Jesus, the last Adam

Grateful to a blogging friend, Alan Cross, who on SBC Voices today shared a link to some thoughts by John Stonestreet at BreakPoint about Jesus as the second Adam.  The striking contrasts he shares between the first Adam and Jesus as the second Adam bear repeating.  I share them below.  Hope you enjoy these reflections on Good Friday.

The first Adam yielded to temptation in a garden. The Last Adam beat temptation in a garden. The first man, Adam, sought to become like God. The Last Adam was God who became a man. The first Adam was naked and received clothes. The Last Adam had clothes but was stripped. The first Adam tasted death from a tree. The Last Adam tasted death on a tree. The first Adam hid from the face of God, while the Last Adam begged God not to hide His face.

The first Adam blamed his bride, while the Last Adam took the blame for His bride. The first Adam earned thorns. The Last Adam wore thorns. The first Adam gained a wife when God opened man’s side, but the Last Adam gained a wife when man opened God’s side. The first Adam brought a curse. The Last Adam became a curse. While the first Adam fell by listening when the Serpent said “take and eat,” the Last Adam told His followers, “take and eat, this is my body.”

Ethics Daily Article about Medical Missions in Guatemala

I was approached a couple of months ago about writing an article for Ethics Daily to appear in a series that they're doing on medical missions.  Our church has been involved in sending teams to Guatemala to engage in medical missions trips for several years now, so I was happy to comply.  Here's a link to the article that appeared on their website today.

Great Article on Jesus Creed

I read a really well-written article on Jesus Creed today by Jason Micheli.  He describes a flight he took and a conversation in which he reluctantly engaged with a seat mate.  It's well worth reading.

Thanksgiving Reflection from Jim Denison

For quite some time now I've been receiving a daily email from Jim Denison in which he reflects on news of the day and shares a devotional thought.  This morning's devotional contained a great reflection about Thanksgiving that I wanted to pass along.  He writes:

"Thanksgiving" is giving thanks. But you cannot give a gift without a recipient. When we give thanks to God, we acknowledge that he is God. So let's be sure this Thanksgiving week that we truly give thanks. Theologian Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. notes, "It must be an odd feeling to be thankful to nobody in particular. Christians in public institutions often see this odd thing happening on Thanksgiving Day. Everyone in the institution seems to be thankful 'in general.' It's very strange. It's a little like being married in general."

Word & Way Article on Recent Cuba Trip

I had the opportunity in April to make a second trip to Cuba, having visited there previously in October 2014.  I traveled with 5 colleagues representing 3 different agencies: Churchnet, Future Leadership Foundation, and the Baptist Home.  My Churchnet colleague, Brian Kaylor, was written a nice summary of our visit to the island nation in the most recent edition of Word and Way.  I hope that you'll take time to read it.  We're exploring together the best means of responding to some of the needs and opportunities we observed while visiting with the leadership of the Eastern Baptist Convention of Cuba as well as several local pastors.  Click here to read the article.

Scot McKnight on the NeoReformed

I always enjoy reading Scot McKnight's Jesus Creed blog.  Today was no exception as he revisited a post from several years ago about the rise of the NeoReformed as he terms them.  Others speak of this group as the NeoCalvinists, the YRR (Young, Restless, and Reformed), etc.  His blog post today on the subject explores the tendency of this group to act as gatekeepers and exclude other evangelicals whom they deem as failing to live up to the gospel or embrace the truth by their refusal to espouse the doctrines of Calvinism.

This has been a concern of mine for a considerable time as recent years have witnessed the growing spread of the NeoReformed movement in Southern Baptist life in particular through a few of its seminaries where the faculty is decidedly bent in that direction. 

Spring Break Trip

I'd like to pass along some thoughts I shared in our latest monthly edition of the Joyful Tidings as I prepare for another trip to Guatemala.

As a child, what did you dream about being when you grew up?  Lots of you as little boys probably thought about becoming a policeman or fireman--visible community helpers who live a dangerous lifestyle.  Others perhaps aspired to be lawyers, doctors, or businessmen.  I suspect that among the ladies growing up prior to World War II, the majority of you aspired to be teachers or homemakers as these were the normal career choices for women in that time.  Career options are certainly much more diverse for females in the 21st Century.

How many of you wound up doing what you dreamed about as a child?  My suspicions, and they are just that without any statistical evidence, are that most of us ended up in a profession very different than that we had envisioned for ourselves.  Perhaps a unique opportunity presented itself, or maybe we were influenced by a parent, teacher, or mentor who helped direct us into the career we eventually chose. 

I share these thoughts as a background to ask you to pray for the ten high school seniors from our church who will be accompanying Aaron and Andrea Huffman and me to Guatemala during their spring break, March 19-26.  I'm excited that these young people have a chance to experience missions firsthand at this critical juncture of their lives before they embark upon college, military service, a trade, or whatever else the Lord has in store for them.  Would you pray that the Lord would use the time there to cause them to think deeply about His will and purpose for their lives?  Thanks for your prayerful support for our team as we go to serve at the Tabitha Ministry near the city dump in Guatemala City.