Applying Mark to Counseling Ministry

In narrating the divine identity and authoritative teachings of Jesus, it seems that Mark’s ultimate goal is for his audience to respond to Jesus’s call to discipleship by surrendering all and submitting to Him as Lord and Savior. The various scenes Mark records expound on this call to discipleship by painting a picture of what true discipleship entails (8:34;10:35-45).  What we find is that rather than being rooted in legalism or moralism, true discipleship stems from a right and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. This personal relationship with Jesus is a major theme of Mark’s, whereby all his efforts seem focused on convincing his audience that a disciple of Christ is not first and foremost characterized by outward conformity to the law, but inward faith and submission to Christ.  This faith then works from the inside out as disciples trust in Christ, confess Him as Lord and allow His teaching to shape their lives.  Finally, Mark reminds his audience of the hard truth that seeking and following Christ not only requires service and self-denial, but may also require suffering.

The Christological focus of Mark’s message is quite clear as he opens with the words, “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (1:1). As Mark continues to recount stories as evidence for Jesus’ authority, he writes in such a manner as to convince his audience that Jesus Christ is the One sent by God to restore mankind to God.  As such, Jesus has ushered in a new age, a covenant of grace, whereby He and the Holy Spirit bring innumerable blessings to God’s people.  While Jesus healed the lame and the sick, meeting the physical needs of those around Him, the greatest thing He did was meet mankind’s spiritual need—as Mark makes clear, the greatest problem of the human condition is sin, and the prescription is not a set of legalistic rules, but a person, Jesus Christ.  It was thus necessary for Jesus to suffer in order that all the sins of mankind—past, present and future—could be atoned for.  In reconciling believers to God in His once-for-all sacrifice, Jesus thus changed a situation of alienation and hostility to one of intimate communion and peace. Mark’s message is thus that in His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus faithfully lived out His identity as the long-awaited Messiah, the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel and the nations.

As mentioned above, it seems one of Mark’s key themes is Jesus’ teaching on discipleship, whereby He commands His followers to deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him (8:33-38).  As Mark recounts the ministry of Jesus, we see that much of his service was aimed at those who were marginalized in society—the afflicted, sick, lame and outcast. This teaching has such profound implications for counseling ministry today because for so many, cross bearing may entail physical suffering. After reading Mark, however, I see the importance of helping give our counselees a Christ-centered gaze on pain. While we will be called to suffer, we can still live grace-filled and trusting lives while trying to relieve pain.  Nowhere in Mark do we find that relieving pain is wrong—Jesus Himself healed many! In cases where physical pain cannot be relieved, however, we as counselors must work to emphasize fellowship in sharing with Christ in His suffering—while it can be tempting to allow our suffering or pain to define us, the reality is that while it may describe us, only our identity in Christ can ultimately define us. Furthermore, we can help our counselees to see that suffering is purposeful in that God transforms and redeems us through our pain.   We thus want to help our suffering counselees stir up the hope of the resurrection.  One of the ways in which we can work towards this is helping our counselees see that in the Lord, their labor—their pain—is not in vain.  We can also seek to bring them the truth that while outwardly they may be wasting away, inwardly they are being renewed day by day.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, they can come to taste and see that the Lord is good, even in their trials.  Finally, I think it is important for counselors to recognize that suffering tends to turn people inward.  We thus want to beware of our counselees withdrawing and guard against this by connecting them in community and encouraging them to look for ways to love others, even if this be as simple as writings letters, keeping a prayer journal for the needs of others or being attentive to one’s own children.  We thus see that the message of Mark is one that is timely and relevant even today, thousands of years later. 

Surviving Winter

For the past several weeks we’ve had three frogs smaller than my thumb living in our window box.  At times, they’ll latch onto the window and press their fat bellies up against the glass. They’re cute little guys.  The other day, however, I suddenly became worried about our tiny friends.  The weather is becoming cool and crisp and I’ve eagerly pulled out my scarves and sweaters to keep me warm.  But these frogs don’t have that privilege.  They obviously don’t migrate, so they’re stuck here.  What happens to them once the temperatures drop even more?  

This past week I have also been reflecting on a devotional I read by Paul Tripp titled “The Wrong Address.” In it he encourages Christians to take heart because 1) When and where we live is never a mistake 2) Our life hasn’t worked according to our plans because it’s part of a bigger plan 3) God has us just where He wants us 4) God has a wonderful purpose for bringing into our lives the things that we now face 5) God does all of this so that He’ll always be near. Click HERE to Read

So what do baby frogs and an online devotional have to do with each other?  Well, I've been struck recently by the diversity of suffering.  It seems that everyone is hurting, but no one is struggling with the same thing.  Sure, there may be general areas of overlap, but each person's trials are unique.  I thus found the frogs to be a sweet reminder that all of creation can point us to the glorious story our Father is specifically weaving in each one of us.   

For example, it's been my opinion that these frogs are at the wrong address!  As great as our window box may be, they should be some place warmer.  In fact, if I were a frog, I’d want to pay a visit to my froggy friends in Florida right about now. Minnesota is better suited for animals with furry coats and humans bundled up like little Randy from A Christmas Story, right?  So why are they here? Well, in Minnesnowta where it would seem impossible for frogs to survive the winter, God has placed these three little guys in our window box and given them an antifreeze-like blood to see them through the freeze and thaw of winter.  Antifreeze-blood?!  Just let that sink in for a moment. God placed them where He willed and will flood their system with what they need to survive come colder weather.  Amazingly, God has equipped them specifically for the harshness of Minnesota.  They are not lacking. Likewise, when we are brought to our knees through trials and hardships, it’s easy to feel like we are at the wrong address.  I confess I often ask, Why this? Why me?  Why now? Why here?  Like a tiny frog about to undergo the harshness of a dark and cold winter, the trails we face often seem impossible to bear.  Will we ever see the Spring again?  Yes, yes we will! Winter does not have the last say for these frogs for come Spring, these frogs will croak again.  Likewise, God will put His strength in our weakness so that we too will not be lacking.  As dark as the days may be, we will see the Spring because Christ endured and conquered the harshest of winters for us--sin, death, and the power of Satan.  And so though our sufferings and trials may last a lifetime, we have tasted the warmth and light of Spring in the Gospel and therefore rejoice even in the coldest months of Winter knowing that one day we will see Christ face to face.  Until then, we do not lose heart because "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you,  who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.  In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials [...]" (1 Peter 1:3-6). 

Remembering back to my freshman year biology class, we learned that various environments are suited to different species.  In our lecture on niches, we learned that a niche is both a habitat that supplies the necessary factors for the existence of a given species and also an organism's specific role in its given community.  Couldn’t it be said then that we too as Christians have a providentially assigned “niche”, a place where God has placed us and appointed us to live and thrive? But what is that place and how are we called to live? Personally, I feel entitled to a niche where I am most comfortable—I’m doing what I want, when I want, with who I want.  That’s my flesh though and it’s all about me.  But our niche really isn't about us at all--it's about Christ and what will bring Him the most glory. The place we live, the people we interact with and the trials and circumstances that come our way are the niche given to use by our wise, loving, and sovereign Father who ordains all things for our good and His glory. In fact, I think it is precisely because God is wise and loving that He takes us where we would never go on our own to give us what we could never gain on our own--greater intimacy with Him. 

The following is one of my favorite quotes by C.S. Lewis. He writes, “In each of my friends there is something that only some other friend can fully bring out. By myself I am not large enough to call the whole man into activity; I want other lights than my own to show all his facets...”  If a friend has facets, surely the great God of the universe has infinite facets!  And maybe that's why God places us at different addresses, for in our providentially assigned niche, we come to see some facet of God's character more clearly.  As a diverse group of believers striving to know our Father more deeply and love Him more sweetly, we should aim to glorify God by sharing in community the love and care and mercy He has shown us, thereby inviting others to taste the joy we have experienced firsthand.  

And so, I was encouraged by our little window box friends because I was reminded that just as our Father sustains His creatures in every terrain (yes, even Minnesota!), so too He sustains His children spiritually wherever He has placed them and called them to live.  He doesn't waste pain and He doesn't send us trials to strip us of our joy.  Rather, He uses suffering as a means of our sanctification by drawing us together as a community and giving us a deeper, truer, lasting joy--Himself.  May we cling to Christ and grow in our ability to say "But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.  We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.  So death is at work in us, but life in you" (2 Corinthians 4:7-12). 

My thoughts were a bit all over the place, so if you read this far, thanks for bearing with me!

Prayer Meeting

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Wednesday nights my church holds prayer meeting.   Yes, prayer meeting. Sounds a little old-fashioned and Puritan-esque, right?  Maybe so.  I confess that when my family first began attending Redeemer, I balked at prayer meeting.  You mean I will be asked to pray with strangers?  No thank you! 

I dreaded prayer meeting for several reasons.  First, prayer meeting meant I had to pray with strangers, and usually one-on-one.  As much as I loved meeting new people, this could be awkward.  What if no one wanted to pray with me? And when I did find someone, what if we didn’t click?  What if they didn’t like me?  Secondly, praying aloud was a major source of fear for me.  What if I couldn’t articulate my thoughts?  What would the person praying with me think?  Would I be looked down on for the manner in which I prayed?  These anxieties manifested themselves in some pretty tragic ways, the result being that during prayer meeting I became so focused on my prayers that I completely forgot about the One I was praying to.  Sounds pretty distorted, right?  That’s because it was.  I was completely crippled by my insecurities, unable to be real in my prayers because I felt a need to portray myself in a certain light, a need to be what others expected me to be.  And so, fearing the judgment of others, I wasn’t vulnerable in my prayers. Rather than prayer meeting being a time of community with other believers and communion with God, prayer meeting became a courtroom.  Would I live up to the expectations of others?  Would I have their approval?  Ultimately, the reason prayer meeting freaked me out is because it was all about me.  My comfort. My reputation.  As Tim Keller says, “It takes pride to be anxious.”  This was exactly my case, for my anxiety stemmed from a twisted sense of pride which manifested itself in a fear of man.

"We are all looking for an ultimate verdict that we are important and valuable. We look for that ultimate verdict every day in all the situations and people around us. And that means that every single day, we are on trial. Every day, we put ourselves back in a courtroom…”  –Tim Keller, ‘The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness’

I am so thankful that my God is patient yet firm with me.  Over the years I’ve needed to repeatedly confess and repent of my fear of man.  Through the work of the Holy Spirit and the encouragement of others, this is an area I’ve grown in.  But it’s not over—I still, at times, find myself returning to this fearful and self-preoccupied state.  It seems that so often I fail to remember Who God is, thereby forgetting Whose I am.

“...but [Christians] are out of the courtroom, [we] are out of the trial. How? Because Jesus Christ went on trial instead. Jesus went into the courtroom. Why? As our substitute. He took the condemnation we deserve; He faced the trial that should be ours so that we do not have to face any more trials...Self-forgetfulness takes you out of the courtroom. The trial is over. The verdict is in... We have to relive the gospel on the spot and ask ourselves what we are doing in the courtroom. We should not be there. The court is adjourned."  –Tim Keller, ‘The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness’

So at times although prayer meeting is the last place I want to be, it is exactly where I need to be, since this is where real, transformative growth takes place—outside my comfort zone.

“The only way to come to God is by taking off any spiritual mask. The real you has to meet the real God. He is a person. The criteria for coming to Jesus is weariness. Come overwhelmed with life. Come with your  wandering mind. Come messy. Instead of being frozen by your self-preoccupation, talk with God about your worries. Often we are so busy and overwhelmed that when we slow down to pray, we don’t know where our hearts are. We don’t know what troubles us. So, oddly enough, we might have to worry before we pray. Then our prayers will make sense. They will be about our real lives.”

–Paul Miller, ‘A Praying Life’

Prayer meeting is thus a chance for me to practice the freedom of self-forgetfulness.  It’s not about me.  It’s about worshiping my Lord and Savior through fellowship with other believers. It’s not about how I view myself or how others view me.  Ultimately, these perspectives do not matter.  The only perspective that matters is God’s. What does this mean?  It means I can come to prayer meeting messy—I’m free to admit my weakness and struggles, free to be real.  What a sweet relief it is. 

"Like Paul, we can say, 'I don't care what you think. I don't even care what I think. I only care what the Lord thinks.' And he has said, 'Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus', and 'You are my beloved child in whom I am well pleased.' Live out of that.” –Tim Keller, ‘The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness’

I have been so encouraged by the manner in which the body of Christ has really become a living reality for me.  As much as I once dreaded prayer meeting, I now leave Redeemer incredibly encouraged.  Through conversation and prayer, I get to experience communion and fellowship with fellow believers. Since we gather as the body of Christ, the women I pray with are my sisters.  Sisters.

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” 

(Matthew 18:20)

Just like I don’t fear my sister Ingrid, I need not fear my sisters in Christ.  These women have blessed me in profound ways, and despite any differences we may have, we are united by a common foundation—Christ.  And what a solid foundation it is, for the Gospel of Christ crosses all barriers.  What a gift that prayer meeting gives me the opportunity to pray and worship with people I might not otherwise connect with.

 “…a Christian comes to others only through Jesus Christ….Without Christ we should not know God, we could not call upon him, nor come to him. But without Christ we also would not know our brother, nor could we come to him. The way is blocked by our own ego. Christ opened up the way to God and to our brother.” —Dietrich Bonhoeffer

An Open Letter to the Church from a Lesbian

  An Open Letter to the Church from a Lesbian

"You are willing to compromise the word of God to be politically correct. We are not deceived. If we accept your willingness to compromise, then we must also compromise...We do not ask for your acceptance of our sins any more than we accept yours. We simply ask for the same support, love, guidance, and most of all hope that is given to the rest of your congregation. We are your brothers and sisters in Christ. We are not what we shall be, but thank God, we are not what we were. Let us work together to see that we all arrive safely home."