TwelveTwelve: The Leader Blog of North Wake Church

Photo by Jordan Christian on Unsplash Twenty-two years ago, on Sept. 11, 2001, I sat with a friend and asked if maybe I would be wrong to bring children into the world.  I had recently gotten married, and I wanted nothing more than to be home with babies.  But towers had tumbled and men, women, even children had died.  Perhaps the sorrows and terrors my children would face in their lives would be too much for them (and for me).  Maybe it was selfish of me to want babies to cuddle.  “Oh, Jett,” my friend said, “bringing babies into

Photo by Calvin Chai on Unsplash When my nephew was young, he had a game on his iPad called “Dumb Ways to Die.” I remember thinking, “This is a weird game for a child to play."  It has a catchy little song and in the game, beans die from strange accidents. While reading through Ecclesiastes 10:10-13 and seeing all the weird ways one could die (falling into a pit, being bitten by a snake, chopping yourself with an ax), I couldn’t help but think of the little song that went with the game. So I decided to look up the

Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them. -- Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 (ESV) We all want

Photo by Victoriano Izquierdo on Unsplash Read:  Ecclesiastes 8:1-17 This question is similar to its opposite: "Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?" Both questions refer to what seems to be the perplexing injustice we witness every day. The 73rd Psalm is our answer to the very same questions that also tormented the psalmist. Finding himself in terrible distress and agony of soul he writes, “But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Psalm 73:2-3).

Photo by Jon Flobrant on Unsplash Read: Ecclessiastes 7   I think about death a lot. Don’t think I’m weird.  I didn’t used to.  It’s just that I’ve reached an age where I probably have less years on earth than I have now lived.  Death—my death--has become more real.  Some dear friends have died.  Some family members have died.  Some of my friends’ parents have died.  Some of my friends’ children have died. Just recently, Tim Keller, a brilliant, winsome champion of our faith, passed into glory; though I never knew him, I am mourning.  Death is real.  Very.  I wonder how I will die.  When I will die.  What I will see when I die. Whether I will

  Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash As I am writing this, I am a few hours from loading up my children in the car to join Jerry in Georgia for the funeral of his mother. It is times like these that make life and the end of that life become more real and make you think about what to do with that life. We have seen this thought in Ecclesiastes over and over again: what do we do with this life that we have been given? Earlier this week, as I was walking and waiting for word on

Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash Scripture  "Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.  For a dream comes with much business, and a fool's voice with many words." Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 (ESV)   The teacher of Ecclesiastes cares

Photo by Colton Sturgeon on Unsplash Read: Ecclesiastes 4:4-16 "Find the right balance"—that thought has become something of a cliché in the modern West. We are exhorted to find the right balance between work and family, not spending too much time at the former or too little time with the latter. It is important, we are told, to balance our time serving others with time for ourselves. Counselors, doctors, human resources personnel, advertisers, and more all repeat the mantra "find balance." "Despite the fact that the idea of "finding the right balance" has become somewhat of a

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash When I was a teenager and a budding Christian, I discovered Ecclesiastes.  Full of angst and driving questions, my young heart found a friend in the Teacher.  This man was emotional.  This man spoke what I felt—that nothing made sense.  He was right; life was pointless, circular, tragic. I still consider the Teacher a dear friend. Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:3                   And I saw something else under the sun:             In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there.             I said to myself,             “God will bring into judgment