. 10:12-13, see Joel 2:32).

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Rev. 7:9-10).

So, if we want to gain assurance from a statistic, Jesus has been given 100% of authority over 100% of everything, so we can trust him with 100% of our concerns.

On Flying with Babies

What is often a novel thing for a mother to do, flying with babies is something that is part and parcel to what I get to do as someone who lives and works overseas.

Lord willing, next week on my way to Orlando for the TGC women’s conference I will embark on my 77th flight with a baby in tow. However, these upcoming flights next week will be quite special since I will be flying alone with only one child, which is something I haven’t done since 2007!

Just for fun and in honor of this especially laid-back flying occasion that I am looking forward to, I would like to share with you some of my very exclusive best-practices tips for flying with babies.

First things first—the question that everyone always asks:

“What do I need to bring on the plane?”

My answer is always: A sense of humor. If your sense of humor has been feeling a bit out of whack lately then you must borrow someone else's. Think of it—you are about to walk inside a metal tube holding a baby and sit on a tiny foam square in rows with a few hundred other people who are sitting on tiny squares and spend the next twelve to twenty-ish hours of your lives together. You may have a brief (or not-so brief) respite on a layover, but for now 37F is your new, temporary parenting cubicle while jet engines propel you through the air over oceans and continents. You have to admit, that’s kind of funny. Don’t leave your sense of humor at home! And don't forget the baby(ies) either.

Next, use this scientifically-proven formula to determine the number of diapers you need to put in your carry-on bag:

1 diaper per 3 hrs of travel + 2 extras

Expert tip: for easy access during the flight(s), put a few diapers and a baggie of wipes in the seatback pocket in front of you.

Third, don’t over-pack or you’ll regret carrying (and losing under the seats) all the stuff you didn’t need. You need far less than the advertisements and marketers would have you believe. No one is paying me to say that (because no one would pay me to say that.)

This afternoon I asked my bigger frequent-flying kids what their favorite things are about flying on international flights:

• Judson (3) – “It makes me go to Grandma’s house. I fly around like that [swish]! I get headphones and I don’t share; they’re just mine.”
• Norah (5) – “I like the juice they bring you in cups with ice cubes. Ice cubes you can even eat and it's okay. My favorite thing is watching movies, but sometimes a little plane doesn’t have any movies.”
• Aliza (7) – “Movies, food, and sleeping time, in that order. No, wait! Food, movies, and sleeping. Yeah. Oh! And showing them my passport is fun but Daddy always holds it.”

Will you please pray for me as I'm knee-deep in packing and preparing for this quick trip? And pray for my gracious husband who will stay here in Dubai with our three big kids.
 

Tell Me Something #GOOD

Desiring God and CBMW have teamed up to provide a new FREE ebook, available for download here.

Good is about the joy (but of course!) of Christian manhood and womanhood. Every page is overflowing with good news, which is a welcome relief in a world that is confused and conflicted about what it means that God created us male and female. I was delighted to contribute a chapter on the nature of a woman's nurture.

"This new resource — the collaboration of 14 contributors — seeks to cast a vision for manhood and womanhood that is rooted more in beauty than mere ideology, more in gladness than mere position.

The book’s aim is to capture and highlight the glorious reality that God, after creating humans male and female, looked at his creation and called it good."

Wisdom for Social Media (HT: King Solomon)

If you read James 3:5 from the perspective of a person holding a smart phone in their hand, you can see that we have a need for wisdom regarding our words (and the Lord's deliverance!):

So also the thumb is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!

The wisdom of God displayed at the cross of Christ delivers us from even the restless evil that overflows out of our hearts and is announced by our tongues. We see in the book of Proverbs a store of wisdom that helps guide even our digital communication. I’ve listed a few of the words-related proverbs below - if it appears without quotation marks then I've subbed in a social media word (direct quotes are noted with “”).

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When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his thumbs is prudent. (10:19)

There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the thumb of the wise brings healing. (12:18)

“Anxiety in a man's heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.” (12:25)

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh comment stirs up anger. (15:1)

“To make an apt answer is a joy to a man, and a word in season, how good it is!” (15:23)

Better is writer’s block with quiet than a blog full of content with strife. (17:1)

“Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.” (17:27)

“A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” (18:2)

My inmost being will exult when your status updates speak what is right. (23:16)

A word fitly tweeted is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. (25:11)

“Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.” (27:2)

“Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” (29:20)

“She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” (31:26, MT: King Lemuel’s mom)

A Ridiculous-Sounding Affirmation for Those Fainting on the Inside and Out

A woman sent me this question in an email the other day:

“I love God’s Word! I want to spend more time reading and studying, but it’s so hard because I feel like I need to stick toothpicks in my eyelids just to keep my eyes open because I’m so worn out raising my young kids. What do I do? HELP!”

I can certainly empathize with her – how about you?

There’s no doubt this woman is not alone in her feelings or experience. I’m pretty sure this question has been asked by our brothers and sisters all over the world - from all times - in all their various languages - and in all their diverse contexts. We’re exhausted and we’re hungry for God’s Word. Pass the toothpicks, please. (I'll take a latte and a bag of M&Ms to go with my toothpicks.)

This blog post is not a list of top ten practical suggestions-- just one ridiculous-sounding affirmation and a description of what our calling, pursuing, feeding, and preserving triune God does to help our weary, Word-hungry souls.

First, the ridiculous-sounding affirmation: What a tender place the Lord has you in! To have that feeling of longing for his Word and to have that be your big question emerge in the midst of those circumstances is a precious gift. We’re not Word-hungry on our own; it’s evidence of the Spirit’s work when our heart is inclined to his testimonies (Ps. 119:12). And what a blessing it is to your young children that they see your appetite for God’s Word being played out in front of their watching eyes. Where does Mommy want to run to (or limp) when she’s starved for spiritual nourishment? God’s Word is so treasured that time spent meditating on it is hunted down instead of brushed off. It’s an assuring and tender grace of God to feel that even in your bone-weary physical fatigue you feel just as deeply that your soul longs and even faints for fellowship with God.

And next, to address the matter of help. I don’t have a  top ten list of helpful suggestions or a packet of toothpicks today, but a description of the ready and willing help we are given by the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit:

"SO-CALLED INTERRUPTIONS

When we feel that our environment must be “just so” in order to have fellowship with God, any wild-card elements inherit the name “Interruption.” A toddler’s plea for help with a game is an interruption. The children’s early bed­time is an interruption. The baby who refuses to settle down is an interruption.

What if God wants to fellowship with us right where we are—even in the commotion of ordinary life? Most assuredly, he does. Consider how the triune God is working to ensure that you behold his glory throughout your days and nights.

Your heavenly Father is sovereign over all things. A sparrow drops its feather on the ground, escaping the clutches of a curious little boy. A car battery dies in the parking lot after a play date at the same moment your overtired children reach their limit. A pacifier falls out of a baby’s mouth just before the baby nods off to sleep. Nothing—nothing happens without the sovereign Lord’s ordaining it. He is trustworthy and praiseworthy in every moment in every circumstance.

The eternal Son of God is Immanuel—God with us. Jesus fulfilled God’s holy law, was crucified in our place, rose victorious from the dead, and is reigning at the Father’s right hand. Jesus satisfied God’s wrath against sin and purchased us from the slavery of sin. By faith we receive Jesus’s perfect righteousness, and he creates in us new hearts that are prone to love him. Even when you don’t feel this is true about yourself, a daughter of the King, it is. Even when you imagine that your life is hell and you have forgotten that you’ve been transferred into the king­dom of God’s marvelous light, you’re still his forever. You can be sure that nothing will separate you from God’s love for you in Christ Jesus your Lord—“neither death nor life” (Rom. 8:38).

The Holy Spirit of God indwells the heart of believers and writes God’s law on their heart. When we meditate on God’s Word, the Spirit delights to confirm in our heart that God is who he says he is. The Spirit graciously awakens us to the affliction of our sin, and he enlivens in us an affec­tion for God’s holiness. When we put our hand to the plow (or rather, the scrub brush), the Spirit enlivens us to work as unto the Lord. The Spirit helps us in our weakness and ignorance, praying for us as we don’t know what to pray for. The Holy Spirit is like the neuron that travels from our taste buds to our brain with the message that dark-chocolate-covered orange slices are exquisite. When we taste things such as providence or our union with Christ, it’s the Spirit who tells ours heart that the Lord is good."

Adapted from Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full (Crossway 2014).

Countdown to TGCW14

Lord-willing, in a month's time I'll be getting on a plane along with my youngest child to head to Orlando. I've been looking forward to this upcoming women's conference hosted by TGC ever since the first one in 2012!

I'm excited about this conference for several reasons--

• Fellowship! Skype and Google Hangouts can only go so far in facilitating fellowship among friends. I'm looking forward to face-to-face fellowship with old friends and new friends.
• Nehemiah. The conference plenaries are going to be a real treat. I'm especially looking forward to the live reading - how apropos!
• Missional Motherhood. I'll be leading a workshop on a subject that is dear to my heart.
• Teaching Children About Jesus. I've been given the privilege of moderating a panel on this topic with Mary Mohler, Trillia Newbell, Kristie Anyabwile, and Elyse Fitzpatrick.
• Rain. The last time we were in Florida the sky opened up and poured buckets of water onto the ground. It's just not something we see here every day. Or year. Or ever.
• Troy and Mom time! My amazing mother is flying to Orlando help look after my son. One of the sweetest things for us since we moved overseas has been savoring what precious time we do get to have with our parents. I'm also looking forward to a relatively relaxing travel time with only one child in tow. Who knows - I might even get to take a nap on the plane. :)

What about you? Will you be at TGCW? What are you looking forward to?

Share the Comfort You've Been Given

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction,
so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction,
with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” 2 Cor. 1:3-4

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We’ve all gone through things that lead others to seek us out for the wisdom of experience and sympathetic support.

Today I had the privilege of encouraging a woman who never expected that her family would see the challenges they are facing. She and her husband have two young children and they work in a nearby country, serving among least-reached people. This week her husband suffered terrible burns in an accident. By God’s grace, he’s going to be okay.

While I haven’t faced her exact set of circumstances before, I can relate to several things. When I heard her story I couldn’t help but remember that I’ve tasted those tears—sitting in hospital waiting rooms hopeful for a good report from my husband’s numerous arm surgeries. Making hard decisions. Pressing on in caring for my helpless babies in the middle of it all. Wondering what the future—tonight, tomorrow, years from now—is going to look like for our family. Learning practical things to help us creatively adjust to life with physical disabilities. And walking by faith.

Sometimes we hear about someone’s suffering and we can only imagine what that person must be going through. From the perspective of someone who has received great comfort from others, let me encourage you that it strengthens the heart to hear from someone that they are trying to imagine. Lonely feelings multiply at the thought that those around you can’t (or won’t) imagine.

Even though the affliction of others may be worlds apart from what you’ve gone through, the source of our real and abiding comfort is one and the same. It is God who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction.

Jesus not only imagined our suffering, but he entered into it. There is no sympathy like the Lord's, and the comfort he gives is so great that it multiplies.

Yummy versus Yucky - on sharing soul food with friends

If you have young children in your home, no doubt you have to teach them what to eat and what not to eat.

Crackers = good. Crayons = bad. Bananas = good. The sticky fuzz that is stuck to the bottom of the broom = bad.

And if you live in my home, then you believe that under no circumstances can raisins = good. If the grapes are frozen, however, that is a different story.

When it comes to food for our soul, we're still a lot like little kids. Our pickyness needs to be trained to savor the right food. We need to be reminded to feast on God's word which he has given to nourish us. We need to be reminded to avoid the spiritual junk food that rots, festers into cavities, and ultimately fails to satisfy.

Over at the Desiring God blog today I've written about an occasion when my friend Melanie served up a helping of soul food for me when I was dangerously close to becoming content with the equivalent of broom fuzz. Read about "Soul Food for Mom" here.

Talking about what Christ has done for moms...

...and is doing and will do!

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I wanted to share a link with you for a really neat radio program called Haven Today, which is broadcast in the States and in Canada. In honor of Mother's Day they are airing a two-part interview I did with them about the hope and help we have in Christ as moms. You can take a listen here if you like.

Why motherhood is only for the faint of heart

Grace can turn burnout into a blessing.

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I know it sounds goofy and backwards to say this, but when we feel burned out we’re in one of the most tender times when we can have communion with Jesus. When I’m in the middle of an exhausting day or someone has just sincerely complimented me that the dark circles under my eyes don’t look too bad, I have to remind myself: I don’t really want to look back over the day and think, “I totally nailed it! Gimme a high five, Jesus, because we’re a great team with you on the sidelines cheering me on.” That’s not what I want at all.

What I really want is to have child-like faith in my loving Father who ordains the good work I’m walking in (Eph. 2:10), consciously give my burdens to Jesus (Matt. 11:28), and to walk by the Spirit as I resist the temptation to give up (Gal. 5:16). I don’t want to forget the Lord because my heart has become proud (Deut. 8:14). I don’t want to be so preoccupied with my own strength that I forget the Lord and all his benefits (Psalm 103).

The middle of burnout mode is actually an opportunity to say and believe with all the strength God supplies: “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Rom. 11:36).

Here’s a short clip from Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full that elaborates on this idea:

It’s common knowledge that the work of mothering is demanding and difficult, but sometimes we don’t live as though we need any help. Spoken as a testimony to a woman’s strength, we hear that “motherhood is not for the faint of heart.”

However, a case can be made that motherhood is only for the faint of heart. When the first child was born, Eve said, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord” (Gen. 4:10). On occasion in my doula work, a woman will admit to me that she doesn’t think she can do it—endure to the end of her pregnancy, give birth to her baby, or raise her child. When we acknowledge our inability to mother our children apart from the Lord’s provision and strength, we honor God. Of course we are not able to do this work of raising children and training them in the instruction of the Lord. That’s why we desperately need the Lord! We are to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (Eph. 6:10).

This kind of absolute dependency on God insults our pride. We’re so quick to embrace other solutions for our emotional, physical, and mental fatigue. “I can figure this out on my own,” we tell ourselves. More often than not in our trials we pretend everything is okay, and we dive headlong into self-sufficiency. Faith, rather, acknowledges the fierceness of the storm and throws us into the sea, and we swim as fast as we can to where we see Jesus walking on the water (John 6:16–21).

Physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, we need the Lord’s strength to honor him in our motherhood.

Sometimes the pitter-patter of little feet means that your child is running a marker along the wall in the hallway while he toddles away from you. The sweet, bleating cries of a newborn can turn into sassy comebacks and spite­ful words. In every occasion, moms must rely on God’s strength. If we think we can do “this motherhood thing” in our own strength, then we are fooling ourselves. …

In the English Standard Version of the Bible the subtitle for Psalm 71 is this: “Forsake Me Not When My Strength Is Spent.” This is profoundly descriptive of a psalm that lauds the Lord as the one who saves us in his righteous­ness and is to us a rock of refuge. Whether you feel that you just can’t endure or that you don’t “have it in you” anymore, or if you feel that you’ve “got what it takes,” the gospel triumphs over all. Only God’s grace in the gospel can strengthen our faith to let Jesus carry our burdens in parenting.

Excerpt adapted from Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full: Gospel Meditations for Busy Moms by Gloria Furman copyright ©2014. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Il 60187, www.crossway.org.

Moms have their hands full of blessings - a book trailer

I am so thankful to Crossway for making this book trailer for Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full!

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In my conversations with moms from all over the world I've learned that our circumstances are all so very different. But one thing stands out that is the same-- we don't need fake hope. (In this broken, fallen world, who has time for fake hope?)

I hope this short video encourages you to look to Christ as your sufficiency for everything today.

Motherhood is a gift from God, but sometimes it can be overwhelming. Reorienting exhausted moms to the soul-satisfying grace of God, Gloria Furman helps readers learn to treasure Christ in the mundane moments of life. Learn more: http://www.crossway.org/books/treasuring-christ-when-your-hands-are-full-tpb/

Raising kids overseas, hospitality issues, and marshmallows

Here's the second part of the interview questions that Crossway readers sent in.

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One of the questions had to do with something I think about often-- quality time and children. I've already found some encouragement from an "old, dead guy" on this issue...

How do you ensure that you’re spending one-on-one time with each of your kids?

I think this happy endeavor is an ongoing pursuit and a creative art. Something that has always impressed me is the flavor of the quality time that Jonathan Edwards spent with his kids each night (as described in the book, Marriage to a Difficult Man). This busy pastor would “enter freely into the feelings and concerns of his children and relaxing into cheerful and animate conversation accompanied frequently with sprightly remarks and sallies of wit and humor.” I’m so encouraged by Edwards’ perspective on quality time with his kids because it leaves a sweet taste to savor instead of a burden of anxiety or a law to check off my list.

Stamping Eternity On Your Eyeballs, Mommy Wars, and Nutella

In light of the official release of Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full, Crossway asked readers to submit their questions about motherhood, marriage, and treasuring Christ in the midst of the busyness of life. Part One of this interview (the Q&A was split into two parts), can be found here.

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Some of these questions were so challenging that it took me weeks to formulate how I wanted to answer. And somehow I managed to bring up Nutella.

Here's a question that might come up in your daily life:

How do you respond graciously to people who offer unsolicited parenting advice that you may or may not agree with?

This is a neat question. We moved to a global city in the Middle East when our oldest child was a baby. My experience with “unsolicited parenting advice” seems to be different than what I hear from my friends in the West. Most of the people here come from cultures in which “the village” raises the children, and the idea of “mommy wars” is foreign to them. In their worldview there is no such thing as “unsolicited” parenting advice because surely the frazzled mom in the checkout line at the grocery store is waiting to hear your encouraging words. Singles sit next to our crazy family in restaurants so they can distract talk to our kids while we’re eating. Grandfather-types and young men stop what they’re doing in government offices to play peek-a-boo with a fussy baby. A middle-aged woman in our building always opens her purse to give my kids candy in the elevator and she squeezes my shoulder saying, “God has blessed you!” The community dotes on children, and I love this about where we live.

When people say things that I don’t agree with I might talk with them more about it (depending on the context). Mostly I just say thank you because it’s not about their advice so much as it is an expression of their desire to help me be the ringmaster for four cheeky little monkeys.

I’ll tell you what is challenging about this, though—living under the expectation that I am part of the village that is helping look after other peoples’ kids. “Can’t they see that my hands are already full?” My flesh recoils at the selflessness required to serve the children afoot out in the community. It comes in conflict with the “mind your own business” mindset that I’m used to.

I'm betting we all have dealt with and dealt out "unsolicited parenting advice." :)

Don't forget to read the rest of part one of this Q&A here.

NEW BOOK: Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full

If you're a mother, chances are you've heard this:

"You sure do have your hands full!"

And if you're like me, when you're not carrying things (or small people) you feel kind of odd-- like you're forgetting something. Your check your pocket for the phone... That's not it... Shake your purse to make sure your keys are still in there... Wait. Why am I standing in the middle of the kitchen staring at a laundry basket full of toys, books, and empty coffee mugs?

This kind of amnesia is normal when you're a busy mom. But there's something vitally important that we need to take care to remember daily: What exactly are our hands filled with? Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full is like one long note-to-self where I attempt to spell out the answer to that question:

Because of the gospel, your hands aren't simply full; they're overflowing with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

If you'd like to read more about this new book there are several places you can go:

• Check out the endorsements for Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full on the book's Amazon page.
• Download the FREE study guide from Crossway's website. (This book would be great to read together with other women!)
• Read "God Meets Busy Moms Right Where They Are," an excerpt from the book featured on The Gospel Coalition's blog.

We're in the world, and we're singing

I've written on the holy stubbornness of corporate singing over at the Desiring God blog. Perhaps the best reason to read "Our Holy, Stubborn Song" is this: It is probably the only place on the Internet where you can read a quote from Buddy the Elf and CS Lewis in the same blog post.

Terrible as an army with banners, we’re a singing people on our way to the city that is to come (Hebrews 13:14).

When Grace Interrupts Racial Discord

The multiethnic Bride of Christ has a gospel-glow about her. One time I had a conversation with a neighbor who noticed, and she insisted that I give her an explanation.

I was seated on her living room floor drinking coffee and eating fruit when she brought it up. "Last night," she began, "I was watching your house." My eyebrows raised.

She continued, "My face was stuck to the window all night."

Ev'ry Kindred, Ev'ry Tribe on This Terrestrial Ball

Our church had a potluck at our place the night before. I racked my brain to remember if the youth had played any particularly noisy games in the garden, or if I had seen any cars park in her driveway by mistake.

She continued, "I saw all these people from many countries turning into your gate carrying food." I explained to her what a potluck-style meal was all about. She fired off many questions: "Why were all of you eating together? How do you know them? Does everyone eat the food?" Then, wide-eyed, she asked an incredibly honest question:

“But why would you want to eat with all of those different people?”

What she really wanted to know about was what brought together all those different people to share a meal. The Lord had swung open a door for me to talk about the reconciling work of Jesus on the cross (both vertically with God and horizontally with each other) and how his death purchased for God worshipers from every tribe on the earth. Our local church is made up of people from about 60 different countries-- a tiny fraction of "every tribe and language and people and nation" (Rev. 5:9). "If you want to know the short answer," I concluded, "it's that we're united in one family through Jesus Christ."

My neighbor was silent for a moment and then she responded, "I've never heard anything like that before in my life."

Interrupting Grace

I think we would do well to be slack-jawed at this race-reconciling gospel, too. One way to stoke the fires of affection for Christ is by marveling at his work in the lives of others. My dear friend Trillia Newbell has written a book combining those very things-- the beauty of racial diversity in the body of Christ and awe-struck wonder at the Savior who sacrificially ransomed his bride.

Trillia skillfully defends from Scripture that Christians from different ethnicities are in fact, blood-related. Our unity is grounded in the blood-soaked cross of Jesus Christ, and therefore transcends things like nationality, neighborhood, economics, diet, education, and hobbies.

Trillia's story points us to the gospel as our hope for unity as we look forward to the future. Because the grace of God has appeared and interrupted our futile efforts of self-glorification, God has promised that he would be the architect of a new city that is coming. This city has no temple "for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb." And this city has no need for the sun or the moon "for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb." We will do something extraordinary in this light-- something we were created to do. We, the nations, are going to walk by that light together in the city, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. We will have no more fearful suspicion of our neighbors, and instead of building walls around ourselves we will live in a city where the gates are never shut (Rev. 21:21-26).

Glory together with Trillia in United how even now, when we walk in the light of Christ our fear and arrogance is replaced with blessing and honoring one another.

This is a worship-full and enjoyable book. I love the fact that Trillia wrote United for her children. She says that she hopes they will read the book one day and wonder, "Why would Mommy see the need to write a book about this?" because the experience of racial discord would be so foreign to them. Amen.

Check out Trillia's blog, where you can read more about United. You can also purchase the book on Amazon or Book Depository (free shipping worldwide). 

What Is Love?

In the spirit of an age steeped in self-interest, we see love in terms of what we can gain from others. We imagine ourselves as helplessly “falling” in and out of love. What we understand about the motive, energy, and goal of love is murky at best. But guided by the narrative in the book of Ruth, Paul Miller holds up the pearl of hesed for us to marvel at in A Loving Life.

What is hesed? And what does an ancient story about an aging landlord and two widows have to do with love in 2014? Read more about Paul Miller's new book in my review at The Gospel Coalition.

The Long-View of Motherhood

What does the cross have to do with motherhood? Everything.

What distinctively Christian hope do we have as moms without the atoning sacrifice of Jesus and his triumphant resurrection? Nothing.

So... why is it so hard for busy moms to see how the gospel relates to our everyday lives of smearing butter on toast, supervising homework, and answering the persistent "why?" questions?

I've attempted to answer that question and a few more in this interview on the Secret Church blog where they are doing a series on the cross and everyday life in preparation for the upcoming Secret Church on April 18th. 

What do you think? Why is it so hard for you personally to maintain an eternal perspective?

Children Need More Than Behavior Modification

Children need the gospel.

That is the underlying premise of Jessica Thompson's new book Exploring Grace Together: 40 Devotionals for the Family.

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Salvation by grace through faith in Jesus' substitutionary death on the cross!

It's the drum beat that Jessica keeps playing over and over and over. It was the resounding chorus through her first book (co-written with her mother, Elyse Fitzpatrick-- Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus). It's the theme of everything Jessica blogs about. And it is the singular message through the family devotionals in this new book. Truly, there is nothing better Jessica could point us to than the gospel. Praise the Lord!

We have no lasting joy outside of Christ. And our children are no different.

I found each of these forty devotionals to be quick reads, but they are slowly simmering their way through ongoing conversations in my home. Jessica illustrates lessons from Scripture with real-life scenarios about children who are just like your kids and mine-- children who need to know the love of Christ. I think any elementary-age child would be able to latch on to the stories, engage in the candid discussion of Scripture, and rehash the teachings about the gospel throughout their everyday experiences. 

Jesus extolled child-like faith. And the precious irony of discipling our children is that the Spirit gifts parents with child-like faith as they go about this glad work. Exploring Grace Together is basically a collection of forty different reminders that we can all heave a collective sigh of relief that the burden of our sin has been lifted by Jesus himself and he gives us everything we need for life and godliness.

I am so thankful for the way this book challenged me personally. Here's the thing-- I know (and heartily agree with) the truth that children need the gospel more than they need behavior modification. But in the thousands of little moments with my children throughout the days and nights, the first thing I want to reach for is behavior modification simply to make my life more convenient for the next ten seconds. Reading Jessica's book was like throwing kindling on a fire for my affections for Christ, whose grace is steadily and surely digging the roots of my convenience-idol out of my heart. Only Jesus can enable us to love grace forever more than we love ten seconds of convenience. 

You can pre-order Exploring Grace Together on Amazon and The Book Depository (free shipping worldwide). But if you can't wait two weeks for a hard copy to come in the mail, the Kindle edition is available now.

Follow Jessica on Twitter, read more about her first book Give Them Grace, and be encouraged by these blog posts by Jessica on the Resurgence blog.

Win an advance copy of Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full

Crossway is offering a chance to win an advance copy of Treasuring Christ When Your Hands Are Full! 

The giveaway ends on Valentine's Day-- to find out how to enter, follow this link to their blog.