Pancakes with Providence

Because a little breakfast with the Lord goes a long way

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Wisdom Wednesdays: Loving our neighbors and Money

"Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another"

-Colossians 3:12-13

Today I wanted to talk about something I've never even thought about until last week. When the Lord revealed it to me, it broke my heart and I couldn't believe it took me this long to realize it, so I hope it has the same effect on yours. 

There's no doubt about it - Providence loves to eat. Providence also loves to have fun. And the natural question is - who doesn't?  And that's precisely the point. Who doesn't love to eat and who doesn't love to have fun? But sometimes, we pick things to eat and choose things to do that naturally brings division. Why? Because of money.

Being the young adult group, many people are working. But many people are also full time graduate students with a ton of loans. Then there might be people who have financial issues that no one else knows about - perhaps they're working full time, but most of that money goes to support their parents. Then there might be people who love food and love people so much that they're willing to make foolish financial decisions to be able to spend time with people.  So what's the point?  Scripture calls us to have compassionate hearts and kindness. Being compassionate means that you are learning to master the art of putting yourself in the shoes of another person and understanding their needs. But it's not enough to just know what they need. That's like saying you go to someone who lost their father and you say, "I am so sorry for your loss." and you walk away. Kindness supplements knowing their needs with action by asking, "What has God gifted me with that I can use to help meet their needs." 

It also calls us to bear with one another. That means being patient with the difficulties that people often bring. This includes people who come to our church or are members who might be financially struggling. The solution? There isn't just one solution. This requires wisdom because every situation is different, but here are a few suggestions... -When picking a place to eat Sundays, try to pick a local place that's relatively cheap. A $25 sushi buffet is tempting, but giving that up is what it means to bear with one another and to be compassionate and kind

-When picking things to do, don't always pick things that require money. If you're saying to yourself, "What can we do for free...?" doing your research for the sake of others is another application of this. Plus it'll be a great resource for if/when you go on dates. -Pay for someone's meal just because. Especially those who you know are struggling. -If you see someone not coming out to events and lunch, ask them why! If your google skills suck and you're also pretty broke, this is the DEFINITELY one way God has enabled you to meet a person's need. If you were in their shoes, you'd probably want someone to just talk to you. 

As always, feel free to leave comments for your chance to win a free book! :-)

[pancakeswithprovidence]

Marriage Mondays: On Dating

There exists a number of books and blog posts and articles on Christian dating. I'm going to throw out what I've come to see as helpful these past few years. There is a LOT more that can be said on this topic, but I'll try to keep it brief.

There are three questions I asked myself and I ask of the other person before pursuing a possible relationship. Those three questions were:

1. Do I understand/does she understand the Gospel and am I/she growing out of it? 2. Do I understand/does she understand what the local church is and the importance of the local church? 3. Do I see myself getting married in 1-2 years?

Again, there's a ton more you can add, but I think these are the MOST critical things a Christian ought to ask before even thinking about pursuing a relationship with someone. For the next couple weeks, I'll elaborate each point.  1. Do I understand/does she understand the Gospel and are we growing out of it? Look, if you don't understand that you are a deeply sinful person and that Christ has come and paid for your sins, AND that you're now a new creation, no longer a slave to your sinful desires but a slave to God, don't get into a relationship.

Now, if you're not a believer, of course, you have no reason to believe this. But if you are a new Christian, I would suggest you wait a little longer. If you got a brand new remote control car, you don't just go and show it to your friends - that's a sure way to come home with a broken toy because you haven't even learned how to use it. It's the same for us - take some time to grow in the Lord and let the Lord change you. Speaking practically - how are you going to counsel your gf/bf to look to God if you don't even know how to do it yet. And on the flipside, let's say the bf/gf counsels you - how will you even know if it's sound Biblical counsel vs some crap they just made up? 

If the person you're interested in doesn't understand the Gospel, don't get into a relationship with him/her. This is not a suggestion, it is a command from the Lord based off of 2 Corinthians 6:14 "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?" The word "yoked" means "fastened together" and if we really read the Lord's words through Paul carefully, it's not only a strong command, but also a wise command. The comparison between a believer and non-believer is the comparison between light and darkness - they are polar opposites. We're not talking about going to church a few times a week - we're talking about a system of values, beliefs, and desires that radically change from when you were a part of the world and when you came to trust in Christ. The two cannot live in harmony together - in the words of Harry Potter - "either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives". At the end of the day, If you yoke yourself with a nonbeliever, someone will have to die in the relationship. Someone will have to give up their core values...And if you understand Scripture, you never volunteered to give up your sin filled values - it took a powerful work of God to get you to do that. So if God had to do that for you, there's no way you, a mere human being, are going to get a person to give up their sinful values.  From practical experience, the gospel doesn't make dating perfect, but it does help. One thing that I've definitely noticed is that Christ at the center makes fights go better. If I get into a fight with the person and we're just being jerks to one another, there is no reason for me to forgive that person. They are not sorry. They are being a jerk. They are not loving me. I am perfectly right in not forgiving and I will withhold forgiveness until they say sorry. But as a Christian, you have some other reason for why you forgive and it is not based on the other person - it's because you know that when you were foolish and sinful and selfish, Christ forgave you.  Also, the gospel helps you be about the other person. Being selfless and thinking of the other person's needs before my own and serving the other person is not the exception to the rule, it is the norm that flows out of the gospel. Because we're sinners, this will not always be the case, but when it does happen, you see two very different people operating in harmony and it is quite an amazing thing. 

Feel free to leave a comment for your chance to win a free book! Also, congratulate Terry Kim as last week's winner for the drawing!! 

[pancakeswithprovidence]

Wisdom Wednesdays: Loving our (small group) neighbors

Today's topic is one that is dear to me and personal to us. When I write this, I am not writing to condemn but to encourage. I also have no single person in mind...if anything, I am the most guilty of these things. Jesus tells us that the second greatest commandment, next to loving God, is:

"You shall love your neighbor as yourself." -Mt 22:39 Let's talk about loving our small group neighbors as ourselves.  Small groups are tricky because everyone has a different expectation for what a small group ought to be and people come to small groups with different intentions. Some people expect small group to be a teaching session, so you don't talk and expect the leader to teach. Some expect it to be a chill session, so you just kind of talk whenever, but no teaching please. Some expect it to be a counseling session, so you pour out your heart about what's going on in life.  Some people go to small groups because your friends are there. Some go because you want to learn. Some go because there was nothing better to do. Some go because you're lonely. Some go because you have to because you're the one leading.  But the lines aren't always so clear. Most of us are a blend of the things stated above.  What are you trying to get at?

Basically, I'm asking you to take a few minutes and discern your heart. Why are you coming to small group? For what purpose do you go? 

Now, there is nothing wrong with going to small groups for your own sake. Perhaps you had a bad week and you would like to share and ask for prayer. Perhaps you've had a long week and you want to hang out and chill with friends. Perhaps you feel like you lack in knowledge, so you go to grow in knowledge. Even scripture affirms that it is OK to look after your own desires. 

BUT you can't stop there! Scripture never stops there. Look at Philippians 2:4 "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others."

This sounds really similar to Jesus' command to love our neighbors as ourselves. It is OK to come to small group because you need or want it, but it is NOT OK to stop there. When you're there, can you also look to the interests of others? Can you love your small group neighbors as yourself? And to strengthen the plea...when you're at small group just for yourself, you're using us. You're using us to fulfill your desires and doing little to nothing to love us also. 

Just so we don't dwell in the realm of generalities, here are some ways you use us...

-You only come when YOU need to. Maybe we're feeling a bit lonely/had a hard week too and we could use your ear.  -You come to speak your part and expect us to listen, then whenever someone else talks, you zone out/get on your phone -You come because you want us to fulfill your loneliness, but you do little to nothing when you see someone alone -By leading the small group, you use the people to feed your own self worth/significance Some positive ways to love... -Come out! Schedule your week around us, not us around your schedule.  -Put your phones away, especially during prayer requests. Love us as you would want to be loved. Yes, you may be able to multitask, but imagine if you were sharing something personal and the person in front of you pulled out a phone and started texting/fb'ing. I doubt it's the way you want to be loved. -Be an active listener when someone shares. Ask a good question to follow up or even nod your head to acknowledge that the person is being heard.  -Talk less or talk more, depending on who you are. Talkless people, give the talkers a break! Talkers, encourage the talkless people to talk. Your opinions, your weeks, your thoughts - they matter to us! -Be less about yourself. Talk less about your own week and take a minute to ask someone else about theirs.  Ultimately, the Lord calls us to love others as he loves us in Christ. He loved us so that he humbled himself to the point of death, even death on a cross. Now, as his Body, he calls us to love one another with the same kind of love. So go, and love your small group neighbor as yourself.

[pancakeswithprovidence]

Marriage Mondays

Pancakes with Providence is back! And today we're going to try something new. We seem to be talking about marriage/romantic relationships quite a bit these days. Our small group curriculum speaks on it often, the pulpit speaks directly to married folk, our friends are getting engaged/married by the masses, and our parents put pressure on us about it just about every other day.  And we have a mixed bag at Providence. Some of you could care less about marriage. Some of you are dying wondering why you aren't married yet. Now, we need to be loving here. It is very easy for people to become divided on this issue because the former group can easily look at the latter group and say, "You guys are idolizing marriage" but just as easily the opposite can happen. The latter group can say, "You guys are selfish and immature because you're only thinking about yourselves."  So for the next few weeks, I want to gently approach this whole marriage thing. Today, we're going to be talking about what pastor Matt Chandler calls "the one idolatry".  What is it? "The one idolatry" is the belief that there is some guy or girl out there that is the perfect person for me. 

How do I know I have it? You think in terms of the one. Every time you find the person failing some kind of standard you've set for the person you'd marry, you ask yourself, "Is this person the one for me?" When someone gets engaged, you ask the person, "How did you know he/she was the one?" 

Why is it so bad? Inherent to thinking about whether or not a person is the one for me is the belief that this person will fulfill me and make me whole. This person will meet every need that I couldn't meet on my own and every need that I want. Some popular examples of this are:  -This person will help me spiritually -This person will satisfy my desire for intimacy -This person will satisfy my loneliness -This person will cure me of my insecurities -This person will care for me  -This person will understand me -This person will respect me

At the heart of it, you are saying, "This person will be my god." And this is wrong because it is SIN

-Jeremiah 17:5 states plainly that this is SIN - "Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD." -Not only is it a sin, but it will crush the person. No man or woman can be this for you. We were not designed to fulfill anyone and on top of that, our sin makes us dangerously unfit for the job. Only the Lord can satisfy you wholly and completely.  Why is it silly? Beyond the part about being a sin and it crushing people, "the one idolatry" is actually pretty silly. It means that somewhere along the line of history, somebody married the wrong person and then another person married the wrong person and if you do the math, it means you are utterly hopeless. Good luck finding your "one". If you really believe this, it means hundreds or even thousands of years ago, someone screwed it up for us all!  What Pastor Matt Chandler has to say: "My wife, Lauren, she's just a girl. And I could be married to another woman and be happy. Do you know how I know she's the one for me? Because I'm married to her. If I were married to someone else, they would be the one for me."  Leave questions or comments or even suggestions for topics to talk about on our fb page or email me!

[pancakeswithprovidence]

Sabbatical

Pancakes with Providence will be on a temporary hiatus until the week of May 12th! Stand by until then!

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1 Thess 4:1-8: Sexual Atheism

Sexual Atheism

  A recent article by the Christian post revealed that a recent study showed that 63% of Christian singles between the ages of 18-59 would have sex before marriage.

  The author of the article said that these self-proclaimed Christians are in practice sexual atheists. “In other words, God has nothing to say to them on that subject of any consequence or, at least, anything meaningful enough to dissuade them from following their own course of conduct. A person who at once believes in a wise, sovereign and loving God who created them and all things, can also believe simultaneously He should not, cannot or will not inform their thinking or living sexually. It reminds me of those famous red letters in Luke's Gospel where Jesus says, "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord' and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46). There is disconnect between identity and activity.”

  The article says precisely what Paul is saying – the will of God is our sanctification (which means being set apart from the ideas and practices that are contrary to God’s will) and Paul elaborates specifically on sexual sin.

  He tells us that God calls us to be self-controlled, which is to mimic God the Creator (v.4). Contrary to this are the Gentiles who do not know God and therefore act not like God, but rather like animals who have no self-control at all.

  He also calls us to make sure we’re not cheating or causing someone else to cheat on his or her spouse. If you think this part isn’t for you, recent studies have shown that 50% of men admitted to cheating on their wives, and the number of wives cheating was smaller, but on the rise.

  But the call here is not simply, “Don’t have sex before marriage.” And “Don’t cheat on your spouse or cause someone else to cheat on theirs.” The call is HOLINESS. This is an all-encompassing reality, not a “10 ways to be holy plan!”

  We are to be holy in our thoughts, in our speech, with our eyes, with our bodies, and with one another. That includes the sexual speech that comes out of your mouths, the pornography (or perhaps extremely scantily clad men and women in movies/shows) you watch with your eyes, the thoughts about the opposite sex (or perhaps same sex) you have, and the actions you carry out with your body (sex, masturbation, etc.)

  If you’re anything like me – you look at this and you go…damn, I’m failing so hard. TAKE HEART! What does Paul say in v.3? It is God’s will for you to be sanctified! That means he’s for you! If you sinned against the Lord, repent, and keep going knowing that God is providing you everything you need to fight against this sin! If you know that God is providing you everything you need to fight this sin, then work with all your might to fight also. Get rid of the computer in your room if you need to. Get Covenant Eyes and partner up with a brother or sister. Stop watching that tv show. Stop meeting together in private places late at night. Do whatever you can because you know God is providing you with everything to fight and be holy! 

[pancakeswithprovidence]

Wisdom Wednesdays: On Gossip

GOSSIP

We all talk about how it's bad and sinful yet I think we don't have a clear understanding of what it is. Even if some of us do have a clear understanding of what it is, we find ourselves often doing it, or engaging someone else who's doing it.

So what is gossip?

This is a tough question, and I'm sure you all have thoughts on what it is, but here is what comes to mind. 

Gossip is a sharing of information (whether true or untrue) that arises from 1. The desire to validate your existence 2. The desire to hurt another, 3. Because of boredom.

This is completely antithetical with what Scripture commands in Eph 4:29 - "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

Based on the definition I give, I don't believe gossip is so much about the content of information as it is about the motive behind sharing the information. Don't get me wrong - the content definitely matters, but the content will always be construed based on the motive. If someone really hurt you, the content will change because of the motivation you have for sharing that information. 

Well, why's it so wrong?

In Ephesians 4:29, we are told that our speech is to be "good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." The word for "building up" means "the act of one who promotes another’s growth in Christian wisdom, piety, holiness, happiness". Imagine it as literally building a house. What would help build the house and what would not? Let's take a look at the 3 motives of gossip in relation to this building motif:

1. Gossip as the desire to validate your existence - This is when you feel important for "being in the know". You all know what this is - that feeling when you're gathered in a group and everyone wants to know a certain piece of information that only you have. Or perhaps you tell someone information without their prompting to feel important to them or perhaps to even show off how important you are. Following our motif - this is someone who spends more time talking and showing off the house than building it. At the end of the day, they are showing off themselves not at all interested in building the house. 

2. Gossip as the desire to hurt - we've all done this. And we all mask it as "venting". Stop BS'ing. The motive behind this is to hurt the other person just as much as they've hurt you and to have others "join your team". Following the motif, this person is someone who either literally throws a fit and removes bricks from the house, or a sloppy worker who, by splattering cement everywhere and sloppily placing bricks, prevents the building from ever being built up properly and beautifully. 

3. Gossip that comes from boredom - This is the most tricky category that most of us fall prey to. Often times, we feel ok about sharing information out of boredom because it often comes out "neutral". We didn't hurt anyone, we just shared facts about another person. But my question to you would be this: does sharing information out of a motive of boredom ever help build a house? Following the motif of building, this is like when you take a break and just start talking to your fellow workers. It's not explicitly harmful, but it's not helpful either. And therefore, it is still antithetical to the command in Ephesians 4.  What's the cure?

Right before Ephesians 4:29, the content before it is concerned with the unity of the people of Christ (whole) AND the transformation of each Christian (individual). Paul talks about the WHOLE GROUP and the INDIVIDUAL PERSONS. 

In other words, what Paul is saying is that the only way you'll kill the desires to gossip is when you remember what Christ has done. Christ has worked relentlessly to bring unity to the whole body of Christ, but furthermore, that he's worked relentlessly to transform you to help maintain that unity by building one another up. It kills your desire to be self-important because it's not just about you...it's about us. It kills your desire to tear down the building because we see Christ who worked relentlessly to build us up when we should have been torn down. It kills your desire from boredom because our Savior does not commend idleness, but constant building - and he has shown us with his own life what that means. 

Build Up

Just some practical encouragements:

1. If you see yourself on this list, repent to the Lord! He is quick to forgive and eager to restore and give you grace to fight this sin!

2. If you find yourself talking about someone else, constantly ask yourself, "Is it necessary that I share this?"

3. If it passes the test above, constantly ask yourself, "Why am I sharing this?" 

3. If it passes the 2 questions above, are you then sharing in a way that builds all parties up? For example, "I heard Joe was struggling with his girlfriend this week. I'm praying for them and I'm going to try to check in with them next week. You're close with him, right? Can you check in on him?"

I'd love to hear thoughts on what else you think fits in the category of "gossip" or what wise ways we can avoid and put gossip to death!

[pancakeswithprovidence]

Old Testament Tuesdays: Job 13

"Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face." -Job 13:15

These words from Job in chapter 13 rocked my world. "Though he slay me, I will hope in him." 

It comes in a context where Job is convinced that he is righteous. He has done nothing wrong. And he says, "EVEN IF God decides to destroy me, I will never cease trusting in him because he is the God who is just and righteous and I am without fault here. At the end of the day, even if I die, I am confident I will be in the presence of God, not cut off from him."

Do you get what Job is saying? He's saying - "I will still and forever trust the God who is the same God who is making my life miserable." Dang. Those are some crazy words.

For me, whenever the Lord brings about circumstances and trials and sufferings that make my life terrible, I find myself running to other things. I get a bad grade on an assignment? I go do something I'm good at so I remind myself I'm not a failure and that I'm worth something.   I have a rough day with the people I serve? I run away to my computer or movies because it allows me to escape into a world where I can control - and in this one, no one can criticize or disrespect me. I don't have a lot of money? I daydream about what life could have been like if I did this or that And these reactions to God making my life miserable are anti-Job. Job says, "Though he slay me, I will hope in him." I'm saying, "When he slays me, I will hope in other things. I will hope in my worth. I will run to solitude. I will hope in fantasy."  But we have an even greater hope. See, Job is pointing to an even greater truster; an even greater hoper. He's pointing to Jesus the Christ! Jesus was the only one was slayed, and yet truly trusted in God. And for his hope, for his trust, what did he receive? Complete abandonment. Complete misery. Complete death. Why? 

So that for all of us, when God slays us, when God brings trials, tribulation, and circumstances that are miserable, we will never die. We will never be abandoned. We will never be cut off from God because Jesus has stood in our place. We are like Job - counted as righteous because of Jesus. And therefore, God will never cut us off. 

So what?

The "so what" is this - God didn't come to make us happy in the way we want, he came to make us truly happy. And he knows that true happiness comes by way of trusting in him at every moment. How's he know that? Because he created you! He knows what's best for you even when you think it's wrong! That's why he sends his people constantly into fire and trials - it's to get them to trust in him!

In order to get you to the point where you are truly happy, God will slay you. He will bring you into fires and trials where you will swear you're dying and you will fail a lot, turning and trusting in other things. But he does it to bring you to declare with Job, "I will hope in you, God!"

What are your trials? Are you hoping in him, though he slay you?

[pancakeswithprovidence]

Missional Mondays: "Scripture was written by man"

“Scripture was written by men and so I don’t believe it’s the word of God”

You’ve probably met someone who wrestled with this. Heck, you’ve probably wrestled with this. Scripture is a man-made work, so what gives it the authority of God? How do we respond to something like this?

The first thing we need to recognize is that there are some good assumptions being made here. It assumes that man is fallible and prone to error. It also assumes that man is not greater than man so it does not make sense that the words of man rule man.

But there are some questionable assumptions that are made here. It assumes on the nature of God – that God is unable or perhaps unwilling to break into our world to bring about his Bible. It assumes that God was not present when these men wrote the Scriptures.

And the two sets of assumptions are actually contradictory – the skeptic wants a BIG God because he understands that man is not greater than man, and yet he denies the BIG God that has broken into our world and supernaturally brought about his Word through men. He wants a God who is bigger than man, and then when we actually give him this BIG God who is infinitely bigger than man and even able to transcend the natural laws of this world to bring about his Word through fallible men, he immediately cringes and says, “God can’t do that!”

  To throw some gas onto our flame, here are some other things that might encourage you or your friends:

-Jesus who is the eternal second person of the Trinity and God’s Son, memorized, taught, believed, quoted, and obeyed Scripture (Lk 4:17-21; Lk 24:46-47; Mt 12:40;  Jn 8:56; Mark 7:10; Mark 12:26)

-The Apostles are aware of their words carrying the authority of God (1 Cor 14:37; 1 Thess 4:2; 1 Tim 5:18; 2 Pet 3:2; 2 Pet 3:16)

-The 66 books of the Bible were written by 40 different people, on 3 continents, in 3 languages, and over a period of 1500 years by authors whose education and background varied greatly (kings, shepherds, scientists, attorneys, a tax collector, an army general, fishermen, priests, and a physician). And yet, even with this crazy diversity, you see an impossible unity. As you read the Scriptures, you can't help but see the pen of a single author who is accomplishing and recording the story of how God loves his people and comes to rescue them. This is indeed…the greatest story ever told. 

[pancakeswithprovidence]

Welcome to Funny Fridays!

Because of the craziness of the past few days, you will have until 5pm today to comment, at which point I will then do the drawing. Go go go!

[pancakeswithprovidence]

Why we dated quietly

My apologies for the lack of posts the last 2 days – was running around trying to setup for last night’s events! Pictures will come soon!

  I wanted to post this because it’s been on my heart (as well as Christina’s) for some time now. Believe us, you have no idea how good it felt to go public with our relationship – both because we want people to share in our joy, and also because we are now committed to be wed to one another.

  So why did we keep it quiet? And if you were one of the ones who found out, why did we ask you to keep it down low?

  Admittedly, this was not our desire. We wanted to tell people. We wanted to be held accountable by the church and we wanted to share our joys and struggles with you all. It is my belief that there are no lone wolf Christians – we were designed for and called to be in deep interpersonal relationships with other brothers and sisters in Christ through the local church.

  So why didn’t we do that?

  It’s because there is no such thing as a lone wolf Christian.

  As much as we’re called to be in interpersonal relationship with one another, we’re also called to be in relationship with and in submission to parental figures as well as pastors who shepherd our souls. Now this is to be qualified – we are called to submit when the counsel given is not sinful or blatantly foolish.

  And in this case, the parents of both sides as well as the local church had asked us to keep it quiet. At first, we rebelled. We were upset. We thought their counsel was foolish and misguided – merely a result of tradition. But upon having multiple conversations, we came to see that maybe we jumped the gun. Maybe these people had accrued more wisdom than we gave credit for. After all, my dad’s a pastor, hers an elder. They were also more aware of their culture than we were. Perhaps their counsel was not as foolish as we once thought.

  At the end of the day, we still were not happy about having to keep it under wraps. It contradicted a lot of the wisdom I had learned over the years from pastors and friends. But at the same time, there was nothing sinful or blatantly foolish about their request. The question, then, basically boiled down to – will you submit to what you yourself think is wise or will you submit to the counsel of the people the Lord has surrounded you with, who really do love you and really do love the Church? For us, it was a no brainer.

  Submission doesn’t mean, “comply when you agree”. No. That’s called agreement. Submission means, “Can you comply because you trust, not because you agree?”

So even though we didn’t agree, we trusted. We trusted our parents, our leaders, and most importantly, the God who placed them there in our lives. We didn’t do it perfectly – there were definitely moments when we were so frustrated we just wanted to tell them off and start telling everyone. But by God’s grace, we were brought to a place where in this situation, we could die to ourselves and our own idea of wisdom and trust in the Lord and the people he placed in our lives.  

  Thank you for your encouragements, loving comments, and for being genuinely excited with us! If you have any questions about how it all went down...ask Christina. 

[pancakeswithprovidence]

Welcome to Funny Fridays! (more like throwback friday...) Congratulations to this week's book giveaway winner, Dave Lee!

[pancakeswithprovidence]

Wisdom Wednesdays with Joe Song

Trust in the Lord

Prayer. We all know what it looks like, what it should sound like, where it goes to. But more often than not, instead of being influenced by the biblical view of prayer, we focus on the romanticized, Hollywood's contorted version of it. Where the villains or the heroes come before the altar and say something like "God you and I don't get along but if anything make this go away." Our prayers have turned into this amalgam of spirituality and convenience. When we "need" God, we turn to him. When we realize that we can't do something, we ask our genie, our slot machine God, to help us. Sometimes it's a yes, other times it's a no but at least we took the chance right?

And so, one of the prayers that our corrupted hearts love to divulge is to question God's will. "Why this? Why that? What about this? What about my future?" We all struggle with uncertainty and not knowing why things are happening in our lives but these prayer belie our hope and trust in God for the bigger problem of our pride and our well being. Let's take a look at the excerpt below:

“When the brilliant ethicist John Kavanaugh went to work for three months at “the house of the dying” in Calcutta, he was seeking a clear answer as to how best to spend the rest of his life. On the first morning there he met Mother Teresa. She asked, “And what can I do for you?” Kavanaugh asked her to pray for him.“What do you want me to pray for?” she asked. He voiced the request that he had borne thousands of miles from the United States: “Pray that I have clarity.” She said firmly, “No, I will not do that.” When he asked her why, she said, “Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of.”

When Kavanaugh commented that she always seemed to have the clarity he longed for, she laughed and said, “I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So I will pray that you trust God.”

How bold of her to suggest that instead of clarity, we should pray for trust? The point I want to make is this. When we pray, consider the content of your prayer. Is it full of requests to God? That's fine! But if those requests are unanswered year after year, will your faith in Him diminish? If for some reason God decided his answers to your prayers would be NO time and time again, will your heart waver? Or if he declines your request, will you have the faith and trust to believe that He has something better in mind, some beauty He wants to grow out of your turmoil?

So today's wisdom application is this: When we pray for ourselves and others, focus on praying inwardly, not about our circumstances, but about our trust and faith that God, the king of the universe, knows what is going on. Make a schedule with the Lord and keep your appointments with Him. Pray that our heart sees the King and dares not ask for an answer but instead trust in the Lord.

[pancakeswithprovidence]

Old Testament Tuesdays: Job 10

"I will say to God, Do not condemn me; let me know why you contend against me...You clothed me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit...Why did you bring me out from the womb? Would that I had died before any eye had seen me" Job 10:2, 11-12, 18

Last week, we talked about Job acknowledging the holiness of God.  Even in his suffering, Job understands that God is not some chump you can start mouthing off to and complaining to. And yet in our sinfulness, instead of remembering who he is and being humbled, we become arrogant and point the finger,

But in Job 10, Job begins his complaint against God. It seems pretty contradictory to what was said last week about Job 9. But is it? I believe that for Job, the way he complains to God is done in a godly way rather than a sinful way. Most of us, when suffering hits, we jump right in and complain and throw accusations. For Job, he remembers his place and then wrestles with God. 

There is nothing unbiblical about wrestling with God. Abraham, remembering his place, seems to bargain with the Lord (Gen 18). Jacob literally wrestles with the Lord (Gen 32) and God never condemns such action. Even for Job - God never condemns Job of sin. Why?

It's because God invites us to wrestle with him. He invites us to challenge him at his promises. He invites us to contend with him things he has said in his word. Prayers like this: "God, you're all powerful! Why won't you heal my _____?" or "God, you took away my hopes and dreams. It wasn't easy, but I'm trying to trust you. But God...Where are you leading me?"

And when you wrestle like this, what's often the result? You come to know God more. As you wrestle with God and read through his word, you come to know him even more. You come to trust him even more. You come to love him even more. You enter into a deeply personal relationship with God. For all your wrestling with God, you come to realize that for God, healing isn't an option, but it may not come in this age, but definitely in the age to come. For all your wrestling with God, you learn that God never promises to lead you to gold in this world, but riches await in the world to come - you can manage to live with scrubs for a little while.

The other options:

If you don't wrestle with God, there are 2 other options that often lead in destruction or chaos.

1. You don't wrestle, you demand. Often times, without remembering your place like Job or like Abraham or like Jacob, you demand from God instead of wrestling with him. This often results in unbelief because instead of trying to understand what God is up to and who he is, you demand he conforms to you. 

2. You don't wrestle. You never get into the ring. Often times, you interpret "walk by faith and not by sight" as, "Oh you just have to trust him." but you're mushy. You have no idea what you're trusting in. You have no idea who God is because you "just have to trust". This is just as foolish because you've never wrestled with any of God's truths so you don't know him at all. You're in an impersonal relationship with God. 

[pancakeswithprovidence]

Missional Mondays: Two Authorities

If you've ever spoken to a non-believer about Scripture, the constant refrain is usually, "I don't believe Scripture is God's word. Prove to me that Scripture is God's word." 

And it sounds good and right! They just need to be convinced that Scripture is God's word. So like a good and knowledgable Christian, you start defending the Bible and giving facts about why Scripture is really God's word. But no matter how many facts you give, what is almost always the result? They remain unconvinced. 

Is it because you're a bad apologist? Perhaps. But more than likely, the reason why they remain unconvinced is because they are dead in their sin, rebelling against God's authority like Adam.

You see, Adam's sin is this: God interpreted reality for him. He told him what Adam's role was and what Adam should and should not do.

See, in the garden, there was nothing inherently wrong with the fruit in the garden. God did not create bad fruit. So the fruit of the knowledge of Good and Evil was not inherently evil. No, it was a test. It was God saying to Adam, "Adam, will you interpret reality after me under my authority or will you interpret the world after yourself under your own authority." 

And Adam chose the latter. By eating the fruit, he declared that he will judge for himself what reality is. He will determine what is good and right and what is wrong and evil. He went after God's throne. 

And for all those dead in their sin are like Adam - that's why when you talk to non-believers about Scripture, no matter how many facts you give them about Scripture, they will always interpret the facts as they see fit and remain unchanged and unconvinced. No matter how many facts you tell a dead guy, they'll still be dead.  Ok, so what? 

Well, one:

If someone is dead in their sin, what does Scripture say brings dead men to life? It is none other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved —Eph 2:1-5

The most important thing you can give a person is not a logical argument or good facts that are pro-Christianity. The most important thing you can give to someone is the Gospel. So study apologetics - that's great. But more than that, learn how to share the Gospel because that is what brings hearts dead to God alive to God. If you guys don't exactly know how to share it, I'd love to do a course with you guys on how to do that! 

And two:

Facts and logical reasoning are still very important, but it is penultimate. Facts and reasoning serve the Gospel; they are never the end. The reason why facts and logical reasoning exist is to understand the other person's worldview, dismantle it, and then rebuild it up with the Gospel. We'll be talking about how this works in the coming weeks, but i wanted to start here with understanding the proper place of logical and reasoning 

[pancakeswithprovidence]

Welcome to Funny Fridays! This week, there were only 2 people who commented :-( Congratulations to Hahnmi (again)! See you all at rock climbing tonight!!

[pancakeswithprovidence]

New Testament Thursdays: 1 Thess 3:11-13

"Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints." 1 Thess 3:11-13

There are just a few things that we can learn from this passage..I'm going to briefly go through them, and I hope you are encouraged and you learn from this!

1. The apostle Paul believes in prayer - here is this incredible amazing, hardworking man of God and he takes time to pray for the saints in Thessalonica. He believes in prayer - that God hears and answers prayer and if a man as great as Paul knew he needed it, then so must we. 

2. He prays to the Father and to the Son - A lot of times, our prayers begin with "Father God" (and repeats that phrase 10 more times to replace our "um's"). Sometimes we thank the Father or ask the Father for things that should be thanked/asked of Jesus. For example, I've heard a few times, "Heavenly Father.....thank you for dying on the cross for us". no no no. And Paul asks Jesus for help in loving one another. Makes sense because it's what Jesus told us to do (Jn 13:34-35). Part of our sanctification is not just doing right things but knowing God rightly.  

3. Paul doesn't pray for their circumstance - We saw in chapter 3 that the Thessalonians were under harsh persecution AND they're poor. But Paul doesn't pray that they'll have easier lives OR for wealth. He prays for their spiritual health not their physical wellbeing or for their circumstances!!! When was the last time you prayed for someone for something other than their circumstance?

3. Paul equates holiness with loving one another. Dang, this one hit me hard. Paul prays for us what Jesus required of us in Jn 13:35 - "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” The love we have for one another is SO huge, that Paul takes a whole section out for it. Let's also keep praying that we grow in holiness by growing in the love we have for one another.