Life comes at you fast.  The wife of my youth turned 50 on Monday, and we had all four of our adult sons home for the occasion.  But no sooner did our son David return to his California home on Monday than, he and his wife Cindi just learned that Amani Baby Cottage of Uganda have approved them and chosen a baby boy for them!  They have been seeking adoption from Africa for some time now, and suddenly - in a blink of a moment - it's done.  The boy's name is Charles (selected by the orphanage, and something David & Cindi will be changing).  He's two months old.  It appears they will be heading to Uganda to pick him up in June or July, when he'll be about six months old.  Charles was an abandoned child, which is not uncommon there.   

My son David wrote at his blog today:

"In a different but very real way, we echo the words of Hannah:  "I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him.  So now I give him to the Lord.  For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord" (1 Samuel 1:27-28).

Behold, our first grandchild! 

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling (Psalm 68:5). 

May every member of the Gundersen family love this little one, for Jesus' sake.

You see, our son and his wife have wanted to create a family which vividly pictures our Savior's kingdom, Who is bringing people from every tribe and nation and tongue together.  What a glorious truth to illustrate in your own family!

My wife just returned from a trip to New Jersey, where she visited some of her family.  Her church experience during the journey brought an oft-heard phrase to mind: "Worship Wars".  Apparently the church she attended on her Sunday away from home has had the all-too-common experience of a committee, staff, and church members battling over whether to sing exclusively modern and recently-written choruses, or to sing the old "great hymns of the faith".  Some were advocating one option, some the other.  

Can you imagine how this much grind against the heart of the God who is allegedly worshipped?  Strife over which songs we use?

It had been this particular church's tradition to sing the old hymns until lately, when a new regime of worship leaders have suggested (well, more than "suggested"...perhaps "pressed for" would be more accurate) that the church go to choruses of recent authorship.

Now, I love the modern choruses as much as anybody.  At least some of them: not the shallow ones that you repeat 9x which didn't say anything the first time through - I mean, the sound ones.  But yes, I do enjoy them.  Yet, I find it bizarre that a committee of worship leaders would conclude that it is edifying to a church body, to sing what the committee prefers to sing, somehow speaking for the whole body.  Of all things to make battle over in the body of Christ, and to create strife over, this is one of the ugliest and most heinous possible.  With what music we worship?

I look down on no man or church with judgmental eyes.  It's not as though the churches I've served have not had strife, splits, or pettiness among people.  So I don't gaze "down my nose" at anyone.  I post only to say: goodness, if the flesh must enter in and strive, why over worship?  I would only share our proposed solution here:

I've pastored in the Tulsa area for 25+ years and have never yet had a complaint about the songs we chose for worship: not one complaint, from one church member, in all those years.  Not a single moment of battle.  The reason why is plain to see at one of our worship services: we sing some modern choruses, and some older hymns, at every service.  Rather than insist on one or the other, we simply do both. 

It's obvious that some of our members prefer the choruses.  It's also obvious that some of our members prefer the hymns.  By singing both, God is honored in our worship and the preferences of various brethren are satisfied as well.  After all (oh ye, who strive to change your church's worship entirely overnight), aren't we called to "prefer one another", and "put the interests of others ahead of your own"?  Check Romans 12 and Phil 2. 

To create a fuss over the songs selected for worship is to create one of the most offensive conflicts possible in the sight of God.  May He deliver us.  If American churches can battle over this, maybe our independent ways have finally gotten the best of us. 

Is it worship after all, if we fight over what tunes to offer it up with?

I promised a report upon our return from Slidell, Louisiana, and so a report you shall have - though it will probably be more hastily written than I anticipated, as I'm still preaching in the morning here at Grace Bible Church, Tulsa and must review that message tonight.

It surprises no one to hear that this New Orleans suburb was a catastrophe.  Virtually every business and home we passed in the central part of town had been flooded, and everyone had all their goods outside on the street, piled like so much garbage.  Driving down the main drags, whether it was a furniture store, auto shop, Blockbuster Video, flower shops, bars and clubs, antique shops, restaurants, pharmacies, K-Mart, you name it....everything was outside.  Same situation in the housing additions.  Every house had all their earthly goods on the curb.  The moldy smell in town was powerful, and that's saying something for me, because my sense of smell is extremely weak.

Meeting Pastor Eddie Exposito of Sovereign Grace Fellowship and some of the members of his church was a sheer joy.  If you haven't read Gail's blog, I recommend it highly:  http://gmom4.blogspot.com/ - to see her response to the damages was truly to see the behavior of a Christian, who lives not for this world.  I saw her house, which had been filled with about 4 feet of water, and know about other trials this has put her family through.

Eddie allowed our little team (just 4 men) to spend our nights in his church building, while we ended up using most of our 4 days there, rendering help to my brother Gary at his house.  He lived right along the bayou, not far from the lake, resulting in his house suffering the worst damages we saw anywhere (6 feet of water inside).  We spent the first day removing carpet, pad, and mud.  We spent the 2nd day removing sheet rock.  We spent the 3rd day trying to get this awful place just a little bit dry and tolerable to camp in.  Our only real service to Eddie and church was monetary, as our GBC was able to leave them a large sum of money to use as they had need.  Other than that, we did nothing for their church but cut up a tree which blocked the church's parking lot, and repaired their fallen church sign at the street, which had been sheared off by the wind.  Thankfully, Eddie's house was not flooded, though the trees in his yard will not be the same for years and years.  There's still a huge one laying on the roof, which I was volunteering to cut; Eddie, unselfish man that he is, preferred to take me on visits to needier members of his flock. 

Nothing amazed me more than this: God's providence in it all, to bring my brother Gary into the presence of Pastor Eddie.  I have prayed for this meeting for more than 20 years: for a Biblically sound pastor, in my brother's own city, to cross paths with him.  And the Lord has done it.  Eddie invited our little group - the 4 of us who came down to help, and my brother and his girlfriend, over to dinner one night, when electricity came on at Eddie's house.  And here was my brother, sitting in Pastor Eddie's living room, talking as friends.  I am now confident that Eddie would be welcome at any time to drop by my brother's home, and be greeted as a friend.  I could not have asked for God to bring a more winsome Christian man into my brother's life.  May it result in eternal mercies.

Many thoughts could be shared, and I kept a "trip journal" which is 7 pages long, which I'd be glad to send as an attachment to anyone interested in reading that much.  I won't post it all here.  But one thought which powerfully came over me as we worked, in decidedly the most yucky conditions I've ever been in:  as we tore the ruined innards of my brother's home out, piece by piece, it struck me:  We live in these homes of ours, year in and year out, comforted by the carpet and pad under our feet, which the Lord has provided; kept warm in winter and cool in summer, by layers of sheet rock and insulation, which the Lord has provided.  We even have molding to make the room look nice and tack strip to keep the carpet in place.  Out it all came.  Out came the cabinets which hold our dishes and silverware and pots and pans and our toiletries and towels.  All supplied by God for our comfort, for decade after decade of our lives.  Will we then grumble at Him when we must do without these comforts?  When, for only a few days, they are ruined and gone?  Have we been thankful for all the years our Lord provided them to shelter us? 

And have we learned, after all, to not count these earthly things precious?  For it makes the lesson so vividly plain that, we do not need these things as badly as we thought we did.  And, sooner than we think, all that pertains to this world will be stripped away regardless.  But the one who does the will of God abides forever.

A small team of men from our church are departing today, to reach Baton Rouge tonight and then on to Slidell, Louisiana early Monday morning for 4 days of work there.  We are taking all manner of supplies, tools, goods, etc., to help several families we know (including my brother) recover what they can from their flooded homes.  We will probably be sleeping at night in the building of Sovereign Grace Fellowship there in Slidell, but have a good tent in case sleeping outside is preferable.  See www.sgfellowship.org - I believe that almost every member of this church had serious damage to their home.

       Our biggest concern is that we assist our brethren in Christ there in whatever ways we can and that we are good representatives of the gospel of Christ to the lost. 

      Our 2nd biggest concern is that we stay healthy and not contract anything seriously harmful to us! 

      I'll try to write a report on Friday or Saturday this week, when we expect to be back in Tulsa.  Our church has collected a significant offering to help the brethren there, and I'm so thankful to be a shepherd in this church!  When an occasion of serious need arises, they really get with it.  The Apostle Paul wrote:  "And let our people also learn to engage in good deeds to meet pressing needs, that they may not be unfruitful." (Titus 3:14)

Dennis

Remember the arrogance of those who constructed the Titanic?  Declaring that boat "unsinkable"?  That mistaken has been often repeated by those who dare to test the omnipotence of God to humble the pride of man.  All week long, as I and members of our church prepare to travel to New Orleans, to render whatever assistance we can, the deeds and lifestyles of many there can only make one say ~~ if you wondered why this has been brought upon New Orleans, perhaps the better question is, "Why not New Orleans?"  Why not my city?  Why not the world?  God already did that with a flood once, as I recall.....

Leon Everette wrote a song in 1981 entitled "Hurricane":

A man come down from Chicago, gonna set that levy right
Said it’s gotta be three feet high, or it won’t make it thru the night
Old drunk man down in the "quarter" said, "Don’t you listen to that boy
The water be down by mornin’, son he’ll be on his way to Illinois."

'Cause I was born on the rain of the Ponchatrain beneath that Louisiana Moon
Don't mind the strain of the hurricane, she comes 'round every June.
That high black water, she's the devils daughter, she's hard and she's cold, and she's mean
But we finally taught her that it takes a lot of water to wash away New Orleans

I don't suppose anyone's singing this song anymore.

Pray for the people of the Gulf Coast.  In the words of Habakkuk, "Lord, in wrath, remember mercy."

Have you ever thought about, why is it that some Christians are genuinely thrilled by hearing the same truths over and over; learning from messages that cover many of the same truths that you know they already know - while others do not find this particularly nourishing?  Now, I do not speak of sitting under the same "gospel milk" sermon every week, as your pastor preaches to the unbelievers and never feeds the flock - but I do mean, for instance, when in the course of expository teaching, a pastor ends up covering familiar passages as he works through a book of Scripture. Some relish it and hang on every word.  Others look quite bored. 

Maybe the question ought to be asked in another form altogether:  If you don't relish the hearing of truths that you already know....why don't you?  I can think of two major probable causes:

1st, You lack a hunger for what is delicious, and lack a taste for what is beautiful.  The man who says "But I've heard and read about the doctrine of justification before", or, "I've heard lots of sermons about heaven already" - yes, but have you come to *love* what you know of it?  After all, does it matter to a man who is in love with his wife, that he has seen her 5,000 days before this day? (that would be covered in their first 13 years of marriage, by the way).  She's still beautiful in his sight....he doesn't say: "Well, golly, I've seen her SO many times already, y'know?"  He had better not say that! nor feel it either!  If he knows the meaning of real love, she still takes his breath away.

2nd, You do not "know" the truth nearly as well as you ought to know it yet.  As the Apostle Paul wrote, 1 Cor. 8:2:  "If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know."  It's possible to know a truth very shallowly, betraying that you haven't done much meditation upon it.  Every one of us has been "taught beyond our obedience", as a friend of mine used to say.  That means we still have more homework to do, to extract from the Word, even from what we are well-acquainted with. 

So always rememberthat God’s Word is a deep well, because the mind of God is an infinite well.  You can always dig more and more gold from this unfathomable mine -- that is, if you'll seek it.  After all, the Proverb says to "seek her (wisdom) as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures."  Maybe if we sought that way and dug that eagerly, we'd learn more than we do - y'think?

so get diggin' ~

~ Pastor Dennis

Posted tonight, at my church's posting list. 

Apply it in your own life, in your own church:

"What we feared most, has come upon us", someone once said, and made the quote famous. 

I've been to New Orleans many times, and have heard people speculate, what an awful mess their city would be in if those levees ever breached, which protect the city from the large bodies of water all around her.  And now it has taken place.  Many are realizing their worst fears.  What some residents fear most, has come upon them: a city in complete chaos, under the heavy hand of God. 

It has brought to my mind: What do I most fear?  What do you most fear?  I can tell you what it is for me:  ever seeing division again in the church of Jesus Christ. 

I am utterly sick and tired of it.  I cannot stomach another moment of it.  I will be 53 years old on Saturday, and am not sure at all how I would bear a single more instance in my life of seeing this abomination in the sight of God.  And let none call it overstatement to label it "abomination", when Prov 6:19 says that, among the "things which the Lord hates", which "are an abomination to Him", according to the Proverb, is "one who spreads strife among brothers."

Trouble and judgment will fall in this world.  Earthly kingdoms and cities will burn, like Rome and London.  Cities will be devoured by volcanoes, like Pompeii.  They will be sacked by armies, like Tyre and Carthage.  They will be vanquished by weapons of astonishing force, like Hiroshima.  And those events do not disturb the heart of God even a smidgen as much, as seeing havoc wrought in His Own beloved congregation, for "we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture."  

The God who said "If a calamity occurs in a city, has not the Lord done it?" (Amos 3:6) - taking the credit for that Himself -- also said, "If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are." - referring, in this case, to the utter terror we ought to have in our souls, of ever harming His church. 

So let all men tremble to do the church harm, especially merely for their own preferences and wishes' sake.  The collapse of New Orleans means little to the Lord, compared to havoc in one true local church.  For we are His heart, and those for whom "the blood of God" was spilled (Acts 20:28)

So if we dread division in His body, what could do it?  What could bring it to pass? - again??  This is a wise time for us to be watchful and pray, meaning, as regards temptation in our own hearts!  One of our leading men wisely said to me recently that, as we are seeing the blessing of God poured out in exceptional ways at our church right now, we must stay watchfully aware that the "roaring lion" who seeks to devour would love to devour the hearts of some and 'set back' any progress being made by the church.  Not just set it back, but turn it completely around. 

Back, then to the question: What could bring that which we fear, to pass?  What could make it a reality?  What could breach the strong walls of unity and flood our church with the waste and filth of sin?  The answer lies chiefly in understanding the corruption of our own hearts.  That is where the sewage lies, which could overflow the banks of restraint and poison everything: inside your own hearts. 

Thus, here is your pastor's "short list" of what could bring it on; what could bring that which we most fear, upon us.....again.   Let it not be, again.  Search your own heart with the list below, and may God use these meditations to form in you the heart of a peacemaker, one who is diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

      -- Taking offense at offensive remarks about ourselves, that we could ignore
     
      -- Spreading malicious words about someone which we could bring to a stop

      -- Treating our personal preferences as though they were issues to "take a stand" on

      -- Insisting on getting our own way, "or else"

      -- Regarding the correction of friends as hatred, accusation, or gossip

      -- Becoming annoyed that our work, our office, or ourselves, are not respected, admired, or noticed more

      -- Arrogantly judging the motives of others, as though we knew what was in their heart
     
      -- Choosing to let feelings of being "snubbed" by others ("he wasn't friendly to me!") get under our skin.

And there must be more.  What would you add to the list above?

Let's never let it happen again. 

just shepherding ~
Pastor Dennis

Well, I've both written and phoned the editorial staff of Multnomah Publishing, but they have overcome all objections (hundreds received, besides mine, according to their operators) and have proceeded ahead with their re-titling of Joshua Harris' excellent book, "Not Even A Hint: Guarding Your Heart Against Lust", to this (shown below).  Here's the new cover.

So, I wonder how many teenaged boys are going to want to be seen carrying a book by this title around, tucked under their arm - compared to the previous title?  Suzy asks Billy in the hall between classes, "Say, whatcha reading there, Billy?", as he squirms, hoping she hadn't noticed.  Brilliant move, Multnomah.

As for us at Grace & Truth Books, we plan to buy up a large supply of the original by the old title, so as to have them on hand for those who want it. 

~ Dennis

I love Erasmus.  I can picture the reader muttering to himself, "Who in the world is that?  I thought he loved Naomi."  :)  Well, indeed.  But as one who delights in books, Erasmus has always been perhaps the chief of kindred spirits to me in at least that department, being the early 16th century Reformer well-known for the quote:

       "When I get a little money, I buy books; and if any funds are left over, I buy some food."

Yep, that's my man.  I've been known to read and study all day when my wife was out of town, utterly unconscious of meals and having to be reminded by my sons or a visitor of the necessity of taking some nutrition. 

But that is quite far from making me a 21st-century Erasmus.  I've been reading about this dear servant of God in David Bentley-Taylor's biographical masterpiece, "My Dear Erasmus".  (seen at):

http://graceandtruthbooks.com/search/results.asp?S=erasmus&T=exact

A taste of this delightful brother in the faith for you; and oh, what a challenge this provides for all of us parents.  Erasmus wrote, as counsel to his friend in Paris, in 1501:

   "Your first endeavor should be to choose the most learned teacher you can find; for it is impossible that one who is himself no scholar should make a scholar of anyone else!  As soon as you find him, make every effort to see that he acquires the feelings of a father  towards you.  Your friendship with him is of such importance, as an aid to learning, that it will be of no avail to you to have a tutor at all unless, by the same token, you have a friend."           

My, oh my.  As the Hebrew rabbis used to say: go and learn this.

Another tidbit from Erasmus.  Writing to a close friend, who was concerned if he was lonely in Paris, during his studies, he replied:

     "Perhaps you wonder what I am up to?  My friends are my occupation and in their company, which I enjoy enormously, I refresh my spirits.  They never thrust themselves upon me uninvited, but when I call for them, they are at once at my disposal.  I closet myself with them in some secluded nook, and they speak when I ask them to speak, otherwise they keep silence.  Their conversation lasts as long as I wish.  They go into every situation with me and I know they will stay with me to the very end of life.  From time to time I exchange them, taking up first one and then another.  It is their friendship which has made me perfectly happy.  But in case my metaphor escapes you, you must understand that in all I have said about my friends, I was speaking about my books." 

All this and a sense of humor, too.  What a likable fellow.

Well, on to the next chapter.... that's what I'm reading tonight, in an Albuquerque hotel, in my travels.

Blessings to you, reader -

Dennis

Many of you who know us remember Michael (our 3rd son), as the child who most often accompanied me to homeschooling conventions, during these past 10 to 12 years.  Mike is now 22, just graduated The Master's College (a college I can now most certainly recommend in the strongest terms, to any homeschooling family).  But I write today's blog chiefly to mention that, as of Sunday, Mike left with a team from his school, including professors, for a month of ministry in India.  He will spend several days each in places like Calcutta, Delhi, and the neighboring nation of Bangladesh.  I cannot imagine what a changed young man he will be after encountering what he's going to behold there.

But it all reminds me of a vital lesson for us as homeschooling parents: teach your children to love service.  The greatest of all is he who serves even the least, as the Lord Jesus said. 

Almost 10 years ago, Naomi and I took our boys on their first "short-term missions trip" (as we are fond of calling such brief excursions -- to the amusement of missionaries -- in our Western churches), to Mexico.  Mike hated it from the outset.  The food was not to his liking, it was too hot, he was bored for long periods of time, he felt he wasn't doing anything significant....but, by week's end, in about the last 36 hours, he "caught" a vision of how valuable even his little services were.  A first taste was planted in his heart of something we yearned for each of our sons to catch: a love of serving.  And in Mike, that passion to find ways to serve others has turned into a raging fire.  It now defines him.  Service is his spiritual gift. 

A deep concern I have for homeschooling families is that we do not succumb to an imbalanced determination to "guard" ourselves from the world, so that we isolate ourselves from opportunity to serve those who are not like us.  Don't let it happen in your family.  "Serve one another through love" (Gal 5:13).  He who has not learned to obey the two primary, greatest commandments -- love God with your all, and love your neighbor as yourself -- turns out a "nothing", according to Paul (1 Cor. 13).  Thankfully, Mike is well on his way to turning out to be "something" - time will tell what the Lord is molding him to be - but it won't be a "nothing", with this passion for serving others in his soul.  It's been very gratifying to watch.

And for the parents...a second, invaluable truth we learned from this is:  don't let the children's lack of enthusiasm for something worth doing, diminish your determination one whit that they learn it.  Press on....keep them focused on that which is worthy and good, even when they don't like it, when they whine about it, when they grumble about it.  Tilling the hard ground is difficult and nobody enjoys it; but good fruit comes later.  So it is with human hearts. 

More details to come on the missions trip as they develop.  My wife and I would be most grateful if you would pray for Mike, and his entire Master's College missions team in India, during the month of July.

blessings to you ~

Dennis

           What you're about to read is not mere grumbling, though I suppose at first glance it may appear as such.  I'm distressed at a common trend these days and consider it worth commenting on somewhere ~ so it may as well be here!  I just learned that Joshua Harris' outstanding and useful book, "Not Even A Hint: Guarding Your Heart Against Lust" is going to be re-titled by the publisher "Sex is Not the Problem: Lust Is."           http://www.graceandtruthbooks.com/search/results.asp?S=a+hint&T=exact  

            I do declare: what an utterly ludicrous decision. All the subtle beauty of the original title is lost in this bluntness.  This strikes me as just slightly less appealing than a Mack Truck barreling down the highway with its horn blowing full blast.  My college-aged son commented, "Well, why not just call it "THE BIG OL' BOOK ABOUT SEX and LUST".  Yeah, that would pretty well accomplish the same end.

            The publisher told me that some bookstores have "complained" that a glance at the title doesn't tell the reader what the book is about.  Duh!  The sub-title is plainly there - "guarding your heart against lust".  Surely we haven't reached the point where readers today, to whom cover appeal is the main factor in buying a book, don't even read the sub-title on the cover.  Or perhaps we have reached that point.  Needless to say, I strongly recommended to Multnomah Books that they retain the original title. 

            The subtle beauty of not intentionally stating one's point in the most blunt possible manner, is a lost skill in the arts, in media, and in literature today.  It's a terrible shame when even Christian publishers lose it as well. 

            Ok....it's "off my chest".  'Nuff whinin'.  : )  Thanks for humoring me.

~ ever pastoral in heart,

      Dennis

After the totally unexpected resignation of two of our staff pastors a year ago May, I was suddenly left as the only pastor of a church of 150 persons -- a "deal" I never signed on for or wanted.  I was ushered immediately from a role as the one "part-time" pastor on staff (mind you, while trying to manage this busy book service of ours) to the only pastor at all.  Yikes.  It was a devastating, crushing year of labor unlike anything I've ever faced.  The Lord has been more than adequate....but what a trying year it was.  Nothing has ever come closer to killing me.

But our Lord has had fresh, new mercies in mind all along, one of which has now come to fruition.  Our church - Grace Bible Church, Tulsa - recently voted unanimously to call Kevin Johnson to serve alongside me as co-pastor.  People outside our church tend to call Kevin our "Assistant Pastor" and me the "Senior Pastor", but we don't think in terms of those extra-Biblical designations...we're both just "pastors" here, on equal footing before the Lord and the flock.  This ends the most difficult year of my life in terms of work-load, and I cannot even begin to explain how encouraging a blessing this is.

I have known Kevin for almost 15 years.  He's a 25-year veteran of the Tulsa Police Department, retiring at the ripe old age of 45 from a distinguished career as a city detective.  (no, he says it's not a bit like CSI, not at all)  He has taken a smaller retirement package by retiring so early, so he can pursue his heart's desire - pastoral ministry!  This guy is really gifted in counseling and he has the heart of a shepherd and a readiness to put his hand to the plow and work hard.  What an asset to our church.

So, I'm just bursting with thankfulness here and wanted to share it!  Several men from our church are studying through Alexander Strauch's book "Biblical Eldership", in hopes of seeing if the Lord has in mind for us to raise up more leaders from within the body.  If you're not familiar with this concept, see  http://www.graceandtruthbooks.com/search/results.asp?S=strauch&T=exact    to get acquainted with the Biblical role of elders and the "plural pastor" concept, definitely a New Testament model.

blessings to you ~

Dennis Gundersen

Grace Bible Church, Tulsa          www.grace4u.org

Grace & Truth Books                 www.graceandtruthbooks.com

Many of you know that I'm pastor of Grace Bible Church of Tulsa, as well as owner of Grace & Truth Books   www.graceandtruthbooks.com  . But probably most of you don't know that, a mere two hours prior to flying to New Jersey to commence our most recent tour of homeschool conventions, it was my duty to officiate at the memorial service of my best friend, John Bower, who was suddenly called home to glory on Sunday, May 15th, at a very healthy age of 58.  John was in marvelous condition, fervently alive, eagerly studying and teaching, passionate for life, my teacher and my mentor (even though I was allegedly HIS pastor.....I know who was "shepherding" who....).  But our Lord took this dear brother home with the development of a sudden brain aneurism.  Oh, how sorely he will be missed.  John's "life verse" was  Ezra 7:10:  "For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel." - yep, that was John Bower, all the way. A genuine Ezra.

Well, while on the one hand, I was immediately glad for John's sake that he had gained everlasting rest and that he was experiencing the joy of looking directly into our Savior's face, still, it took me several days after John's departure to get past missing him.  I was grieving big-time, no doubt about it.  But by God's grace, I've gotten past that and am able to thoroughly rejoice for him and with him.  So, I'd like my first "blog" to honor the memory of John Bower, by here sharing with you just a portion of the transcript of my message at that memorial service.  So the next 4 paragraphs are directly transcribed from the tape of what I said about John that day, May 19th.  May it stir the reader to imitate this dear brother:

If you understood John Bower, then you understand that, for John, the best that life on this side could get, was still greatly lacking.  Missing something in a big way.  If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then you don’t know the hunger which existed in John that’s now fulfilled.  Jesus said, “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.”  The deepest end of the pool that this life has is like a little wading pool, but John insisted on enjoying the wading pool, splashing joyfully in it like a little child.  Yet, all the same, it was devastatingly dissatisfying to John, who wanted to ride on the high seas of the deepest things that the Spirit of God has prepared for those who love Him. 

In short, I’m trying to say that John had a full, happy, rich life – but he still lived in hot pursuit of the light – on a barnstorming, raging quest to see God, to view all that could be known of God, to learn all that can be learned of God while you’re still stuck in this world.

I just never knew anyone less easily satisfied when it came to getting answers to his questions about God!  John did not tolerate shallow answers!  Surface.  Superficial.  Half-baked.  Now, as for you, if you could settle for that, he would smile that incredible smile at you, of amazement at how you could settle so little, but he had to have more than that.  He was just driven to understand the truth as deeply as God would allow a man to know it this side of heaven.

And guess what?  Now he’s satisfied.  Can you imagine John Bower, satisfied?  Completely satisfied with his knowledge of God?!?  But it’s true: he is!  John has no more questions!  No more battles to fight, no more dragons to slay; no more controversies to settle; no more “but what about this”?  I think that’s what makes me happiest for John right now: John has all he wants.  He is satisfied with the life he has – eternal life – which means not just endless time, but a quality of life which is boundless.  And John is satisfied with the light he is given. 

May we all imitate such zeal as that which my friend had in this life.  He's enjoying the fruits of that now!

blessings to you, reader ~

Dennis Gundersen

Grace Bible Church, Tulsa                     Grace and Truth Books

www.grace4u.org                                     www.graceandtruthbooks.com