Romans 12:9-21

What does it say?
After exhorting the believers of Rome to first present themselves to God, and then submit themselves to one another, Paul now paints a picture of what the Christian life should look like. To be certain, though, this is not merely a check-list of things that must be done. Paul has already explained how check-lists (i.e. works) do not get you anywhere with God. Rather, God accepts the one who comes to Him in faith. Echoing James, though, faith without any evidence is no faith at all. Thus Paul is showing what the genuine life of faith will look like. The Christian will strive to:
-love without hypocrisy
-abhor what is evil
-cling to what is good
-be affectionate to one another in brotherly love
-give preference to one another in honor
-not be lagging in diligence
-be fervent in spirit
-serve the Lord
-rejoice in hope
-be patient in tribulations
-continue steadfastly in prayer
-distribute to the needs of the saints
-be given to hospitality
-bless those who persecute, not curse them
-rejoice with those who rejoice
-weep with those who weep
-be fair
-not be high-minded or haughty
-associate with the humble
-not be wise in his own opinion
-repay no one evil for evil
-have regard for good things in the sight of all men
-live peaceably with all men (as much as it depends on him)
-not avenge himself
-give room for God's vengeance
-feed and give drink to the enemy
-not be overcome by evil
-overcome evil with good

How does it apply to me?
When I see this picture of the genuine believer all Christians should strive to be, two questions formulate in my mind: how often do Christians as a group succeed in living this picture out, and how often do I, personally, succeed in living this picture out? As a group, here in America at least, we tend to love hypocritically, cling to what is evil, and tell others to favor what is good; we rarely are affectionate to one another with brotherly love, give preference to one another in honor, and are typically lagging in diligence; we usually are not fervent in spirit, do not serve the Lord, nor even consider our hope; most often we extremely impatient in tribulation, slack in prayer, and rarely ever remember we have brothers and sisters in need; how often are we hospitable, how often do we bless instead of curse, and how often do we rejoice with those who rejoice & weep with those who weep; too many times we are unfair, high-minded, and avoid associating with the humble; being wise in our own opinion happens way too often, repaying evil for evil is not unheard of, and showing regard for base things is the norm; others usually find us abrasive because we like to avenge our wounded pride, leaving no place for God to work; we tell our enemies they get what they deserve, thereby being overcome by the same evil we admonish them to turn away from. And I? I am no different than the rest. That's why I'm so grateful it's not a check-list that must be accomplished before we are accepted by God. That's why I am so grateful for God's mercy through faith in Christ. That doesn't mean, though, that everyday I'm not trying as hard as I can to match the picture that Paul painted. Father, cause my life to reflect the ultimate picture you provided of what it looks like to be your child, Jesus Christ.

Just Love Coffee: Up and Running

Finally! The on-line store we've told you about over and over and over again is up and ready for business. From here on out, the Just Love Coffee button on the right side bar of our page is a link to our family's on-line store.

There are several options for purchasing from our store. At the top of the page, the first thing you will see is an offer for the 2Buy2 Coffee club. In this option you sign up for automatic purchase of 2 gourmet coffees every month. Below that is the option for individual bags of coffee (remember to specify "whole bean" or "ground"). Also, in the left side menu bar you can find the list of Just Love Coffee merchandise.

Almost 1/2 of all money you spend purchasing Just Love Coffee products will go directly to our adoption fund. This fund will be used solely for the financing of our hoped for adoption. We would also greatly appreciate any and all publicity you could give our store over at your blog, web-site, Twitter, or Facebook page. The URL address is www.justlovecoffee.com/thesanks. If you're at all interested in posting a button on your blog that would link to our store, please let me know and I'll tell you how.

Thanks in advance for all of your love and support, from those who are currently Sanks, and those who are soon to be Sanks.

Our Little Dawg's First Game

Due to a hectic schedule as of late, this post is coming to you about a week and two days late. Our apologies.

Two Saturdays ago we were able to make it in for LA Tech's Homecoming. This was also Naomi's very first time to see Bulldog football live. Up till now we have been rather skittish of stadiumesque sporting events, fearing she was still a little too young to last a full game, and might be a bit of bear for those around her. Happily, she proved us wrong. She was quite enthralled, in fact, with all things Bulldog and football related. A special treat was getting to see "Champ" up close and personal. Though this may have been more of a treat for Daddy as Naomi was obviously more interested in catching with her long-lost buddy, Sawyer. Another special treat was getting to see Pops' handy-work. If you haven't had a chance to see Tech's new big-screen, you should. The brick-work on the base is especially superb. After looking at it carefully, Naomi was able to get a detailed explanation from Pops on just exactly how every brick was laid. Or something like that, I'm sure. It certainly was a good weekend and a good Homecoming. We got to see family and lots of old friends. Too bad it was so short.

T4A eBook

Together for adoption is offering an ebook, Our Adoption in Christ: What It Means for Us and for Orphans, as a free pdf download. Also, check out the audio of the main sessions of the 2009 T4A Conference.

CHRIST CRUCIFIED, THE BLAZING CENTER OF THE GLORY OF GOD

An excerpt from Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper:

With a prayer to that end, I take up again where I left off in the last chapter. There I said, “Life is wasted if we do not grasp the glory of the cross, cherish it for the treasure that it is, and cleave to it as the highest price of every pleasure and the deepest comfort in every pain.” What was once foolishness to us—a crucified God—must become our wisdom and our power and our only boast in this world.

I argued in Chapter 2 that God created us to live for his glory, and that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him. We magnify God’s worth the most when he becomes our only boast. And I concluded that chapter with a claim that his glory can only be seen and savored by sinners through the glory of Jesus Christ. Any other approach to God is illusion or incineration. If we would make much of God, we must make much of Christ. His bloody death is the blazing center of the glory of God. If God is to be our boast, what he did and what he is in Christ must be our boast.

Read the full book for free here.

Good Reads

Meet the Ministries
This looks like it will be an interesting series: "Last week I began an interview series I am calling “Meet the Ministries.” This is an opportunity for us to meet some of the Christian ministries available to serve us."

Clunkers in Practice
“In the category of all-time dumb ideas, cash for clunkers rivals the New Deal brainstorm to slaughter pigs to raise pork prices. The people who really belong in the junk yard are the wizards in Washington who peddled this economic malarkey.” At least our neighbors cashed in before anyone realized.

An Easy-Going God
"Here is some food for thought from John Stott."

Counting the Cost of Sexual Immorality
"It's very important that we count the cost of sexual immorality before temptation hits."

Morality, Hollywood Style
"Moral hypocrisy is an ugly thing, regardless of its source. Hypocrisy is a moral trap of constant threat -- the price of holding any moral standards at all. To hold to the truth of moral judgment and then to allow for the transgression of that moral judgment is hypocrisy in its essence. The only total escape from the threat of hypocrisy is to forfeit any claim to moral standards at all."

Romans 12:3-8

What does it say?
After first calling us to sacrifice our lives to God, Paul now exhorts us to live sacrificially toward one another. True renewal and transformation will always lead to this type of humility in believers. Paul reminds us that, in Christ, we are one body. Our aim should no longer be seeking how we can benefit ourselves outside of the body. Rather, our aim should be to discover how what God has given to each one of us can be used to benefit the whole.

How does it apply to me?
I find that, along with sometimes thinking "more highly" of myself than I ought, I also sometimes think too "soberly" about myself. Sometimes I wonder what gifts I have to offer to the body. So then, I fluctuate. One day I believe myself awfully beneficial to the body, and the next I feel myself a drain on the body. both are equally wrong. If I am a member of a body, and all members of a body have a function, I have a function. Likewise, if I am a member of a body, and members exists to support the body, (not the body exists to support the members) then my purpose is to raise up the body, not use the body to raise up myself.

This also makes me consider my purpose in which physical, or local, church I choose. Am I seeking the church that will meet all of my "needs" only, or am I seeking the church that also needs my particular gifting; the church where I can use the gifts God has given me to benefit and build up the body? Father, teach me submission to you. Father, teach me submission to my brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Sunday Wednesday Funnies

Kitty and Pops

This past weekend Kitty and Pops offered to meet half way and take Naomi back to Ruston. It was a win-win-win situation. Kitty and Pops got to hang out with Naomi. Naomi got to hang out with Kitty and Pops. And Mommy and Daddy got to hang out with just each other. We're not sure if these are all the pictures that were taken over the course of the weekend, but they're the only ones we've seen. Either way, it sounds like it was definitely an eventful weekend. I mean, any weekend you get to sit in a firetruck for the very first has to rank pretty high. And Mommy and Daddy certainly enjoyed the weekend as well. It's not often that they get an entire two days just to themselves. It didn't take long, though, for them start missing their little girl. Naomi says that she can't wait till the next time!

"I Saw What I Saw"

THE MAN WHOSE SINGLE PASSION MADE ALL ELSE RUBBISH

An excerpt from Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper:

You will be like the apostle Paul, as we saw earlier, when he said that he wanted to know nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified. Nobody had a more single-minded vision for his life than Paul did. He could say it in many different ways. He could say: “I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). One thing mattered: “I will not waste my life! I will finish my course and finish it well. I will display the Gospel of the grace of God in all I do. I will run my race to the end.”

Or he could say, “Whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:7-8). One thing matters: Know Christ, and gain Christ. Everything is rubbish in comparison to this.

What is the one passion of your life that makes everything else look like rubbish in comparison? Oh, that God would help me waken in you a single passion for a single great reality that would unleash you, and set you free from small dreams, and send you, for the glory of Christ, into all the spheres of secular life and to all the peoples of the earth.

Read the full book for free here.

Good Reads

Pictures That Make You Say 'Wow'
Here are some pretty incredible wild-life photos.

My Church or The Kingdom?
"Suppose I said, 'My passion isn't to build up my marriage. My passion is for Marriage. I want the institution of Marriage to be revered again. I'll work for that. I'll pray for that. I'll sacrifice for that. But don't expect me to hunker down in the humble daily realities of building a great marriage with my wife.'"

Got To’s and Get To’s
"It’s funny the difference made by that one little letter. Throughout my life I’ve struggled with the got to’s and the get to’s. Church can seem like a “got to” obligation, but it is so much sweeter when I face it as if it is a “get to” privilege."

Is the Era of Age Segmentation Over?
"Kara Powell has her eyes on the youth drop out trend. She is currently in the midst of a three-year College Transition Project, a study that involves over 400 youth group graduates and is focused on understanding how parents, churches, and youth ministries can set students on a trajectory of lifelong faith and service. Though research is ongoing, it is already revealing a promising pattern: youth involved in intergenerational relationships in church are showing promise for stronger faith in high school and beyond."

Update #2: Just Love Coffee

A week or two ago we updated you all on the progress being made by Just Love Coffee, the organization we're looking forward to helping us raise the funds needed for our expected adoption. They're still working on setting up the online stores in hopes of rolling them out this Fall (In fact, they've contacted us several times now to ensure that we aware of how to set up accounts, etc.), but, in the meantime, they've also been preparing the non-virtual side of things. In addition to what sounds like will be some of the finest roasts available, you will also be able to support us, and Just Love Coffee, by purchasing some of their other, not-to-be-drunk (is it "drunk" or "drank"?), merchandise. I'm aware that there are a few of you out there who, to your utter and eternal shame, do not care for coffee very much, and may be distraught that you can not bring yourselves to supporting us through this particular route. Well, your escape hatch has been prepared. Now you can both support us, and not be forced to drink coffee. Here Rob Webb, the founder of Just Love Coffee, models the line-up of new merchandise. Whether you're hip to new t-shirts, always in need of a handy travel mug, desirous of a handsome tote (Men, I'm sure you're excused from purchasing this item.), or just need to replace that old, worn out coffee scoop, Just Love Coffee has you covered. And as an aside, on Facebook Rob was sure to point out that, "I call these poses, 'Blue Steel.'" Superb modeling indeed! So now, in addition to having in mind which roast you're going to try first, you may also want to begin contemplating just how you will let the seeing world know that you support the Sanks, Just Love Coffee, and Orphans. And as a second funny aside, in the comments of our last post on Just Love Coffee, the Tennessee Bufkins informed us that we are separated from JustLove by only 2 or 3 degrees when they said, "excited for you guys! it was so funny to see JustLove b/c a friend of mine here in town works for the guy who started this and I was just looking through their preliminary brochure. very cool!" Small world!

Why Do the Heathen Rage? — International Blasphemy Day

Article by Albert Mohler:

Ready for a day to honor blasphemy? According to press reports, September 30 is set as the observance of the first-ever International Blasphemy Day. This could be interesting.

The choice of September 30 looks back to that date in the year 2005, when the publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad's face sparked outcry and protests in the Muslim world and threats toward the West.

Now, as Religion News Service reports, the Center for Inquiry is planning a day of observances to mark the occasion. Ron Lindsay, a lawyer who serves as president of the Council for Inquiry International, said that the day was part of the group's effort to expose religious beliefs to investigation. In the words of the RNS report, the goal is "to expose all religious beliefs to the same level of inquiry, discussion and criticism to which other areas of intellectual interest are subjected."

Here is one feature of the day as planned by CFI:

You've never seen Jesus like this before: dripping red nail polish around the nails in his feet and hands, an irreverent riff on the crucifixion wounds. The provocative title of the painting: "Jesus Does His Nails." Blasphemous? Absolutely. Deliberately provocative? You bet.

Artist Dana Ellyn told RNS that she is an "agnostic atheist" whose purpose is to be provocative. "My point is not to offend, but I realize it can offend, because religion is such a polarizing topic," she said.

Among other things, CFI International also plans a "blasphemy contest," "in which participants are invited to submit phrases, poems, or statements that would be, or have been, considered blasphemous." Winners are to receive a t-shirt and mug.

Bet you can't wait to see those.

More seriously, participants are also to be encouraged to take up the "Blasphemy Challenge" in which individuals register their blasphemy in the face of Mark 3:29. In that verse, Jesus warns, "whoever blasphemes the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" [ESV]. Those who take up the "Blasphemy Challenge" record video submissions which must include the words, "I deny the Holy Spirit."

The Blasphemy Day events are certain to draw media attention, which is no doubt the whole point of the observance. That is how a group like CFI can gain publicity for itself and its cause.

How should Christians respond?

First, take no offense. Refuse to play into the game plan of those sponsoring International Blasphemy Day. The Lord Jesus Christ was and is despised and rejected of men. Our Lord bore the scorn heaped upon him by his enemies. Christianity is not an honor religion. Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are not commanded to defend his honor, but to be willing to share in the scorn directed to him. Is the servant greater than his master?

Islam is an honor religion, and the major forces in the world today seeking to criminalize blasphemy are Islamic. The riots on the streets of many nations in protest of the Danish cartoons do represent what faithful Muslims believe their religion requires them to do. Not so for Christianity. We must be those who take to the streets with the Gospel -- not with a defense of our honor or the honor of our Lord. When Christians forget this, we lose our Gospel witness. The history of the church includes far too many instances of this loss. We dare not add another.

Second, mourn the blasphemy. The warning of Jesus is clear -- blasphemy has eternal consequences. The worst form of blasphemy is the refusal to hear and believe the Gospel. For that sin there can be no forgiveness. We must mourn the blasphemy, not because honor is at stake, but because souls are at stake with eternal consequences. God will ultimately and perfectly defend his honor. On that day, there will be no escape for unrepentant blasphemers.

Third, see this observance for what it really is -- an unintended testimony to the existence of God and the foolishness of those who deny Him. The sheer foolishness of a blasphemy contest with t-shirts and mugs betrays the lunacy of it all. They can do no better than this? One testimony to the power of God is the fact that his self-declared enemies come off as so childish and manic. The heathen rage and God sees the foolish grasshoppers.

International Blasphemy Day will come and go. Take note, ponder its meaning . . . and skip the t-shirt.

Red Out!

I suppose this falls under the category of "In Case You Didn't Know," and, since it's in the middle of the week, probably only applies to those who live in or near Ruston.

So, in case you didn't know, the LA Tech vs. Hawaii game is Red Out Day, meaning, be sure to wear red to the game. And if you're a current student, definitely be sure to be in attendance as they will be randomly selecting one student to give $1,000. Also, if you have any friends who are students at Grambling, let them know that they are invited to attend the game for free. They just have to present a current Grambling student ID. Oh, and ask them if they would be so kind as to remember to wear red.

The Sunday Monday Funnies

This is a The Other Malachi classic re-post. Originally posted back in '03, and then again back in '06, this is a list of mistranslations I found while living overseas:

In a hotel:
Is forbidden to steal hotel towels please. If you are not a
person to do such a thing please do not read this notice.

In a hotel lobby:
The lift is being fixed for the next day. During the time we
regret that you will be unbearable.

In a elevator:
Do not enter the lift backwards, and only when lit up.

In a hotel elevator:
To move the cabin, push button for wishing floor. If the cabin
should enter more persons, each one should press a number of
wishing floor. Driving is then going alphabetically by national
order.

In a hotel elevator:
Please leave your values at the front desk.

In a hotel:
Visitors are expected to complain at the office between the hours
of 9 and AM daily.

In a hotel:
The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the
chambermaid.

In a hotel:
You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid.

In an hotel:
Not to perambulate the corridors in the hours of repose in the
boots of ascension.

On the menu of a restaurant:
Our foods leave you nothing to hope for.

On the menu of a hotel:
Salad a firm's own make; limpid red beet soup with cheesy
dumplings in the form of a finger; roasted duck let loose;
beef rashers beaten up in the country people's fashion.

Outside a tailor shop:
Ladies may have a fit upstairs.

In a dry cleaners:
Drop your trousers here for best results.

Outside a dress shop:
Dresses for street walking.

In a tailor shop:
Order your summers suit. Because is a big rush we will execute
customers in strict rotation.

In an advertisement by a dentist:
Teeth extracted by the latest methodists.

In a laundry:
Ladies, leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a
good time.

Advertisement for donkey rides:
Would you like to ride on your own ass?

In a airline ticket office:
We take your bags and send them in all directions.

In a hotel lounge:
Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar.

In a zoo:
Please do no t feed the animals. If you have any suitable food,
give it to the guard on duty.

In the office of a doctor:
Specialist in women and other diseases.

In an hotel:
The manager has personally passed all the water served here.

From an information booklet about using a hotel air
conditioner:
Cooles and Heates: If you want just condition of warm in your
room, please control yourself.

From a brochure of a car rental agency:
When passenger of foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet
him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage
then tootle him with vigor.

Two signs from a shop entrance:
- English well talking
- Here speeching American

When Did You First Start Thinking Theologically About Adoption?

I LOVE THE VISION OF LOUIE GIGLIO

An excerpt from Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper:

One of the inspirations behind this book was my participation in the conferences for college students and young adults called Passion ’97, Passion ’98, Passion ’99, OneDay (2002), and OneDay03. Under Christ, the spark plug behind these worship and mission-mobilizing gatherings was Louie Giglio. He is calling young people to make a “268 Declaration.” The number comes from Isaiah 26:8—“Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts” (NIV). The first statement of the “Declaration” says, “Because I was created by God and for His glory, I will magnify Him as I respond to His great love. My desire is to make knowing and enjoying God the passionate pursuit of my life.”

This vision of life holds out to students and young adults so much more than the emptiness of mere success or the orgy of spring break. Here is not just a body, but a soul. Not just a soul, but a soul with a passion and a desire. Not just a desire for being liked or for playing softball or collecting shells. Here is a desire for something infinitely great and beautiful and valuable and satisfying— the name and the glory of God—“Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.”

This accords with everything I wrote in the last chapter and applies it to the upcoming generation. This is what I live to know and long to experience. This is virtually the mission statement of my life and the church I serve: “We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ.” You don’t have to say it like I say it or like Louie Giglio says it. But whatever you do, find the God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated passion of your life, and find your way to say it and live for it and die for it. And you will make a difference that lasts. You will not waste your life.

Read the full book for free here.

Good Reads

High-speed Internet vs. carrier pigeon
"An IT company, Unlimited IT, set up the race between an 11-month-old bird named Winston and the ADSL service of the country's biggest Web firm, Telekom. Winston took two hours to carry a 4GB data stick 60 miles; in the same time, 4 percent of the data had been transferred via ADSL."

Global warming takes a break
“It is increasingly clear that global warming is on hiatus for the time being. And that is not what the UN, the alarmist scientists or environmentalists predicted. For the past dozen years, since the Kyoto accords were signed in 1997, it has been beaten into our heads with the force and repetition of the rowing drum on a slave galley that the Earth is warming and will continue to warm rapidly through this century until we reach deadly temperatures around 2100.”

I’ve Never Been Mistaken for Brad Pitt
"I don’t think we can rationally deny that there is some serious celebrity culture in the church today, and even (or perhaps especially) within this New Calvinism. Whether this has always been the case, I do not know. But I consider it undeniable that, for good and/or for ill, it is a powerful force today."

Will Babies with Down Syndrome Just Disappear?
“The development of prenatal diagnostic technologies presents a constellation of moral issues — with the diagnosis of Down syndrome front and center. Over the past several years, a marked decrease in the number of babies born with Down syndrome has been both observed and widely reported. This decrease can be traced directly to the decision to abort after prenatal diagnosis.”

Romans 12:1-2

What does it say?
Through the first 11 chapters of Romans, Paul has been revealing just how much God has graciously given to us and how great is His mercy towards us, even to the point of being mysterious. In the remaining chapters Paul is going to show us how to live in light of that mercy and abundance. And the very first thing he calls us to, which will dictate how we live our lives, is to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God. He takes the Old Testament notion of the dead sacrificial animal and combines it with the new life we have through Christ. Our lives are to be daily surrendered to and lived for Christ. But this is not merely a lip-service in which we proclaim we live for Christ. Rather, we must allow God the Holy Spirit to completely change every portion of our minds. Our entire thought process must be changed to match the mind of Christ, and this is primarily done through the study and meditation of God's word. Only through the transforming of our mind will we be able to truly know and understand the will of God.

How does it apply to me?
Though I do not understand all aspects of what Paul says in Romans, especially things said in chapter 9, 10 and 11 about Israel, I understand enough to know that the mercy that God shows/will show to Israel is an extension of the very same mercy He shows to me. Neither I nor them deserve it. In light of such mysterious mercy, my only response can be sacrificial living. And that does not mean giving to Him, as a sacrifice, a sin filled life bent on gratifying fleshly desires. Just like the Old Testament sacrificial animals had guidelines on purity, so I should be striving to offer a pleasing and acceptable living sacrifice to God. And the way this happens is through the renewing of my mind. It's a cycle, really. To live sacrificially I must renew my mind, and to renew my mind I must live sacrificially. As I seek to renew my mind and live sacrificially, God will be about the work of transforming me into the image of Christ. Father, thank you for accepting me as I am. Father, thank you for not leaving me where I am.