Father Elijah Follow-up
I know that some folks have been reading the apocalyptic novel Father Elijah, after I wrote recommending it last week. Three quick things as follow-up:
- Once you finish it, you should read the FAQs about Father Elijah that author Michael D. O'Brien has on his website. I think you'll find some of his answers helpful.
- Please shoot me an email or reply to this post and let me know what you thought of the book. My wife finished the novel late last night, and so she is now one of only two people I know in the entire world who have read Father Elijah. What are your thoughts?
- When's the last time you read a good, long novel? I'd say the time is right to read this one.
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Letter from an African Boy
I was touched by this simple letter I just received from a boy my family sponsors in Kenya.
12/2/19
Dear Andrew
I hope that you are fine with your family members
Am also fine together with my family members
here in Kenya We are so happy to hear
that your doing well with your family there
I thank you for the Christmas gift you sent
to me. I was happy; together with my family
members, I went and bought clothes, food, and shoes
i weared them well and looked smart. Everybody looked me and
Everybody cheered me happily. Did you celebrated the Christm-
as? or you did not? If you celebrated I think you saw
it well.
Here in Kenya we celebrated it well. i dont know you
if you celebrated it well. I think the lord protected you
and i. I celebrated it well with out any problem
even you: I think so.
I will finish with a memory verse. Roman 10:18 So faith
comes from what is herd and what is herd comes by the
preaching of christ.
Your Faithfully
[signed]
May God bless you in great ways, little brother!
[The author is 13 years old, and we were connected with him through Compassion International. Compassion is a beautiful organization that I've been involved with for 15 years or so.]
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Father Elijah
This 600 page apocalyptic novel has had a profound spiritual effect on me. Father Elijah: An Apocalypse is the story of Father Elijah Schafer—Polish Holocaust survivor, convert from Judaism, Carmelite Monk from a monastery in northern Israel—and is set in the near future. The author imagines what it would be like to be alive as the End Times approach. It’s worth quoting the author’s introduction at length:
“The reader will encounter here an apocalypse in the old literary sense, but one that was written in the light of Christian revelation. It is a speculation, a work of fiction. It does not attempt to predict certain details of the final Apocalypse so much as to ask how human personality would respond under conditions of intolerable tension, in a moral climate that grows steadily chillier, in a spiritual state of constantly shifting horizons. The near future holds for us many possible variations on the apocalyptic theme, some more dire than others. I have presented only one scenario. And yet, the central character is plunged into a dilemma that would face him in any apocalypse. He finds himself within the events that are unfolding, and thus he is faced with the problem of perception: how to see the hidden structure of his chaotic times, how to step outside it and to view it objectively while remaining within it as a participant, as an agent for the good….
[This book does not ] offer simplistic resolutions and false piety. It offers the Cross. It bears witness, I hope, to the ultimate victory of light.”from Father Elijah: An Apocalypse, by Michael D. O'Brien
Mr. O’Brien’s great skill is to make the unseen spiritual world accessible, and to make holiness attractive. After reading the novel, I find myself praying more and doing so more fervently.
I started Father Elijah in Israel a few weeks ago, and when I returned home, I found myself reading in bed, long after my family was asleep. As the novel approached its climax, I found myself unable to go to sleep, heart beating out of my chest.
And the last page of the novel? I was astounded when I read it.
Highly recommended.
★★★★★
Father Elijah: An Apocalypse, by Michael D. O'Brien
Note on My Rating System
I use a 5 star system in my ratings to signify the following:
★★★★★ life-changing and unforgettable
★★★★ excellent
★★★ worth reading
★★ read other things first
★ not recommended
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The Spiritual World is Very Close
The spiritual world is very near--even now at hand--and all around, and yet it is also inaccessible to us by normal human actions. The spiritual world is invisible, but it is there. From time to time, God permits us to experience the spiritual world, but those times are rare this side of the grave, like seeing a snow leopard or Haley's Comet.
Peter, James, and John are given one of those rare glimpses of the spiritual world on the Mount of Transfiguration:
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
Matthew 17:1-3
They see Jesus as he is in the spiritual world--glorious and radiant. When the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, he humbled himself and became as we are, but on the Mount of Transfiguration, his glory is unmasked.
Understand, though, that his glory is not in spite of his humiliation, but because of his humiliation:
Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.Philippians 2:5-11
Today's Scripture
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Suffering is the Way Forward
When Jesus begins to tell the disciples that he is going to Jerusalem to suffer and die, Peter pulls him aside and rebukes him.
Why?
Because Peter wants to believe that salvation is possible without suffering.
Jesus knows that suffering is inevitable, and I think the reason he reacts so strongly to Peter--"Get behind me, Satan!"--is precisely because the main temptation Jesus faces is the temptation to seek the Crown without the Cross. Jesus doesn't need Peter speaking the devil's words into his ear--the way of the cross is difficult enough.
Things haven't changed. Suffering is part of life, and the faithful will suffer. The Cross comes before the Crown. Good Friday comes before Easter Sunday.
But of course, if suffering is part of life--and I'm certain that it is--that means that you will suffer if you choose faithfulness, and you will suffer if you don't. Both the faithful and the unfaithful suffer. The question is, will we suffer because we are walking the Way of Jesus, or because we are trying to seek our own way? Both ways are difficult, but only one way leads to life.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 2What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
Matthew 16:25-26
Which way are you walking today?
Today's Scripture
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The Rock
The church is not a charity. The church is not a social service agency. The church is not a fraternal club.
The church is a group of people called and centered around Peter's confessional claim at Caesarea Phillipi:
"You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
Matthew 16:16
Now, the church indeed does charitable things, serves the community, and draws people together. But each of those things derives from its identity; none of those things constitutes its identity. It is Jesus himself who gives the church its identity.
As long as we hold onto Peter's claim, the forces of evil and death itself will never prevail over Christ's church.
Herod is dead. Caesar is dead. Pilate is dead.
But Jesus is alive, and his church will never be defeated.
Amen.
As long as we hold onto Peter's claim, the forces of evil and even death itself will never prevail over Christ's church.
Some Quick Notes
- The English word "church" is a translation of a Greek word which means "called out." It was originally a political term that the early church co-opted.
- "Peter" is really just "Rock." Peter's given name was Simon--"Simeon"--but in this passage Jesus gives him his nickname and explains its significance--he will be the "rock" on which Jesus begins to build his church. (By the way, the Aramaic word for "rock" is "cephas," which is why Peter is sometimes called "Cephas" in the New Testament. It seems clear that Aramaic and not Greek was the first language of Jesus and the disciples--Greek was the language of commerce and politics.)
- Jesus's words to Peter are a bit confusing there at the end:
"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16:19
What does that stuff about the binding and loosing mean? I like how Grant Osbourne puts it:
"The church exists on earth but with a heavenly authority behind it. As the church takes the teaching of Jesus and lives it in this world both in terms of opening the doors of the kingdom to converts and opening the truths of the kingdom to the new messianic community, it does so with the authority and guidance of God."
Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Matthew, pg. 630.
Today's Scripture
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The Sign of Jonah
Some years back, the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth (TX) put on an exhibition called "Picturing the Bible: the Earliest Christian Art." I went and still remember being struck by one particular theme that emerged over and over in the artwork: Jonah!
Why Jonah? The early Church saw Jonah as a symbol for Christ:
- Jonah was in the belly of the fish for 3 days;
- Jesus was in the belly of the earth for 3 days.
- Jonah was vomited up from death to life;
- Jesus was vomited up from death to life.
- Etc.
Here is an example of the Jonah theme from the Roman Catacombs:
In today's passage, Jesus for the 2nd time in Matthew's Gospel refers to the "sign of Jonah." The Pharisees ask him for a sign, and this is what he says:
“When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.”
Matthew 16:2-4
"The Sign of Jonah." Of all the images he could have pulled from the Old Testament as a way of explaining his ministry, I would never have predicted that Jesus would pull from Jonah!
But Jesus is endlessly surprising, which is one of the things I really like about him.
How might Jesus surprise you today?
Today's Scripture
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Jesus and the Canaanite Woman
Here's the first question to ask of this difficult story: what is Matthew trying to tell us? The Gospels are not an exhaustive transcript of the events of the life of Jesus. Rather, they have been arranged selectively to make a theological point. For example, here is how John explicitly explains the purpose behind his Gospel:
Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.... If every one of [the things Jesus did] were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
John 20:30-21, 21:25
Although Matthew doesn't have a statement of purpose as explicit as John, his point is fairly obvious: he wants us to believe in Jesus. So, the only reason to include the strange story of Jesus and the Canaanite woman must be because Matthew thinks it teaches us something important.
Context, Context, Context
Where does the story take place? Not in Israel proper, but in "the region of Tyre and Sidon." These are cities of Israel's traditional enemies, and to make sure we don't miss the point, Matthew makes it clear that it is a "Canaanite" woman who is pestering Jesus. The Canaanites were the violent idol-worshippers the Children of Israel fought when they entered the Promised Land. In other words, she is DEFINITELY NOT an Israelite.
This story takes place immediately after Jesus has had an argument with the Pharisees about what real faithfulness looks like. The Pharisees DEFINITELY ARE Israelites, but their hard-heartedness ultimately leads them to reject and crucify Jesus.
Contrast the Pharisees dismissal of Jesus with the Canaanite woman's persistent pursuit of Jesus. The chosen people REJECT the Messiah, whereas the Gentiles are eager to receive him.
"To the Jew First, then to the Greek"
Since Genesis 12, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years before the time of Jesus, the Lord's plan has been clear: to use the family of Abraham as the means by which he would save the entire world. The Apostle Paul explains this plan in Romans 1:16:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
Romans 1:16
Jesus is therefore explaining the rescue plan accurately when he says, "“I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel" (Matthew 15:24). His ministry takes place in Israel, and is directed toward Israelites. But because the Jews reject him as Messiah, the gospel is then taken by Paul and others to the non-Jews, the "Greeks" or Gentiles.
The Jews traditionally viewed the Gentiles as unclean sinners, and no devout Jew would have anything to do with them. The Jews also called the Gentiles "dogs." Jesus is therefore using traditional Jewish ways of referring to Gentiles in this passage. He seems like a jerk, but I think he's setting up the disciples (and by extension, us) with the language he's using.
You Know the Tree by Its Fruit
His language seems harsh, but look at what Jesus does: he heals this pagan woman's daughter. Jesus has been telling us over and over again: you know the tree by its fruit. It's not words that matter, but actions. Though his words might seem harsh at first, he does in fact heal the little girl, just as he has previously healed the Centurion's slave. The ministry of Jesus is to the Jews, but here and with the Centurion there is foreshadowing: soon the gospel will be taken to the ends of the earth.
The Canaanite Woman is a Model for Faith
I think Matthew includes this story because he wants us to see the woman as a model for faith. She is persistent and single-minded: she needs what Jesus has, and she's not going to stop until she gets it.
I think Matthew includes this story because he wants us to see the woman as a model for faith. She is persistent and single-minded: she needs what Jesus has, and she's not going to stop until she gets it.
How can you imitate this unnamed woman today?
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How to Tell a Good Man from a Bad One
I know it's been a few weeks since I've sent out my daily posts on the Gospel readings, but I'm back from Israel and actually sleeping at night, so here we go again. The plan is for me to write a brief commentary on each day's reading that I will post on my blog and email out to those of you who are subscribed to my Gospels 2019 mailing list. In addition, I write other posts on all sorts of other topics from time to time, and I email those out to folks who are on my Andrew Forrest newsletter list. Subscribe!
Context is Key to Understanding the Gospels
One of the keys to understanding the Gospels is to pay attention to context:
- Where specifically is this story taking place?
- What happened beforehand? What happens after?
- Why did Matthew (or Mark, Luke, or John) place this story in this specific place?
Two Contrasting Banquets
Today's story of the feeding of the 5,000 is a great example of the importance of context, because it occurs immediately after Herod's beheading of John the Baptist at a drunken banquet. (I preached about that story yesterday.) After a banquet that culminates with a scene of horror --John's severed head is brought in on a platter--Matthew tells us the story of a very different kind of banquet on the green hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee.
The crowds are gathered to see Jesus, and he has compassion on them. In addition to healing their diseases, Jesus presides over a remarkable miracle: everyone there is given plenty to eat.
How to Tell A Good Man from a Bad Man
Jesus has been telling us throughout the Gospel of Matthew: you know a tree by its fruit. A good tree produces good fruit, a bad tree produces bad fruit.
It's not what someone says that matters, it's what someone does. We know all we need to know about the difference between Herod and Jesus by comparing what happens at the two quite different banquets.
You know how to tell the difference between a good man and a bad man? Watch his actions, not his words.
Today's Scripture
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If I Forget Thee, O Jerusalem
From the Galilee we took the route to Jerusalem that Jesus would have taken: not the western route along the Mediterranean, via the Roman road, nor the central route, through Samaria, but the eastern route, along the Jordan River. When we arrived at The Dead Sea, we made the steep climb from Jericho through the Judean Desert, took the modern tunnel that cuts through one of the many hills that encircle Jerusalem, and when we came out, there it was.
People will tell you that the Grand Canyon is majestic, and probably every American has seen photos and videos of it. But the Grand Canyon itself, when you see it in person, is more astounding than the hype. I remember the first time I saw it it literally took my breath away.
Yosemite Valley is the same way. Many of us have seen pictures of it and heard how beautiful it is, but when you enter the tunnel through the heart of the mountain and emerge and see the valley before you--El Capitan and Half Dome and the surging waterfalls--it's better than you anticipated.
That's how it was for me when we came out of the tunnel through Mount Scopus, took the curve and saw Jerusalem across the Kidron valley. A place I'd heard about my entire life, a place I'd wanted to visit, only to get there and find that the actual experience of being there was better than I'd hoped.
"If I Forget Thee, O Jerusalem"
The psalmist wrote those famous words from Psalm 137 while in bitter exile in Babylon. My life in Dallas is not bitter, and I'm glad to be back home, but I understand the ancient poet's words. I have much more to say about my first visit to the Holy Land, but let this suffice for now: I loved every minute of being in the land of the Bible, and I never want to forget what it was like to see Jerusalem for the first time.
-
Jerusalem, from the Mount of Olives. -
The Old City. -
Leading a Bible study on the "Teaching Steps" at the southern end of the Temple. -
Jesus stood on these exact same steps! -
The top of the Temple Mount is now the Dome of the Rock, 3rd holiest site in Islam. -
I prayed and placed prayers in the Wailing Wall. -
We prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane -
An amazing recreation of Jerusalem in the time of Jesus.
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What Galilee Has Taught Me
These last few days I've been in the Galilee, in the north of Israel, and it is the particularity of the place that's made the biggest impression on me: it was on this beach that Jesus called to Peter and the others when they'd been fishing all night and caught nothing; it was on this lake where Jesus calmed the storms; it was this hillside on which Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount; it was in this synagogue in Capernaum where Jesus taught from the Torah; it was this cliff outside of Nazareth from which the neighbors of Jesus tried to throw him, etc. Of course, there is no way to know that it was this exact spot on this beach, or this exact spot on this hillside, or this exact spot on this cliff, but that's not the point. The point is that these things actually happened, and they happened somewhere right here--if not this exact location, then it was another nearby. The reason this has hit me so hard is that history can be difficult to believe in: I can know intellectually that the Battle of Gettysburg happened, but it's still hard to feel that it happened. Being here has made me feel what I already believed intellectually: Jesus really lived.
From my first few days in Israel, that's been my biggest lesson: Jesus was actually here. And if he was, that changes everything.
Being here has made me feel what I already believed intellectually: Jesus was actually here. And if he was, that changes everything.
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Sea of Galilee at Dawn. -
Excavations at Capernaum. -
Somewhere here Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. -
They've excavated the synagogue in which Jesus taught! -
Was it this beach from which Jesus called to Peter? -
Remembering baptisms in the Jordan River. -
Behind me, the Jezreel valley, site of so many battles. -
From the cliffs outside Nazareth. -
Did Jesus withdraw here to pray? -
Sharing a brief devotion outside of Nazareth. -
Sea of Galilee. -
Sea of Galilee. -
Modern Tiberias overlooks the Sea of Galilee. -
Armageddon. -
The ruins of Herod's magnificent city, Caesarea. -
"Pontius Pilate, prefect of Judea...." -
The ruins of the Roman theater in Caesarea. -
Overlooking Nazareth. -
In a water tunnel built by King Ahab under Megiddo. -
10 mile aqueduct built by King Herod over 2,000 years ago.
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Hello from the Sea of Galilee!
Long flight and no sleep, but worth it. We just arrived in Israel and came directly to our hotel on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is serenely beautiful.
It's hard to describe what it's like to have heard about something one's entire life and then to actually see it.
Grateful!
Blogging from Israel
I'm in the Holy Land with 86 folks from our church. My plan is to blog and post as I go. Wish you all were here, too.
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Jeff Bezos Is Getting Divorced
As I'm sure you have heard, Jeff Bezos is getting divorced. This is news because Mr. Bezos is--at least on paper--the world's richest man, and presumably his divorce settlement will have effects on both his company--Amazon--and maybe on the American economy itself. I am very sorry for this news; Mr. Bezos and his wife are real people with real feelings, and it must be humiliating to have your private details known all around the world. I feel sorry for them.
But this news just proves once again what virtually everyone who ever lived used to know, and what most people today have forgotten: our deepest problems are spiritual problems.
The spiritual is real, but it is not the material. The material can be experienced with the five senses; the spiritual can't be seen, touched, tasted, smelled, or heard. But it is definitely real.
For example, friendship is spiritual in nature. It has effects in the material world, absolutely--you might meet a friend for coffee and the mugs you hold are material--but the source of the friendship is spiritual.
If it were the case that our deepest problems were material, then money would fix our deepest problems. But they aren't, and it can't. Our deepest problems are spiritual. And so Jeff Bezos--world's richest man--is getting divorced.
If it were the case that our deepest problems were material, then money would fix our deepest problems. But they aren't, and it can't. Our deepest problems are spiritual. And so Jeff Bezos--world's richest man--is getting divorced.
In Matthew 9, Jesus first forgives a man of his sins, and then heals his paralysis. Why? Because the man needed both--spiritual healing and physical healing. Jesus clearly knew that if he had only healed the man's legs, the man would still be lacking. It would be false to say that our material needs don't matter--the baby would never have been born in Bethlehem if God didn't love the material world--but it is true that our deepest problems are spiritual.
The good news: the God who is Spirit entered into material reality and fixed our problem himself.
Scripture:
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Meet Rich, My Answer to Prayer
But First, a Fall Recap: Not Easy, But Good
As I told you last summer, I felt like I needed to step into the leadership gap of the Munger youth ministry for the fall semester to keep the fires burning until we could hire a permanent leader. So, how did it go? As with most important things in life, it was not easy, but it was good. I made this commitment in the midst of the biggest fall we've ever had at Munger, but the extra responsibilities and time away from my family wasn't the hardest part. The hardest part was that I knew that if I were evaluating my job performance as Munger youth minister, I'd give myself a D-. I knew that I wasn't really able to actually be the youth minister our community needs. I knew I didn't have enough hours or energy to lead this vital ministry well. I knew that some parents were frustrated. But, I also knew that there was no alternative, and we were doing our best, considering the obvious limitations. And, despite all of that, the whole experience was a blessing for me personally. We had a selfless and faithful group of volunteers step up, I was able to get to know some of our students and their families, and I learned a lot about what the future could look like for youth ministry in our community.
But, while all that was going on, we were working hard to find a permanent youth minister. Though I'm sure some of our parents were thinking, "Why is this taking so long?" the truth is it is not easy to find great people.
And we needed someone great. The more time I spent in the Munger youth ministry, the more I became convinced that whoever we hired needed to be a game-changer for us. In sports terms, we needed to hire a franchise player whom we could build around for years. And so:
- we hired a specialty search firm that we really liked;
- I talked to people I know all over the country, asking for names;
- I called in every favor ever owed me;
- But--of course--our new guy didn't come through any of those efforts!
Instead, a woman in our congregation had been telling a friend of hers for years that she thought he'd be a good fit at our church. Years before, the timing wasn't right and her friend wasn't looking for a job, but this December he said that he was interested. After lots of conversations and evaluations, I'm excited for you to:
Meet Rich Roush, the New Munger Youth Minister!
Rich Roush is the new Munger youth minister! God has answered our prayers with someone great. Not pretty good, not well-we-really-need-to-hire-a-warm-body-at-this-point-so-I-guess-he-will-do, but someone who we genuinely think is the best possible person we could have found.
Rich is married to Megan, and they have 3 kids aged 3 and under. (I know!) Rich himself came to faith in Christ as a senior in high school through a church youth ministry, and feels a particular responsibility toward and affection for middle school and high school students.
Rich's Record of Longevity
I have kids that will one day be in our youth ministry, and the more I talked with Rich, the more excited I got for my children to benefit from Rich's leadership. Rich has been at both of his previous churches for 7 years each, so he has a record of building a ministry over time. And over time what the Lord has been able to do through Rich's leadership at his previous churches is impressive.
I have kids that will one day be in our youth ministry, and the more I talked with Rich, the more excited I got for my children to benefit from Rich's leadership. Rich has been at both of his previous churches for 7 years each, so he has a record of building a ministry over time. And over time what the Lord has been able to do through Rich's leadership at his previous churches is impressive.
Rich, in His Own Words
Where were you raised?
I was raised in Waco, Texas, which was already pretty cool before it became the shiplap capital of the world. Just saying.
Where did you go to school?
I did my undergraduate studies at Baylor University (BA in Business Administration) and my graduate studies at George W. Truett Theological Seminary (Masters of Divinity in Theology).
Who’s in your family?
My wife Megan and our three kids: Olivia, Griffin, and Shepherd.
What brought you to Munger?
A good friend of mine, Ashley Dalton, recruited me. It started a few years before I joined the staff. Every time we crossed paths she would rave about Munger and would say she could see Megan and me there someday. So yeah, now you know who to blame.
What’s your favorite thing about our church?
Its commitment to raising up the next generation of Jesus followers. The best is yet to come.
What Happens Next?
Rich's first Sunday with us will be February 10. This spring, we're going to keep our regular Wednesday evening schedule (7:00-8:30 PM) for middle and high school students, and 11 AM Sunday schedule for 6th Grade Confirmation; this will allow Rich to join in and get to know the students, families, and volunteers. Other stuff will be added as we go. Stay tuned and sign up here for the Munger youth ministry newsletter.
Do You Already Receive the Munger Youth Newsletter?
If not, be sure to sign up here.
Summer Dates--We're Going to Big Stuf Camp!!
We have over 100 spots reserved for Big Stuf at Panama City Beach, July 11-15. Registration will go live on our website at noon on Thursday, March 21. It will be first come, first served, and it will sell out. (More info to come.)
A Specific Prayer Request for Rich and Megan
Rich and Megan want to move up to Dallas ASAP, but they own a house in Waco that they need to sell. (Rich has been working at Baylor University for the past year.) Please pray that their move and housing situation goes as easily and quickly as possible.
But Wait, There's More New Hires to Come!
The Munger Youth Ministry has HUGE potential, so we have set aside the funding necessary to allow Rich to hire at least one more full-time youth ministry staff member. Good people are hard to find, but I certainly hope we'll be able to make at least one more great hire this year. Pray for that!
Can You Imagine?
The opportunity we have at Munger to reach middle school and high school students is HUGE.
Can you imagine what it could mean for the students in our community when we have the ministry built to reach them, teach them, and unleash them in the name of Christ?
How to Subscribe to Updates from My Blog
If you sign up for my Andrew Forrest newsletter, I'll send you a white paper I've written called "The Simple Technique Anyone Can Immediately Use to Become a Better Communicator".
I'm also blogging through the Gospels each week day in 2019, and have a separate mailing list for folks who only want to receive the Gospel posts. Subscribe here to receive a weekday update on that day’s Gospel reading.
Visit Munger, Win National Championship
I received the following in the mail on Monday, the day of the College Football National Championship game between Alabama and Clemson:
Now, am I claiming that part of the Clemson coaching staff's visit to Munger on Christmas Eve resulted in their National Championship win over Alabama on Monday evening? No, I would never be that arrogant.
On the other hand, the facts don't lie....
If That's What They Do, No Wonder They Win
But seriously, if that's how the coaching staff at Clemson normally behaves, no wonder they are killing it on the football field. Coach Richardson:
- Made a point to search out and attend church while away from home on Christmas Eve;
- Looked up my work address;
- Wrote a hand-written note (my colleague Kate also received one);
- And mailed it all while preparing for the most important game of the season.
Wow!
This has reminded me again of how important it is to do things like this to encourage and bless others.
P.S. Nick Saban and the Media
Remember a few weeks ago how I mentioned how frustrated I was of our media's obsession with focusing on failure? Well, we have another example this week with Nick Saban, head football coach for the University of Alabama. Coach Saban is far and away the most successful coach in college football, and it's not even close. He's won 6 National Championships (5 since 2009), and played in the national title game every year for the past four straight years. Rather than saying "the Clemson team was better, and the Alabama team had some struggles on their way to their first loss of the season," I've seen lots of stories like this one:
Crazy.
Also a good reminder: I don't want to be someone who focuses on others' failures--I want to be someone who sends handwritten notes of encouragement in the mail instead.
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My One Word for 2019
Permit me to say it again.
A few summers ago now, at about 4 o'clock in the morning, I heard someone call my name in a strong stage whisper:
"Andrew! ANDREW!"
I sat straight up. "Yes?! Hello? What is it?"
But my wife was still asleep. So were my children.
And then I knew.
This past summer, it happened again, in just the same way, at about the same time in the morning.
A couple of weeks later I was spending time with a someone in San Antonio who was doing some coaching with me. We were working toward an answer to this crucial question: "What exactly is my thing? What is it that God wants me to do?" And in that conference room with Greg, I had this piercing thought:
"But I already know what God wants me to do! He told me specifically."
This may sound crazy to you, but I knew the moment I heard someone calling my name that it was the Lord, and that he was calling me to meet him in early morning prayer. I know that as certainly as I know anything in my life. In the months after I heard my name called that first time, I was somewhat committed to early mornings, but often I woke and shambled down our creaky steps in a half-hearted, hurried way; my prayers were desultory and perfunctory.
This past summer, after that second early morning call and after the insight I had meeting with Greg, it all became just so clear to me:
The one thing I am certain of is that God wants me to pray early in the morning. If I don't do it, I am being directly disobedient. All the time people say, "If I could hear God speak to me, then I would do this or that." And here I am having heard the voice of the Lord Almighty HIMSELF telling me to do something, and often as not I wasn't really doing it.
I decided to recommit myself.
And amazing things that I thought were impossible have already happened. Immovable situations that I have been praying about have started to move.
But I actually don't think the amazing things are the point.
This past summer, some friends invited my family to use their house in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. In late summer in that part of Colorado, the weather is perfect: upper 40’s at dawn, lower 90’s at noon. I’d get up every morning early to sit wrapped in a blanket on the back deck in the dark, waiting for the sun to rise. The deer and the wild turkeys and the hummingbirds paid me no attention, if I kept still enough. I'd read my Bible and pray, and I would sit. It was golden.
But you know what my favorite time of the morning was?
After I'd been outside for hours and after the sun had risen, my 8 year-old son would tip-toe outside and join me. He'd climb into my rocking chair and snuggle into my blankets (I was wrapped like an eskimo baby), and we'd sit and quietly talk together. And I realized, after a few days of this, how much I was looking forward to our quiet meeting each morning.
It was my favorite part of the day.
What if, though? What if that's exactly what the Lord has been trying to get me to understand? What if early-morning prayer is not a chore to complete like milking the cows or walking the dog, or not even an important but sometimes bitter habit, like the deadlift or the pull-up? What if God Almighty Himself just wants to sit with...me...in the quiet of the early morning, before the day begins?
Therefore, I want to say it again.
All things seem possible in the early morning.
Nature's first green is gold
I love early morning, that time that seems like night until you look up and see that the sky is no longer black but has become that deep, rich blue color that only occurs there, then.
I expect that was the color of Eden's firmament, early Adam's first morning.
In the early morning, waking up and, for a brief moment, forgetting everything that you know except that it's a new day, that's the best time.
After that, of course, remembering rushes in like water through a sluice-gate, and the day tumbles over itself. That moment doesn't return.
But for that brief time, it's golden.
Early mornings are like a drop hanging on the end of a dropper, before it drips: all about potential, unrealized. And that's why I love them.
I wonder if Jesus loved early mornings for that reason, too. Before the Pharisees poked their fingers in his chest and asked him to justify himself, before he heard about the tragedy of the Tower of Siloam or how Pilate had profaned the sacrifice with the blood of those Galileans he'd killed, before John's disciples breathlessly told him about Herod's homocidal boasting before the dancing girl, I wonder: did Jesus savor those first few sinless minutes, before each day fell?
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35)
Nothing gold can stay, though, can it?
I memorized Robert Frost's little poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" twenty years ago or so, and I've always thought he says it well:
Nothing Gold Can Stay
Nature‘s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf‘s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
Dawn, which began pregnant with potential, always goes down to day, and day always comes with disappointment at best and disaster at worst.
Hopkins knew this: that in time, everything becomes ruined:
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
I love early mornings, but early mornings are like light itself: you can't hold on to them. Mornings turn into days.
And I don't need to tell you that days are difficult.
Days are difficult because that's how we make them--our dirty fingerprints are everywhere.
Every morning is like Eden's first morning: pristine. But no day remains like that. Days come with difficulty.
Yet days don't last either, do they? Days would have us believe that they are interminable, but we know by now that days irreversibly become evenings, and evenings inevitably become nights.
And every night is followed by a new morning.
I think that's what I love most about mornings, how there is always another one coming. Regardless of how heavy and ugly was the day, at least we know that a new morning is on its way.
Whoever it was who wrote Lamentations knew this about mornings:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning.
--Lamentations 3:22-23
C. S. Lewis says in his little book on the Psalms that Psalm 19 contains some of the finest poetry, not just in the entire Bible, but in all the world's literature. Here's how the Psalm opens:
The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
Its rising is from one end of heaven,
And its circuit to the other end;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
--Psalm 19:1-6
It's a perfect image: the sun like a groom emerging from his tent on the morning of his wedding day, or like a runner who delights in the very act of running itself. (One thinks of Usain Bolt, effortlessly striding down the Olympic track.)
And it happens every morning.
So maybe God delights in mornings, too. Maybe the reason there's always another morning is because God himself can't wait to see another one. At least, that's what Chesterton thought:
The thing I mean can be seen, for instance, in children, when they find some game or joke that they specially enjoy. A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony.
It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we. The repetition in Nature may not be a mere recurrence; it may be a theatrical encore.
--G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy
The ultimate morning, I guess, has to be Easter. It can't be a coincidence that the Resurrection happened "very early in the morning, while it was still dark." Of course the Spirit could have raised Jesus any time of the day or night, but here's what I think:
Easter morning was deliberate.
So, mornings to me are about the hope that God has a plan for me and for the world. Yes, days are difficult, but every morning is another promise that the Lord has something up his sleeve each new day. Yes, things are a mess, but God's not through with us yet.
Hopkins, whom I quoted earlier, has perhaps my favorite description of mornings ever (it's at the end):
God's Grandeur
The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;
And wears man's smudge and shares man's smell: the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.
"The dearest freshness deep down things." Yes, and each morning brings out that latent possibility. Here's that last part again:
And though the last lights off the black West went
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.
Yes. EXACTLY.
And God has been saying to me, "Yes. EXACTLY."
What I learned last year is that the Lord loves his mornings even more than I do, and has graciously invited me to share them, too.
So, let me say it again (and probably next year, too):
My one word for 2019 is morning.
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7 Reasons To Read Through the Gospels in 2019
I'm reading through the Gospels in 2019. We'll read each Gospel through once, and the readings are only assigned Monday-Friday, so we'll read at a pace with which anyone can keep up. Here are 7 reasons you should join me.
1. The #First15 Will Change Your Life
Nothing you can do will have a greater effect on your life than spending the first 15 minutes of the day in prayer, silence, and scripture.
2. You Need a Plan to Follow
Trying to read the Bible without a plan is like going to the gym without a plan: you'll end up accomplishing far less than you would otherwise, you'll play to your strengths, and you'll quit too early.
3. You Will Have Unexpected Difficulties in 2019
The best way to prepare for the unknown is to develop greater peace and poise beforehand. Reading the Bible is something the Holy Spirit uses to give us those things.
4. These Are The Most Important Documents in the World
Even if you aren't sure that you trust the Gospels, you simply must read them if you want to be an educated person. They are the most important documents ever written, and it's not even close.
5. I'll Post Everyday (So Subscribe)
I'll be posting something short every day (or, at least every weekday) to help you get the most out of your reading. You can subscribe to receive a brief post on each weekday's reading here.
6. Your Kids Can Do It, Too
Kids from elementary school on up can absolutely read through the Gospels. Do it as a family challenge for 2019.
7. You Have No Excuses!
- The readings will take about 5 minutes a day;
- Will only be on the weekdays;
- Are so short that you can easily catch up if you fall behind;
- And won't be from any of the difficult Old Testament passages, but only the Gospels.
In other words, you have no excuses!
[For more info, see mungerplace.org/bible.]
Subscribe for Gospels 2019 updates
I'll be blogging through the Gospels in 2019. Subscribe here to receive a weekday update on that day's Gospel reading. (There is also an option to subscribe to non-Gospels posts as well through my plain ole Andrew Forrest Newsletter.)
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
I’ve written a very short whitepaper on a subject I care a lot about: communication.
If you subscribe to any version of my newsletter, I’ll send it to you for free:
The Simple Technique Anyone Can Immediately Use To Become a Better Communicator.
(If you are already a subscriber, drop me a line and I’ll send you the whitepaper.)
Merry Christmas
Of all the things I could say to you tonight, this is what I want to say most. [Recorded at 11 PM on Christmas Eve 2018. Munger Place Church, Dallas, TX.]
Open Letter from Detained Chinese Pastor
Pastor Wang Yi was detained by the Chinese government on December 9. Yesterday during my sermon, I read the following portions of a letter he wrote and instructed to be published in the event of his imprisonment. [The entire letter can be found here.]
On the basis of the teachings of the Bible and the mission of the gospel, I respect the authorities God has established in China. For God deposes kings and raises up kings. This is why I submit to the historical and institutional arrangements of God in China…. As a pastor, my disobedience is one part of the gospel commission. Christ’s great commission requires of us great disobedience. The goal of disobedience is not to change the world but to testify about another world.For the mission of the church is only to be the church and not to become a part of any secular institution. From a negative perspective, the church must separate itself from the world and keep itself from being institutionalized by the world. From a positive perspective, all acts of the church are attempts to prove to the world the real existence of another world. The Bible teaches us that, in all matters relating to the gospel and human conscience, we must obey God and not men. For this reason, spiritual disobedience and bodily suffering are both ways we testify to another eternal world and to another glorious King…. If God decides to use the persecution of this Communist regime against the church to help more Chinese people to despair of their futures, to lead them through a wilderness of spiritual disillusionment and through this to make them know Jesus, if through this he continues disciplining and building up his church, then I am joyfully willing to submit to God’s plans, for his plans are always benevolent and good. Precisely because none of my words and actions are directed toward seeking and hoping for societal and political transformation, I have no fear of any social or political power. For the Bible teaches us that God establishes governmental authorities in order to terrorize evildoers, not to terrorize doers of good. If believers in Jesus do no wrong then they should not be afraid of dark powers. Even though I am often weak, I firmly believe this is the promise of the gospel. It is what I’ve devoted all of my energy to. It is the good news that I am spreading throughout Chinese society. I also understand that this happens to be the very reason why the Communist regime is filled with fear at a church that is no longer afraid of it…. Those who lock me up will one day be locked up by angels. Those who interrogate me will finally be questioned and judged by Christ. When I think of this, the Lord fills me with a natural compassion and grief toward those who are attempting to and actively imprisoning me. Pray that the Lord would use me, that he would grant me patience and wisdom, that I might take the gospel to them. Separate me from my wife and children, ruin my reputation, destroy my life and my family — the authorities are capable of doing all of these things. However, no one in this world can force me to renounce my faith; no one can make me change my life; and no one can raise me from the dead…. I firmly believe that in carrying out spiritual disobedience, the Bible demands me to rely on the grace and resurrection power of Christ, that I must respect and not overstep two boundaries. The first boundary is that of the heart. Love toward the soul, and not hatred toward the body, is the motivation of spiritual disobedience. Transformation of the soul, and not the changing of circumstances, is the aim of spiritual disobedience. At any time, if external oppression and violence rob me of inner peace and endurance, so that my heart begins to breed hatred and bitterness toward those who persecute the church and abuse Christians, then spiritual disobedience fails at that point. The second boundary is that of behavior. The gospel demands that disobedience of faith must be non-violent. The mystery of the gospel lies in actively suffering, even being willing to endure unrighteous punishment, as a substitute for physical resistance. Peaceful disobedience is the result of love and forgiveness. The cross means being willing to suffer when one does not have to suffer. For Christ had limitless ability to fight back, yet he endured all of the humility and hurt. The way that Christ resisted the world that resisted him was by extending an olive branch of peace on the cross to the world that crucified him. I firmly believe that Christ has called me to carry out this faithful disobedience through a life of service, under this regime that opposes the gospel and persecutes the church. This is the means by which I preach the gospel, and it is the mystery of the gospel which I preach. The Lord’s servant,Wang Yi
Please read the whole thing. Wang Yi's wife was also detained; apparently they have children.Please pray for their release, safety, and strength. There were children at our church yesterday who heard me tell Wang Yi's story and have been concerned about it--invite your children to be praying too.
Here's a Clip of Pastor Yi Preaching
This is a 4 minute clip of a fiery sermon Pastor Yi previously preached.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWuv55YgKjY[/embed]
Real-Life 1984
This is a truly disturbing story in The New York Times about the Orwellian "re-education" camps the Chinese are forcing Uighurs into. (The Uighurs are ethnic Muslims.)
PRAY
I don't know why our lives are so easy, while other people are currently facing persecution. But I do know what we should do about it: pray.