How Sweet It Is!

     I started a new book this week by one of my favorite authorities on Jonathan Edwards.  It's A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards by George Marsden, and it is very short in comparison to his much larger work on Edwards, which I had to read for a seminary course.  Spiritually, I can identify with Edwards in regards to his struggle with assurance of salvation.  The presence of sin in one's life can cause one to doubt that a real change has taken place in his or her life.  One should never compare his or her experience with another's, but Edwards' sins really seem trifling compared to my own.  I guess anyone comparing themselves to another can say the same.
     I've written about it a few times before, but Edwards' sermon abbreviated A Divine And Supernatural Light really speaks to me.  In it, he uses the example of honey to distinguish the difference between knowing about God and really knowing God.  I love honey.  I like to use it in so many ways.  But I like good honey.  I can tell the difference between the kind you get in the little bear bottle, a packet at Chick-Fil-A, and good, locally harvested honey.  Guess which one I like.  If you understood my distinctions between the types of honey, you'd assume I know something about honey.  I know that Walmart gets theirs mostly from Argentina, that the most common pollen for commercial honey comes from clover, and that homegrown honey has insect parts in it that has to be refined out before it can be used in recipes.  What good does all this knowledge about honey do for me?  If I've never tasted it, then I really don't know honey.  Until I've tasted its goodness, I can't appreciate its lingering sweetness and ability to adhere to the foods that I want influenced by it.
     In our study on God's Word, we can learn a lot about the God who wrote it.  However, unless we really know the God behind His word, we don't really know God.  God has allowed us to really know Him because he has stooped to our level in the person of Jesus Christ.  By putting on flesh and blood, He has given us someone who has been through humanity, so we can relate to Him and really know Him.
     This Wednesday we'll be learning about the external evidences for the truth of the Bible.  Without the God who gives it authority however, it's just another thing we can know about God.  But, if we are in a relationship with the God of the Bible, it tells us so much more than an ordinary volume of words can tell us.  The Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ reveals it to us and lets us not just know about God, but really know Him in the sweetness of His Son, Jesus Christ.

No Perfect Truths?

     "What is truth?"  This is what Pontius Pilate asked Jesus when he was brought before him to determine if Jesus should be crucified or not (John 18:38).  Today the only accepted truth is what you want to believe.  This of course, makes NO logical sense!  How can truth be anything but what it is . . . absolute?  If truth is subjective (what you think it is) then can it be real truth?  Is the world flat if I want to believe it is?  If you say there is "no absolute truth," you're making an absolute statement which contradicts itself, because truth, by its very nature, has to be objective (absolute; meaning it has a standard or rule which makes it so).  "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" (John 14:6)  Now that's an absolute statement!
     In the song "Unobstructed Views" by Death Cab for Cutie, the lyrics are as follows:  "There's no eye in the sky/Just our love/No unobstructed views/No perfect truths/Just our love."  The first time I heard this song, I immediately recognized the worldview which is one of denial.  But, denying that God exists, isn't going to make Him go away, nor the truth of His Word.  In a later track on the album "Codes and Keys" called "St Peter's Cathedral," the song laments the waste of such a grand structure for the worship of a god which doesn't exist.  The composer repeats over and over again, "there's nothing past this."  This of course, is what he wants to believe because without the eyes of faith (which has to be given to him by God Himself), he really can't knowingly say there is no afterlife.  It's funny to me that one has to make an absolute statement when denying the existence of absolutes.
     This Wednesday, we'll open our study at Christ Church youth group asking the question, "What makes the Bible unique?"  Those of us who know God in Christ, not only believe that absolute truth exists as the standard set forth in the Bible, but because the Holy Spirit has opened our eyes in regeneration, we know that it is the absolute TRUTH.

Little Graces

This weekend was just about more than I could bear.  I already had to rewrite the schedule for this month due to one of my TAC officers' drill weekend, but I promised two of them time off this weekend, one's family member passed, and another is in the hospital with a condition he's been suffering from for over a week.  Turns out it was more serious than a muscle pull.

This morning I had to get up before most everyone else and take a cadet to Alcorn State University for his ACT.  One of the TAC's came in to cover the dorm for me last night and so I was prepared to move into the dorms for tonight so he could carry out his plans for the weekend.  When I returned to the dorm, he casually but frankly told me he had decided that he was not going to go through with his weekend plans because it would leave us in an extreme bind.  I'm deeply humbled; and tired.  It's been hard to keep myself composed after that.  What do you say when someone shows you kindness that you don't deserve?  It's uncomfortable knowing you owe someone so much.  I think this is how I'm supposed to feel toward God in Christ for all He's done for me.

I already don't get to spend as much time with my family, but thanks to that TAC officer, I'll get to spend some with them this weekend.  Prior to this, I was feeling sorry for myself that I don't get enough time with my boys.  God shut me up and gave me a lot of perspective.

I Miss, I Miss

Transitioning to civilian life (and particularly this job) has carried with it so many unexpected things.  My last work was quite nice:  I had banker's hours, a nice cubicle, hardly any duty, and more time than I have now with my family.  The joke as I walk in most days when my wife sees me is, "who are you?"  My kids ask my wife frequently where Dad is.  Even in my "off time" I'm always being texted or asked questions about something someone would like to see done or how one of the boys didn't answer them right.  I have five weeks before the break and it can't come soon enough.  I never thought I'd say this, but deployment seems easier.

Another thing I miss terribly is a real Sabbath Day.  I don't really get those here.  Of course, with the boys here and in residence, they must constantly be cared for which is very much like a regular family, except there are many and constantly needing discipline.  I loved the Sabbaths we've had in the past where we didn't go shopping (it wasn't expected that we would) and we'd have time to be together as a family.  It's weird with Katy gone too because we always had her and Trey's friends over either for a meal or at evening small group.  The pastor spoke of the value of the Sabbath in his sermon today and I couldn't agree with him more.  The Sabbath was made for man.

I miss the Sabbath, and I miss my family.  Maybe things will turn around before too long.  I was looking forward to getting into a routine, but we have seven more new cadets coming this week and they'll require another couple of 24 hour days.

Time For Me

Here I sit on a McDonald's in Vicksburg waiting for the car to finish being maintained. Sheila is having her hair done, we'll have lunch, and then do some shopping before heading back to the school. One of the TAC officer responsibilities is to ensure the students' mail is safe to send home. We don't censor it, but we may help a kid to change his vernacular to something more glorifying to God. It's a good progress report for the cadre so we know what our impact is in their lives. More than anything we want the Gospel to have an impact. I've had a few kids tell me they were encouraged because I felt it was appropriate to pray at PT after I really worked them out. We formerly did not provide any real spiritual development during basic training, but now we are having a brief devotional before having them mount their racks at night.

I've been witness to much discipline this first week of school. Though I hate corporal discipline, it really does work well on hard hearts. One child with Oppositional-defiant Disorder was completely turned around. He's a delight to be around now.

If you think of us please pray. I'm tired too early in the ballgame and I miss having a real Sabbath. It's practically non-existent. Anyone who really knows me knows how much I cherish the Sabbbath and look forward to it.

My iPhone's not giving me any more space to blog so I'll sign off now. Tune in for the next installment.

Caring For Kids and Praising God

Here I am sitting in an ER with a young man at 3:00 in the morning. This has been an exhausting week with a long schedule full of highs and lulls. We've been sleeping in the field all week with the new basics and more recently, the returning cadets. It's been a challenge to us as we've been operating in temps in the mid to high 90's with 60+% humidity. You change your shirt a lot with little time during the day to shower off. It has gone well however. I incorporated a devotional time before bed of which I've gotten positive feedback from both staff and students. We have Marine-patterned cammies now too which everyone loves.

Okay. I got to go back to bed after the duty tactical officer arrived. We got the boys out for their physical fitness assessment and we're now at breakfast. TodY they move into the dorms which means I'll get a break for a few hours. Too bad my family is in Jackson for the weekend. They're taking my little girl to college.

Time to get back to work for a bit.

First Real Week of Work

What an eventful week!  We began staff training this week (all week) which was a real blessing because we begin our meetings always with prayer and a devotional.  I got to conduct the one on Tuesday which I did on our covenant relationship to these kids and their parents.  We've gone through Tactical Officer training, their handbook, expectations, discipline of students, psychology, student needs, uniform issue and regulations, etc., etc., etc.  We did manual labor out in the wilderness area by hanging ropes, lawn work in the basic training facility, and housekeeping in the that facility too.  The commandant and I taught the teachers basic drill, and generally got to know them.  It was an eventful week.

On top of all that, our family is trying to get moved into our home.  We are in it now, but have a tremendous amount to unpack still.  We've been spending money like it's going out of style on things to make our house a home, all the while making new friends and attending lunches at the dining facility.  If you think about us when you 're praying, remember us and all that we still have to do to get settled.  We helped some friends move in to their new house the first week we were here and they are already settled.  Of course she had adult help from her mother and aunt.  We have the tendency to stay up too late and take lots of breaks in addition to regular work and getting our daughter ready to start college next weekend. 

We were concerned that we would not be able to get Katy a computer for school (or she would have to use a large desktop computer in her room) and my dad was able to get her old computer up and working.  It was mine at first when I bought it in January of 2007, then it became Trey's in 2008 when he started college, and then became Katy's this past spring when Trey bought himself a Macintosh.  We made some fine upgrades during the repair and now it will accommodate all of her picture taking and iTunes purchases.

We had a great week seeing old friends from Colorado Springs.  The Saks were in Jackson visiting friends just in time for Katy's birthday last Monday.  We brought their son Daniel to hang out with us for a few days and Katy got to spend the night with her friend Anna.  When I picked her up I took her for Dunkin Donuts coffee and Harry Potter for a daddy-date. 

This week will shape up to be very busy, but hopefully very promising.  Please be praying for us as we have about 30 scared and/or defiant boys who we will be receiving and training this week.  I'll let you know how that went.