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Caregiving: A Cause for Christ by Ken Tada | Reformed Theology Articles at Ligonier.org
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I wish it were that simple. Actually, Joni does, too. Most people have no idea what it takes for my wife to simply get up in the morning. It’s nearly a two-hour routine that includes giving her extensive range-of-motion exercises and a bed bath, going through toileting routines, putting on her leg bag, strapping on a corset and getting her dressed, sitting her up in her wheelchair, brushing her teeth, and fixing her hair and face. And I’ve just described the abridged version. Plus, don’t assume that at night Joni simply jumps out of her wheelchair and into bed — it’s virtually the same routine as in the morning, except in reverse. Day in and day out, 365 days a year, it never varies—unless Joni becomes ill; then it’s more intensive.
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I love my wife with a love that is anchored in Jesus Christ. But that doesn’t make it easy.
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Without Christ firmly in the center of the suffering, a caretaker can crack under the pressure of loneliness, guilt, and despair.
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Where are the fathers? Again, statistics show it’s usually dads who bail out
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If anything, the long battle against her cancer strengthened my faith in Jesus Christ as well as deepened my love for my wife. Together, through every PET scan and chemo infusion, Joni and I were living examples of Psalm 79:8: “Let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.”
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Perhaps that’s the secret to good caregiving: a constant awareness of one’s desperate need of Jesus Christ and a steady reliance on Him day in and day out, like breathing in and breathing out. The fact is that when I’m serving Joni, I’m serving Christ, for Colossians 3:23 reminds every caregiver, no matter how difficult or demanding the routines: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” When my focus is on Jesus Christ, caregiving may feel extremely tiring, but the work doesn’t have to be tiresome. It’s for Him. I may get weary, but life doesn’t have to be wearisome— again, it’s all for Him and His glory. When I minister to Joni’s needs, I am serving the Savior.
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The enemy is not my wife’s disability (or even my wife when we disagree on things). The enemy is Satan. I’m constantly aware that Joni and I are in the midst of a spiritual battle. The Devil already hates Christian marriage, and if a wife or a husband has a disability, Satan no doubt feels he’s got the edge. But he’s wrong.
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Another secret to good caregiving is taking breaks and getting exercise.
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A key secret to enjoying my role as a caregiver involves friends
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Always, we’re mindful to keep Christ in our conversation, for my friends and I know that the King (as we call the Lord) is the key to genuinely close friendships between men.
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One more thing: I have learned the secret of “praying without ceasing.”
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Why Cigarette Smoking is Not a Sin for Others. Just a Sin for You.
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The process of sanctification largely consists of learning to tell the lusts of your body no (Rom. 8:13-14).
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A worldview consists of far more than the thoughts you think in your head. A biblical worldview consists of four elements—two of them propositional, and two of them enacted. The two propositional elements are catechesis and narrative. What doctrine do you hold, and what story do you tell? The two enacted elements are liturgy/symbol and lifestyle. An integrated worldview is one in which all four spokes of this wheel are balanced. You ought not to be carving a spoke that does not fit in our axle.
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The way others are to view your liberty is not the same way that you should view your liberty. Other Christians should let you do what you want unless the Bible forbids it. That’s how we guard against legalism. But you should use your liberty differently—you should be asking what the reasons are for doing it, and not what the reasons are for prohibiting it. Liberty is intended by God for you to use as an instrument for loving others (Gal. 5:13), and not as an instrument for suiting yourself.
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And last, my interest in discipleship of young men and women is to find and cultivate leaders. To look for such leadership abilities in the midst of these contagions of herd behavior is like looking for a redwood tree in the pumpkin patch. The motto of the future leaders of the Church will not be, “Guys, wait up!” Neither will it be, “Ooo, where did you get those?” We want to baptize the nations, bringing them to Christ, and so we should not be occupying ourselves with variations on the game of monkey see/monkey do.
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The Future of Biblical Counseling – The Gospel Coalition Blog
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First Stage: We each need to hear—some of us for the first time—that the church has a unique and significant counseling calling.
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Second Stage: We need to agree that the vision is a desirable one.
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Third Stage: We need to personally embrace and embody the vision.
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Fourth Stage: We need training, teaching, mentoring, practice, and supervision.
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Fifth Stage: We need to become good at counseling.
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Here’s the bottom line: you must become better able to help people. This contains a divine paradox. All genuine life transformation is the direct work of the life giver, the Shepherd of his sheep, the Father of his children. At the same time, this living God willingly uses us to give life to each other, to shepherd each other, to nourish, protect, and encourage each other. Skill takes time and experience. Skill calls you to the humility of a man or woman who is always learning. Skill bears fruit. It sweetens and brightens the lives of other people. I hope that you pursue the goal of becoming good at counseling.
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Sixth Stage: We need to develop leaders.
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Does Jesus respond to our obedience with love? | HeadHeartHand Blog
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(ii) However, Tullian does not clearly distinguish between a believer’s standing with God and his experience of God. Let me put it this way, God’s love for the believer never changes, but the believer’s experience of that love can change. God may withdraw the assurance and the daily experience of His Fatherly love because of my disobedience. He loves me no less, but I don’t have his love shed abroad in my heart to the same extent or degree.
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As in so many places in this book, remarkably astute and beautifully expressed observations are marred by the omission of tiny words of qualification. For example, in this case, why not write: “Part of the Spirit’s continuing subjective work in me consists of his constant, daily driving me back to Christ’s completed objective work for me.” Without these little, though vital, words, I’d be reluctant to recommend the book to any but mature Christians who have the discernment to insert these qualifying words themselves. And that’s a huge pity, because the book’s core message so needs to be heard, and heard with the passion and energy that Tullian brings to everything he does.
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Desiring God Launches Russian Website – Desiring God
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How do you write “Desiring God” in Russian? Жаждущие Бога, which transliterates into English as “Zhazhdushie Boga” and comprises zhazhdushieboga.org, the address for our new, fully Russian website featuring 64 resources by John Piper (with many more to come, Lord willing).
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Getting Enough Sleep and Staying in the Ministry – Justin Taylor
Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.
Emeth Aletheia 