I took the opportunity yesterday and this morning to say a few things to each of my children. I thought I would share them with you since we are all part of the children of Redeemer.

• I reminded each of them that today, I would be praying for them often.  That they needed to remember that God is with them and that their daddy is praying for them.  Praying for protection, for wisdom, and that they would work very hard!
• I reminded them that they will have opportunities to love and take care of people that others might not care for.  That part of being Christ in their school is to actually look for people to love.  I even told them of a story where I defended a child against a bully and almost paid a pretty high penalty for doing so.  Thankfully, the Principal of the school walked in.  Though the bully got away, the victim was taken care of.  I told them it may be costly to love, but their is life in it and it is what Christ has done for us.
• I reminded them that their family at Redeemer would be praying for them.
• I told them that I would be waiting for them when they finish their first day and that I couldn’t wait to hear how it went.  If they had a great day, I will celebrate with them.  If it was the worst day of the school career, I will cry with them.

Probably the biggest stressor for me personally was sending Avery off to Jr. High.  This will be a totally new experience for her as she navigates older children, new classes, new building, and really takes the next step in maturing as a young woman.  As I sent her off with 4 other girls and a lovely mother who volunteered to drive them, I thought to myself, “I am so thankful Lord that though I cannot be with her now, You will be.  Though I cannot speak into her ear and guide her, You will.  Though I am not a perfect father who can watch over her, You are and You will.”  I was reminded that my children will become adults and that their story includes me but it isn’t about me.  Rather, my parenting is about loving God, loving my children, and resting in the promises of God’s grace for them.

Jesus rests in His Father’s love in the most overwhelming of challenges, namely the cross.  He calls out to His Father and after voicing all of His anxieties and fears, He says, “Not my will, but Your will be done.” (Matt. 26:42)  Jesus knows that the Father loves Him, wants only the best for Him, and trusting in His Father is really the best thing to do.  That’s my prayer for my children, for myself, and for you.

I often wonder if this whole parenting thing isn’t more about my own spiritual growth and my own development in believing that God will not only watch over me, but also those most precious to me.  Today, I’ll be praying that my children and your children discover again today that the Father really does love them, is with them, and that He will guide their every step.  What better thing could we even ask than this but to know that the Love of our Souls is loving on our children even as we read this.

May God bless the first day of school for the children of Sugar Land!

Redeemer is still a young church and for those involved, it very much feels like we are on a mission together.  A precarious and even delicate mission at times, but a mission to build a new church in Sugar Land where people are able to flourish emotionally, spiritually, and physically.  The church is not called to be a hiding place for secret worshipers but rather a beacon of hope to the thirsty, weary, and tired.  A place to find shalom.

For more, click here.

If you have children and you are involved in the church, you have certainly reflected on the following question, "When is my child ready to take communion?"  Is this a decision a child simply makes on their own or something a  parent should encourage?  Does the Bible have anything to say to the church in this regard.  Of course, the answer is a resounding yes!

One of my favorite passages of Scripture to go to when I think about the call God has placed on each of us to disciple our children is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-7.  There we read,

Hear, O Israel:  The LORD our God, the Lord is one.  Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

In this ancient text, God instructs His people to remember their call to love him with all their being.  Right along with this is the call to "impress" these things on our children by talking with them, sitting with them, walking with them, when they lie down.  The point being that we are called to take every opportunity we can to encourage our children to love the LORD our God with all of their heart, soul, and strength.

Parents are God's main design in guiding children into understanding just how much He loves them and that life can be found in him.  Not primarily programs.  Not chiefly through entertainment or fancy curriculum.  Rather, we encourage them in the faith as we simply live our lives in light of God's love for us.

So when you bring your children to church, they are learning about God's love.  When you sing with them in worship, they are learning songs of redemption and promise.  And of course when they see you take communion, they will eventually ask, "Why do you do that?" or better yet "Why can't I do that?"  That question is the perfect opportunity to talk with your children about God's deep and abiding love for us through Jesus Christ.  If you find yourself in this situation, then the next step is for you to begin to pray and seek counsel from an elder or pastor so that we can bring your child to the table.

"But when exactly are they old enough?"  Well, that really depends on the child.  You will not find in the Bible an "age of accountability" or a magic number that says, "Whey your child reaches 13, bring them forward."  Some traditions in the church have in fact come to an understanding that a child is ready to celebrate the eucharist at a certain age and though there is some wisdom in this, it isn't mandated in the Scriptures.  Other churches encourage children from their very earliest days to partake of the elements.  

So what is our position on this at Redeemer? In short, we believe that when a child is old to reach, take, and understand that they should celebrate the supper.  As a Session, we look for a faith commensurate with the age of the child.  We look for a genuine desire in the child to celebrate Jesus' love for them in worship, in relationships, and in their daily lives.

Here are some questions you can use to discuss more:

1. Is it apparent that my child knows Jesus Christ as Lord (King of their life) and Savior (Savior of their souls)?
2. Can my child express this faith verbally?
3. Could my child express why he or she wants to celebrate the supper?
4. Does my child have an independent, personal desire to become a communing member of the church?
5. Does my child understand to the best of his/her ability what it means to follow Christ and join His church (repentance, faith, hope, love)?
6. Does he or she understand the importance of the Lord's table and the consequences to those who partake unworthily?  Now, what this doesn't mean is that our children understand everything about the supper.  After all, who does!  It is a wonderfully mysterious thing to think that Christ body and blood are given to us to feast upon and in so doing, our faith is nourished.  What it does mean is this:  If you take the supper and you neither care about the love Christ has for you nor the call to love others in His name, then you are taking hypocritically.  Faith must be united with the action or it is in vain.
7. Am I willing, even after spending the time in discipling my child, to delay his joining until a later time if I have any doubt about his/her salvation or his/her genuine interest in church membership?

If you think your child might be ready, then discuss some of these questions with them.  Pray with and for your child, that God would open his or her eyes to the depths of the riches of His grace.  Please contact Pastor Brad or Pastor Wes and we would delight in speaking with you and your child more about this if the time is right.  Jesus calls us to bring the children to him and to allow Him to bless them.  I pray that you have an opportunity to take Him up on that promise!

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When the news finally hit, I had a mix of emotions as I am sure many did. There was some sense of relief, of thankfulness, of security, but also of sadness. As a Christian, do we ever celebrate death?

I remember when the beginning of this long chapter in our world’s history began on September 11, 2001. I was living in St. Louis and attending Covenant Theological Seminary when Jamie called me and said, “You need to find a place to watch the news.” Our country has been different ever since that day as the name Osama Bin Laden was introduced into our lives. Is vengeance the right response? The New York Daily News had a picture of Osama Bin Laden with huge letters that said, “ROT IN HELL”. I certainly understand and empathize but is there a better way?

The question then is this, How do we think about the death of Osama Bin Laden as Christians? Is it appropriate to celebrate his death? Are we dishonoring the innocents who were murdered that day by not celebrating? How would our Savior have us respond to the death of our enemy? Let me mention one passage of Scripture from our Savior from Matthew 5:43ff:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘hate your enemy’. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even the pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

First, Christ calls us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you. This is what makes our Savior so unique and His love so “perfect”. When Jesus calls us to “be perfect”, he is not saying that we are able to be morally perfect. Rather, Jesus is saying that if you have experienced the fullness of God’s love then express that love toward others. In doing this, you are living well. You are moving toward what God has created you for. You are moving toward wholeness and perfection. We aren’t made to hate, we are made to love God and love others. A quote from Martin Luther King that is swirling around the internet right now is appropriate for us at this point:

“I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”

Second, we all want justice and renewal. The reason that any of us feel vengeance from this event is because we want justice and for things to be made right. God has created us to both act justly and to be treated justly. That is a holy desire and emotion. However, his death does not correct the destruction he has caused.

Let me give a personal example here. When I lived in Charlottesville, VA and was part of Trinity Church, I had the opportunity to serve and pastor the Jr. and Sr. High students. One of the students that I had discipled for three years lost a brother who died in battle in Afghanistan. I assure you, the news of Osama Bin Laden’s death does not make Brad’s death any easier for me, for my friend, or his family. The kind of vengeance and justice we need can’t be fully realized with the news of Bin Laden’s death. But, it can be realized in the resurrection.

Third, Christ calls us to celebrate the fact that we are His children. Our joy, our hope, our renewal, and our salvation comes from the love of our Father in Heaven. Our ultimate hope does not come from our ability to exact justice. It doesn’t come from our ability to visit vengeance on the enemy. Rather, our “perfection” comes from the Lord. Christ calls us to move toward and celebrate life. Remember how Christ himself looked down from the cross upon those who hated and despised him and said, “Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.” As God’s children, we are enabled to have a love that is beyond human wisdom and human power. It is a love secured for us by the love of the Father. It is a love that is massaged into our hearts through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. It is a love that comes to us as vengeance is expressed against our faithful Savior Jesus Christ.

I was talking with another pastor about this event and a parishioner of his said it wonderfully when he said, “Only one man’s death fixed everything, and we already celebrated that last week.” Christ’s death becomes our death and His resurrection becomes our resurrection. I am thankful that death will not ultimately have this last word for our world. As Christians have said throughout the ages:

Christ has died

Christ has risen.

Christ will come again.

This morning, as with every weekday, I walked Avery, William, and Walker to school and I was reminded of this.  We always start out together as we leave the Wright house. We walk down Greatwood Trails and pass the Jr./Sr. high kids waiting for the bus. We approach the corner of Greatwood Pkwy. where my neighbors and Mr. Mark are always waiting.

Mr. Mark eventually raised his hand held stop sign and we all crossed the parkway together. Walker and I were holding hands, something I am treasuring more and more nowadays, and then it happened. Avery showed me some of her artwork, kissed me on the cheek, and said, “Have a great day dad. I love you. Bye!” Then, before I could even get on the sidewalk, William looked at me and said, “Love you dad. I am going to wait here for Maverick (one of his friends).” My first response was, “No Will, come with me” and I realized I was only partially concerned for his being late to school.  Really, I wanted him to want to walk with me and not his friend. So, after a moment, I said, “Ok Will. I love you son. Have a great day.”

It was at this point I remembered again that Walker and I were holding hands and I gripped his precious hand a bit tighter. One day, he too will bid me farewell like Avery did. One day, he will wait for his friend instead of walking with his dad and that is ok. I am raising them to leave and I am so thankful for the time God has given me with these three precious children.

Deuteronomy 6 has been for me a sort of defining passage of Scripture when I think about raising my children. We read there, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you lie down, and when you rise.” When I think about what it means to love my kids well, to serve them as a loving and Christlike parent, I am reminded that teaching them, parenting them, and caring for them includes holding their hands loosely.

In a similar way, Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent are a bit of a reset button experience spiritually.   It is a season where we can take stock of our emotions, lives, and our practices and ask the question, “Is this life I a living actually living or am I a slave to it?” Sometimes, daily habits and the regular grind of things become so much in our face that it is all we see. Lent is a season where the church pauses in a very special way, to consider the tragedy of sin and trajectory of the Kingdom.

Sin is truly tragic. It devastates whatever it touches. It distorts and mangles people, their relationships, their hearts and minds. We read in the Scriptures that sin can best be described as death. It is a life-draining, life-sapping, life-extingushing force and it is present in all of us. But thankfully, that isn’t all this season is about. It is also a season about what God intends to do with sin. Namely, to bring the Kingdom of God.

The trajectory of the Kingdom is lovely. It takes what sin has attached itself to and obliterates it’s grip. My dad used to have this bottle full of liquid nitrogen that we could spray on gum that was caught in the carpet. It would freeze the gum and we could chip it away, leaving the the carpet fresh and new but without this gum that had been only moments ago clinging to it. Sin is something that, without the power of God’s love intervening, there is no getting rid of it. But with God’s love, the devistating effects of sin are not only removed but life is put in it’s place. Though Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent, Easter concludes it and that conclusion is the resurrection. Resurrection for the Son of God but also resurrection for all those whose hope is in him. Resurrection for our physical bodies one day but resurrection for our spirits today.

The season of Lent is an opportunity to go on a pilgrimage with others. A pilgrimage where we honestly assess our ugliness and where Christ lavishly covers us with the grace of His resurrection. It is a season for sober self-reflection as well as a season of feasting because after all, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! I encourage you to take seriously this season of Lent. If you haven’t been to church in a year, 5 years, or ever, come this Sunday. Come this Sunday, knowing that you are gathering with a bunch of people who also are looking to God for His love and trying to reflect that love toward one another. This isn’t a season for your condemnation or shame, but rather it is a season where we remember that Christ was condemned and shamed for us.

Here are some helpful thoughts as we approach Ash Wednesday:

1. Plan on attending an Ash Wednesday service.

2. Plan on attending a worship service each Sunday during Lent through Easter.

3. Consider giving something up for the season of Lent AND prepare to indulge in it on each Sunday. Sunday’s are feast days! So feast!!!

4. Take home our worship bulletin and use it for reflection and meditation during the week.

For more on the season of lent, check out this document. I pray you are both challenged by the tragedy of sin but that you are caught up with the trajectory of the coming Kingdom of God.

Peace,

Brad

I wanted to share with you what our family uses to filter/monitor the internet usage in our home. We use a company called Internetsafety.com and specifically their product Safe Eyes.

Let me list a few reasons why I like this product:

1. It is inexpensive and effective.
2. You can specify if you would like them to filter content or if you would like each computer to only have access to specific websites. It is also easy to add a website to the approved list.
3. You can share your profile between your computer, iPad, iPhone, Droid or what have you. So for example, I set up a profile for William that applies to his iTouch and the kids computer in the house.
4. Immediate Alerts: You can choose to have an email or text message sent if any questionable content is being explored. You can also set the sensitivity from very sensitive on up.
5. Tech Support: As with all things on this planet, until Jesus returns things are going to break. SafeEyes is no different. However, when you need tech support they are available from 8:00am until midnight.

Let me say one last thing. If you would like to talk to me personally about this, just email me. Maybe you have struggled in this realm or perhaps one of your children has and you may not know what to do. First, know that God’s grace is comprehensive and perfect. Second, I am always available to you to think, pray, and reflect on this or anything else. Just email me or catch me at church this Sunday.

Click here for a free trial.

May God bless you richly!

Brad

1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

There are many interesting and mystifying things about this chapter in I Corinthians, but something that always sticks out to me (and Dr. Powlison points out in the video link below) is what is assumed in this passage about how love works.

If you think about it, what is Paul saying when he says that love is patient, love is kind, etc? On the one hand, he is painting a picture for us of what it is like to be loved. The God of heaven and earth loves us in this way. So selfless and complete, He loves us perfectly! We are objects of His divine affection.

On the other hand though, this also means that we are called to love others like this. So take for example, the quality of love as patient. To be patient means, “able to wait without becoming annoyed or anxious” or “slow to lose one’s temper with irritating people or situations.” If you are anything like me, the concept of love being patient resonates deeply but the practice of patience in the face of annoying and irritating situations or people, well, that is far less romantic and difficult to accomplish. And yet, this is precisely how the Lord loves us and how He promises to enable us to love.

Apply this to marriage, family, friendships, neighbors, schoolmates, or whoever you find yourself interacting with. To love them well is to be patient with them, even when they are not at their best. Likewise, to not be patient with them is to not love them well. I give Jamie lots of practice in this realm but I am guessing that just maybe you can understand what I am talking about.

Here is the wonderful news about the gospel: God loves irritating, frustrating, annoying, weak, fearful, and doubting people just like those in your marriage, family, neighborhood, and school which includes of course us as well.

So take a few minutes and watch this video. CCEF has put together some videos on youtube on the subject of Marital Intimacy. I’d encourage you to take a few minutes and take a listen to at least the first one. I think you will be challenged and encouraged by God’s love.

Peace,

Brad

However, in the church calendar we are still one week off from the beginning of Advent.  This Sunday marks the end of the liturgical year and is called Christ the King Sunday.  I am going to copy part of an article for you here that defines exactly what we this particular day is all about.  It is copied from The Worship Resource Book.  Enjoy!

Christ the King Sunday focuses our worship on the cosmic character of Christ’s reign over the world. It is a proclamation to all that everything in creation and culture must submit to Christ and an invitation to actively and joyfully submit to his rule.

The day is celebrated widely in some traditions and is normally scheduled on the last Sunday before Advent. It therefore serves as a transitional Sunday leading directly into Advent, the Christmas cycle, and the new Christian year. The day fits well with the eschatological emphasis and anticipation of Christ’s second coming highlighted during Advent. It also helps worshipers, who are already thinking about Christmas, to remember that Christmas is about much more than a baby in a manger—it is about a sovereign Christ who came to be the “Prince of Peace.”  Whether or not this day is celebrated annually, the theme of Christ’s lordship is central to the New Testament and to the faithful practice of Christian worship.

White is the customary color for Christ the King Sunday. Gold or some purple may also be appropriate to represent royalty. Symbols of royalty may be used, especially when combined with a cross.

Scriptures and Statements of Faith Applying to the Theme of Christ the King The following texts are particularly appropriate for sermons or for supplemental liturgical use.

• Belgic Confession, Art. 26, 37
• Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A’s 50-52
• Westminster Confession, Chap. VIII, Sec. 7-8; Chap. XX, Sec. 4; Chap. XXXIII, Sec. 1-3 Our Song of Hope, st. 20-21 Our World Belongs to God, st. 1-2, 6, 29, 45, 56-58
• 2 Samuel 23:17
• Psalm 2 
• Psalm 24 
• Psalm 93 
• Psalm 95 
• Psalm 97 
• Psalm 9923:1-7
• Jeremiah 23:1-6 
• Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 
• Luke 1:68-79
• John 18:33-37 
• 1 Corinthians 15:20-28
• Ephesians 1:15-23
• Colossians 1:10-20 
• 1 Timothy 6:11-16 
• 1 Peter 3:21-22 
• Revelation 1:4-8 
• Revelation 5 
• Revelation 19:1-16

I Asked the Lord

1. I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith and love and every grace
Might more of His salvation know
And seek more earnestly His face

2. Twas He who taught me thus to pray
And He I trust has answered prayer
But it has been in such a way
As almost drove me to despair

3. I hoped that in some favored hour
At once He’d answer my request
And by His love’s constraining power
Subdue my sins and give me rest

4. Instead of this He made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart
And let the angry powers of Hell
Assault my soul in every part

5. Yea more with His own hand
He seemed Intent to aggravate my woe
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Cast out my feelings, laid me low

6. Lord why is this, I trembling cried
Wilt Thou pursue thy worm to death?
“Tis in this way” The Lord replied
“I answer prayer for grace and faith”

7. “These inward trials I employ
From self and pride to set thee free
And break thy schemes of earthly
joy That thou mayest seek thy all in me,
That thou mayest seek thy all in me.”