The Night My Dad Died

The voice on the other end of the phone screamed…

“B!!!  AM I GOING TO DIE???!!!!”

The phone rang at 11:30pm.

I had just drifted to sleep after a long day of travel.

He was screaming, “DOES GOD CARE??!!!!”

“IS HE GOING TO LET ME DIE!!????  I HAVE KIDS!!!!!???”

I listened.  I just listened.   

After he asked his questions and got his stuff on the table, I finally said – “Let me give you three truths.”

“These three truths come from Jerry Bridges and his book Trusting God.

First, God is sovereign.  What you’re going through is not surprising God. For some purpose beyond our understanding, He has allowed this season of suffering to enter your life.”

I could hear his wife in the background crying while she also spoke comforting words to him.

“Second, God is wise. He doesn’t just do things willy-nilly. There’s purpose and planning behind His actions. We may not understand His actions but He’s always at work and moving wisely. He isn’t making up the plan as He goes along. He isn’t scrambling hoping history works itself out. He has a plan and He’s bringing it to pass.

Finally, God is loving. He loves you. He cares deeply.  With that being said, that doesn’t mean God doesn’t allow pain in our lives. Remember this, the biggest problem you ever had has been solved. Your sin is gone. Jesus has forgiven you.  You will not face condemnation. He loves you.  He loves your wife and children. No matter what happens, He loves you.

Keep those three truths in mind.  Breathe deeply.  Rest in Jesus.  They don’t answer all your questions…but they’ll help you sleep.”

Who was on the phone?

Me and Mrs K never had kids of our own. (Issue was with me.) But we’ve mentored kids through seminary and college for a number of years, so we have a ton of “kids.”

On the phone was Steve Pupillo, one of our boys.

Steve was 29 when the doctors told him he had tumors in his brain, legs and one in his lung.   His world fell apart.

Where was I when I took this call?

I was standing at the foot of my Dad’s hospital bed in Shreveport, Louisiana…ya see, my Dad was fighting cancer and would lose that battle about 90 minutes after I got off the phone with Steve.

Yes, the last thing my Dad heard was me give a mini-sermon to one our “sons”…where I told him that God is sovereign, wise and loving.   

That gives me chill bumps.

Dad is in heaven and is completely healed.   That tells me God is sovereign, wise and loving.

How is Steve?  He’s cancer free. I just texted him this morning.

He’s back to practicing medicine.  That tells me God is sovereign, wise and loving.

His wife Sarah and two children are all great.

Why did God allow Steve to get cancer?   

I don’t know all the reasons…but I do know one reason…it’s so I could take a phone call at 11:30pm and my Dad could hear about God’s sovereignty, wisdom and love.  That’s a grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus.

One more thing…that all happened one year ago TODAY.

If you’re reading this and struggling and doubting…remember…He is sovereign…He is wise…He is loving.

To Steve…love ya young man.  Proud of you.

To Dad…love and miss ya Pops.   

And Dad…give Sprocket some extra treats today.

Fellow struggler,

B

8/22/19

El Paso, Dayton and Us

This is how i think….

Maybe…just maybe…there’s a bigger principle at work in all this.

When a friend or a loved one gets caught up in some horrible sin we are shocked, saddened and begin knocking down the doors of heaven on that person’s behalf…

Shootings in America…abortion on demand…and so much more.

We obsess over the sin of others.

We ask others to pray for them.

We lament the sins of society, cry out to God for change, justice and mercy.

And yet…is God trying to get our attention?

What if we were as heartbroken over our own sin as we are that of a friend or loved one?

What if we were as outraged over our own selfishness, pride, hatred, bitterness and arrogance as we are of these societal sins?

We huddle together and whisper about the horrible choices that person has made but never life our eyes to God. We want Washington D.C. to fix our society but we won’t allow God to change us.

God allows destruction and tragedy to come our way for a reason. (Think Noah’s flood. Some of you will have to gnaw on that for a bit.) Maybe He’s trying to get our attention. Perhaps He’s shouting at us.

Today, let’s pray for those families.

They need peace and comfort that only Jesus can give.

As we pray, let’s lift up our own hearts and ask Him to make our sin real and His holiness something we long for.

Finally, the Scripture says the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord and He can turn it as He wills.

Pray that the hearts of this nation’s leaders will be turned and solutions will be forwarded.

Fellow struggler who isn’t prone to repentance,

B

8/4/19

Josh Harris, Mark Driscoll and All of Us

I need to say something about a topic…

The guy who wrote the book, “I Kissed Dating Goodbye”, has made some amazing announcements this past week.

Josh Harris, the author of the Christian bestseller back in the 90’s, went on to become a pastor of a megachurch.

Within the last week, Harris has announced that he and his wife are divorcing.

He then wrote these words, “I have undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus. The popular phrase for this is “deconstruction,” the biblical phrase is “falling away.” By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian.”

And with that, people who claim to follow Jesus took to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and ripped Harris to shreds.

At the same time, Mark Driscoll…yes, that Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill days.  He was fired from his church for leadership described as “bullying” and there were issues regarding plagiarism.   

Well, Driscoll is back. And back with a vengeance.

He recently did an interview in which he said, and I quote:

“Calvinism is garbage. Blog about that.”

He went on to say, “Then they pick dead mentors, Spurgeon, Calvin and Luther – these are little boys with father wounds who are looking for spiritual fathers so they pick dead guys who are not going to get to know them or correct them”.

Whoa.

Just whoa.

Josh Harris renounces his faith and leaves his wife and is slaughtered on social media.

Mark Driscoll calls a system of theology “garbage” and claims that those who believe it are “little boys with father wounds…” and social media is silent.

What the actual….???

Is this the state of debate and discourse within the church today?

Am I the only one seeing a problem here?

The fallen are being attacked and the prideful are allowed to attack without any response.   

Really?

First, everyone take a chill pill on Josh Harris.

He knows the truth.

It’s written on his heart.

He preached it for years.

He may announce something even worse in the next few days or weeks.

But let’s remember, Jesus is more powerful than our doubt or fallenness.

Instead of attacking the man, why don’t we pray for him?

He’s obviously hurting and confused.

But instead of praying, he’s shredded in a public forum.

Why does this happen?  Why do we want to make the fallen bleed?

Here’s my take: We grow weary in waiting on God to move so we take matters into our hands.  Instead of allowing God to sprinkle mercy or exact justice, we run ahead and take care of the job ourselves.   

If Josh Harris is divorcing his wife and claiming he is no longer a Christian, then shouldn’t the goal for believers be to win him back to the faith?

Answer me this…how does tearing him down win him back?

Then there’s our silence regarding Mark Driscoll.

We tear down Josh Harris and allow Mark Driscoll be a jerk.   

No wonder the world is beating down our doors to sit in our pews and chairs on Sunday.  Yes, that sentence was typed with sarcasm.

What have we become?

Where’s our kindness, concern, love and empathy for those who have fallen?

Where’s our passion for civility and calls for repentance for those who attack other brothers and sisters within the church of Jesus?   

It’s gone.   

Why?

Because we view the fall of Josh Harris and the prideful interview of Mark Discroll as nothing more than entertainment.   

Our lives are so empty and droll that we take pleasure in attacking others and watching others being attacked.

My dear brothers and sisters, this is not who Jesus has called us to be.

Jesus left the ninety-nine to go get the one.

Regarding the religious elite who were trying to “protect their brand”, he had some not so kind words.   

I’m just gonna say it…

We are silent where Jesus would have spoken…and we speak where Jesus was silent.

With all that said…

If Josh Harris reads this post…know this…Jesus loves ya.  You’re not forgotten.  We’re praying for you.  The cross is still true.  The grave is still empty.  And I pray you have friends around you who are taking you to dinner, listening to you, encouraging you and pointing you back to the gospel.

If Mark Driscoll reads this…come on bro’.  You owe some people an apology.  There’s no need to be brash, arrogant and condescending toward those you may disagree with.   We’re Jesus people.  Let’s act like it.

To the rest of us, let’s be a little more like Jesus and little less like ourselves.

Fellow struggler,

B

8/1/19