I have experienced joy and sorrow over the past seven days for various reasons. For many of us that will happen quite a bit for me it just seemed one day I was joyful and the other day I was full of sadness. The Bible says that God is close to the brokenhearted which gives me great comfort knowing He does care in our sad times as well as the times we feel blessed.
First, I was sad to hear about Tullian Tchividjian's resignation because of an affair he had. Tullian always received a lot of backlash from people because he preached a lot of grace. Tullian was one of the Bible teachers that the Holy Spirit used to help me see the beauty of the gospel. I am praying for Tullian and his family. I know the gospel is bigger than one man except for Jesus. The gospel is all about Jesus. I pray that Tullian will take this time to see the beauty of God and how much He loves him despite his sin.
Second, my son got the chance to minister to first graders during a week of camp. He was a staffer for the Royal Ambassador camp at Camp Chaparral this past week. He mostly was a guide for them getting from one place to another. I am proud of my son for taking this role seriously. He expressed how tired he was from working the camp which I told him ministry is hard work and sometimes you are getting to get tired.
Third, this past Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage should be in all 50 states. Was I surprised? No, because they struck down the DOMA, which states marriage is between one man and one woman. If you were on social media that day, more like the past three days, your feeds were filled with rainbows from those who celebrated and those who are grieved. My first reponse was sadness followed by anger. The fact that these "unelected" officials struck down laws banning same-sex marriage that were voter approved. Also that Christians were celebrating with those who claimed victory over this. Christians who have pushed the word of God away so they can be embraced by the culture. For me, personally, I know I will be facing some hard times regarding this decision. I have a few family members who are celebrating that "love won." So when I see them, it is going to be an interesting and hostile time. I decided not to add my voice to growing amount of bloggers who wrote about the Supreme Court's decision Friday because most of them have said what needed to be said.
Fourth, I turned 38 this past Saturday. I am grateful to God for His grace in my life and allowing me to continue to be on this side of Heaven for His purpose.
Fifth, I mentioned a few months ago about leaving the church plant that I was getting started because of disagreements and personal attacks. I also mentioned we were attending Wichita Falls Baptist Church. Well we officially joined the church yesterday and I couldn't be happier about it. This church has been a blessing to my family and I since day one. The preaching and teaching has been spot on. The fellowship has been wonderful. The music has been Christ-centered. What is interesting is this is an Independent Baptist Church, but it is not one of those KJV only, women wear dresses, men wear a suit church.
So, as you can see, I have had quite the up and down week. One thing I remember is the sovereignty of God. He knows what is happening because He ordained it. Not sure why things happened but it is in His plan. He is surprised by anything that happens in this life. That gives me great comfort.
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