On Discernment and Decision-making

DISCERNMENT, n. The act of discerning; also, the power or faculty of the mind, by which it distinguishes one thing from another, as truth from falsehood, virtue from vice; acuteness of judgment; power of perceiving differences of things or ideas, and their relations and tendencies. The errors of youth often proceed from the want of discernment. 

Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary

One of God’s design gifts in mankind is the capacity and means to problem solve and make decisions. We deploy this faculty in a less than perfect, even distorted-by-sin world. Nevertheless we have the responsibility to work through the clutter and messiness of competing desires, worldviews, data sets; all under the lordship of Christ over the totality of life (cf. Francis A. Schaeffer)

A consistent (and sometimes frustrating) feature of everyday life is the matter of discernment. This may be expresses in terms such as: “What is God’s will for my life with respect to marriage, education, vocation, business, etc?” Some approach this question using a bull’s eye approach; that is “What is God’s best for me in a given area?” (Is God’s will EVER second best?!) 

A better and more biblical methodology is the wisdom approach. This tactic employs a matrix of decision criteria which are faith-applied within the realization that there is a mysterious intersection of God’s sovereignty and human responsibility. Most importantly this approach is bathed in prayer whereby our motivations are weighed, our affections are shaped and our lives are opened to the greater purposes of “glorifying God and enjoying Him forever.” (Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q1)

To that end I offer a partial protocol for discernment in the form of questions. Think of them as pieces of a pie; you may pick which slice to eat first as you set out to enjoy the delicious delight: 

•  What is the question/problem I’m trying to resolve? How would I express it in a single sentence?

•  Do I have the authority/responsibility for the final outcome? This can help me right-size my ego.

• What do I already know about the issue?  What do I don’t know? This speaks to data collection  and management. What does the data mean (What does it tell me about God and myself?

• Who else do I need to consult with to gain perspective, identify blind spots, to test my discernment? This would include spouse, kids, parents, friends (confidants), mentors, boss or subordinates.

• How much time is available for me as I tackle the issue? This helps set the pace and manage any anxiety in the discernment process as it brings us to prayer.

• What are the likely consequences of a given course of action? Look for 2^nd and 3^rd order of effects if possible being on the outlook for chains of causality.

• What else is going on in the situation? This can help us step back and see the issue or problem in its circumstantial context.

• What resources are available/necessary to help me implement my decision? People, finances, space, automation, etc. constitute the building blocks for turning decision into reality.

• What does God’s Word tell me about each of the above questions? This is where we discover that wisdom is seeing Life from God’s point of view.

I invite you to immerse yourself in Acts 6 to observe and learn how the Early Church discerned the best way to meet the dire needs of those amongst them. It is a powerful demonstration of how God responds to the faith of the saints, thereby glorifying Himself and effecting the good of His people.

See you at the Potter’s wheel!

G.K. Sexton

“O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.” Isaiah 25:1

On Mom and Mothers

She's a steel magnolia.  Raised in the red clay country side of Georgia as part of the "Greatest Generation", she will always be one of my four heroines. (The others are Frances Jo, my daughter Sara and my mother-in-law Nancy.) She is a wonderful alloy of gentility and strength of character. For me as an Army Brat, she demonstrated that as an Army spouse there is a kind of courage, character and commitment that is willing to move at a moment's notice to support her SOULdier in their service to our Nation.

This lifestyle, while sometimes gypsy-like, afforded my four brothers and me the opportunities to know life overseas with the challenges of new schools, new friends, new homes and new cultures. Mom welcomed these adventures without complaint or resentment. Her sense of wanderlust was contagious infecting our formative years for the good. As she moved out into the world beyond rural Georgia to places like post-war Luxembourg, Germany and France, she empowered her sons to take on growth through adversity with grace. As a traditional mom she never begrudged her sisters who sought to balance home and work. Neither did she disparage them.

One of the strongest teachings for me was watching the way she overcame Southern white parochialism, always according to other ethnic Army family members the dignity and respect they inherently have as made in the image of God. My brothers and I can well attest to the awareness that when with our Southern cousins, there was something different. Something liberating. And we never had to make a big deal of it.

Twice widowed and losing her baby, Captain Kenneth Alan Sexton to a helicopter crash in April 1994 she knows intimately the sacrifice and pain that irrigates the oaks of American liberty. Three triangular American flags are amongst her most treasured possessions.  Three graves lie shoulder-to-shoulder, brothers in arms who each knew the love and devotion of my mom. In her eyes one can see the pensive look of knowing; knowing that the role and duties of motherhood make for a bitter-sweet potion, drunk prayerfully and in abiding faith in the One who holds the future.

Married to another Army spouse, I am truly blessed to have served with my best friend Frances Jo. Like her mother, also a SOULdier's spouse she supported our military lifestyle while home educating our four wonderful Army Brats,  Ryan, Ian, Colin and Sara. Moving from Germany to Korea over a span of 27 years, she accepted the spiritual and patriotic baton from that generation.  With it she runs the race of faith in the same quiet confidence of her mother and mine. She continues to shape the hopes and dreams of our daughter Sara; who manifests the same vintage quiet confidence about God's call upon her life as she studies nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University. Fran and I know that she will glorify her Lord as a third generation Proverbs 31 Woman.

It is with profound gratitude and joy that I honor my ladies and other women who look in faith to Christ to fulfill their calling as mothers, whether by birth or by adoption. "Well done good and faithful servants!"

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

Strength and dignity are her clothing,
    and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom,
    and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

Proverbs 31:25-26

On Sending Your Son on a Mission

2LT Colin Sexton, newly minted as an Engineer Officer in the U.S. Army,  stood before our congregation last Lord's Day to be under-girded by their prayers, knowing that he would depart  the next morning for an extended overseas mission. His mother and I knew in our hearts that this day would come. That he would be reporting to his first operational assignment after extensive training as an ROTC graduate at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and completion of his Engineer Officer Basic Leadership Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.

There was a much more foundational preparation which began upon his birth into a covenant family and his baptism, whereby God's promises were claimed on his behalf. His godly mother devoted herself to home educate him thereby shaping his Christian worldview. We rejoiced at the moment when as a youngster he gave his heart to Jesus and thanked Him for dying in his place. We are grateful for the lively days of sibling interaction and the way God used Ryan, Ian and Sara to shape his sense of himself and his deep compassion for others. The Owl, the Fox and the Fawn tussled and encouraged and forgave and confronted the Bear. We were blessed to witness his forthright manner and blunt persona tempered by grace. We firmly believe that when leading his SOULdiers he will ever have their whole welfare in mind including their spiritual growth. His will be an exacting standard as he trains them to be tactically and technically proficient in their warrior tasks and drills.

He wisely chose to sit at the feet of his non-commissioned officers knowing that they are the experts at SOULdier development, serving as the backbone of the Army. He preferred a humbling stance necessary to be mentored by these gristled and battle-proven leaders; rather than to hang out with his fellow officers; many who love too much their elevated status in the Army institution.

As we said good-bye at Reagan National Airport this morning, we could see the set of his eyes, the squaring of his jaw, taut muscles managing his baggage. We knew that we would not see him for at least a year. There were understandable tears, vintage Sexton banter and a quietly treasured pride as we released him to do what he knows in his heart God has called him do. He is a Christian man shaped by the Gospel in family and covenant community reaching out to embrace the mission of serving His Lord and his country as a SOULdier and LEADer.

How like his Saviour and Lord who from eternity past, embraced His grace-covenant mission to go to a far off place, live amongst a desperate people and offer Himself in love, laying down His life for His own. How amazing the Incarnation where One who enjoyed all the Trinitarian prerogatives and privileges offered Himself saying, "Here am I, send Me!"

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

"For God so loved the world that He sent his unique Son so that whosoever trusted in Him would not be lost but receive everlasting life."  John 3:16

On the Master Amidst the Mundane

In preparation for observing the Lord's Supper

This morning my pastor put flesh and blood on Truth, as he set before us the account of Jesus' post-resurrection encounter with seven disciple-fishermen. Having returned to what they thought they knew best after an excruciating Passover week, they are somewhat surprised when He shows up on the Tiberian (Galilee) seashore in the day's dawnining hours.

Their night of fishing had been disappointing. No fish caught. The seaside stranger asks the question that most irritates barren fishemen: "Children, do you have any fish?" Their response - an abrupt "No." Then another annoying statement (NOTE: a carpenter giving fishing advice): "Try the starboard side, you'll find some." I wonder if they grumbled as they cast their nets; perhaps to appease the Onlooker?

A bonanza catch of 153 fish (not minnows) strains nets and sun-baked muscles as they struggle to row ashore with the haul. One of them recognizes Jesus at this amazing result, "It is the Lord!"  Another plunges into the water wading ahead of the others (like usual).

On the beach a fire roasts fishes provided by their surprising seaside Host, who readies a breakfast for their appetites and fellowship. He invites the men to add some of their abundant gathering of fish to those already cooking. Again, Jesus reveals himself in a food-laden setting and a connection is subtly but accurately made. Jesus demonstrates that He is the true source of sustenance. The only real soul satisfaction.

Are we destined to discover that in the ordinariness of life the Lord Jesus inevitably (some might think eventually) shows up? How like Him to break in to our daily routines with more from heaven than we can ever imagine or think! How gently He stoops down making eye contact with our childlike faith as He calls us, "Children,..."? How gracious His provision of our daily bread; and of greater necessity. Himself as food for our souls!

The sense of smell is the one that triggers our strongest memories. (Ask a SOULdier dealing with flashbacks of combat trauma.) The lakey breeze, the fishy morsels, the smoke wafting into their nostrils. All preparatory for the familiar scent of Jesus in the midst of their mundane lives.

I wonder if the smell of the bread and fruit of the vine, concrete to my other senses also, will under the illumination of the Holy Spirit, confirm to my faith the covenant promises signified in Holy Communion? Isn't there a sense in which our observance of the Lord's Supper is one of those times when the Lord appears in our midst in the mundane seasons of our lives? Don't Word and Sign converge in our hearts and minds to strengthen us to faithfully follow Jesus in our daily lives? We'll see next Lord's Day when we cast our nets in faith, hope, and love in communion with Him and one another..

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

"Now none of the disciples dared ask him, 'who are you?' They knew it was the Lord."

Johhn 21: 12  

On the Joy of Intercessory Prayer

For 31 years I prayed for a spiritual breakthrough to the awareness that Christ was not ashamed of him. There was incredible joy as he stood with me on a soccer field near my home and shared that it had finally become clear. He cited a work by John Piper which I had given him as a major factor in his transformative epiphany. While those 31 years included moments of barrenness; nevertheless I sensed that the effort wasn't going to be futile.

About five years ago when praying in our local congregational prayer group we were bringing yet-to-be saved spouses before the throne of grace. On one occasion, my identification with one of the situations broke my heart and I couldn't refrain from crying. The work in my heart was a melting of a critical spirit toward these men and a growing capacity to trust God's timing and response. I count it a privilege to remember these before Him and delight in what He will do.

If the "joy of the Lord is my strength," then where am I most likely to experience that joy? The time spent in intercessory prayer is fertile ground in which the Holy Spirit cultivates the fruit of joy. The spiritual pulse of a congregation may be taken by the degree to which the saints intentionally pursue prayer as a primary means of grace. In that personal and collective prayer time the spiritual food of the sermon, the Sunday School learnings, the missionary zeal, the fellowship of care groups, etc. is digested. This results in the transformation of our Christian mind, the shaping of our natural and religious affections, and the renewal of our wills for new obedience.

I am gratified by the support of the covenant community leadership where my family worships; that they are committed to growing the intentional intercessory prayer opportunities within our body life. I know that those who are drawn to consider life together with us will be blessed with a characteristic joy and excitement, as we see our faithful Lord stooping to hear and respond to His children's prayers.

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

"Hitherto you have asked nothing in my name. Ask that you may receive that your joy may be full."  John 16:24

On Mind and Heart

The transformative impact of the Gospel is holistic. That is, the Good News of God's loving rescue operation in Christ's finished Cross Work applied to the believer, brings radical change to the whole person. All our faculties of mind, heart, soul and strength of will are, because of the empowerment of grace, brought into a dynamic process understood as sanctification. The fact of our being declared righteous (justification),  having received by faith the accrediting to our account Christ's righteousness, is foundational to our live-a-day progression toward becoming more like Jesus (sanctification, cf.  2 Cor. 3:18) In grammatical terms the INDICATIVE mood is framework for the IMPERFECT and IMPERATIVE moods. The Gospel thus brings us to the place where we live in real Reality. That which is objectively true is the atmosphere in which we "work out our salvation with fear and trembling." A practical benefit is that we are able to wait upon the Lord, with the inner work of the Holy Spirit working in us long-suffering character.  As the lyrics of the hymn state, we "trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey."

This dynamic life of trusting obedience expresses that our existential experience (moment-by-moment awareness) is a constant interplay of the mind (thoughts) and our heart (core being & emotions). I know myself to be too prone to validation by emotions (cf. Debby Boone's question: "If it feels so right, how can it be wrong?"). Therefore I need the more reliable grounding of God's objective truth and principles revealed in the Scriptures.

At 17 years of age I learned to fly small aircraft. One of my lessons involved learning to rely upon the data and indicators in the instruments, such as the artificial horizon, altimeter and airspeed indicator. My instructor put us into some fairly scary situations where the physical feeling produced by my inner ear would contradict what the instruments said. My instructor convinced me that there is a time when it is appropriate to vote against one's feelings (physical sensations) to trust the objective truth of the instruments. In similar fashion the constant necessity is to bring our emotional heartfelt responses under the scrutiny and liberating sway of truth (cf. John 8:32)  For my purposes, I understand that something is true because it is revealed in Scripture and/or is consistent with real Reality as God designed it to be.

Having grown up in the American culture which puts a premium on experience (witness that a $5.00 Starbucks coffee is as much about the whole experience as the aroma and taste of java), I am grateful that I can humbly recognize that any momentary emotional reaction to a given situation, should be tempered by the realization that I may not have all the data at hand.

At the same time I celebrate recent treatments that express the validity of our emotions and heartfelt responses to the truth. In particular, I have recently been encouraged by John Piper's Desiring God, Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. Piper asserts that we have a biblical warrant for experiencing joy knowing God as he is revealed in Scripture inasmuch as we have been created for just such a relationship with our Triune God.

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

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." -- Psalm 37:4

ChristCraft Launch

Family and Friends,

Return of the Prodigal Son

Today I launch out for the first time into the blog world. I do so with some trepidation realizing that this forum is an opportunity for transparency which exposes me to the scrutiny, critique, feedback, affirmation, correction, reproof, correction and blessing of those who post here. I respectully request that your comments be well considered, constructive and seasoned with grace with a view to edify one another as we travel together in our life long pilgrimage as intentional students and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

One of my hopes is that through blog conversations I can fulfill a hard-wired urge to say something meaningful that will require me to think Biblically while engaging my posters in a real time thinking aloud about our Christian experiences and provide mutual stimulation to love and good deeds. I am not looking for agreement in any particular area but do desire exchanges which are good faith contributions to the adventure of growing in grace in this limited "cyber-community."

I was originally encouraged to consider blogging by my sweetheart and helpmate of 35 years, Frances Jo. She knows me better than any human being living on planet earth. For years I have been prompted by her and several close friends to consider writing a book. They seemed to believe that I actually had something worthwhile to say. Well, recognizing that I haven't the time or skill to commit to such a daunting endeavor, I believe that blogging will afford me the means to "chunkify" my awareness and to articulate them in digestible portions.

I relish the opportunity to interact with you in future posts and will devote the early contributions to some appropriate self disclosure. Again, I am a Myers-Briggs Extroverted iNtuitive Feeling Perceiver (ENFP). You may want to Google that personality type for a great synopsis on that particular style. I strive for transparency in a fallen universe knowing that I may attain a greater degree as I yield to the Holy Spirit's work of conforming me to the image of Christ by the Scriptures. I am thankful that I am able to daily discern the Lord's calling as He did in Eden:  "Why are you hiding?"

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

 “Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words.” Jeremiah 18:2