E-note: The Too Suspicious View of "Well-Educated"

Dear brothers and sisters,

This past Tuesday I took a day off from pastoral duties to attend a retreat with the board of Mid-Vermont Christian School. Dr. Charles Marrin, board chairman and member of Valley Bible Church, organized the retreat so we could take a 50,000 foot view of the school and consider the question, "What kind of students do we want to graduate from Mid-Vermont?" It is a simple yet significant question for every parent, regardless of where their child is being educated. In our discussion on Tuesday the board immediately noted a tension that comes from being a Christian school. On one end of the "rope" there are those parents who say, "As long as my child loves Jesus it doesn't matter how well-educated they are." Then holding tightly to the other end of the rope are those parents who say, "As long as my child gets well-educated so they fit and function in this world it doesn't matter how serious they are about faith." The tension between these two statements exists not only in a Christian school but also in the hearts of Christian parents. Is there an alternative view that is something other than a middle of the rope balancing act? I think so.

Take the first view, the "as-long-as-my-child-loves-Jesus" view. What does it mean to "love Jesus"? Well, according to the Beloved One himself, this is what it means: "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching" (John 14:23). Now does that mean that we obey Jesus just in religious ways--going to church, saying prayers, and staying married? Or does that mean we obey Jesus in every way, all of real life? The answer is obvious. To love Jesus with all your heart, your soul, and your mind is to obey him everywhere in everything. Obedience to Jesus in religious ways is no less called for than obedience to Jesus in non-religious way, even cultural ways. So loving Jesus calls for more than just understanding religious life, it calls for an understanding of the world. Such an understanding is what we call education. So I don't think the "as-long-as-my-child-loves-Jesus" view is thoroughly Christian. In fact, I am convinced that one of the great entanglements for future Christians (think Hebrews 12:1 here) will be cultural disobedience. We will need to prepare our children to believe that they are not necessarily obeying Jesus because they only see movies rated PG. Isn't there an obedience to Jesus in how our children will think about childhood celebrity (eg. Hannah Montana)? Isn't there an obedience to Jesus in how our children will think about virtual friendships like Facebook? Isn't there an obedience to Jesus in how our children will think about buying something just because it is on sale? Yes. Yes. Yes. Cultural obedience to Jesus requires an education that teaches one to think Christianly about all of life.

Now there is also that other view, the "fit-and-function-in-this-world" view. I'd like to address this view but it will have to wait until next week. For now let me say this to all families at TBC: It is my hope that my place on the Mid-Vermont school board will bring much good to my ministry at TBC. I am not interested in recruiting but teaching and pastoring. Raising children is something many of us are doing right now. I hope we can do it together and together discover how a mind and heart is shaped to love and obey the Lord Jesus. For His name, John

E-note: Living in God's Day

Dear brothers and sisters,

Two weeks ago I got caught up and carried away in God's day. The day started like any other day, with getting the girls off to school. But this day became unlike any other day soon after we arrived at DHMC for our first baby-care appointment. Sitting in a little box of an office, Jen and I filled out several pages of questions on our family history - standard issue kind of stuff. After a lengthy interview with the doctor, covering everything from Down's Syndrome to cholesterol, it was time to find the baby's heartbeat. At first there was nothing to find. The audio device couldn't pick up those tiny rhythms we three adults were straining to hear. Time seemed to almost come to a stop when the doctor said, "Hmm. I'm usually able to pick these up right away." She then quickly left the room to retrieve an ultrasound machine. While we waited for her return I was thinking the worst and told Jen as much. But with the confidence of a woman who knows she's pregnant, Jen said, "It's all right." "It" being "he" or "her." And sure enough "it" was. The ultrasound showed that our little son...or daughter...was thriving with the rhythms of life - the heart was beating. Hooray! Soon we had collected our things and were headed across the hospital to visit our sister in Christ, Joy Flowers, who was recovering from surgery. We chatted with Joy and prayed, remembering that the kindness and love of God has appeared to us in Jesus Christ. It was then time for Jen and I to break up for the day. Jen was heading back to Thetford for an appointment and I was hoping to see others at DHMC. One floor and a few minutes later I found Dale, Gladys Perkins' daughter, sitting up and doing well. We talked about sober things and prayed, remembering that the kindness and love of God has appeared to us in Jesus Christ. Then I was off to another floor, where I found Faye Sanborn, an East Thetford neighbor who also was recovering from surgery. We talked about sober things and prayed, remembering that the kindness and love of God has appeared to us in Jesus Christ. Then I thought I was done. But just as I was rounding a corner on the fifth floor I ran into Randy Reeves. Randy quickly filled me in on how his son, Michael, had broken a leg the night before on the Skiway. He was lying in a bed just down the hallway in CHAD. So off I went to see Michael, but in ten paces I came upon our sister in Christ, Elena Marshall. We've all been praying for her son, Cameron, who has leukemia. Elena and I did some catching up before I continued on to Michael's room. There I was greeted by our sister in Christ, Linda Reeves. The three of us laughed, chatted and prayed, remembering that the kindness and love of God has appeared to us in Jesus Christ. Then my DHMC tour was done, yet I was just beginning to marvel at all that God took me into that day and all the times I was able to name His Son. And a question began taking shape in my mind: Am I caught up and carried away in God's day only when it "feels" extraordinary? The answer was no. A mundane day is God's day too. The farmer working in his fifth hour of pulling vegetables is caught up and carried away in God's day too. The mother changing her fourth diaper is in God's day too. The truck-driver rolling across mile number 258 is in God's day too. The accountant correcting the formulas in the spreadsheet for the third time is in God's day too. So why did this one day seem so extraordinarily God's day to me when all my other days are God's days too? Because in His grace God got my attention and opened my blind eyes to see. Yours in Christ, John

E-note: Sanctity of Life

Dear brothers and sisters,

This Sunday is Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. Glenn McKee will lead our prayers to God for those needing forgiveness for the sin of abortion (both men and women) and for our lawmakers who need courage and grace to re-build a culture of life in America. As our country celebrates Martin Luther King day on Monday, we will also pray for Christ's church as she leads in peacemaking and racial reconciliation efforts. In the article of the week below, journalist Marvin Olasky interacts with a recent NY Times article on how we see or don't see life in the womb. May we all gain two things concerning this issue as we faithfully follow the Lord Jesus: His mercy and His courage. Yours in Christ, John

E-note: Looking Ahead to 2009

Dear brothers and sisters,

Last week, after cataloging several things from the year past, I promised some hopeful thoughts about the year ahead. I presuppose in this list that all these things should only come to us if they be God's will and from His gracious hand. Here are some of my hopes: --- that we see fathers' hearts turned toward their children, teaching them God's ways and leading them with loving courage through this darkened world --- that we see sons and daughters obeying moms and dads and finding their parents wise guides through a darkened world --- that sporadic worshippers, hurried and busy with the worries and the affairs of life, will seek first the Kingdom of God --- that those strong in faith will encourage the timid and season them with showers of patience --- that those healthy, wealthy, clean, upright and in good order people will associate with the lowly and despised of the Upper Valley and of TBC --- that those who will die this year will have peace in their death as they make the great gain, Jesus himself --- that those who are born this year will be given the regenerating Spirit of Christ early in answer to the intercessions of all --- that those who think they are standing firm be careful lest they fall --- that the elders of TBC will lead by teaching and example --- that the people of TBC will obey and trust their leaders --- that those who judge from the outside or from the inside will be renewed to mercy, to Jesus --- that we all will be ready to do good to nice strangers who say "thank you" and to cantankerous enemies who say "get lost" --- that we will be more concerned with the glory of God than our comfort, our idea, our being noticed, our name, our dignity --- that this year's great sorrow, great disappointment, great disruption will be received from God with patient suffering and ardent faithfulness --- that we would all increasingly believe those very great and precious promises God has given us while we were still his enemies --- that many of us, if not all, will somehow miraculously get stuck on the truth that through Christ crucified the Father in heaven has justified us once wicked servants and has made us sons whom He loves with an inseparable love both now and forevermore --- that Jesus Christ will come again and the renewal of all things will take place unto His praise, glory, and honor! Yours in Christ Jesus, John

E-note: Looking Back to 2008

Dear brothers and sisters,

Happy New Year! How good it was to start the year off with prayer this morning. Thank you, Doug & Jennifer for such a well-prepared prayer breakfast!

Before we move any further into 2009, let's take stock of 2008. We have shared many things as a church family in the year past: A full year of worship services at Kendal of Hanover -- the "Thick Christians" sermon series -- Iron Sharpen's Iron men's day in Essex Jct. -- Peter Flowers finishing his cancer treatments -- the Lent devotionals written by twenty different TBC saints -- Action packs sent to the poor of Afghanistan -- Cassidys returning from Tajikistan -- Abigail being born to Greg and Elizabeth -- Dana Matosche visiting from Moldova -- Kevin Curtis taking a medical mission trip to Kenya -- our little effort called "The Old Testament Project" -- Dinesh D’Souza (‘83) debating William Sinnott Armstrong at Dartmouth -- Retro dance night at Bradford Evangelical Free Church -- The Accardys moving to Atlanta -- Janet Stowell's going on a disaster relief trip to Galveston, TX -- the Deacon Board taking mercy ministry to a new level -- Holly Brown and son Landon begin worshiping with us -- Mary Sarazin begins worshiping with us -- Tim Delaney begins worshiping with us -- Jennifer Brooks is baptized into Christ -- Jerusalem Marketplace arrives with graciousness and joy -- Maddison and Gwen have to leave their grandparents home -- New storm windows are installed on the sanctuary -- New stone stairs and a retaining wall are installed -- Cynthia Sandall leaves for a semester in Sweden (home now) -- Roland Smith begins to live with cancer -- Tara Fleming and Paul Kesig marry and move to Bedford, NH -- Russ Coburn learns his cancer has returned -- The Morrell family begins worshiping with us -- Bob Yongquist begins worshiping with us -- John Schwartz moves north to Wilder from Claremont -- Will Brooks begins worshiping at TBC -- Our own Craig Martin and Christie-Lynn (Valley Bible) are engaged -- Susan Kana returns from Cambodia to care for her Dad -- Grad student April Daigle begins worshiping with us -- Jeb Remus ( of Mass.) and grad student Laura Gilbert are engaged -- Jason Hennessy (of Mass.) and grad student Heather Anderson are engaged -- John Mark being born to Todd & Elisabeth -- Gene Ordway saves many of us $$$ with tire mounting -- God surprises us and our family in Colombia with abundance -- the Bizarre Bazaar takes place -- the elder board gets away for its first retreat.

The year ended with a special surprise for us Hartleys. Last night we received an end-of-year financial gift from you all. It left us humbled and thrilled! Just the day before Jen and I were meditating on Psalm 37:25 as we discussed what life will be like with five children. The verse reads: "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread." We thank God for your generosity and faithful care. You deliver God's promises to us. A couple weeks ago we used similar words to describe you in the annual letter we sent to our friends and family abroad. We are not able to mail you all a copy, so please except the attached PDF copy instead. We will also have some hard copies at church on Sunday.

In next week's e-note, I'll cover some of my hopes for TBC in the new year. Yours in Christ Jesus, John