Maybe you have longed for healing, for a job or for a baby or for a wife. You have faithfully and earnestly prayed for weeks and months — even years. But you are still sick, still unemployed, still childless, still single.

And you are disappointed. In fact, you are disappointed by God.

I Can Relate

For many years my wife and I longed for pregnancy. We longed and prayed. And longed and prayed some more. Couples we knew got pregnant — but we did not. And we felt deep disappointment.

But God’s Word calls us to live by faith. And faith means trusting all that God promises to be for us in Christ Jesus.

So then, what does God promise when we are disappointed?

Lack No Good Thing

One promis…

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When the Nazis padlocked the doors of the Confessing Church seminaries in Germany in the Autumn of 1937, Dietrich Bonhoeffer took theological training underground and opened his own seminary in Finkenwalde. Before the Gestapo shut it down in 1939, Bonhoeffer managed to train 67 seminary students.¹ These 67 seminarians and Bonhoeffer formed a band of brothers that could not be torn apart, although some of them were arrested, some were dispersed by the Nazi oppression, and several were conscripted into army service and spread across the globe by World War II.²

Bonhoeffer was on the Nazi watch list. He was tracked closely and he was eventually forbidden to publish or preach or lecture. So to …

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This morning we posted a list of my 12 favorite books from 2012. In this episode of Authors on the Line we talk with pastor Steve DeWitt, the author of my choice for the book of the year: Eyes Wide Open: Enjoying God in Everything.

Several Christian publishers turned the book down because Christians don’t really have an interest in reading about beauty, or so he was told. Despite the skepticism, I’m grateful Credo House stepped forward and published this book. It is a wonderfully edifying book that first looks at the beauty of Christ and then reveals how it is through divine beauty and through Trinitarian beauty that we can see and appreciate all the lesser created beauties of the world.

…

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For seven years I’ve had the honor of tracking non-fiction books released by Christian publishers, and in that span of time I would say 2012 was the most fruitful year of them all. Recently I gathered up my favorite titles of the year — everything from theological works and commentaries to marriage and children’s books — and chose what I think were the 12 most important books published in 2012. The task was incredibly difficult this year, but eventually I settled on the following.

1. Steve DeWitt, Eyes Wide Open: Enjoying God in Everything (Credo). Pastor Steve DeWitt saw a need for a book on beauty, decided to research and write the book, and then floated it to eight Christian publishers.…

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Playfulness is vital to healthy Christianity, says pastor and professor Erik Thoennes. “To be a Christian means to take God very seriously, but not ourselves.”

The great source of Christian playfulness is God himself, and the lavishness of his creation kindness and redeeming grace. Toss in some good healthy competition — and yes, competition can be good and healthy — and you have a recipe for sport and athletics.

For the Christian, there’s no such thing as “just a game,” says Thoennes, who is a professor at Biola, a pastor in La Mirada, California, and the author of “Created to Play: Thoughts on Play, Sport, and the Christian Life.”

Not just sports, but everything we do is glory-…

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Jesus troubles those who don't worship him. That's the situation of Matthew 2, as John Piper explains in today's Advent reading:

Matthew 2:1–4,

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, ²saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." ³When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

Jesus is troubling to people who do not want to worship him, and he brings out opposition for those who do…

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I know some of you are praying you’ll make it through Christmas — just make it through — not anticipating anything good will come from gathering with extended family and friends. It has become a cliche — right next to the article on what second-graders are excited about for Christmas is the article on the rise in depression during this last month of the year.

You know the sadness is real. While you change the diaper of a teenager, or administer complicated medications, or prevent your non-verbal ten-year-old from hurting himself again, or explain yet again the complicated life of your five-year-old without a diagnosis for her disability, your nieces and nephews and young friends are playin…

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Where in the world is it? I couldn't find my electric beard trimmer. I opened the sink cabinets and moved around a few bath towels. Still nothing. Inanimate objects don't grow legs and walk away (my mother used to say), but this was gone. I decided to forget it and move on after searching around ten seconds.

But then it dawned on me...

I have mistaken accessibility as actuality. What I mean is, functionally, because the beard tool wasn't right there I acted as if it wasn't real. Because it wasn't accessible, I pretended it didn't exist.

The Problem with Impatience

It does exist, though. I really do own one. I've seen it before. I've used it. But because it wasn't right there when I want…

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Buried in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew chapter one is a gospel treasure. That treasure is five women. Their inclusion in the list is notable because it’s a patrilineal genealogy — a record of fathers and sons. Their inclusion is also notable because they were among the most notorious women in biblical history.

Tamar

The first mentioned is Tamar (Matthew 1:3). Remember her? Tamar entered the royal bloodline of the Messiah by disguising herself as a prostitute and seducing her father-in-law, Judah, so he would make her pregnant. Honestly, Judah had it coming because he had denied her justice, but it was an ugly affair all around (see Genesis 38).

Rahab

The second is Rahab (Matthew 1:5…

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I have walked this earth a short 34 years, but in that time I have experienced a wide range of various trials. As a young child my parents struggled financially resulting in the occasional electricity being shut off and visits to a relative’s home. During my freshman year of college I was the victim of sexual assault (not rape thankfully). A few months later my father passed away from his battle with cancer. As a young adult I have experienced four miscarriages, general health issues, and recently the sudden loss of my oldest sister.

And yet, I am joyful; but not without sorrow.

Real Pain

Trials of any kind bring a rush of emotions and potentially pain. The pain is real. The sorrow is…

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