Grace Abounding

Check it out! CCEF Now! is a free regular magazine that launched last week to help apply the gospel through the Scriptures to everyday life.

CCEF is a biblical counseling organization that writes, teaches, preaches, and counsels biblical truth to problems in daily living. I am thrilled at the publication of CCEF Now! so that many of the articles, ideas, and counselors that I benefit from as a pastor are now accessible to every Christian for free. As a resource for counselors, it is geared to believers who are speaking truth into broken lives. Yet the message and hope offered address situations and struggles everyone faces, and so every Christian would benefit from checking out www.ccef.org or following @ccef to read the latest magazine issues.

Here’s a sampling of articles and topics from Issue #1”

• “Living Biblically” by Mike Emlet
• “Preventing Sexual Misconduct in Counseling”
• “Meaningful Acts of Easily Forgotten Kindness”
• “Journal of Biblical Counseling Lives in Progress” by David Powlison
• “What Has Helped You In Your Troubles?” by Ed Welch
• “Embodying Christ’s Love for the Shamed” by Winston Smith

I’m excited about this first issue and highly commend CCEF NOW! to parents, small group leaders, pastors, and any Christian who seeks to encourage and build up others.
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12.14.11 update – Today I received a copy of CCEF NOW! in the mail, so evidently the magazine is also in print. Well worth it to sign up on CCEF’s mailing list to receive.

The following is a guest blog post by Nathan Young, pastor and missionary to Scotland who has been a visiting speaker at Grace Church of Alexandria.

Title: When Will My Life Not Suck: Authentic Hope for the Disillusioned
Author: Ramon Presson
Publisher: New Growth Press, 2011
ISBN: 9781935273806
Pages: 150

When a review copy of Ramon Presson’s new book, “When Will My Life Not Suck?” appears in the mail, I have mixed feelings. I deeply appreciate New Growth Press, and I read nearly everything they publish. Ramon Presson intrigues me as a new author, but his book’s title really bothers me. It seems over the top—even rude—and the words “NOT SUCK” stick annoyingly in my mind. This tension between my admiration for New Growth and my aggravation over the title motivate me to read.

Ramon quickly demonstrates skill as a writer and an insightful observer. He draws from his years of experience as a Christian marriage and family therapist, and he reveals his own struggles with depression, anxiety, and despair. The book is accessible to a wide audience from young adults to seniors and believer or non believer. It is also brief (150 pages) and non technical so someone in the grip of suffering can summon the strength to read it.

This is not a self-help book, offering secret steps from depression to a happier life. Instead, Ramon writes out of his own weakness and models an increasing dependence on the gospel. Tracing Paul’s themes from his letter to the Philippians, Ramon addresses real life problems, asks perceptive questions, and shows readers a large God—the source of hope. For anyone in the midst of depression, anxiety, despair, or loneliness, “When Will My Life Not Suck?” is a companion through the journey. It wisely guides the depressed to hope, and it prepares the encouraged for depression.

“When will my life not suck?” is a blunt question. It makes us wince in discomfort because, if we are honest, it strikes too close to home. That’s why I am grateful Ramon Presson tackles the issue with serious reflection and Biblical hope. I recommend this book to anyone caught in depression, a friend of someone who is struggling, and church leaders who counsel the weary. It could easily be used for one-on-one discipleship or small group discussions. And the title is more than provocative—it is a perceptive lifeline to miserable sinners who need God.

This blog post first appeared at Nathan Young’s blog, Immeasurable Grace and is posted by permisson here at Grace Abounding.

If you’re struggling with a sin that seems to keep on defeating you, where can you turn for strength to overcome? If you’re trying to help a friend who is in despair, heal a broken marriage, or aid a believer who struggles with anorexia or bulimia, what source of power can you point to that can surely change them?

Today I received a letter from a friend and counselor, Dr. Jim Newcomer, who gets right to the heart of the matter. Listen to what he identifies as the power in biblical counseling, that is, counseling that comes on the Bible:

Biblical Counseling is to be Redemption-Anchored. Merely opening a Bible and reaching for topical treatments of counseling themes does not alone constitute “Biblical” counseling. Such an approach may even produce a transaction-mindset (i.e. legalism) that makes demands such as, “I have read and understood what the Bible says about my problem, so God must change everything now.” For the child of God, all spiritual changes are directly tied to the Gospel (Rom 6-8, Eph 4, Col 3). In other words, once a person has experienced regeneration, any spiritual issue he will ever face will have its solution anchored in his positional status and resources in Christ (2Pet 1:2-4). To give answers, even “biblical” answers, that are not direct extensions of redemptive truth is to be inconsistent with the Gospel.

Our position in Christ, our relationship with Christ, and the resources of Christ are where we can turn and point people for lasting change! If you are looking for for true and lasting change, I invite you to come to Grace Church of Alexandria to hear more about Jesus Christ. Our preaching, our community groups, our pastoral counseling all find their hope and source in Christ.

Along with Redemption-Anchored counseling, Dr. Newcomer calls for Text-Driven, Christ-Exalting, and Local Church-Centered counseling. I’m grateful for the sound training in biblical counseling our pastors Garrett Lee and I received from Central Baptist Theological Seminary of Virginia Beach where Dr. Newcomer is Professor of Pastoral Theology. As Jim described, it’s our endeavor at Grace Church to take our brokenness and struggles to the feet of the cross and there “find grace help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

Spending time with your extended family for the holidays is often one of the most anticipated, and stressful, times of the year. In his recent article “Family Tensions and the Holidays,” Dr. Russell Moore wrote the following about holidays with family:

“We tend to idealize holidays, but human depravity doesn’t go into hibernation between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. One thing that will hit most Christians, sooner or later, are tensions within extended families at holiday time.”

Then, with a bit of humor and piercing wisdom from Scripture, he gives five values to pursue in your time with family over Thanksgiving and Christmas:

1. Peace.
2. Honor.
3. Humility.
4. Maturity.
5. Perspective.

I heartily recommend you read his full article here, entitled “Family Tensions and the Holidays.” It was a good reminder for me on how Christ would have me love my family members this Thanksgiving and Christmas.

What kind of preaching will you hear at Grace Church of Alexandria on a Sunday morning? Our aim is to open the Bible and deliver God’s Words to God’s people. Not our ideas. Not our agenda. Not our take on the latest trends or news. But to tell you what God has said through the Bible.

In particular at Grace Church, our intent is for preaching to be gospel-centered, that is, to emphasize the good news of what God is doing through his Son Jesus Christ. From the text, we do our best to relate the gospel to every area of life and to show its relevance not only for becoming a Christian but also for living as a Christian. As 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, ‘The gospel is the power of God to salvation for those who are being saved.”

Last night I read the following two statements which capture why gospel-centered preaching is essential:

“Every sermon should be evangelistic, for every sermon should make the gospel clear.”

Philip Jensen, page 162

“Today there is not very much gospel about; the church has given it up; a great many preachers preach everything but the living truth. . .I have often thought to myself–Other men may teach socialism, deliver lectures, or collect a band of fiddlers, that they may gather a congregation; but I will preach the gospel. I will preach more gospel than ever if I can; I will stick more to the one cardinal point. The other brethren can attend to the odds and ends, but I will keep to Christ crucified. . .Keep to the gospel. Don’t you be afraid; it has life in it, and it will grow: only you bring it out, and let it grow.”

Charles Spurgeon, quoted on p. 205

These quotes are found in Preach the Word: Essays on Expository Preaching in Honor of R. Kent Hughes (Wheaton: Crossway, 2007).

If you’re curious what you’ll hear at Grace Church on a Sunday, the latest sermons can be found here.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged…” that adults don’t really like music that’s produced for kids. That’s why we have all these albums of mainstream pop music recorded with kid’s singing instead of will.i.am or Taio Cruz. Let’s be honest, when I’m in the shower and a song pops into my head, I’d like it to be “No Line on the Horizon” or “Penny Lane,” rather than “Oh, Where Has My Puppydog Gone?” or “I’m Bringing Home a Baby BumbleBee.” But as they say, Trix are for kids, and so is kids music. It really is ok if I find it mildly annoying as long as the kids are enjoying it, right? My bigger concern is when kids music that’s supposed to be “Christian” turns out to be full of moralistic therpeutic deism or just plain silliness (I can only take so much “Where is My Hairbrush?”).

Nothing wrong with kids being silly, obviously, but the bigger problem is finding music that doesn’t just teach kids “obey because I said so,” “don’t pout,” and “clean your plate.” We need music that will saturate our kids with God’s Word and help them apply it to their lives. Here are a few resources that my family has found helpful (and I even don’t mind these songs popping into my head during shower time).

Sovereign Grace Music
Sovereign Grace Music is a division of Sovereign Grace Ministries, a family of churches whose offices are located just around the corner from us in Gaithersberg, MD. For the past 20 years, alongside their efforts to plant gospel-preaching churches around the world, they have been striving to produce music for the Church that is both theologically rich and musically compelling. In recent years they have produced two children’s albums which I highlight here.

To Be Like Jesus is SGM’s first kid’s album, and it is phenomenal. If you’re familiar at all with SGM’s other musical offerings, you will know to expect great music, and this album does not disappoint. But even more importantly, this album is full of biblical truth, specifically aimed at kids. Each song focuses on a different fruit of the Spirit as found in Galatians 5:16-26. But the fruit of the Spirit is not denigrated into helpful suggestions for a happy life. As the title track indicates, these are all about the desire “To Be Like Jesus.” Two immediate benefits from this album:

Read the rest of this entry »

Could it be that some personal challenges are be too big and too complicated to address from a Christian perspective, challenges such as panic attacks, traumatic brain injury, obsessive-compulsive habits, bipolar disorder, sexual abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder? Does God give any guidance for how to cope with these symptoms and help someone we love who is struggling with them?

For answers, check out the National Conference of CCEF on October 21-23, 2011, which has as its theme “Psychological Disorders: A Compassionate Look at Complex Problems.”

I encourage you to attend this conference or purchase the conference audio recordings afterward. The Lord made us, so he knows best how to help us even in the deepest personal crisis. Scripture tells us that “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ” (Colossians 2:4). The gospel of Christ and the person of Christ do give help for even the most complicated crisis. The Pastoral Staff of Grace Church of Alexandria offers confidential counseling services and support to the community from a Christ-centered perspective.

CCEF, the Christian Counseling and Education Foundation, leads the way in working to provide biblical and gospel centered answers to psychological and counseling needs. In addition to the National Conference, CCEF provides excellent resources that help me as a Christian and as a pastor. Those resources include:

• Counseling Blog: www.ccef.org
• Trusted books on depression, addictions, parenting, marriage, and much more;
• Journal of Biblical Counseling (relaunching fall or winter 2011)

Check out a preview of the conference below:

Discussing Psychiatric Disorders with Dr. David Powlison & Dr. Tim Lane from CCEF on Vimeo.

Have you found yourself longing for something but God just isn’t providing it, and that’s frustrating you? Are you distracted by idols that are taking the place Christ deserves in your life, perhaps the idol of family, or achievement at work, owning a home, illicit sexual pleasure, or some other substitute for Jesus?

Julian Hardyman’s statement above reminds us that the best way to fight idolatry in your heart is to gaze on the blazing glory of Jesus Christ and let his excellency far surpass the excellence of your heart’s idols. Just as the brilliance of the noonday sun blots out any glimpse of other stars in the sky, let the Son rise in your heart, his splendor outshining all other desires!

How can we do this? Here are three ways I seek to gaze on Christ’s beauty when I find myself distracted by lesser lights:

1) Read the Gospels.
See Jesus put on display perfect, divine compassion, generosity, justice, goodness, and grace. Be in awe of the One who is like no other, and be drawn to him.

2) Talk to the Father about The Son.
While reading about Christ in the Bible, talk to God and express to him the glory of Christ which the passage has shown you. Extol Christ for his virtues and his mighty. Let your reading cause you to open up in praise to Him. Confess how Jesus is better than the substitutes you’ve been pining for.

3) Ask Friends What They’re Seeing About Christ.
Call a friend, email them, send them a Facebook message, and ask what they’ve been learning about Christ or seeing about him in their own lives. Let their worship fuel your own.

I’m grateful for Julian Hardyman’s diagnosis of our heart’s idols and his prescription for change–more of Christ. He’s the pastor of Eden Baptist Church in Cambridge, UK, and my brother’s pastor. His book Idols, published in 2010, has been instrumental in exposing and treating my heart’s substitutes for Jesus.

Update #1: Incidentally, Julian preached on idolatry the week his book Idols was released. You can listen to his helpful sermon here, called “Idols and Their Dangers.”

The Mid-Atlantic Bible Conference
Theme: Male and Female–How Are They Different?
When: October 29, 2011, 8:30 am to 4 pm

Come attend a Bible conference on October 29, 2011 that will explore the roles God has given men and women in the church and home. This annual conference is hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Bible Fellowship, a cooperation of  local churches in the Washington D.C. Metro area that are similar to Grace Church of Alexandria.

This year’s gathering will discuss a theology of manhood and womanhood and discuss practical ways men and women can pursue our God-given roles in marriage, church, and culture. It’s also a fabulous opportunity to get to know Christians from likeminded churches from Northern Virginia, Washington D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.

Where: Hope Bible Church, Columbia, Maryland
7195 Oakland Mills Road, Columbia, MD 2104
Lunch: catered lunch provided.
Cost: to be determined, probably $15.00
How to Register: Online registration coming soon here.

Come hear discussion about questions such as:

• Why is it important for us to rediscover the Bible’s teaching about the role of men and women in the home and church?
• Is the Bible’s instruction for wives to “submit” outdated, or to be practiced today?
• What does the Bible teach about masculinity and femininity?
• What does it look like for a Christian man to lead as the head of the home?
• What does the Bible say about women pastors?
• What impact on a single man or woman’s life should the Bible’s teaching on manhood and womanhood have?
• What does Galatians 3:28 mean when it says that after Christ’s cross, in the church there is “neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”?

I encourage everyone from Grace Church to consider attending this conference. Christy and I are attending and hope you will join us. The Bible speaks a great deal about gender roles in the family and the body of Christ. This is a marvelous opportunity to explore Scripture’s teaching on this topic and apply it to our lives for God’s glory.