Rick and Barb Schauer just got back from a conference on how to biblically counsel post-abortive women and men. Here is the e-mail he sent me reporting on how the conference affected him.       

Well I’m back and I have to say up front that I was seriously affected by what I saw and heard at the Ramah International Conference in Kansas City, MO.  We are all aware of the fact that there are consequences to sin, but I was not prepared for what I saw and heard at this conference as one of only a few men in attendance.  It is estimated that 50% of churched women have had an abortion in their past.  I saw first hand how abortions affect abortive mothers, fathers, grandparents and even siblings.  The consequences to a marriage, even to a subsequent marriage, are serious and account for many of the problems and divorces that we see in marriages in the Church today.  I have listened to the sorrow, saw the tears (sometimes even open unquenchable wailing) and heard the accounts of fledgling marriages on the brink of dissolution or already broken.  I spent some time with a couple who are in a post-abortive marriage (the woman having had an abortion previous and unrelated to this marriage).  They are having some serious issues and the marriage is really struggling.  Even after a post-abortive woman has gone to the Lord for forgiveness, the memory (consequence) is brought back to her by various sights or even sounds that may imitate the sounds of the abortion equipment, such as a dentist’s drill.   

A part of me wants to say – are we doing enough?  It makes me wonder whether some day people will look at this part of American history the same way we look back at Nazi Germany and wonder where all of the Christians were (Proverbs 24:11-12).  I can only thank God for blessing me and my family so very much and so very undeservedly. 

 Also, note this request for prayer and for help.   

I have a prayer request for our two New Life Pregnancy Centers that SGF is so graciously supporting as local missions.  Please pray for volunteers to work four hours per week in those centers so that they can be open during normal business hours.  I thank God that He has blessed those pregnancy centers with the priority of sharing Jesus with all those who enter their doors to the glory and praise of His name.  We are all blessed with the knowledge of what Jesus has done in our lives and what He can and will do in the lives of all who seek Him by grace through faith.   

New Life Pregnancy Center now has two locations- one opening Monday in Rocklin and one soon to open in downtown Auburn.  They are looking for counselors to serve a minimum of four hours a week.  If you are interested contact the Schauers and sign up for the next training class.  This is an incredible opportunity to stand up for the truth and to proclaim the gospel to desperate souls.    

I am currently reading Paul David Tripp’s book “Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands.”  It calls for us as people in need of change to help people in need of change.  Foundational for this is to understand who we are and what our problem is.  Here is a quote that is helpful in understanding life and our own hearts.

The bottom line is this: The problem is not that God is not here or that He is inactive; the problem is that we don’t see Him.  Our perspective on life is often tragically godless.  We miss the one thing worth seeing, the glory of the ever-present God.  When this happens, our lives are not built on the foundation of God’s glory, which was intended to give our lives a starting point and a destination, a reason to get up and the strength to go on.  Every aspect of my existence was meant to be filled with the glory of God.  Everything I think, every decision I make, every word I speak was meant to be shaped by a humble acknowledgement of his claim on my life.  I was created to live for his glory.

As we’ve seen, every human life pursues some kind of glory.  If it is not the glory of God, it will be some kind of earthbound psuedo-glory.  It may be money and possessions or acceptance and respect.  It could be achievement and success or intellectual prowess and philosophical acumen.  Perhaps it is the power to control people, the affection of a certain person. or a certain standard of living.  At the root of many difficulties and disasters is the pursuit of the wrong glory.

These quotes provide a great opportunity to evaluate what we live for and to reorrient our lives and thinking in order to make God’s glory our supreme purpose in living.

Michael Lawrence- a pastor at Capitol Hilll Baptist- recently wrote an article entitled- “Stop Test Driving Your Girlfriend.”  It is quite helpful in addressing not just outward tendencies in the normalized world of dating but also inward attitudes. 

While this article may not apply to many in our body directly it is sure to be helpful indirectly as we adjust our thinking as a whole and develop biblical understandings on subjects such as this.

This Sunday- July 23rd at 9:30 am- in place of Grace Groups- we are having a baptism service out at the Smotherman’s place. 

Don’t miss out on this sweet time of hearing several of your fellow believer’s testify to the greatness of God’s grace and the sufficiency of the work of Christ on their behalf.

By the way bring lawn chairs to sit on and swim suits if you would like.

Jesus confounded the religious leaders with His wisdom, yet they persisted in their hardened resistance to His claims. Even after several years of a public ministry where the blind received sight, the lame were helped to walk, demoniacs were set free, and the dead were raised, they refused to accept a Messiah that did not fit their expectations. This text shows us the trap of dead religion and confronts our tendency to cherish God’s good gifts while we often miss the point of it all: God Himself.

 

 Luke 19:45-20:8 [38:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Announcing the first ever (I get the opportunity to say that alot these days) Sovereign Grace Fellowship Impact trip. 

Pismo Beach CA is our destination for this junior high and high school (recent high school graduates are also included) trip designed to promote fellowship, intimacy with God, growth in maturity, and great times. 

The trip is coming up fast- our departure date- July 30th- is less than two and half weeks away- so sign up now. 

The cost is $100 although each student will also need around $50 dollars to cover some of the meals on the trip.  If you need help financially let me know- and if you want to help someone else financially let me know.

All the details you need to know are in the pdf Impact Brochure file I have attached.  You can also get a hard copy of the brochure from me on Sunday. 

Students- don’t miss this trip- it is the first of its kind- make sure you are on the cutting edge as part of Sovereign Grace history.

I am currently reading a book entitled “The Enemy Within” by Kris Lundgaard- I highly recommend it.  The book deals with indwelling sin and is largely a modern revision of some of the works of John Owen.  I thought I would share a couple of nuggets from my reading over the last couple of days.

If sin only came to visit now and then, like an unwelcome in-law, we could get a lot of godliness done while it was away.  If it were like an army that struck, then pulled back for a time, we could refresh ourselves and fortify our defenses during the calm.  But the flesh is a relentless homebody and assailant.  Wherever you go, whatever you do, the law of sin is with you step for step–in the best you do, in the worst you do.  How often do you think about the fact that you carry around in you a deadly companion?

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It’s hot out!! I say that as I sit in my air conditioned office nearly needing a sweatshirt to stay warm while the air is on and then immediatly sweating when it goes off. As the temperature rises, the amount of clothing that people, particularly women, wear decreases. Unfortunately this trend does not stop among church people. We all must ask ourselves, why do we wear what we wear?

Peter reminds women in 1 Peter 3 that beauty is best when it comes from the heart, the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. Beauty is more internal than external. If you applied the time you spend on enhancing your outward appearance to your heart, would you look different? Now, does that mean that this becomes the standard or is there another way to think about dress and fashion in regards to our world. In other words, since the world abuses fashion by making it inappropriate do we simply abandon it altogether and seek to cover as much skin as possible? Or is it possible to be fashion conscious while upholding the principles of modesty found in the Bible? For example, the world has abused sexual intimacy. As believers our job is to show the world the beauty of sexual intimacy in its proper context as defined by God. Can we do the same with fashion?

I can’t really answer the question because I usually ask my wife to make sure I match and I shave my head so that I don’t have to comb my hair. I am ignorant in most things fashion. This blog series is very helpful for thinking through some of these issues. There are seven parts to the series so make sure you read them all(2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). There are a couple of other posts under the category of modesty that are also excellent. Finally, on a very practical level here is an effort by these ladies to attempt to pursue biblical modesty and true beauty.

Women, please read this material and consider implementing those things you find biblically based. I will leave you with a short quote from this testimony.

I began to understand the heart and soul of modesty. Modesty is humility expressed in dress, a desire to serve others, neither promoting nor provoking sensuality or lust. It is rooted in a desire to lose any and all consideration of self and live hidden behind the cross of Christ. I became more and more aware that my dress was not an outward expression of the gospel, or humility. I began by aggressively examining my wardrobe.

The marriedlife blog’s most recent post confronted the tendency of husbands (none that I know of course) to walk into their home more ready to judge their wives than to serve them.  I have quoted the post in full below.

Men, have you ever walked in the door from a long day at work to find your home a wreck, your wife crashed on the couch, and the kids hypnotized by the television? If you are like me you might think to yourself (first bad move), “What on earth is going on here?” Then you decide to say, “Love, what have you done all day?” (Second bad move) Back peddle quickly if you can. Most likely it is too late. You have judged your wife.

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If Sunday, why Friday? That question haunts us as we witness Christ’s triumphal entry and see prophecy fulfilled while our humble Savior enters Jerusalem on a donkey, weeping over the hard hearts of His people. The same people praising Him and rejoicing in His coming will soon be shouting words of cursing and rejection. The warnings and hope offered in this text are not to be missed. (Josh Winans preaching.)

 

 Luke 19:28-44 [39:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download