A Word of Praise for My Children’s Mother

My wife, Kim, was pregnant with our first child when I packed up our belonging in Houston, Texas and moved her across the country to Los Angeles so I could attend bible college at The Master’s College.  Thus started a ten year journey that involved four children, seven moves, and four different jobs.  I was with her with each birth and she approached each of them with bravery and calm that was nothing short of impressive.

This woman is the reason my children know how to read and how to think.  They were taught by her and countless times I would be locked in my study and I would hear her singing with the little ones as they learned their letters and their sounds.  When they fell it was always into her arms that they fled and always found a gentle word and plenty of sympathy.  It was because of her diligence that they learned to memorize bible verses and to read through the bible several times before they were adults and out of the house.  She formed their worldview and she provided them a place of comfort and instruction.  The gospel was constantly on her lips but also modeled in her ways.

She instructed them in the ways of obedience.  “First and Fast” is a phrase they all knew.  When it was time for a rebuke, she did not shirk from that duty.  And when it was time for discipline it was given faithfully and diligently, filled with the faith of the fruit that was to come.  Because of her diligence our children were a joy to be around, each of them a billboard to her skills as a mother.

She prayed and still prays for them.  Her greatest pleasure even today is when the family is raucously gathered together at our house (raucously because that is the only way the Henry’s know how to gather together).  Today she is now a grandmother as well.  I hear her playing upstairs even now with her little grandson and granddaughter and the memories come flooding back to my mind.

She is a woman of excellence and she captures well the words of King Lemuel, “She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.  She looks well to the way of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.  Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her.”

 

 

Quick Thoughts on Injustice

In the last few weeks I flew over 10,000 miles, taught a seminary class on the Pentateuch and the Law and sent my wife off to be with her mother as she died.  The hardest of these was to send off my wife and to get her text telling me that her mother died.  The details are not any of your business nor shall I bore you with them.  But strangely they brought to mind a short bit ago a conversation I had in the parking lot of my church after a wedding.

There was a man, a family member of the bride, who was looking a bit vexed.  I saw him through the windows and thought I might speak to him for encouragement.  Instead I got a tirade of bitterness from his heart.  His wife left him, his greater family had failed to remind her that she should not leave him, and he was alone.  All of those in his greater family professed faith in Jesus and he despised them for failing him in his time of need.  So what did I ask him?

A simple question, “Where do you worship?”  He told me he had no church, they were filled with the likes of his family and he had no time for that sort of folly.  He would listen to sermons as he wished and worship God.  So, in this short little encounter on such a happy event, what did I say?

I told him that his problem was not his family who failed him, his wife who abandoned him, nor the Church.  His problem was that he was a man who was not yet a man who believed in Christ.   He was a pagan dressed in vaguely Christian clothes.  To my un-surprise he was less than thankful.  He blustered and threatened all sorts of things.  I laughed a bit at him and said his problem was not with me but with God.

I told him that his problem was that he thought God was unjust and therefore the things that happened in his life was God’s fault.  I told him, in so many terms, that God had not treated poor Job like He had treated him.  Nope.  Job only lost all his children, his wealth and his health.  He was stuck with a bitter woman who thought his faith was a folly and that he should just die (at least this guy’s wife left him!).

Then I told him that God was just in His dealings, He doesn’t answer to us nor to any other creature than He created and that if his life was miserable that was just tough.  But don’t try to make God unjust because your life doesn’t fit how you think it should.  He is the Creator and we are His creatures.  And when you give that a thought for a few YEARS you begin to grasp the glory of the cross, where the Creator comes to take on the sins of the creature so that the creature might enjoy the life of the Creator.

I add this, none of this has anything to do with the death of my mother-in-law.  I grieve for my dear wife who grieves for the woman who gave birth to her 52 years ago.  I give thanks at the same time to my Creator who cause a man and a woman, who would reject Him, to give birth to the one woman who gives me such joy for these last 27 years of marriage.

There is no injustice with God.  But through the Cross, there is much mercy and grace.

Reflections on Brazil, Part 4

I hear the rain outside and I smile.  I think of the young student who prays each night that his old car will start and there is a deep affection for him as I remember my days of bad cars and much prayer.  I walked by his car tonight after class and heard it laboring to start.  I prayed, knowing he was praying to and with much joy I heard it start up.  Small thing, yet God is in the small things if we would just ask.  Then I think of the student who was missing today due to a kidney stone.  I am sad for the pain I know he is in and pray for relief.

I think of the class tonight where we discussed a lot of somewhat boring issues but then we settled on the plagues of Egypt and the sobering reality that God hardened the heart of Pharaoh.  I reflected with the class how we can discuss the sovereignty of God in cold words but it actually intersects our lives in radical ways that are painful and shocking at times.  I exhorted them to not shy from pursuing an understanding on the doctrine and to consider how it is revealed in our day-to-day lives.

Tomorrow Philemon and I will, Lord willing, go for a driving tour of Atibaia with my translator.  At times I think he should be teaching the class rather than me, but he is a kind man who faithfully translates for me.  I laugh when I think of the couple of times he asked if he might take over for a bit to teach since he is well versed on a specific key point of theology in the Pentateuch.  I am able to stand to the side and let him help the students understand.

All of this to say, my God is sovereign and kind to me.  I am tired and ready to go home.  I am truly encouraged with what I see God doing with these young men and ask that you pray with me that God shall impress upon each of them to own the text of the Scripture.  To exegete it carefully and faithfully.  To embrace what they see and learn.  And teach it to their people.  May God continue to pour His grace upon this nation.

With that said, I think I shall sit and relax before starting it all up again tomorrow.

Brazil Trip Update #3ish

It is Saturday and I am trying to get my final exam created while my computer chooses to lock up at random moments.  I think it has a lot to do with it trying to reconcile where in the world I actually am.  Regardless, if you don’t get anymore updates it is because I threw the computer through the wall.

Class continues to go well.  The students are asking the right questions and I think they are beginning to understand the importance and the complexity of the Pentateuch.  It is one thing to have a position on any specific issue, such as creation or the exodus, but it is a whole different thing to understand the other positions, how they came about and interact with them in an honest manner.

Today Brazil is playing soccer against, I think, Italy and they asked me to postpone my class an hour and a half to allow everyone to watch it.  I was happy to do so since I have work to do and that means Philemon won’t be in the apartment; rather, he will be with some of the students or faculty watching the game.  I am still trying to get Philemon to try fried cheese and he is effectively avoiding it.

Below are two videos of our infamous coffee maker.  We are starting to believe it is demon-possessed.  I think they explain themselves.

Where I Am Right Now

I am relaxing before bed and found out that Google maps has my location in good resolution. So if you are interested here it is:

R. Santa Rosa, 226-396 – Jardim Alvinópolis, Atibaia – São Paulo, 12943-050, Brazil
http://goo.gl/maps/tmFjW

I might add that when you come off of the highway the first thing you see is the church. Normally it is a Catholic Church instead. Something that is one of many things that makes this a unique church.

A New Life in Southern California

This is the next installment in my story.  To read it from the beginning just go to the “categories” section on the right and find “my story.”  It will bring all of the posts up to read.  Simply put, this is my attempt to chart how I went from being raised in the Plymouth Brethren section of Christendom to a Southern Baptist pastor who is missional in his intentions and practice without being weird (though that last point is debatable).

When I last told my story I just arrived in Los Angeles.  I was driving a huge Hertz-Penske truck with a car trailer behind it.  To my right, stuck to the nasty vinyl seat was my very pregnant wife, desperately trying to stay cool without air-conditioning.  After experiencing traffic jams (L. A. style) we arrived at the house we would stay in for a couple of months on Tula Drive in Saugus, California.  There was a huge sense of anticipation as we were starting a completely new experience–Bible college and then seminary with the view to full time pastoral ministry.  It was in this new land we would build a new life, have our children, and gain a vision of what we might become in Christ.  Giddy and scared does not begin to describe my heart at that moment.

We had little time to get situated. I attended The Master’s College and found a part time job at Camping World. Kim settled into making new friends and preparing for the baby.  Our friends in Houston seemed so far away and for the first time I really realized the value of friends.  Minor memories abound of this early period of Southern California.  We experienced the first wildfire of our lives, watching the flames from our front porch.  I killed my first and only tarantula in the utility room and found out that they squish like a water balloon.  We learned that when you are house sitting there is no guarantee that the owners will not suddenly announce they are returning a lot sooner than agreed upon and that there is nothing you can do about it.  I found out you can move a ton of stuff in a Volkswagen Beetle if it has a sun roof and you take out all the seats but the driver’s.  Unlike Houston, TX, apartments in our new town did not come with a refrigerator, putting a young college couple quickly into debt.  And lastly, when a train goes by the said apartment you can think you are in an earthquake the first time.

But I wasn’t in Southern California to squish bug or move stuff around.  I was there to learn the bible.  I didn’t really know exactly what that meant but I knew that I wanted it.  The Master’s College and Seminary were a key part of that training.  But it was also my time as a member of Grace Community Church that helped define for me what biblical preaching and biblical knowledge looked like.  But it was not all happiness and sunshine.  There were many hard lessons to learn and in a sense I ended up losing my way in the ten years I was there.  Next time I will explore the good, the bad and the ugly.

 

Can You Keep from Preaching?

One of the blogs I read is done by H. B. Charles, Jr. and I find it consistently sound and enjoyable. His latest post is entitled, “If You Can Keep From Preaching , Do It.” It is a simple post that offers simple, straight-forward advice to young, aspiring preachers.  Here is a small taste of it:

One day, I had a conversation with a friend who was seeking to discern whether the Lord was calling him to pastoral or pulpit ministry. As he discussed it with me, he noted that he had mentioned this matter to me several times before without comment from me. He was right. I hadn’t responded. And I sensed that he was waiting on a response this time.

So I prayed an emergency prayer to God about what to say. And what came to my mind is what my father said to me some twenty years ago about whether I should continue in the ministry: “If you can keep from preaching, do it.”

I was about fifteen years old. And my father had given me the opportunity to preach his 11 AM service. I remember two things about that sermon.

It was the hardest I had ever worked on a sermon.

It was also the first time I received direct criticism about my preaching.

Now I will skip any real discussion about the validity of a fifteen year old preaching.  My point in this post is the common statement that if there is anything else you can do other than preach/pastor you should do it.  The rationale is that pastoral ministry, especially preaching, is hard, discouraging, and not for the faint of heart.  This was said to me and my fellow seminarians on multiple occasions and never, ever did it sound true.

When I personally heard it the first time I immediately thought of the fact that I had just had a very high paying job offered to me in another state for a great salary.  I was good at what I did and a head hunter recognized it.  Later I became a reserve police officer for the city of Glendale, CA and found out I was very good at that job as well and I was asked to come on full time.  Then there was the fact that I was a fully trained baker and had sound management skills in the realm of mid-range restaurants.  My point here is simple.  I could do a lot of different things and even succeed at them.  So was I a fool to press on in pastoral training?  Being stubborn, and noticing that in every case there was never a bible text that drove those comments about not entering the preaching ministry, I chose to push on.

Fifteen years later I am still a pastor, still pastoring the same church, and have no plans to do anything else.  So what do I think of these kind of statements?  I dislike them.  A lot.

I understand what is meant by them, but sadly what is meant is seldom actually said.  They are warning young men to really think hard about what they are entering into.  It is hard.  It is not a place for the wimpy (not if it will be a biblically driven work that is God-centered).  For every “thanks” you will have five criticisms.  Your back will get used to having knives stuck in it, etc., etc., etc.)

Not that it is a miserable because it isn’t.  I am marrying the children of those who were there when I first arrived.  I am helping those young families think through a biblical marriage and family.  I have had the privilege to help heal marriages and weep with those who lost someone.  I am humbled when I watch a person come to saving faith through my preaching and I grin from ear to ear when I watch a man stand up and be a godly man.  Good stuff.  And I get paid to do it.  I am granted hours every week to study and read.  I am entrusted to open the bible and teach it to God’s people.  I wouldn’t trade it for a moment.

But that doesn’t mean I couldn’t, because I could.  And many men I know could as well.  The point is not, “If there is something else you can do, do it.”  It is, are you will to forsake those other things if the gospel ministry requires all of you?  I said, “Yes” many years ago and there are many other friends who have done the same.  That is the question that young men need to hear because, in many ways, there is no going back.

Mr. McGyver Here

While in Cameroon recently I was able to show of skills that previously have never been witnessed by humanity.  In Philemon’s classroom the ceiling fans decided to not work after the switch literally melted and burned up.  They brought in a fan that unfortunately did not work due to the wires were no longer attached to the actual plug.  That is where I come in.  I realized I actually knew how to fix the plug and went about using a pen and some little, tiny scoop thingy from my translator’s key chain to accomplish the task.  The whole time Philemon looked at me with a face that clearly had little hope.  In the end, I plugged it in and it worked perfectly.

In victory I jumped up with my arms raised, his class gave me a rousing ovation, and I declared that forever more I shall be known and Matthew the Electrician.  Then a couple days later we had the final class and that means a lot of ceremony where gifts are given to the teachers and letters are read and speeches are made.  It is an African thing, most certainly not an American thing.  However, when my letter of appreciation was read (in French) I was called the Reverend Doctor Matthew Henry.

At that moment I looked at Philemon and we both knew what was coming.  My new title is now and forever (until another letter is read to me in French) as Reverend Doctor Matthew Henry, the Electrician.  You may all bow now.  Or send checks.  Both are acceptable.

Thoughts about My Younger Days

I want to add to my previous post about my time in Houston Texas as a young man eager to be recognized as a godly man without actual godliness. Grace Bible Church was a mistake in my eyes but it was part of God’s sovereign will nonetheless. To say that the church itself was a mistake does not mean that the people within the church were mistakes. Far from it. Many of them were used by God to help this young man grow in his faith. Genuine friendships developed. Genuine fellowship experienced. And my awkward growth as a Christian was also confined to a relatively small area of impact.

As a Henry I am by nature fairly aggressive. I do not say this as something that is good or bad, it just is. But at the same time I have a very sensitive side of me that people often do not understand. Though I am a pastor I am an introvert as well which makes for some unique situations at times. If I had my way I would retreat rather than advance in many situations. What is a saving grace in my life is also a strong sense of duty that forces me to step out of my safety zone and into real life.

If I were part of a larger church I think that I would have been hurt as I clumsily moved forward in my faith. But friends like Phil, or Bruce, and Lou were patient with me throughout my time there. Because it was a small church I was able to see many aspects of how a church functions on multiple levels. I realized during that time that there is a business aspect that that simply exists whether you like it or not. I learned that people need to be faithful in serving and giving especially when the church is small. I learned that a pastor is not Jesus; rather, he is just a man just like me.

It was at that little church that I had the opportunity to actually preach. It was at that little church that I began to realize that preaching was serious work. It was at that church that I began to slowly begin to see that I was a pompous jerk, and yet my friends were still friends. I remember once preaching a sermon out of  James, it was my second sermon if I remember correctly, when I was discussing the relationship of verse five with verses two through four. I was trying to show that verses five through eight were tightly connected to verses two to four and my pastor was sitting in the front row. I was very nervous but I preached what I thought was correct and afterward my pastor came to me and admitted that he had never realized the connection of verse five with the previous verses. An opportunity for humble appreciation on my part but instead to my shame I told him, “Really? It seemed obvious to me.” He took graciously but even now I am ashamed.

Hypocrisy is not something I am unaware of. I remember praying with other men as decisions were being made regarding who would be the elders of the church. Previously I mentioned that one way we can know the heart of a man and his maturity is through his prayers. And so now as I was gathered with other men praying I was trying to mold my prayers in such a manner that would show that obviously I am one of those godly men. What a joke.   I was not selected as an elder but I was not brushed off to the side either.

Updated, fixing some errors I missed.  Still learning Dragon Naturally Speaking.

Providence in Spite of Arrogance

The little church I helped form was a mistake.  It was born out of a sinful desire to show the elders of the former church that they were wrong.  It was born out of the hope that I could rise up and be noticed. It was born out of a heart of rebellion.  But it sure didn’t feel that way in the beginning. The reason, as best as I can describe it, is because I was naive in my thinking and theology.  I mistook excitement and energy for knowledge and wisdom.  Common for young people and that is one of the reasons our Lord gave us elders.

I think of Solomon’s son Rehoboam.  In 1 Kings 11:43 Solomon has died and Rehoboam is now king of Israel.  Right away in chapter 12 he hears wise counsel from the elders in verse 6, essentially telling him to give the people a break, let them rest and they will follow him forever.  Then these fateful words are read in verse 8, “But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had given him, and consulted with the young men who grew up with him and served him.” The result was that he made the pressures upon the people harder and split the kingdom, losing ten of the twelve tribes.

I was wrong not to listen to the elders of the church. And every time I watch young men at my church wiggle under decisions the elders make I remember my sin.  But I serve a sovereign Lord who providentially works even in and through sin.  And that is what he did for me.

Grace Bible Church was where I decided that seminary was what I needed to do.  It was where I taught adult classes (some of which I am embarrassed over now).  It was a place where I could watch up close the workings of a church, good and bad.  It was where I was rejected as an elder which made me madder than a hornet since I thought quite highly of myself. As a deacon I was given oversight over the lowliest of responsibilities which made me mad again. But Grace Bible Church was also the place where I preached my very first sermons and where the elders officially recognized the preaching and teaching were gifts given to me by the Spirit.

Kim and I were married now, were told by the pastor to not pursue schooling for one year just to settle into the marriage.  And over that time we began to seek God’s direction.  We had decided to go to The Master’s College and then The Master’s Seminary but were unsure when we should go.  Again God’s providence gave us a nudge.
I worked as the General Manage of Au Bon Pain, a french café, in downtown Houston.  The corporation had hired a hot shot out of New York to boost sales.  My store was picked to expand and we had plans drawn up.  When we met with the city inspector he said that we would have to lose a lot of floor space making it handicap accessible.  The hot shot told me to offer a bribe and I refused.  A week or so later I was at the headquarters with the other managers for a meeting, where he publicly mocked me and fired me for fake reasons.  Nudge number one.

I was heavily involved with the church and had a Sunday School class I taught.  I still remember the name of the class, Dispensationalism and Other Strange Words (picture me shaking my head at myself right now).  One of my friends in the class asked if I would be offended if her and her husband would attend a new class starting up.  Then the rest of the class agreed that they wanted to be in the other class.  My teaching time was up.  Nudge number two.

The two things keeping me in Houston where gone.  God’s providence again was being made plain and Kim and I were headed for Los Angeles.  I still remember the directions.  I was to turn right onto Voss, go a few blocks to I-10, go left.  When I got to I-5 I was to turn right and I was there.