The wilderness is no fun! It’s hot, it’s dry, it’s barren. Food is sparse, beauty is lacking, and danger is real. Granted, there are some hardy, adventurous folks who find delight in the challenge of hiking or camping in the wilderness, but even for them, it’s only enjoyable because it’s temporary—very few would be inclined to settle in and live there.

So also for the people of Israel, after God delivered them out of Egypt, the wilderness was not their destination of choice. Rather, because of their disobedience and their lack of trust in God, they wandered and hungered and thirsted and complained for forty long years in the wilderness. It was not fun.

But God says something to his people through Moses, as they are about to leave the wilderness and enter the Promised Land. God gives them a different picture of the wilderness than perhaps how they were viewing it. They likely saw the wilderness as a punishment for their sinful grumbling and disobedience. But God tells them it was a test. “And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2, italics added) 

Notice that God says he led them in the wilderness. God was present with them, intentionally leading them, not just through it but in it. And the purpose was to humble them and test them, to reveal what was in their heart.

That is what any kind of test does—it reveals. When I failed my DMV behind-the-wheel driving test as a 17-year-old, it revealed (much to my chagrin at the time!) that I was not yet ready to be driving a car on the road. I’m thankful (now) for that test—it’s possible that it saved my life or others’ lives by making me wait and learn further before driving on my own. Tests, whether in school or the workplace, reveal whether or not we have mastered the skills or material we’re learning.

Hardship. Suffering. Loss. Pain. Grief. These are all tests for us, like the wilderness was a test for the people of Israel. God leads us in them—though we may not feel his presence—not to punish us but to reveal what is in our hearts. Will we trust that his heart is good, even when we suffer like Job did? Will we hold tightly to Jesus in our pain, or will we seek relief outside of relationship with him? Does our loss or grief start revealing self-centered beliefs that everything should go our way? Do the everyday pressures and stresses of a life that is hard prove our determination to live independently from God?

Or…are we learning to lean on the wisdom of God when that unexpected diagnosis comes our way? Will we train our hearts to truly know it is well with our soul even when the “sorrows like sea billows roll”? Can we trust in the mercy and kindness of our Lord rather than running after empty escape or relief? Are we reminding ourselves of all that Jesus suffered on our behalf, in order to give us life and hope beyond this broken, sinful world? Tests also reveal the ways that our hearts are being transformed to reflect the glory of Christ more and more.

As God reminded his people of his faithful presence in the wilderness, he also warned them that the comfortableness of the Promised Land would be another test. Thus, he instructed them not to forget the Lord their God… “who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.” (Deuteronomy 8:16, italics added) May we who are in Christ also rest in that assurance that the hard things in our lives are given by God to do us good in the end.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

(2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

“Daddy, I’m done!”

I was about to bust. I had just sat down, thinking the kids were finally asleep. So, naturally, I paused and – as absurd as it sounds – hoped those words came from the television. The nagging words came again, “Daddy, I’m done!”

Sitting deep in my favorite spot on the couch, I thought, “I worked a long hard day. I had to manage the family at dinner. I had to put the kids down.   And I just plopped in front of the television. Now this?!” 

The words came a third time: “Daddy, I’m done!”

Down the hallway I stomped and there I stood in front of my kid on his porcelain throne. This must have been the thousandth time I needed to wipe his rear end. And frankly, I didn’t want to! I looked up to heaven, and threw my hands up and yelled (in my head and heart at least), “Surely God, I was made for something greater than this!” 

Though that was years ago, I still feel the sting of from that incident.

Without a doubt, that was one of my low points in parenting. I wanted so badly to embrace passivity and reject responsibility- by not caring for my little one. And I wanted so badly to lead and invest selfishly- by caring for myself instead! 

Sadly, my prayer protest to God revealed what I really thought of my God-given mission to care for my son in that moment: 

I want to abandon my God-given mission because serving myself is of greater importance.

Whether you have children or not, you may be able to identify with such behavior.

Here’s a breakdown of what was in my heart:

“Surely God…”   Anyone who starts a sentence with the word “surely” is in for trouble, especially if that sentence is directed towards God. I’m pretty sure demanding that God answer our rhetorical questions is not commended in the Bible. Nevertheless, my question/statement revealed my pride, a complaining heart, not to mention a deep distrust in God, His plan, and His mission. My heart said, “Surely God, you made a mistake on this one! It must be that you wrongly assigned this task to me.” 

“…I was made…”   In my pride, not only did I protest, but I followed up my protest by reminding God what He had made me for. Clearly, I thought I knew better than the Creator. My heart said, “Don’t you know God, I am underutilized and not being used to my full potential? If you would just align your opinion of me, with my opinion of me, we wouldn’t be having this problem! 

“…for something greater than this…” In my make-believe kingdom, the task of cleaning and wiping my son’s butt was clearly beneath me. In my own estimation, I was destined for “greatness”—going about church ministry, solving the world’s problems, world hunger, the sex trade, and whatever else I couldn’t think of at the moment.

What a fool I was!

I was so proud: wanting to run my own life, according to my own desire, thinking I knew best.

I was so selfish: hijacking God’s mission for me to bless others, and instead seeking only to bless myself.

I was so hard-hearted: God cares for the helpless, and there I stood in front of my helpless son, finding such care dull, tedious, and mind-numbing.

Thank God for the Spirit who brings conviction. And thank God for His grace, mercy, and forgiveness. As I said, He certainly helps the helpless—namely me!

What can help us pursue our God-given mission to live freely and fully for Him?  

1. Ditch your delusions of earthly grandeur. I’ll be honest, my protest prayer stemmed from a cold heart that didn’t want to be inconvenienced —and that, by my own son. In the moment, caring for someone other than myself was an inconvenience. And all the grand things “greater than this”, basically amounted to: a) being left alone, b) to watch my show, c) with an ice-cold beverage in one hand and the remote in the other.

But, even if God calls us to far-reaching positions of leadership, He never intends for us to neglect our most foundational responsibilities—loving Him and the family he has given us. Even King David, though he had a kingdom to protect and enemies to confound, created a tender family atmosphere that left a lasting impact on his son Solomon (Prov 4:3-4).

Reject passivity. Let’s ditch our delusions of grandeur. Instead, let’s joyfully and determinedly accept our God-given mission, relying on His power for strength to fulfill it.

2. Trust that true significance is found in God’s design and mission for you. I don’t think it’s too difficult to make the point that we’ve reached a personal low when we think greatest significance is found in doing what we want, when we want, and taking no junk from no one as we do it. Chasing significance rooted in our own designs will only take us as high as our heads will reach. 

But true and ultimate significance is found living for God and fulfilling his mission for us.

Every opportunity to interact with our kids is an opportunity to display a little bit more of the character of God, even when cleaning up after them. Can you believe it? That’s why God made men and women in “His own image”, to image Him to our children, and the world (Gen 1:26)

As fathers, we are to image the Father, to our children. Now that’s a weighty calling. As Christians, we are to love our children, as God has loved us: self-sacrificially, personally, and passionately for the sake of Christ.

Living in that reality, standing in front of a helpless and needy 3-year-old on his porcelain throne, becomes an opportunity, a calling, and mission to display the Father’s always selfless, always patient, always-gonna-show-up love.

What a mission! God has called all Christian fathers to invest in their children with the intention of seeing eternal fruit born for His glory. Let’s lead courageously, in the strength of Christ, who loved us needy and desperate people, and who for the joy set before Him, endured the cross to clean up our mess, once and for all.

All-Church Equipping Conference, October 14-15, 2022

Who is God? And how important is it, for us as Christians, that we have a right perception of God?

Christian pastor and writer A.W. Tozer answered that question in this way:

What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.

The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and man’s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God.

For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself, and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.

We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God. This is true not only of the individual Christian, but of the company of Christians that composes the Church. Always the most revealing thing about the Church is her idea of God.

A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (New York: HarperCollins, 1978), 1.

 How we think about God affects our worship of Him. What we believe about Him influences our praying, our parenting, our counseling, our evangelism, our working, our resting, our planning for the future. Every area of our lives is impacted by our perception and thoughts of God.

Because this is of such vital importance, not only for us as individual Christians but for us as a church family, we are planning an equipping conference for our whole church this fall, and the focus is on the doctrine of God. We are blessed to have pastor and professor Dr. Erik Thoennes come to teach us about this foundational doctrine, and our hope is that as we behold our God in deeper ways, our hearts and lives will reflect His glory more and more (2 Corinthians 3:18).

When our own Pastor Jeremy worked as an adjunct theology professor at Biola, he was privileged to serve under Dr. Thoennes, so he is super excited that all of us are blessed with this opportunity to learn from him as well. This is Pastor Jeremy’s introduction of him to us:

Dr. Erik Thoennes is a professor and chair of theology at Talbot School of Theology, Biola. He also serves as a pastor at Grace Evangelical Free Church, La Mirada. Dr. Thoennes is Biola's most sought after professor of theology as he is known for teaching theology in a way that connects biblical doctrine to practical life, discipleship, and missions. He has taught theology and evangelism at the college and seminary levels and has received the Biola University award for faculty excellence and professor of the year. In addition to teaching in the local church, and at Biola University, he is also an author and frequent speaker at various conferences and retreats such as Mount Hermon's Family Camp.

It's a joy to have Dr. Thoennes teaching us on the doctrine of God. I know you will be blessed at this conference as he helps us Behold our God.

COVID restrictions have interrupted our usual rotation of church retreats and we have not been able to have our all-church summer conference since 2018. Therefore, this equipping conference is designed to be an all-church event to gather us together around the Word of God in a manner more conducive to our varying degrees of health risk (i.e. less than 24 hours with no overnight accommodations). It will begin on Friday evening, October 14, and continue Saturday morning through afternoon on October 15, all on the Evergreen Church campus. So mark your calendar and plan to attend with the whole family! More details and registration coming soon.

Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news;
lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news;

lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” 

Isaiah 40:9

by Kenny Wada

When I was in high school, by God's abundant mercy, he opened my eyes to see that Jesus gave his life for me so that I might live with him and for him (2 Corinthians 5:15).  He allowed me to see that the Creator and sustainer of all things was inviting me, one out of billions of people, to repent, believe in him, love him and fully enjoy him.  This revelation was unbelievable to me.

Today, I still find it hard to FULLY embrace this truth that in Christ, God desires to know me AND make himself known to me.  And it's not only because I think I'm not that important, but it's also because of other beliefs and attitudes I have that Paul Miller unearthed through his book, A Praying Life. 

The book, A Praying Life, is not just a book about how to pray, but about what life looks like in relationship with God.  It's about relating to a heavenly Father in a secure, free and child-like manner that's unhindered by distrust or self-importance. 

I think one of the endorsers says it best when he (Scotty Smith) writes, "With childlike wonder, sage-like wisdom, and heartfelt candor, Paul shows us that to pray is to see Jesus more clearly and meet him more regularly in every single aspect and moment of the day." 

So if you long to experience a real and working relationship with God, check out Paul Miller's book,A Praying Life.You can also join us as we go through his book for 10 weeks on Tuesday nights from 8pm to 9pm starting on February 23rd. Register here.