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Well, here we are, just past the anniversary of our senior pastor’s death.

I don’t think that anyone could have even begun to predict what the past 18 months have been at Trinity, and there are some things I would certainly wish were different, but I also see what God has done in the midst of extreme adversity.

(note: this post could get pretty ramblely…)

The great thing about tragedy is that God shows up in ways that we weren’t looking for Him in times of joy. He meets us in deep sorrow and shows us a different amount of grace. One thing (among many) that Dr. Bob was known for was his incredible treasure chest of memorized quotes and scriptures. One such quote, I believe it was A.W. Tozer, was “pain is God’s megaphone to a lost and dying world” (or something like that). Now, I don’t want to try to speculate that God was trying to get a message across to us, but I know at least for me, I have see sides of God that I wouldn’t have noticed before this tragic event. I don’t think we have learned all that God wants us to learn, and I know that we have a long way to go individually and as a church, but we have a great hope for the future!

2013 was not easy.
2013 was not always fun.

2014 is here.
I don’t want to make any predictions as to where we might be this time next year, but I do know that God is going to continue to work at Trinity and in Northeast Ohio! At some point this year, we will probably call a new man to lead us. I don’t know what God has in store for that man, but what I do know is that God knows. Sovereignty is a funny thing, isn’t it? Sometimes I think we expect God’s sovereignty to only be good things, like tragedy and pain aren’t part of his plan. In our case, for whatever reason, we were supposed to have trials. We have gone through the dark valley, but the Spirit of the Living God went there before us and with us, now, we follow Him into the future.

Keep praying friends.
Pray for the church leaders (no matter what church you go to)
Pray for Trinity’s search team
Pray for our new pastor and his family – after all, God knows even when we don’t
Join me in praying for 2014.
Pray for an incredible work of God and pray that we would see lives changed in only the way that God can change them!

I think what I appreciated most about this particular book is the fact that in many respects, Andy Stanley was speaking about me and my generation when he wrote it. Just a few simple points about what it means to be a leader, and how the culture of leaders is beginning to change. The challenges that will come, and the environment will probably change, but this next generation of leaders has much hope thanks to those who have gone before us like Andy Stanley.

Much of what he has accomplished in his ministry at North Point and the lessons that he has learned come out so clearly in this book. In fact, he seems to make a point to keep the message simple, but profound. He does not get steeped in theory or speculation, but speaks out of what he experiences, and the trends that he sees in churches in this country. I especially appreciate his advice about building leadership teams. This is not about one person trying to accomplish everything on his or her own, but about all of us moving forward to advance the cause of Christ.

A review copy of this book was graciously provided by Waterbrook/Multnomah in exchange for this review.

Well, it’s been nearly two weeks now since we all received the news that our senior pastor had taken his own life. I can honestly say that it is not really getting any easier yet. There will come a day when life will return to normal and grief and struggle will not be a daily concern, and for each of us it will probably come at a different time, but for now, we will sing this song together.

I was really struck by the idea of singing the song of grief, the corporate dirge that Al spoke about during the funeral service last Saturday. At church, we love to sing songs of joy and hope and love and grace, but songs of grief and pain and sadness just don’t feel right. However, life isn’t so bright and cheery all the time, is it? One thing that grief tends to do for many people is to bring up old grief. Maybe that’s you right now. Maybe you weren’t very close to Dr. Bob, but this whole experience has brought up thoughts and feelings for others that were close to you that have passed. We have an opportunity right now to sing this song together. To journey down this difficult road as a family, as the body of Christ, pursuing after the unanswerable questions, crying, laughing, remembering, but most of all, seeking after the glory of God together.

If you were with us for our morning church services on January 27th, you may have left as many of us did, in awe of God and thankful for a time of worship and celebration like we may have never experienced as a congregation before. That night, I remember thanking God for the gift He gave us in celebrating that service together before we would all suffer so much. Then, Monday came. 400 people came to the church to pray, cry, and seek after God and we lifted up our song like never before shouting victory in God in spite of our circumstances. The funeral became a celebration of life, but also a worship service recognizing that we have a great God. Finally, church on Sunday was a powerful expression of the family of believers crying out to God for a new hope and a new joy which only can be found in Jesus.

Last night, I ran into a friend while enjoying some deep fried poultry at my Thursday evening hangout, and we talked for a few minutes about her thoughts and feelings about the last 2 weeks. Her sister attends a different church, one of the many that served us so joyfully last week, and she asked my friend how things were going at Trinity. “Awesome,” she replied. Awesome??? What kind of answer is that in the midst of such tragedy? Well, I think it is the right one. No, things are not easy, they are not fun, joyful, peaceful, happy, or any number of “good” adjectives we might conjure up, but it is “awesome.” It is awesome to see the hand of God working, the body of Christ serve us without even blinking, our own church come together in an incredible way, a grieving family loved on and cared for even by people they have never met. God is awesome. He will continue to be awesome and continue to light our way and show us His love and grace in ways we cannot even comprehend right now, and I look forward to it.

But, for now, we will sing this new song, and we will sing it with sadness, but also with hope and courage. We will sing because we know our God is worthy of our worship, especially when tragedy strikes. We will sing because He first loved us. We will sing because we cannot do anything else. Then, we will watch as God heals, restores, strengthens, and reignites His church for His glory, honor and praise.

As most of you are probably tired of hearing by now, I’m a big fan of the writing of John Piper. There’s just something about the way he expresses the Word of God that’s so different from many other authors out there. I was given the chance to read his book The Pleasures of God recently and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

The major premise of most of Piper’s writings is that we have a God of pleasure and joy, a point many people seem to miss. The “rules” and doctrines that we many times focus on were not written to hinder us, but to allow us to better experience joy in God. The Pleasures of God takes this idea a different route by explaining what causes God Himself joy. I was pleasantly surprised to find chapters on election, the bruising of His Son, and public justice, just to name a few things that God delights in. Really, God doesn’t need us to find joy, or even any of these things, God is full of joy as He delights in Himself, but along the way, He invites us to join Him in that joy.

That is what was so spectacular about this book, it wasn’t just “here are a few things that God loves” but more “here is how we can join God is experiencing His greatest joys.” In short, reading this book was not an exercise in gaining more knowledge, but rather an opportunity to deepen my worship of God and continue to move beyond the superficial in my walk with Him. I fully recommend this book to anyone who is thinking about reading it.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for this review from Multnomah Publishers.

Want a chance to win a free copy? Rate my review!

So much of what we know about the workings of our country today is colored by the media. Really, from both sides, it seems we rarely know the truth, but only what a particular news source wants us to know.

What I appreciated most about President Bush’s book is the candid way he approached each topic. He explained exactly what he did and why he did it. The book is organized by event or topic, rather than chronologically, and he takes the time to address most of the major issues he dealt with during his time in office.

I feel this book is also a great look into the life of the president – a life that he hardly get to see – and the daily, extraordinary tasks and decisions he has to make.

I’m also glad to see so many positive review on Amazon for this book as it doesn’t present itself as a political soapbox at all, but just a man telling his story and sharing his heart.

I received a free copy of this book from Multnomah in exchange for this review.

Have you ever been overwhelmed by prayer?

I am today.
There are just so many needs in the world.  So many needs in my small corner of the world.  So many friends and acquaintances who are hurting.  I met a lady on Sunday who loves her husband, but is getting a divorce because all he cares about are his drugs, not his wife and kids.  I’ve already forgotten their names, but all she wants is for him to be radically changed by Jesus!

It just seems like I could pray and pray and pray and never cover even a small portion of desperate needs the people around me have.  Paul says in Galatians 4:19 “…I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!” Not only are there physical and emotional needs, but there is the great spiritual need of having Christ formed in the lives of people.

That was my biggest prayer today. I prayed for you. I prayed for myself. I want to see Christ come into our lives and change us in ways that we cannot possibly imagine.  So, that was my prayer. I encourage you to join me as well praying that the Holy Spirit would not only show others the path to Jesus, but work in us, constantly forming and changing us until Christ returns.

Jesus says – how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask!

That’s unbelievably overwhelming!

Well, as you all know, I have a super popular blog.
I think my random musings get about 10 hits a month.  However, if you’re here reading this, you’re probably reading my most read post to date, and I write that without actually knowing what’s going to happen.
If you’re here, you probably saw my post on twitter or facebook, and you want to know about SEX.
That’s right boys (and probably girls too).  You saw the post, and you couldn’t help but click.  That’s why I wrote this to begin with – I couldn’t help but click…

Anyway, my friend Marla Taviano is an author.  Mostly she writes books about marriage and family and directs those books toward women.  If you’re a Trinity lady, you may remember when she came to speak at MOPS a few years back.  Well, she’s written another book, a special book, just for guys called “The Husband’s Guide to Getting Lucky.” So, today is your chance to get a sneak peek at the book, and possibly even win a free copy!  I have already started reading it myself, and she’s very open and honest, and really has a desire to see marriages win.  Which is totally cool.

Ok, so here’s something else cool: Marla and her awesome husband Gabe and some others from their church have been doing some missions to Cambodia over the past few years.  Gabe helped turn Marla’s book into an ebook for your iPad, Kindle, Nook, or just plain ol’ PDF if that suits you, and by doing that, the proceeds from this book (it’s only $4.99!) go to help their next trip to Cambodia.
So, you get a book about sex, and help a country that really needs our support at the same time!
Good deal.

Sorry for the ramble.  Here’s a short interview with Marla about her new book.  You can click here to buy the book yourself, or leave a comment below for your chance to win a copy for yourself.

1. When it comes to sex, do you think wives wish their husbands understood them better?

Great question, David, and the answer is ABSOLUTELY. And you just uncovered the biggest theme of the book. When guys take the time to understand their wildly complicated wives a little better, it can only mean good things for their sex life. Men and women are wired so differently, but a husband really can learn how to turn his wife on.

2. I know your book addresses the topic of porn. So many Christian men struggle with this area. What were your findings from your informal survey? (which I took, btw)

Out of 10 questions about sex, the answers to #8–What is your relationship with pornography and how do you think it affects your marriage?–shocked me the most. I mean, I knew Christian guys weren’t immune to porn, but I didn’t realize what a huge percentage of happily-married guys who love Jesus struggle big-time in this area. My prayer is that I was able to offer some real hope to husbands. Satan wants you to think that porn is something you’ll never be able to conquer. That’s a lie.

3. From many guys I’ve talked to, the consensus seems to be that we don’t understand how our problems with lust and porn, etc. effect our wives, could you shed some light on the woman’s heart in this regard?

Oh, wow. I don’t have the space to write everything I’d love to write here (guess you’ll just have to read the book, huh?). We wives long to be the most beautiful woman in our husband’s eyes. We want him to think we’re attractive and lovely and sexy and ENOUGH. I want my body to be enough for my husband. If he’s looking at porn, that says (to me anyway), “You’re not enough for me. You’re not pretty enough, not perfect enough. Your body isn’t hot enough. I need something better, something more, something you can’t give me.” This is crushing to a woman’s spirit. Absolutely crushing. Even if you love your wife dearly and try to convince her it has nothing to do with her, you will never, ever get her to believe that. Never.

4. Ok, my first 3 questions kinda beat up on us guys. Any bit of encouragement you want to send our way as a result of writing this book?

Yes! I can’t tell you how impressed I was by the thoughtful, thorough answers you guys gave me on your surveys. Wow. Kudos, my brothers! So many of you desperately want to be good husbands and love your wives like they want to be loved. Guys get a bad rap for being selfish, lustful pigs that only think with their you-know-whats, but we women really deserve a big chunk of the blame for the sexual disconnect in our marriages. I think that any guy who reads my book is going to walk away really encouraged that there is hope for his marriage. If not, he can have his money back.

Thanks so much for having me on the blog, David. Hope you enjoy the book!

Well, that’s all!  Make sure to check out http://www.husbandsgetlucky.com/ to score your copy and comment below if you want to be entered in the drawing!