Bernie Webb (1954-2015)

I learned this week that fellow blogger and lover of theology, Bernard Lynn Webb Jr, died June 27, 2015, after a lengthy and painful battle with cancer. His blog, Believing IN Christ Jesus Through ALL Things, chronicled his journey of faith during that battle.

While I was in Africa in June, Bernie wrote to me, thanking me for my encouragement and support through his blogging experience. He died days later.

He is missed by those of us who are alive and remain. We anticipate the day when we shall rise together with him, to meet the Lord in the air, forever with and IN Christ Jesus.

For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:7-8).

Click the link below to read what he had to say a few weeks before his death.

I Take Comfort That …

Beethoven’s Fifth and Affliction

Sunday afternoon we went to hear the Oregon Symphony Orchestra perform Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. While the entirety of this masterful work of Beethoven isn’t readily recognized, the first four notes are probably the most recognized in all the Western world (here).

Little did we know that Beethoven’s Fifth would occupy only the last 30 minutes of the two hour program. We sat through some excruciatingly painful music waiting for Mr Beethoven to arrive. Let me tell you how awful part of the performance really was. The violinist introduced a particular piece with phrases like “demonic,” alien-like,” and “the piano and violin don’t work together and aren’t supposed to.” It was so bad that I couldn’t fall asleep despite trying really hard.

I have a writer friend in Georgia who is a cancer survivor. Now Bernie is experiencing on-going severe pain in another portion of his body. He wrote a wonderful article the other day about God’s purpose in our afflictions (here). It’s important for Christians to know that everything in our lives happens for a purpose and that His purpose is to our eternal benefit.

That’s hard medicine to swallow. No sane person enjoys or invites suffering, but there is some comfort to the child of God knowing that He has a beneficial purpose in it. I told Bernie that it would still be nice for God to help us envision the finished product of God’s work. Yes, God is working, but to get a glimpse of what we’ll look like would be helpful.

Then I remembered this little portion from Hebrews 12. Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus certainly knew the final outcome of His suffering, but I don’t think that’s the point in Hebrews. The author doesn’t list or explain fully what the final glory of Christ’s time on the cross looked like, instead he points merely to the “joy.”

Sunday we sat through an hour and a-half of awful music. Why? Because of the “joy” of hearing those familiar opening notes of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony that were set before us. Can you hear them? What followed the opening “dum-dum-dum-dum!” only added to the anticipated and unseen joy that was to follow.

casting all your anxiety on Him

Believing IN Christ Jesus through ALL things

Recently I was watching a National Geographic special and in this moment as I write it takes on significant spiritual significance.  In this nature documentary a lion was stalking a herd of some kind of animal. When the lion attacked, he immediately set out to separate the weakest of the herd apart from the rest for the kill and his next meal.

I believe the same can be said about the attacks of the devil on the body of Christ … he sets out to separate the weakest believers from the body that he might devour them.

Check out these words from Peter …

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.  Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a…

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