mrbrettmcdonald

[mrbrettmcdonald]

You Are Greatly Loved

The prophet Daniel has a terrifying experience with an angel. It’s so frightening that he passes out. When he wakes up, he has no ability to engage with this angel. And so the angel speaks truth to Daniel to empower him: “O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage” (Daniel 10:19). 

The truth is that you are also greatly loved by God. He sees you. He watches you. He knows you. He delights in you. God loves you. 

That truth should strengthen us to face the things we’re afraid of. The love of God repels fear and provides peace, strength, and courage.

What fearful thing do you face? Be at peace, strengthened, and filled with courage: God loves you.

[mrbrettmcdonald]

Books Read in 2021

My favorite reads of 2021. I’ve had to read a lot for school this year, but it’s been one of the most rewarding years that I can remember. Most of what I read has to do with my field of study, Biblical Theology. I do read quite a bit of fiction, but nothing really stuck out to me this year. Of the books I read this year, here are the ones I enjoyed the most. Below you can find the rest of what I read. Maybe there's something to add to your list this year?

Biblical Theology

Exodus Old and New. Michael Morales. Excellent demonstration of how we can interpret the Bible through the lens of the exodus. Good for anyone who wants to learn how the books of the Bible work together to tell one big story. Michael Morales is a homerun waiting to happen. Read anything he writes.

From Eden to the New Jerusalem. T. Desmond Alexander. Another book that shows how the Bible works together to tell one big story.

Temple and the Church’s Mission. Greg Beale. Detailed, lengthy, exhaustive (exhausting?) but really really good. The universe is God’s temple.

Kingdom Through Covenant. Peter Gentry. Stephen Wellum. How the story of the Bible is arranged around the major covenants. Long and a difficult read, but foundational.

Dominion and Dynasty. Stephen Dempster. Excellent Old Testament Theology. Foundational, even.

God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment. Jim Hamilton. Walks you through the whole Bible. You could read it as a supplement while you read through the Bible. It’s a deep, slow read. If you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and do the work, it’ll benefit your faith greatly.

How to Read and Understand the Prophets. Peter Gentry. A short primer on how to understand the prophets. He gives provides some principles for interpretation and then gives examples mostly from the book of Isaiah. It’s short, and you’ll benefit by reading through it slowly.

Church Leadership

Trellis and the Vine. Colin Marshall. Anthony John Payne. The church’s structure is the trellis and the people are the vine.

Devotional

Gentle and Lowly. Dane Ortlund. The heart of Jesus is gentle and lowly toward you. He delights to show mercy. Really good devotional read.

Non-Fiction

In the Heart of the Sea. Nathaniel Philbrick. Incredible story of some whalemen who were lost at sea. It’s the true story that inspired Moby Dick. Philbrick has a bunch of historical non-fiction books that are all really good. He's one of my favorite authors.

[mrbrettmcdonald]

Books Read in 2020

Books I read in 2020. Maybe one of these makes it to your list this year? A few highlights...

Black Flags, Blue Waters- Eric Jay Dolin. Fantastic historical look at Pirates.

What Is Biblical Theology- Jim Hamilton. I began doctoral studies this last year, and this is a helpful and short primer on what i I'm studying.

Can We Trust the Gospels? - Peter Williams. A defense of the historicity of the Gospel accounts. The Gospels are incredible historical documents. Good book for skeptics.

Beginning Greek - Rob Plummer. Wanna learn New Testament Greek? Buy this book and spend the year on dailydoseofgreek.com

Louis Lamour books. My grandfather loved reading them. He gave me all his books before he died. Inside the cover of each one, he wrote the date he read it. I'm picking up the practice.

The One Thing- Gary Keller. A distracted mind slows down productivity. 

Animal Farm - George Orwell. Whoa boy. Read this thing with contemporary lenses on.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Same as above. Read this with contemporary lenses on.

Echoes of Exodus- Alastair Roberts and Andrew Wilson. How the story of the exodus shows up in and shapes just about every book of the Bible.

Johnny's Cash and Charley's Pride - Peter Cooper. Insider's look at country music through the decades.

[mrbrettmcdonald]

His Purpose for Me

The world is in turmoil. Do you need encouragement today? In Psalm 57, David was on the run and feared for his life. But he knew that he could take refuge in God because God had a special purpose for his life.

Read verse 2 again. “I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” David knew that he was the Lord’s Anointed. This means that David knew that it was through him that the Lord would send the Messiah- the ultimate Anointed One- who would be enthroned forever as King over everything and bring about God’s ultimate plan of salvation for the universe.

Essentially, David says, I’ll cry out to God in the midst of my struggle and distress because he has a plan for me, and I know he is able to complete it.

Listen to me! Just like David, you are God’s chosen ones, and he has a plan and purpose for you life. You can know that he will be faithful to complete it.

I don’t know the particulars, but I do know that God is working all things for your good because he has called you to his purpose (Rom 8:28). And I know that what he began in you, namely your salvation and sanctification, he will be faithful to complete. He has chosen to set his love on you, and you will be made into the person God wants you to be (Rom 8:29-30- look it up! Not one is lost in the process! and 1 Thess 4:3 and Phil 1:6)

You play a role in God’s universal plan. You have been chosen by God to be his. He will not leave you. He will not forsake you. He will form you into the image of Christ. This is your good. This is your glory.

So when life hits you in the face, echo David’s prayer. Cry out to God Most High, to God who will surely fulfill his purpose for you.

[mrbrettmcdonald]

Tossings and Tears

What keeps you up at night? What causes you worry? What causes you to be afraid?

David had his reasons in Psalm 56. What helped him keep it together?

The Lord kept count of his tossings, put his tears in a bottle, and put them in his book. (verse 8)

The Lord is aware of the intimate details of our lives, and he cares about what we care about.

The tossings David is referring to are the details of his life. David spent many days of his life on the run from enemies. It must have felt like he was just wandering around. And so David knows that the Lord has kept account of where he has been and what has happened to him. Sometimes we wonder if the Lord really does see us. David is sure that He does!

And not only is the Lord concerned with the details of David’s life, but he also takes note of what he cares about. It’s David’s tears that he collects and commits to memory. The Lord was fully aware that David was being attacked by fear and anxiety.

The same is true of us. The Lord is quite acquainted with you. He knows the details of your coming and going. He knows what drives you. He knows what causes you anxiety. He knows the reason for your tears- more than you probably know yourself!

But notice that it’s not just that the Lord is aware of your life and your fears and anxieties. It’s not just that the details of your life have come to his attention, which is amazing by itself. It is an astonishing thing that the Ruler of the Universe, the one who holds it all together, takes note of you.

But that’s not the point David is driving at. The point is in verse 9. “This I know, that God is for me.” When all the details have been collected and written down, confusing as our lives can be, we can know one thing for certain: God is for us. That’s what David concluded. After all my tossings and tears have been weighed, I can see that God is for me.

Be encouraged with that today. God is for you and not against you. Though the details of your life maybe characterized by tossings and tears, and though it may not make complete sense to you, God is for you. He who did not spare his Son for you, but gave him up, will he not also freely give you all things? And if God is for you, who can be against you? In God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?

[mrbrettmcdonald]

I stepped up my reading this year, and I’m proud of the work I put in. Here’s what I did.

Community - Brad House. A good little book written by a former leader at what was Mars Hill in Seattle. It’s a good little foundation for groups ministry in a church setting.

Transformational Groups - Ed Stetzer. Same as the above. A nice, concise foundational book on groups that make a difference.

Documents of the Early Church - Henry Bettenson. This book is a collection of different important documents from the earliest church fathers all the way up into the 1960′s. It can be dense at times- but it’s a great overview of some important themes and turning points in church history.

The Martyrdom of Polycarp. The account of the martyrdom of Polycarp, a second-century Christian. A demonstration of extreme faith in God, and an example of living in the midst of severe persecution.

Confessions - Augustine. Kind of an autobiography of Augustine that lays some foundational theological truths for future generations.

Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther- Roland H. Bainton. Biography of Martin Luther. A little dense but fascinating.

Luther: Man Between God and Devil- Heiko A. Oberman. Another biography on Martin Luther. Worth your time to read.

Institutes of the Christian Religion Volumes 1 and 2- John Calvin. Deep and dense theology. Volume 1 and 2 cover theological concepts such as creation, Scripture, the work of Christ.

The Bruised Reed- Richard Sibbes. An exposition of Isaiah 42:3 by Richard Sibbes, Anglican theologian and puritan.

A Glance of Heaven - Richard Sibbes. An exposition of 1 Corinthians 2:9 and a study of heaven and the joy that awaits us.

What Is Biblical Theology - Jim Hamilton. This is a look into what is meant by the term biblical theology. How should we understand the whole of Scripture?

The Blood of Heroes: the 13-Day Struggle for the Alamo and the Sacrifice that Forged a Nation- James Donovan. A fantastic telling of the story of the Alamo.

The Bourne Legacy - Eric Van Lustbader. The fourth book in the series. Robert Ludlum wrote the first three, and Van Lustbader picks up with the fourth book. It’s a quick read, and basically more of the same.

Die Trying - Lee Child. The second book in the Jack Reacher series. A mindless page turner. Just what I need sometimes.

Trip Wire - Lee Child. The third book in the Jack Reacher series.

Manhunt - James Swanson. The captivating story of the 12 day search for Lincoln’s killers.

Words of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson. Lengthy fantasy novel. It’s the second of a three book series. Fascinating story, but difficult to follow if you don’t read a lot at once.

Red Rising - Pierce Brown. The beginning of a nice sci-fi series. It’s fast paced and hard to put down.

Pilgrim’s Progress- John Bunyan. A must read for every believer. The story of faith in Christ from the perspective of a pilgrim. It follows him as he meets interesting characters along the way and strives to find his way to the promised land. This allegory is valuable for every single Christian.

Communion with God - John Owen. Owen looks at the meaning and importance of communion with each member of the Trinity.

Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography - Iain Murray. Murray is a master biographer. I want to read every biography he’s ever written. This is a great study of Edwards.

Jonathan Edwards: A Life - George Marsden. A little dense, but worth the read if you’re interested in Edwards.

Lectures to My Students- CH Spurgeon. Spurgeon had a pastor’s college. This book is a collection of lectures he gave to his students.

Revelation and Inspiration - BB Warfield. An incredibly detailed, dense, and technical look at what is meant by the inspiration of Scripture. There in depth studies over single Greek words and their uses throughout history.

David Martyn Lloyd Jones: the First Forty Years - Iain Murray. Murray kills it again. I didn’t know much about Lloyd-Jones until this biography, but now I feel like we’re best friends.

David Martyn Lloyd Jones: The Fight of Faith- Iain Murray. The sequel biography. It helps that Murray knew Lloyd-Jones personally, and at times can say “we talked about this.”

Mere Christianity - CS Lewis. An essential read for not just Christians, but every single person. Most of the book is a defense of theism. He eventually points to the Christian God, but he begins by showing the impossibility of atheism. A worthy read for anyone.

Surprised by Joy - CS Lewis. A kind of autobiography, but not exactly what you’d expect. He’s a storyteller and takes an interesting angle to the story of his life.

Knowing God - JI Packer. A book that covers basic theological themes and concepts. This book is essential for every believer. There are many gems to be discovered, and I promise you’ll find at least one thing that will cause you say “ohhhh” out loud.

Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God - JI Packer. A discussion of the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man, and how that applies to evangelism.

The Epistle of James - Douglas Moo. A pastoral and a little technical commentary on the book of James. This was extremely helpful when preparing to teach Men’s Bible Study on Wednesday nights last fall.

[mrbrettmcdonald]

Horses Ready for Battle

Proverbs 21:31 says “the horse is made ready for battle, but the victory is the LORD’s”

Warhorses and chariots are of great advantage in an ancient battle. It is not wrong to use those things to your advantage. But in the day of battle, you should not trust in military might. Instead, understand that the outcome of the battle belongs to the LORD.

This verse has been resonating with me over the last several months. It’s not wrong to plan and to organize and to strategize. It’s not wrong to try hard and practice and give your best effort. As a matter of fact, John Newton said of studying, “If you once love Him, you will study to please Him.” In other words, your work ethic and preparation can also be acts of worship. How I work and toil are signs of my devotion.

But at the end of the day, I don’t control outcomes. I don’t control how people respond. I don’t control hearts. I don’t control choices of others. God does. I’m thinking in regards to our preparation to lead worship. We work and practice, not to please others, and certainly not to manipulate them. Rather, we toil and work and practice because we love God and want to show Him. We get our horses ready for battle, and then we leave the results up to God.

I’m thinking about our worship leading, but what about other areas of your life? What about parenting? Do all the hard work of shepherding your kids’ hearts. Use all of the tools at your disposal. But at the end of the day, you don’t control them or the choices they make. God does. The same goes for your job, your marriage, or other relationships and ministries.

Put in the work because you love God. Prepare the very best you can. And leave the results up to the one who rules and reigns over all things.

Amen.

[mrbrettmcdonald]

Abide at All Times

Read Psalm 61. David wrote this Psalm in reference to a troubling time in his life. Maybe it was a time when he was out at battle. Or the time when he was on the run from his son Absalom. Or maybe he was looking back to the time when he was on the run from Saul. His prayer here is for the deliverance that only God can provide.

In verse 2 he says “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.”

Richard Sibbes was an Anglican Puritan in the 17th century. One of his most famous writings is an exposition on Isaiah 42:3 called “The Bruised Reed and the Smoking Flax.” You should read it. It isn't too long. Use it as a devotional.

But in that book he writes, “We often fail in lesser conflicts and stand firm in greater because in the lesser we rest more in ourselves, in the greater we fly to the rock of our salvation which is higher than we.”

It is more instinctive to turn to God when things are difficult than when everything is going well. When things are going well, we coast on cruise control, forgetting to abide in Christ. And that is a dangerous place to be. This is what Sibbes calls “resting in yourself” and it leads to pride and to destruction.

When our days are troubling and when our hearts are faint, we should look to Christ. But we should also remember that we need Him no less when it is smooth sailing. Everything is through Him and by Him and for Him. May we abide in Christ at all times. Because we need Him at all times.

Are you abiding in Christ today?

[mrbrettmcdonald]

Asleep on the Job

One of the worst decisions I ever made was signing up for 8am classes 5 days a week during my first semester of college. My dad convinced me that it was a good idea. After all, “then you have the rest of the day to do whatever you want.” It turns out, all I wanted to do the rest of the day was sleep. Unless, as was often the case, I fell asleep in Calculus or Biology. It was just too hard to stay awake.

Psalm 44 is about national defeat. In some cases, Israel’s national defeat is due to national moral failure as with the first battle of Ai.  But that is not the case in Psalm 44. Things have not gone well for Israel, but it’s not their fault. To the Psalmist it appears that God is asleep on the job.

Have you ever felt that way? God, are you asleep? Are you not seeing how things are playing out right under your nose? Why won’t you fix this situation?

There is a hint of hope in Psalm 44, though not fully fleshed out. It is for God’s sake that we are being killed all the day long. And the Psalmist appeals to God’s steadfast love as a reason for redemption. 

In other words, when bad things happen, it is not the case that God doesn’t know about it or that he is unable to do anything. Rather, he is well-aware and has great plans and purposes. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to His purpose.” All things. Even defeat.

So rest in Him today. He is working all things out, even bad things, for His glory and for your good.

[mrbrettmcdonald]

On Gratitude

Read Psalm 9:1–2.  David wrote this Psalm, and in verses 1 and 2 he declares "I will give thanks" and "I will be glad." A thankful and glad heart is pleasing to the Lord, much more than religious duty (Psalm 50:23). God's heart is that His people would love Him with all of their being, not just in part. I notice three things about thankfulness and gladness in these two verses.

1. These attitudes are a choice. Thankfulness and Gladness do not just happen to a passive David. He declares that he will give thanks and he will be glad. There is no doubt about whether he will feel like giving thanks that day or whether life's circumstances will prevent him from being glad. David is choosing to be thankful and glad. So how is it that you and I can make that choice too? 2. These attitudes can be cultivated. We can stir up gratefulness and joy in our lives by actions that we take. In verse 1, David shows us one way to help our hearts be thankful. "I will recount all of your wonderful deeds," he tells the Lord. This word "recount" can also mean "rehearse." David is saying here that he sits down and rehearses in his mind all of the good things God has done in his life. Miraculous things like salvation and deliverance from hard times. Theological things like his faithfulness and provision and sovereignty. And daily grace like food to eat, air to breathe, and hugs from your kids. When we rehearse in our minds God's goodness to us, we can't help but be thankful. 3. These attitudes result in action. When our tanks are full of thankfulness and joy, we can't help but spill it out in some way. In Psalm 9:2, David overflows into a song of praise. That should be our Sunday morning experience. We sing and make music because we can't help it. When I think about God's goodness to me, I can't help but spill it out all week long, and especially when the saints gather on Sunday. Do thankfulness and joy characterize your attitude right now? If not, why not? Spend some time every day this week rehearsing God's goodness in your life and see if that doesn't change your attitude. And when we gather Sunday, let's celebrate His goodness to us. 

[mrbrettmcdonald]

Dandelions

One of my favorite songs in high school was “Dandelions” by Five Iron Frenzy. (90’s Ska 4eva!) Anyway, the song goes like this. A young boy is playing in a field and begins to gather a bunch of flowers to give to his mother as a gift. He bundles them all up and is excited to give this gift to his mother. As it turns out, the flowers that this young boy has gathered aren’t really flowers at all. They’re dandelions— weeds. But she receives this gift from her son, clutches them to her heart, and puts them in a vase.

Because, as the first chorus goes, “She sees love where anyone else would see weeds.”

And there the song points out that even though our lives may be far from spectacular, and even though we struggle to keep God’s commands, and as a matter of fact, we’ve probably made a good mess of things a time or three, that’s not the end of the story for us.

I was studying the Book of Judges the other day, and I realized that we often read that book as if it chronicles a bunch of heroic followers of God. But if you read that book and pay careful attention, the “heroes” of that book aren’t really worth following. And as you bounce from hero to hero, they get progressively worse. They aren’t heroes at all, you might conclude.

The Bible Project summarizes like this: the Book of Judges includes “12 stories of Israel’s judges that get progressively more violent and disturbing. Some of these include Gideon who leads the people of Israel into idolatry and starts an Israelite civil war, Jephthah who is a hill-top thug and thinks he’s sacrificing his daughter to please God, and Samson who is a violent, sex-crazed maniac who dies in glory and blood getting vengeance on his enemies.”

These are not people who set the standard for a God-honoring life.

And yet, when we look at Hebrews 11, Gideon, Samson, Barak, and Jephthah are all included as heroes of the faith. These men with serious character flaws are honored as those who have accomplished God’s purposes by faith. They are heroes, not because of their holy living, but because of their dependency on a Holy God. Their faith sets them apart.

Faith is the very essence of saying, “God, I have nothing to give. I need you to come through.” Faith is humility. Faith is God-glorifying. And faith pleases God.

Could it be that God is more impressed with a broken person who is full of faith than with a righteous person who is self-sufficient?

When we come to God and offer ourselves in faith, we are like that little boy gathering up dandelions and giving them to his mother as a gift. Everyone else looks at our broken lives and says, “Why would God want that? That’s just a bunch of weeds!”

But that’s not how God thinks. He clutches us close to his heart because our faith is precious to Him. He sees flowers in these weeds.

Your ability to keep a list of rules is not impressive to God. Neither are your talents or your fiendishly good looks. Do you know what can impress God? Simple faith. Simple trust in Him. Believing what He says is true and staking our lives on it. It may look like weeds to everyone else. But not to God.

[mrbrettmcdonald]

We'll kick off Men's Gathering two weeks from today! All men are invited- you don't have to be a member at Central. We're going to walk side by side through the Beatitudes and think about what it means to be citizens of the Kingdom of God. 6:30pm Wednesdays at Central starting September 5. Questions? Message me. (at Central Baptist Round Rock)

[mrbrettmcdonald]

Dealing with Serpents and Lions

Read Psalm 43.

Enemies have come against the composer of this song, and so he looks to the Lord for vindication. They are lying and bringing about injustice on him. Instead of bowing up and readying himself to attack his enemies, the Psalmist pleads with the Lord in verse 1, “Vindicate me! Defend my cause against an ungodly people!”

If the Lord is on my side, I don’t care who’s come against me.

On this verse, Charles Haddon Spurgeon wrote, “Popular opinion weighs with many, but divine opinion is far more weighty with the gracious few. One good word from God outweighs ten thousand railing speeches of men. He bears a brazen shield before him whose reliance in all things is upon God.”

We are so often driven by what other people think about us. If we are attacked or lied about or if others think poorly of us, that can lead us to despair.

But ultimately, the only opinion of you that matters is the one of your heavenly Father. And what does your heavenly Father think of you? The Apostle John tells us that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but will have eternal life. Your Father loves you so much that He gave His best for you. Men may rail against you with thousands of words. But your Father has spoken a different word over you: the Word, the One who became flesh, and died in your place.

So don’t let ungodly people steal your joy. They may attack with deceit and injustice, but refuse to reciprocate. Instead leave them in better hands, remembering that vengeance is the Lord’s, and “His wisdom can outwit the craft of the vilest serpent, and his power can overmatch the most raging lion.”

So why are you cast down, O child of God? Why is your soul in turmoil? Hope in God, and you’ll see the day of your salvation!

[mrbrettmcdonald]

A Hard Day’s Work

My wife and I suffered for the cause of the gospel last week. I was invited by a close friend of mine to perform his wedding in Maui, and so we took the opportunity to spend a few days relaxing and recharging. It was a really good and much needed time. I’m so very thankful, and it was a beautiful ceremony.

But while we were there, God showed me something. We had to check out of our hotel about mid-day on Saturday, but we didn’t need to be to the airport until about 3. So we had a short amount of time to do one last thing. As we were exploring the island, we kept saying, “I’ve never really heard the history of Hawaii and how it came to be.” And as we drove around Maui, we kept passing by this “Sugar Museum.” So I checked some reviews and it seemed like that would be a good place to kill some time before we had to head to the airport.

The museum was located on the grounds of an old defunct Sugar Plantation. The exhibits were in a building that used to be the plantation superintendent’s house, and that building overlooked the dilapidated sugar factory. These buildings were at least a hundred years old, probably older.

It wasn’t the most interesting museum visit I’ve ever had. I’m a pretty big history nerd, but this museum just didn’t do it for me. Much of the museum explained how sugar went from a plant to a more consumable form. Meh.

But as we walked around we noticed an elderly gentlemen there with what appeared to be his grown son. They were very into just about every exhibit at the museum, which was strange. We overheard him pronouncing these Hawaiian words with ease, and pointing out things in pictures that weren’t really discussed in the captions. 

My wife said, “I think he’s Hawaiian.” I dismissed that thought. After all, he didn’t look like a native Hawaiian. 

But the museum was kind of boring. So instead of trying to read every exhibit, I just kind of followed this man around and tried to eavesdrop without looking like a creep. 

That’s when I figured it out. This man wasn’t a native Hawaiian. But the reason he knew all about the pictures and exhibits and the reason he pronounced all the words just right was because he had worked on that Sugar Plantation decades before.

He pointed to a picture and said, “That’s where you got your paycheck.” And he showed his son and grandchildren things about the plantation that the museum didn’t.

Then I heard him say something that caused me to pause. 

“Who would have thought that a hard day’s work would turn into a museum?”

It took me a second to wrap my mind around that. He was 16 years old when he moved from California to work on this sugar plantation. Conditions were difficult, and the work was physically exhausting. He was a nobody in the middle of nowhere doing something that seemed inconsequential. And now people paid $7 each to visit a museum about it.

I was in Hawaii for a wedding of a friend. I was in high school when I met him, and he was just a kid. For whatever reason, I paid attention to him and spent time with him. We became friends, and as I went off to college, I stayed friends with him while he was in high school. We talked about sports and music and life and faith.

I didn’t have a master plan of discipleship with him. This wasn’t a part of some program or anything like that. I saw a kid. I liked him. He made me laugh. We became friends and continued that friendship.

Twenty years later, he invited me to perform his wedding. At the rehearsal dinner, he stood up to talk about everyone in the room and what they meant to him. He started with me and told them that I was the reason he went to A&M and I had such a huge impact on his life and on his faith. I never really considered that. I didn’t know I made such an impact. I was just being a friend to a kid who I assumed had lots of friends and influences.

But once again I was struck. My head was spinning trying to make sense of everything.

It finally came together. This is what God was communicating to me, I think. 

Who would have thought that just being a friend to a kid 6 years younger than me would have made such a difference?

It may not seem important at the time, but the little things matter. You might be a nobody in the middle of nowhere doing something that seems inconsequential. But one day, the ripples from your impact will crest. A hard day’s work might not end up in a museum, but your molding of someone’s life will echo for eternity.

Look up and look around. Who are your neighbors? How can you invest in them? It doesn’t have to be some big gesture or a part of a robotic program. Just be a friend. Do little things that show others that you care. Share your life and faith. Who knows how it will end up? Maybe a wedding in Hawaii. Or maybe just a lifelong friend.

[mrbrettmcdonald]

BOOM! Hiss!

I love Texas. So much so that I think they may have made this commercial about me:

*the Texas part, not the beer part.

Right after Helen and I got married, we had the opportunity to attend seminary at the greatest seminary on planet Earth- the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Only problem is that it’s in Kentucky. So it was a difficult thing for us to move, even if it was only a temporary thing.

We loved our time there, and met some beautiful people. We love Louisville and talk about taking a return visit all the time. But while we lived there, we still missed home. Things reminded of us Texas. Texas came up in our conversations with other people. We longed for home. 

That’s kind of where the Psalmist is at in Psalm 42.

Psalm 42 and 43 are actually one piece broken up into two parts. The Psalmist puts a bow on it with a single refrain that runs throughout both songs. “Why are you cast down, O my soul?…”

The person who wrote this song is someone who is in exile from their home in Judah. They are currently living up north in Samaria, and they are longing to be back home where they can worship God in the Temple. But there’s currently nothing they can do about it.

The Psalm is written from Mt. Hermon, near the source of the Jordan River- where the water rushes over boulders and thunders down waterfalls as it rushes toward the Sea of Galilee  and eventually the Dead Sea.

“Deep calls to deep,” he sings. The Hebrew words sound like “BOOM!” “At the roar of your waterfalls” sounds like the hiss and sizzle of the bubbling outcome of a waterfall. And in comes wave after wave on top of everything else!

The idea is that the Psalmist is living off-balance. Maybe you’ve been in a situation before when you’ve felt that way. Like you just a need a minute to get two feet on solid ground, but every single time you feel like you might have everything straight, BOOM! you’re hit with something else that turns everything upside down.

You can hear the sadness and confusion in the tone of the Psalmist.

But the other thing you can hear is hope.

The Psalmist has come to the realization that nothing but being in the presence of God will satisfy him. He may live in a sphere of turmoil and doubt and struggle and sadness, and it is likely the case that this difficulty in his life could not be avoided, but he knows that God is for him. He knows God’s steadfast love and His presence is with him.

And that gives him hope.

Maybe you need some of that today. One thing after another might be falling upon you. And maybe there’s nothing you can do about it. Psalm 42 encourages us to return to hope. One day God will make everything right. We can trust in Him. We can rely on Him. If you need a little hope today, sing with the Psalmist:

Why are you cast down O my soul? And why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God! For I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God!

[mrbrettmcdonald]

I Waited. He Heard.

Read Psalm 40.

Psalm 37-40 all kind of go together. Psalm 37 begins the theme of waiting, and Psalms 38 and 39 demonstrate the painful side of it. But sometimes, it’s just good to see someone actually winning. And that’s what Psalm 40 it is.

David writes in verse 1 that finally the Lord has heard and responded to his pleas for help.

I love the original text. The first part literally translates like this: “I waited waited for the Lord.” You ever been there? Like you’re in one of “those situations” and so you do what you’re supposed to. You wait for the Lord to answer and deliver. And He doesn’t do anything it seems. And so you wait some more. Then you wait some more. And then you wait even more. David describes that here: I waited, waited for the Lord.

But in this Psalm, the Lord responds. The text says that the Lord inclined and heard my cry. Again, I love the original language. The word inclined means that he bent down and listened. This is as if the Lord was doing something else, but then he heard the cry of His beloved. So he stopped what he was doing, stooped down on one knee, and gave all of his attention to his child. That’s what David experienced here.

He waited. And then he waited some more. And just when he thought he couldn’t take it anymore, God, in His perfect timing, stopped what He was doing, and bent down to listen.

I know that some of you are walking through hard times. I know it feels like God is not doing anything about it. But just keep waiting on Him. His timing is right. His ways are perfect. Soon He will get down on one knee, pick you up, dust you off, and set you right back up on level ground. I know He will.

And take comfort in the final verse of Psalm 40. “To compare what I am to what He is can be a steadying thing” (Derek Kidner). When the ground beneath you seems to be shifting and sinking, there is a firm foundation in the truth of who God is. I am poor. I am needy. There is nothing I can do to fix my situation.But here’s what holds me together: The Lord takes thought for me. He knows my name. He knows my situation. He knows how much I can take. He knows how to uphold me. And He knows how to deliver me.

Take heart, child of God. Keep waiting, waiting. The Lord takes thought for you. And one day He’s going to deliver you.

[mrbrettmcdonald]

Jesus Lifted High

The Apostle Peter’s first letter was written to a group of people who were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus. But the persecution they suffered wasn’t the kind you’re probably thinking. There weren’t lions or gladiators. Yet. 

Instead, it was a more subtle, social persecution. If Jesus was your God, then that meant that you weren’t worshiping the local, civic, Roman gods. And if you weren’t worshiping the local gods, then that meant that you might bring about disaster on the community. And that would cause the community to disassociate themselves from you. Your family might disown you. You might lose friends. If you owned a local business, people in town might no longer buy from you. Or they might no longer sell to you. It got to a point where Christians’ livelihoods were being threatened. All because of their faith in Jesus. Their lives would be much easier if they would renounce their faith in Jesus and just go along with whatever the culture said was right.

Moreover, the Romans were very religiously tolerant. Just about any religion was acceptable… unless your religion told other people they were wrong or your religion caused you to opt out of participating in the Roman civic religion. That’s Christianity though. Christians claim that Jesus is the only way, and we will not worship anyone but Jesus. So the Romans were already irritated by Christians at this point.

The temptation to turn your back on Jesus was great. So Peter wrote these Christians a letter encouraging them to stick with Jesus. In the first chapter, he tells them that they are blessed. Even though their lives don’t look like it, and even though their eyes and emotions tell them otherwise, they have an incredible advantage. God has caused them to be born again into a new family. And the inheritance for children in this new family? Eternal life.

Peter encourages these first century Christians with hope, and his message still applies to us today. Our culture is similar to first century Roman culture. You can believe whatever you want, unless what you believe tells others they are wrong. American culture will tolerate anyone, unless it’s someone with whom they disagree. Christianity stands out. It is exclusive. Only those who place their faith in Jesus will be saved. Our God says there are some actions, attitudes, and motives that are sinful. This kind of thinking does not fly in our culture.

It would be easier in our culture if we just went along with everyone and kept our faith to ourselves. A true and real faith in Jesus is threatening to the world around us. It would be easier to turn our backs on Jesus.

And aside from persecution, life is just hard. Things happen. People get sick. We lose our jobs. Relationships can be severed. We lose loved ones. Thinking about how hard life is can be depressing.

But Peter wrote this letter to encourage us to hope. The inheritance we have produces hope because we know this eternal life is a promise from God that is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.” We have a surety in the fact of our eternal life because we know that Jesus has risen from the dead. He stood and walked out of the grave!

So this is why we sing “Jesus Lifted High.” Suffering may be for a moment, but the promises of God are forever. We look forward to that day when sin and its consequences are crushed and we look into the face of our King Jesus, receiving the fullness of what has been promised to us.

Even though life is hard, we stand and boldly proclaim “I want to see Jesus lifted high.” In my heart. In my life. In my family. In my neighborhood. In our church. In my culture. I want Jesus lifted high. I am unashamed. I will not be dissuaded. Persecution may come. Difficulty may arise. But I will not be shaken. I want Jesus lifted high. Universally.

#theSongsWeSing