Introducing a New Blog!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know about a new blogging adventure I have started. I call it "Growing Young" and it's just the day-to-day observations and interests of mine. You can find it here:

http://jcnewton.blogspot.com

Every now and then I'll post something to both blogs but for the most part I'll be posting to Growing Young more than this one. Be sure to check it out!

Be God's!

John Newton

What Brings Peace?

"When He approached [Jerusalem], He saw the city and wept over it, saying, 'If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes.'" (Luke 19:41-42)

What brings peace?

We're all looking for a little peace in our lives -- from the mighty to the meek. We put up fences to make peace with the neighbors. We trim our lawns for peace with our HOA. We obey our bosses in order to have peace at work. And we look for the path of least resistance at home so we have pace within our own marriages and our own walls.

But is peace guaranteed?

When Jesus approached Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey, he saw the city walls, the temple, and the crowds gathered to welcome him as messiah and king. But his disposition was not one of joy and pride. It was sorrow. After all, he was a "man of sorrows" (Isa. 53). What troubled him was that the people who lived in the city didn't know what brought true peace to their lives. And in five days they would reject the peace that Jesus brought into Jerusalem's walls. They were too busy looking for peace elsewhere. Perhaps many saw peace at the end of a sword. Maybe others saw peace as obedience to the scribes and Pharisees.

But the only lasting peace is found in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Our Lord told his disciples in the upper room, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful (John 14:27)." Why? As he would explain over the next few chapters, peace comes in the knowledge that Jesus has overcome this world and its systems of war. He has overcome temptation and in a few days he would overcome death. And through our relationship with him, we, too, can overcome this world and have peace. Not in a militant way, mind you, but a spiritual way. We need not fear this world.

But the inhabitants of Jerusalem weren't looking to Jesus for peace. So he wept for them. And I weep for my neighbors who strive and struggle for peace in their hearts but fail to find it because they have not turned to the Prince of Peace. It truly is sad.

What Is Truth?

18:33 Therefore Pilate entered again into the Praetorium, and summoned Jesus and said to Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?” 35 Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” 37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say [correctly] that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” 38 Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?”

I love this small passage of John's Gospel for many reasons. In these six verses, John records a conversation between Jesus and the Roman governor Pilate, behind closed doors, early in the Good Friday morning. The exchange is fascinating to me because Pilate was a pagan who had been, essentially, "sentenced" to be governor of a volatile and highly religious province on the eastern edge of the Roman Empire. He didn't care one lick about the Jewish people or their religion. And he certainly didn't care one lick about their "anointed one" or messiah. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were just Hebrew names Pilate heard uttered every now and then by his subjects.

Yet, here standing before him was a meek Jewish man, bloodied and bruised by beatings administered by his own people. Their exchange is strange, at best. Yet its depth is almost unparalleled in the Gospels.

First of all, we have yet another declaration by Jesus that he is the Son of David, the King of the Israel. This is no small thing. It is a claim to the highest office in the land — and to the many prophecies of Scripture concerning the messiah. Pilate, the governor, had standing before him the so-called King of the Jews and the Hope of Israel. He is a king whose kingdom is "not of this world." In other words, the kingdom of heaven is not a civil government or system of laws. It is comprised not of race or gender or language. It is a kingdom in the hearts of people who have believed the King and committed their lives to follow Him.

Second, those people have a common bond that goes beyond race or government. They follow the Truth, as given by the Truth giver. "For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth," Jesus told Pilate. "Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." Indeed, the people of the kingdom are those who hear the truth, as Jesus spoke it, and follow that truth. This statement led Pilate to a very perplexing question: What is truth? Can you see it, smell it, touch it or taste it? Is it always obvious or is it always difficult to find? And when it is revealed, will it always win any argument or solve any problem?

It's a great question — on the surface. What's funny is that Jesus just told Pilate what truth was. Truth is the words of Jesus Christ. It is for the reason of revealing truth that Jesus took on flesh and bone. Revealing the truth about the Father. Revealing the truth about mankind's need for salvation. Revealing the truth about God's plan for salvation. One part of which involved this whole conversation between Jesus and Pilate!

What is truth? Start with Matthew 1:1 and start reading. In the following pages you will find the voice of truth.

Be God's.

Growing Young

Had a thought on my drive home from Megan's apartment tonight. We often talk about our spiritual life in terms of age, like "growing up" and "mature" to describe a positive direction and "infant" and "babes" to talk about the negative path. And those are all fine and dandy and biblical. But perhaps developing a better spiritual life not only helps us "grow up" but also helps us "grow young." Growing young is the recapturing of innocence lost; the losing of reason and logic for the gaining of childlike faith. When Jesus was asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" in Matthew 18, he pointed not the old and wise but to children. Why? Because children still retain an element of innocence in their lives. They can still believe without having to hear a reasonable explanation first. They see Jesus and go running straight to Him.

Rich Mullins was one of my biggest influences as a young adult. The singer-songwriter-poet-philosopher had a knack for turning the complex truths of faith and life into simple declarations of everyday truth. He wrote a song back in 1992 about this concept of growing young. Of recapturing what had been lost in his life as he had "seen silver turn to dross" and "have known so many secrets I wish now I did not know."

I don't know about you, but I long for that innocence. I long to forget things I've learned in life, things that have caused me pain and not joy. Even though I know I can learn things from the pain and hurt, I wonder what it would be like to not have had those experiences. What it would be like to be young again. I wish I could remove images and sounds, feelings and thoughts, anything that had taken my innocence away bit by bit, chunk by chunk. But it's hard. However, the longer I walk by the Spirit, the easier I find it is to remove those stains on my life. The longer I walk by the Spirit the younger I grow. And, maybe, if I walk long enough, I can be young again.

Here's Rich's song.

GROWING YOUNG

I've gone so far from my home
Seen the world and I have known
So many secrets I wish now I did not know
'Cause they have crept into my heart
They have left it cold and dark
And bleeding, bleeding and falling apart

And everybody used to tell me big boys don't cry Well I've been around enough to know that was the lie That held back the tears in the eyes of a thousand prodigal sons Well, we are children no more, we have sinned and grown old And our Father still waits and He watched down the road To see the crying boys come running back to His arms And be growing young.

I've seen silver turn to dross
Seen the very best there ever was
And I tell you, it ain't worth what it costs
And I remember my father's house
What I wouldn't give right now
Just to see him and hear him tell me that he loves me so much

And when I thought that I was all alone
It was your voice I heard calling me back home
And I wonder now, Lord, what it was that made me wait so long
And what kept you waiting for me all that time
Was your love stronger than my foolish pride
Will you take me back? Take me back and let me be your child?

Cause I've been broken now, I've been saved
I've learned how to cry and I've learned how to pray
And I'm learning, learning even I can be changed

1992, Rich Mullins & Beaker, from the album, "The World as Best I Remember It, Vol. 2"

When Popular Culture Wins

Popular culture has claimed yet another Protestant church victim. This time, it is the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) that has caved to social pressure to accept openly homosexual individuals as pastors and and other church leaders. I ran across this article the other day from Sam Hodges of the Dallas Morning News. Here's an excerpt:

"North Texas Presbyterians vote to ease rules on gay clergy"

In a break from the past, North Texas clergy and lay leaders of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have voted to ease the way for ordination of openly
gay pastors, deacons and elders.

Clergy and lay leaders of Grace Presbytery – the regional body covering 177 churches in North Texas and other parts of the state – voted Saturday to
remove constitutional language requiring that ordained officers maintain “fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or
chastity in singleness.”

The vote was 203-182 in favor of the change, with six abstensions, said Rob Allen, spokesman for Grace Presbytery.

How and why a church denomination with the history and tradition of the Presbyterian church would cave in to social pressure and spit on the pages of Holy Scripture is beyond me. God's word makes it clear that homosexuality is not only a sin, it is an abomination in God's sight that comes from a depraved heart. Can homosexuals become believers? Certainly. Can they come to church? Many do. But should they lead the church? As Paul said, "May it never be!" But it is. At least it is in some denominations.

What has happened to the Presbyterian Church (USA) is a classic case of the twisted system of this world invading and influencing the thinking of believers. The Church is called to engage our popular culture. This is certain. A read of Jesus' "High Priestly" prayer in John 17 makes it clear that the Church has been left in this world to draw the lost towards Christ. But while we're in this world, we are susceptible to the world's temptations and philosophies. We must be on guard to make sure that the world does not influence our own beliefs and convictions and -- maybe even worse -- twist the way we interpret God's word.

Stand for truth! Even when society tells you otherwise.

Be God's!

About Performances

"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ." -- Apostle Paul to the Galatian churches

It never ceases to amaze me how the kingdom of God is completely upside down (or is it right-side up?)compared to the kingdom of this world. After all, blessed are the meek and oppressed. Cursed are the proud and mighty. And then there is this: salvation and good standing before God is not swayed by anything we do. What was that? Performance doesn't matter? What about all those "do's" and "don'ts"? Well, they don't affect how God sees you. He knows that you and I can't cut it as holy people. We do not have that ability inherent within ourselves. There are none righteous, King David crooned a long time ago.

In the kingdom of this world we judge each other based on what we do, not who we are. If a man has great wealth and gives a lot to charity, we consider that man to be blessed. "He must be doing things right!" we think. Never mind the six marriages, the live-in girlfriend, the lives he has trampled on his way to the top. Nope. We don't judge based on his character. We judge based on the external things.

But in the kingdom of heaven, the King calls us to accept one another based on who we are — despite what we do. We will all mess up and fall. It's inevitable. But we are children of the King — adopted sons and daughters of God the Father — who are deeply flawed but dearly loved. And because we are sons and daughters, we should acceot one another, even if we stumble and fall. This is the message of grace. That the unacceptable would be accepted; the dead resurrected; and the unlovable found to be lovely. Permanently.

It's not based on performance. It's all about God's perfect grace. As the Chris Tomlin song, "How Can I Keep From Singing?" states, "I am loved by the King; and it makes my heart want to sing!"

Be God's!

Sweet Dreams

Here's another poetic offering, compiled and recreated over the past few years. It's my wish for a young boy, just starting to discover the world of make-believe. As I posted earlier, I believe that dreams are fuel for the engine that drives the hearts of men. They take us beyond the here and now -- beyond the reality we see around us -- and lead us someplace better, someplace holier, and, perhaps, someplace with greater adventure.


SWEET DREAMS

Standing on the beach, I watch the tide roll out
Sending the ships out to sea
And I wonder, young friend, how you're doing right now
Chasing your heart's deepest dream

'Cause right here on the shore, it is such a bore
I'd rather be out on the sea
Sailing away to some far away land
There's adventure just waiting for me!

So drift off away to a far away land
of paupers and prophets and kings
May God ever hold you in the palm of His hand
and fill your young mind with sweet dreams

In every boy's mind, there's a treasure to find
Of stories too good to believe
Of heroes and giants, villains and kings
Who play out a breathtaking scene

Maybe there are pirates! Maybe a storm!
Maybe a princess in need!
I'm never gonna know, if I never go
And follow my heart's deepest dream

So drift off away to a far away land
of paupers and prophets and kings
May God ever hold you in the palm of His hand
and fill your young mind with sweet dreams

Poem: Dreams

Just the other day I was thinking about the role that dreaming (dreams, desires, fantasies) play in the lives of men. I thought about how I am personally affected by the ambitions and dreams I have for my own life, or my family, or my church. Dreams can often carry a person away from reality and become a distraction when real problems need real attention. But without dreams, we never will go anywhere in our lives. We never will test our boundaries or set our goals higher than where we already are. Dreams keep a person going in the midst of an unsettling reality, because that person knows that things may get better in the future. And maybe they'll become more than better -- they'll become extraordinary. With these things in mind, I wrote the following poem over two lunches at Wendy's, my favorite lunchtime "think tank."


DREAMS

Close your eyes and dream with me
Of cotton sands and a turquoise sea
Where palm tress frame a place of rest

And I'm with you and you with me
Our ears are filled with the musical sea
As the sun shines down we are blest

And we dream away...

I did not think we'd have gone this far
When the waves were high and the valley dark
And emotions clouded everything we'd see

Yet we hoped that this would not be the end
For our love is constant more than the wind
And we hoped that better things were yet to be

So we dream away...

Some say dreams are but lofty notions
Meant only to distract and deceive
But I say dreams are fuel for the engine
In the heart of a man; to keep him going
When a valley is all that he can see

He's got to dream away....

The Heart That's Right

In studying the lives of King Saul and King David, there is a clear distinction between the hearts of the two men. Saul was a mighty warrior, a man of great stature and a commanding presence. He looked like a king. And when he was on top of his game, there was none better than Saul. David, by contrast, was the runt of the litter. The youngest of Jesse's sons, David was counted on to keep the sheep but little else. He was handsome in appearance but what attracted people to him wasn't his good looks. It was his heart. After all, man looks on the outside, the prophet Samuel declared, but God looks on the heart (1 Sam 16:31).

Saul's heart sought the Lord early in his kingship. He did the right things and said the right words. And the Lord blessed him with victory after victory. But on a hilltop in western Judah Saul's heart turned. Instead of waiting one more day for Samuel to arrive for a sacrifice, Saul did the deed himself and brought the wrath of God upon him. Samuel admonished the king, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams." The prophet then went to anoint the shepherd boy of Bethlehem as king.

David sought the Lord early and often in his life. From the Valley of Elah, where he defeated the giant Goliath, to the caves of the Judean Wilderness, David sought the will of God and obeyed it. As king, David had a few hiccups but overall remained a man after God's own heart. In fact, David knew of the delicate yet important nature of having a right heart. After his sin with Bathsheeba, the king pinned the words of Psalm 51, in which he cries out, "For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."

David understood that what we do is not as important as why we do it. A right heart is one that seeks to obey the Lord and act in accordance with the Lord's will. Offering our time and energy must have as its motivator a heart seeking to obey the Lord. If we are just getting busy for busyness sake we have missed the boat. For the Lord delights in an obedient heart. A heart like David's. Not Saul's.

Be God's!

Hide and Seek

There's just something thrilling about a chase. Great movie scripts are written about chases, like Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, Bonnie & Clyde, or The Fugitive. That last one best fits the chase I got swept up in this afternoon: the chase between King Saul and David, son of Jesse. Our pastor, Steve, is beginning a sermon series on the Life of David next Sunday and as the communications/promotions guy at the church, I have been swept away by the creative process. Just today I played around with the idea of making an old-fashioned newspaper frontpage chronicling the David-Saul chase. "Fugitive Strikes Again!" the big, bold headline read. The story would come from 1 Samuel 26, in which Saul receives a tip about the whereabouts of his nemesis David. The king himself marches 3,ooo men into the wilderness to find the young fugitive only to come home humiliated. You see, David and company snuck into the king;s camp at night, stole his spear and water jug, then woke him up to wave it in his face. Or so I read it. "Why are you chasing me?!" David exclaims. It's a great question. He had done nothing wrong yet was hunted down by a jealous king. Saul shakes the sleep out of his eyes and replies in humility, "I'm so sorry, my son. You were right, I was wrong. You have spared my life. I will spare yours." Of course, history records that Saul continued his pursuit of young David and many more adventures awaited them. All of them thrilling. All of them suspenseful. All of them adding up to the greatest chase of them all.

Christmas ... After the Storm

As I sit here at my computer at 1:37am on Friday, January 2, 2009, I think it has finally dawned on me that Christmas is over. And I'm sad. Christmas is my favorite holiday and the festivity surrounding it always lifts my spirits. So in honor of the holiday that just passed, I offer up my favorite things from the 2008 Christmas season.

-- Christmas lights. They always entertain me, though their purpose has been long lost.
-- Garland. I wish we all would be kinder to garland and leave it up year-round. Ribbons, too.
-- Opening Christmas gifts at home. There is little better than being with family when it is time to celebrate.
-- Saying "Merry Christmas" to as many people as possible. None of this "Happy Holidays" stuff!
-- Vacation Days. I have a bad habit of not taking time off the first 11 months of the year. So it all falls during the holidays. And, man, did I ever need it.