Happy Birthday, Jared! (Camp Style)

HA-ppy Birthday to you!
HA-ppy Birthday to you!
HA-ppy Birthday dear Jared!
HA-ppy Birthday to you!

Jared, it'll be awesome to have all the Shank boys together at camp.

Sunday Hymn - Isaiah 43

This song is up here for two reasons. One, this week was really, really difficult. There was one camper in particular that I really struggled to love. Also, because I felt like I had to keep such an eye on him, I couldn't love the other 7 campers like I really wanted to. But the other reason that this song is here this week is because the camper that made it all worth it (and that brought tears to my eyes with his fierce hug Friday night) is named Isaiah. Hopefully I'll have more of a chance to talk about him this next week, but we'll see. As for now, enjoy the hymn.

When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you,
And the waves will not
Overcome you.
Do not fear,
For I have redeemed you,
I have called you by name,
You are mine.

For I am the Lord your God
I am the Lord your God
I am the Holy One of Israel,
Your Saviour.
For I am the Lord your God
I am the Lord your God
I am the Holy One of Israel,
Your Saviour.
I am the Lord (Do not fear.)
I am the Lord (Do not fear.)
I am the Lord (Do not fear.)
I am the Lord (Do not fear.)

When you walk through the fire
You'll not be burned,
And the flames will not
Consume you.
Do not fear,
For I have redeemed you,
I have called you by name,
You are mine.

For I am the Lord your God
I am the Lord your God
I am the Holy One of Israel,
Your Saviour.
For I am the Lord your God
I am the Lord your God
I am the Holy One of Israel,
Your Saviour.
I am the Lord (Do not fear.)
I am the Lord (Do not fear.)
I am the Lord (Do not fear.)
I am the Lord (Do not fear.)

Sunday Hymn - All Creatures of Our God and King

As you come down camp road (about a mile), you often see different forms of wildlife. Birds, deer, beavers, and (I'm not kidding) wild turkeys. This morning, I saw something a little different. I walked out of my cabin toward the staff lounge, and saw at least 15 squirrels lining the side of camp road, all fanned out in formation, searching through the grass. As I walked passed, they all turned their heads and looked at me, probably to see if I was a threat, but it felt like something out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Very bizzare.

Anyway, it reminded me of all the other wildlife I've seen here at camp. And that reminds me of the beautiful sunset we saw on campout last week, and that reminds me of beautiful afternoons on the lake, and on and on and on. And that reminded me of this song.

All creatures of our God and King,
Lift up your voice and with us sing.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam,

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong,
Ye clouds that sail in Heaven along,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising morn in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening find a voice,

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou flowing water pure and clear,
Make music for Thy Lord to hear,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright,
That givest man both warmth and light,

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

And all ye men of tender heart,
Forgiving others, take your part,
O sing ye! Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
Praise God and on Him cast your care,

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Let all things their creator bless,
And worship Him in humbleness,
O praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One,

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Happy Father's Day!

Last summer I got to be a 'dad' for 48 campers. It really put into perspective the challenges and responsibility of fatherhood, as well as a clear understanding of the joys and hurts that can come along with it. Punishing a kid is not fun, but it's for their own good: that's a tough balance to strike. Telling a kid that they can't do the one thing they really want to do because it isn't safe for them is hard.

And as good of a counselor as I may have been, I must say that it's got to be because I tried to follow the example of fatherhood that my dad showed me. He wrestled with me, played with me, punished me, cared for me, made up stories for me, and invested in me. He loved and loves me.

Dad, thanks for being a great father. You have pointed me toward Christ, showed me how to serve, and made it a joy to be able to call myself your son. I praise God that He has "given me the heritage of those who fear His name (Psalm 61:5)."

Sunday Hymn - Beneath the Cross of Jesus

It seems like I say this every week, but this is one of my favorite hymns. There's this way of singing it with a sort of echo/harmony on the men's part that is fantastic. More than that, the words are so profound. I especially like the simplicity of life portrayed in the last line. I long so much for a love for God that makes my sin the most despicable thing to me and the cross of Christ the best news in the world.

Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat, and the burden of the day.

Upon the cross of Jesus, my eyes at times can see
The very dying form of One Who suffered there for me;
And from my stricken heart, with tears, two wonders I confess:
The wonders of redeeming love and my unworthiness.

I take, O cross, thy shadow for my abiding place:
I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face;
Content to let the world go by, to know no gain nor loss,
My sinful self, my only shame, my glory, all the cross.

Sunday Hymn - Abide With Me

This is just a great song. It expresses so well the longing that Christians are to have for Christ to "abide with me."

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." John 15:4-11

Abide with me; falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers, fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, abide with me.

Thou on my head, in early youth didst smile;
And, though rebellious, and perverse meanwhile,
Thou hast not left me, oft as I left Thee,
On to the close Lord, abide with me.

I need Thy presence, every passing hour.
What but Thy grace, can foil the tempter's power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless
Ills have no weight, tears lose their bitterness
Where is thy sting death? Where grave thy victory?
I triumph still, abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies.
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, Lord, abide with me.

Searching for Propositions of Truth

Lots of reading this week. Maybe not the best thing, since I leave for camp tomorrow and haven't started packing yet... but oh well. It'll all get done one way or another. I got a shipment of books that I got with birthday money (thanks Aunt Betty!) when we got back from the lake, and I'm already done with one of them. The other three are The Christian Life, by Sinclair B. Ferguson, The Cross of Christ, by John Stott, and a study book based on the Westminster Shorter Catechism. But this isn't about that.

This is about Why We're Not Emergent (by Two Guys Who Should Be), Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck. It's 250 pages, and I read it in four days. Needless to say, I really liked this book. Not only was it intellectually challenging (mainly the chapters by Kevin DeYoung, a reformed pastor), but it was also emotionally stirring (especially the chapters by Ted Kluck). Above all, it was written with a posture of love for others. This does not mean blanket acceptance or tip-toeing hopes. Both authors, out of love, call emergents to account for their words, their actions, and their theology (or conspicuous lack thereof). Emergents will be offended if they pick up this book, just as I was from reading The God Delusion. But there is a profound difference here. I was offended and outraged because Dawkins misrepresented and misread the Bible, and above all, his attitude was one of arrogance: faith in anything (does that include scientific theories?) is incompatible with reason. But with this book, the authors' attitude is one of love, encouraging them to continue in the good things they embrace while seriously thinking about the things they are so quick to reject.

Maybe before I go any farther I should try and describe the emergent/ing church (apparently there is some difference, but I can't figure out what it is). I say try because this, as the authors say, is harder than "nailing jello to a wall." They reject modernism, yet thoroughly use modern techniques of argument (bulleted lists, from/to's !?). They are all about truth and salvation as journeys (searching), not as events. The phrase "searching for Jesus is cool: finding Him isn't." definitely applies. They're big on universal acceptance and tolerance... except for those who argue for concrete moral limits and conditions for church membership. Frustratingly, they're largely opposed to statements of faith or any concrete doctrine, preferring to deal with "proposition" instead. Most of all, anything they produce somehow gets linked back to a "conversation." Books (the ones on the right side are by emergent authors), blogs, discussion-based sermons, retreats, coffee shops, anything. I think the idea is great (how can we communicate what we believe if we're not in conversation with them?) but it gets old pretty quick. So, not feeling like I've done a very good job, that's the emergent church in a nutshell. They're mostly twenty-somethings (which I am), like indie music (which I love), love coffee and guiness (which I'm crazy about), and love Jesus (obviously, me too).

The books scope is those facets of emergent thought (it's a little bold to call it theology) that throw up red flags in the rest of Christendom, whether reformed, evangelical, fundamentalist, or any combination of those. As a result, aspects of emergent thought that the authors agree with go largely undiscussed (but not unmentioned). Social justice, care for the poor and widows, love as a worthy pursuit, and authenticity in worship are all pieces that I'm crazy about. But they aren't the main points.

In my opinion, the emergent church suffers from an overly "fuzzy" view of Jesus. They are of the "great moral teacher" persuasion, but also with elements of some sort of cosmic therapist mixed in. Sort of a Ghandi meets Dr. Phil. One upshot of this view is that emergents believe that people are inherently good. Jesus came because he wanted to make good people even better. (This might be wrong. I'm not emergent, so I can't speak with any authority about this. Besides, they don't really recognize any central or unifying authority on their beliefs, so technically, I'm just as qualified to speak for them as anyone else.) One aspect of popular thought that I cannot get over is the belief, whether emergent, secular humanist, or anything else under the sun, that people are inherently good. I see people ruined by wealth, seduced by lust, and indifferent to the poor. I see myself struggling with arrogance, getting angry at others for menial things, and indifferent to the poor. I see the state of the world around me. I see the ugliness of my sin. And if I didn't know Christ and the free grace He offers, I wouldn't know what to do with myself.

This grace is something that you rarely, if ever, hear about in the emergent church. Their argument is that "the meat of the gospel has to do with justice, compassion, and transformation (186)." Yes those things are there, but that's not the meat of the gospel. The week leading up to and the events following after Jesus' crucifixion are the meat of the gospel. If a call to justice, compassion, and transformation are given without the means of effecting those calls provided, there is no good news at all. Christ came atone for sin and reconcile His people to His Father. Yes, Christ's example is one we should follow, but there is so much more.

Probably my favorite part of this book was DeYoung's epilogue. He issues calls to both emergents and the church in general from the book of Revelation, specifically the letters to the churches. There are seven churches addressed, symbolizing the universal church (the number seven symbolizes completeness). "In other words, the problems in these seven churches are the root problems in all churches. Their strengths are our strengths and their weaknesses are our weaknesses (239)." He encourages the non-emergent church to let their light shine: many congregations believe all the right things, but they make no effort to live a life of love for neighbors. He pleads with the emergent church to not be prey to false teachings. Furthermore, that they understand the difference between love and tolerance. When we ignore someone's sin because we think it is for their own good, that isn't love: it's unfaithfulness. Yes, accept them, welcome them, love them. But the best way to love someone is to remind them of the gospel, whether they are a Christian or not.

In your sin, you are worse off than you could ever imagine. Christ loves you more than you could ever hope. When we trust in the atoning power of His blood, through faith, His blessings are more than we could ever have asked for.

So Close...

I set up a blog for camp yesterday. I'll be posting on it every once in a while, but hopefully other counselors will take the time to submit posts or pictures as well. The link (which I can't believe was available) is www.yaycamp.blogspot.com.

As for this blog for the rest of the summer, here's what I think is going to go down. Camp stories and pics will obviously go on the other website. But non-campy musings, book updates, and movie reviews will continue here. And hopefully I'll find sometime in the week to do a weekly hymn, even if it's not on Sunday. So there you go.

We leave Friday afternoon, and training starts Sunday. And the next Sunday, campers!

Mowing the Yard

I've been reading a book by Jerry Bridges called The Discipline of Grace. I'm leading a book study on it next semester, and am trying to get through it and the study guide before the craziness of camp starts (we leave Friday!). I hit it pretty hard this weekend, reading a lot at the cabin and in the car. There have been lots of good things in there, points that get my mind going or that stir my heart in ways other books don't. But I'm still kinda stuck on the title.

In my mind, discipline and grace are two contradictory things. Discipline and grace seem to occupy two completely different spheres of life, and sometimes I think that they are incompatible. I mean, if it's God's grace that is the basis for our justification, the source of our sanctification, and our hope in glorification, where does discipline fit in? The cool thing is that the more I understand the Gospel, the more I "preach it to myself," the less I struggle with this conflict. I am convinced that legalism and over-license both have their source in a misunderstanding of the Gospel.

Legalism says "be good, for that's what God requires." It suggests, some seriously, some unconsciously, that God will not look upon us with favor if we do not earn his love. If we slack off in our quiet times, or our mind wanders during prayer, or anything, then God will look less favorably on us. He will not bless us. And this view is profoundly flawed. It completely ignores the fact that even on our best days, we are still desperately in need of God's grace. Furthermore, it downplays the work of Christ. Legalism, like the doctrine of purgatory, cheapens and reduces Christ's death on the cross to less than complete in redeeming us to the Father.

Over-license, on the other hand, says that "Christ died for sins, so why not live it up?" This too, misunderstands the Gospel. Christ did not just cover our sins. He credited to us His righteousness. He gave us hearts of flesh instead of hearts of stone. He commits to growing us, sanctifying us. United with Christ, we are to die to sin. As Paul says, "How can we who died to sin live in it?" We are to be transformed.

For example, take alcohol. A legalistic view might say "Don't drink, because you might get drunk, and drunkenness is forbidden in scripture." Over-license, on the other hand, would dive right in and enjoy the "blessing" no matter what the outcome. The Gospel says to think about it. Is your drinking going to cause others around you to stumble? (Consider others.) If you're prone to alcoholism, is drinking a good choice for you? (Considering your limitation.) In any case, are you drinking in a self-controlled manner? (Considering our calling.)

So how do we reconcile grace and discipline? Today I mowed the yard (at my parent's house). And, especially after an 8-hour day, I hate mowing the yard. Yet, it was easy for me to do, and I wasn't asked. Honestly, I got about half-way through before I remembered that I genuinely hate mowing. At that point, I got to thinking about why I was doing it, why it was so easy. I was grateful for the mini-vacation this past weekend, eating out sometimes, a place to sleep every night, that sort of thing, but I've been grateful for that for a long time, and it has never motivated me to mow the yard. There is no doubt in my mind that my parents love me. Mowing the yard was not in an effort to earn their love (I know I already have it). Rather, it was an expression of gratitude for that love, and more specifically, for how their love for me is manifested. (It's one thing to have an attitude of love. It's another to do something about it.)

As I kept thinking about it, I asked myself why I didn't do that sort of thing in summers past. It's not that my parents didn't love me, it's that I hadn't grown as a person. This past year I grew a lot in the area of self-discipline (this came with a corresponding struggle with self-righteousness, but that's another issue for another post). As such, I am more ready and free to please my parents AND AT THE SAME TIME HAVE IT BE A JOY TO ME. That is the relationship between discipline and grace. Grace is God's evidence of His love for His children. All of our discipline, all of our quiet times and praying and scripture memorization and mortifying of sin should lead us to find joy in pleasing God. Pursuing spiritual disciplines frees us to give God glory! They aren't restraining: they're liberating.

Praise be to God, who acted, in love, on behalf of His own. Glory to God who has ordained that our greatest purpose should also be our greatest joy. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Sunday Hymn - I Sought the Lord

This is a new one to me. We were up in Virginia this weekend for a cousin's graduation, and this hymn was sung at the Baccalaureate service last night. I think it needs new music, but the words were fantastic. Maybe a new melody for these lyrics will be a mini-project for me.

I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew
He moved my soul to seek Him, seeking me.
It was not I that found, O Savior true;
No, I was found of Thee.

Thou didst reach forth Thy hand and mine enfold;
I walked and sank not on the storm vexed sea.
'Twas not so much that I on Thee took hold,
As Thou, dear Lord, on me.

I find, I walk, I love, but oh, the whole
Of love is but my answer, Lord, to Thee!
For Thou were long beforehand with my soul,
Always Thou lovest me.