I received some news last week that has set me to pondering.  And thus, I blog.  Hopefully it’s not just a cathartic avenue for me and these thoughts are of some benefit to someone.

I spent several summers working at a Christian kids’ camp, Camp Shamineau, in beautiful, northern Minnesota.  I got word this week that one of my friends, a girl who used to work with me at Shamineau, died this week while on a Shamineau-led climbing/hiking trip.  I haven’t seen or spoken to Julie in 5-6 years.  Still, it was pretty shocking news and I spent some of this weekend being sad and mulling over the facts and the implications of the events that transpired.  The outing was geared at getting inner-city kids out of the city, into the outdoors, and sharing the Good News of Jesus with them.  Julie and one of the girls (17 years old) decided to wade out into the river after a day of hiking to rinse their hair.  The girl got caught up in the current and lost her footing.  Julie swam right after her and grabbed on to her hand, trying to pull her back to shore.  As the story goes, she almost managed to grab a rock, but lost her grip, all the while maintaining her hold on this girl.  In short order, the two of them were caught up in the very steep and rock-filled river.  Then they went over a waterfall.  All efforts to revive them failed.

It’s sort of stunning when you hear news like this.  29-year-olds on ministry trips don’t actually die hero’s deaths trying to save other people, do they?  Well, it turns out they do sometimes.  It occurred to me that while we may be tempted to bemoan Julie’s “tragic” and “untimely” death, that’s not at all the response we should have.  As in an eariler post, I got to thinking that the reason death exists in this world is the absolute horrendousness of sin.  Seeing anyone die, perhaps particularly 17 and 29-year-olds, should point to the futility (or vanity as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes would put it) of living under the curse.  But still, in the midst of this futility to which we have been subjected, there is great hope…hope that creation will be set free from its bondage to decay.  That setting free happens only in Jesus Christ.  And I’m quite confident that even as I write, Julie is resplendent as she glories in the Shekinah glory of the Lamb who was slain for her sins.  What a glorious hope that is!

I was also reminded of the words of our Lord from John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”  (Granted, this was an example that Jesus used and then immediately applied to Himself…but still, I think this isn’t out of context.)  What is it that would motivate Julie, or any believer for that matter, to lay down their life for their friends?  The answer, I think, can only be found in the hope that is in Jesus.  For the believer, when life is viewed in light of eternity and the hope that is in Jesus, there is no reason not to lay down one’s life.  I think that’s what motivated Julie, the hope and love of Jesus.  That too is what should motivate me to lay down my life, metaphorically or literally, ever moment, of every day, for every person with whom I have contact.  That’s what our Lord did, and that’s what we should do.

On a side note, here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s writeup about the accident.  And here’s a song written by Joel Hanson about Julie.

As I’ve read the news over the past week or so, I am blown away by the magnitude of just two natural disasters, the cyclone in Myanmar and the recent earthquake in China. Upwards of 100,000 people may have perished in Myanmar, and many more surely will as aid is very slowly being given. Multiple tens of thousands have died in China. In one city alone, over 18,000 people were buried. This is enormous suffering and loss of human life. So many bad things happen in this world. People get diagnosed with cancer every day. Babies die. Children starve to death. It’s not hard to see how the Preacher declared, “Vanity of vanities…all is vanity.”

When I stop to consider these atrocities, I can’t help but ask the question, why? Why should things be this way and not better? Why couldn’t we live in a world without natural disasters, starvation, sickness, and disease? The answer, I think, is astounding and difficult. The answer to the why is sin. Because our first father sinned, the curse of the Almighty fell upon all creation. That which was very good was damned by God. Sin is so awful in the sight of God that He pronounced His divine anathema on created order.

As awful as that sounds, there is great beauty in this pronouncement as well. In Romans 8:20, Paul puts it this way, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope…” Our wonderful God didn’t just damn us and leave us be. The curse came that we might see the futility of sin…the emptiness of sin…the horror of sin. It came that we might be directed to God and look to Jesus for our deliverance from the futility of this world.  That is the hope that the curse is to bring about, the hope of deliverance, the hope of Jesus.

John Piper puts it this way in a sermon that I highly recommend that you listen to with 45 minutes of free time: The meaning of all misery in the world is that sin is horrific. All natural evil is a statement about the horror of moral evil. If you see a suffering in the world that is unspeakably horrible, let it make you shudder at how unspeakably horrible sin is and how unspeakably holy God is, which sin falls short of.

So, when we look around and see awful pain and suffering, we ought to be reminded of the vileness of sin, the pain that it brings, the utter futility of it and also have our minds directed to the blessed hope that is in Jesus for all who are believing. No longer is life itself futile, for we have a mighty hope!

The news is out; the”economic stimulus” money from the U.S. Treasury Department has started flowing. Most of us will be receiving between $300 and $600 per person, meant to be used to boost our ailing economy and spur it on toward growth and away from the dreaded r-word…recession.

I was pleasantly surprised when I got an email from my bank on Saturday telling me I’d already been credited with my tax rebate. I’ve been mulling over what to do with said rebate for a few months now. My thoughts have gone something like this: I have some debt that I could pay down, but that wouldn’t really spur the economy on very much. Being a good citizen, it would be a much better idea for me to dump this money back into the economy. Translation: I should go buy some toys! Think of the fun I could have with an unexpected $300-$600! Or, I could be a little more practical and put that money into our wedding fund (I’m finding that weddings, surprisingly, can cost a lot). That would still spur on the economy AND it would help me out. Or maybe I could do a a little of both.

Recently, however, my thinking about finances, mammon (see Matt. 6:24), and the Kingdom have been challenged, particularly and practically in regards to the economic stimulus rebate (read this for some of Piper’s thoughts). As I look around and observe, as I am wont to do at times but not often enough, I see many needs/opportunities that could be helped by my rebate money. I find that it is interesting and telling though that for some time, I have already been clinging tightly to my rebate money as though that blessing is just meant to bring me more fun and pleasure. Truthfully, I’ve spent hardly any time since Congress passed the bill thinking about what Kingdom work could be accomplished with the extra bonus money. It is entirely on top of my regular earnings. It’s unbudgeted money, and my budget wouldn’t be hurt in the slightest if I didn’t spend a dime of it on myself. And yet I want to spend it all on myself. I may not worship at the feet of mammon (or maybe I do), but I certainly give him deference far too often.

I don’t write this trying to make anyone feel like they have to give all or even some of their rebate money away in order to be a good Christian. I don’t think that’s true at all. Maybe you need some things around the house. Maybe you’ve got home or car repairs that need to be done or diapers to buy. Maybe you do want to buy something fun. Or maybe you need some time away with your spouse or by yourself.

I think those things are just fine to do. I would challenge everyone to be intentional, however. Take some time to think, pray, and discuss with a friend or spouse the best use for your rebate. Be intentional about where you put that money. God can be glorified with it whether you spend it on vacation, donate it to charity, or do a little of both. Think it through. Below, I’ve listed a few possible venues for how our rebates could be used for Kingdom stimulus. Please reply in the comments with any more ideas you have.

• Sponsor a child for a year (or two)
• Invite your neighbors over for dinner
• Buy and donate supplies for VBS
• Donate to the Grace fund
• Give to the KSBC general fund (our giving is under budget for the year, so far)
• Donate to Ben & Janet’s adoption fund
• Support Tonya Small
• Give to the Vess’ relocation fund
• Find a widow/someone in need around KSBC and help them out
• Donate to Trinity Mission
• Donate to Bibles Unbound (sending the Scriptures to closed/persecuted countries)
• Donate to World Vision’s Myanmar cyclone relief

I started pondering a phrase the other day while I was running, and I just couldn’t get it out of my head.  That phrase is coram Deo, which is Latin for before the face of God.  I’ve seen and heard coram Deo many times in the past, but I’ve never stopped to really reflect on the meaning and the majesty of those two words.

How often do we start our days by “spending time with God” “coming into His presence” and then walking away and forgetting what David penned in the 139th Psalm?  He writes:

Where shall I go from your Spirit?  Or where shall I flee from your presence?  If I ascend to heaven, you are there!  If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!  If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.  If I say,”Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.

The fact of the matter is, we don’t enter and leave the presence of God; we can’t escape Him.  Wherever we are, He is there. He is aware of every word, thought and deed.  In a very real sense, we are always before the face of God.  His eye is always upon us.

How different would our lives be if we lived in this great reality moment by moment?  How much more would we notice our sin and despise it?  How much more would we yearn to be holy as He is holy?  How much more would we strive for righteousness?  How much more would we be aware of His love?   His mercy?  His grace?  How much more closely would we watch our actions and pause before speaking rashly?  How much more would we serve and love one another when we realize that we are ever before the face of the One who defines love?  The answer is, I think, quite a bit.

The call is this, brothers and sisters, live coram Deo.  Reflect on this truth and rejoice that our God will never leave us or foresake us.  He lovingly invites us to spend our existence before His all-glorious face.