What is Laminin?

While I don't think Laminin's existence should necessarily be used as "proof of Christianity," I think it's worth sharing as a reminder of the infinite care God takes to make His glory known.

The Emperor of San Francisco and Other Great Delusions

“At the peremptory request and desire of a large majority of the citizens of these United States, I, Joshua Norton, formerly of Algoa Bay, Cape of Good Hope, and now for the last 9 years and 10 months past of S. F., Cal., declare and proclaim myself Emperor of these U. S…”

With that notice printed in various local newspapers, in September of 1859, Joshua Norton declared himself “Emperor of the U.S.” and later, “Protector of Mexico.” Parading around town with a saber and plumed hat, “Emperor Norton” became the darling of San Francisco city, which played along with his farce. (Even the U.S. Census listed Norton’s official occupation as “Emperor.”) Upper class restaurants granted him free meals. Businesses honored his fake currency. Police officers saluted him as he passed. Mark Twain wrote an epitaph for the Emperor Norton's....dog.

All this for a man who was probably very insane.

Reading through the story of Emperor Norton, it causes me to wonder how much we delude ourselves that we are “alright,” when in fact, we’re not. How many of us parade through life like Emperor Norton, pretending that we're without problems and sweeping reality under the carpet? How many of us have friends who we encourage to live in delusion by ignoring the existence of their problems?

For instance, I have wondered about the nature of eating disorders. The media has been ablaze for years, blasting the fashion industry for using anorexic models. But I don’t think that runway models in New York City are the sole explanation for a girl in Kansas City who purges in order to remain thin.

I also read in a magazine that some research is underway for a brain implant that will eradicate depression—which is also tied in with eating disorders. Again, I think there is a deeper solution needed here than a brain chip, because the problem itself goes deeper than hormones and psychology. While doctors parade with pills to cure depression, they're ignoring the root issue behind eating disorders.

__________

Eating Disorder Facts:

• Over seven million Americans suffer from anorexia, a disorder where sufferers become emaciated, but refuse to eat for fear of gaining weight.

• There is a 6% death rate for anorexics. Half of those deaths are due to suicide.

• Bulimia is a disorder where sufferers vacillate between eating too much and then purging.

• Binge Eating is when a person eats almost uncontrollably.

• Eating Disorder not Otherwise Specified is a type of eating disorder that is fairly self explanatory. Those who fanatically diet, fast, and purge but are not technically at an unhealthy weight may fall into this category.

__________

It is commonly assumed that eating disorders are mental problems. But could it be that this is an oversimplification of a complex issue? Could it be that eating disorders are not just hormone related, but related to the spiritual condition of the individual as well? Could it be that eating disorders are…sin?

No, don’t write a scathing comment yet. Please, hear me out.

When a girl stops eating altogether, neglecting her body so that she can find the approval of others, she isn’t placing obedience to God as her first priority. She’s not thinking, “I’m going to starve myself until I lose weight because I love God and want to honor Him first in my actions.” An anorexic who damages her body through self-inflicted starvation isn’t fasting for spiritual reasons. It’s a fast for the sake of reaching a self-set goal. For body image purposes. For selfish purposes. (1 Corinthians 6:19)

Interestingly enough, the same goes for someone who is a binge eater, or a glutton. When approaching the kitchen cupboard for a food raid, her first thought isn’t “I’m eating this food because I’m hungry and food was given by God to provide nutrients for my body.” No. The idea here is to induce momentary pleasure by overeating and endangering the body’s long-term health with too much food. (Numbers 11:31-33, Proverbs 23:1-3)

These are both tragic conditions to be in. As someone who has struggled with both under-eating and over-eating, I’m not saying this lightly.

But I believe it would be a disservice to perpetuate the idea that eating disorders are solely a matter of the brain. I could not look an anorexic girl in the eye and only say, “Take some antidepressants." Maybe she should—I don’t know. But first, let me give her a hug and say, “God made you, loves you, and hates what you’re doing.” Don’t let that truth be swept under the carpet.

Because in a flurry of psychiatric advice and dietary regulations, I don’t want this truth to be lost: there is a Healer who opened blind eyes and raised one little girl from the dead, and the realm of eating disorders is not beyond His jurisdiction. He's a God who still heals souls darkened by despair and self-focus. He is a God who is there.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-29)

If you are struggling with an eating disorder—whether binge eating, anorexia, purging, excessive dieting, you name it—please, please let your parents and/or a godly mentor know. Also, if we can be praying for you in this area, please email us.

• A friend emailed us this article from Christianity Today. Whether or not you agree that modesty is important, it's a good read and a good reminder.
• Also, please remember to keep the Chapman family in your prayers. Agent Tim has written on their family tragedy here.
  

Good Gracious!

“I hope I’ll make it to heaven. I really do. But… I need to keep living a good life,” a relative told me. His eyes were misty. “I just hope it's good enough.”

“But it's impossible to earn God’s favor. That’s why we need the Cross so desperately! Ephesians 2:7-8 says that we’re saved by grace, through faith—not from ourselves, because it’s a gift of God, and not by works, so that we have no ground for boasting. Our acceptance with God isn’t dependant upon our good deeds. If it were, we would have no hope, because we’re all guilty!”

The words ran off my tongue easily. When it comes to talking about sin, forgiveness, and grace, the ground is natural and familiar.

And yet, it’s strangely ironic. When I articulated the gospel to my relative, he wasn’t the only one within earshot who needed to hear it. There was one other person in the immediate vicinity who needed to hear the same message. Me.

I’m a Christian. I’m a staunch proponent of “saved by grace, through faith, not by works”. I don’t doubt the authenticity of my salvation. And yet, my need for the gospel is still genuinely desperate on a daily basis—not because I'm afraid of losing my salvation, but because Christians must always remember.

I needed to dwell on the fact that God’s favor can’t be earned. I needed to linger on the unchanging truth that my acceptance with God—not only my salvation, but my day-to-day acceptance—is not contingent upon what I do, but upon what Christ has already accomplished on the Cross for me.

As I talked with my relative, the greatness of the gospel pierced my own heart once again.

Sola Gratia

“This, not of yourselves, but the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Sola gratia is a Latin term from a by-gone age, but don't discard it as irrelevant; the words mean "grace alone". The Reformed doctrine teaches that we are rescued from eternal damnation only by God's free gift, not personal merit.

Sola gratia is the heartbeat of Christianity. Its indispensable importance is not restricted to the unsaved; the doctrine of sola gratia is a message of equally indispensable importance for every believer, on a day-to-day, moment-by-moment basis.

Why? Because I’ve observed that human beings tend to have the spiritual memory span of goldfish with Alzheimer’s. We readily forget to live out the very truths we claim to hold the closest.

Combine that fact with this one, and we have a serious conundrum on our hands: The cry of sola gratia happens to be a message that revolts against every fiber of our sinful nature.

On the other hand, it’s as easy as breathing to pursue good works with self-righteous alacrity. Do you see the potentials for legalism beginning to spring up?

I do, because my struggle with the issue runs deep. Remove my heart but a short distance from Calvary, and before you can say “legalism”, that’s exactly where I am.

With clock-like infallibility, my motive for holiness makes an immediate, dangerous switch when the Cross ceases to be my sole focus. I start to look down my nose at people who hold to less stringent standards than I do. I compare my spirituality to that of my fellow believers’. I frown inwardly at the Christians who don’t share all my convictions on guy-girl relationships. In short, I'm fully capable of effectually reducing the glory of the gospel to an uppity, me-centered religion.

Even within the secure bounds of theological accuracy, our natural inclination is to behave as though we can gain God’s approval through top-notch, sparkling performances. We’re quick to fall back on ourselves, but slow to fall on grace.

C. J. Mahaney clarifies and cautions,

"A lot of us wrongly stereotype a legalistic person as one who doesn’t go to the movies, or who thinks that any music with a beat is evil. Legalism is much more subtle and serious than that. At its heart legalism is self-atonement for the purpose of self-glorification and ultimately self-worship."

Rather than flinging ourselves completely upon God’s grace, legalism belittles the Cross and diminishes God’s glory. It shifts the focal point from God to man.

Mahaney goes on:

"I can assure you that in the next 24 hours you and I will face the temptation of legalism — we will once again be challenged and confronted by the legalist within. In order to combat this sinful tendency in our own hearts, it's critical for us to stay planted in the good of the gospel — to continue in the message we began with."

Legalism is in direct opposition to the very heart of the gospel. And as Mahaney aptly put it: "We each have a legalist lurking within."

Good Works… For The Praise of His—Sorry, My Glory

Hinduism, Confucianism, Mormonism, Islam, Sikhism. They’re all major world religions, and they're apples and oranges from each other. Notably, however, in spite of their many differences, at least one belief is shared in common among them all: Acceptance with God is something to be achieved. So, as with any other achievement, the credit goes to…you.

Christianity promulgates a radically different, mind-bending, life-altering truth: We cannot earn God’s love, forgiveness, or acceptance. Apart from grace, not even our greatest efforts are capable of making Him smile at us in approbation. "Vile and wretched sinners" is no exaggeration; Isaiah 64:6 says that even our best efforts, tainted with our depravity, are like disgusting, putrid rags to God.

Humbling? Definitely. I can’t claim credit for anything of value that I’ve ever done. I can’t even claim an ounce of credit for a single pure, righteous, God-honoring thought that has ever passed through my mind. The only thing that I can honestly take credit for is my sin—and that’s the last thing I like to own up to. No wonder grace runs contrary to our sinful nature; news like sola gratia doesn’t exactly tickle the ear.

And yet, when we live in a constant remembrance of the gospel, good works take on an entirely different hue. Instead of providing a basis for self-exaltation or incrimination, they become yet another platform to extol the riches of God's free, undeserved, mind-boggling gift. He gets all the glory. And that's what it's all about, anyway, isn't it?

1. Mahaney, C. J., The Cross-Centered Life, and Interrogating the Legalist Within

Not A Beach Bum? No Problem.

Here in Texas there is rarely a discernible shift between spring and summer; except spring is hot, and summer is hotter. Of course, we natives learned long ago the secret to knowing the seasons: the day the soles of your shoes melt against the asphalt parking lot and your seatbelt can be used as a branding iron, summer is on its way. But with the rise of modern technology, a third method has developed for determining the time of year: the skin tan.

You’ve seen them. Women, friends, sisters, coming out of the woodwork with noticeably darker, more freckled, or orange skin. People who never set foot outdoors suddenly start sporting the “sun kissed” look.

Cancer-causing UV rays aside, I don’t see anything explicitly wrong about going tanning. I’m not making a case against it. However, it does cause me to consider the quirks of human nature. Isn’t it interesting how “the grass is always greener on the other side” applies to skin tone—that women will pay money to bake in a toaster in order to change the way they look?

Tanning also reminds me of how much of what we consider “beautiful” is a cultural thing. Did you know that while we sell sun-tan lotion in North America, China sells white-skin lotion to bleach skin whiter? Or that throughout Africa, heavier women are more esteemed than skinny ones? Or that in not-so-distant history, different ideals of beauty were cherished in even the United States?

All things considered, tanning is just another culturally-specific beauty ideal. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I wonder if it’s worthwhile.

What do you think?

• Do you know of any beauty ideals that are different in other cultures?
• What do you think about tanning and other beauty treatments?

Meeting God in a Dark Alley

“When you are weak, you are strong!” My eyes starting fuzzing out as Charity grabbed my hands and squeezed them. When you are weak, you are strong. The words reverberated in my head as I walked past the judges, smiling at the blurring shape of their faces in my eyes. What did it mean exactly? I was certainly weak. My legs felt bendy like licorice and I couldn’t remember what month it was, let alone formulate a winning impromptu speech. I should’ve worn my glasses, because I could barely see anything. How was it possible for me to be strong at the moment?

It doesn't take a legal adult to experience troubles. I'm seventeen, and I have seen just enough to understand that life isn't always berries and cream. Although the example of my impromptu round is admittedly insignificant compared to other struggles, its a small slice of the kind of obstacles that humble us every day and convince us of our own insufficiency.

I wonder, why does God sometimes lead us through moments where we feel overcome by weakness? As we watch other Christians skip blithely through fields of daisies, facing a life with little or no obstacles, we can feel that God has dumped us in a dark alley. As small as it seems compared to the troubles of others, why does He put me in an impromptu room with blurry vision? It feels so pointless.

Let The Real Sufferers Stand Up

My weakness is insignificant when considered alongside the problems others face. For instance, my friend Stephanie is directing a documentary on the life and ministry of Nick Vujicic. Born without limbs, Nick struggles to complete tasks most of us can finish in an instant. And guess what? His situation will not change in his lifetime. He can't look forward to one day finding a cure to his problems. On the surface, he has no reason for hope.

Elisabeth was also bombarded by weakness. Restrained from marrying the man she loved as he sought direction from God for over a year, she wondered at the indescribable ache in her heart. In her diary she copied down a prayer of Amy Carmichael's, struggling to find perseverance in her journey:

"'If I make much of anything appointed, magnify it secretly to myself or insidiously to others; if I let them think it 'hard,' if I look back longingly upon what used to be, and linger among the byways of memory, so that my power to help is weakened, then I know nothing of Calvary love.'" Then Elisabeth prayed herself, "Dear Lord, Thou alone knowest the inmost workings of my mind and heart. Keep the level of my love in Christ--never lower. Thou hast said, 'Neither are my ways your ways.' Help me to walk in Thine, Lord, in peace." (Elisabeth Elliot, Passion and Purity.)

Some say that because Christ carried our sorrows, we will have no more suffering on earth. Any pain we experience on earth is unexplainable in their theology. But what about Nick’s struggles? How can we ignore the cries of Elisabeth in her time of loneliness and waiting? How can we explain Paul’s vision problems and the unnamed ‘thorn in the side’ that he experienced throughout the course of his life? How can we say that Christ took our sufferings when these Christians have suffered so?

Christ’s death didn’t remove human weakness from the Christian life. Rather, God allows the weakness of His children to be revealed for a purpose. While my impromptu anxiety wasn’t real suffering, it was a wake up call to cry out to the Creator of the Universe for strength. It was a humbling revelation of inadequacy. It was a situation that pulled me from my high horse and caused me to fall on Christ for grace to get through.

And that's exactly the point. The situations when our inadequacy is exposed are meant to lead to further trust: “Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.” (1 Peter 4:19)

He Is Our ________

Hope. Strength. Joy. Fill the above blank with any of these words and they’ll fit. God doesn't promise us perfect bliss on earth, but He does give us something better. In the face of struggles--whether it's believing God will help in weaving through a traffic jam or entrusting to Him delicate matters of the heart--rest can be found in His unfailing love.

King David said something funny in Psalm 63. After crying out that his life was like a “dry and weary land where there is no water,” he wrote that he'd continue praising God because “because Your lovingkindness is better than life." That's pretty unusual. While David didn't mince words describing his situation, he had found a higher source of joy than just his circumstances. Interestingly enough, the people I have met who are closest to God are the ones who have met Him in the dark alleys of life; because they learned that His lovingkindness, even in darkness, was better than living in daisy covered fields without His Presence.

And yet, those who travel through dark alleys aren't left there forever. Sufferers in the big and the small have a promise: "And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong..." (1 Peter 5:10) Will we ever be made strong? Will we be healed? Maybe not tomorrow or the next day, but one day, it's certain we will. And our Healer will be the God who does all things well.

"God in skin"

I read this quote today on Of First Importance, which struck me as particularly fitting to follow our previous post. Here's an excerpt:

"It’s bad news, death.

Because dead people can’t see. Can’t breathe. Can’t help themselves. Dead people can’t do anything. That is why they call Him Savior. When we were dead and could not touch God, Jesus came down and touched us.

....Divinity rushing into humanity. God in skin marching steadily to the beat of His own love."

-Louie Giglio


Read the full quote here.

Grace is Amazing (Really)

“I’m afraid I’m not good enough to get into heaven.” The teenage girl twirled a pencil in her hand as she expressed her concern to the entire youth group. Other students nodded, relating to her fear.

The youth pastor cleared his throat. “Oh well, just remember that Jesus loves you.”

That’s it? I was shocked. This girl was afraid she’s going to Hell because she isn’t good enough to earn Heaven, and all she was told was that Jesus loves her? There’s so much more to say!

You should say it, Hannah.

Excuses were ample: “Me? But that’s not in my script. What will I say? I’m here to speak to the youth group, yes, not to give a Gospel presentation...”

Yet what did I have to lose? My voice felt small. “I think it’s important to remember that repentance is hating our sin and turning away from it...and that salvation is placing our faith in Christ...and that we can never be good enough to earn heaven.” I prayed my long, run-on sentence made sense.

The youth pastor stared at me, his eyes glazed over and annoyed. “Uh, thanks."

A week has passed since this conversation and it hasn't yet left my mind. Here’s an interesting observation of my own heart from that youth meeting: I don’t focus on the Gospel. Yes, I try sometimes; but not to the level that I should. I felt perfectly content to give a hip, pre-planned announcement to the teens about something unrelated to the state of their eternal destination. I wasn’t excited about sharing the Gospel.

As the most crucial of all messages, the message of "Christ dying for lost sinners" ought to be shouted from every pew and streetcorner. But here's the problem: how can I expect to shout the Gospel from a streetcorner if I don’t give it a corner of my mind? If I forget what a sinner I am myself, how can I witness to a teen girl at a youth group? This calls for another re-visiting of the Cross.

A Wretch Like Who?

Dad likes to tell the story of the time he stood at a grocery store checkout, toting me in the shopping cart. When a woman passed by, I suddenly pointed my finger and began to call out to her: "Sinner! Sinner!"

I was two years old.

Growing up as a daughter of Christian parents and the granddaughter of Christian missionaries, it's easy to forget how much my sin weighed. Compared to some of the people around me, I've always been the goody-two-shoes type. Still, my attempts at goodness are tainted by my sin nature, and if you scratch more than the surface, you'll see I'm just as guilty as the rest.

Kris Lundgaard had it right when he wrote:

Every night Tom Brokaw tells us about shady politics and business scams. People finding loopholes in the law to use their sweat-earned money to build stately pleasure domes in Zanadu. But the sleaziest back-room Mafia deal can’t equal the deceitfulness in your heart. The heart is 'deceitful above all things.'

Think about it. Do you remember a single moment in which you did something truly good--not motivated by a desire for recognition? Do you remember "serving God" without paying the slightest attention to whether you served as much as the next guy? Do you remember a single time in personal Bible study that your mind has centered totally on Christ, with zero distractions? Yes, there might've been the time you really longed to praise God, but did you? Did you praise Him with completely pure abandon?

Me neither. That alone should draw me to my knees, in awe of God's redeeming love for a wretch like me; only when I remember my sin can I begin to appreciate the amazingness of Christ's grace.

When You’ve Been There Ten Thousand Years, Will You Remember Why?

I love, love, love the declaration of Hebrews 2:14-15: "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery."

What's the moral of the story? That we have no morals, but Christ crammed His beatific Self into a weak body complete with muscle cramps and hunger pangs and every bit of human frailty in order that through dying in our skin, He might destroy the one who has power over us, and free sin-infested people who were enslaved to that worrisome question:"What will happen when I die?"

Now that's something worth singing about, and worth telling lost teenage girls in equally confused youth groups. Only by realizing our sinfulness can she, and I, ever comprehend an inch of this glorious, glorious Gospel.

Coming To a City Near You...

The Measure of a Man

Our dear friend, Stephanie, is traveling to California this coming week to film a documentary on the life and ministry of Nick Vujicic. Born without arms or legs, Nick has faced incredible obstacles throughout his life: "I had suicidal thoughts at the age of eight."

Fortunately, much has changed since then. Nick's perspective has refocused from what he can't do to the gifts God has given him. Traveling the world, Nick uses his struggles as a platform for speaking boldly of God's sovereignty and how He should be praised in every circumstance.

We're thrilled about Stephanie's documentary (currently titled "The Measure of a Man") and excited to see more people reached through Nick's testimony. Please be in prayer for Stephanie and her film crew as they fly to California to begin filming in the next few days.

May God be glorified completely!