Tag: redeem

Tribute to Dr. Shumaker

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stephen_shumakerA person is made up of many voices and influences in their life. Some stand out in remarkable ways. One such person is Dr. Steve Shumaker. I had the pleasure to have Dr. Shumaker as a professor at Baptist Bible College. God is moving the Shumakers to Colorado Christian University for the fall of 2013. He will be delivering his last lecture at BBC on Tuesday.

The life of the mind is invaluable. As Proverbs points to the pursuit of wisdom leading to godliness, Paul in Ephesians 5 points to godliness leading to wisdom. Christianity does not remove the need to develop discernment. Instead, Christianity requires reflection and interaction with the deep questions of life. What this looks like to a student of Dr. Shumaker is: Think. Judge. Redeem.

I appreciate Dr. Shumaker’s approach. (At this stage of life I almost wonder if it was a brazen approach.) Rather than teach us vocabulary of philosophy and basic arguments from a textbook, he instead drove us to primary source material. My understanding of philosophy came from key influencers of philosophy instead of a textbook. And that from a man who is passionate about his relationship with God. This formed necessary skills of discernment.

I’m thrilled at the opportunity God gave Dr. Shumaker and I wish him the best. I’m also grateful that he chose to invest in a Bible college in Pennsylvania. Happy journeys to you, Dr. Shumaker, and God bless!

Blessings,
Ty

Why not Wednesday? No turning back…

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25 years ago on January 5th, 1986 I asked Jesus to save me. It is the day that changed everything. I remember sitting in my bed dreading going back to school and reflecting on all I heard at church. I knew one thing clearly: I needed to trust in Jesus.

No regrets
I have no regrets over the best 25 years. This doesn’t mean I made no mistakes. It doesn’t mean there aren’t times I could have made better decisions. It means this: The cross covers all sin. Ponder that for a moment. The moment we trust in Christ He erases all your sin, past, present and future. Instead of regrets I embrace the hope of the Gospel.

Back to being
I once heard a story where a person asked a pastor what was the difference between Christianity and religion. “Religion is do, Christianity is done.” I’ve learned it is very easy to get caught up in ‘doing’ instead of what Christ is most concerned about: ‘being.’ Our favor with God is completely based on the Gospel. A sharp focus on being will result in a more sustainable doing of good things. Busyness hinders our walk. Resting and waiting on God renews it.

Church is the hero
I believe the Church is the greatest institution for hope on Earth. For sure the Church has problems, but those problems, like regrets, the cross covers. To be a part of the church only takes two things: brokenness and the Gospel. There is no other place where brokenness is embraced with a future hope of Christ making all things new. Even though there are churches who may not get this or churches who ignore sin altogether, God is in control. He will make the Church right.

God is enough
The heart and breadth of the Gospel and existence is this: God is enough. Adam & Eve did not think so. Their actions led us to live in a world that does not make sense apart from God and His Word. God did not leave us to ourselves. He did not force us into some extreme contest to earn His favor. God provided the perfect and completely sufficient way to have favor in His sight: Jesus (Jn 14:6).

We often get confused in the craziness in life. We think what is good is from God and what is bad is from the Devil. I find God in both the good and the bad times. For in both the central question being asked is this: Is God enough? All of life is shaping us for His good purpose, and in the end we will understand fully this question. Without God, we have and are nothing. With Him, we have what is most important in life.

The bottom line:
It is so sweet to trust in Jesus. He will make all things new. He will one day perfect those who are His. But, the greatest isn’t the restoration He provides. The greatest part of the Gospel is I can call Him my friend.