Thursday, October 16, 2008

Singing and Making Music, by Paul S. Jones

For a non-musician like myself, this is a very helpful book. Paul Jones is the Organist and Music Director for Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, and has written something of a primer for understanding the role of music in the worship of the church.

There is no question that God's people are to worship him with music. The Psalmist tells calls us to "sing to the Lord a new song" (Ps. 149:1), and the apostle Paul exhorts the Ephesians to "[address] one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart" (Eph. 5:19). Exactly how we are to worship God with song and music, however, is a matter of no little debate, a debate which unfortunately has produced more heat than light.

From the perspective of a church musician, and a Christian committed to the Scriptures as the final authority in matters of worship, Jones seeks to add light to this contentious issue. His essential point is that the church, in her use of music in worship, must pursue excellence. This means both faithfulness to God's Word in matters of music, and offering to God the very best music and singing we possibly can.

I was personally challenged by his stress on the importance of church leaders having some degree of musical competence. He quotes Martin Luther as saying, "We shouldn't ordain young men to the ministry unless they be well schooled in music" (pg. 142). Ouch! - this is one area in which I am certainly lacking (every time we sing a hymn, I take a few steps back from the microphone). As a remedy, Jones calls for Christian colleges and seminaries to make musical education a much greater priority than it is now. I had never thought about that before.

Jones also covers everything from Contemporary Christian Music (of which he is critical), to the use of instruments in worship (which he enthusiastically advocates), to the myth that Luther used bar songs for his hymn tunes (which he debunks), to providing guidance on how a church can acquire a pipe organ (which probably hadn't even entered the mind of most of his readers!), to the musical genius of past Christian composers such as Bach (which was very technical, and above my head).

The book is thought-provoking, enlightening, and practical. I highly recommend it as a valuable guide in thinking through the current debates over music in worship.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Miscellaneous

October 13th.
This date is an unhappy anniversary for my family. Twelve years ago, on October 13th, my sister Meredith died after a long and heroic struggle with a failed bone-marrow transplant for leukemia. I wish she could meet Robyn and the kids, and see what "the boy" (as she referred to me) has been up to all these years. I'm sure she'd have something funny to say. It makes me sad to think about it.

Pastor's appreciation.
It's always good to be appreciated. October is Pastor Appreciation Month, and the church expressed their thanks with a nice cake and balloons. It was a very thoughtful gesture, and an encouragement to me. Several people also made a point of thanking me for my service. This is a good group of people, and I am thankful that God has led us here to serve them.

"Change-over."
A fall and spring ritual in Alaska, at least in this part of the state, is "change-over." This is where you take the summer tires off your car and put on the studded tires (and vice verse in the spring) . I arrived at the tire shop at 6:45 a.m. this morning, 45 minutes before they open, and already there were 13 customers ahead of me. Nearly two hours and 55 dollars later, our Suburban was ready for winter.

Friday, October 10, 2008

ESV Study Bible

I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the brand-new ESV Study Bible. I've been reading the English Standard Version since it was first published in 2001, and it is the Bible I use exclusively in preaching and teaching.

I believe it is the best English translation of the Bible out there. It is both very readable and faithful to the original Hebrew and Greek Scriptures. Whereas the New American Standard Bible is quite literal, the English is too wooden. And whereas the New International Version is very readable, the translators go too far in translating the "sense" of a verse, rather than the words themselves. The ESV strikes a good balance between the two: an accurate translation in natural English.

Morever, the ESV maintains much of the traditional language of the King James Bible. The "thees" and "thous" are updated, but the basic structure and wording of familiar passages remain essentially the same,, e.g., "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want" (ESV, Psalm 23:1).

Since it was first published, the ESV has really taken off, at least in Reformed and Evangelical circles. I think this is good for a couple of reasons. First, for the reasons I've indicated, it is a translation worthy to become, as its name suggests, the standard English version. Secondly, the more one version is uniformly read, and taught and preached from, the easier it will be for Christians to memorize Scripture.

I am excited about this ESV Study Bible. It looks to be a comprehensive resource for Bible study all in one volume: notes, maps, charts, introductions, diagrams, etc., etc. I'm going to order my copy soon.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Trueman on our financial crisis

One of the more thought-provoking seminary professors I had was a church history professor by the name of Carl Trueman. Carl (at Westminster, there was an unwritten rule that professors under the age of 45 or so were on a first-name basis with the students, all the rest were "Dr." so-and-so) is from England and is able to provide a perspective on American culture and politics that we Americans might miss. Plus, he's an historian which gives him a unique take on current events.

Carl has an article posted on one of the websites I frequent, Reformation21.org. It's called "The Freedom of the Christian Market" (click here) and is a very interesting analysis of our current financial mess. You may or may not agree with him on every particular, but it is definitely worthwhile reading.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Miscellaneous

Winter is coming.
We woke up this morning to a white dusting of snow on the ground. It wasn't much, and soon melted, but was a sure sign that winter is around the corner. Another sign was a number of cars that had slid off the highway which we saw on our trip to Anchorage today. In fact, a couple in our church slid off the road themselves on their way to church yesterday morning. The guardrails saved them from going off a bridge. Thanks to God, they were only shaken up and not injured.

"Cheap" gas.
I never thought I would rejoice at $3.98/gallon gas. But that is where it has dropped to now in Wasilla. Amid all the terrible economic news out there, at least this is something positive.

Bad news in the OPC.
The small denomination I belong to, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, recently decided it could no longer maintain a health insurance plan for ministers and employees. The plan was already prohibitively expensive for many, but it is the only coverage many pastors have. It will terminate sometime next year. I was not in the plan, so it will not affect me or my family personally. But I'm sure it will be difficult for some other ministers who depended on it for medical coverage.

We enrolled last year in a high-deductible plan with a Health Savings Account, which has worked out great for us so far. For younger families (or singles) with little to no ongoing health-care expenses, it is an ideal plan. You pay a relatively small monthly premium for a plan that will cover you for a major health problem, and then you are free to deposit a certain amount of money each year into a savings account from which you can draw money for regular office visits, dental work, eye care, or any other usual health-related expenses. It is an excellent option.

High-brow entertainment.
I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but our most recent selection from Netflix was "The Three Stooges." I thought the kids would enjoy it, and did they ever. The antics of Larry, Moe, and Curly, had them cracking up (and me, too). Who needs Pixar when there are the Stooges to provide quality entertainment?

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Introducing the next big political star from Wasilla

Election fever has apparently gotten hold of our eldest daughter Meredith. Today she made the following campaign poster:

Vote for Meredith Johnson!!!
She will be the person to say NO! against bad laws!
Will cut taxes (maybe).
Vote for her!

This is the kind of stuff political gurus get paid the big bucks to produce. Passionate but meaningless resolve - against bad laws! A bold promise with a nice "out" in the fine print ("maybe"). We definitely have a politician on our hands.

When I asked her what office she is running for, she said, "Senator, I think." A perfect choice. First, she has a squeaky-clean past. Even the press will have trouble making a scandal out of a seven-year-old's occasional disobedience to parents (not that they wouldn't try, of course - "Meredith Johnson fails to brush teeth." "'Toothgate' scandal embroils candidate."). And, I should add, she has checked out hundreds of books from the Wasilla public library and not once has she ever advocated banning one!

But even more importantly than that, she would make a perfect Senator because she is a born lawyer. I pity the poor soul who will have to face her in debate. Trust me, they won't stand a chance.

So vote for Meredith. Heaven knows we need more Senators against bad laws.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

"The Pilgrim's Progress," by John Bunyan

This is a classic that every Christian should read at least once. An extended allegory of the Christian life, Bunyan describes the journey of "Christian" as he makes his way from his native City of Destruction to the goal of his pilgrimage, the Celestial City. Along the way, as he meets with assorted characters (with such memorable names as "Mr. Worldly Wiseman," "Talkative," and "Mr. Money Love"), is beset with all sorts of trouble (including "Vanity Fair" and the "Doubting Castle"), and is helped by his fellow-pilgrims and others, Christian in his journey illustrates what the pilgrimage of faith is all about.

Bunyan's story reminds us that, like Christian, and like our forefathers before us, we are "strangers and exiles on the earth," seeking a "better country, that is, a heavenly one." (Hebrews 11:13, 15). Like Christian, we must leave all behind in the City of Destruction, calling out on the way, "Life, life, eternal life." Like Christian, we must take the burden of our sin and guilt to the cross of Christ, where it falls off into the selpuchre below. And like Christian, we will at times transverse the Slough of Despond, and we will find need to escape from the Doubting Castle by taking from our breasts the key called "Promise."

The Pilgrim's Progress is also helpful for encouraging what I would consider biblical, healthy self-examination. Christian meets up with many false pilgrims, who claim to be on their way to the Celestial City, but who in fact perish along the way. They are turned aside by a love of money, or they are unwilling to suffer the reproach of the cross, or they forsake the narrow and difficult path for the way that is broad and easy but leads to death (which way Christian actually took, but was ultimately saved from it). Talkative knew all about religion but had no heart knowledge of it. Ignorance deceived himself into thinking he would receive entry into the Celestial City, but he did not have the necessary certificate to get in.

As Christians, we are prone to err like these in the story who ultimately fail in their pilgrimage. As Bunyan depicts the nature of genuine, saving faith through both the words and deeds of Christian and his companions, we are able to see our own hearts more clearly.

But more than anything, Bunyan's story is a great encouragement for those who are fellow-pilgrims with Christian. His description of the glories of the Celestial City at the end of the book is a powerful reminder of what Christ has prepared for those whose hearts are set upon "the highways to Zion." (Psalm 84:5).

Saturday, September 13, 2008

World-famous Wasilla

Some of you who read this blog have actually been to Wasilla and may be interested in this article from the Anchorage Daily News describing the recent invasion of international media upon our fair town.

Although the article gives the impression media types are to be seen everywhere, as far my experience goes, Wasilla doesn't seem that much different than it did a few weeks ago before the excitement began. I saw one cameraman shooting video at the main intersection "downtown" (actually, a four-way stop sign). Who knows, maybe a shot of my Toyota Camry rolling past the camera made the nightly news that night?

But other than that, I haven't seen any media here. No secret service agents, either. Mainly just the usual folks - locals and tourists.

The article quotes various international newspapers' descriptions of Wasilla. I'm afraid to say they're all pretty accurate. Honestly, though we love calling Wasilla home, the town itself isn't the charming or quaint place you might expect in rural Alaska. It is quite non-descript with lots of strip malls and a hodge-podge of buildings scattered here and there alongside the Parks Highway. But, that is part of the beauty of Wasilla. The town, and the people who live here, are unpretentious. And if you can show me a Super Wal-Mart with a better view from the parking lot, I'll move there!

Of course, the article mentions the all the attention the now-famous (or infamous?) library has been getting as a result of the alleged attempt on Mayor Palin's part to ban books from it. Apparently they have gotten flooded with calls and e-mails asking about Palin's nefarious past as a book-burner or whatever the charge is.

On reading that, I have to hand it to the library's efficient staff. Despite the deluge of outside attention, they are still able to call our house every two days or so with this message, spoken in a monotone fashion: "Hello, this is the Wasilla Public Library, and Robyn Johnson has a book on hold and we will hold for seven days. Thank you." Next time they call, I'm tempted to ask: "Did someone turn that in, or has it just been taken off the Palin blacklist?"

It's been interesting, to say the least, to see Wasilla become a househould name overnight. But, I doubt much is really going to change around here. Which is fine, because I like it the way it is.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

On Being Presbyterian, by Sean Lucas

Conservative Presbyterians have a bit of an identity problem in this day and age. Not that we don't know who we are (though true of some), but others outside our relatively small circles aren't sure what to make of us. To some fundamentalist Christians, we appear to be liberals, or licentious, or both. To liberal Christians, we are fundamentalists (and drinking beer won't change that notion). And from an American evangelical perspective, certain practices of ours, such as infant baptism and liturgical worship, smack of Roman Catholicism. And to many of these same evangelicals, our Calvinist teachings are coldly fatalistic. So when someone asks me what kind of church I pastor and I tell them it is Presbyterian, I'm not always sure what meaning that word will convey for him or her (the problem is only compounded by the name "Orthodox" in my particular denomination). For those completely unfamiliar with denominational monikers, as I once was, "Presbyterian" means basically nothing.

"On Being Presbyterian" is a very helpful primer for explaining the basic beliefs, practices, and history of Presbyterianism. The author, Sean Lucas, sets out to describe what can be called a "vanilla Presbyterianism" of the conservative sort. While he does not ignore some of the differences among Bible-believing Presbyterians, he succeeds in setting forth the essential features of what constitutes historic, traditional Presbyterianism. And while he obviously writes as one who is Presbyterian by conviction, the tone of the book is not strident or polemical. Lucas has the humility and wisdom to recognize Presbyterians are but one part of God's Kingdom. At the same time, he would have the reader appreciate, and even embrace, the heritage he himself has embraced as his own.

What I like about this book is that Lucas highlights what I believe are vital, but not always understood, aspects of a thorough-going Presbyterianism. There is much more to being a Presbyterian than subscribing to the so-called five points of Calvinism. Rather, as Lucas details in his book, Presbyterians are committed to many important teachings and practices: union with Christ, covenant theology (and infant baptism), a high view of the sacraments, the corporate nature of Biblical piety, the spirituality of the church, a view of God's people as a pilgrim people, the importance of worship (and the need for worship governed by Scripture), and of course the connectional nature of the church. All of these things help make up the total picture of what Presbyterianism is all about.

Because Lucas includes and helpfully explains so much that constitutes a full-formed Presbyterian identity, I will definitely recommend this book to those who are interested in learning more about Presbyterianism. In fact, we are reading it now in our leadership training course.

I particularly enjoyed reading the last section of the book, in which Lucas gives a brief history of American Presbyterianism. Though he could not possibly include everything there is to say about this, I only wish he had written more about the major role Presbyterians (and Princeton seminary, a Presbyterian institution) played in world missions throughout America's history. I would hope this impulse to spread the gospel is also a vital part of a Presbyterian identity.

Upon reflecting on this book, I thought that we who are Presbyterians are at our best when we are actually being faithful to our theology and principles. Our belief in the absolute sovereignty of God should create in us a deep humility. Our understanding of the covenant ought to inspire us to be faithful in nurturing our children in the faith. Our understanding of the spiritual nature of the church should cause us to focus all our efforts, as a church, on building Christ's Kingdom on earth and not be sidetracked by involving ourselves (as a church) in the politics of the day. Our belief in the universality of the church should motivate us to do all we can to pursue true union with other churches.

And finally, our belief in union with Christ ought to to serve to root our ultimate identity in our glorious Savior. We are Presbyterians, but even more fundamentally, we are Christians. And our Presbyterianism is worthwhile only insofar as it serves to facilitate our worship of Christ, and our service in his Kingdom.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

The right book to study?

Robyn and another woman at church are preparing to meet regularly to discuss a book together. The book they chose? "Don't Waste Your Life," by John Piper.

Let's see...she makes three meals a day, does laundry for 6 people, cleans the house, changes diapers, homeschools two children, hosts people regularly at home, maintains the family social calendar, keeps up with e-mail correspondence, and probably does a hundred other things that I can't think of now and don't thank her enough for.

Do you think she chose the wrong book to study?

Thursday, September 4, 2008

The glory of God in creation

Summer is over in Alaska, but it is not too cold to spend the day outside enjoying this wonderful corner of God's world. On Monday our family took a short hike to a viewing deck built over a small stream in which there were salmon preparing to spawn. Then, we drove to an mountainside overlooking Anchorage to pick some berries.

As I thought about our day, I was again struck with the thought of how privileged we are to live in a place of such beauty. When David meditated on the Creation around him, he proclaimed, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork" (Psalm 19:1). We got to see some of God's marvelous handiwork that day.



The salmon we observed did their part in declaring to us the glory of God. If this red salmon could talk, he'd have an amazing story to tell. He was hatched here in these waters a few years ago, along with 4,000 of his brothers and sisters. Only about 40 of them made it to the ocean, the rest dying of disease and predators. Of those 40, only 4 survive to begin the trek back to their freshwater home in the mountains. 2 are caught along the way, by a bear, an eagle, or a happy dipnetter. The other two arrive safely back to the place they were born; there they will spawn and soon die.

How do these fish come back to the exact place where they began life as eggs buried in the gravel stream bed? Nobody knows. But whatever the scientific explanation may be, this instinct is a testimony to the wisdom and greatness of their Creator. When God appeared to Job and humbled him, he did so by demanding him to explain the mysterious workings of such creatures as the mountain goats, donkeys, and oxen. If Job had lived in Alaska, God would have challenged him to explain how the salmon come back to spawn. The wonder of Creation declares the wisdom and majesty of the Creator.

God not only glorifies himself through his creatures, but he teaches us by them. Proverbs 6:6 says, "Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise." I believe there are countless similar lessons in creation, if we are able to discern them. While picking berries, we discovered there were two types to be found: blueberries and blackberries. The blueberries are sweeter and tastier than the blackberries. But they are more scarce and collecting them took much more time and effort. It was easy to pick to the blackberries, but they were not as pleasant to eat.

Isn't it a rule that the best things in life are the more difficult to obtain? The sweetest pleasures, the deepest joys, the most lasting satisfaction, are all hard-won. The pleasure of a day off after a hard work of week is usually much greater than just another day in a three-week vacation. In the spiritual realm, the same holds true. True joy, peace, and blessedness are found only in the often arduous path of following Christ. God is a God of delight and pleasure: "...in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11). But this fullness of joy and eternal joy is no "easy pickings." To attain it requires a life of self-denying discipleship.

God's world has much to say about God, if we are willing to listen.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Big news in Wasilla!

Crawford, Little Rock, Kennebunkport,...and now, Wasilla? Now that Sarah Palin is the Republican candidate for Vice President, the little town in Alaska we call home could be that one proverbial heartbeat away from lasting fame as the hometown of the President. Will there be a Presidential Library here someday (first a bigger regular library would be nice)? Will Air Force One become a common sight in the Alaska sky? Will there be Secret Service agents prowling about every time President Palin comes home?

Of course, I'm getting ahead of myself. She's running for Vice President, not President, and there is that little hurdle of the election standing in the way. But, it has been fun to see our once-obscure town put instantly on the map. Whatever happens in the next two months, Wasilla's claim to fame will be not only as the home of the Iditarod, but also as the home of Sarah Palin.

Whatever one's views of Palin politically, it's hard not to be excited when someone from the "neighborhood", so to speak, hits the big time. It's like rooting for your third cousin who's competing in the Olympics. Even as tenuous as our connection to her may be (see below), we get to bask in a little bit of the national limelight as residents of her hometown. I guess it is just human nature to want a slice of the glory pie, no matter how thin it is.

Of course, it was big news here yesterday. I've only been here a year, so I don't know what other momentous occasions have taken place here. But, I would guess this is the biggest happening to date. Of course, Dairy Queen's grand opening in nearby Palmer last year created a stir. But this is even bigger than that!

We received several e-mails from friends yesterday about it, and some of them asked for "insider" information about Palin. I'm sorry to disappoint, but we have nothing to offer. We know people who have met her. Her high school alma mater is just down the road from the church. But, that's about the extent of any personal connection with our governor. In fact, I learned more about her yesterday than I did the past 14 months living in her home state.

I can say that, generally speaking, she is well-thought of in these parts. Most people refer to her as "Sarah", as though they know her personally. And, given the size of Wasilla, I imagine that a lot of people do. Some have wondered about the wisdom of her decision to accept the the Vice Presidential candidacy when she just gave birth to a child not long ago (and a special-needs child, at that). I trust she and her family made that decision after careful thought and, I hope, much prayer.

In any case, it will make for an even more interesting election this fall.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

"With Reverence and Awe," by Hart and Muether

The subtitle of this book is, "Returning to the Basics of Reformed Worship." The authors' aim is to draw out the implications that Reformed theology has for the church's worship. In their words, they have written "a brief overview of how Reformed theology informs the way we think about, put together, and participate in a worship service" (pg. 13). Though written with a view to the ongoing worship debates among Reformed churches, to their credit the authors spend more time and energy explaining basic principles of worship than merely addressing this or that specific issue. The result is a book that is edifying and helpful, even if one doesn't come to the same conclusions as the authors do on any given matter.

I found myself in broad agreement with the book. It is true that what we believe about God and man, our theology, will necessarily influence how we worship. That is the basic thesis upon which the authors build their case that Reformed theology ought to produce worship of a certain character and form. They write, "Reformed worship has always flowed from Reformed theology. Simply put, you can't have one without the other" (pg. 15). Much of the book is then devoted to explaining the principles of historic Reformed theology that will (or ought to) shape how we worship: the sufficiency of Scripture, the holiness of God, the covenant, the Lord's Day, the means of grace, and so on. As a primer on the basic truths underlying biblical worship from a distinctly Reformed perspective, this is a most helpful book.

Some points were especially good. One, the authors point out that worship is the primary means by which God builds up and sustains his people in faith. As a pilgrim people living in a wilderness but looking forward to our heavenly home, it is the ministry of the Word, sacraments, and prayer, specifically as that comes to us in worship, that nourishes our souls in our journey. In other words, Sunday morning worship is not merely a beneficial supplement in our Christian lives, but it is at the very heart of our walk with Christ. This suggests that the primary benefit of worship is not the one-time experience it produces, but the long-term blessing it brings. This reminded me of Marva Dawn's point about the character-building effects of regular worship.

Another excellent point the authors made was the relationship between the church and worship. Quoting another minister, they write, "Growth in true holiness is always growth together. It takes place through nurture, through the work and worship of the church" (pg. 138). The church is called out of the world for the sake of worshiping God, and that worship is by definition corporate worship. This (along with much the authors write) flies in the face both of American culture and of popular evangelical culture. We prize independence and self-reliance, values that are beneficial in many ways, but which make Christ's call to humbly submit to one another in the church particularly difficult (Ephesians 5:21). (I might add to that, Alaskans in particular are a cussedly independent lot!). The point here is that worship is not about my "experience" so much as it is about giving glory to God side by side with all of God's people. To grow in grace, we need the church, and we especially need to worship with the church.

So I did concur with the main thrust of the book. In their call to think carefully about our worship practices (whether actual or proposed) in light of our theology, the authors need to be heard. I may not agree with every conclusion they make, but the basic argument is sound.

The fact of the matter is that, even when believers agree on basic principles of worship (even on the narrower matter of specifically Reformed worship), they will not always agree on how to best apply those principles. What I have learned as a pastor is how desperately I need wisdom, love, and humility in addressing the matter of the church's worship.

One thing that should be said, not so much as a critique but as a response to the book, is that the form of worship is only half the story. The other half is the heart of the worshiper. The authors of this book would no doubt agree with this, but their concern is primarily on the form of worship (though they do speak of the need to worship with reverence and joy). God gave Israel a very specific form of worship but the prophets denounced the Israelites when they worshiped with formal correctness but their hearts far from God (Isaiah 1:12-17; Amos 5:21-24; Micah 6:6-8). If Reformed worship is to be Reformed according to the Word of God, then it must not only be faithful to sound theology in its form, but it must also be the expression of those who truly love God, and are seeking to obey Him. Worship acceptable to God is worship both in forms faithful to Scripture, and from hearts faithful to Christ.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Lloyd-Jones on the Sermon on the Mount

As part of my regular sermon preparation each week, I spend a fair amount of time reading commentaries of individual books of the Bible. A good commentary need not inspire, but it should help the reader understand the meaning of any given text. Because this involves technical questions of language and context, reading them can become a dry and even tedious affair. Many of the newer scholarly commentaries, as they interact with the work of other scholars, sometimes read more like commentaries on commentaries rather than explanations of Scripture. And they are big, some taking up the shelf space of two or even three Bibles.

These commentaries are important and have their place, of course. But it is always refreshing to spend some time in a work that speaks to the heart as much as to the mind. In preaching through the Sermon on the Mount in recent months, one gem I've discovered that does just that is D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' book, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount. It is a collection of 30 (!) sermons he preached on the subject during his pulpit ministry at Westminster Chapel in London.

It is a wonderfully clear and insightful series of messages on what is probably the most familiar but most misunderstood teaching of Jesus. The Sermon on the Mount, and particularly isolated statements from it (e.g., "Judge not, that you be not judged"), has been taken as the ultimate expression of what Jesus was really all about: improving the world with a new social ethic, showing humanity the right way to live, etc. Throughout these sermons, however, Lloyd-Jones places the teachings of Christ in their proper gospel light. Far from being merely a superior moral code, the Sermon on the Mount is teaching that both depends upon the grace of God in Christ, and leads to the grace of God in Christ. As Lloyd-Jones puts it, "...we are not told in the Sermon on the Mount, 'Live like this and you will become Christian'; rather we are told, 'Because you are Christian live like this.' This is how Christians ought to live; this is how Christians are meant to live." And, "There is nothing that so leads to the gospel and its grace as the Sermon on the Mount."

This approach, I hope, has been reflected in my preaching. The moral imperatives contained in the Sermon, which must be declared and impressed upon the hearts of God's people, ultimately ought to bring us back to God's saving and enabling grace in the gospel of Jesus Christ. In preaching through the Sermon on the Mount, I hope my congregation has heard much about the grace of God from the pulpit, even as I have sought to proclaim the righteousness Christ demands from his disciples.

One enduring quality of Lloyd-Jones' sermons is how well he puts things. Here are a couple of quotes:

On loving our enemies: "...our treatment of others must never depend upon what they are, or upon what they do to us. It must be entirely controlled and governed by our view of them and of their condition."

And on prayer: "You will find that the outstanding characteristic of all the most saintly people the world has ever known has been that they have not only spent much time in private prayer, but have also delighted in it."

This is a eminently worthwhile book to buy and read.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Summer vacation

We returned Monday night from a three-week vacation to Wisconsin and Illinois. Though normally Alaskans don't like to travel "outside" during the summer months, saving those trips for the dead of winter instead, we made our vacation plans around the Robyn's brother's wedding. John and Gina tied the knot in Milwaukee. Here the happy groom and bride are making their grand entrance at the reception.



We must be getting used to the Arctic climate here, because Wisconsin was a lot hotter and more humid than I remember it. What better place to chill out than the hotel pool?



After a couple of weeks in the Dairy State, we spent a week in Wheaton, Illinois. One special treat was taking the train downtown to check out Shedd Aquarium. The kids loved the train, and I'm sure the commuters were equally thrilled to have them as their fellow passengers that morning.



Knowing we were going to be in Chicago for months now, Robyn and I bought tickets to a Cardinals-Cubs game at Wrigley field way back in February. Despite our best efforts at cheering the Redbirds on to victory, they lost to the Cubs in extra innings. On the way back to the train station, we were heckled by some gloating Chicagoans. Cubs fans get to boast only once every century, so we didn't mind too much.



The next day I went back to Wrigley with three friends from high school. The four of us haven't been together in twenty years. Except for a few extra pounds, a few more gray hairs (or in my case at least, a few less hairs), we look just like we did in 1987.



We sat in the bleachers and watched the Cards pound the Cubs. Funny, the Cubs fans didn't have much to say to us that day!

It was a busy vacation, and at times actually relaxing. But, it is good to be home again.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Family Camp 2008

One of the enduring traditions of Grace OPC is the annual summer Family Camp. For three days the people of Grace retreat to a nearby campground (as you might guess, one doesn't have to travel far from Wasilla to find wilderness!) for a time of relaxation, fellowship, play, and ministry of the Word. The church invites a guest speaker each year to give four different presentations or messages, including a sermon on Sunday morning. Past speakers include missionaries, authors, and notable ministers. But three summers ago the church invited some nobody from Oklahoma to speak and he ended up becoming the pastor of the church! (In case you didn't catch the reference, that would be me).

We had an excellent speaker this year. His name is JD Wetterling, an elder in the Presbyterian Church of America, and an author who has written several books and articles. JD has an extremely varied and interesting background: he was a fighter pilot in the Vietnam war, has worked in the business world, has spoken to various groups across the country, and most recently managed a retreat center in North Carolina. Here is JD with his wife Karen at the camp.



JD spoke to us about the "no one" statements of Jesus from the gospel of John, weaving into his messages fascinating stories from his fighter pilot days and from the interactions he's had with various people God brought into his life as a result of his writing. As someone who is usually doing the talking in church, it was refreshing for me to sit back and hear JD minister the words of Christ to us.

You can read JD's impressions of Alaska on his blog here.



One of the traditions at Family Camp is a fishing contest for the children. How was the fishing this year? Let's just say it was a bad few days to be a Rainbow trout. Here are some of the kids from the camp, including Meredith and Maggie, with their catches.






Fishing, softball, campfires, fellowship, games, good preaching - this year's Family Camp included it all. I'm looking forward to next summer's camp.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Alaska Dipnetting

One of the perks of living in Alaska is the privilege to "dipnet". Dipnetting is fishing with large net at the end of a ten-foot long pole. The point of dipnetting is essentially practical: get as much fish as you can for your freezer.

Three young men from the church were gracious enough to take me along on a dipnetting trip to the Copper River. Our goal was Copper River Red Salmon, the tastiest salmon of all according to those who know.

Here is a picture of the river from one of the spots where we fished. The water is milky-gray because of all the glacial silt in it. It is also deep, very cold, and fast-running. And, there is very little shore to stand on. At some places we tied ourselves off to trees to keep from falling in as we fished.


Like all fishing, dipnetting isn't as much fun when you don't catch anything. And that's what happened for the first several hours, at least for me. I finally netted one, though, and had one of my young guides take this picture of me with the fish. It isn't a particularly large red salmon, but it was my very first fish caught in Alaska. So, it was worthy of a snapshot.


All told, I netted twelve fish. One particularly sweet catch was this King. In an earlier post, I wrote of my utter failure in catching a King this summer. I'm no longer wearing the collar!


I've never worked harder in my life to catch fish as I did on this trip. All of the spots we fished were at the bottom of steep embankments, 150 feet or so in height. The trip down was precarious; the climb up exhausting. The three young guys zipped up and down these embankments like they were a flight of stairs in a house. And they kept up the pace after hours of no sleep and eating nothing but pretzels and Runts!

The dipnetting itself was laborious, too. Imagine stirring a large vat of molasses with a broom handle. That is what it feels like sweeping a dipnet through a strong river current. I came home exhausted, dirty, and sore.

But there is something about catching a fish that makes it all worthwhile. I can't wait to try it again next summer.

Monday, July 14, 2008

"Reaching Out without Dumbing Down," by Martha Dawn

A few months ago I bought several books on worship, and am still trying to work my way through them. I haven't gotten very far, but I did finally finish one - "Reaching Out without Dumbing Down," by Marva Dawn.

The title nicely captures the essence of Dawn's plea. She urges churches to carefully consider their worship practices in light of pervasive cultural factors without the church, and idolatrous tendencies within the church, that threaten to mute the church's ability to bear witness to the truth of God in her worship. The less self-reflective the church becomes about her worship, the more likely her worship will conform to the values and norms of the world. Not only will the church fail to honor her Lord in this way, but she will have nothing of true value to offer the world around her.

One point I found particularly helpful was Dawn's emphasis on the role of worship in building Christian character. The worship practice of the church will have a tremendous influence on the thoughts and lives of Christians over time. This is a perspective that I think is extremely important to bear in mind when Christians discuss (or sometimes, argue about!) worship. Worship is far more than our experience of it (as Dawn reminds us, it is ultimately about God, who is both the subject and object of worship), but it has a large part to play in forming our character as Christians. Dawn discusses all the implications this has for the content of worship.

While Dawn at times tries to rise above the "traditional" vs. "contemporary" debate in the church's worship wars, in my mind her book unquestionably makes a strong argument for worship practices that are usually considered "traditional." Whenever the church overly accommodates herself to the prevailing culture, which appears to be the major problem with many contemporary worship practices, she becomes unable to create a genuine Christian counter-culture that preserves the weightiness and majesty of God, that fosters genuine community, and that forms godly character.

The one weakness of the book that came to my mind is also a strength. Dawn rarely cites Scripture to support her thesis. She quotes at length the studies of other sociologists, philosophers, and theologians, but hardly ever directly appeals to Scripture. However, her analysis is not thereby undermined. Rather, this perspective that is really based more on observation than exegesis, serves to complement well principles of worship that are taken directly from Scripture. In other words, Dawn's book affirms from empirical study the importance of being faithful to those principles of true worship that God has revealed in his Word.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Troubling news

One of the elders of our church, Dr. Bob Martin (or "Dr. Bob", as he likes to be called), just found out this week that he has advanced prostate cancer. He's looking at surgery next month, and other possible treatments yet to be determined.

It was a shock to Dr. Bob, and a shock to all of us. It is at times like this that the twin truths of God's goodness and sovereignty become especially precious. By faith we know that Dr. Bob's life is in the hands of his faithful Redeemer (John 10:28). This bad news, too, is part of the mysterious but glorious plan of the One who "works all things according to the counsel of his will" (Eph. 1:11).

As I write this, I am reminded of something I heard on the radio the other day. A talk-show host was interviewing a professor who had written a book on chance and the nature of randomness. This talk-show host is Jewish and believes in God. However, he said he had no problem believing that some things happen more or less purely by chance. In fact, he said, if something terrible happens to you, it could have happened outside the will of God.

I wonder, what kind of comfort does that "God" offer to someone who has just been diagnosed with cancer? None that I can think of. Thankfully, God is in control of all things, and while we cannot know why he allows tragedies, we do know - by faith - that he works out all things for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Rom. 8:28). This God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, is the God of all comfort who invests our suffering with meaning, and has a redemptive purpose for us even in affliction.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

King Salmon 9, Johnsons 0

That's the final score this summer after nine tries at landing a King salmon; we came home empty-handed each time.

This was our first summer to be able to fish as Alaska residents, which means it became affordable to buy the necessary license and king salmon permit (you actually have to but a separate "tag" for the privilege of fishing for a King). I've done a little fishing here and there in the past, but what was most surprising for me about fishing in Alaska is how much it revolves around the salmon runs. The Kings are the biggest, and according to some Alaskans, the tastiest (though the most-coveted salmon for eating are Copper River Reds). They also "run" first, coming out of the ocean and beginning their final swim inland to spawn and die.

When the Kings started coming in, we bought a rod and reel, and some tackle and bait, and spent a Monday trying our hand at Alaska fishing. We had no bites and saw no fish, but it was our first try so it didn't matter too much.

As the weeks went by, we (or sometimes just me) tried other spots, again with no success. In fact, we still hadn't even seen an actual flesh-and-blood King. As far as we could tell, it was a mythical creature of Alaskan lore, something like the Loch Ness Monster or Sasquatch.

But on another Monday, we went to Ship Creek in downtown Achorage and actually witnessed King salmon being caught. What a sight! My past fishing has mostly been for Rainbow Trout. But even a large Rainbow looks like a minnow compared to a King, which average (I would guess) 3 - 4 feet long and 30 - 40 pounds each. It was a thrill to see these monsters coming out of the water. I wanted to catch one!

Our best chance was last Monday night. The word was Montana Creek was "hot" (news of a productive fishing spot spreads quickly among Alaskans). While friends from church graciously watched the two older girls, Robyn and I drove up to Montana Creek with Sander and Moriah, hopeful that this might be our time.

I've never had a fishing experience like that before. There were dozens and dozens of Kings swimming just feet away in the clear water. Every so often one would splash the surface, or jump out of the water entirely. And the anglers were standing side by side, concentrated next to one hole in particular where the fish were thick. Every minute or so someone shouted, "Fish on!", and the fight began. Sometimes they landed the fish, but more often the fish cut loose, or they were "foul-snagged" which meant they had to be let go (in fact, many of the fish swimming below had brightly-colored lures still attached to them).

After an hour or so of casting near the most productive spot, I got a hit. The pole arched, the fish pulled hard, and I started pulling back and reeling it in. Some of the more experienced anglers coached me along the way: "Keep your pole up!", "Pull up and then reel down!", "Point the pole toward the beach!", and so on. Two helpful guys even fixed my reel with the fish still on, since the arm that reels in the line had come loose (I made a mental note then: "Next time, do NOT buy the cheapest rod and reel Wal-Mart sells.").

But just as the fish was about to be netted (thanks to another friendly fisherman), it cut loose and was gone. He told me that it was snagged, so I would have had to let it go anyway. But the fight was still a lot of fun.

Robyn and I had a couple of more fish bite after that, but none that stayed on more than a few seconds. Midnight struck, and the fishing was officially over. So, we came back home sans salmon one more time. But at least now we have some fish stories to tell. And that means we've become a little more Alaskan over the summer!

Monday, July 7, 2008

Family visit from Montana

A couple of weeks ago, my parents, along with my aunt and uncle, made the long trek up the Alaska Highway to visit us. They camped in a pop-up trailer along the way, and survived mosquitoes and $7-a-gallon Canadian gas for the privilege of saying they have done the "Al-can."

At least during their time with us, they got to sleep in real bedrooms, take hot showers, and not worry about putting down the camper every morning.

We packed in quite a bit during their stay here. On Sunday night, our family drove up to meet them at Denali National Park, where they had arrived after driving down from Fairbanks. It rained on and off all day Monday, which is par for the course for Denali. But, we were able to get in some hiking in the park. Here is Dad and Sander walking on a trail next to Savage Creek.




One of the highlights was getting to see "Arctic Thunder," a bi-annual air show held at nearby Elmendorf Air Force base. Here are my parents, and Michael and Maryan, standing in front of one of the many jets on display at the air show. After a week of living together in the car and the camper, they're still all smiles!



Not everyone enjoyed the loud jets. This is what Sander looked like most of the time.



The FedEx plane was a huge hit with the kids. It made such an impression on Sander that he can now spot a FedEx vehicle from miles away. The other day I was driving him and his friend Christian around, and suddenly Sander screamed, "FedEx"!! I looked around and about 3 blocks away a small FedEx van was driving down the road. When Christian asked, "What is FedEx?," Sander said with confidence, "It's an airplane."



Speaking of Sander, this is a picture of him after long day away a few weeks ago. Despite what it looks like, he hasn't converted to Islam! This is where I left him for a minute to keep unloading the car, and this is where he decided to take a nap.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

From Geneva to Rome?

Friends of ours in Oklahoma, whose friendship we greatly appreciated then, and still treasure today, shocked us recently with the news that they had converted to Roman Catholicism.

They had worshiped at the church I served in Norman, and, like most people who find their way to OPC churches, were card-carrying Protestants and Calvinists. So the news of their new ecclesiastical commitment was surprising, to say the least.

Now, I was sure as soon as I heard of it that their decision was well-thought out. Neal is a thinker, very articulate, and well-read theologically. In fact, he teaches philosophy at the University of Oklahoma. So, I knew it couldn't be the case that they left the Protestant faith on a whim, or for some flimsy reason.

But this meant I was very curious to know what were the reasons that compelled Neal to lead his family into the Roman Catholic Church. So I've been reading his blog, in which he details the theological journey that led him Rome-ward. And, I've asked him many questions by e-mail (to which he usually responds the next day with an e-mail twice as long as mine! I thought pastors were the ones who are supposed to be loquacious!).

This has been a learning experience for me. I have to admit that I really don't know a whole lot about Roman Catholic theology. At seminary, I was immersed in the Reformed tradition (and rightly so, since it is a Reformed seminary!). The emphasis there was not to highlight what separates the Protestants from the Catholics, or the conservatives from the liberals, though obviously due attention was paid to those concerns. Rather, the emphasis was on positive instruction in biblical exegesis, apologetics, and systematic theology. All of this came from a distinctively Protestant and Reformed perspective, of course, but that perspective was given not so much in contradistinction to Catholic theology, but as the faithful and true expression of the teaching of Scripture.

Now, as a result of my interaction with Neal, I have been doing some deeper thinking about some of the tenets of Protestant theology that I have in some ways taken as a matter of course. To be sure, I am still deeply committed to the system of doctrine expressed in the Reformed confessions of faith. In my heart and my mind, when it comes to such things as justification by faith alone, sola scriptura, and other doctrines, I am convinced as ever the Reformers got it right.

At the same time, hearing a former Calvinist and now Catholic give his reasons for doubting these teachings has prompted me to try and understand better the biblical principles undergirding the system of doctrine expressed by the Reformed faith. What is at stake in our understanding of justification? What was the principle that led the Reformers to insist upon the doctrine of sola scriptura? What is the nature of Christ's church?

I do believe our friends are true Christians, and they believe the same about us. At the same time, there are some significant differences between Catholics and Protestants that cannot simply be brushed aside by good will. And, when the issue at hand is nothing less than understanding the Christian faith, which alone can save sinners from sin and death, the pursuit of truth demands honest discussion.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

A general update, and some pictures

The days are long, literally and figuratively. The sun is out for all of our waking hours, and even in the middle of the "night", it looks like dusk. And we are staying busy with all the usual activities - church, school, breaking up quarrels, etc. One activity we've added recently is trying to bag a "king". As in a King Salmon, the highly-coveted fish that "run" up the rivers this time of year to their spawning grounds. Kings are the, well, king of the salmon - big and tasty. And, from what we're told, they can be tough to land if you actually hook one. Not that we would know anything about that. We've been out twice so far and haven't had so much as a nibble. But, we'll keep trying. We can't be true Alaskans until we've gotten our king.

It's been a while since I've posted some pictures. Here are a few snapshots from the Johnson family over the past couple of weeks:



We had a church bowling night last night. Sander is showing off his form.



Gumpa gave Meredith and Maggie each a birdhouse kit. We put them together yesterday, and hung them up in the backyard.



Meredith next to her birdhouse.



Moriah and her "buddy".



Moriah is showing her walking skills.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Loving discipline, or child abuse?

Our parenting methods would make us criminals in some countries. According to the Economist, there is a growing consensus in some parts of the world (especially Europe) that any sort of physical discipline of a child is abuse, and ought therefore to be illegal. In fact 18 European nations have already banned all forms of corporal punishment. A pan-European body, the Council of Europe, is aggressively seeking to end spanking as part of its mission to promote civil liberties. And the United Nations is pursuing a campaign to outlaw all corporal punishment, worldwide, by 2009.

Though the Economist considers this latter effort a typical bit of "Utopian dottiness" from the UN, and "wildly unrealistic," the fact is much of the Western world is moving in a direction to ban, or at least stigmatize, corporal punishment. The premise of the movement is that there is no fundamental distinction between corrective physical punishment, and child abuse. Both are immoral acts of violence that are just on different ends of the same scale.

But there is a difference in kind, not just in degree. Common sense teaches that a slap on the wrist or a spanking on the bottom is fundamentally a different creature than a blow to the stomach or head. The former is the controlled meeting out of a dose of mild pain, the latter a cruel and dehumanizing assault. A spanking (quaintly referred to as "smacking" by the Economist) is for correction for the child's own good or safety; abuse is the expression of an angry and even hateful heart whose purpose is only to hurt.

The Scriptures sanction spanking: "Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die" (Proverbs 23:13). The Bible's view of discipline in general, whether a parent's discipline of his child, or God's discipline of his people, is that it serves redemptive purposes. For the child whose parents lovingly discipline him with controlled measures appropriate to his age, it is so that "he will not die," so that folly will be driven from him (22:15), and so that his soul will be saved from Sheol (23:14). For the child of God who endures God's discipline, he will enjoy "the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:11).

The point is that corporal discipline is one means that God has given us as parents to lead them in the paths of righteousness and life. It must always be accompanied by love, and by the communication of God's forgiveness for us in Christ. By itself, spanking may correct behavior. But mere behavior modification is not God's purpose for spanking. Rather, the rod is to help a child come to understand, and embrace, the grace of God in the gospel. This is why it is imperative for parents to hug and pray with their children after spanking them.

Sadly, this is just the sort of view of spanking that is increasingly considered odd. The Economist notes that a "pro-smacking" (who would want to be called that?!) lobby in New Zealand did not win much support because "their religious rhetoric - talk of loving corrections, followed by prayers - sounded weird." In my view, it is lumping spanking with child abuse that sounds pretty weird.

In any case, the article noted that the U.S. is something of a hold-out in this matter of spanking (no doubt due to the still-sizable presence of weird religious types). So, we are not outlaws, at least not for the present.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Our Anniversary

Eight years ago today, Robyn and I exchanged wedding vows and began our married life together. Since then, we've gone from the two of us living in a basement apartment in Pennsylvania to six of us living in a two-story home in Alaska. Along the way we've made stops in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma. God has blessed us these past eight years.

According to Proverbs 31, "an excellent wife", which my wife is, should have her works "praise her in the gates." Since I cannot locate the city gates of Wasilla in which to praise my wife and her works, I will do so in the "cyber-gates". For eight years of marriage, here are eight reasons why I love and appreciate my wife:

1. She is fun to be with.

2. She is a great encourager during tough times.

3. She is very forgiving of my faults.

4. She prays for me and my ministry.

5. Since we've been married, she's morphed from having no interest in sports to becoming a major Cardinals fan. Watching or playing golf is still out of the question at this point, however.

6. She is a fantastic cook.

7. She was willing to relocate to Alaska (and, she wants me to go fishing!).

8. Most important of all, she is more devoted to Christ than she is to me.

Proverbs asks, "an excellent wife who can find?" Here's to my "excellent" wife on our anniversary!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Summer's almost here!

From what I can tell so far, this is about the time of year when Alaskans let out a collective sigh of relief. Winter is definitely over and happy days are here again. The sun awaits us each morning, shining gloriously in the bright blue sky. The air is dry, clean, and crisp. Green is splashed over the landscape, and the lakes and rivers are watery again (and some will soon be teeming with salmon). It's hard to imagine a better place to be in the summer than Alaska.

I'm looking forward to this summer for many reasons, though, not only for the unbeatable weather.

First, we are trying a couple of new things at church. Honestly, I don't know how they'll go, but I'm excited to find out. First, we are focusing on outreach during the month of June. I will be encouraging our people to ask their non-church-going friends to church. I am going to preach a series of messages on the "I am" statements of Jesus that, I hope, will present Christ clearly to the hearts and minds of all who will be there. We are going to meet each Sunday at a local park with the church's trailer and offer free water and soda. And for anyone interested, we'll also have some good booklets available that deal with life's struggles from a Christian perspective. This is somewhat new ground for me and for the church, so we'll see how it goes.

Second, we are beginning a Sunday school class during the summer. The purpose of the class will be to encourage family devotions and teaching the catechism at home to our children. We'll meet as entire families rather than separating into different age groups. This is also something a bit new for most of us in the church, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it works out.

This summer also means vacation for our family. We will spend three weeks in Wisconsin and Chicago visiting friends and family there. The main purpose is to be present for John and Gina's wedding (John is Robyn's younger brother). While we are excited about the trip and can't wait to go, from an admittedly selfish perspective, it is too bad it has to be a trip away from Alaska in the middle of the summer! We are seriously considering requesting our respective families that from now on, all weddings and funerals take place during the winter months.

And while we're in the neighborhood, we're planning to catch a Cardinals game at Wrigley field. The way things are shaping up in the NL central so far, that could be an extremely significant game to watch.

Speaking of family, my parents will be coming up in June with my aunt and uncle. It will be great to spend some time with them. They are driving up the Alaska highway from Montana. Thanks to them, with gas prices being what they are, by the time they return some fortunate Saudi prince will be able to buy another private jumbo jet.

And then there's fishing. I can hardly call myself an Alaskan if I haven't fished yet. So, we are hoping to give that a try this summer. Our hope is to go "dipnetting", an Alaskan fishing style in which you literally scoop salmon out of the river by the dozens. We have a freezer in a garage waiting to be filled with pounds and pounds of salmon fillets. We'll see if our "best laid plans" come to pass.

There's a lot to look forward to this summer!

Friday, May 16, 2008

The Peacemaker by Ken Sande

There is conflict in my church. There is conflict in my family. There is conflict in my marriage.

I say this not as a revelation of some serious crisis in any of these areas, but as a statement of fact that holds true for every church, every family, and every marriage. Wherever people are bound together in a close relationship, there will be conflict at some level. Interests collide, personalities don't mesh, misunderstandings take place, and communication breaks down. Of course, the ultimate source of all human conflict, whether minor or serious, and what fuels and exacerbates the tension, is sin. Sinners in relationship with each other are bound to step on each others' toes (and worse).

Since conflict is universal, it is not surprising that Christians experience it as well as everyone else. What is surprising, though, and disheartening, is how poorly Christians often respond to it. If the statistics are to be believed, divorce rates are no lower among professing Christians than society at large. And church splits are depressingly common enough to testify that believers in Christ don't do so well at managing conflict.

But the Bible is full of teaching about conflict and how to appropriately handle it. The problem is that we Christians haven't been faithful in putting this teaching into practice. Ken Sande's book, The Peacemaker, is an extremely helpful guide for us to understand and deal with conflict in a biblical manner. I had read this book once before, and recently read it again as part of a leadership training course I am conducting at the church. One of men in the class said the book was convicting. I agree. I have not always dealt with conflict (both in family and church) in the most biblical way. In Sande's terms, I have been guilty of both "peace-breaking" and "peace-faking". I pray I'll be more faithful in peacemaking in the future.

If I knew of anyone involved in a serious conflict at home or in the church (or anywhere, for that matter), and they were open to instruction, this would be the book I would recommend to them. As the author argues, if handled correctly, a conflict situation can become the very means by which the grace and love of Christ is made known.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Mother's Day

This has been an unusual Mother's Day for our family. The mother, Robyn, is in Wisconsin with our baby Moriah. So, we had no special celebration for the day. Robyn's special Mother's Day treat is four days of taking care of just one kid, as opposed to the usual four.

I've been "Mr. Mom" for the past few days. Actually, so many people from the church helped out with babysitting that Robyn's absence hasn't been the domestic disaster it could have been. The kids have been fed, basic hygiene has been maintained, the dishes are mostly clean, and the house has some semblance of order. There is a good chance we will survive until Robyn returns tomorrow night!

Since it is Mother's Day, and since my own mother makes up about half of the readership of my blog, I had better say some nice things about her in this space! As I reflect on my childhood, I see some ways in which my mom had a deep influence on me. For starters, she always expressed her confidence in me that I could accomplish whatever I set my mind to do. Though she was by no means like so many moms today pushing their kids to over-achievement insanity, she made it clear that I could, and should, set my sights high for the future. My mom herself is the kind of person who sets high goals and then works hard to meet them. She strives for excellence in whatever she pursues. To whatever extent these traits are true of me, it is largely due, I believe, to her influence.

Secondly, my mom taught me to question popular assumptions and common wisdom. For example, when I was in grade-school, it was her idea to get rid of our television set. At least among everybody we knew, this was a radical and unheard-of concept. But we did it, and can there be any doubt that missing out on hours of "Dallas" and "The A-Team" was an unqualified good thing? Years later, bumper stickers appeared admonishing us to "kill" our televisions. Heck, my mom killed our television before television-killing was cool. But the lesson I learned was, just because everybody else does or thinks something, doesn't necessarily make it good or right.

I'm sure there are many other ways that my mom influenced me for good. But these come to mind. Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Some sights from Monday's trip to the Coastal Trail

The Coastal Trail is a paved path in Anchorage that runs alongside the Cook Inlet. It's also directly next to the airport, so every ten minutes or so jets roar overhead so close you can almost touch them. On Monday, we packed up the kids, the bikes, and the dog, and spent a few hours on the Trail.

No sooner had we started that we saw this big guy enjoying a walk down the path, heading in our direction. Thankfully, he turned aside before he reached us.

Meredith, Maggie, and Sander all rode their bikes. As you can tell from this picture, Sander preferred to walk his bike when going downhill.

Sander was too cool for words with his shades on.

We saw this sight in Wasilla, on our way back home. I bet this pooch would like a new owner.

Friday, May 2, 2008

National Day of Prayer

On Thursday at noon, our family joined a group of about 50 people gathered at Wasilla City Hall to pray for various concerns in observance of the National Day of Prayer. This was the first time I had taken part in anything like this, and I confess I attended partly out of curiosity. But the primary reason I went was in response to an invitation from a friend who is the youth pastor at a church down the road from ours.

Different pastors and others led in reading Scripture and prayer, and we spent time in small groups praying for matters such as the government, churches, and families.

I was glad I went. I am pro-prayer, and I believe that Christians are clearly commanded by the Scripture to offer prayer for the governing authorities (1 Tim. 2:1, 2). So, I am certainly in favor of the principle of a time of intercession for these concerns.

But, I did feel a certain amount of ambivalence about the event. I'm generally wary of expressions of a generic civic religion that are characteristic of something like a call for a National Day of Prayer. For example, one woman present read a proclamation from the Governor of Alaska calling for Alaskans to participate in the National Day of Prayer. Everyone there (probably all Christians) applauded after it was read, but I'm not sure why. The statement was so broad and inclusive as to endorse virtually any kind of "spiritual" activity: prayer, meditation, peace activism, promotion of social justice, or "another form of contemplative action." In other words, it was no clarion call for specifically Christian prayer. In fact, it was no clarion call for even theistic prayer - the word "God" was conspicuously absent in the proclamation.

Just by virtue of who was present, it was a Christian prayer meeting. No one was asked to not pray in Jesus name. However, my discomfort stems from a fear that Christians, though certainly well-meaning in their participation and support of these sorts of events, may be unwittingly led to compromise what is the most vital thing of all for Christians: belief that God can only be approached through His Son Jesus Christ (John 14:6). It is faith in Christ as the only way to the Father that makes Christians Christians, and therefore for a Christian to take part in any service of worship or prayer that is not Christ-centered is a serious mistake at best. Yet civic religion demands just that (unless, of course, all who show up happen to be Christian, as seemed to be the case on Thursday).

Again, I am glad Christians are praying for the nation and the local churches. At the end of the day, however, the only hope for a world perishing in sin is the good news of the death and resurrection of Christ. If the church loses this message, she has lost her gift to the world, and all the prayer and "contemplative action" in the world will not help.

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

A "dreadful" occurence

I wrote a few weeks ago about our early-morning unwelcome visitor. Ever since then, we've been a tad paranoid about strange noises and such. Last night, Robyn was certain she kept hearing suspicious noises in the house while she was downstairs. I heard nothing, because I had earphones on while I studied. She came up to speak to me about the sounds she was hearing.

As we talked over what or who may be making the sounds, we heard a blood-curdling scream coming from Meredith and Maggie's room. I started running towards the room, having no idea what I might find there. Just after I took off, though, Meredith shot out of the room yelling with all the decibels her forty pound body could muster. She was shouting, "Maggie threw up on me, Maggie threw up on me!"

Yes, Maggie threw up all over Meredith. I'll spare you the disgusting details, but both girls needed a shower afterwards. For some reason, probably because she's been listening non-stop to "Little Women" for the last month, Meredith sometimes speaks like she's from the 1800's. So, amid her crying and screaming, she said things like "Mommy, it's dreadful!", and "I always feared this would happen to me!". Later, she apologized to Robyn for giving her "such a fright."

Ah, the joys of parenthood. We've got one sick child, and if history is any guide, we'll have four sick children and at least one sick adult before it's all over. I just hope there is a little less drama when it happens.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Presbytery in Portland

I spent Thursday through Saturday of last week in Portland, Oregon, for a presbytery meeting. This is a bi-annual meeting of pastors and elders from the churches in our region of the country, which includes Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. My denomination, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, is fairly small, so that although the presbytery covers a huge geographic area, there are only twenty or so churches in it.

I enjoyed the fellowship there, and for the most part the meeting was positive. The one major exception was a decision that we made concerning a church and pastor that will be difficult to take for both. It was a sad vote to cast, but given the circumstances, one that I felt was necessary (as did the rest of presbytery, since the vote appeared to be unanimous).

On the brighter side, we heard an excellent ordination exam by a licentiate (a man who is preparing to become a minister). I was very impressed with how well he articulated his answers, and his ability to cite Scripture to support his views. The process leading to ordination is not an easy one, and each time I witness an ordination exam I am glad that I'm done with it!

As I think of it, there are hardly any occupations that involve as much intense scrutiny as a minister. There are exams before committees involving the whole range of theological knowledge, personal questions of life and faith before presbytery, preaching sermons before presbytery, and the theological exams for licensure and ordination, also before presbytery. In addition, the process of receiving a call from a church involves interviews with pastoral search committees, church sessions, and finally, at least one Question and Answer session with the entire congregation. After I completed the latter at Grace OPC in Wasilla, one member told me I must have felt as though I had just had a job interview before 50 people! It did feel like that, but that is just the tip of the iceberg!

Back to presbytery, one thing I noticed is that I'm the "Alaska guy." I got asked a lot of questions about the dark winters, and hunting and fishing (one elder from Washington was aghast that I have not done either yet; I agreed that I can't really call myself an Alaskan until I do!). Another frequent comment I heard, and one that I've heard a lot ever since we knew we were moving here, is that someone's uncle or cousin lives in Alaska. It seems everybody has a family relation living in Alaska. Now, I'm that relative living here!

Presbytery was a good time of fellowship, but I was glad to come back home. And it was good to come back home to Alaska.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Sunday night update

It's 10:15 p.m. on Sunday night, and Robyn and I are exhausted as usual at this time. We just got Meredith off to bed, and before calling it a day ourselves, I thought I would write with a quick update on the Johnson family since it has been a while since I blogged.

This picture is of Moriah in "BOB", a jogging stroller I received as a birthday present last year but never unpacked until about a month ago. It is a great piece of equipment. I can exercise and take one of the kids (Maggie, Sander, or Moriah) off of Robyn's hands at the same time. Now that summer is around the corner, I hope to be taking "BOB" out more often.

This morning I preached on Jesus' command to his disciples to "love your enemies." As I prepared for it, I remembered reading a fascinating obituary a few weeks ago about a man named Jacob DeShazer. He was a member of the Doolittle raid on Japan in the first months of WWII, and was captured by Japanese soldiers in China after bailing out of his bomber. He spent the duration of the war as a prisoner of war, suffering solitary confinement, torture, and beatings. After reading a Bible that was given to him during that time, he gave his life to Christ and vowed to return to Japan as a missionary should he live to the end of the war. And he did just that, going on to serve in Japan as a missionary for 30 years.

What a testimony of the transforming power of the gospel. A man is treated brutally by others, and by the grace of God, loves his enemies in return by giving his life to proclaim to them the love of Christ. It makes my grudges against others seem extremely petty in comparison.

I learned something interesting at the doctor's office on Friday. Sander and spent a few hours at the local urgent care to have the doctor look at his ears, which turned out to be infected. According to this doctor, new studies have shown that prescribing antibiotics for ear infections is almost pointless. They only help one in seven kids recover more quickly, and they actually have some negative side-effect in one in seven kids. He said if Sander was his son, he wouldn't bother with antibiotics. That was good enough for me. Instead, he prescribed some ear drops for the pain and the little guy has been just fine ever since.

Here's a picture from today. Moriah managed to spill a package of oyster crackers on the kitchen floor. Moriah and her partner-in-crime Brinkley gobbled up as many as they possibly could before Mom ruined the party by cleaning up the mess.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Death, taxes, and haircuts

Was it Benjamin Franklin who said the only certainties in life are death and taxes? I sent in my tax returns today - just in time! - proving at least the latter is still one of life's unchanging realities. I know the former is still a certainty, but at least that doesn't happen every year.

Another to add to the list would be haircuts, at least if your name is Sander and you live in our house. Here he is stoically enduring his once-a-month buzz cut.

Yesterday I finally got around to cleaning out and washing our two cars. You have to know my family to understand this, but being a Johnson, there are certain habits written into my DNA that I am helpless to change. Johnsons back in their cars whenever possible into a parking spot. Johnsons always eat cookies with milk. Johnsons like to keep things neat and tidy. And Johnsons always keep their cars clean. Which is why I felt an increasing sense of angst every time I looked at our dirt-caked Suburban. How could I let it get that dirty? I took a couple of hours and gave both it and our other vehicle a thorough, inside and out, cleaning. It was cathartic; it was therapeutic. At last, two clean cars.

We had our leadership training class tonight. One of the books we read is Children of the Promise, by Robert Booth. Booth presents a very clear and thorough case for infant baptism. I was reminded again of the grace of God in setting the sign of his promise on our children. I respect my dear brothers and sisters in Christ who see things differently, but I just couldn't imagine not confirming in this way that our children are also heirs of God's covenant mercies.

Speaking of covenant children, here are three of ours on the couch absorbed in Meredith's latest idea, writing a "newspaper".