BRANCHES July 2014

BRANCHES 

STRUGGLE TO BE FREE 

OR FREE TO STRUGGLE 

Surviving summer 

in Small Groups 

Peru stories 

JULY 2014 | southwood.org

SOUTHWOOD 

contents 

ABOUT THIS ISSUE 

Free-dom! Whether that makes you think of William Wallace, the stars and stripes, 

or broken chains, welcome to July! Independence Day festivities with family, 

friends and small groups sets the tone for the season. But we’ve got all kinds of 

freedom to talk about. 

Consider the freedom from technology felt by our students and leaders on the 

Peru mission trip. They came back changed and want to share that feeling with 

you. Our General Assembly met last month, and they focused their agendas 

on freedom from persecution, racial issues, and sexual abuse. Southwood has 

partnered with Freedom School this summer. And you’re all free to run in the .5K, 

and get a free t-shirt! How’d we get so much freedom in one issue? 

Yet we all know that the freedom that really matters is that granted by the 

grace of God. Jean answers questions from his recent series regarding faith 

and faithfulness and our motivations to holiness, and poses 20 questions to ask 

yourself to understand this freedom. Our feature this month is an illustration from 

a recent sermon entitled “Are you free to struggle or struggling to be free?” and 

gives a helpful framework for understanding how our faith in Christ motivates our 

freedom in Christ. It’s a long read, but you’ll be rewarded with a montage of our 

cute VBS kids on the following pages! 

2 about this issue 

3 pastor’s note 

REFLECT 

8 struggle to be free 

or free to struggle 

RESPOND 

4 ask a pastor 

Sanctification/Justification 

RELATE 

5 recapping G.A. 2014 

Selfies by Will 

6 peru stories 

Summer 2014 Missions 

12 vbs/climb 2014 

Photo Montage 

14 surviving summer in small groups 

Summer Social Ideas 

BRANCHES 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jonathan Barnette 

DESIGNER Phillip Lackey 

CONTRIBUTORS 

Will Spink 

Sarah Niemitz 

Niña Banta 

James Parker 

Anna Gandy 

Steve Williams 

PHOTOS 

Jonathan Barnette 

Daniel Brown 

Will Spink 

Winnie Winford 

Katie Cochran 

Kalie Deaton 

FEEDBACK! 

We want to hear from you! Please send 

your suggestions and comments to 

branches@southwood.org 

1000 CARL T. JONES DRIVE | HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA 35802 

(256) 882-3085 | WWW.SOUTHWOOD.ORG 

Jonathan Barnette, Editor 

JEAN F. LARROUX, III Senior Pastor 

MELISSA PATTERSON Executive Assistant 

ADULT MINISTRIES 

SARAH NIEMITZ Director of Community Development/Assimilation 

JAMES PARKER Chief Musician 

WILL SPINK Associate Pastor/Shepherding 

STUDENT MINISTRIES 

KIM DELCHAMPS Administrative Assistant 

NIÑA BANTA Director of Children 

NANCY McCREIGHT Assistant Director /Children/Nursery 

CHAD TOWNSLEY Associate Pastor/High-Life 

WINNIE WINFORD Assistant Director/High-Life 

MINISTRY SUPPORT 

TERRI GOOD Accountant/Bookkeeper 

JONATHAN BARNETTE Director of Communication 

PHILLIP LACKEY Graphic Designer 

JANICE CROWSON Director of Facilities/Finance 

LYNDA CLAYDON Facilities 

MIKE MARREN Facilities 

ELIZABETH BUTZ Receptionist 

15 all that is fair 

Farthest Shore by David Wilcox 

UPCOMING 

EVENTS 

Kid's Water Wars 

July 10 

Intown 

July 14-17 

.5K 

July 20 

Sr. High Beach Retreat 

July 24-27 

Movie Night 

August 8 

2 JULY 2014 | SOUTHWOOD.ORG

PASTOR’S NOTE 

20 Questions to ask yourself... 

It is as old as the Apostle Paul and it comes up in every generation. It is the assumption that preaching 

the radical, free and accepting grace of God is the first step on a licentious, slippery slope toward 

antinomianism. The fear is that free grace for sinners is going to lead to free sinning. The reality is 

quite the opposite. Free grace leads to freedom from sin, not freedom to sin. Before dismissing 

grace as the "easy way out" try answering & applying these 20 questions to your life. 

1. Think of your most habitual sin. How often have you committed or thought about committing 

this sin? (We'll call this sin your "darling" sin) 

2. Have you ever made plans to commit this sin even though you knew it was wrong? 

3. Are you certain that you are converted? What makes you certain? (Note: This is an honest 

question we should always ask ourselves but especially when we see habitual sin!) 

4. Have you ever felt guilty after committing this sin and then in order to comfort yourself actually 

committed the same sin again? 

5. Have you ever judged another person for this same "darling" sin? Have you secretly feared 

being exposed for being this kind of sinner? 

6. Have you ever thought this sin was one that you would "always have to deal with" therefore 

given yourself a subtle free pass to indulge in it? 

7. Are there other sins such as self-service, love of comfort or pride behind your darling sin? Name 

them. 

8. Are there excuses you make for your sin, i.e., blaming others, environmental factors such as sleep, work or other circumstances? 

9. Have you ever lied to yourself or anyone else about this "darling sin"? Why? 

10. Where is Jesus in your struggle: Is he a cheering coach? A disappointed parent? A judge with limited options? A savior who tolerates 

you? Or a bride groom who loves you no matter what? 

11. Describe how you feel about yourself after struggling with this sin for all these years. How powerful is your desire to see your life purged 

of that shame? 

12. List every strategy you have ever used to try and conquer this sin. If you changed or stopped some of your present strategies for 

managing this sin what might happen? 

13. How much relief do you feel when those strategies restrain your behavior for a season of time? Might you be employing aggressive sinfighting 

strategies in order to be free from the burden of dealing with these sins? 

14. If you might actually be "working on" this darling sin to actually free your conscience from your struggle rather than to free your life from 

the offense it is to God, then wouldn’t you have to say that your repentance is tainted with self-love? 

15. How do you fix the fact that even your desire to conquer your sin is sinfully self-serving? 

16. If an unbeliever was trapped in a seemingly never-ending struggle with sin what hope would you offer to him? (p.s. the answer is Jesus!) 

17. Is there really anything, short of confession, repentance and resting in what Jesus has done sufficient to truly deal with your sin cycle? 

18. If you could go to God right now and be forgiven, loved and accepted, i.e., given a "totally clean state" would you? Is that kind of love 

and forgiveness going to set you free to indulge your "darling" sin more or give you something more beautiful to love, i.e., the Father? 

19. What might your spiritual life be like if you placed love, forgiveness and acceptance ahead of your sin-management strategies? Does 

God care how your war against sin is waged? 

20. What is the difference between fighting your sin in joyful response to His acceptance and working hard against your sin in a subtle effort 

to gain his re-acceptance? Which pattern produces humility and love for other struggling sinners? Which pattern produces pride and 

fear of future failure? 

Consider spending the next season of your life focused on Christ and his work on your behalf. Allow 

your life to be a living response to his forgiveness & grace and not your obligation and duty because 

of forgiveness & grace. Something will happen: Jesus will get bigger. You will get smaller. The "darling" 

sin will subside and you won’t feel a sense of prideful accomplishment. You will feel amazed. 

From that posture you will love God in response to his love, love others like you have been loved, 

and love things you never dreamed you would love—worship, prayer, Scripture and service to others. 

Grace does create a slippery slope, but it is a slippery slope toward holiness not away from it. 

For more from Jean, check out 

his sermons at southwood.org 

jean.larroux@southwood.org 

@jflarrouxiii 

Jean F. Larroux, III 

Senior Pastor 

JULY 2014 | SOUTHWOOD.ORG 3

SOUTHWOOD 

respond 

ASK A 

PASTOR 

Jean F. 

Larroux, III 

Answering your questions 

about sanctification and 

justification. 

Are merit, guilt, or fear ever appropriate 

as secondary motivations (to holiness)? 

First, let me say that merit, guilt and fear are present in all 

of our motivations, but the most important word in your 

question is "appropriate." If by appropriate you mean acceptable 

or approved by God as the motivation he would desire for us, even 

secondarily, then the answer is "no." God is always concerned with 

our behavior and the beliefs behind our behavior. Appropriate 

motivations for holiness were only present in the heart of Christ who 

obeyed for the Father’s glory, not his own. 

That leaves us with a bit of a quandary. Since all of our actions, even 

the best ones, are motivated to some degree by a desire for merit, a 

desire to cleanse a guilty conscience or driven by some level of fear, 

then are we to do nothing since nothing we do is pure? Absolutely not! 

While the motivations of believers are not righteously appropriate, 

they co-exist with new longings that are appropriate for the adopted 

children of God. I now desire to pray. I now desire to worship. I now 

desire to commune with my Heavenly Father because the Spirit has 

placed appropriate desires alongside my inappropriate ones within 

my double-minded heart. 

Our calling in the Christian life becomes clear: confess the complexity 

of mixed motives in our hearts and cling to Christ as the only one 

whose obedience was pure. From that posture we worship, pray and 

embrace all the means of grace as people utterly dependent on grace. 

To simply forge ahead into pious behavior with an acceptance of 

impious motives, even secondarily, is not holiness at all. It is behavioral 

modification without heart transformation. The calling for believers 

who see mixed motives in their hearts is repentance and a return to 

their Savior. In that world Jesus exists as a present-tense Savior of 

whom we can say, “I need thee every hour…” Holiness for them is 

marked by a dependent faith in Christ not by faithfulness for Christ. 

You keep saying that we need to focus on 

"believing NOT behaving" and that this is 

about "faith NOT faithfulness." I already 

believe. These seem to be messages geared 

toward unbelievers? Am I hearing that right? 

First off, no, you are not hearing me right if you think these 

messages are just for unbelievers. Secondly, yes, you are 

hearing me right when you hear me say that this is about 

"faith NOT faithfulness" and "believing NOT behaving." 

My suggestion to you would be this: go to our website and rewatch 

the sermon (video slides included with the audio online 

at southwood.org/knots) called, “How to love a Jerk.” It is an 

extensive explanation of how "believing" something actually 

produces behavioral change. In every realm of life we understand 

that our beliefs drive our behavior. If I believe it is going to rain then 

I bring an umbrella to work. If I believe that gluten is making me sick 

then I adjust my diet. If I believe that my parents love me no matter 

what then I play soccer differently. I cheerlead differently. I play in the 

band differently. Beliefs always precede behavior in life and in faith. 

When I say, "believe the Gospel" or say we need to "have faith" I am 

referencing the entire process of believing and applying the Gospel 

to your life as described in that message. It is easy to think that when 

I say "believe" or "have faith" that I am simply encouraging a mental 

rehearsal of propositional truth: "Jesus is the son of God. He died 

on the cross. He rose again…" Repeating those phrases is not an 

exercise of faith or belief. Remembering the Gospel means taking 

those propositional truths and pastorally applying their implications 

to your life—If Jesus is the Son of God; if Jesus did indeed die on the 

cross; if he actually rose again then the implications of those truths 

are profound. They transform life for the husband who is unwilling to 

apologize for being selfish or the teenager who missed curfew or the 

woman who finds it difficult to forgive a neighbor. 

The Gospel speaks to all areas of our lives in deep ways. The 

propositional truths have powerful implications. God uses the means 

of grace—worship, prayer, Scripture reading, the sacraments, etc. to 

connect and reconnect us with the reality of what it means to be in 

Christ. That reality has propulsion and trajectory to thrust us into this 

world as people who have been transformed by His love committed 

to seeing this world transformed by that same love. 


elate 

SOUTHWOOD 

RECAPPING G.A. 2014 Will Spink 

The 42nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America 

(PCA) was not marked by substantial controversial debate on the floor 

of the assembly. While some decry that as an indicator that nothing 

significant occurred, my sense from being there in Houston was quite 

different. In the first place, it signifies 

a general unity in core commitments 

that is allowing us to avoid focusing on 

intramural debates so as to provide 

proper attention to the mission of 

Christ’s Church. In addition to this, I 

see many hopeful and encouraging 

developments outside the formal 

meetings – in worship services, 

seminars, fellowship dinners, and 

other informal gatherings. 

The PCA did make what many 

consider the strongest statement any 

Christian denomination has made 

regarding child protection from 

sexual abuse. This resolution calls 

on local church leaders and heads 

of PCA committees and agencies to 

review their policies in these areas 

and to follow local laws in reporting 

such abuse. Perhaps even more 

remarkable is that such a strong 

resolution passed with no opposing 

votes from the approximately 

1,000 delegated commissioners. 

To read more on this including the 

text of the resolution, visit http:// 

boz.religionnews.com/2014/06/20/ 

denomination-confronts-childsexual-abuse-positive-step-forward/. 

#yolo 

#GA2014 

In other official action, the denomination received a report from a 

study committee on Insider Movements, which contains advice and 

recommendations with regard to Muslims converting to Christianity 

and how to handle the complex realities they face in majority-Muslim 

countries. We also passed a resolution and prayed for Christians facing 

persecution for taking biblical stands regarding sanctity of life and 

marriage issues in our culture and in other countries as well. 

#selfie 

Moderated very well by Dr. Bryan 

Chapell, the brotherly spirit of 

the debate and discussion on the 

floor (which is never something to 

be taken for granted!) reflected 

the hopeful atmosphere at the 

assembly in general. Seminars 

discussing honestly the history 

of racial issues in the church and 

highlighting the need for increased 

racial and socio-economic 

diversity in the PCA were both well 

attended and well received. This 

conversation is certainly only the 

beginning of what is needed, but 

the diversity of people engaged in 

the conversation is promising. 

Worship services are always a 

highlight of the assembly, and this 

year was no exception. All three 

messages were outstanding, but 

the one at the opening service 

set the tone for the rest of the 

assembly and was delivered by 

Ray Cortese, pastor of Seven Rivers 

Presbyterian Church in Lecanto, 

Florida. If you listen to one thing 

from GA, this sermon, titled “A 

Beautiful Orthodoxy,” is worth 

your time. Go to http://www. 

lightsource.com/ministry/pcageneral-assembly/broadcast-archives.html 

and scroll down to the first 

video from “Session 1 – Tuesday, June 17, 2014.” The sermon begins at 

38:00. After you enjoy this message, you can make your plans to drive 

up to Chattanooga next June to enjoy a GA worship service in person! 

FREEDOM 

This summer Southwood has had the opportunity 

to partner with Freedom School through 

The Village of Promise by providing snacks. The 

Freedom School is a six-week summer program 

designed to instill students from struggling 

schools with a love for reading and a passion for life-long learning. 

Each morning begins with "Harumbe" (Swahili, translated "working 

together")—a high energy celebration designed to remind both 

scholars and teachers at Freedom School that they are are working 

together to grow as thinkers and learners. Scholars are reminded each 

day that, as image bearers of God, they have the capacity to learn and 

overcome challenges in creative ways. If you are interested in learning 

more about The Village of Promise in Huntsville and how you can connect 

with Freedom School or other volunteer opportunities throughout 

the year, please contact sarah.niemitz@southwood.org. 


SOUTHWOOD 

PERUSTORIES 


ANNA GANDY 

I have this desire to have a simplified take away from ten days 

in and around Kusi, Peru, but I haven't been able to stratify 

any thoughts to the extent of creating some kind of moral or 

theme. Maybe there's a metaphor in the gigantic mound of 

dirt that the mission team and I spent days moving approximately 

five feet to the left that never seemed to end. Something 

about the seeming futility of life and little things being 

what make up something great, but I don't really have it yet. 

Peru was this incredibly rich experience that I can not succeed 

in putting into words, but I will attempt to do anyway. 

There is this strangeness in how similar things in places continents 

apart can be. The boys at the home we stayed and worked at 

played soccer and threw things at the dogs and wrestled just like 

boys their age do everywhere. They just spoke Spanish. Church 

services in Yunguy felt like services here in Huntsville, again just 

in Spanish. I came with this expectation of massive cultural differences, 

but instead was given this portrait of similarity in human 

nature. People there struggle with drugs and alcohol, lack of faith 

and instances of human cruelty. People here struggle with the 

same things. They may manifest themselves differently, but at 

heart there's the commonality of searching for identity and searching 

for purpose. There's a commonality in finding joy and finding 

pain in interacting with other people, in a deep desire to love and 

be loved. It's so easy to forget that humanity is universal. It's so 

beautiful that it is. 

Cultural differences still do exist. Peru has less material, so it bases 

less value on material things. There is a pure joy found in the boys 

there that exists not from having much, but from having contentment 

with little. There is less ambition for things like higher education 

because it's simply not something that is in reach. Things are 

accomplished not through the intensity of desire as in the United 

States, but through practical consideration of what can and cannot 

be done. It is not for a lack of passion, nor is it something better 

or worse than the American ideology that anything is possible. It 

is simply how life is. 

SOUTHWOOD 

Life in the mountains of Peru was easy to adapt to. I missed the 

high availability of hot water for showers, but I did not miss the air 

conditioning. There was no feeling of loss accompanying a lack of 

my phone and thus a lack of internet and social media. The mountains 

were astonishingly beautiful, food was different but delightful, 

work was hard but in the pleasant way that an intense work 

out is hard. Coming back to America was jarring. I held my phone 

again and it felt like a completely foreign object in my hands. Suddenly 

the world was at my fingertips again and I realized I might 

not want it to be. There was an immediate loss of contentedness 

that I was entirely aware I had until the feeling had been replaced 

by the very American striving for something more. In Peru I looked 

at myself in the mirror maybe once every two days and suddenly 

I returned to seeing my reflection more than every hour. I did not 

feel at home in my house and it was odd to lack a relief in getting 

there. Everything is so much more in America than in Peru; more 

electricity, more buildings, more choices. It's overwhelming. 

I'm still not sure of the moral of my Peru story. I'm honestly still 

a little overwhelmed to be in the states again. I am undoubtably 

ready to continue to travel, to continue experiencing different cultures 

and different people. If I was asked to leave again tomorrow, 

I would. I miss the mountains. I miss the night sky full of South 

America's stars. I continue to look for fulfillment and hope to one 

day reach this enlightenment that supposedly exists and know why 

I'm here and why it matters that I am. Maybe as a result of this trip 

I'll attempt to live a little more simply, to want less, to gather less 

worth from how well I'm received on the internet, to gather less 

worth from my appearance and more from my actions. Maybe I'll 

learn from the example of boys who are happy with much less. 

Maybe I'll have more faith like the couple who gave up their lives to 

raise forty abandoned boys because that's what God called them 

to do. At the very least I've gained lots of photos of me covered 

in mud and some random Spanish phrases, but I so hope that is 

not all. 

STEVE WILLIAMS 

I love youth, and have spent much of my time working with 

the youth wherever God has led me, which has been primarily 

at Southwood over the past several years. As far as missions 

outside the country, the Peru mission trip was my first 

experience of this type as it is a significant commitment of 

time away from the office. Although we met several times 

prior to leaving for Peru, I was still somewhat uncertain what 

to expect when we gathered at the airport and headed out. 

We were equipped with a great energetic team that was focused 

on the mission of expressing God’s grace to the boys 

and staff at Kusi. What God had planned for us was more 

amazing than I think anyone in the group expected. 

The first adjustment was the loss of communications. I’m used to 

seeing people with their smartphones in-hand texting, Instagram, 

Facebook, Twitter etc. Instead they were talking, reading and playing 

cards. The adjustment seemed instantaneous and it was good 

to see that we can survive and even thrive with and without our 

electronic attachments. Travel was long as we flew the first day 

and spent 10 hours on a bus the second day to get to Yungay. The 

team was greeted with Peruvian hospitality and we felt very welcome 

at their home in Kusi. We played a quick game of soccer, in 

which the boys graded our ball skills, at least subconsciously. 

We spent the week moving rocks, mixing concrete and making 

adobe bricks which included moving several cubic yards of dirt 10 

feet to break it up and remove the rocks and mixing it with water 

and straw and placing into the molds. Sounds easier than it is, and 

I was extremely proud of how the team worked together! Follow 

that with wrestling, soccer and just running around with the boys 

and you have one of the most effective weight loss programs de- 

veloped, if it was not for the wonderful food that was provided. 

Now to what really mattered; the boys, ages six to nineteen. I have 

not seen the contentment here that I experienced in Kusi. These 

boys had a soccer ball, trompos (wooden tops), frisbee (that I think 

was eaten by Sam the big dog), some marbles, two bikes and a 

scooter; no XBox, TV, phones, cars etc. The boys almost always 

were smiling and seemed thrilled to have us there with them. We 

did crafts with the boys and just hung out with them trying to speak 

Spanish and they would reciprocate with a little English. The highlight 

of the week for me was Thursday night at the campfire. A few 

of the boys shared their testimony, however one of the boys had 

been at the home for several years and he shared his testimony for 

the first time with us. What a special moment it was as Rosa and 

Anhil (the house parents) came to his side as he shared. God’s love 

and grace covers Kusi and it’s evident in the boys. 

I went to express God’s love and grace and I felt that I was the 

recipient from the boys, the staff and the team rather than the provider. 

I think the boys enjoyed spending the time with us even 

more than they like Nutella! The team was tired at the end of the 

week, but there wasn’t anyone who wouldn’t have stayed longer if 

possible. We left at 6:30 on a Saturday morning and the boys came 

out to see us off with warm wishes and hugs. I’m pretty sure most 

of our kids are asleep at that time on Saturdays, but not saying they 

didn’t go back inside and climb in bed. 

What did I bring back from Peru? A clearer understanding of the 

work God is doing in Kusi, boundless grace, love for the boys and 

my own Trompo. 


Are you Free to Struggle? 

I want you to imagine a man who has abandoned reading Scripture and has a secret addiction to 

pornography. Imagine that same man writing a letter to his pastor, confessing the struggle and asking 

for help. Imagine a pastor writing a "Dear Abby" type response to his question. This is the letter I 

would have written when I was just out of Seminary. I want you to critically listen to every word: 

Dear Trapped, 

First, I understand. I can remember that struggle well. When I first became a Christian it was really 

hard to give up old habits and sins. You need to know that no one in the church is perfect. Jesus died for 

sinners and it may surprise you but there are a lot of people who struggle like you do. You’re not alone. 

The church is a place for sinners. 

Second, your letter is really a sign that God is working in your life. Conviction of sin comes from him 

and he will not leave us to our own devices. That is actually a good thing and not a bad thing. Too many 

people in our society and in the church today just treat sin as if it doesn’t matter. It does matter. 

God is holy and his law never changes. Adultery, lust, pornography and sexual sin are all wrong, even if our 

society decides they are not. 

Third, Jesus came to redeem you from yourself. Believers are told that if any man is in Christ he is a new 

creation. We are all new creations in Christ and this means that we must put off the old man and put on 

the new man. It is easy to deceive ourselves into thinking that we can "have our cake and eat it too" but 

we cannot. We can’t claim that we are Christians and then live like the devil. 

Fourth, repentance is always hard but the cross is always available to you. I know you’ve confessed your 

sins to me, but they need to be confessed to God from a heart that is sincere. We can’t just say, "I’m 

sorry" and think that makes everything better. We have to really mean it. When we really mean it we 

show it. I can remember asking my college roommate to help keep me in check with my girlfriend. We never 

"did anything" but you can’t just "say" you hate your sin and then not do anything about it, right? 

Fifth, I’m gonna send you some helpful verses about sexual sin, lust and forgiveness. Memorizing these and 

keeping them close at hand or hidden in your heart is vital to victory. Remember God’s grace is sufficient 

for you and the sword of the Spirit is a powerful thing. To have His word as part of your armor is most 

helpful. I have several verses written on 3x5 cards in my office, my car and at home. Keep his truth in 

front of you. 

Lastly, let me offer to walk with you. I told you that I can still remember the struggle. I know what 

you are going through. If I had not had accountability I don’t know where I would have ended up. I 

will meet with you, find other men who have been through this who can be prayer warriors for you and 

I will promise to hold you accountable. I will even help you put software on your computer or passwords 

on your television to protect. I also know of a service that will send me email reports of your browser 

history. That may be a good way for us to make sure that in this season we don’t let down our guard and 

allow Satan to get a foothold. 

Keep the faith and fight the good fight, 

Pastor Larroux 


or Struggling to be Free? 

Now I want you to imagine that this same pastor, me, has written a different letter, but this letter 

is written after coming to the end of myself. It is written after years of ministry and after coming to 

the place of understanding that there is nothing I have to offer God except my sin and his son Jesus 

Christ. Listen intently to every word, but keep the first letter in the back of your mind: 

Dear Trapped, 

First, I understand. I have been there again and again. Even when I am not struggling with lustful actions in my 

life I see those desires rattling around in my heart and mind. There is never a moment when those things aren’t 

close at hand. I wish they would just go away, but even when they do for a while my heart secretly loves 

them. I hate admitting that, but you need to know you are not alone. You and I are the same. 

Secondly, I am so thankful for your struggle. That may sound strange but I think it is miraculous that you 

even wrote to me. I know how much you hate that you really don’t hate your sin that much. Even the fact 

that you ‘want to want’ change is evidence that the Holy Spirit is at work. You and I both know that if it was 

left up to you alone then you would go to places deeper and darker than you have already. So know this: I’m 

encouraged by your letter, not discouraged. 

Third, Jesus loves you. I know that may sound cliché but read it again JESUS LOVES YOU. He already lived and 

died to redeem you. Your behavior and your sin does not define you -- His imputed righteousness is all you ever 

had. God isn’t waiting to punish you for your sin. He already punished Jesus on your behalf. It sometimes takes 

moments of the Holy Spirit showing us what we are capable of to make us despair of ourselves and see that He 

is all we have. It sounds like you are there. 

Fourth, He has already reconciled you to the Father. Jesus’ love is not a static, historical reality. His blood 

has great value in the present tense. It connects and reconciles you to your Heavenly Father right now. The 

Father receives and restores prodigals like you and me. He really does. He slaughters fattened calves for people 

who have been gorging themselves on sin. He sings over sinners who are hidden in the robes of his son. That 

means you. Not you when you finally clean up, act right and string together some weeks of victorious obedience, 

but you right now, even when you still smell the stench of the swine-slopping sin you have embraced. He is a 

Father who was willing to see his son defiled in your place. You are not received by him on probation, you are 

received and loved as a porn-indulging prodigal who has been given a different status and adopted as a son. 

Fifth, there is no small print, no "but" coming. There is no "wink, wink" or "nod, nod" that says "but make sure 

you are good for goodness sake." That’s not how grace works. His love isn’t a contingent love; it is complete 

and finished. Once the Father loves you He will never un-love you and he will never let you go. I promise. It is 

finished and it is done. 

Last, I can tell you from personal experience that there is hope in the midst of your struggle. I know you hate 

the sin. This struggle will subside! When you are captivated by love like His something amazing starts to happen 

-- your heart begins to thaw. You start to love the things that he loves and hate the things that he hates. I 

know that seems like a million miles away, but I promise that he doesn’t call us sons and leave us to like orphans. 

Here’s the bad news: while this struggle will subside other struggles will come to life. In reality you are actually 

a lot more screwed up than a few mis-clicks on the internet prove. There is stuff wrong with you and me we 

don’t even know about yet. In his time and in his way he will show you those things and concurrently show you 

his son and his love. 

I’m glad to pray for you, with you or do whatever. I’ll walk with you in any way that I can, but not as a 

guy who is "fixed" helping a poor, struggling porn-addict, but rather as one struggling son walking with another 

struggling son trying every day to remember who their Father is. 

Amazingly His, 

Pastor Larroux

SOUTHWOOD 

reflect 

Did you hear the difference in the letters? The first letter didn’t say 

anything that was "wrong" per se did it? Not at all, but there were 

nuances as you read the second letter that emphasized the finished 

work of Christ as opposed to the unfinished workings of a struggling 

man. Those letters are not just hypothetical examples. At different 

stages in ministry I have written both of these types of letters. 

I began in ministry with a view of sanctification that acknowledged 

the work of Christ for Justification, but emphasized the work each 

of us must do for our Sanctification. Practically, the Gospel was a 

presupposed reality, an understood truth and a touchstone that was 

acknowledged, but it was not the practical cornerstone of daily living 

as a Christian. I would have told you that it was "all about Jesus," 

but I preached, taught and counseled others as if it were "all about 

them." Never once would I have minimized the work of Christ, but I 

always emphasized the works we must do in response to Christ. I was 

not teaching untruths per se, but I was emphasizing something that 

was incomplete and pastorally powerless. 

In Pauline terms, I had begun with the Spirit, but was trying to finish 

with the flesh. The result was the dispensation of advice which 

emphasized the "oughts" and "shoulds" of the Christian life instead 

of the "finished" and "completed" work of the Christian’s savior. The 

result was predictable. I saw very little fruit and no lasting change in 

the lives of others. What I did see was the production of postulated 

holiness and self-righteousness interspersed with cycles of despair 

and doubt. That should make sense to you—if the emphasis in our 

Christian lives is on us and our performance then we become either 

self-righteous when performing well or despairing when we are 

performing poorly. As my friend Tullian Tchividjian put it—practical 

day to day Christianity becomes more about the life of the Christian 

than the life of the Christ. That was me. 

God intervened. He showed me, a Christian and a Pastor for almost 

two decades that the finished work of Christ had historical and 

present-tense value in my life. Jesus was relevant for the 16-yearold 

version of me who met him for the first time and the 36-yearold 

me who had been trying to live the Christian life out of duty 

and obligation. My letters and ministry approach changed. God has 

used the application of the finished work of Christ to change me. 

His Gospel and verdict of acceptance and love began to produce 

the same faithfulness I had been striving for as a product of my own 

"holy" life but as a by-product of faith instead. The regularly applied 

grace of Jesus Christ changed my life and the lives of others in a way 

that holiness by mandated obedience never could. I knew what it 

meant to be the "struggling" man who was "not doing the things 

he wants to do, but rather keeps on doing what he does not want to 

do," but until I met Jesus regularly, as a Christian, I had nowhere to 

turn with that struggle except toward myself. 

Think back to the letters. In the first instance the man is left to try 

harder, strive longer and actively work at freeing himself. The pastoral 

care urged him to not give up, to fight the fight and to keep striving. 

It told him what was required, but it offered him no hope of achieving 

what was required except through vague examples of other high 

achievers. Good examples are never good enough. He needed to 

be reminded of the substitutionary atonement of Christ. Hope is not 

found in gathering together accountability from victorious ex-sinners 

but apprehending the vitality of a present-tense savior. The advice 

in the first letter confirmed the laws demands, but did not offer any 

way to fulfill them. The law shows us what God requires, but it gives 

us no power to fulfill those requirements. Grace shows us that Christ 

10 JULY 2014 | SOUTHWOOD.ORG 

fulfilled the requirements of the law on our behalf and that our job is 

to rest in His finished work, not in our unfinished duties. 

As I said before, I didn’t always believe that. I can remember thinking 

that this kind of "good news" about active rest was theological 

liberalism at best and a smokescreen for licentious living at worst. I 

thought that grace was taking the easy way out. I was wrong. Actively 

relying on the cross for my day to day holiness is far more difficult and 

than relying on myself. In John 6 Jesus was asked what works God 

requires of us. He answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in 

the one he has sent.” 1 

What is all the fuss about? 

Theologians talk about a distinction that John Calvin suggested 

regarding the first, second and third use of the Law. Calvin said 

that the law of God works in three ways—one to expose sin, one 

to restrain evil and one to show us what God loves. This is true, but 

if any of them do not ultimately lead us to Jesus then they are only 

leading us to more rigorous moral self-effort. In the first use of the law 

it is a mirror exposing my sin and sending me to Jesus. That seems 

obvious, however when it is restraining evil [in the second use of the 

law] by providing a safe "fence" for us to live inside of, I still have a 

heart that longs to lean over the fence and push the boundaries. For 

those tendencies I must turn to Christ again and again, not simply for 

the "fence hopping" the first use of the law exposed, but the "fence 

leaning" that the second use of the law revealed. Finally, the law 

reveals to us what is pleasing to God. The Law of the Lord is good, 

but if I am fully-disclosing the thoughts and inclinations of my heart 

then the honest trust is that my best acts of piety and holiness are 

stained with sin and still leave me needing a savior. Even the third 

use of the law exposes our shortcoming because God’s standard has 

not changed for us after we believe. We often act as if God’s holy 

standard is absolute perfection for sinners [leaving them needing 

a Savior] but that his standard is "sincere effort" for saints [leaving 

them to try harder.] This is untrue. The standard was established by 

God, kept only by Christ and always exposes us as people in need of 

grace, not people in need of spiritual motivation. 

Our deepest problem is not that we are slackers and not trying hard 

enough. Our problem is that we are self-sufficient slackers who 

would rather exert great moral effort at managing sin rather than 

acknowledge the fact that none of our sin-management strategies or 

holy habit production plans have proven effective at restraining evil 

or producing perfection. Offering the Gospel to God’s people is not 

taking the easy way out it is actually sending us down the path we 

are most averse to—the path that has us repenting of our sin and of 

our self-reliant tendencies to fix ourselves. John Calvin, who was the 

one who distinguished the three-fold use of the law, said this, “He 

who makes the worship of God consist in faith and repentance by no 

means loosens the reigns of discipline, but rather compels men to 

the course they are most afraid to take.” 2 

The Gospel presupposes man’s inability and powerlessness. It offers 

him hope beyond himself and beyond good examples. It give him 

the daily offer of a perfect Savior and acceptance he could never 

merit. The counsel in the second letter was given by a struggling 

pastor who only confessed to knowing where to "find bread" not 

how to bake it. All of us need pastors who remind us what it means 

to need Jesus daily, not spiritual, life-coaches cheering us on toward 

victory. I have been that guy and there is no victory, only sweat, tears, 

despair and joyless posturing.

eflect 

SOUTHWOOD 

This is not an ivory tower issue where theological hairs are being split. 

This issue affects you personally in many ways. The question before us 

is this: What produces true holiness in the lives of believers? Neither 

side in this debate would argue about whether believer’s lives should 

be holy. Neither side would postulate that holiness doesn’t matter. 

Neither side would suggest that a lifeless, sin-soaked, convictionfree 

heart is irrelevant to God. There is however some disagreement 

about how a believer is actually transformed from a person who 

loves sin and hates God to a person who loves God and hates sin. 

One side tends to emphasize the paramount nature of changes in 

behavior and habits coming from the person who has already been 

declared righteous by God. The other side tends to emphasize the 

paramount importance of heart changes in a person who is being 

transformed by that same declaration of righteousness. That second 

view, which is my own, contends that those heart changes must be 

constantly cultivated because they precede any changes in habits or 

behavior. 

Disclaimer: It must be said that while the term "sides" is being used 

I mean to use it descriptively and not disparagingly. The "sides" 

are not clearly defined, nor are the adherents to each "side" clearly 

declared. It is not my attempt to create division in the church, but 

rather to show distinctions in pastoral theology. As I have said, I have 

lived on both "sides." For descriptive purposes I am calling the two 

sides: "active resting" and "active working." Both sides believe in 

an active faith, but there is a subtle difference in what they believe 

that active faith is doing. The "active resting side" of the aisle would 

suggest that a vibrant faith is actively looking for places where 

a believer would turn from himself to the finished work of Christ. 

That view suggests that work of the believer is to "believe in the 

one whom He has sent." This means, as Calvin suggested above, 

engaging in the laborious work of applying the active and passive 

work of Christ to their own lives. This active resting then necessarily 

produces the Fruit of the Spirit as a by-product of their faith. 

The active working side of aisle contends almost the same view. They 

believe that a vibrant faith is actively looking for places to turn from 

self and turn to the finished work of Christ, but with a distinction. They 

would say that an active, vibrant faith acknowledges and rests in what 

has already been done for them in Christ, but then looks forward to 

the work God has called them to do as Christians, rather than looking 

back on the work God has done for them in Christ. Hal Farnsworth of 

Redeemer Presbyterian in Athens, Ga., asks the rhetorical question, 

“Are we struggling to be free or free to struggle?” To be fair many 

in the active working camp would perceive the idea of being "free 

to struggle" as a capitulation on the active resting side to treat 

sin lightly or treat holiness as irrelevant. The active working side 

absolutely believes and emphasizes that the finished work of Christ 

is foundational to all that is done for Christ looking forward, but the 

focus of their Christian living is not re-focusing on what God has 

already done, but pressing on toward the work God has called them 

to do. I hope and intend for this to be a fair characterization. For the 

active working side the sine quo non 3 of a believer is faithfulness. For 

the active resting side the sine quo non is faith itself. 

For the active working side holiness is produced by a life that has 

encountered Christ and for the active resting side holiness is a byproduct 

of a life that is re-encountering Christ over and over again. 

This believing or remembering our justification fits the Biblical 

pattern of holiness for the people of God. Over and over in Scripture 

God asks his people, “Have you forgotten?” and he references 

their deliverance and rescue. He continually tells those same 

people, “Remember…” and references his saving work and active 

intervention in their lives. This is done in the lives of people whose 

behavior and habits ceased to reflect his holiness and character. God 

believes and the Bible teaches that our beliefs are at the root of our 

behavior problems. We must acknowledge that if we hope to see 

any lasting change in our lives. 

“He who makes the worship of God 

consist in faith and repentance by no 

means loosens the reigns of discipline, 

but rather compels men to the course 

they are most afraid to take.” 

The active resting side would argue that lasting change in the lives 

of God’s people requires reorientation to those right beliefs before 

the reformation of behavior will be effective. At the end of the day 

neither would say that being "saved" allows any believer to engage 

in, indulge in or embrace sin, but there would be different approaches 

to dealing with sin when it becomes apparent in the life of a believer. 

Neither side would wink at sin and ignore church discipline in the 

body of Christ, but the approach to those needing discipline would 

be distinctly different. I have observed that when the active resting 

side is quick to remind someone of God’s love and deliverance, 

that it is actually "okay that they are not okay," that reminder, as a 

first order of business, feels like a low view of holiness to the active 

resting side. This is where the salt often goes into the wound and the 

debate begins to generate more heat than light. 

Those on the active working side fear that those on the active resting 

side have a proclivity toward antinomianism and quietism. Those 

on the active resting side fear that those on the active working side 

of have a theology whose necessary consequence is legalism and 

Pharisaical obedience. While neither view must necessarily lead to 

the postulated conclusion, it is my contention that because the active 

resting view by definition regularly and intentionally leads to and 

arrives at Christ as the reason for faith and faithfulness it is therefore 

safer and more Biblically consistent with Jesus’ teachings about faith 

and his rebuke of those who would rest in their own faithfulness. 

Therefore, pastorally, active resting must be the salve which is 

regularly applied to our lives. The regular remembrance, application 

of and resting in the finished work of Christ is imperatively necessary 

if we are going to be the salt and light that Jesus intended us to be. 

Active resting is necessary if our faith is ever going to be actively at 

work. 

There is a temptation to try and tie a synthesizing bow around these 

issues and suggest that both sides are equally right but talking about 

two sides of the same coin. After all aren’t they both declaring that 

active resting leads to active working? Can’t we just all get along? We 

can and we should, but getting along doesn’t mean agreeing about 

everything. We should treat each other with patience and charity, 

not unless, but especially when we disagree. These issues are not 

merely semantical, they are very practical. The active resting crowd 

and myself firmly believe that faithfulness will come as a necessary 

by-product of faith, but that the active work needed by the church 

is active rest. 

1 

John 6:28-29, Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011. 

Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. 

2 

“The Necessity of Reforming the Church” John Calvin, P. 193, Editor: J.K.S. Reid, Westminster John 

Knox Press, 2000 

3 

A Latin term that means "without which not" indicating that the very essence of something is 

dependent on the presence of a particular item and without the presence of that item it would 

cease to be what it was intended to be. The sine quo non of the intelligence community is secrecy— 

without it intelligence gathering and national security cannot be what it is intended to be.

SOUTHWOOD 

THANKS TO ALL 

WHO MADE 

VBS/CLIMB A 

HUGE 

SUCCESS! 


SOUTHWOOD 


SOUTHWOOD 

relate 

SURVIVING SUMMER 

in small groups 

Will Spink 

As shifting summer schedules create challenges for consistent 

connection, many of our small groups take a break during the 

summer. This break from the regular meeting schedule can be 

helpful, even refreshing to a small group, but it doesn’t have to mean 

a break from the small group altogether. 

(Clockwise from bottom) Stephanie Pearson, Ariel Grant, Derrick Grant, 

Greg Cartee, Lore Hislop, Ben Stark, Danielle Stark 

At Southwood, our small groups focus on three key relationships, 

not three key group meetings. Our relationships with each other, 

with God, and with our neighbors continue through the summer 

even when our regular meeting schedule gets interrupted. In fact, 

many groups find the change of pace in the summer to be an open 

door to new ways to be intentional in these relationships. Here are 

just a couple ways our small groups deepen their relationships even 

during a “break”: 

1) Join together in an activity already on someone’s schedule. A 

weekly Tuesday night small group meeting may have fallen off your 

summer calendar, but for many of us other summer events have been 

added. Some families start spending time at the pool, others have 

baseball games three nights a week, and others head downtown for 

a movie or concert in the park. In some ways the summer schedule 

can give small groups an increased opportunity to share life together 

by joining each other in what we’re already doing. Think intentionally 

about what’s going on in the lives of the other members in your group 

and show up to share it with them. Hate the pool, the ballpark, or the 

downtown scene? That’s OK; you love your small group members! 

(L to R) Joseph & Amy Holland (Jackson & Harrison), Jonathan & Barbie Sumner, 

Phillip & Catherine Barrett, Brandon & Meg Curtis (Colin & Nolan) 

SUMMER SOCIAL IDEAS 

FOR YOUR SMALL GROUP 

1.) Concerts in the Park - Mondays through August 4 

at 6:00pm in Big Spring Park 

2.) Movies in the Park - July 11 (Frozen) and August 15 

(Wizard of Oz) around 8:30pm in Big Spring Park 

3.) Greene Street Market - Thursday 

afternoons through October in 

downtown Huntsville 

4.) Huntsville Stars Baseball Games - 

16 home games in July and 13 in 

August at Joe Davis Stadium 

2) Connect with subsets of the small group. A group cookout may be 

a great idea for the summer. But sometimes seemingly every week of 

the summer, at least one member of the group is on vacation. Have 

the cookout anyway. Maybe just invite one family in the group over. 

Maybe include their kids. The deepening of relationships between 

individuals within the group will benefit the group dynamic when 

you’re all able to get back together. 

3) Invite someone beyond the group to join you. Summer is a great 

time to include a neighbor in a small group activity. A backyard 

cookout, an afternoon at the playground, or the .5K is often an easier 

way for someone not involved in your group to develop relationships 

and connection than a formal group meeting. Take advantage of 

the summer schedule to think of people in the church or in your 

neighborhood that you’ve been wanting to include and connect 

with. 

As our small groups enjoy the “break” that summer offers, the goal 

is that they’ll also benefit from new relational opportunities that are 

different for each group. Our relationships with each other, with God, 

and with our neighbors don’t stop when our regular group meetings 

do. Let’s stay involved in each other’s lives and look for new ways to 

share community together this summer. 


elate 

SOUTHWOOD 

ALL THAT 

IS FAIR 

WHAT YOU 

HAVE AND 

WHAT YOU 

DON'T HAVE 

James Parker 

We talk a lot about freedom in this country. We love our bill of 

rights and our free enterprise. But would any of us really know what 

true freedom even feels like? Would we recognize the experience 

if it took hold of us? Our Declaration of Independence and 

Constitution protect us against anything that would prohibit each 

individual's life, liberty, and pursuit of hapiness. But when you crack 

open "the individual" and take a deeper look inside, would you 

see someone who is truly free inside and out? Or would you see an 

anxious, neurotic mess of a person? I can speak for myself. If you 

broke me open and looked at my heart, you would see someone 

who is a slave to the approval of others. You would see someone 

who is often so overwhelmed by the bondage of perfectionism that 

he frequently becomes a quitter. You would see a selfish person 

who is eaten up with the disease of pride masquerading as humility. 

In this country, we exist in a beneficial environment. It is a society 

that does not hinder us from doing what we want (for the most 

part). We are "free" to live our lives as we see fit, but true freedom 

is something wholly different. True freedom implies freedom from 

self; a blessed "self-forgetfulness." To be free from the worry that 

we will lose the stuff we have, or that we will lose the good feeling 

of having approval or power. True freedom allows us to take risk, 

because honestly, what do we really have to lose? 

About 20 years ago, David Wilcox wrote a song called Farthest 

Shore. The song details a moment when he experienced a taste 

of what it might be like to be free. He swims away from his worldly 

posessions realizing that he has all he needs right there with him in 

the water. 

Farthest Shore 

We were there in the woods by the water / We left our packs up against 

that willow tree / We dove right in, keeping just what we were born with / 

Our Memories, Knowledge and Dreams 

As I swam away from our possessions / I imagined that they were gone 

forever more / And for once I was glad that all I treasured / Would still be 

with me as I reached other shore. 

So...Let me dive into the water, / Leave behind all that I've worked for 

Except what I remember and believe / and when I stand on the farthest 

shore / I will have all I need 

After the blaze burned our cabin down to ashes / Where we'd slept warm, 

now the sky lets in the rain / I found the strings, frets and rusted latches 

But I will never hear that old guitar again / These four walls are only in my 

memory / Where these stone steps rise to nothing in the air / So one last 

look and I'm headed for the river / To wash my hands and try to say this 

prayer 




When my time to live this life is over / I'll tip my hat when I think about that 

swim / And of all the things that make a life worth living / That only come 

to those who dive right in 




When we can practice forgetting the things we think are important, we 

begin to see what we actually own. When we own nothing in our hearts 

we gain everything. We have all we need. Anxiety let's go of us. And 

love can take hold. Jesus said it this way, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, 

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Relenquishing ownership of our 

posessions, our loves, even ourselves, is the road to gaining the "pearl 

of great price" and "the treasure hidden in a field." It's worth it to sell all 

you have to go and buy the field. This is what you have. This is freedom. 

RIVERS in the 

WASTELAND 

JAMES PARKER 

NEEDTOBREATHE has just released a new studio album called 

Rivers in the Wasteland. It doesn't disappoint. They are a 

fantastic rock band with many unforgettable musical elements. 

But more than that their songwriting has continued to improve. 

The song Wasteland is a stand out track to me. It's a very stark 

arrangement, using only solo acoustic guitar, voice, and a few 

atmospheric elements for most of the 4.5 minute song. At the 

end it explodes into an urgent yet joyful anthemic chorus. The 

lines of the chorus have stayed with me: 

"In this wasteland where I'm livin', 

there is a crack in the door filled with light. 

and it's all that I need to get by. 

In this wasteland where I'm livin', 

there is a crack in the door filled with light. 

and it's all that I need to shine." 


Sunday, July 20th • 4-8pm 

Live Music • Food Trucks 

First 350 racers get a FREE t-shirt! 

Heats for All Ages 

Stroller • PreK & Under • K & 1st • 2nd & 3rd • 4th & 5th • 6th through 8th • Sr High 

Adult Male • Adult Female • 60 & Over • Also a Freestyle race! 

(Freestyle awards for style, not speed) 

*popcorn not included

BRANCHES July 2014

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?