Anchored in Christ

Hey friends! Happy summer. Well at least it’s summer here near Chicago! Our family has enjoyed a lot of time together outside.

A Life-Changing Truth

John Piper’s go-to verse for battling anxiety is Isaiah 41:10:

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

The book Ask Pastor John says of this verse: “The text’s relevance for life is proved by its three verbs corresponding to every challenge we face. You can use it in weakness (‘I will strengthen you’), in need (‘I will help you’), or when life beats you up (‘I will uphold you’). Three awesome verbs God uses to speak his comforting presence directly to your soul.”

I’m going to meditate on this verse and add it to my spiritual warfare toolbox.

Some Great Articles and Resources

A Video on YouTube: Paul’s Request for Prayer in Ephesians 6:18–20

Free Prayer Maps from the ministry Every Home for Christ. Scroll down to where it says “Free Prayer Maps” to find one for the World, the US, and a Kids World Prayer Map.

Through the Valley: 8 Lessons from Job about Suffering & Comfort by Dr. Mitch Chase. The first point is interesting: “1. Suffering takes place in the context of spiritual warfare.”

Gospel Hope for Culture Fixated on Getting Even by Paula Rinehart. I appreciate these words about a topic I’ve thought a lot about recently.

4 Things to Tell Yourself When Anxiety is Overwhelming. Michael Kelley’s article will give you biblical perspective for fighting anxiety—something we all need everyday!

One Thing Needed for Latin America’s Reformation. This is an old article by Dr. Miguel Núñez of the Dominican Republic, but an important one. The one thing: holding to the sufficiency of God’s Word for life and ministry. Consider this quote: “In the West, the main problem has often been liberalism—subtracting from God’s revelation. But in the Global South, our main problem has been heresy—adding to God’s revelation.” (This article explains why I’m so thrilled to help create sound resources with Abre la Biblia.) 

10 Biblical Principles About Emotions—Drawn from the Emotional Life of Christ by Bob Kelleman. This helpful article will dispel false ideas of emotions and show you a biblical perspective by looking at the life of Christ.

What I’m Reading/Watching/Listening To

Book: Ask Pastor John: 750 Bible Answers to Life’s Most Important Questions by John Piper and Tony Reinke. At first I thought ‘I don’t need this book because I listen to the podcast it is based on.’ But then I saw how incredibly useful the book is as a reference. I’ve slowly read through the first several chapters and have been greatly nourished. Readers will grow in wisdom and find wise pastoral counsel for many topics that aren’t often addressed. This book is an early favorite for book of the year.

Book: Amy Carmichael: Beauty for Ashes by Iain H. Murray. Surprisingly, this guy who loves Christian biographies hadn’t read anything on Amy Carmichael! I found this book a solid, short treatment of Amy Carmichael’s life. Iain Murray did a good job telling major parts of her story and many of the challenges she faced along the way. I’m grateful for missionary biographies like this one that stir the imagination and soul. I found it interesting (but not surprising) Carmichael loved missionary biographies herself.

Song: Give Us Clean Hands by Charlie Hall. I love this version of the now classic worship song based on Psalm 24. While I’m not always a fan of adding choruses to classic songs, I love what Charlie Hall has added:

We cannot make it on our own, oh God // We need the Cross and our Savior’s blood
We cannot make it on our own, oh God // We need the Cross and our Savior’s blood

Song: Christ Is All in All by Keith & Kristyn Getty. My daughter sang this with our church’s children’s choir and I love it!

Getting Personal

My family and I visited Guatemala last month. I hope to share photos soon on Instagram. Here’s a favorite: