Trying To Grasp The Trinity: 3 Helpful Resources

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One of the hardest, yet most necessary doctrines of the Church is the Trinity. God = 3 in 1. Yikes. Sometimes people shy away from difficult teachings simply for the sake of the effort required to understand. We’ve all heard it said, “anything worth doing is worth doing right”. And the same goes for sound theology!

Here are three easy and helpful resources while trying to grasp the tough doctrine of the trinity.

  1. a 4 minute video
  2. a cool info-graphic
  3. and a short article, “What is the Trinity?“

I pray these help you not just know more about God, but also grow in love and worship of our awesome God!

Your fellow worker in the field, Adam

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This is one video of a series by the Resurgence called “On the Spot”.

Here is a great info-graphic from Tim Challies that is very helpful for the visual learner.

Free High-Res jpeg version – The Trinity

Do You Know What Your Teen Is Doing Online?

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The internet provides unparalleled access to information and communication for our generation compared to all the rest of history. Yet with the world at our fingertips there are dangers to beware. This is especially true for teenagers who lack the discernment and maturity of an adult, yet who have more interaction and access to the web with the rise of mobile devices.

In a recent release called “The Digital Divide”, McAfee Software Company revealed insights from their study of teen online behavior and parental knowledge.

The statistics make us rethink our perception:

  • On average, teens spend about five hours a day online, while parents think their kids spend two hours a day online.
  • 43% of teens intentionally access simulated violence online (only 15% of parents are aware)
  • 32% of teens intentionally access nude content or porn online (only 12% of parents are aware)
  • 12% of teens met with someone in person that they met online (4% of parents are aware of this)
  • 70% of teens have hidden their online behavior from their parents
  • 50% of teens would actually change their online behavior if they knew their parents were watching

Ignorance is not bliss. This is not an issue that parents should ignore. This is the age we live in and we must be responsible in it.

This was a crazy statistic. Half of teens claimed they would actually change their online behavior if they knew their parents were watching. The key for parents is to find healthy ways to facilitate transparency with their kids without becoming overbearing.

One healthy step in which parents can facilitate this transparency is by engaging their teenager in ongoing dialogue about their online habits. Parents can set up both responsibility and accountability for online behavior. Youth leaders can also provide a safe environment for students to disclose what they’re really doing online.

As students head back to school, how are you talking with them about their online lives?

Your fellow worker in the field, Adam

Saturdays With C.S. Lewis: Christian Worldview

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We all have a lens through which we see and interpret the world around us. Anyone who claims to be “neutral” or to simply “let the facts speak” has a misunderstanding about how reason functions. There must always be a framework, a worldview, through which we package and understand information. C.S. Lewis understood this.

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
― C.S. Lewis

He understood that through the reality of Christ we best understand everything else! No really…Everything: from God, spirituality, relationships, finances, self worth, work ethic, parenting, you name it and it is best understood in the light of Biblical Christianity.

The question is, what worldview framework are you working within?

-Adam

The Lifebook Movement

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Here is a great FREE resource for student ministries everywhere! (and the price is right, eh?) The Lifebook Movement is an effort to get the bible in the hands of every High School Student in the nation. This is a product of Gideon’s International and contains:

  • An Old Testament Recap
  • The Gospel of John
  • Interactive Student Questions and Comments
  • A Challenge to Trust Jesus Christ

To receive a free packet of 1000 Lifebooks only requires an online registration and a (suggested no-mimimum) love offering. Our student ministry has organized and participated in a “saturation” in the past and I fully recommend yours doing the same. What is more effective than getting God’s Word in the hands of teenagers in your area? By handing out these compact little books, your students become “gift-givers” rather than preachers or intrusive as they learn to share their faith. Here is specific link for Youth Leaders with quick video describing how to get involved.

Isaiah 55:10-11 speaks of how God’s Word is always effective. What an awesome promise!

“The rain and snow come down from the heavens
and stay on the ground to water the earth.
They cause the grain to grow,
producing seed for the farmer
and bread for the hungry.
It is the same with My Word.
    I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”

Check out the informative video below and see if you want to get plugged in! 

Go get ’em!

Your fellow worker in the field, Adam

My Heart Christ’s Home – Robert Boyd Munger

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***note: free resource at the bottom of this article.

Today I am in packing mode. We are moving into our newly purchased home. If you have been there yourself, you understand what I am in the middle of. Therefore, I will keep it short.

Before all the packing began we bought our home and decided to fix a few things up before moving in. We have put in new countertops, floors, light fixtures, just to name a few. All this work on our home reminded me of a great little devotional book I read back when I was a teenager. My Heart, Christ’s Home.

This booklet was introduced to me at a time when I was growing by leaps and bounds in my spiritual life. Munger compares our heart to the layout of a home. He walks us through each “room” of our heart and discusses the implications of having Jesus taking up residence there. In the living room we prepare to meet Christ daily. In the dining room we examine together what appetites should and should not control us. We even explore the closets in our lives that Christ can help us clean out.

Munger’s practical yet profound booklet helps you give Christ control over all of your life. I did a little bit of internet hunting and found locations for this resource.

Download the PDF of this great booklet for free HERE, or buy printed copies in a 5 pack for cheap HERE. Everyone should take the time to read through this and perform some self examination.

Your fellow worker in the field, Adam

The Response That Was Left Unsaid: This Is How Hate Sounds

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This powerful fictional letter written by David Murray, of HeadHeartHand.org and PRT Seminary, is one of the best examples of love communicated to a homosexual son I have seen. Unfortunately, the fictional letter was preceded by an actual letter of father disowning his son. Read all the way to the end and see the differences.

The best line, worthy of being quoted: “I hope you will not call this message hate. This is how love sounds.”

Check out the original article here.

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Five years ago, Redditor RegBarc ”came out” to his father. Shortly afterwards, his dad disowned him in a handwritten letter which RegBarc shared with the world on Tuesday, adding the comment: “This is how hate sounds.”

James:

This is a difficult but necessary letter to write.

I hope your telephone call was not to receive my blessing for the degrading of your lifestyle. I have fond memories of our times together, but that is all in the past.

Don’t expect any further conversations with me. No communications at all.

I will not come to visit, nor do I want you in my house.

You’ve made your choice, though wrong it may be. God did not intend for this unnatural lifestyle.

If you choose not to attend my funeral, my friends and family will understand.

Have a good birthday and good life.

No present exchanges will be accepted.

Good bye, Dad

As I find it hard to believe that a true Christian would ever write such a letter, I’ve drafted a letter that I hope a Christian father would write (although I’m sure we all hope we’ll never have to write it).

My dear James,

I’d rather say this man-to-man and face-to face, and I hope I will have a chance to do so soon. However, to avoid misunderstanding, and to ensure that you have something in black and white you can keep and refer to, I want to make sure you know one thing: I love you, and I always will. I do not hate you, and I never will.

Our relationship will probably change a bit as a result of your chosen lifestyle, but my love for you will never change. I will continue to seek your very best, as I have always done. In fact, I will probably, by prayer and other practical means, seek your good as I’ve never done before.

Maybe you’ve been afraid that I will reject you and throw you out of my life. I want you to know that you will always be welcome in our family home. Text, email, phone regularly. I certainly will. We’d especially love you to come home for birthdays and for other special occasions. I hope we can continue to go fishing together and to share other areas of our lives.

Your male friend may also visit our home with you, but we will need to discuss certain boundaries. For example, I can’t allow you to share a room or a bed together when you are here, and I will not allow open displays of affection for one another, especially in front of the other children. If you stay with us, you will attend family devotions, and if you are with us on a Sunday, you will come to church with us to hear the Gospel.

Perhaps these boundaries are not going to be easy for you to accept, but please try to understand that I have a duty to God to lead my home in a God-glorifying manner. Psalm 101 commands me to prevent sinful behavior in my home. While extremely anxious to preserve a relationship with you, I am especially concerned that your siblings are not influenced into thinking your lifestyle is fine with God or us.

I know that you don’t like me calling your lifestyle and sexual practices a sin. However, remember I’ve always told you that I myself am a great sinner, but I have an even greater Savior. I hope the day will come when you will seek that great Savior for yourself. He can wash us snow-white clean. He is also able to deliver us from the bondage of our lusts and from everlasting damnation.

I will not bring up your sin and the Gospel every time we meet, but I do want you to know where I stand right up front, and also that I’m willing to speak with you about the Gospel of Christ anytime you wish.

I hope you will not call this message hate. This is how love sounds.

I will always be your Dad. And you will always be my son.

As I will never stop loving you, I will never stop praying for you.

With all my love,

Dad (Ps. 103:13).

 

4 Overlooked Back-to-School Thoughts

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Today most of the students in my ministry are headed back to school. Man, how the summer flies by. Now the harsh reality of early alarm clocks and homework deadlines are crashing in. Here are four thoughts as we all re-adjust to the school routine. (this blog is equally for parents as it is for students.)

1.) Be Thankful! –  I know what you are thinking…”he has got to be kidding”. Well no, I’m not. Here is why. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Maybe your schedule is not perfect, student. Perhaps the teachers aren’t doing exactly the method of instruction you would prefer, parents. Be thankful. We are incredibly blessed to live in a nation that, according to the UN, has a 99% literacy rate. We are blessed to have access to science labs and football fields and musical instruments and art supplies and computer technology. These are luxuries that most of the world does not enjoy. It is nothing but God’s grace to be born in a nation and live in a community with so much abundance, and we should not mistake these gifts for entitlements.

2.) Don’t complain or criticize. – In our culture of blame shifting and entitlement can be the norm, but Christians are called to a higher standard. Parents, help your student recognize that teachers and principles are authorities over them, people God had placed over them, and they helped us learn how to live under authority. Please, parents, I urge you not join in your child’s complaints about the science teacher being too hard or the history teacher being dumb. Instead, lead your child to obey God’s command to pray for those who are in authority over us, to desire their good. Our teachers, support staff, and administrators need and want our prayers, I assure you.

Paul writes, “Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…” (Philippians 2:14-15) Wow. Don’t miss the awesome truth here. When we can stop our complaining, we set ourselves apart from the rest of the world. We shine the light of Jesus in this dark world of need. Is that something worth compromising because you think a teacher gave an unfair grade? Probably not. Speaking of grades, though…

3.) Focus on character more than grades. – Students, you should do your very best on all your school work. “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). And, “whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward” (Colossians 3:23-24). Yes, you can do algebra to the glory of God. How? By doing your best. Learning MLA formatting for your research paper may seem pointless, but learning to follow instructions down to the level of fine details is invaluable. The great truth of that verse in Colossians says that when we work for the Lord we are not working for a grade, but for the promised inheritance that is ours in Jesus!

Now parents, remember that your child doing his or her best does not necessarily mean that she will get an A. As you encourage your children to excel, encourage them along biblical principles. The Bible says nothing about GPAs and class rankings. The Bible does speak about working hard, but also serving others, building relationships, and learning to rest. Parents be cautious not to push your child so hard for making the grade or the starting line-up that it hurts the kid’s development as a disciple of Jesus. You want your child not only to learn a good work ethic, but you also want your child to learn when to put people ahead of tasks. It is your responsibility, parents, to help them navigate these waters.

4.) Open your mouth and talk about Jesus. St. Francis of Assisi has a brilliant quote that is often taken in the completely wrong way. He said, “Preach the gospel always, and when necessary use words.” causing some people to stop talking about Jesus. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never had someone fall to their knees, repent of their sins, and trust in Jesus by looking at my lifestyle alone. Words are always, always, always necessary for people to come to know Jesus. “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

Students, share your faith in Jesus. Talk about what you are learning from Him. Tell people about your hope in Him; do it with a smile. Trust me, students, there will come a time in life when you will not have the opportunities for sharing the gospel that you have today. Eight hours a day, five days a week for nine months you get to walk through life with the same group of people. Don’t let that pass you by without creating friendships and sharing the message of God’s love in Jesus Christ.

Parents, pray with your kid every day for God to give you both an opportunity at some point to talk about what Jesus has done on the cross, how He has been raised from the dead, how He reigns now as King of the universe and King of your life. Tell them about your struggles to share the gospel at work, and listen to their struggles to do the same thing at school. Encourage one another in this great task. In doing so, you start developing a relationship beyond parent-child; you start relating as brothers and sisters in Christ.

I pray this is a great school year. I pray that teachers, support staff, and administrators are given wisdom, discernment, and passion from God to do what they’ve been called to do. And I pray that Christian students and parents — and all the rest of us for that matter — will take the light of the gospel, the hope of Christ, with us from every home, into every classroom, down every hallway, through every office, to the ends of the earth!

Lucy, Australopithecus Afarensis, Seen Through A Biblical Worldview

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While at the Creation Museum I had the opportunity to see a representation of the crowning jewel of human evolutionary thought, Lucy. Yet accompanying these bones were not the usual interpretations by modern science. At the Creation Museum, scientists and artists took the biblical worldview as a guide to understanding these bones. From personal experience, it was stunning. It was an amazing visual backed up by solid facts. This is one exhibit everyone should go out of their way to see, creationists and evolutionists alike. Below is a section of an article describing this monumental exhibit.

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Using the latest in holographic technology, the Creation Museum, as a part of its fifth anniversary celebration, has opened a new high-tech exhibit on human origins last Saturday [May 26, 2012]. With striking holograms, this state-of-the-art exhibit is designed to expose the scientific bankruptcy of the evolutionary interpretation of the famous so-called ape-woman “Lucy.”

Perhaps more than any other fossil, Lucy is presented as “exhibit A” for evolutionists in their attempt to show that humans evolved from an ape-like ancestor. Through the scientific research of the Creation Museum’s Dr. David Menton (PhD, biology, Brown University) and the artistic talents of Doug Henderson and his crew, the museum has created a stunning holographic refutation of Lucy. (The technical name for this Lucy creature found in Africa is Australopithecus afarensis.)

“I expect that scientists, both evolutionists and creationists, will make a trip to the Creation Museum to see this exceptional exhibit, not only because it refutes Lucy as an ancestor of ours, but also due to its use of remarkable holographic technology,” declared Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis and the museum.

In a highly visual way, the exhibit conclusively shows that the fossil bones of Lucy belong to a knuckle-walking, ape-like creature. Menton points out that many evolutionists such as the well-known researcher Donald Johanson, the discoverer of “Lucy,” admit that Lucy’s V-shaped mandible was very ape-like, nothing like that of a human. In addition, Israeli scientists reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science that it may not be our ancestor, for its lower jaw bone resembles a gorilla’s.

In the new museum exhibit, a number of Lucy heads have been created, cast from the same mold. Each head, however, is given different skin and eye coloration, as well as variations in the amount and color of hair. This was done to demonstrate how significant artistic license can be employed by researchers in interpreting what Lucy resembled as they “put flesh to the bones” of the creature. There simply isn’t enough information found in the fossil bones for anyone to determine what Lucy looked like.

“An imagination-rich artist can have a very powerful influence over what the viewer concludes about the evidence presented,” Menton observed. “That is one reason why our Lucy exhibit is placed in an area of the museum that demonstrates to visitors that a person’s starting point, or bias, influences their views.”

“Ultimately, with this excellent display, we want to show museum guests, once and for all, that this knuckle-walking creature needs to be discarded as a ‘missing link’ in human evolution,” Menton concluded.

Designer Henderson described the technology used in the exhibit, “We have used holograms of the actual bone models of Lucy, as opposed to simply exhibiting a 3D physical model. Holographers tell us this is the first time they have seen holography used to take a virtual ‘look inside’ a creature for the public to view. I call it a 3D X-ray.”

Every few months, the Creation Museum (located west of the Cincinnati Airport) adds new exhibits to present the case for the Bible’s authority and accuracy, including creation. Last year, Menton’s striking exhibit on homology—comparing humans to apes (and to other creatures)—used the technology of lasers to point out the differences between humans and animals. Menton’s latest exhibit may create even more of a stir in the origins debate, for Lucy is treated with near reverence by some scientists.

Saturdays with C.S. Lewis: Fix Your Eyes on the King

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***Context for this passage: Lucy, the youngest of the siblings has claimed to see Aslan, but no one else can see Him. She is explaining that Aslan will lead them if they will follow her as she follow Him.***

“He’s beating his paw on the ground for us to hurry,” said Lucy. “We must go now. At least I must.”
“You’ve no right to try to force the rest of us like that It’s four to one and you’re the youngest,” said Susan.
“Oh, come on,” growled Edmund. “We’ve got to go…”
“On the march, then,” said Peter…

Susan was the worst “Supposing I started behaving like Lucy,” she said. “I might threaten to stay here whether the rest of you went on or not I jolly well think I shall.”  “Obey the High King, your Majesty,” said Trumpkin, “and let’s be off…”

And so at last they got on the move. Lucy went first, biting her lip and trying not to say all the things she thought of saying to Susan. But she forgot them when she fixed her eyes on Aslan. He turned and walked at a slow pace about thirty yards ahead of them. The others had only Lucy’s directions to guide them, for AsIan was not only invisible to them but silent as well. His big cat-like paws made no noise on the grass.

He led them to the right of the dancing trees—whether they were still dancing nobody knew, for Lucy had her eyes on the Lion and the rest had their eyes on Lucy—and nearer the edge of the gorge.

C.S. Lewis, Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia The Chronicles of Narnia (1951, this edition Harper Collins, 1994) 148-149.

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Keep you eyes fixed on the King today!

2 Cor. 4:17-18   For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Hebrews 12:1-2  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Your fellow worker in the field, Adam

The Heavens Declare the Glory of God

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Last week I had the privilege of touring the Creation Museum in Petersburg KY. A highlight of that tour was the planetarium show describing the immense size of our universe. Watch the video below to see the high level of quality at which the Creation Museum functions. Dr. Jason Lisle describes how this planetarium is using the best technology available to teach that the biblical worldview has the best answers for how our universe got here and why it is the way is.

Check out this interactive site that lets you scroll through the size of various objects in relation to each other. It helps us get a grasp on the intricacies of this world and beyond. We can zoom in to see the tiniest of matter and zoom out to see galaxies and beyond.  http://scaleofuniverse.com  Check it out, it is cool.

All of this boils down to one point in my perspective. If this world and beyond is all about us, it is a colossal waste of space. But if this universe is all about the Creator, it is just about the right the right size. If the universe around us is a parable for the awesomeness, the power, the grandeur of God, then it is speaking clearly to us about who He is.

Here is Tim Challies article on the subject. How Big is the Universe? I love the use of scripture to help us understand the world around us.

Psalms 19

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.[a]
4 Their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.