Hello from Wichita

“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” 1 Corinth. 2:2

Hello men! Let me tell you, when you have three weeks off between school and work and everyone is gone for a good chunk of it, life can be boring. We were made to produce and work, so idleness is not how we should live. But this past week, I was really struck by my boredom and frustrations as I was really feeling the blues. I was depressed because everything I had to do was taken away, my school work, hanging out with friends, Bible Study and Nav Night and ministry stuff, etc. Was I content to rest in God and put my efforts toward knowing him during the day? Was I content with just God? It was sobering to see that sin in my life.

On another front, some frustrations. Samantha is a team leader at STP- but it is much different from when we went two years ago, as the program directors have changed. Anyway, it tends to be man-centered. It is program oriented. It seems to miss the whole point that we were made to know God and delight in him. It is focused on the fruit, and not the fruit giver. In more words, its not reformed nor is it focused on God or the scriptures as much as when we were down there or as much as we now see is the very blood of our faith. They don't even have Bible Studies this year, just D-groups. I don't know what that means, but you go through a packet of questions everyday that usually has scripture but it serves both as your Bible Study and your devotions time. It is just different and in many ways seems to miss the point that that we are pursing God in Christ through his Word and that we are not just trying to get people to make a simple decision or follow me so I have legacy, we are bringing the glory of Christ to the unreached. Missions exist because worship doesn't. I could say more, but I won't. That being said, there is a lot of good practical tools being taught and it is the beginning of summer so stuff good change. I still don't get why the stress at some Universities is a program and things you do, and not God himself. This has been frustrating for me because I don't agree with that philosophy, but also especially because Samantha is frustrated. She is submitting to the leadership, but letting her Christian Hedonism out as much as possible. It puts me in a pickle because I know people down there, namely Mr. Sutton, and I want to influence him for the good. I don't want him to come back excited about programs. I want him to come back excited about God and the Word. So is my role to sit back and not undermine or interrupt some of what he is being taught and trust that God is sovereign over the situation or do I take some initiative and reach out to him on a regular basis with resources and encouragement that are God-centered? I don't want to be too controlling or be a distraction, but I want him to treasure God and fall in love with the Word. Thoughts or prayers would be good.

As for as what I have been learning: Tim Keller blows my mind. I listened to this sermon below with Nate the other night. He was very challenging and stretched how I thought about the gospel. What is the scope of the word and what really is the gospel? I spent much of the last 30 hours of my life reading and reading and reading and writing some to clear my thoughts. From Keller to Piper to Dever to Mahaney to Bridges. It has been good. If you have time weigh in for yourself:
Keller sermon
http://acts29network.org/sermon/dwelling-in-the-gospel
Dever sermon and blog
http://t4g.org/08/media/
http://blog.9marks.org/2008/06/cry-2-make-the.html
Piper on the scope of the "good news" found in the Bible from God is the Gospel, Chapter 2
http://www.desiringgod.org/media/pdf/books_bgg/books_bgg.pdf

I leave you with some of the nuggets I found this week.....
“What the progress of revelation shows, as the New Testament unfolds, is that the death and resurrection of Christ to cover our sins is the foundation for all these blessings that the gospel of the kingdom announces. The King must die before he reigns. Otherwise the justice of his reign would only bring judgment and not salvation. So all the kingdom blessings demonstrated in the Gospels had to be purchased by the blood of Christ. This is why the cross must ever be the center and foundation of the gospel and why the blessings of the gospel should only be called gospel in relation to the cross.”
-Piper

"We bring nothing to our salvation except our sin that made it necessary."
-Bridges

“Get up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear no; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
Isaiah 40:9