On Remembering and Days of Infamy

Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941

President Franklin D. Roosevelt stamped it into history as "A Day that shall live in infamy." The images are very real in the minds of a generation that actually experienced the naked aggression of Imperialist Japan in an attack on American territorial soil. The effrontery of that surprise attack is being lost with the passing of those men and women who wakened that Sunday morning to the onslaught of dive bombers strafing the American fleet at anchor. Many of them lived with the smell of burning diesel, the the images of human carnage, the whines of overhead aircraft buzzing in their nightmares. That Day would set the course for The Greatest Generation's resolve to vanquish fascist tyranny in its threats to our allies around the world. Visitors to the USS Battleship Arizona Memorial may go this day to be reminded of the events and historical antecedents leading to the tragedy.

NYC, September 11, 2001

The present generations have seared in their conscious memory our Day of Infamy. The late summer brightness of Tuesday, September 11, 2001 was shattered mid morning when Islamo-fascist terrorists flew hijacked airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and Pentagon on their suicide mission to strike fear into the American people and to effect a grand protest against the West. We shall never forget the brutality of the events, etched in our memories of desperate people leaping to a better death than burning alive; the suffocating tsunamis of dust and debris raking through the canyons of the city, a charred gaping hole in the southwest side of Fortress Pentagon, smoking vapors emanating from a hole in the rural countryside of Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Pain and emotion sculptor's tools which chisel into our memories events that we would just as soon forget; if it were not for the requirement to distill from these events the reaffirmation of our core values and commitments. It is these aspects of our humanity that make the difference whether we come through the fire refined or destroyed. Our resilience as a people, as a nation of families, communities and constituent groups is bolstered in part by the way we hold on to our beliefs and convictions with courage, humility and faithful resolve. Certainly these earthquaking events will demand of us a reexamination of our identity as a nation. They will also expose our idols.

As a Christian I enjoy the blessing of a pastor who provides Biblical Christo-centric perspective on events like these as well as the slower boiling aggravations of the so-called fiscal cliff, the growing hostility toward cultural Christianity (what to do about all the Nativity scene protests), the disintegration of Judeo-Christian consensus in social and moral issues such as abortion and homosexual "marriage." He has helped us see that God is excising the Mushy Middle and preparing a leaner, more Biblically faithful Remnant Church (cf. Micah 5.7) Our journey through the Book of Acts  is reminding us that through great testing and tribulation, God's Word spread, moving from a Jewish ethno-centrism to a greater Gentile universalism in the offer of the Gospel.

Calvary, Good Friday, 33 A.D.

On a personal level I am painfully aware of my proneness to using "busyness" as a justification for not stopping and reflecting on the significance of key days of infamy. ("Afterall I have a regular life to live.") Thankfully within the rhythm of my covenant community we have regular and appropriately frequent remembrances of the Great Day of Infamy - Day of Glory. In the Lord's Supper, our pastor brings Word and Sign together as Sacrament, not so that we may wallow in the gory of the Cross. But that the Glory of the Cross will inflame in our remembrance, burn in our hearts, activate in our wills the  reality of a Saviour who spared no expense in ransoming a people for the Triune God. In those sacramental observances, not only is the history of Calvary depicted afresh, but the living reality of the Saviour who keeps his promises and never fails his people, is experienced.


See you at The Potter's Wheel
G.K. Sexton

The Cross

On "October Baby" and Attachments

"Thank you for wanting me, Daddy." This dialogue between Hannah (Rachel Hendrix) and her father, Dr. Jacob Lawson (John Schnieider) is when the tears began to form in my eyes. I had just witnessed a beautifully nuanced film in the emerging genre of Christian creative contributions to mainstream culture,"Jon and Andrew Irwin are a directing team that focus on developing and producing unique stories of redemption, faith and triumph of the human spirit. (iMDb)" 

In this sensitive treatment of the issues of post-abortion healing, adoption and forgiveness, I became enthralled in the rich depiction of life as a matrix of powerful emotional, spiritual and value-laden attachments. Hannah is a young co-ed who struggles with many medical conditions and emotional scarring as a consequence of a "botched abortion." She has deep seated questions about her purpose and worth, initially unaccounted for as she struggles with epilepsy, asthma, multiple-orthopedic surgeries.

When these problems force her parents to reveal that she is adopted, her struggles intensify as she bears down on the question of identity and origin. Her mother and father experience a parallel quandary within their marriage as they sort out the tough decisions of  whether/how to tell Hannah about her birth mother. Hannah's angst is shared with her life-long best friend, Jason.

The narrative took me on her odyssey in a blue& white VW microbus (just like one I owned) to Mobile, Alabama (which I've visited) to find and confront her birth mother. Enroute she sits with the agonizing nurse (Mary)who attended the failed procedure, rescuing Hannah and revealing to her other surprises about her birth. She gives Hannah her mother's hospital bracelet as a physical connection to her birth mother.

I found myself hoping for immediate reconciliation with her now "successful" mother, who has born the secret of her pregancy (even from her husband). What grace and tenderness, as the story refused to sugar-coat the complexities thrust upon the attachments that follow such tragic decisions.

Many of the significant scenes take place in or near water. (Suggestive of life, forgiveness, quenched soul-thirst?) I followed Hannah as she passed the baptismal font as she visits a cathedral to sit in God's presence seeking solace and focus in her confusion and anger. She sits with a wise, caring and LISTENING clergy men who provides space, time, and compassion as Hannah seeks to figure out how her faith and ultimate attachment with God can free her to forgive and move forward with hope and confidence in God;s mysterious,  intimate and loving presence and empowerment.

Being blessed with a daughter was a necessary pre-condition for me to understand the redemptive message of this story. Having family members who have lived through the aftermath of abortion and sitting with women struggling with isolation and shame as a consequence of their decision, I still must disqualify myself from saying that I understand what they have experienced. However, through the network of attachments affected by these life and death issues, I have found an entry point to stand alongside, respectfully and hopefully should I'm called upon to offer Christ's response of love and compassion

I pray that "October Baby" will garner a hearing and the support of many who want to do something meaningful in response to women (and men) who have survived the scary, scarring and painful experience of abortion. As Jesus followers "offer a cup of water in my name...to the least of these",I am confident that many will come to know and experience the greater reconciling attachment with the living and loving Lord of Life.

See you at the Potter's wheel!
.G.K. Sexton

More on "October Baby"

On Vocation (Labor Day 2012)

Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned him, and to which God has called him.  1 Corinthians 7:17

"Man Hoeing"
George Pierre Seurat
1882

A funny thing happened on the way to the graduation of the Covenant Theological Seminary  Class of 1981. Two contemporary giants of the faith (and mentors of mine) found themselves in a contrasted situation given their remarks at the baccalaureate and  graduation ceremonies. Dr. R.C. Sproul with characteristic enthusiasm leaned outward to the graduates and families and laid it on thick: (paraphrase) "Brothers, yours is a HIGH and HOLY calling as you have prepared to enter the ministry." The next day Dr. Francis A. Schaeffer in his signature high-pitched voice reminded the graduates: (paraphrase):"As you enter your vocation, remember that it is no more sacred than the one who washes dishes in the local hotel kitchen, when done unto the Lord." Timely consideration for me in view of my own graduation a year later. And even more timely now that I have 'retired" from 27 years and 2 days of service as an active duty U.S. Army Chaplain. And most significant as I look forward to new ministry as an assistant pastor with our present home church.

The  American Labor Day holiday has its roots in an 1882 gathering in New York City's Union Square to celebrate "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations."  As a socio-economic-political phenomenon, I find the emphasis to be somewhat trite and wearisome. The emphasis is so pedestrian. It doesn't soar or inspire. In fact it suffocates as it pushes me down into the atmosphere of organized toil and drudgery. For me the eternal significance of my work is the difference between "rejoicing, bringing their sheaves with them" (Psalm 126.6) and   "blood, toil, tears and sweat" ( first uttered on 2 July 1849 by "Red Shirt" Giuseppe Garibaldi when rallying his forces in the Italian nationalist revolution.) The current labor emphasis may arguably be about a collective prudence, whereby workers seek their own interests and advantages, on the way to building a healthier economy for my neighbors. In the immediate pre-election "conversation", there is a rightful concern for more JOBS. However, in my view neither side has truly given adequate expression to the meaning of vocation (calling) - that is, the higher meaning of our work.

In my view, vocation is simply a facet of Providence. Through our callings we participate in God's decree of providence. ( cf. Westminster Shorter Catechism. Q. 11. What are God’s works of providence?  A. God’s works of providence are, his most holy,wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.) Vocation/calling is a creational ordinance. ^"The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." (Genesis 2:15) We find our significance, security, identity and inspiration in the knowledge that we live out our covenantal relationship with God, in part through our vocations. Vocation is the framework for how we understand the family, the Church, social obligations, art, music, literature, science and technology.

I believe there is a direct correlation between one's sense of vocation and one's holistic health. Even though the consequences of the Fall will play themselves out resulting in our physical death (release), we need not succumb to spiritual, emotional, psychological death by detaching our work from the greater purpose of "glorifying God and enjoying Him forever. (WSC. #1) Bouncing out of bed to get to work each day is not so much about screwing up one's resolve, or beating ourselves over the head with the Puritan work ethic (behaviorally expressed), as it is "presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." (Roman 12.1)

Dr. Joan Vernikos (Ph.D)
Director, NASA Life Science Center
1993-2000

I made of new friend at a recent meet-the-author book fair at the Porter Memorial Library, Stafford, Virginia. Dr. Joan Vernikos (Ph.D, Pharmacology, University of London) has done extensive research into the dangers of the sedentary lifestyle. Her work is premised on understanding the benefits of using gravity to forestall the effects of aging. As a past Director of the NASA Life Science Division, she was integral to the process of returning Senator John Glenn to space at age 77. Her talks and workshops are helpful in understanding the necessity of gravity for our overall health and the practical activities that can capitalize on this creational design. The effects of a zero-gravity environment are enormous. Like gravity, I am persuaded that vocation (or a lack of vocational identity) will have a deleterious effect on our overall quality of life. One of the blessings of meeting Dr. Vernikos, was the joy of witnessing someone who's life work has brought such good to her neighbors, has dealt so well with the mandate in the Garden and has contributed so much to mitigating the effects of The Fall. Her's is a labor of love as she brings "good news" to people in all walks of life. Coupled with the"Good News" of Christ crucified, buried and resurrected for our salvation, these two GOOD NEWS emphases we gain a fuller understanding of vocation and a greater experience of this injunction:  “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)

See you at The Potter's Wheel!

G.K.Sexton

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15: 58

More on Dr.Joan Vernikos

Welcome Dr. Douglas Groothuis

Dr. Douglas Groothuis

The Biblical Basis for Apologetics by Douglas Groothuis, taken from Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith (InterVarsity Press, 2011)


Is the Christian worldview true and rational? Is it worth believing and living out? Within these questions resides the discipline of Christian apologetics. It offers answers based on rational arguments, yet these arguments can never be divorced from the apologist’s personal character. Therefore, apologetics is necessarily both theoretical and personal, both intellectual and relational. Along with the method of the apologetic argument comes the manner of the apologist himself. Both are equally vital, as we will see.
The word “apologetics” is often used today in a derogatory way to mean a biased and belligerent advocacy of an indefensible position. Yet the idea of presenting a credible “apology” for a legitimate position or viewpoint has a long and rich history. For example, the American founders presented an apology (or apologetic) for what would become the American form of government in The Federalist Papers. These learned and eloquent apologists explained and rationally defended a political perspective in the face of objections. An apologist, then, is a defender and an advocate for a particular position. There are apologists aplenty for all manner of religion and irreligion.
Christian apologetics is the rational defense of the Christian worldview as objectively true, rationally compelling, and existentially or subjectively engaging. The word apologetics comes from the Greek word apologia, which can be translated as “defense” or “vindication.” In the days of the New Testament “an apologia was a formal courtroom defense of something (2 Timothy 4:16).” The word, in either the noun form apologia or the verb form apologeoma, appears eight times in the New Testament (Acts 22:1; 25:16; 1 Corinthians 9:3; 2 Corinthians 7:11; Philippians 1:7, 16; 2 Timothy 4:16; 1 Peter 3:15). The term is used specifically for a rational defense of the gospel in three texts: Philippians 1:7, 16 and most famously in 1 Peter 3:15-16. "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer [apologia] to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."
Because Jesus, echoing the Hebrew Scriptures, affirmed that we should love God with all of our being, including our minds (Matthew 22:37-39), believers should defend God’s truth when it is assailed. Jesus himself did just this throughout his ministry. He was an apologist and a philosopher, although these categories are rarely applied to him today.

Dr. Douglas Groothuis 

On Number 58

"So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."
Psalm 90:12 (ESV)

The family is keeping it simple this coming Friday as we dine at my favorite local chili restaurant for my 58th birthday. Not a bad choice for an O-- F---. Bring on the mix of  2/3 Texas Dry,1/3 Teralingua, with jalapenos and  onions, and a dash of Dave's Insanity BBQ sauce (heavy on the habeneros). I know that it will be emotional as I scan the faces of Fran of Forty Years, the available kiddos and a few special chingos (friends). I've noticed in my life that approaching those decade years (30, 40,50,60) invites reflection on the journey and more importantly the destination.

Yesterday, while lunching with my fellow pastors and our incredible intern, the table-talk drifted toward Fatherhood, following the lead of our senior pastor. In the mystery of spiritual fraternity I soon discovered that his thoughts about his children and grandchildren, irrigated by heart-felt tears had primed my pump and soon I found myself melting,;especially as I rehearsed a recent major conversation with one of my adult children. This was no soggy sentimentality. It was a well-spring of thanksgiving tapped by the active remembrance of God's faithfulness over the course of my almost six decades.

The cork had been squeedged loose by a sermon delivered by our Associate Pastor setting forth the Biblical teaching on forgiveness from the Gospel of Matthew. What a takeaway line (paraphrase): "Unforgiveness is the poison we drink in the hopes that the other guy will die.": Aware that I may have only 15-25 years this side of heaven, barring any sudden demise, my desire is to keep accounts short. Especially within relationships of my immediate family, extended family and brethren of our covenant community.

This coming Lord's Day I will spend time with the senior saints in a local residential retirement complex. It will be an enjoyable challenge. Enjoyable, inasmuch as we will be sharing Christian fellowship. I'm  sure I will blessed with well seasoned stories covering the full genre of life experiences. Challenging, because I know that many of them are veterans of life's struggles, knowing the power of Providence, fending off bitterness and cynicism, surviving the crucible of aging bodies, failing memories, the passing away of family and friends.

Standing at the window looking upon the future I sense that God's gift to me is a growing heart of wisdom. My simple definition of wisdom is: Seeing Life from God's point of view. Progress here entails an occasional return to basic life questions and convictions. One of these is the priority of "Whose am I?" over "Who am I?"  Another is "Where have I invested my talents, time, treasure?" (cf. Matthew 6:33) A third "How do I balance the '-ed' (past) with the '-ing' (present --> future) in the syntax of life. Clear syntax is essential to clarity on the critical issues of living well and wisely.

I liken reflective living to viewing a mosaic, rich in the diverse
colors, images, shapes and sizes. It's important to stand close for an examination of the details; but one must step back to gain a sense of the whole and to experience its unity of composition and meaning. My mosaic is an ongoing co-artistry. The Lord provides the various piece, handing them to me in times of tragedy, tedium and triumph. I take them with trembling hands, quivering lips and teary eyes and lay them together. Sorting, shifting, setting them into the frame until the meaning emerges. One Day, the finished work will enjoy its place in the palace of my King.

On Sara's & Nick's Engagement

As I heard it,  a street drunk downtown actually witnessed the moment Nick proposed to our Sara. After a day planned at Virginia Beach where Nick had spent some of his boyhood, and being crowded out of simple privacy, the youngsters made their way back home. At about 11:30 P.M. the ring was free from its vault in Nick's pocket and lovingly placed on her hand. Apparently they were somewhere between two parking lots under a street light. The drunk was in the bushes.

Kelli and Brad (Nick's parents), Frances Jo and I kinda' knew that something special was in the making. The third anniversary of their friendship was approaching and we had all been appropriately involved in their courtship. Mom's and Dad's can figure it out when their daughter begins to ask questions such as " We were thinking about getting married after Nick graduates. Whatya' think?"

Sissy Mae

As Dad of just one daughter who happens to also be the baby of four kids, I proved my credentials by going through a whole host of emotions as I reflected on "giving her away" to the protection, care, leadership and intimacy of another young man. My greatest comfort came from something Sara had shared with me during her teen years:"Daddy, I want the Lord to bring to me a man whose love for Jesus will make me want to love Him more."

Nick

Nick had called me earlier in the week to request whether we could talk. We coordinated a breakfast at IHOP for the next morning. Again, the internal dialogue about how to approach our pending tete-a-tete. I thought about Tommy Lee Jones as Loretta Lynn's future husband meeting her father in Coal Miner's Daughter. Somehow the only line in the encounter between Melvin "Ted" Webb (Butcher Hollow, Kentucky) and Oliver Vanetta Lynn ("Doo") which stuck in my memory was "Whatever you do, don't hurt my daughter." But Nick didn't need me reprising a hillbilly dad talking about his 15 year old daughter. I elected to sit with him, listening to his heart and assuring him of the multi-generational support he and Sara would receive from his parents and us.

I did challenge him with two exhortations: 1) Make it your life-long commitment before the Lord to study Sara. Ask the Lord to help you discern her hopes and dreams, her fears and doubts, her sense of God’s call upon her life with you. 2) Be prepared to lay down your life for Sara…she’s worth it. Many other mano y mano topics were discussed (which will remain mano y mano). Fran's and mine delight in this young man have been confirmed consistently in his quiet strength, gentle manner, witty humor and spiritually teachable spirit. Nick and Sara have grounded their relationship in a godly Christ-honoring friendship.

The Dollar Dowry is exchanged at IHOP

The next day I had the honor of announcing to our congregation on behalf of Frances Jo and myself their betrothal with a pending wedding time frame of June 2013. I publicly marvelled that a new adventure was well underway for an Army Brat in love with a Navy Brat. We rejoice in the wonderful friendship we share with Brad and Kelli; and we look forward to backstopping the rearing of our grandchildren (D.V.) (Am I getting ahead of myself?)

See you at the Potter's wheel!
G.K. Sexton

" Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready." Revelation 19:7

On Liberty

Proclaim Liberty throughout all the
land unto all the inhabitants thereof.
Leviticus 25:10

(Observance of the Fourth of July 2012)

America is best understood not so much in ethnic terms, socio-economic models or even her Judeo-Christian heritage (as prominent as that used to be). In my view she is about the essential commitment to the inalienable right to Liberty. Liberty is the sine qua non oxygen that makes possible our existence in the temporal realm. And even that is possible because of the sovereign providence of The God Who is There. (cf. Francis A. Schaeffer)

 

Sadly, in our human brokenness and sinful orientation, we are too prone to seek "freedom from" rather than "freedom in" the security of God's covenant love for His people. As image-bearers we are hard-wired for libery.  In the Garden our first parents were established in the optimum conditions for true freedom. Adam freely chose bondage to the Liar who sought to ruin the loving relationship between Creator and creature. Ever since the Race of Men have tried to barge back into the Garden on its own terms only to be frustrated and miserable at every turn.

The wreckage of these failed methods (Babel, Golden Calfs, Asherah Altars, Self-righteous Pharisaism, most of Pop Culture, Greed, Adultery, Murder, Indifference, Apathy, Indolence) is strewn along the paths of human experience and history. Too many souls wimper their distress, finding themselves chained in dungeons of disillusion, dispair, desperation, deathly dullness or dreary distraction. Here they may even resemble sophisticated trolls squatting in the shadows shaped by the disappointing pale lights of self-indulgence, self-absorption or a faux self-sufficiency.

As C.S. Lewis mused,  many of us are too satisfied playing in a mud puddle in London, rather than spending a day at the beach. By contrasts others dismiss their ennui by clamoring for prestige, power, prosperity, personal peace and affluence; or they hunker down on their stuff, roll up their sidewalks and ignore the answering machine or doorbell.

Into these gulags/ghettos a Liberator has come. He has heralded the great declaration of independence: "You shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free." (cf. John 8:32) ."He breaks the power of cancelled sin and sets the prisoner free." (John Wesley, O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing). More importantly He bought back His people from the slaveblock of sin by the price of a bloody Cross. His blood. Release from bondage to our various idols, our vain imaginations, our spiritual blindness/deafness is loving offerd of all who will exchange their self-confidence for a child-like trust in the Son of Liberty.

On our 236th birthday as a sovereign nation we remind one another that "freedom isn't free." We celebrate with traditional parades, fireworks, barbeques with family and friends. We remember the sacrifice of forefathers who resolved: "And for the support of this Declaration, with firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

Not only has God placed an unquenchable thirst for Liberty in every breast; He has placed within the hearts of His people a yearning for Eternity where we shall tirelessly praise the Liberating Lamb of God.

See you at the Potter's wheel!
G.K. Sexton

On Common Grace

(Toward an Everyman Understanding)

Recently my son Colin turned me on to Country music. While bee-bopping around in his stripped down Jeep we found ourselves sing along with George Strait, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks et al as they twanged and crooned on “Thunder 104.5 FM.”  Even though I am somewhat eclectic in my musical palette (Enya, Winton Marsalis, The Eagles, Yo-Yo Ma, Willie Nelson),  I found that the sometimes sentimental or forlorn lyrics of the songs of  the South would sneak up on me. I discovered that my growing affinity for home-spun story telling is founded on two factors.  First, I can actually sing along and harmonize. Second, I realized that many of the songs revealed the presence of Common Grace.

 According to Louis Berkhof, a Reformed Christian thinker “[Common grace] curbs the destructive power of sin, maintains in a measure the moral order of the universe, thus making an orderly life possible, distributes in varying degrees gifts and talents among men, promotes the development of science and art, and showers untold blessings upon the children of men,” [L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 1979, p.343]

I remember as a young Army Chaplain who desired to be faithful to my Biblical Christian identity and distinctives, that I was far too concerned about which religious tradition any given SOULdier might have embossed on his “dog tags.” As if knowing that, I would have a head start on how to provide ministry for him or her. Little did I know at the time, but that anxiety-laced approach actually created obstacles to genuine Gospel ministry. Thankfully the Lord allowed an epiphany of sorts; I had a built-in point of connection with every SOULdier and LEADer brought my way. It was the very real awareness that each were made in God’s image (“No duh!”).  This alone established a bridge between us. (Later I would conclude that for all the cultural contrasts, I could have a meaningful encounter sitting with an Aboriginal father, playing his didgeridoo at the fireside in the New Zealand wilderness.  After all we probably overlapped in our concerns, fears, hopes and dreams at some basic level.)

In the discussions about what constitutes “Christian/Biblical Counseling” certain schools/approaches assert that they are genuinely Christian because of how they bring the means of grace (Scripture, prayer, sacraments, etc.) to bear in a person’s life.  In striving for orthodoxy (right teaching) and orthopraxis (right method) there is a rightful circumspection concerning secular models. Overplayed however, this perspective risks throwing the baby out with the bath water as it assesses other approaches. As one who subscribes to an integrationist approach which is premised on the epistemological axiom that “all truth is God’s Truth” I am not espousing an irresponsible eclecticism or sloppy pragmatism. Integration is not careless syncretism or amalgamation which inevitably results in a muddle-minded mess. Therefore I suspect that those who see themselves as Biblically purist in the counseling closet are in some ways more integrationists than they may admit.

Within the realm of Common Grace, the observations and metrics of psychology and sociology can have a descriptive value (at least at a surface level). There may even be some diagnostic value. But authentic pastoral care, founded on Biblical anthropology (doctrine of man) and soteriology (doctrine of redemption) provides the truly reality-based soul-cure where the root issues of the heart (sin, fear, unbelief, etc.) are addressed.

Missions, evangelism and apologetics have an embedded assumption concerning Common Grace. Both of these ministries are expressions of the Incarnation and Emmanuel [“God with Us”]. When we prayerfully move about  in life, we ask the Holy Spirit to make us sensitive, compassionate, faithful in those occasions where we may share the Good News and invite/command liberating submission to the Lordship of Christ. If there is a meaningful connection between believer and the yet-to-be-saved it is in part because we have actually listened to the hopes, dreams, fears, doubts, questions and confusion of a fellow Image-bearer.. When we offer the cup of water in Jesus name, we do so not only in obedience, but with a compassion born of identification with another’s plight.

Of late this renewed awareness and appreciation of Common Grace, has humbled, empowered and motivated me as I live out what it means to be a student and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ in the real world of men and things.

See you at the Potter's wheel!
G.K. Sexton

More on Common Grace

For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45

On 35 years with Frances Jo

           (Sweet Pea)

Sweet Pea

I married my high school sweetheart thirty-five years ago June 18^th. Best decision of my life. Frances Jo is fond of reminding me that we met for the first time on the Ides of March 1972. Unbeknownst to me she decided that day that we would one day be married. Amazing what these women know while we guys don’t seem to have a clue.

Later we would discover that we had both been in Germany in 1961 where we lived with our SOULdier-fathers. We lived in German cities which were only about 100 miles apart. We were part of the drama happening in Berlin as communist masters built a concrete cage to keep their citizens isolated from democracy and liberty. What an amazing synchronicity to be stationed in Germany with our own family when the Wall collapsed in November 1989.

Berlin Wall, Easter Monday 1990

There is a real sense in our case that opposites attract. My beloved is mysteriously introverted, gentle in manner but tenacious as a bulldog when pursuing her convictions and passions. True to her German heritage (nee Fuehrer) she has fangs and claws when it comes to the welfare of our children. She gave the best years of young adulthood (19) as the  teacher, mentor and nurturer as a home educator. In the process she studied each child’s bent and exegeted their temperaments to me, the military dad.

The valedictorian of her college class (Augusta State University, Class of ’78), with a major in accounting and minor in computer science, she is chiefly responsible for the financial solvency, freedom from debt and routine peace of mind we currently enjoy. She balances my tendency toward emotional decision making with her solid facts-based analysis. Hence we have experienced the joy and blessing of consistent collaboration in the key decisions of our marriage.

The main blessing of our life together has been the shared vision for ministry; especially in our calling to the Army chaplaincy with its constant moves (12 locations in 27 years).  Never a complaint but a sense of adventure as the Lord in His wise providence took us from Germany to Korea and many installations in between. She graciously bore the challenge of living for three years in a remote venue in northern Germany.

Her love of music has brightened our life. A first-chair clarinetist in high school and self-taught flutist, she passed on that love to our children, patiently supporting our daughter Sara’s love of piano and involving all the sibs in our church’s hand bell choir. Special memories of Fran always include her softly singing or humming as we took car trips or as she sat quietly on rainy days reading her pastime novels.

In our family menagerie we have animal totems for each personality. Ryan is the Owl, Ian the Fox, Colin the Bear, Sara the fawn and Frances Jo is a blend of golden retriever and beaver. I’m designated the Lion-Eagle-Otter. (The kids are persuaded that I’m the skunk.) The reality is that in the loudness and craziness of the Sextons in their natural habitat, Fran is the quiet eye in the hurricane.

                                                     

The greatest blessing in our life together is witnessing her steadfast pursuit of Jesus. Giving her life to Christ in the midst of adolescent anxiety about her seriously ill father and attendant health challenges for herself, she has a disciplined devotional life, an abiding prayerful faith and servant’s heart. Her spiritual gifts are mercy, faith, hospitality and encouragement. Frances Jo has modeled a fierce loyalty to her friendships over the years. While not particularly gregarious, she bonds with her Christian-sisters for the long-haul. And that in the midst of the sometimes tumultuous military lifestyle.

The Skunk

My blessing with her is that she has such unconditional love and respect in our marriage. She has direct access to my heart and life and knows that she can speak into my life on just about any matter under the sun. She possesses the power of effective listening and she is my best sounding board. She demonstrates such integrity when she holds to her convictions and insights, even when I am seeking an ally in a given area. We are blessed to enjoy a one flesh relationship in which each one retains their individual identities while living out our solidarity in Jesus’ grace and mercy.

Thank you, Sweet Pea for being the love of my life!

See you at the Potter's wheel!

G.K.Sexton

An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Proverbs 31:10, 30

On Dads

(Father’s Day)

Standing at home plate during Little League baseball practice I was acutely aware of his stubble beard, tobacco tinged breath, hairy arms and fading after-shave.  He stood close behind, arms encircling mine and his hands showing me the best grip on the bat. We took several shadow swings together to calibrate the trajectory of a level swing.  During the season, I never actually got a productive hit, never mind a homerun.  My coach never showed disappointment at my performance.  He knew I was giving it my best effort.  My coach was my dad, Lionel Francis Sexton.

Dad was all about teaching the fundamentals of the not only baseball but of life. He instilled in each of his five sons that we were to see ourselves as leaders irrespective of our station in life. For him leadership was the doorway to success measured by any standard, temporal or eternal.  Taking the initiative to leave the world a better place with a focus on future generations was part and parcel of the Sexton Family Ethos. His personal character was built on integrity, supported by principled ideals of honor, selfless-service and compassion; and cemented together by a genuine love of his family.

A major influence of my dad on my own sense of fatherhood was the belief that a key role of a father is to provide vision for his spouse and kids.  From this I claimed my own responsibility to study each of my precious kids with a view to holding a picture of their respective futures until they had discerned God’s leading in their lives. As a Christian dad I believe that my leadership for my kids entailed discerning how God had created each one with a unique temperamental reflection of Christ’s character and call. For example, Ryan manifests Christ the Priest in his “for others” bent; Ian’s persona is that of Christ the Prophet, having a fierce commitment to integrity in himself and others;  Colin is all about Christ the King, with his love of engineering working out a dominion-focus on the earth.  Sara in her gentle personable manner exudes Christ, the Prince of Peace.

Albeit an imperfect man, my dad possessed a sense of graciousness. I never knew him as one to hold a grudge or seek to get even when wronged. If anything, his biggest struggle was in being able to forgive himself. This would eventually claim his life in suicide during my high school senior year. His sudden tragic absence from my life was (is) a tremendous wound. During the years since that loss I have been blessed to know the faithful reality of God as my Father. He has lovingly kept His promise to be a father to the fatherless (Psalm 10:14).

Effective fathers model two key aspects of God’s personhood. At once and the same time, God’s holiness evokes a sense of awe and humility in His covenant children (Isaiah 6: 5) while at the same time we find Him approachable through the blood sacrifice of His unique son, Jesus. (Ephesians 2:18; 3:12) My kids have their own pet names for me indicating their comfort in having access to my heart. Whether it is “Pops”, “Dada”, “Father”, or “Daddy”, I am ever waiting to hear from each of them and learn what is on their hearts. “Thank you, Abba for letting me come and sit in your lap; especially when I not so sure how I’m doing as a dad.”

See you at the Potter's wheel!

G.K. Sexton

Into your hands I commend my spirit

Perspectives on Biblical Fatherhood

For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption,whereby we cry, "Abba, Father.”

Romans 8:15 (ESV)

 

On Life Between D-Day & V-Day

The gates of hell shall not prevail

(In the Meantime, Zwischenzeit)

Sixty-eight years ago wave upon wave of service members from The Greatest Generation assaulted beaches code-named Omaha and Utah to begin Operation Overlord. Overlord was the grand strategic step to establish a beachhead- foothold for the formal liberation of Europe from Nazi tyranny.

One can only imagine the thoughts and anxieties of so many young Americans who were jostled about in the choppy Atlantic in their amphibious assault crafts. Many would be retching and spewing their vomitus on themselves and one another. As the assault ramps on their Higgins landing craft dropped into the surf, they would plunge forward into the cold waters. Slogging through the tide, they found themselves under withering enemy fire from the Normandy cliffs. Threading themselves through bands of beach obstacles and German artillery fire from pillboxes perched above them; these dog-faced soldiers began what their leader Genera Dwight Eisenhower called The Great Crusade.

The last full measure of devotion

By the declared end of Overlord some 2 million Allied plus fighting men had established themselves on western European soil at a cost of over 200,000 killed in action. If the beachhead had failed, it is doubtful that Hitler’s oppression and maniacal ambitions could have been halted. Driven by her commitment to our national values; propelled by our hatred of evil; urged on by our love of neighbor, America entered the ground war in Europe with the confidence that good would ultimately triumph over wickedness. Victory Day (V-day) would surely come.

Oscar Cullman, a 2oth century Lutheran New Testament teacher likened the Christian life as Zwischenzeit, the time between spiritual D-Day and V- Day. In terms of the believer’s experience this is the span of grace between the New Birth of our conversion by the Gospel, and our glorification in the eternal estate. We might also recognize the Meantime in the saving work of Christ, framed by His incarnation (a beachhead in humanity) and His Return (realizing the Resurrection victory when we are finally transformed in our whole person).  Our confidence to live out the meantime-ness of our faith comes from the objective victory over sin and death accomplished by Jesus on the cross.

On that basis alone can we advance on the objective of conformity to the likeness of Jesus for His glory; and execute our day -to-day maneuver toward fulfillment of The Great Commission. Each day we must preach the Gospel to ourselves, hearing the encouragement of the Apostle Paul: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:58)

Celebrating Victory!

See you at the Potter’s wheel!

G.K. Sexton

Flash Mob Honors WWII Vets at Reagan Gate 38

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus

Philippians 3:14.

On Remembering

(Memorial Weekend)

Remembering has consequences. Sometimes celebration and praise.  Sometimes anger or grief. Sometimes honoring which births new commitment.

Some don’t want to remember. It’s too painful and anesthesia may be sought in addictions; and worse suicide. Images, sounds and smells dredge up fears, sadness, regret or shame. Memory may feel like a trap; no escape generating resignation. I suppose hell is hellish because it enshrines sorrow perpetually. Ugliness ever before the eyes of the soul.  We are distressed when loved ones know the death of memory in Alzheimer’s; we see them straining to recollect names and faces only to be frustrated or confused in their oblivion. It’s a disease that denies personal sacred story.

Memory also breeds joy and partially slakes our thirst for liberty. In this sense memory breaks down the prison walls of failure and disappointment; staking her claim in ground watered by grace, mercy and love. Birthdays, anniversaries, family and class reunions serve as Ebenezer stones; mile markers of God’s compassion and covenant faithfulness. “Till now the LORD has helped us.” (1 Samuel 7:12, ESV)

Remembering links generations in traditions, values, hopes and dreams. In remembrance families, citizens, parishioners and even strangers form strands anchored in the past, threaded through the present and extending into the future. For some, into eternity. Remembrance excavates our lives to foundations resting on promises. Remembrance gathers up the pieces of our experience and reconstitutes our sense of purpose. Integrity depends on this work of remembering; individual, congregational, societal.

Slain before the foundation of the world

Redemptive memory is bought with blood. Cemeteries across our land are silent testimony to the sacrifice and selflessness which seal our national identity. The fallen know that America is about one fundamental value – Liberty. Our common bond in liberty transcends race, ethnicity, creed or class. In a larger sphere, students and followers of the Lamb know that heaven’s glory radiates in part due to memory of the Cross. Eternal wounds will forever provoke resurrected remembrances of life-sustaining love. In heaven the angels will reverently puzzle what Grand Memory could possess the Redeemed?

See you at the Potter's wheel!

G.K. Sexton

Healed Memories vs. Cleansed Consciences 

“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins."

Isaiah 43:25

On Bitterness

My scoutmaster walked with me through the forest teaching me how to identify trees by their leaves, bark, crown and fruit. We came upon one that stumped me. He plucked a small green bean-like pod and directed me to slowly bite into it. Immediately my lips began to shrivel into a pout, a mild numbness set in and an ugly taste set in. He chuckled saying, “I bet you’ll never forget how to identify a persimmon tree.” Mr. Kelly was right. To this day I have the persimmon fixed in my memory. There is a direct connection between bitterness and memory

The acid of bitterness corrodes our spirits when we give way to envy, jealousy, covetousness, resentment or regret. Bitterness can also be a fever that belies a broken heart.  If our hopes and dreams are frustrated by others’ actions or various obstinate circumstances, we can too easily lapse into a season of seething and slow-boiling anger. The disease of bitterness contaminates every area of our lives; our relationships (even with our Lord), our decisions, our health, our worldview.

Cynicism is merely bitterness taking on the air of sophistication. One need only hangout in Facebook land with the wrong crowd to be awash in cynicism. Most of the time it shows up in “conversations” about politics and opinions about pop culture. So many Monday morning quarterbacks reveal their “dark sides” when opining, their bravado often revealing their bluffs. When called on it, they confirm the presence of withering bitterness. In the aftermath of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords there was a groundswell call for more civility in public discourse; the judgment made that there was far too much vitriol in public discourse. The pundits diagnosed that political passions had become packaged in bitter diatribes leveled between various factions.

Hope deferred serves as a litmus test for where we are putting our ultimate confidence. If we find ourselves disappointed in our spouse or children, we may need to inquire “what is the source of my joy? What is robbing me of genuine gratitude? What idol(s) has bitterly disappointed me?  (After all, it’s not  as if they can actually see, hear or understand us.)  Biblical hope is a confident expectation about the future. This confidence is best placed in the character of God demonstrated in living promises. “I will never leave you or forsake you.”

When we “vote against our guts” choosing to believe God’s faithfulness we know something of what Moses experienced at Marah:

"And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, what shall we drink? And he cried unto the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet." (Exodus 15:23-25)

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Christ upon the cross is that Branch which the Father tossed into the bitter waters of our sin and misery, our disappointments in ourselves, others (and even God). In becoming sin for us he took our sin replacing it with the “oil of gladness.” In that great transaction of grace, embraced in childlike trust we realize “the joy of the Lord is our strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)

See you at the Potter's wheel!

G.K. Sexton

“See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;”  Hebrews 12:15 (ESV)

On Informed Passion

Jesus' Passion for His Father's house

Two polar attitudes have shown up in the Church; neither one adorns the Gospel.  Anti-intellectualism and anti-emotionalism fail to do justice to Biblical teaching concerning the appropriate balance between the mind and the heart. Both tend to leave the seeker believing that the Christian life is wooden or mushy. Neither satisfies our basic instincts about life as it was designed to be lived.

Recent participation in a Michael Card “Biblical Imagination” workshop enriched my understanding of Informed Imagination. Creativity that is distinctly Christian flows from an imagination that is honed on the whetstone of Scripture. Redeemed imagination demonstrates that all of our faculties can express the beauty of Truth as revealed in Scripture. This approach recognizes that our brokenness by the Fall  yields vain imaginations, many which are grotesque or which express futility or despair.

For the past several years the notion of Informed Passion has been center-stage in my reflections. The aegis of this preoccupation with passion was reading John Piper’s  Desiring God, Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. Fundamentally our desires are part of our hard-wiring by Design.  In the fallen world exploitation of passions moves merchandise, incites addictive lusts, craves anything that numbs pain. The operative question is “what does it mean to have emotional integrity?”

Acknowledging the presence of passion is rudimentary to emotional integrity. Psychologist may propose that passion is a function of a brain structure; i.e. the amygdala. Evolutionists posit that it is inherent in the survival mechanism, “fight or flight.” Sadly this perspective leads to a kind of determinism or raw materialistic view of life.

"You have made us for yourself, O Lord,

 and our heart is restless until it rests in you."

Augustine of Hippo

Alternatively I believe that passion is on board as a consequence of the Imago Dei  (Image of God).  Within the Triune Godhead there must be a passionate relationship between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This passion is a component of the self-existence of the Trinity. Thus the Creator has crafted the creature in this passionate likeness. Thus passion shows up in every human interaction in marriage, parenting, leadership, business, etc.

Without passion relationships grow cold, lifeless if you will. In the leadership domain,  leaders without passion fail to hold their followers commitment to their cause.  Overplayed, passion can also ruin a relationship, burning it out for lack of pacing another’s emotional investment. Hence my tentative conclusion that passion is like a nuclear reactor.  The intense potential of the atomic reactions are regulated by the control rods.

In the Christians life, we gratefully acknowledge the gift of passion, wisely allow it to energize our faith and love of God and our neighbor, and even release it in worship under the influence of the Holy Spirit by the Word of God. My prayer is that the Lord would make me desperate for Himself.

See you at the Potter’s wheel!

G.K. Sexton

More Pondering on Passion 

“His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

John 2:17