Tim Keller Leaves Legacy of Wisdom

On Friday, May 19th, earth lost a warrior and heaven gained a saint. Tim Keller, 1950-2023, founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in New York City, died of pancreatic cancer at the age of seventy-two. “The Christian leader was an intellectual, but he possessed a pastor’s heart,” states Peter Wehner in The Atlantic.

And, in NPR Obituaries, we read:

Keller helped his congregation and the nation mourn in the days following the September 11th terrorist attacks – a time when so many were asking why God would allow this to happen.

"The Bible indicates," he said to his church in a sermon on September 16th, 2001 "that the love and hope of God and the love and hope that comes from one another has to be rubbed into our grief. And that's what we're here to do."

This collection of quotes reminds us that his legacy lives on.

“Suffering can refine us rather than destroy us because God himself walks with us in the fire.”

“When pain and suffering come upon us, we finally see not only that we are not in control of our lives but that we never were.”

“One of the main ways we move from abstract knowledge about God to a personal encounter with him as a living reality is through the furnace of affliction.”

“If our identity is in our work, rather than Christ, success will go to our heads, and failure will go to our hearts.”

“What is an idol? It is anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.”

“If God is not at the center of your life, something else is.”

“Fear-based repentance makes us hate ourselves. Joy-based repentance makes us hate the sin.”

“Humility is so shy. If you begin talking about it, it leaves.”

“When anything in life is an absolute requirement for your happiness and self-worth, it is essentially an ‘idol,’ something you are actually worshiping. When such a thing is threatened, your anger is absolute. Your anger is actually the way the idol keeps you in its service, in its chains. Therefore if you find that, despite all the efforts to forgive, your anger and bitterness cannot subside, you may need to look deeper and ask, ‘What am I defending? What is so important that I cannot live without?’ It may be that, until some inordinate desire is identified and confronted, you will not be able to master your anger.”

“If you wait until your motives are pure and unselfish before you do something, you will wait forever.”

Thank you, Tim Keller. You will be sorely missed.

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

“He has also set eternity in their heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

Which Tim Keller quote resonates with you? Why?

Do you have a favorite book authored by Tim Keller to recommend to us? Why was it meaningful to you?

Will you please take a moment to pray for the family and the congregation Tim Keller left behind?

Note: These Tim Keller Quotes and others may be read here.

Needs Further Evaluation

Three intrusive words in an email altered my life: Needs Further Evaluation. Without warning, I found myself forced to wait for lab results from a recent biopsy*. While caught in the elusive clutches of the unknown, God met me in what I have chosen to call The Doctrine of Mystery.

One wakeful night in the midst of this medical journey, while Larry made soft, peaceful noises that sounded like wind blowing gently through the trees, I pondered the question: “What is God Teaching Me About Mystery?” The results of my tutorial from the Holy Spirit follow.

• Mystery is a sacred space.

“Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5b).

Unknown places and unwanted circumstances offer a supernatural opportunity to experience the Presence of God.

• Mystery encounters a contest of voices.

“My sheep hear My Voice and I know them and they follow Me” (John 10:27-28).

 Caught in the vice grip of waiting, you and I must decide whose voice we will follow.

• Mystery fosters the perfect ground for praise and worship.

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails, and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Habakkuk 3:17-18).

 We must determine whether we will wait in worship or wait in worry.

•  Mystery becomes a haven for faith.

“You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head” (Psalm 139:5).

 What I don’t know about my life, I do know about my God.

• Mystery provides an opportunity for growth.

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4).

 While we are interested in the outcome, God is concerned with the journey.

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

Intimacy with Jesus, Authenticity with others, Passion for your calling, Purpose for your influence

Medical mysteries carry unique challenges. What is your most recent experience with this reality?

How did God meet you?

What insights do you have to add regarding “The Doctrine of Mystery”?

*This journey is not over. Thankfully, I am not a victim of cancer. But for 5 years I will be on medication in an effort to avoid its clutches.

This Mom’s Mistake

Every time I think back to that autumn afternoon I feel a surge of pain. If there were a way to remove it and start again, I would do it. 

It was late in the day, and the children had just bounded into the tiny foyer of our German row house. The bus dropped them off at the outermost edge of our housing complex, and they enthusiastically, energetically tumbled into the door. The school day was over, and they were glad to be home. They would have their after-school snack and hurry off to play.

The tight space of our entryway barely held one adult, much less three exuberant children. But they squeezed in. And the green tile floor, the sheer curtains, and the mahogany shrunk became the stage props for the drama about to unfold.

Though the table was set with milk and cookies, I was not there to greet them when they turned the knob. Leaving my unfinished pile of ironing, I sighed and plodded up from the basement. And instantly my eyes met the unwelcome sight of everyone’s coats, shoes, and backpacks tossed recklessly in a heap on the tiny amount of floor space, thus blocking any hope of a pathway to the front door. 

“Though this occurred nearly thirty years ago, I can still feel the tension. ”

My mind experienced a deluge of questions. “How could this be? They all knew this was wrong. What if we had a fire? We could never make it out. All three of them are old enough to know better. We have rehearsed this countless times. They are just ignoring me. Something must change.” Though this occurred nearly thirty years ago, I can still feel the tension. Adrenalin and aggravation formulated a plan that to this day I regret. 

So—and here is the moment that I would take back—I proceeded to exercise my parental authority and with ceremonial emphasis tossed each coat and each backpack out the front door and onto our small porch. There. Backpacks and coats and shoes are to be placed in the closet and not on the floor, right? This is sure to solve the problem. Good.

Then this little girl turned the corner and with a look of horror said, “But Mommy. My. Clay. Art. Project. Was. In. My. Backpack.  We got to bring them home today. I couldn’t wait to show it to you.” In her plaid dress with hair pulled back with barrettes, she opened the front door and retrieved her bulky German backpack from the mass heap. Heaven and earth stood still as she slowly pulled out the two halves of what once was a child’s work of art.

“She made a mistake, and I made a mountain out of a molehill. ”

“Oh dear Jesus, what have I done? She made a mistake, and I made a mountain out of a molehill. Oh the pain I have caused for wanting to teach a lesson. Her precious art project is the victim.”

Kneeling down and wrapping her into my arms I said, “Sweetheart, I am so, so sorry. Will you please forgive me? Please, please forgive me. I was way too quick and I was wrong. I love you so much.” Her pure, gracious response of, “I forgive you, Mommy,” moved us forward into the kitchen where we worked arduously to glue the object back together. 

As long as we lived in that house, the item held a place of honor on the shelf in her room. She was so very proud of it, and never mentioned the incident again. That spoke volumes to me.

From time to time, alone in her room, I would look long and hard at the childish artifact, and again feel so childish myself. The crack, imperceptible to any but me, reminded me of my humanness and and her graciousness.

“What can’t be taken back can be taken over by The Holy Spirit of God. ”

As we approach Mother’s Day, it is helpful to remember: Mothers don’t always get it right. When we are wrong, we must admit it. When we offend, we must ask for forgiveness. Relationships with our children can thrive in an environment of love, grace, and forgiveness, even when we wish we could rewrite the script. What can’t be taken back can be taken over by The Holy Spirit of God. He alone is able to redeem our mistakes and help us move forward. “Forget what lies behind and look forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13).

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

“He has set eternity in the human heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

What incident in your own life do you recall that can't be taken back, and needs to be taken over by the Holy Spirit?