The Death of Adoniram Judson - 160 Years

To my Brothers and Sisters in Haverhill,

Today marks the 160th anniversary of Adoniram Judson’s death. I ask that we take a moment to remember the impact that this man had, through the grace and sustenance of God, on missions, the country of Myanmar, and for all future missionaries.

This should have incredible significance to us in Haverhill because of the deep roots that this man had in Haverhill, Malden, and Andover. Born in Malden, MA, he attended Andover Theological Seminary just down the street. He married Ann Hasseltine of Bradford, MA who attended Bradford Academy (later Bradford College) where, during a “revival” she felt led to a “life of usefulness”. Ann was the first female foreign missionary from the United States. Her father was a deacon at the church (now, the First Church of Christ In Bradford) that hosted the gathering that founded the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions; the ministry that sponsored Adoniram Judson’s mission to the Burmese. The two met in Bradford at this gathering. I am incredibly humbled to have my front door overlook where this happened and know that the handiwork of God was strong and powerful just outside my door.

So for those of you in ministry please be reminded of the work that God has done and is doing in Haverhill! On the very soil that you toil so hard, one of the greatest missionaries to ever come from the United States was sent into the nations to spread a passion for Christ among unreached peoples. As a result of what God grew from this seed that died 160 years ago, 3700 congregations, 617,000 members, and 1.9 Million affiliates claim allegiance to the Christ who died to save sinners; the same Christ that the Burmese had never heard of prior to Adoniram Judson’s and Ann Hasseltine’s arrival.

Here we look at this city of 60,000 people and wonder what God may be doing? Perhaps one of this 60,000 might be the next Adoniram Judson who will bring the gospel to the nations. Perhaps Haverhill might see this revival that Ann Hasseltine saw in the early 1800’s and will lead to hundreds of “grains of wheat” that will die and bear much fruit. Perhaps the hearing of the Gospel in one of the 6,645 unreached people groups in the world will depend on just one person from Haverhill being radically driven by God to lay down their comforts for the sake of the name of Christ.

I pray that you don’t lose focus of how mighty and how global our God is. Nothing is impossible for Him and He is doing a thousand things with everyone one thing that we see. Keep planting the seeds and turning the soil! You never know what God may water into a fruit-bearing tree!

In Him,

Paul

"The Thorn" Revisited

I posted this poem on my blog in October 2006 (see below); almost 2 years ago. I did not completely comprehend the truth of this poem at that time, however, I can now say that I understand that this thorn pierced through my heart now is in fact the very pin that holds the veil from God's face. God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) My hope is in Him and if this thorn is what I must endure to see His face cleary, then it is in fact, the best gift that He could have given me.

The Thorn
I stood a mendicant* of God before His royal throne
And begged Him for a priceless gift, which I could call my own.
I took the gift from out His hand, but as I would depart
I cried, “But Lord, this is a thorn and it has pierced my heart.
This is a strange, a hurtful gift that Thou hast given me.
He said, “My child, I give good gifts and give my best to thee.”
I took it home and though at first the cruel thorn hurt sore;
As long years passed I learned at last to love it more and more.
I learned He never gives a thorn without this added Grace.
He takes the thorn to pin aside the veil which hides His face.
--by Martha Snell Nicholson
* “mendicant”= beggar

My Fathers Passing and God's Faithfulness

When my father passed away on March 1st, I quickly realized that not many men my age have lost a parent. It is a frightening and sobering feeling to be 26 and to know that you have many years of life experiences that will not be shared with a parent who you know would have been so proud. The realizations were difficult because: I am the only one of five kids who does not have children yet; I just purchased my first house; I just got my first dog; I bought my first brand new car. Things like this, as insignificant as it may seem in life, are the kind of experiences that one wants to share with parents.

Yet, regardless of the fact that in this life, my father will not be there to experience these things with me, I have been brought to one more realization: that my grief is replaced with the truth that my father is surrounded by God's glory. Any joy that could have been shared with him on this earth is but a mere glimpse of the everlasting joy and "pleasures evermore" (Psalm 16:11) that my father experiences every day for the rest of eternity. Of course I miss him, but Jesus said that "if you love me you would be happy that I am going to the Father". And, I could not be happier in knowing that my father, despite severe suffering on this earth, is without pain and sorrow and is in the presence of God Almighty in worship, praise, and adoration of the risen King. He can walk the streets of gold with His saviour and talk. And he can fall prostrate before Jesus in the beautiful fields in worship of Him who saved him.

So, with that in mind, it is true: My father may not have had the opportunity to see me raise a family, but I know that one day we will experience the family of God in complete joy and pleasure for eternity; He may not have had the opportunity to see my new house, but one day, we will sit in one of the "many rooms" that Jesus has prepared for His children, and talk about the glories of God and how God painted the sky with stars and how He knows every one of them by name; he may not have had the opportunity to live a healthy, pain-free life, but he is now completely healed by Jesus’ stripes--healed from the sickness of a sinful heart and healed of the devastation that sin causes in ones body.

What is amazing to me is how God comforts His children during these times. Let me preface by saying that for almost 10 years, through church after church, God has used John Piper as a mentor for me. When true Christianity has been absent, Desiring God Ministries brought the reality of God to my heart. When I was downcast, I was reminded of the joy that can be found in Christ. And when I question doctrines and grasped to understand God’s sovereignty, it was John Piper that helped me to fine tune my faith and understanding. I owe a great debt to Desiring God ministries for their faithfulness to God and His word.

That being said, when John Piper’s father died on March 6^th, just five days after my father died, I was amazed at how God comforts His children. My father had been sick for a few years and God’s timing was amazing to me. God did not abandon me, yet He showed me how a Christian man should grieve and rejoice at the passing of a saint. He brought comfort and understanding during something I had never experienced before through John Piper’s sermon and writings during that time. For a man that I have respected and been changed by to experience the same thing at nearly the exact time, I knew that God was just so gracious to comfort me during that time. And for that I am so thankful.

Don't ever miss the lessons and comforts that God provides when doors seem that they have been shut. God is always doing a thousand things with every one thing that happens in our life. And He promises His children that every one of those thousand things that He orchestrates will work for our good. Don't miss what God is doing and don't despair when it seems like God is doing nothing. He is doing a mighty work, and HAS done a mighty work. Don't miss God's faithfulness to His children and His kindness when we are suffering. He is there, working everything together for good for His children.

Some Updates

I am sure by now you can see that there have been many updates made to this page over the past few weeks. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a series of major updates to make my blog more attractive and appealing to the outside world! (Hey, if no one wants to read what I have to say, at least it will look nice!!!) The plan, however, is not so much to make it look attractive, but rather fulfill a challenge to myself that I hope proves rewarding to everyone.

Quite honestly, I have become quite sick and tired of people who have "blogs" just for the sake of having one. All of us know at LEAST a handful of people who just have blogs so they can send a link to their friends. I was one of them. But there is so much value to truly using them to document our thoughts and interactions with the world. How many blogs exist in the world right now? This web site documents that 4.12 million blogs have been created on the eight popular blog-hosting services alone: Blog-City, BlogSpot, Diaryland, LiveJournal, Pitas, TypePad, Weblogger and Xanga. How many of them are truly valuable or taken seriously is probably only a fraction, but then again, I am sure that it is relative to who is reading them. I do not want to be in that fraction.

On the other hand, I don't know if my frustration is warranted. There is something very rewarding about documenting thoughts and opinions on the happenings in today's world. Whether it is clarity of our own mind on topics or a sincere offering of opinions to the world concerning day to day events at any given time, I have tremendous respect for those who dedicate their time to the written word. There is so much of God that can be talked about and explored; So much about God's Word that can be cherished and expounded; So much in world right now that has shaped what our future holds; And so much happens every day in our lives that speaks so many valuable lessons that people can relate to. I want to be the type of person who looks at everything in this world and sees so much to learn from it, whether good or bad, and understand how God's Word relates to it. It is there that my challenge begins.

I was very much inspired by Tim Challies' (www.challies.com) challenge that he made to himself to write a post on his blog once a day for a year. This was the genesis of a very valuable blog and I have found so much reward in reading his posts daily. My challenge is not as dedicated as his was, but my challenge is to post at least every week for a year. I do have a tendency to be lazy and avoid serious thought. Serious thought and consideration takes a lot of time and energy and it is easy to take the world at face value without looking deeper into the heart of the issues. My challenge is to conquer that laziness and be a man of deep thought and consideration. The world needs it and God commands it:
Psalm 119:15 "I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways."Psalm 119:23 "Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes."Psalm 119:27 "Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works."Psalm 119:48 "I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes." Psalm 143:5 "I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands."Psalm 145:5 "On the glorious splendor of your majesty,and on your wondrous works, I will meditate." Needless to say, every Christian should take the time to meditate on God's Word. This is something that I have been VERY lazy in doing. I have always loved to write and it is my sincere hope to combine meditation on God's Word and all that He is done with writing.Here is to a year of combining the two!

The Thorn

The Thorn
I stood a mendicant* of God before His royal throne
And begged Him for a priceless gift, which I could call my own.

I took the gift from out His hand, but as I would depart

I cried, “But Lord, this is a thorn and it has pierced my heart.

This is a strange, a hurtful gift that Thou hast given me.

He said, “My child, I give good gifts and give my best to thee.”

I took it home and though at first the cruel thorn hurt sore;

As long years passed I learned at last to love it more and more.

I learned He never gives a thorn without this added Grace.

He takes the thorn to pin aside the veil which hides His face.
--by Martha Snell Nicholson
* “mendicant”= beggar

No further explanation is necessary...