{"id":242,"date":"2007-11-26T01:01:18","date_gmt":"2007-11-26T01:01:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2007\/11\/mark-toone-and-grappling-with-god.html"},"modified":"2007-11-26T01:01:18","modified_gmt":"2007-11-26T01:01:18","slug":"mark-toone-and-grappling-with-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2007\/11\/mark-toone-and-grappling-with-god.html","title":{"rendered":"Mark Toone and Grappling with God"},"content":{"rendered":"

Part 6 of series: Sharing Laity Lodge
\n<\/em>Permalink for this post<\/a> \/ Permalink for this series<\/a>
\nA few weeks ago Mark Toone spoke at Laity Lodge for a men’s retreat from Covenant Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas. Mark is the Senior Pastor of Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church in Gig Harbor, Washington<\/a>. His creative and challenges message at Laity Lodge filled out the theme “Character Sketches,” and focused on several biblical figures, including Jacob and Joseph.
\nMark’s message on Jacob considered the incident in Genesis 32 when Jacob wrestled with the Lord. Here’s the text:<\/p>\n

24<\/em> Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.\u00c2\u00a0 25<\/em> When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob\u00e2??s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.\u00c2\u00a0 26<\/em> Then he said, \u00e2??Let me go, for the day is breaking.\u00e2?\u009d But Jacob said, \u00e2??I will not let you go, unless you bless me.\u00e2?\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 27<\/em> So he said to him, \u00e2??What is your name?\u00e2?\u009d And he said, \u00e2??Jacob.\u00e2?\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 28<\/em> Then the man said, \u00e2??You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.\u00e2?\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 29<\/em> Then Jacob asked him, \u00e2??Please tell me your name.\u00e2?\u009d But he said, \u00e2??Why is it that you ask my name?\u00e2?\u009d And there he blessed him.\u00c2\u00a0 30<\/em> So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, \u00e2??For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.\u00e2?\u009d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mark stated that we all have times of wrestling with God, times when we fight against God’s will for us or when we hang onto God for dear life. “God wants to use these wrestling times,” Mark explained, “to stretch us and shape us.” In this process we become the people God wants us to be.
\nAs an illustration of the centrality of wrestling with God in the Christian life, Mark citied the mission statement of his church. It begins:<\/p>\n

Our mission as a church is to present everyone mature in Chirst.
\nTo accomplish our mission, we have identified five areas in which to provide opportunities for our church family to mature in their walk with Christ and to which we pledge our commitment as a body. We call these the five Gs:\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00e2?\u00a2 Gather
\n\u00e2?\u00a2 Glorify
\n\u00e2?\u00a2 Grapple
\n\u00e2?\u00a2 Give
\n\u00e2?\u00a2 Go<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now I’ve seen plenty of church mission statements in my life. Four of these five Gs are fairly predictable (which is not a criticism, by the way. One would hope that glorifying God is central to the mission of every church). But I have never seen a church give so much centrality to “Grapple.” The expansion of “Grapple” on the Chapel Hill website reads:<\/p>\n

A sincere and prayerful commitment to the Lordship of Christ over my entire life. “I promise courageously to learn to follow Jesus as Lord of every area of my life.”<\/em> Luke 6:46; Luke 9:23-25.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The main point of “Grapple” is commitment to Christ as Lord. But I’m impressed by the realism of the grappling image. We who seek to live under the Lordship of Christ often find that, like Jacob, we have to wrestle with Him before we are prepared to submit to Him. The amazing part of this engagement is that God allows us to grapple with Him without wiping us out. He not only brings us into conformity with His will through this gracious process, but He also shapes us to be more like Him.
\nIt should come as no surprise that I would be favorably impressed by the prominence of grappling in the mission statement of Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church. My book on prayer is called No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer<\/a><\/em>. The Psalms, it seems to me, illustrate wonderfully the freedom we have to wrestle with God. Grappling isn’t just for Mark Toone and the members of Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church. It’s for all of us who seek to follow Jesus and who have given our lives to Him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part 6 of series: Sharing Laity Lodge Permalink for this post \/ Permalink for this series A few weeks ago Mark Toone spoke at Laity Lodge for a men’s retreat from Covenant Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas. Mark is the Senior Pastor of Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church in Gig Harbor, Washington. His creative and challenges…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sharing-laity-lodge"],"yoast_head":"\nMark Toone and Grappling with God - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}