Preaching, Teaching, and Ministry in Portsmouth

Things continue to go well for our family in Portsmouth. Ministry is both strange and wonderful. For those of you praying for Krista and I as we serve here we would invite you to pray for the upcoming ministry to the college campus that has begun. Last week we had our first Training session for the core group that is participating in this endeavor, and this coming Sunday we have our second, detailing what the gospel is. There will be four sessions in total, two in may covering methodology of evangelism. Pray for me as I lead those seminars.

I have just finished preaching through a three part overview series from the book of 1 Kings at a nearby church. This church was without a pastor and I was filling in for several Wed. services. It was a wonderful series for me to teach as I have been studying to go through the book verse by verse this coming fall. For this series, however, I took the book and divided it into three sections: Chatper 1-11, 12-16, and 17-22. The theme of the book is God's Presence in the Midst of Israel's Spiritual Wasteland...so I have called the series overall "God in the Wasteland" (borrowing the title from David Wells superb book by the same name, though his work is on a different and unrelated subject). I was delighted to teach it and have learned a great deal about the book as a whole over that course.

I am currently preparing to finish up my first semester as adjunct professor of English Composition at Shawnee State University, please pray that I find a summer job to keep up our income.

Krista has been very busy with Mia at home, and she also helped to host a ladies retereat last month for the women of our church, she did an excellent job. We are now slowly working out times to get to know individual members of our church family better and spend time with them. Your prayers are a great help to us friends, and we continue to covet them.

God bless

My New Job

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me to find a part time job while working at the church here in Portsmouth, OH. The Lord has seen fit to answer your prayers in a way that I never expected. This last week I received an invitation to be the newest Adjunct Professor of English Composition at Shawnee State University. I am teaching two classes this semester and am very excited. Thanks again...now pray for me as I begin the semester on MONDAY!

Some Pics of Our New Home

Here's some pictures of our new home.

All Moved In

Well the Dunham family has made it safe and sound to our new home in Lucasville, OH. We are getting un-packed and settled in. We left Louisville so that I could begin work at a church here in Portsmouth. I have already begun and am keeping busy. Krista has been spending time getting Mia adjusted to the new surroundings, no small feat, and un-packing boxes and organizing our house. I am still looking for a part time job to supplement our income (the church couldn't pay me full-time just yet). You can keep us in your prayers for that matter. It was espeically hard to leave Louisville, partiuclarly as we left our beloved friends at Third Avenue Baptist Church, they have become a sweet family to us and I know that we both long to see them again. Praise God for wonderful churches and church families.

My Thoughts on the Golden Compass

I wrote two articles on The Golden Compass for two different online magazines. You can check out my first one here for Christ & Pop Culture, which also got picked up by The Pearcey Report. And you can read my official film review at Decapolis.com

An Update from the Dunhams

Well as the holiday quickly approaches I have one thing on my mind...we are moving in two weeks!

The Dunhams are returning to Southern Ohio this winter to live and work in the Portsmouth area. We are extremely excited about this and look forward to doing the work of missions and evangelism in Portsmouth, and serving at our new church Bigelow Church in Portsmouth. The family is doing well. Mia has developed quite the personality over these last two weeks and continues to grow and mature just fine. She is happy and we continue to pray for the Lord's watch over her health. Thank you to all of you who have been praying for us.



By the way...if any one who reads this blog is going to be in Scioto County on December 14th in the early evening...why don't you come help us move into our new home?!

I am Writing

In case you were wondering why I haven't posted very much lately (though I doubt you were)the answer is simple: business! But I am writing! For those avid fans of my writing, those who simply can't get enough of my ornate prose and keen sense (btw: if such individuals do exist you need to read more)I have a new piece here.

I am currently a staff writer for the Christ & Pop Culture e-zine. Rich has turned our simple podcast into a full blown website with contributing writers. My most recent post Chuck and Truth is the featured article of the day.

This Day One Year Ago

As I have been sitting and watching the Buckeyes beat up on the Wolverines today I was reminded of this day one year ago. This day one year ago my wife decided to throw me a Birthday party with some of our friends from church. Folks came over and we watched the same rivalry match-up between Ohio State and Michigan. And during half-time as I sat with Melony and Jeremy, Carrie and Josh, Jessica and Rich, and Carly and Sammy around me, my wife and I announced that we were having our first child!

It was an extremely exciting time. These dear friends, and countless others, had been praying with us for the Lord to bless us with a child. It was a wonderful feeling to share such good news with those who had partaken of our sorrow.

As I reflect on that day I sit now watching the Buckeyes win again, but this time I sit with my wife and our beautiful three and half month old girl: Maleigha. What a blessing it is that the Lord gives us the great delight of children. What a wonderful way to spend your Birthday!

Learning to Trust in New Ways

We received feedback from Mia's MRI already, she does have "Tethered Cord" and we are in the process now of scheduling a surgery date. It is discouraging news that we have recieved, yet, thankfully, the problem is not life-threatening or urgent. Thankfully it is correctable problem and one that was spotted early enough to not have any lasting side effects. That is a testimony to God's grace. And there is much to be made of God's grace in this situation.

We are beginning to see more and more what it means to truly trust God in all things. It is very easy to "talk" about trusting, and I see more clearly how difficult, in our own sinfulness, it is to trust Him in every instance. This is not a desirable situation and yet God is teaching me, already, about trusting Him fully. A bitter-sweet lesson to be sure. It is situations like this that make me want to yell at people who say theology is not important, and them I remember I believe in grace, patience, and forgiveness too.

As Krista and I learn how to put our theology in practice, learn what it means to trust God more fully, and wait for a surgery date we ask your continued prayers for us. Pray that Mia would have no trouble in the surgery, that the problem would be fixed without any complications, that the doctors would be skilled and wise. Pray as well that Krista and I would trust the Lord for her preservation and good health, pray that we would be a testimony to those in the medical field that care for Mia. Pray as well that we would be able to get an early surgery date, which may not happen and could complicate our situation here in moving (though this is a minor issue for us). Thank you everyone, your prayers are much appreciated, and a great encouragement.

Thinking at 4 in the Morning

I have just arrived home from work and finished my breakfast. It's early and I am tired, but there is something on my mind, I thought I'd share it. It won't be long before my wife and I are strapping our daughter into her car seat and driving her down to the hospital for an MRI. She is being checked out for a condition known as "Tethered Cord," (a term which means nothing to me), which is where some fibers are connecting the tail-bone to the spinal cord (that means something to me).

As I think about this situation, about the fact that my baby can't eat for four hours prior to the test, the fact that these doctors who don't know my baby will have to sedate her, and the thought of being apart from her through such a traumatic event, I have one pervading thought: I cannot help her!

It's shocking and terrifying to think it, even more so to say it out loud: I cannot help my beautiful, precious, baby girl. I can't make "tethered-cord" go away, I can't make MRI's less involved, I can't keep her safe through sedation. So what is a Father to do in this instance? He must flee to Christ.

I am so dependent upon grace, so needy of God's kind care of my family. I am always dependent upon grace, but it's moments like these where you can't help but feel it. God sometimes brings us to hopelessness to bring us to a place of ultimate hope, however. For what good would I be if I could help my little Mia? What good would I be in this situation if I could change it all? But what a great good is our God who sovereignly controls all things, even the minute details, and ordains an end that glorifies Him and is good for His people.

A few nights ago I prayed that God would give my daughter and especially happy following day. One throughout which she would simply be happy and a joy to her mommy. This prayer God graciously answered and it got me to thinking another thought, but one related to what was said above. I am not sure why God chose to answer that prayer or to answer on this occasion, but perhaps it was His way of telling me that He cares for my family's happiness. He loves us and He too loves His creation Mia. Perhaps in this valley that we may face ahead my wife and I can look out and see the sun shinning, however so dimly, above the hills and say, "We are dependent upon the grace of a Good God, who cares for our family!"

That is my thought at 4:50 a.m. Pray it will be my thought at 3:00 p.m. when I hand my daughter over to some doctors and attempt to trust the Lord with the outcome!

Help for the Weary Reader

The Word of the Lord is the theme of Psalm 1, and the Psalmist has great affection for it. “Blessed is the man” who devotes himself to it day and night. “Blessed,” meaning he is happy. The Lord has given to Him the desires of His heart, which for those in the Word of God turns out to be God Himself. The reading of Scripture fulfills what it promises. The more we read the more we want to know God, the more we read the more we get to know God. That is “blessedness!”

The man who reads God’s Word is not the man who seeks wisdom from the wicked world, nor one who models the evil of others, nor one who sits in judgment on the Word of God. The “blessed” man is one who “delights” in the Word and treasures it. This man “hides” God’s Word in His heart, with the intent that He might not sin against God! The man of the Word is one who hates sinning against God, and though He may still fail to obey, he despises sin, repents of it, and turns again to the Word that God might restore unto Him the Joy of His Salvation. The Word is a delight to the “blessed” man, and, in fact, the man is “delighted” because of that very Word. For in the Word he receives what he most desires: God.

This “blessed man” is compared to a fruitful tree, with leaves that do no wither. It is a man whose spiritual life thrives and blossoms and never fails. The Word of God is like rich soil that we sink our roots into for life; it is like the stream in the analogy that continually supplies sustenance to our branches. We prosper because we obey the Word of God, for it is our delight!

It is amazing how the Word of God works, and yet we hesitate so frequently to pick it up and read it. Why? Do we not grasp these facts of the power and beauty of Scripture? Do we not understand the word of God in Hebrews:

For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the divisions of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and the intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

This is not a word assigned to some abstract notion of divine revelation, or some super-spiritual language, or even some divinely inspired meaning above the capabilities of language to grasp. These words are assigned to the canon of Scripture, the Holy Bible, to its very self. The Bible is the Word of God and through the Holy Spirit it is the means to growing our faith, correcting us, rebuking us, teaching us, and sanctifying us. So why, then, if we do know this, do we still experience a dislike of it?

The short answer is sin; it’s also the obvious one and the easiest one. The other answer is much harder to hear, and more specific. For me, in my own case, it is a simple answer of not loving Jesus enough. O, I am thankful that Jesus first loved me and gave Himself up for me that I might be a son of God. But my heart does not seem to daily long for my savior, my mind does not think on Him hourly, nor does my life reflect a dedication to His Word. Where is my love? On self, on things, on others, etc. John Calvin said that our hearts are idol factories, I know from experience, as I am sure he did, that is more true than I wish to affirm. So what is the solution?

We cannot merely diagnose problems and think that it is sufficient spiritual work. No, there must be a plan for change. The answer is simple, but not simplistic. There is a three-fold cord of spiritual growth that we all need: (1) The Bible; (2) Prayer; (3) Fellowship.

It is not as though I forgot what we are talking about (“Why don’t we read the Bible), but the answer, even in the face of this struggle, is still “read the Bible.” Especially when we don’t feel like it we should read! Read short, read long, read great passages, read small ones, read a book or a chapter, or a verse. Read a Psalm everyday of the week, read through the Gospel of Mark. The point is clear, however it is done, read the Bible. We must force ourselves to be in the Word as much as possible. This is not to suggest that if you don’t read it everyday you are sinning or falling away, rather it is to say we should read it as much as we can. The more we do, the more we will love it, and the more we will learn of God and love Him.

Prayer is crucial for ever Christian life and especially for those struggling to be in the Word. The Bible teaches us that God’s desire for us is our sanctification, our spiritual growth. Therefore call upon Him to aid you in this stubborn lack of desire for His Word. Pray that He would increase your affections for the Word, and open it up to you that you may grow and benefit from it. Pray for help from others to encourage you to be in the Bible regularly.

This brings us to the final element, fellowship. Lone-ranger Christians are not Biblical, nor are they successful. The church was established by Christ for our benefit. We need others to help us and especially when we are facing “spiritual depression.” We need the uplift of Godly brothers and sisters, we need their encouragement and prayers, we need their love and support, and perhaps even their firm loving words of rebuke. Fellowship not only holds us accountable to growth, but the more we talk about God’s Word with others the more we will want to be in it.

So if you are struggling with reading Scripture regularly then pray, surround yourself with Christ-like men or women, and insist upon reading the Bible as much as possible! Pray for it, get help with it, and do it! Trust me friends, we won’t regret it if we do…for the Word of God is a delight and God blesses the man who reads it.

My Mighty Men

Yesterday I commented on a passage from 1 Chronicles which spoke of the "mighty men" that surrounded David. These were men whom David needed, men on whom he relied. God has made man to desire and to need fellowship and help. We all need "mighty men" who will give us "strong support," and help us fight the good fight of faith. So, inspired by my friend Rich Clark, I am listing here my mighty men.

(1) Steve Burchett, my mentor and dear friend. Steve's guidance and education have laid a solid foundation upon which everything else has been built. He taught me not only how to know God better, but simply how to think.

(2) Jeff McKinney, lay leader from a previous church. Jeff's example of humility and love, and his friendship have been a strong influence in my life.

(3) John F. MacArthur Jr. I have never personally met Dr. MacArthur, but early on in my theological education I surrounded myself with his works and learned so greatly from them that they remain, to this day, treasured posessions.

(4) The Elders of Third Avenue Baptist Church. Each of these men have been an example of not only good preaching, but solid pastoral leadership. Their hearts and their minds are a blessing to me.

(5) Andy McDonie. My dear friend from high school, whose friendship to me now is even sweeter than it was then. His example of love and joyfulness in the midst of trials is a testimony to the goodness of God. I am indebted to God for him, because it was through his friendship that I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal savior.

The list could go on to include all the members of my current church, a number of professors and theologians, and other godly friends, but that would exceed my time. So suffice it to say that God has granted to me an ARMY of mighty men with whom I can labor for His kingdom and through whom I am being edified. Who are your "mighty men?"

Why the name change?

So the questions are rolling over, "Why the name change on the blog?" The answer, in short, is it makes more sense. My previous blog name was a German phrase that, translated, means "We are Beggars." The name meant nothing, however, to most people and therefore did not facilitate edification. Neither does it fully convey what this blog is about. The theology behind the statement is true enough, but since the content of my posts reflect an interest in Christian engagement with the culture the name change seemed appropriate.

So Welcome to Christ & Culture. Here you will find my articles and thoughts on theology, philosophy, politics, and culture. The Christian engagement of the culture has taken some promising turns in the last two decades. It wasn't long ago that the church was teaching a practice of abandonment and isolation from the culture. Today there is far more a chance of cultural gluttony than there is of cultural anorexia by Christians. But cultural engagement is not always done Biblically, and therefore thoughtful discussion needs to continue, and be based on the Word of God.

For those interested in this type of discussion I recommend solid Christian cultural commentators like R. Albert Mohler Jr., Gene Edward Veith, Cal Thomas, Philip Graham Ryken, and the staff at World Magazine. For good resources see my links to the left.

Christians are to be in the practice of redeeming the culture, but we are to do it intelligently, and Biblically. For more on this discussion stay tuned to Christ & Culture, my new blog!