The Inn Keeper (John Piper Christmas Poem)

New Office for King's Cross Church

We are very thankful and happy to announce that we have opened up a new King's Cross Church office in downtown Wenatchee. We call it "Shiloh" in prayerful hopes that it will function both as a place of peace and a "beachhead" for the invasion of our beloved city. Shiloh is located in the NW corner on the second story of the historic Fuller-Quigg building at 103 Palouse St.

Semper Reformanda Y'all

"The Reformation was a time when men went blind, staggering drunk because they had discovered, in the dusty basement of late medievalism, a whole cellar full of fifteen-hundred-year-old, two-hundred proof Grace–bottle after bottle of pure distilate of Scripture, one sip of which would convince anyone that God saves us single-handedly. The word of the Gospel–after all those centuries of trying to lift yourself into heaven by worrying about the perfection of your bootstraps–suddenly turned out to be a flat announcement that the saved were home before they started…Grace has to be drunk straight: no water, no ice, and certainly no ginger ale; neither goodness, nor badness, not the flowers that bloom in the spring of super spirituality could be allowed to enter into the case." (Fr. Robert Farrar Capon - 1925-2013)

Pleasant Inns

“The Christian doctrine of suffering explains, I believe, a very curious fact about the world we live in. The settled happiness and security which we all desire, God withholds from us by the very nature of the world: but joy, pleasure, and merriment, He has scattered broadcast. We are never safe, but we have plenty of fun, and some ecstasy. It is not hard to see why. The security we crave would teach us to rest our hearts in this world and oppose an obstacle to our return to God: a few moments of happy love, a landscape, a symphony, a merry meeting with our friends, a bath or a football match, have no such tendency. Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home.” (C. S. Lewis)

Judges For You

This Sunday we will begin our corporate meditations on the wonderful book of Judges. Please join us as we study this important portion of God's Word and consider its application to our time and place. 

Evolutionary Hymn

Lead us, Evolution, lead us
Up the future's endless stair;
Chop us, change us, prod us, weed us.
For stagnation is despair:
Groping, guessing, yet progressing,
Lead us nobody knows where.

Wrong or justice, joy or sorrow,
In the present what are they
while there's always jam-tomorrow,
While we tread the onward way?
Never knowing where we're going,
We can never go astray.

To whatever variation
Our posterity may turn
Hairy, squashy, or crustacean,
Bulbous-eyed or square of stern,
Tusked or toothless, mild or ruthless,
Towards that unknown god we yearn.

Ask not if it's god or devil,
Brethren, lest your words imply
Static norms of good and evil
(As in Plato) throned on high;
Such scholastic, inelastic,
Abstract yardsticks we deny.

Far too long have sages vainly
Glossed great Nature's simple text;
He who runs can read it plainly,
'Goodness = what comes next.'
By evolving, Life is solving
All the questions we perplexed.

On then! Value means survival-
Value. If our progeny
Spreads and spawns and licks each rival,
That will prove its deity
(Far from pleasant, by our present,
Standards, though it may well be). 

C.S. Lewis

Eight Problems of Theistic Evolution

Listed below are eight problems Wayne Grudem finds with theistic evolution. He may not be an authority on these matters, but in typical fashion he distills the main points nicely and explain succinctly what unbiblical conclusions we must reach for theistic evolution to be true.

1) Adam and Eve were not the first human beings, but they were just two Neolithic farmers among about ten million other human beings on earth at that time, and God just chose to reveal himself to them in a personal way.

2) Those other human beings had already been seeking to worship and serve God or gods in their own ways.

3) Adam was not specially formed by God of ‘dust from the ground’ (Gen. 2:7) but had two human parents.

4) Eve was not directly made by God of a ‘rib that the Lord God had taken from the man’ (Gen. 2:22), but she also had two human parents.

5) Many human beings both then and now are not descended from Adam and Eve.

6) Adam and Eve’s sin was not the first sin.

7) Human physical death had occurred for thousands of years before Adam and Eve’s sin – it was part of the way living things had always existed.

8) God did not impose any alteration in the natural world when he cursed the ground because of Adam’s sin.

Additionally, here are a few questions theistic evolution raises for the Bible believing Christian: How can we uphold the special dignity and majesty the Bible accords human beings when we are only qualitatively different from other life forms and continuous with the rest of the animal world? How can God impute sin and guilt to all humans along the lines of federal headship when some of us have no physical connection with Adam? Likewise, if we are not all descended literally from one pair, how can we all have an ontological connection with Christ who only assumed the flesh of Adam’s race?

(From Justin Taylor's "Between Two Worlds")

Lunatic, Liar or Lord

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” 

― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Forgive Us These Faults, Tim Keller

For decades Kathy and I  have profited immensely from the pastoral wisdom of the converted slave trader John Newton. As an 18th-century Anglican minister, Newton was a good preacher, but it was as a pastor, counselor, and adviser that he excelled. His pastoral letters are a treasure chest. In one of his letters (entitled "Some Blemishes on Christian Character") Newton points out that while most Christians succeed in avoiding more gross sins, many do not actually experience much in the way of actual spiritual growth.

Newton lays out a convicting and specific example of the kinds of Christian people who coast on their strengths but do nothing about their weaknesses and so rob themselves and others of joy and God of his glory. These blemishes are often seen by their bearers as mere "foibles." Newton says they "may not seem to violate any express command of Scripture" and yet, they are "properly sinful" because they are the opposite of the fruit of the Spirit that believers are supposed to exhibit. 

These "small faults" mean that large swaths of the Christian population have little influence on others for Christ. While our faults always seem small to us due to the natural self-justification of the heart, you can be sure they don't look so small to others. 

Over the years I've gone back again and again to this list in the manner he directs to use in my personal self-examination (not as a way to find fault with others). As a result I've seen things in myself that I've sought to stamp out with God's grace. And as I've worked through the list I've expanded it—often breaking some of his larger categories into smaller ones in order to be more incisive.  

Here I'll share my expanded list—based heavily on his Newton's original one. Since Newton gave each case study a slightly humorous Latin name, I've done the same.

Austerus is a solid and disciplined Christian but abrasive, critical, and ungenerous in dealing with people, temperamental, seldom giving compliments and praise, and almost never gentle.

Infitialis is a person of careful and deliberate character but habitually cynical, negative, and pessimistic, always discouraging ("that will never work"), unsupportive, and vaguely unhappy. 

Pulsus is passionate, yes, but also impulsive and impatient, not thinking things out, speaking too soon, always quick to complain and lodge a protest, often needs to apologize for rash statements.

Querulus is a person of strong convictions, but known to be opinionated, a poor listener, argumentative, not very teachable, and slow to admit wrong. 

Subjectio is a resourceful and ambitious person, but also someone who often shades the truth, puts a lot of spin on things (close to misrepresentation), is very partisan, self-promoting, and turf-conscious. 

Potestas gets things done but needs to control every situation, has trouble sharing power, has a need to do everything him or herself, and is very suspicious and mistrustful of others.

Fragilis is friendly and seeks friends, but constantly gets feelings hurt, easily feels slighted and put down, is often offended and upset by real and imagined criticism by others. 

Curiosus is sociable but enjoys knowing negative things about people, finds ways of passing the news on, may divulge confidences, and enjoys confronting too much.

Volatilis is kind-hearted and eager to help, but simply not reliable—isn't punctual, doesn't follow through on promises, always over-extended, and as a result may do shoddy work. 

Look at these and ask which one or two most describe you. Have the courage to ask someone else you know, too. In future articles we'll look both at why so many of us seem to be stuck in these character flaws instead of growing and changing to be of more godly character.

This article originally appeared in Redeemer Presbyterian Church's monthly Redeemer Report.

Weakness is the Way

HT: Jim Saemenes

Falling Plates

HT: Dale Callahan

Lord. Have. Mercy.

It's a Wonderful Life

"Everyone on earth should believe, amid whatever madness or moral failure, that his life and temperament have some object on earth. Everyone on earth should believe that he has something to give to the world which cannot otherwise be given. Everyone should, for the good of men and for the saving of his own soul, believe that it is possible, even if we are the enemies of the human race, to be the friends of God." (G. K. Chesterton)

Ragman

Ragman
by Walter Wangerin, Jr.

I saw a strange sight. I stumbled upon a story most strange, like nothing my life, my street sense, my sly tongue had ever prepared me for.

Hush, child. Hush, now, and I will tell it to you.

Even before the dawn one Friday morning I noticed a young man, handsome and strong, walking the alleys of our City. He was pulling an old cart filled with clothes both bright and new, and he was calling in a clear, tenor voice: "Rags!" Ah, the air was foul and the first light filthy to be crossed by such sweet music.

"Rags! New rags for old! I take your tired rags! Rags!"

"Now, this is a wonder," I thought to myself, for the man stood six-feet-four, and his arms were like tree limbs, hard and muscular, and his eyes flashed intelligence. Could he find no better job than this, to be a ragman in the inner city?

I followed him. My curiosity drove me. And I wasn't disappointed.

Soon the Ragman saw a woman sitting on her back porch. She was sobbing into a handkerchief, sighing, and shedding a thousand tears. Her knees and elbows made a sad X. Her shoulders shook. Her heart was breaking.

The Ragman stopped his cart. Quietly, he walked to the woman, stepping round tin cans, dead toys, and Pampers.

"Give me your rag," he said so gently, "and I'll give you another."

He slipped the handkerchief from her eyes. She looked up, and he laid across her palm a linen cloth so clean and new that it shined. She blinked from the gift to the giver.

Gospel Identity

All of Life, is Jesus Christ

Because of Him, we're dead to sin

Hidden with the Son, victory won

This is our story, destined for Glory

- Ken Johnson

We've Moved!

We have for some time been praying that the Lord would provide a place for us to meet on Sunday mornings. And I'm happy to report, as the psalmists frequently gush, "The Lord heard our cry..." So, beginning this Sunday, February 3rd, we will be gathering for worship at a new location and time.

Where: 701 Kittitas St., Wenatchee

Time: 9:30 - 11:00 am

We are very thankful to Wenatchee Valley Praise Center (a.k.a. The Living Room) for hosting us in their facility over the past several months. Pastors John and Sal and were exemplary hosts, and we remain grateful for their generous hospitality.

We'd love for you to join us as we begin a new chapter at King's Cross Church. Blessings! 

Out of the Abortionist's Mouth the Heart Speaks

Abortionists are threatened by informed consent. They’re traumatized by the limp body parts they look at every day. They’re torn by the contradiction that they became doctors to preserve life but use their profession to end it. Here are some eye-opening confessions from current and former abortionists.

“They [the women] are never allowed to look at the ultrasound because we knew that if they so much as heard the heart beat, they wouldn’t want to have an abortion.” (Dr. Randall, former abortionist)

“Even now I feel a little peculiar about it, because as a physician I was trained to conserve life, and here I am destroying it.” (Dr. Benjamin Kalish, abortionist)

“You have to become a bit schizophrenic. In one room, you encourage the patient that the slight irregularity in the fetal heart is not important, that she is going to have a fine, healthy baby. Then, in the next room you assure another woman, on whom you just did a saline abortion, that it is a good thing that the heartbeat is already irregular… she has nothing to worry about, she will NOT have a live baby… All of a sudden one noticed that at the time of the saline infusion there was a lot of activity in the uterus. That’s not fluid currents. That’s obviously the fetus being distressed by swallowing the concentrated salt solution and kicking violently and that’s to all intents and purposes, the death trauma… somebody has to do it, and unfortunately we are the executioners in this instance.” (Dr. John Szenes, abortionist)

“Telling those women their fetuses feel pain is heaping torment upon torment. These women have real pain. They did not come to this decision easily. Creating another barrier for them to get the medical care they need is really unfair.” (Abortionist Dave Turok)

 “This is why I hate overuse of forceps – things tear. There are only two kinds of doctors who have never perforated a uterus, those that lie and those who don’t do abortions.” (Anonymous Abortionist)

“I got to where I couldn’t stand to look at the little bodies anymore.” (Dr. Beverly McMillan, former abortionist)

“I think in many ways I’ve been lucky to have been part of this. If I hadn’t gotten involved, I would have gone through life probably being perfectly satisfied to go to the medical society parties and it would have been very, very dull. I would have been bored silly.” (Dr. Jane Hodgson, late abortionist)

“Sorrow, quite apart from the sense of shame, is exhibited in some way by virtually every woman for whom I performed an abortion, and that’s 20,000 as of 1995. The sorrow is revealed by the fact that most women cry at some point during the experience… The grieving process may last from several days to several years… Grief is sometimes delayed… The grief may lie sublimated and dormant for years.” (Dr. Susan Poppema, abortionist)

“If I see a case…after twenty weeks, where it frankly is a child to me, I really agonize over it because the potential is so imminently there…On the other hand, I have another position, which I think is superior in the hierarchy of questions, and that is “who owns this child?” It’s got to be the mother.” (Dr. James T. McMahon, abortionist)

“We know that it’s killing, but the state permits killing under certain circumstances.” (Dr. Neville Sender, abortionist)

Saving Innocent Lives, One Woman at a Time

This is national "Right to Life" month and this coming Sunday I (pastor Gene Helsel) will preach the last sermon in a short series on abortion and the sanctity of life. This past week I had the privilege of gathering together with some of my fellow Wenatchee area pastors and listen to the testimonies of some local ladies who had abortions several years ago, and, via a class called, Surrendering the Secret, were able to tap into the amazing grace of God. Listening to theses dear sisters was one of the most profoundly stirring and edifying experiences of my adult Christian life. We pastors sat riveted to our seats as we listened to testimonies that recounted a handful of tear-soaked journeys from regret to rejoicing. And as we did, we were wondrously awash in the mercy of our Heavenly Father as again, and again, these brave women demonstrated with their stories Paul's astounding declaration that "where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more." I sincerely wish that I could publish every one of their heartfelt offerings, but I think what follows will suffice to give you a taste of the gravity and glory of that humble gathering.

Here, in its entirety, is the first talk that we heard. The talks that followed were generally a little more biographical than this one. But this first talk set both set the tone and provided a theological framework for everything that followed. Please join me in praying that God will increasingly use these and similar testimonies in the great struggle against abortion-on-demand to "save innocent lives, one woman at at time."

As I went through this class for post-abortive women, what became increasingly clear to me were the far-reaching, and common themes with each woman who has made this choice. 

The class is called Surrendering the Secret—and I had never realized this terrible part of my history was actually a secret.  It had been something so heinous, it was unspeakable.  As an individual, I was able to seize the grace of forgiveness offered thru Christ – but further than that was unable to really look at this ‘issue’ as a ‘landscape.’ – with so many others out there like me, who had walked a very similar path.  It was like we were all ghosts, survivors of something we had done to ourselves, and to our children, but invisible to one another—phantoms, sitting by each other, but never speaking of this terrible, most influential event in each of our lives.