Can You Hear the Children Sing, "He's Able?"

Can You Hear the Children Sing, "He's Able?"

Brenda VerWay is a daughter of her Heavenly Father, a wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. She grew up in poverty but describes her life as one of great riches. She is a new writer, and I welcome her.

“He heals the broken hearted, he sets the captive free, he made the lame to walk again and caused the blind to see (peek a boo).”

I teach small children every week in our church’s Sunday School. Over the years, I’ve heard He’s Able sung, complete with hand motions, by more young voices than I can count. It wasn’t until today that the words really hit me. We teach children Sunday School songs to teach them truths from God’s Word that we pray will stay with them for the rest of their lives. This song contains many of those truths.

Our stay-at-home worship this week included Scripture reading from Psalm 147. There God says of himself that “He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds (v.3)”. It seemed as if I didn’t hear the rest of the Psalm while someone in our family read to the end. My mind began to race. The tears began to flow. You see this past month or so I have seen major tragedy in the lives of people that I know and love.

A high school friend buried her firstborn son after a tragic accident. I read what she wrote of her God, “He is so good.”

By now, nearly everyone has seen video and pictures from the devastating floods caused by dam failures near Midland, Michigan. We ministered for 10 years in Midland. It’s home to us as much or more than Chicago is. The area suffered what’s been called a 500- year-flood. Within two hours of the failure and breach, more than 10,000 residents immediately evacuated.

People I love lost much. People I love lost everything. The devastation is really beyond what we can even imagine. I have scanned through Facebook pictures, read comments, and watched videos. One video stood out to me. Our Jennifer’s first grade teacher was interviewed by a reporter. She talked like it was any other day. She gave details of so much damage. They own a rental home next to their residence. The rental provides income to two Christian school teachers in their retirement years. The damage to the properties approaches six figures. The news report shows her praying with a woman who was overwhelmed by the damage to her daughter’s house. At the end of the interview, she spoke of her God and about the life that He has given her as she surveyed the destruction in front of her, “We are so blessed.”

A few days ago, I found out the toddler grandson of Mike’s and my youth pastor and his wife had died during a tragic drowning accident in a neighbor’s backyard. I am stunned and emotional. I’m a new grandmother with a little grandson too. The heartache of this child’s death was too great. How could this happen? How could they get through this? How could their son and his wife endure this pain? You see, this toddler’s parents and grandparents are in pastoral ministry like my husband and I are. Could they live out what they preach and what they believe? I read what his bereaved daddy wrote of his God, “Christ can redeem the most devastating pain and loss.” I listened today as his grandpa, my youth pastor, spoke of his God, “We know that this will be the best thing that has ever happened to us and to (our son and daughter-in-law) because I believe everything I preached last week on the sovereignty of God out of Isaiah 40:13-31. And today I believe it even more.”

My husband, my pastor just took our church family through the book of Job. I really do see God work out in the life of Job something beautiful after so much tragedy. I hear Job speak of his God, “And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21).’” Later In chapter 2, Job says, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this Job did not sin with his lips.’” At the end of the book, we see God blesses Job more than at the beginning. Job dies an old man and full of days. He dies a more satisfied man who loves his God.

So as I look at the lives of people I know and love suffer great tragedy and respond with praise for our God and trust in his plan, I am encouraged. I praise God for His grace in their lives at this time. And when in time, I get back into the classroom with my precious children and hear them sing, “He heals the broken-hearted,” I will smile and say, YES HE DOES!

As always I welcome your feedback and any suggestions you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.

Mike VerWay
Pastor for Preaching & Vision

I Really Miss Our Singing

Unlike the growing religions of the world, Christians sing. Our singing was born out of the psalter, the hymnal of Old Testament saints and carried into the worship of the gathered Christians, the church, as modeled by our Lord (Matthew 26:30). We Christians sing in our homes and cars, but the greatest expression of our singing is when we gather for corporate worship.

Nothing replaces or imitates the sound of combined voices singing in a live setting the songs of the redeemed.

Singing in the gathered church has apostolic authority (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16), and the singing of the church is a vehicle of praise, prayer, and training. A hymn or spiritual song may provide one or all in its lyrics. So, Be Thou My Vision is the praise of God, a prayer to God, and the training of the mind about God.

Samuel J. Stone’s classic hymn, The Church’s One Foundation is primarily a teaching text we do well to sing. In 1866 England, Stone penned the text at time of significant controversy in the Church of England and the Church of South Africa. Once again the battle lines were drawn over the inerrancy of the Scriptures and the role of Jesus in God’s plan of salvation. In response and in aid to local churches, Stone writes his deep convictions in hymn form that serves to train our minds about fundamental Bible truths.

The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord,
She is His new creation by water and the Word.
From heaven He came and sought her to be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her and for her life He died.

I miss our singing and look forward with great anticipation to our singing together again. When? I don’t know, but I do know we will sing again.

As always I welcome your feedback and any suggestions you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.

Mike VerWay
Pastor for Preaching & Vision

My Preferred Title

Today’s guest columnist is Katie Pitts. As a wife and mom, Katie serves her family with grace and humility. As a Christian woman, she advocates for women and men in unplanned pregnancies and promotes a biblical view of femininity. She’s an avid reader, Star Trek Next Generation authority, and Arsenal devotee. Follow Katie on Facebook and @kt_pitts on Twitter.

My name is Doctor Pitts.

I rarely use the title “doctor” to address myself, only with patients when I am working. I am a doctor of audiology, but my profession does not define me, nor do I want it to. I like to be defined by a more noble title.

When I began my college career, years away from being married or having children, I believed what many believe about the role of education and pursuing a career. I was a hard-working student, obtaining honors and earning Latin words printed on my diploma. It would have been such a waste to give up that hard work just to focus on marriage and children, right?

God blessed Chris and me with children in His timing. Our first arrived during my third (out of four) year of graduate school. I praise God for His timing; but I wish I had known at the beginning of graduate school what I know now – children are infinitely more valuable than any job or career.

Women are told they can do all things men can do. Women are told they can have any job they want and that traditional masculine and feminine roles are holding women back. We live in a world that has denigrated womanhood, and as a significant branch of that, motherhood. Even for women who are stay-at-home moms, there is a movement of bitter YouTube mothers who post videos about the annoyances of their children. Motherhood sounds burdensome; children are a pain. We have said to women, for generations, quoting Summer Jaeger of Sheologians, “Your full potential is to be a man.”

Like other divine expressions of biblical femininity, the Bible says something different about motherhood and children than what we hear from culture. “Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward… Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! (Psalm 127).” Jesus says to us in Matthew 18, “Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” To me, this sounds like a rousing endorsement of children! Proverbs 17 takes the joy of children to the next generation, “Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,” and grandchildren are the blessing of God, “May you see your children’s children! (Psalm 128).”

I am not saying women should avoid education and aspire only to graduate high school and track down a husband, nor am I saying women should never work outside of the home. However, there is a significantly greater purpose for the role of women than the career that follows receipt of a college degree. To once again quote Summer Jaeger, “I believe that women are so essential to the church that if you just get them out of the home and get them acting like men, you weaken the church substantially.”

So, rather than idolizing what our culture describes for the role of women, women are wise to consider what God has to say. What He has defined for the role of women should guide us as we make future-shaping decisions. God has given each of us talents and strengths to use, and we use them for His glory, to fulfill His purposes, not for ours. God created everything good, and while we live in a world marred by sin, His created order remains beautiful, including the role He intends for women.

Practically speaking, what does this mean? Women have responsibility to their families. Young women who don’t yet have a spouse or children might find this hard to see, but decisions made at a young age can have a significant impact in years to come.

I have learned the hard way; there is no greater calling than motherhood. Every circumstance will have a different nuance. In my case, pursuing a degree put my family in debt and requires me to work outside of the home for the time being. I would give up my degree without hesitation if it meant I would be home with my children full-time.

I may be a doctor, but that is not the title I prefer.

I prefer to be called, Mom.

As always I welcome your feedback and any suggestions you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.

Mike VerWay
Pastor for Preaching & Vision

More Deadly Than the Coronavirus

Compared to metropolitan New York City (13,538) and Chicago (1,673), the death toll from COVID-19 in Minneapolis / St. Paul (~350) is much less. Of course, the population in those cities is much larger than ours. Numbers in all cities will rise as the months pass into 2021.

Our federal, state, and local governments have admonished us in statute, briefings, charts, and Public Service Announcements to do what we must to “flatten the curve” and minimize the spread of the disease. The hope is less deaths by changing behavior. If less death occurs is anyone’s guess.

We all know that death is not ultimately preventable, and we also know that death is avoidable when we embrace wise behaviors. We are hearty Minnesotans, but we don’t sleep outside in late January in shorts and a t-shirt because we know the potential of death by exposure.

The Minnesota Department of Health exists to “protect, maintain, and improve the health of all Minnesotans” by using “the best scientific data and methods to guide our policies and actions to promote healthy living in Minnesota.” The MDH is at the forefront of the fight against the spread of COVID-19.

The MDH addresses many dangers that face Minnesotans, dangers like alcohol. If I were to hazard a guess, I would guess Minnesota will not have as many COVID-19 deaths as it does alcohol related deaths. According to the MDH,

• The number of deaths involving alcohol has increased each of the last 16 years.

• There were an estimated 1,745 alcohol-related deaths each year between 2013-17.

• 100% alcohol-attributable deaths increased by 94% between 2000-17.

• In 2018, most adult Minnesotans (61.1%) said they drank alcohol.

• Minnesota had one of the highest binge drinking rates (four or more in one occasion for women, five or more for men) in the nation in 2018, with 20.3% of adults reporting binge drinking.

Do these facts stop Minnesotans from drinking alcohol? Of course not. Over the last 8 weeks, alcohol sales in our state and across the nation have skyrocketed as Americans drink away their anxiety and boredom.

While many small businesses are hemorrhaging cash during the stay-at-home orders, liquor stores are seeing record sales. According to our local ABC affiliate, metro liquor stores are experiencing record sales days and months. One store owner offered, “The amount of sales we’ve experienced is something – after 32 years in the business – I’ve never seen anything like this.” Another offered, “It’s been exhausting (trying to keep up with business).”

Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise (Proverbs 20:1).

Over and again the Bible warns about the dangers of alcohol consumption in texts like those found in Proverbs. Repeatedly, the Bible holds up as negative examples those who consumed alcohol to their own detriment (See Daniel 5; Esther 1).

Preaching against social drinking is so passé. A quick way for a Bible preacher to find himself on the wrong side of his listeners is to preach the Bible texts about drinking alcohol.

While no single Bible text prohibits drinking alcohol, the whole of the Bible overwhelming warns about the dangers of drinking alcohol…just like the Minnesota Depart of Health warns about the dangers of drinking alcohol.

How many deaths could be prevented if federal, state, and local officials gave as much attention to the dangers of alcohol abuse as they do presently to the coronavirus?

How much physical and verbal abuse could be prevented if federal, state, and local officials gave as much attention to the dangers of alcohol abuse as they do presently to the coronavirus?

How many innocent children impacted by fetal alcohol syndrome could be spared lifelong hardship if federal, state, and local officials gave as much attention to the dangers of alcohol abuse as they do presently to the coronavirus?

I wish I could say this is a problem that appears only outside the church, but we all know that is not the case. To some degree the problem of alcohol abuse is in the church. It’s why Paul wrote, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).”

Sometime in the future COVID-19 will be in the past. To be sure there will be lingering impact we cannot yet imagine. As bad as COVID-19 is in our state, our country, and across the globe, the impact of alcohol is far worse. There is no vaccine against the ravages of alcohol.

As always I welcome your feedback and any suggestions you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.

Mike VerWay
Pastor for Preaching & Vision

We've Got This, No Need to Bother God

Crises tend to reveal character and belief, so the not yet king bravely and confidently picks up the stones to face the giant Goliath. On the other end of the spectrum, the not yet martyr to the cause of Jesus Christ denies his lord on three separate occasions and after his betrayal weeps bitterly about his unfaithfulness.

Our current coronavirus crisis is revealing character and belief all across the globe. Darwinians don’t actually believe in the survival of the fittest while fatalists believe there isn’t really anything that can be done so just live and let live. Go to the beach if you want; if you catch it, you catch it.

God haters also declare their positions with candor. In an on-air interview with CNN, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared, “Our behavior has stopped the spread of the virus. God did not stop the spread of the virus.” Later in a press conference, the governor doubled down when he told the gathered journalists, “The number is down because we brought the number down. God did not do that. Fate did not do that. Destiny did not do that. A lot of pain and suffering did that.” (April 13, 2020)

Look at great Babylon that I have built.

Past political leaders have not been so brazen, and many actually called the nation to prayer. On the verge of war with France, our first ally in the War for Independence, President John Adams proclaimed May 9, 1798 a day of solemn fasting and prayer.

That the citizens of these states, abstaining on that day from their customary worldly occupations, offer their devout addresses to the Father of Mercies, agreeably to those forms or methods which they have severally adopted as the most suitable and becoming: That all religious congregations do, with the deepest humility, acknowledge before GOD the manifold sins and transgressions with which we are justly chargeable as individuals and as a nation; beseeching him, at the same time, of his infinite Grace, through the Redeemer of the world, freely to remit all our offences, and to incline us, by his holy spirit, to that sincere repentance and reformation which may afford us reason to hope for his inestimable favor and heavenly benediction.

During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln on three occasions called the nation to prayer for the purpose of bringing an end to the deep bloodshed and gaping chasm between the states.

And, insomuch as we know that, by His divine law, nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisements in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war, which now desolates the land, may be but a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins…We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God…we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own…It behooves us, then to humble ourselves before the Offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.

During the Spanish Flu and World War 1, President Woodrow Wilson led the nation to God with reference to Hebrews 11:10.

Almighty God, ruler of all the peoples of the earth, forgive, we pray, our shortcomings as a nation; purify our hearts to see and love truth; give wisdom to our counselors and steadfastness to our people; and bring us at last to the fair city of peace, whose foundations are mercy, justice and goodwill, and whose builder and maker you are.

June 6, 1944 D-Day President Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed the nation via live radio broadcast. The invasion already under way, FDR informed the citizenry of the colossal undertaking to secure a beachhead on the French coast. At the end of his address, he led the nation in a lengthy prayer. Knowing that many men would not return, he prayed,

And for us at home -- fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas -- whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them--help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice. Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts…Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen.

Of course prayer in crisis is no indicator of new life in Christ, but brazen repudiation of God does indicate a life void of Christ. The coronavirus is revealing the character and belief of all including professing Christians. We cringe at Governor Cuomo’s comments, but what does the silence of Christians reveal about us? Are we any different?

Are we pleading with God in prayer for his intervention, his sustaining grace, the expansion of his kingdom, the protection of the church, for his aid to the suffering, for his emancipation of the renewed addict, and for the glory of his name?

Are Christians praying or is their lack of prayer revealing what Governor Cuomo bellowed, “Not God, but us.”

Pray, Church, pray.

As always I welcome your feedback and any suggestions you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.

Mike VerWay
Pastor for Preaching & Vision