Sovereign and Smiling: How Joy Makes and Sends Missionaries

Pierre Richier and Guillaume Chartier became the first Protestant missionaries to cross the Atlantic Ocean and the first to step on American soil. They arrived in Brazil in 1557. From the moment Calvin offered his benediction over the team in France and commissioned them to “The New World,” frontier missions and Calvinism were wedded.

Read more…. Sovereign and Smiling: How Joy Makes and Sends Missionaries | Desiring God

 Matthew 11:25–27, At that time, Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

But the Gospel of grace

"Religiosity of morality permits no one to be a sinner and now everyone conceals his sins to himself and to others. But the Gospel of grace, which makes it hard for the religious to understand, confronts us with the truth that you are a sinner. Now come as you are to the God who loves you. He doesn't want anything from you nor your sacrifices or works - He wants you alone."　Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Ephesians 2:8−10　”For by grace you have been saved　through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” 

God's will is your sanctification

Pastor fired for porn addiction offers help to fellow strugglers | AL.com

"God has a design for sex that's awesome," Oliver said. Pornography inhibits and interferes with that plan, he said.

"This is a counterfeit; it cheapens it, reduces intimacy; this is going to hurt your ability to have healthy sex later in life," Oliver said.

"When you see how early kids start to see it, it's a big problem," he said. "Sexuality is awesome and porn cheapens it and undermines the ability to have healthy relationships."

"A church usually reacts only after something has blown up," Oliver said. "By that point, the damage is so severe, the damage is irreparable. It's a very reactive stance. This is already going on in droves. A prepared response is always better."

"There's already an assault on our sexuality," he said. "If we don't have a couple sermons a year on Sexuality, porn, purity, honesty, confession, accessibility, we're not doing our job. Churches need to get to know subject matter experts. We've gotten to know the therapists who are phenomenally good at treating sexually addicted people."

1 Thessalonians 4:3, "This is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality…."

This will really help! Keynote: Tim Keller - How To Change Deeply - YouTube

Dementia

“When we buy into the myth that our intellects and abilities define our worth, we diminish the value of those who lack the same capacities. We demean one made in God’s image, and in that sense we desecrate God himself.” John Dunlap MD, 

Read more: Dignity in Dementia

Our position "in Christ" is never diminished by dementia. Ephesians 2:4-6, "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-- by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." 

Finding Grace in the Face of Dementia - Kindle edition by John, MD Dunlop. Religion & Spirituality Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Enjoyed camping….

Enjoyed camping at Tenryū Village last Friday and Saturday. I'll be 60 this October, so we might not have many more family opportunities like this. What a good chance to talk with the kids without all the gadgets!