Forest View

Christians Should Be Thinkers

2012-02-08T07:15:00.001-05:00

In my personal Bible study lately I have been thinking about 2 Cor 10:4-5:

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh
but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God,
and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (ESV)

Monday I revelled in these supernatural weapons that we mortals wield (such as prayer and faith), and I thought about the (seemingly impenetrable) strongholds that can be levelled by these weapons (such as bitterness, ruined marriages, and sinful habits).

Yesterday as I moved into verse 5 I saw that it specifies one of the strongholds: anti-God ideas, or anti-God philosophies, or anti-God thinking. This verse touches, then, on the doctrine of the Christian mind and the importance of right thinking.

Right thinking is neglected by many Christians, it seems to me. There's an emphasis on experience and feeling, but not so much on thinking. Theology is something theologians do, and even many pastors these days aren't considered theologians. No, that's the dry stuff that academics engage in in seminaries which are located in other cities. "And Pastor, please don't dwell too long on theology in your sermons; we need practical help right now to deal with our problems. I don't care about doctrine; just tell me what I need to do." Youth pastors deal with "hot button" issues in order to be relevant, with the result being that the culture and the times influence the teaching schedule instead of the main themes of God's Word doing so.

But if we do not think, if we do not engage in meditating on the truths of Scripture, we will not destroy the anti-God ideas talked about in 2 Cor 10:5. Instead, we will succumb to them. If we do not renew our minds through sustained, thoughtful interaction with the Scriptures (study and meditation), then we will not be transformed; rather, we will continue to be conformed to the pattern of this world. (See Rom 12:2 for the logic of that last statement.)

Preachers are urged to "Apply, apply, apply." We're told that sermons should contain clear and specific application, especially in this day and age which stresses utilitarianism and practicality and "How does it help me?" I agree that application must be present in sermons, and obviously so. It must be clear, and it must be specific, and it must be helpful. But what many people narrow application down to is, "What must I do?" However, many times application should take the form, "What must I think?" or "What must I believe?" To be sure, Scripture has a lot to say about what we should do and what we shouldn't do, but it also has a lot to say about what we should think and what we shouldn't think.

Hebrews is not the most popular book in the NT. It's not as strong as other books in the "What must I do?" category. But what function does Hebrews perform? It paints for us a wonderful picture of the greatness, the majesty, the supremacy of Jesus Christ. It helps to elevate our thoughts about Christ. It corrects our human tendency to think less of God and of Christ than what is actually true; Hebrews (as well as the rest of the Bible) works to elevate our thinking about Christ. And that is tremendously practical. If I don't have an elevated view of Christ, I'm not near as likely to take my problems and issues to him. But if I believe all about Christ that Hebrews encourages me to believe, then I will approach the throne of grace with confidence to receive mercy and find grace to help me in my time of need (Heb 4:16). I will live more and more in the wisdom and the power of the Spirit. I will more and more trust in the Lord with all of my heart and lean not on my own understanding.

When it comes to the area of sex, a couple of authors note that the most important sex organ is the brain. How we think about sex is tremendously practical and relevant, because how we think about it will determine in large part how we handle it and practice it. When a person used to the world's way of sex becomes a Christian, much of the battle for purity, if it is to be won, is waged in the mind. Win the battle in the mind, and the body will fall into step.

Much of sanctification (in all areas of life) is a mind game. Rom 8 highlights this. "For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot" (8:5-7 ESV, emphasis added).

Much of life is a matter of the mind. What we think and believe will impact our living--our choices, our allegiances, our attitudes. Studying and meditating on the Scriptures is a must for spiritual maturity and holy living. And reading good theology won't hurt, either.

Love the Lord Your God with All Your Mind

2012-02-05T15:57:00.000-05:00

Modern Christianity, it seems, underestimates the importance of the mind and thinking when it comes to being holy and living godly lives.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones tried to rectify this in his London ministry. His biographer writes:

"… his call to Christians was to think aright about God. That must come first. Not even prayer is to be put before it … His concern was that his hearers should not simply derive comfort from passages of Scripture but that they should think theologically."

Lloyd-Jones once preached:

“We stand fast in this faith by reminding ourselves of it constantly, by reading and thinking about it, by meditating concerning it. This is something for which I would plead at the present time. We must return to a consideration of the terms of the faith…. I plead, in other words, for a revival of the study of theology … It is not enough to cultivate the devotional life. It is essential to ‘stand fast in the faith’ when we are assailed by doubt. And it is essential as against feelings.”

--Iain H. Murray, David Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The Fight of Faith 1939-1981, 30

The Value of a Clean Heart

2012-01-30T08:30:00.000-05:00

May I always know

that a clean heart full of goodness

is more beautiful than the lily,

that only a clean heart can sing by night and by day,

that such a heart is mine when I abide at Calvary.

--The Valley of Vision, ed. Arthur Bennett, p. 173

An Eclectic Composition

2012-01-26T12:25:00.001-05:00

A unique composition featuring a cello, "Lindbergh Palace Hotel Suite," composed by Mark Mothersbaugh, reminds me of some of my brother's compositions.

A Whole Different Perspective

2012-01-25T05:00:00.001-05:00

I've been told that subscriptions for Alliance Weekly shot up dramatically during the time A. W. Tozer edited the publication. The editorial by A. W. Tozer was the most popular column in the magazine.

That's the way I feel about Voice of the Martyrs' monthly publication. I love Tom White's column at the beginning. It's rich and deep and challenging.

Here's a sample from this month's column which offers a perspective we don't hear these days:

To present the persecution of Christians as "wrong" or "unjust" is half-baked theology. Jesus prophesied that persecution can be a natural outcome of our witness. It is right to cry out for justice for all who suffer violence or oppression. However, it is wrong to believe that the unjust treatment of Christians cannot be part of God's plan. The promotion of human rights is not a substitute for the message of cross-bearing as a universal rite of passage for believers.

I met a house church leader in *** who has been arrested seven times and spent years in jails, prisons and labor camps. In his particular "house group," ... they use New Testament scriptures to teach that persecution can be a normal part of the Christian experience. Today he teaches in caves, factories, fields and apartments, mostly leading seven-week courses broken up one week at a time to avoid detection.... Their sky is not falling. I asked this house church leader how his imprisonments have affected his teaching sessions, and, as he ate a piece of melon ..., he replied, "Jesus loved me so much that he sent me to prison."

Answers to Prayer

2012-01-24T20:42:00.001-05:00

A whole rash of answered prayers in the last few days has been a big encouragement. (Some names below are intentionally blank.)

A---- has had a serious grudge against a family member, and has asked me and others to pray about her unforgiveness. A week ago she said the Lord lifted that bitterness from her.

The Lord carried Suzanne through a dramatic pregnancy, and he brought Jacob safely into the world yesterday.

The Lord oversaw what could have been a difficult meeting with Andrew's coaches, and it went very well.

He cancelled my jury duty for today.

I've seen some hints of spiritual interest in one of mine.

Despite the fact that Sara was not able to take the kids to Winter Jam Sunday, the Lord provided decent seats for them at that concert.

Sara's back was dramatically healed on Sunday after she couldn't even sit up in bed earlier that morning.

A----, unemployed for a few months now and close to retirement age, got a job out of the blue a couple weeks ago.

A---- and B----'s relationship has improved a lot over the last several months.

Though she hasn't been able to be in the office much lately, a new client called Sara at home this evening to enlist her to help them buy a house.

Coming to an End?

2012-01-24T05:00:00.002-05:00

My favorite bookstore was featured in Sunday's Journal Gazette. The scariest statement in the whole article was this:

Sam takes the view that bookstores are coming to an end, ready to be replaced by digital books ...

I hope not.

The article highlighted the relationship between Sam and Joel Hyde and their eventual business parting.

It should be noted that Joel does not agree with his brother's opinion on the future of bookstores.

Matthew 6:34

2012-01-23T08:25:00.001-05:00

Saturday night Sara was experiencing extreme discomfort in her back. Early Sunday morning (4:45), she could not get out of bed, let alone sit up. We eventually got her up and out into the rocking chair, and she was not comfortable. Every position was "excruciating."

So from 4:45 on, as we experienced the seriousness of her situation, I was struggling with anxiety. Distressed for my wife, remembering past issues with her back when life got really hairy for a while, I was praying--praying for healing, for wisdom, and to maintain confidence in the Lord's sovereignty.

We were thinking, "Here we go again," and the word "surgery" was flitting around in our minds. I was thinking about how we would get Sara anywhere since I couldn't get Sara in the van because of a door problem and the car was too low. I was thinking about having jury duty this week. I was thinking about the kids' home schooling for the week. I was thinking about the extra work I have at the church this week.

We were also thinking about the promises of the Lord, like Php 4:13, Php 4:19, and the encouragement of Ps 105:4.

This morning, reviewing some memory verses, I came across Mt 6:34:

Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow,

for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Each day has enough trouble of its own.

(NIV)

All that anxiety yesterday ... When the girls and I came home from church, Sara was up and making lunch. As the day progressed, her back seemed to get better. This morning, she got up, got into her car, and drove to the mall for her regular morning walk.

Ever since yesterday afternoon, I have been praising the Lord!

Sad If True

2012-01-22T12:27:00.000-05:00

Attributed to Al Mohler:

“Abortion is now one of America’s most common surgical procedures performed on adults. As many as one out of three women will have at least one abortion. In some American neighborhoods, the number of abortions far exceeds the number of live births.”

HT: Justin Taylor

Two Special People

2012-01-16T05:00:00.028-05:00

Sara's Grandpa Goldsmith passed away last spring. Today is his birthday. Last February, a few months before he died, I typed up some memories of him and Grandma (who died in 2001). What follows is some of what I wrote.

I have enjoyed Grandpa Goldsmith. When Grandma was still alive, Sara and I had some good times with them. They would come and visit us in Mundelein and in Fox Lake, and they would take us to eat, and we would play Rummy Cub, and they would go to church with us, and they would take Sara shopping.

And we would also go and visit them. I loved going to visit them in Wauseon, at their old farmhouse. We would stay upstairs in the first bedroom and have that big bathroom with only a bathtub (no shower) to ourselves. Of course, we would play Rummy Cub, and Sara would go with her Grandma on Saturdays when she got her hair done. They would buy sticky buns for breakfast. We would watch Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune in the evening. Grandma thought I should be on the show. (But Grandmas typically think those kinds of things.) They would take us out to eat. Grandpa would take me to the hardware or to visit one of his brothers. He would take me out in his enormous garage and show us his latest project or what stuff he was storing for other people. Sometimes we four would sit around the kitchen table and talk politics and religion and local news and family news.

Their humor and mannerisms were priceless. Grandma's pointing forefinger when she was making a point. Grandpa's motionless stare and his narrowly opened mouth when he was waiting for what humorous thing he had just said to register with Grandma. Grandma telling us a story with a gesturing hand and a focused expression. Grandpa telling us a story with a big smile and hands clasped behind his head. Good times.

Why did we love to be with these two people so much? They were not tall or especially noticeable. Easily overlooked in a crowd. Unless you knew them. But even more than knew them. Unless you were especially loved by them. We loved them because they loved us. Boy, did they love us! They enjoyed us, prayed for us, generously gave to us. There's no way we would overlook them in a crowd. These were two special people, whose lives, by God's providence, had intersected mine. And what a blessing for me. And what a blessing for Sara, their oldest grandchild. Sara has always had fond memories of her grandparents, even from when she was little. I've heard many stories (though I don't remember half of them).

Grandma died a few years ago. My memory is not good, but I can still picture her very well. Her image is with me. And now Grandpa may be leaving soon as well.

Death comes as the end. But because of Jesus, death is not really the end. It's the end of some things, but it's not the ultimate end it once was. For Grandma, and probably soon for Grandpa, it's no more than a doorway. He'll step through from this life into eternity, and what a step that will be. Into the presence of the Lord of all, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Then this downhill slide that he has endured the last several years will be dramatically arrested.

Inwardly he has been renewed day by day. Outwardly he has been wasting away. Soon the outward will be completely wasted away, and the inward will shine forth in great glory. The outward will be burned away and the life of Harley Goldsmith hidden with Christ won't be so hidden anymore, and he will be one step closer to realizing the full glory that will be his because of what Jesus has done; he will be one step closer to that grand resurrection body.

We will be sad. We have to wait before we can see him again. We will miss him. But we will have good memories. And, even more significant, we will have bright hope, the sure knowledge that, if we persevere in clinging to Christ, we will see him and Grandma again--redeemed, restored, alive, laughing and smiling.

Heaven Far Weightier Than Hell

2012-01-14T10:48:00.000-05:00

I suppose in some way Hell is the complete Heaven, but in other ways, it is not, according to C. S. Lewis.

All Hell is smaller than one pebble of your earthly world: but it is smaller than one atom of this world, the Real World [Heaven]. Look at yon butterfly. If it swallowed all Hell, Hell would not be big enough to do it any harm or to have any taste…. [A]ll loneliness, angers, hatreds, envies and itchings that it contains, if rolled into one single experience and put into the scale against the least moment of the joy that is felt by the least in Heaven, would have no weight that could be registered at all. Bad cannot succeed even in being bad as truly as good is good.

--The Great Divorce 122-123

Eternity Will Color Our Memories of This Life

2012-01-13T22:48:00.001-05:00

From C. S. Lewis's ingenious novel, The Great Divorce:

Earth, I think, will not be found by anyone to be in the end a very distinct place. I think earth, if chosen instead of Heaven, will turn out to have been, all along, only a region in Hell: and earth, if put second to Heaven, to have been from the beginning a part of Heaven itself. (7)

That is what mortals misunderstand. They say of some temporal suffering, ‘No future bliss can make up for it,’ not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory. And of some sinful pleasure they say, ‘Let me but have this and I’ll take the consequences’: little dreaming how damnation will spread back and back into their past and contaminate the pleasure of their sin. Both processes begin even before death. The good man’s past begins to change so that his forgiven sins and remembered sorrows take on the quality of Heaven: the bad man’s past already conforms to his badness and is filled only with dreariness. And that is why, at the end of all things, … the Blessed will say, ‘We have never lived anywhere except in Heaven,’ and the Lost, ‘We were always in Hell.’ And both will speak truly. (67-68)

The Humility of a Dead Man

2012-01-12T05:00:00.001-05:00

Emperor Maximilian I of Germany died on this date in 1519.

He left instructions for his body to be scourged, his hair shorn, and his teeth broken out. He wanted to appear before God as penitent.

--Heiko A. Oberman, Luther: Man between God and the Devil

Reading the Same Book Over and Over

2012-01-11T16:04:00.003-05:00

According to Justin Taylor, John Piper has only read two books more than twice, the Bible and G. K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy. What's especially interesting is that Chesterton was not a Calvinist (some would argue God isn't, either).

But what intrigued me was the notion that Piper has only read two books more than twice.

Many times have I finished a book and thought to myself, "I've got to read that one again sometime." Very rarely do I do it. Why? The thirst to read books I haven't read yet. That list is always big. The advantage that the "haven't read yet" list has over the "should read again" list is that I've at least read the books on the "should read again" list once.

So what books have I read more than twice? Let me narrow my answer by leaving out children's books. Some of my kids favorite books I have literally read dozens of times.

The Bible
The Valley of Vision (a compilation of Puritan prayers)
J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Prince Caspian (C. S. Lewis; part of the Narnia series) (This one because I read it to Anna recently in addition to my other 2 read-throughs)
The Great Divorce (also by C. S. Lewis)

Probably no one will respond to this, but I'll just throw it out there anyways. What books have you read more than twice?

A Great Date with My Sara

2012-01-07T14:23:00.000-05:00

This past Thursday evening Sara and I went on our first date of the new year. (Eleven more to come, hopefully.)

First, dinner at Lone Star. She got chicken, I got beef. She got a sweet potato, I got mashed potatoes. Chips and spinach artichoke dip on the front end and chocolate cake for dessert rounded things out. The best restaurant meal I've had in quite a while. Everything was packed with flavor!

In the booth across from us sat a family with a loud, crying 2-year-old. Eventually, the dad took her out to the car and just sat out there with her. Later the grandma apologized to us. We waved it off with, "Been there, done that." It didn't bother us. In fact it brought a small measure of joy just to know that we're past that (I think).

Next, a little leisure shopping at Family Christian Store and at Bed, Bath and Beyond.

After that, we went to Panera, where Sara got a drink and we sat and talked, trying to coordinate our crazy calendars and hammer out some issues.

I used to make fun of the Ungame. Who wants to play a game with no winner? But before our date I grabbed a stack of question cards, and at Panera I set them on the table. We drew cards and answered the questions. It drew our conversation out of familiar paths, stirred up memories, ignited unused synapses, and dusted off topics which had sat a while in storage. How blessed I am with my Sara! What a joy and a privilege to have walked 20+ years with her now!

Rounded off our date browsing the racks at Barnes and Noble.

President Garfield

2012-01-06T11:31:00.002-05:00

Here's a link for you history lovers. I found this post about the new book on James Garfield to be quite interesting, so interesting that I read the entire post.

Favorite Reads Last Year

2012-01-06T09:20:00.000-05:00

In two previous posts (here and here) I listed and commented on the 29 books I completed in 2011. What was the best?

In non-fiction, a cop-out: a 3-way tie, all of them dealing with theology:

The God Who Is There (D. A. Carson)

Institutes of the Christian Religion, Vol. 1 (John Calvin)

A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life (J. I. Packer)

Best fiction? That Hideous Strength (C. S. Lewis)

MLK, Jr., Christianity, and Christ

2012-01-05T14:52:00.001-05:00

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Bible

Growing up in a fundamentalist Baptist church, the son of a strong fiery preacher, Martin Luther King, Jr. began to to doubt orthodox Christianity at a young age. At Morehouse College, one of his professors pulled him back toward orthodoxy, though without shackling him with fundamentalism (Stephen Oates, Sound the Trumpet 19). I do not know exactly what that looked like in his belief system, but I do know he believed in God and Christ, and in Christ as the Savior of men. That's one reason why he rejected Communism, for it was "cold atheism." King's biographer, Stephen Oates, writes that King believed man "could never save himself because man was not the measure of all things. He needed God. He needed a Savior. Communism was egregiously wrong in denying man's spiritual necessities" (27).

When the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama was a month old, King marvelled at what was happening, at how the participation in the boycott was practically 100%. Rosa Parks was the precipitating factor in the protest, and 50,000 blacks readily got involved. "Yet," writes Oates, "there was a 'divine dimension' at work here, too." King believed God was at work in selecting Montgomery for the struggle for freedom, and he believed God had chosen him as an instrument to do His will. He could not otherwise explain the effect of his oratory to inspire (73). Bayard Rustin also believed MLK divinely chosen, but he pointed out to him the negative side of being such an instrument: "I have the feeling the Lord has laid his hands on you, and that is a dangerous, dangerous thing" (95).

As the boycott progressed, King was receiving many obscene and threatening calls (as many as 25 a day). A spirit of fear crept over him, fear for his life and for the lives of his wife and daughter. He began looking for a way out without hurting the cause. Receiving a call late on Jan. 27, 1956, King got up and paced down to the kitchen where he put on some coffee. Wracked with fear and indecision, he "put his head in his hands and bowed over the table. 'Oh, Lord,' he prayed aloud, 'I'm down here trying to do what is right. But, Lord, I must confess that I'm weak now. I'm afraid. The people are looking to me for leadership, and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they too will falter. I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left. I can't face it alone." As he prayed, he felt Jesus speaking to him, telling him, "Martin Luther, stand up for righteousness. Stand up for justice. Stand up for truth. And, lo, I will be with you, even unto the end of the world." It was a transformative moment for him. The Lord meant him to fight on. "And for the first time God was profoundly real and personal to him." (88-89)

Martin Luther King, Jr.: Scholar; Non-Violent Resistance

2012-01-05T11:00:00.003-05:00

I only have a cursory knowledge of Martin Luther King, Jr. To rectify that, I am reading Let the Trumpet Sound: The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr., by Stephen B. Oates.

MLK was a scholar. He seemed to advance to each level of education earlier than most, and as a young man he devoured various philosophers, examining them, comparing them, weighing them. He had a capacious mind and investigated the various philosophies and theologies of the likes of Niebuhr, Tillich, Marx, Hegel, and Nietzsche. One of his professors "rated him one of the best five or six graduate students he had taught in his thirty-one years at Boston University" (47). He received from Jesus the ethic of love. Thoreau gave him the way of passive resistance. Gandhi showed him the power of love as a social force. Niebuhr, with his emphasis on the reality of sin and evil, checked his initial belief in the inherent goodness of man. Hegel helped him not to over-emphasize man's corruption.

MLK's method was not passivity. It was passive resistance. It was nonviolent, but it was resistance. As the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama continued, MLK taught that their method was not a "do-nothing" method. "It is not passive nonresistance to evil, it is active nonviolent resistance to evil" (78). He recognized the cost, that violence would come into play; he just wanted to make sure that violence was not on the resistors side of the equation. "Rivers of blood may have to flow before we gain our freedom, but it must be our blood" (79).

His were bigger goals than just rights for blacks; he sought to build brotherhood between blacks and whites. "Our use of passive resistance in Montgomery is not based on resistance to get rights for ourselves, but to achieve friendship with the men who are denying us our rights, and change them through friendship and a bond of Christian understanding before God" (115-6). This ethos surely flows from the NT, as well as from Gandhi, for MLK saw that "Gandhi's goal was not to defeat the British in India, but to redeem them through love, so as to avoid a legacy of bitterness" (32).

Comments on My 2011 Reading, Part II

2012-01-04T16:00:00.001-05:00

The Road is an autobiographical memoir of Jack London's year as a hobo. He was around 18. In this lively and often-humorous account, London shares the ins and outs of telling just the right story to get a meal, riding the rail and keeping away from "John Law," what jail was like when he wasn't able to escape, and being a part of a gang of hobos that threatened the livelihood of small towns. London's a good writer, and this tale is fascinating.

Book 2 of C. S. Lewis's Space Trilogy is Perelandra. It is the temptation of Eve retold and re-set on Venus. More accurately, the temptation of the first lady of Venus parallels the temptation of Eve, but it is chronologically subsequent to Eve. Indeed, it occurs in Earth's 20th century. Professor Ransom of the first book is on-hand to help, though he feels wholly inadequate. Fascinating insights into God and man.

A few years ago I read the second volume of Bruce Catton's study of Ulysses S. Grant's actions during the Civil War (Grant Takes Command). So I decided to read the first volume this year: Grant Moves South. Catton continues to argue that Grant's alleged tendency to drunkenness was a myth and rumor spread by grumblers. Grant's rise to prominence and his development as a leader are some of the themes dealt with. Catton reveals that Grant was a great man, and definitely the man for the hour, even as Lincoln was.

Spencer Quinn's Dog on It is a mystery tale told by private investigator's Bernie Little's German Shepherd, Chet. This is not a dog talking as if he were a human; this is a dog's take on the unfolding events, with all of what we perceive dog psychology to be thrown in. The mystery is of average quality, but it takes on hilarious qualities to hear Chet tell it.

In Our Man in Havana (Graham Greene), a meek and mild vacuum cleaner salesman in pre-Communist Havana is unwittingly recruited by his native Britain to act as a spy in Havana. There is a certain amount of humor as he innocently dupes his own employer. (I've not read anything by Greene yet that I haven't liked.)

I read The Art of Pastoring by David Hansen a second time. It's my favorite book on the subject.

J. I. Packer's A Quest for Godliness unpacks and explains Puritan theology. What a gold mine this book is, and spiritually enriching.

The Martian Chronicles reveals Ray Bradbury's mastery of the writing craft. The movie doesn't do the book justice. Earth's colonizing of Mars parallels in some ways the advances and setbacks of the Pilgrims and Pioneers here in America.

The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History, by Thomas E. Woods, Jr., is conservative and readable. It is also a tad bit depressing, because it's focus is negative--debunking all the myths we learned in school. Didn't my teachers get anything right? (Of course, they did; but the focus of the book has nothing to do with affirming the truth they taught. It highlights everything we got wrong.)

In The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction, Alan Jacobs says that reading books for the sheer joy of it is a good criteria in selecting books.

Watching Pride and Prejudice with Caty prompted me to re-read the book. There is a lot of humor in this book. It's a well-written book.

Ellery Queen's Ten Days' Wonder was a fun mystery to read to Sara, though it is near-steeped in Freud and other early theories of psychology.

I loved, loved, loved Iain Murray's first volume of his Martyn Lloyd-Jones bio when I read it a couple years ago. But vol. 2 was twice as long (800 pages). So it took me a while to muster the courage to tackle it. But tackle it I did in 2011. Entitled D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The Fight of Faith 1939-1981, it details Lloyd-Jones's 30-year ministry at Westminster Chapel, his unique voice in the ecumenism that was sweeping the continent in the 50s and 60s, as well as his several theological emphases. I was especially interested to read of his friendship and disagreements with other such luminaries as John Stott and J. I. Packer.

A Case for Historic Premillennialism, edited by Craig Blomberg and Sung Wook Chung, is a collection of essays that argues for the pre-millennial, post-tribulational rapture view. Some articles were good; at least one was boring.

R. T. Kendall followed Lloyd-Jones at Westminster Chapel and pastored there for 25 years. Since his autobiography was already on my shelf--my parents gave it to me a year or so ago--I could not resist reading it after having completed a read of Lloyd-Jones's ministry. Initial comment? How different these two guys were! Kendall's open embracing of some questionable Charismatic tenets and individuals caused me to read his book with a certain wariness, though on the whole In Pursuit of HIS Glory was quite enjoyable.

Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair is the first in the Thursday Next series. Not near as good as I had hoped.

Harry Kemelman's Friday the Rabbi Slept Late is a better mystery than Dog on It (but it's not told by a dog!). This is my second Rabbi Small mystery, and it did not disappoint. I read this one to Sara. I can gauge how much Sara likes a book by how often she "demands" me to read to her while she's fixing supper. I got a lot of "demands" on this one.

I read 100 Cupboards to Anna, and she was hooked. We're now reading through the second book in the trilogy. 100 Cupboards is a fantasy that reminds me some of The Chronicles of Narnia, and indeed, the author, N. D. Wilson, is a fan of Lewis. In a nutshell, a boy named Henry goes to stay with his aunt and uncle and cousins in Kansas, and up in their attic he discovers behind the chipping plaster 99 cupboards of varying shapes, sizes, and woods, each of which opens up to different worlds.

On a dare I read Mr. Midshipman Hornblower (C. S. Forester). Okay, not really a dare; more a suggestion. Set during the same time (Napoleonic era) and in the same seas as Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey series, Forester's work reads easier because it is far less technical. But the stories--for each chapter is an individual event in the career-climbing life of young Hornblower--are just as entertaining as O'Brian's.

My first entrance into the world of Agatha Christie many moons ago was A Caribbean Mystery. Out of nostalgia I re-read it. Good, but not her best.

What got me reading Peter Lovenheim's In the Neighborhood was the subtitle: The Search for Community on an American Street, One Sleepover at a Time. Here's a guy who spent one night at each of his neighbor's house in order to get to know them better. What a concept! (And something I would not want to do.) Truth be told, many of his neighbors did not agree, though they did agree to meet with him. And truth be told, he was seeking to do more than just to get to know his neighbors; he was seeking to foster community among his neighbors.

Decision Points, by George W. Bush, was helpful in getting an inside perspective on some of the big issues of President Bush's presidency, like Hurricane Katrina, 9/11, the war on terror, and the stem cell debate.

Concluded the year with the concluding book in C. S. Lewis's trilogy, That Hideous Strength. All 3 books are good, but the last is the best.

Comments on my 2011 Reading

2012-01-02T22:34:00.000-05:00

I keep track of what books I complete on note cards. I don't know what that says about me, probably something positive to someone and something negative to someone else.

I started doing this in 1996 when I realized I wasn't reading as much as I probably should as a Christian or as a pastor. Nor was I reading as much as I should as a person who ostensibly likes to read. So I started keeping track of the books I read (that is, actually completed) as a motivation for me to read more. I completed 8 books in 1996. Since then I've always had a goal of 20 a year, and I've exceeded that most years.

What follows are the books I completed in 2011, in the order I read them, with comments.

D. A. Carson's The God Who Is There is a masterful overview and summary of the Bible. For me the words "overview" and "summary" often connote "dry" and "scholarly." This book is far from that. Practically every chapter is engaging and helpful. This book makes you want to read the Bible. This book can help new Christians understand their faith, and it can help mature Christians see their faith in a new light.

My son gave me Bill Watterson's It's a Magical World for Christmas a year ago. He and I share a love for Calvin and Hobbes, the comic strip. This book of those comic strips reminded me again why Calvin and Hobbes is my all-time favorite comic strip. Watterson has a marvelous way of capturing the idiosyncrasies of children and adults as they relate to the world around them. If I had a way of indexing the strips, they would populate many a sermon or Bible lesson as illustrations.

I waded into the waters of comparative religions with Stephen Prothero's God Is Not One. Not exactly my favorite subject of study. But Prothero's book was fascinating, especially his politically incorrect premise that religions aren't all about the same elephant; the world's religions aren't different roads up the same mountain. Each chapter devoted to a different religion, the book was interesting, and called for us to listen to one another in order to move toward peace. But I don't think peace is necessarily an agenda item for some of the religions.

P. G. Wodehouse's My Man Jeeves is a collection of short stories, most of them about the wealthy playboy Wooster and his man-servant Jeeves. Wodehouse is a master of having Wooster tell the story in such a way that Wooster seems to be the only who doesn't realize that he is the fool and idiot in each story. It is virtually impossible not to laugh aloud at least once during the course of a Wodehouse short story.

Since it had probably been at least 20 years since I first read C. S. Lewis's Space Trilogy, I decided to revisit it. Out of the Silent Planet marks Professor Ransom's forced trip to Mars, or Malacandra, kidnapped by Prof. Weston and a colleague. I enjoyed it more this second time through.

John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, Vol. 1. The overall impact of this significant theological tome upon me was to revere God more, be aware of my own sinfulness and inadequacies more, and love Christ, the One who reconciles me to God, more. This was far more readable than I anticipated, though I confess there were some sections that remained confusing even after 3 readings. But the readable sections make up a far greater percentage of the book. Calvin showed me many theological insights along the way.

It's late. The remaining books await future posts.

Our New Year's Party

2012-01-01T23:53:00.000-05:00

We didn't celebrate New Year's Eve this year since it was on a Saturday and we all had to be up for church the next day. Instead, we moved our annual party back a day to New Year's Day.

Grandparents, siblings and in-laws, nephews and nieces all started arriving in the early afternoon, and the rest of the day was filled with food, the wild energy and creativity of children, games, and conversation. And what an array of desserts there were!

I won most of the games. I say that with a tinge of humility, but only a tinge.

We started with Apples to Apples. I lost.
On to Bible Outburst, guys vs. gals. The guys won.
After that, Scattergories Bible Edition. Let's just say I didn't lose.
Two massive games of Taboo, like a dozen people playing. My team won both games.
Then Balderdash. Apparently I'm even good at tricking people about the truth.
We closed with another game of Apples to Apples. As I lost the opening game, so I lost the closing one.

I should probably strike the last paragraph. Oh well.

As I type, it's 11:38 p.m. Almost time to welcome in Jan 2nd.
Caty and Audrey left with my parents about 20 minutes ago to spend the night there.
Callie just recently fell asleep in our bed.
Calvin and Andrew just finished watching the Giants-Cowboys game, and I think Calvin's heading home shortly. Andrew has basketball practice at 10 a.m.
And Reagan is spending the night here with Anna tonight; they have prepared their sleep stations in the basement.

It's been a good day. The party's been fun. Who knows what 2012 holds? The Lord does. I told Sara this morning, if the Lord comes back this year, I will not be disappointed. But who knows? May it be a year of serving Him more faithfully and loving Him more passionately and loving others, uh, just better.

Last Pics of 2011

2012-01-01T23:25:00.000-05:00

With less than 2 to go of 2011's 8760 hours, I took a photo with each of my 5 beloved.

Anna was already in bed but still awake. Sara wasn't fond of being photographed, so I settled for her hand. Callie was already asleep. Andrew and Caty were cool with it.

My Brother

2011-12-28T07:23:00.000-05:00

Torture in North Korea

2011-12-27T06:00:00.003-05:00

Camp 22

The North Koreans, many of them our brothers and sisters in Christ, suffer terribly. This link takes you to 9 brief videos (each 1-2 minutes) describing the suffering. It's not easy to take in, but it is motivation to pray against the regime.

HT: Justin Taylor

A Stark Contrast in the Nativity

2011-12-23T08:53:00.000-05:00

The biblical accounts of Jesus' birth reveal both the glory and the humbleness of the event.

What especially strikes me each time I slow down to read the nativity accounts is the abject plainness of the birth on the one hand, and all the celestial announcements on the other hand. It's like Jesus must become like one of us, even to the degree of being born no higher than a commoner, but Heaven simply cannot allow the birth of the Savior go unnoticed, and so there are the angels and the star.

On the humble side, the announcement that she will bear the Messiah comes to a common woman in an Israelite village far away from the prestigious Jerusalem. Nazareth isn't even known to the biblical reader until the birth announcement. And the chosen mother-to-be is betrothed to a carpenter (not a prince or priest or prophet). Yet the Messiah is of the lineage of the house of King David. And he is to inherit the throne of that ancestor.

There's the obscurity into which he is born: in another small town on the outskirts of Jerusalem, in a place unfamiliar to his parents. Yet a star in the sky marked his location, a celestial GPS for some impressive men.

Unless family came along with Mary and Joseph, he was born away from the interest and support of his extended family and friends. To whom would his Galilean parents turn to share the good news of his birth in this Judean country? Obscure and unnoticed. Yet his Heavenly Father doesn't hold back. He sends angels to declare his birth: "today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David."

His first visitors were shepherds (yawn); shepherding was a humble means of employment in Israel. Yet these shepherds had been supernaturally informed of Jesus' birth and significance. And another set of visitors showed up some time later, men of higher social rank, magi from the east. These also had been notified of his birth and status, and they had come to worship him.

The Son of God become an unknown baby. The Joy and Center of heaven become a common citizen in the backwaters part of the country. The Creator become a nursling. Master become servant. God become man. The Center of all worship become the periphery of obscurity. But Heaven could not let that go completely unnoticed.

The Divine Killjoy?

2011-12-22T17:00:00.006-05:00

I don't think so.

Thou didst live to bless,

die to bless,

rise to bless,

ascend to bless,

take thy throne to bless, and

now thou dost reign to bless.

The Valley of Vision

Why the Shepherds?

2011-12-22T16:00:00.002-05:00

Why the shepherds that first Christmas night?

Well, they were poor and lowly, and the Lord often chooses the weak and the insignificant to reveal himself to (cf. 1 Cor 1:26-29).

The shepherds also pictured what Jesus had come to do. Even as they tended their sheep that night, so Jesus had come to shepherd his people.

I will appoint over them a single shepherd, My servant David, and he will shepherd them. He will tend them himself and will be their shepherd (Ezekiel 34:23 HCSB).
He will stand and shepherd [them] in the strength of Yahweh, in the majestic name of Yahweh His God. They will live securely, for then His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth (Micah 5:4 HCSB).
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11 HCSB).
Now may the God of peace, who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus—the great Shepherd of the sheep—with the blood of the everlasting covenant, equip you with all that is good to do His will, working in us what is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ. Glory belongs to Him forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20-21 HCSB)

They were humble and received the angels' announcement with wonder and joy, and they followed the angels' instructions "with haste."

They were not afraid to share the message with others, giving glory to God in the process.

Linus & Lucy

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

Energetic Piano: Pirates of the Carribbean

2011-12-21T06:00:00.001-05:00

More Better Proverbs

2011-12-20T06:00:00.007-05:00

Here are some more of the "better than" sayings in Proverbs. (See yesterday's post.)

All these are from the NIV.

Better a poor man whose walk is blameless

than a fool whose lips are perverse. (19:1)

What a man desires is unfailing love;

better to be poor than a liar. (19:22)

Better to live on a corner of the roof

than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. (21:9)

Better to live in a desert

than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife. (21:19)

A good name is more desirable than great riches;

to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. (22:1)

Better to live on a corner of the roof

than share a house with a quarrelsome wife. (25:24)

Better is open rebuke

than hidden love. (27:5)

Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father,

and do not go to your brother’s house when disaster strikes you—

better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away. (27:10)

The Better Proverbs

2011-12-19T07:25:00.001-05:00

I've always been intrigued by the "better than" sayings in Proverbs. They put matters in perspective and help us to value things that we tend to overlook in our striving to obtain something else that often isn't as good.

Below are some of these proverbs. I'll post some more tomorrow.

Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant

than pretend to be somebody and have no food. (12:9)

Better a little with the fear of the LORD

than great wealth with turmoil. (15:16)

Better a meal of vegetables where there is love

than a fattened calf with hatred. (15:17)

Better a little with righteousness

than much gain with injustice. (16:8)

How much better to get wisdom than gold,

to choose understanding rather than silver! (16:16)

Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed

than to share plunder with the proud. (16:19)

Better a patient man than a warrior,

a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city. (16:32)

Better a dry crust with peace and quiet

than a house full of feasting, with strife. (17:1)

Better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs

than a fool in his folly. (17:12)

Christopher Hitchens Died

2011-12-16T17:17:00.001-05:00

Douglas Wilson & Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens died last night. Journalist, atheist, author, etc., I first became acquainted with him a few years ago when I heard of a spate of books being published by the new atheists—Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Christopher Hitchens. Hitchens’ book was irreverently titled, God Is Not Great. Cancer took him.

I became enamored with Hitchens when I watched Collision, a documentary which focuses on a series of debates that Hitchens and Pastor Douglas Wilson engaged in after they co-wrote, Is Christianity Good for the World? I’ve watched Collision at least three times.

Hitchens struck me as an honest intellectual, at least as honest as a non-Christian intellectual can be. He did not tow any particular line all the way. While in some respects liberal, he was in other respects conservative. He whole-heartedly supported the war in Iraq. The enemy that defined him and his response was not specifically the notion of God; it was totalitarianism, whether that took the form of a god or of a dictatorial regime. He promoted freedom. He loved and wrote on George Orwell, and no doubt was influenced by Orwell’s own concerns on the subject.

I love the debates themselves for a number of reasons. 1) Douglas Wilson, no intellectual slouch himself, quite capably holds his own in debating Hitchens. 2) The behind-the-scenes repartee and friendship between the two men is heartening and humorous and stimulating. 3) Hitchens seems at least honest about his views, about how he came to those views, and about his own (selfish) motivations.

I mentioned that I was enamored with Hitchens. I liked him, despite his positions and sometimes offensive statements. I’m not the only one; many Christians came to like him and pray for him as a result of his appearance in Collision. Unfortunately, Hitchens worked even harder to ensure his spiritual doom. When asked about all the Christians who were praying for him after his cancer became known, he indicated that any deathbed conversion would not truly be him. If there were a deathbed conversion, it would no doubt be a lesser mind ravaged by cancer.

I can imagine that the possibility of “succumbing” to a conversion would be a horror to such a vocal opponent of faith as Hitchens. It would be a betrayal of his life’s work, an undermining of his legacy, the only part of him that would survive his death.

Hitchens’ death is a tragedy. What a mind and what gifts the Lord gave to him! And he used them against the Lord. The Lord Jesus died for him, but Hitchens refused what had been so richly and lovingly provided for him, denying the reality of a God to whom we are responsible and the reality of the cross. Mr. Hitchens, if only …

The Lord is gracious and merciful, and he pursues men and women to extraordinarily great lengths. The blame here lies not with the Lord but with Mr. Hitchens. How tremendously stubborn people can be.

Adults Learn to Hate Weather

2011-12-07T16:53:00.000-05:00

C. S. Lewis had the gift of looking at things differently (and maybe more accurately). Here's a different perspective on our attitude toward weather:

     "We both like Weather. Not this or that kind of weather, but just Weather...."

     "How ever did you learn to do that, Mr. Denniston?" said Jane. "I don't think I should ever learn to like rain and snow."

     "It's the other way round," said Denniston. "Everyone begins as a child by liking Weather. You learn the art of disliking it ...as you grow up. Haven't you ever noticed it on a snowy day? The grown-ups are all going about with long faces, but look at the children--and the dogs? They know what snow's made for."

     "I'm sure I hated wet days as a child," said Jane.

     "That's because the grown-ups kept you in," said Camilla. "Any child loves rain if it's allowed to go out and paddle about in it."

--That Hideous Strength, chapter 5

Perspective

2011-12-06T16:05:00.001-05:00

Dreadful harm has indeed been done by those who have taken the sword in Christ's name, against his specific command. Yet the holocaust in Nazi Germany and Stalin's purges in the Soviet Union warn us of the even deadlier danger that lurks in renunciation of a divine standard for thought and life.

Edmund P. Clowney, The Church 103

Not Our Call

2011-12-05T17:04:00.001-05:00

[T]he church is Christ’s.

We cannot exclude those whom he welcomes,

or welcome those whom he excludes.

--Edmund P. Clowney, The Church 97

A Book about Sleepovers

2011-12-03T13:25:00.001-05:00

Peter Lovenheim was stunned when a husband killed his wife and then himself in his Lovenheim's neighborhood. Their neighborhood is a very upscale neighborhood with large homes and manicured lawns. How could this happen?

Investigating, he realized that virtually no one in the neighborhood knew this couple and their children, though they had lived there for some time. Further, no one knew any of their neighbors, Lovenheim himself included.

Deeply concerned about the almost-total absence of neighbor-neighbor relationships, Peter decided to take a creepy approach (at least I think it's creepy, though fascinating). He decided to get to know his neighbors by spending the night at each of their homes. Such was the genesis of his book, In the Neighborhood: The Search for Community on an American Street, One Sleepover at a Time.

When I first saw the book at Barnes & Noble, I was fascinated by the premise. I personally find the stories of "ordinary" people fascinating and intriguing.

Chapter by chapter, Lovenheim relates what he learns about each of his neighbors. In truth, he did not spend the night at every neighbor's house. Some had reservations. (Imagine that!?)

Part of Lovenheim's motivation was guilt. The neighborhood failed this tragic couple, particularly the wife. In fostering community, he was trying to "redeem in a small way our neighborhood's failure" (232). Part of his motivation was a felt emptiness, a sense that he was missing something in living in a community-less neighborhood.

His efforts were moderately successful. He and another neighbor, Lou, started helping a third neighbor, Patti, who was struggling with cancer (and eventually succumbed to it). Lou, widowed and retired, said that Patti was helping him, too, by allowing him to drive her around and help her. Further, when Lovenheim's own relationship with a girlfriend fell apart, breakfasting with Lou for several days helped him through that grief.

Community is important. Lovenheim is not a Christian, but the importance of community that he senses is biblical. Is the neighborhood the prime place for community? There's something to that: "when disaster strikes you--better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away" (Prov 27:10 NIV). For me, the church is my primary community.

And yet ... God has put me in my neighborhood. That is my immediate geographical community. What joys ... and help ... and opportunities to minister (and be ministered to) am I missing by not knowing my neighbors better than I do?

Not Especially Helpful

2011-11-30T15:43:00.000-05:00

News item: The Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School in Midland, MI, is teaching its students this year to scale back expectations of kiddies this year in light of the bad economy. Santas are essentially encouraged to profile a kid's financial situation and answer accordingly. Another news item: There's a Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School, and it's the oldest in existence. Who knew?!

Wish list: Someone hard to buy for on your list? I bet he doesn't have a concealment mantle clock!

Van Milestone

2011-11-26T06:00:00.002-05:00

The odometer on my van this past Wednesday

Finally Finished

2011-11-24T23:49:00.001-05:00

A year ago I blogged about President George W. Bush's autobiography, Decision Points, at which point I was some 170 pages into. (See those two posts here and here.) With only a few chapters to go, I just set the book aside. Only recently did I pick it up again and finish reading it.

It's a good book, especially for seeing the man and the plan behind all the policy decisions during his 8 years as president. I did not feel he was especially good during his administration at communicating with the public, and so we were left at the mercy of the news media. This books helps to explain his point-of-view.

President Bush in a nutshell? Humble, putting the interests of the country above his own, willing to lead and make tough decisions, guided by principle and not public opinion, always giving credit where credit is due, honest about his failings.

Some points of interest for me included the following:

Admitting little knowledge of stem cells, he investigated the issue thoroughly and interviewed many scientists and lobbyists and religious men to learn all sides of the issue before reaching a decision he knew would be controversial but also he believed right.

Reading his side of the story with regards to the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina. (Remembering his governorship days, he did not want the federal government stepping in with relief until he [the state] had asked for it. He did not step in until Gov. Blanco signed off on it, though he did press her for a decision.)

Worst moment of his presidency: when it was suggested he was a racist because of the apparent slow response to Katrina. That was “an all-time low. I told Laura at the time that it was the worst moment of my presidency. I feel the same way today.” (326)

Biggest regret: "I wanted badly to bring bin Laden to justice. The fact that we did not ranks among my great regrets." (220)

Greatest achievement: "On 9/11, I vowed that I would do what it took to protect America, within the Constitution and laws of our nation. History can debate the decision I made, the policies I chose, and the tools I left behind. But there can be no debate about one fact: After the nightmare of September 11, America went seven and a half years without another successful terrorist attack on our soil. If I had to summarize my most meaningful accomplishment as president in one sentence, that would be it." (180-181)

Mornings with Condemnation

2011-11-21T08:38:00.001-05:00

Mornings I've been slowly working my way through Jeremiah (I'm ready for Jer 13), summarizing verses and noting themes--slowing down just enough to pay attention to more of the details. Once I get through a chapter, I give it a title.

I did not realize how relentless Jeremiah's prophecies against Judah's sin were. From ch. 2 to ch. 11, there is almost no break against the railing against Judah's sins, though there are the occasional bright spots of future redemption. (And in the darkness of the thick condemnation, those spots are indeed very bright.)

So is the reading of these chapters dull? No, not at all, because each chapter comes at Judah's sinfulness and her imminent judgment from various angles. At one level, there is a certain art to this that is satisfying.

The chapter titles read a little like headlines:

Jer 2: Israel's Astonishing Rejection of God and Her Passionate Idolatry
Jer 3: Israel Faithless, God's Call to Repentance and Glorious Promise of Healing
Jer 4: The Almost-Sure, Almost-Total, Deeply Painful Destruction to Come against Judah
Jer 5: Israel's Thoroughgoing Rebellion and the Almost-Total Devastation That Is Coming As a Result
Jer 6: The Judgment That Is Coming Is Deserved
Jer 7: Judah Does Her Own Thing, and God Promises Wrath
Jer 8: No Human Repentance, No Divine Relenting
Jer 9: Why Israel Provokes Weeping
Jer 10: The Folly of Idolatry
Jer 11: The Broken Covenant
Jer 12: The Future of Judah's Oppressors

Too much condemnation?

No, not if God really hates sin.
No, not if sin is really harmful to us ("your sins have kept good from you" Jer 5:25 ESV).
No, not if our souls are in danger if we do not repent (see my paraphrase of Jer 4:1-4 below).
No, not if that's what it takes to finally move us off the dime of continuing in our sin.

These passages have reminded me of God's hatred of sin. (Let me not become comfortable or cozy with it.) But they've also reminded me of God's incredible mercy to me, a sinner who was immersed in sin and is not yet completely extracted from its filth and repugnance.

("The LORD says, If you return, return to me. If you get rid of your idols and are not wishy-washy about it, and if you swear by me in truth, justice, and righteousness, then other nations will benefit and glory in me. Give attention to your souls and not your flesh. Dedicate yourselves to the LORD from the inside out, unless you want to experience my unquenchable wrath." Jer 4:1-4, my paraphrase)

The Power of Cheese

2011-11-16T17:07:00.002-05:00

Amazing Love

2011-11-15T08:29:00.000-05:00

Gracious God,
My heart praises thee for the wonder of thy love in Jesus;
He is heaven's darling, but is for me the incarnate,
despised, rejected, crucified sin-bearer;
In him thy grace has almost out-graced itself,
In him thy love to rebels has reached its height;
O to love thee with a love like this!

--The Valley of Vision, p. 138

Critiquing Christian Mysticism

2011-11-13T07:22:00.000-05:00

“Mysticism”

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Sermon on 1 John 1:3

Two main ways in which men have sought fellowship with God: the mystical way and the evangelical way

Some combine both ways.

· Bernard of Clairvaux was clearly mystical, and he was evangelical.

· There is a great deal of the mystic in Charles Wesley, although he was primarily evangelical.

· Also true of John Wesley

Many subdivisions of mysticism: pagan, religious, and, in a sense, Christian

Definition: Mysticism is the theory that the purity and blessedness to be derived from communion with God are not to be obtained from the Scriptures and the use of the ordinary means of grace, but by a supernatural and immediate divine influence, which influence is to be secured by the simple yielding of the soul without thought of effort to the divine influence.

Basically feeling, not understanding or reason, is the source of knowledge of God.

The evangelical places primacy on the Word of God, but the mystic focuses on his sensations and susceptibilities.

Three main types of mystics:

1. Theopathic—concerned about pure feeling and sensation

2. Theosophic—concerned about experience and who want to examine their knowledge

3. Theourgic—interested in phenomena

The history of mysticism shows that it invariably comes as a protest to formalism and deadness in the church.

· In the early church, when there was (necessary) wrangling over theological precision—mysticism in Egypt.

· In the Middle Ages with Bernard, when the Rom Cat Church was philosophizing

· The Quakers, in response to the Puritan theologians

Mysticism concerned with the reality of the knowledge of God and communion with him. How does it do so? Two main schools:

· Quietism, pure passivity: Madam Guyon an example

· Active, introspection and meditation

The evangelical criticism of mysticism

· It is a claim to a continuation of inspiration. The mystic claims a new and fresh message.

· Scripture becomes more or less unnecessary.

· The Lord Jesus tends to be made unnecessary.

· It is so concerned about the Lord’s work in us that it forgets the Lord’s work for us.

· It’s not strong on the doctrine of sin.

· It leaves us without a standard as to who is speaking to me.

· It tends to fanaticism and excess.

The evangelical way to come to this knowledge of and fellowship with God

· It starts with the Scriptures. Don’t look into yourself but into the Word of God.

· It must start with Christ’s work for me. There is no true knowledge of God without Christ. I must come to God by Christ and by the cross. Having dealt with the guilt of my sin, then God gives to me life when I put my faith in Christ.

· The experience of fellowship with God is not something to be sought directly. It comes as a by-product of following God: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Mt 5:6).

“The evangelical way of fellowship with God, therefore, is to come straight to the Word, to know its truth, to believe it and to accept it—to pray on this basis and to exert our whole being in an effort and an endeavour to live it and to practise it.”

Molly and Joyce

2011-11-04T01:25:00.000-04:00

Today (actually yesterday by a few minutes), my church family welcomed Molly into the world around 4 A.M., and we said goodbye to Joyce around 6 P.M.

Molly is our pastor's fourth grandchild, his first granddaughter. We have been praying for her and for her mom for some time, looking forward to this day.

Joyce is our beloved sister in Christ. She has battled cancer for six years. She's fought it, and she's fought with a faith and confidence in the Lord that never seemed to waver. We have been praying for her for some time, trying to stave off this day.

Molly can do little for herself. For the last few weeks, Joyce could do little for herself.
Molly will require her parents' constant care for some time as she grows. Joyce required her husband's constant care as she died.

The conjunction of birth and death in one day causes one to think.

It causes one to rearrange one's concept of "birth and death," for in the truer sense, Joyce did not die; today she entered into a new life. This earthly life was the womb that pushed her into a new life today.

When Molly was born, we rejoiced and she cried. When Joyce moved on, she rejoiced and we cried.

The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. Today he gave Molly, and today he took Joyce. But he also gave Joyce--he gave to her joy and rest and so much more.

Birth and death, the bookends of this life. The conjunction of the two remind one of what's really important. What is really important? What is crucial?

It's Christ. It's one's position relative to Christ, one's stance toward him. Death hinges on Christ. Faith in Christ leads to eternal joy in his presence. Unbelief leads to eternal shame and suffering apart from him in hell. When one dies, we earnestly hope they were trusting in Christ. In Joyce's case, we know she was trusting Christ.

Jesus didn't die for nothing. The cross isn't just a riveting storyline; he died for a reason. The human race was in a pickle; no other solution for their sins could be produced. Thus did Jesus take the drastic action he did, going to the cross. Ignoring the necessity of the cross is a devastating bit of foolishness.

Molly and Joyce. We look forward to seeing Molly as she grows up. We look forward to seeing Joyce when we go up.

In many ways, Joyce's position today is the enviable one. From one dismal perspective, Molly has entered onto a road that leads inevitably to the grave; but Joyce is past the grave. Molly's condition is terminal; not Joyce's.

"Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NIV)

Big Boy Article: Learn about Oneness Pentecostalism

2011-11-02T17:31:00.001-04:00

T. D. Jakes

T. D. Jakes is perhaps the most famous representative of the United Pentecostal Church, a denomination that is represented in my own city by the large Abundant Life Tabernacle. But the UPC is not Christian; it is heretical, for it holds to its own brand of the old error of modalism.

Modalism denies the Trinity by teaching that the one God manifests himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but not in the orthodox teaching of traditional Christianity, which says that the persons of the Godhead exist eternally and immutably.

Modalism moves in the opposite direction of the more familiar error of subordinationism. Subordinationism (held, for instance, by the Jehovah's Witnesses), teaches that Christ is not divine, or at least not divine in the same sense as God/Jehovah. Modalism holds to Christ's divinity, and to such a vigorous form of Christ's divinity that Christ is all of God that there is. The Father and Spirit and Son are simply projections of Christ's deity. As Fred Sanders notes, "while we can easily see how this doctrine [of the deity of Christ] could be under-emphasized, it is hard for us to imagine how it would be possible to over-emphasize it."

Big Boy Article: To understand this heresy better, I highly recommend Fred Sanders' article, Oneness Pentecostalism: An Analysis.

Perhaps the occasion of this article is the controversial invitation of T. D. Jakes by Pastor James MacDonald to attend his next "Elephant Room" conference. MacDonald has come under attack for thus seeming to endorse T. D. Jakes and his apparently heretical (anti-Trinitarian) view of God.

MacDonald denies that inviting Jakes is endorsement, nor does he believe Jakes to be a modalist, though as I understand it, Jakes has been notoriously reluctant to clarify his theology at this point.

Carl Trueman takes issue with MacDonald's claim that creedal Christianity's conclusions on connecting the divinity of Christ with the monotheism of the Old Testament is overly precise, because the Bible meant to leave such conclusion somewhat cloudy.

Thabiti Anyabwile deals with questions of separation and association raised by MacDonald's invitation to Jakes.

A. J. Carter (I think that's his name) believes that only T. D. Jakes wins in The Elephant Room.

Where Would You Live?

2011-11-02T06:06:00.001-04:00

One of my friends asked me yesterday, "If you could move anywhere you wanted, and everything else (jobs, family, etc.) fell in place, where would you go?"

Well, I know where I wouldn't go.

Not Florida. Not Louisiana. Not Mississippi. I do not want to be hot and sticky all the time.

Not Arizona. I realize it's a dry heat, but it's still hot. Not interested.

I've always wanted to visit San Antonio, and I think there are some aspects of Texas I would enjoy, but the heat would not be one of them.

Before I'd decide, I think I would check out the political, social, and economic situation of the state as well. (A few years ago, this probably wouldn't have been an issue.)

So not California.

Definitely not a major city, like Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, or New York. Though San Francisco is beautiful, I understand, I don't think so.

My answer to my friend was "Probably out west, like Montana, Wyoming, or Colorado." I traveled out west as a teen in the summers of 1984 and 1985, and I loved the mountains.

Honestly though, I love where I'm at. I love having four seasons. I love the variety. I enjoy breezy Springs, crisp Autumns, and white Christmases. I like warm Summers (though not hot). The idea that Santa might have to deliver in shorts and a tank top loses something for me.

Here I don't have to deal with hurricanes or forest fires. Tornadoes, yes; but they're hit and miss. The occasional blizzard, yes; but if you're prepared, there's a certain fun in waiting them out. The power-crippling ice storm a couple years ago: not so fun. There are down sides to every place. There are here in northern Indiana, but for me the pluses far outweigh the minuses.

Good Piano

2011-10-31T06:00:00.001-04:00

How to Have Full & Unshakeable Joy

2011-10-30T07:15:00.000-04:00

Below is Martyn Lloyd-Jones's outline of 1 John, the central theme of which he believes is obtaining and increasing one's joy in the Lord, no matter what's going on in the world around us. This is taken from his sermon "How to Know the Joy."

I. The conditions essential for obtaining this abiding joy (1-3)

A. Believe on Christ and know him; have fellowship with him (1:1-3)

B. How to maintain fellowship (1:3-2:28)

1. Sin and unrighteousness hinder us (1:5-2:2)

2. Lack of love for the brethren hinders us (2:3)

3. Love for the world hinders us

4. False teaching about Jesus Christ hinders us

5. But a great source of comfort and strengthening for us is the Holy Spirit

C. Another essential is a conscious possession of eternal life (2:28-3:24)

1. Failure to keep God’s commands hinders us

2. Lack of love to the brethren hinders us

3. False teaching about Jesus hinders us

4. We’re reminded again of the Holy Spirit (3:24)

II. Exhortation to practice these principles in an active manner (4:1-5:9)

A. Make certain of the spirits (Make sure the one in you is the Holy Spirit)

B. Make certain you are dwelling in the love of God (4:7-21)

C. Make certain you are actively keeping his commandments and overcoming the world opposed to you

D. Make certain you hold right views of Christ and are in a right relationships with him (5:5-9)

III. The results of doing all this (5:10-21)

A. Consequence #1: You will have assurance that you are a child of God

B. Consequence #2: You will have confidence in prayer

C. Consequence #3: You will have victory and conquest over sin and the world

D. Final result of it all: You will know in the very depths of your life and being that you are a child of God

The doctrines brought up in the letter

The incarnation

The atonement

Regeneration and the rebirth

Sanctification

Sin

The devil

The second coming and the return of the Lord

Awesome Baseball

2011-10-28T00:45:00.000-04:00

David Freese

Josh Hamilton

What a great World Series this has been! I have so enjoyed it.

In the first two games both teams seemed tight, and both were low-scoring. But the hitting opened up after that, especially with that high-scoring game where the Cardinals did double digits. Pujols had 3 homers in the 3rd game, and then--mystery--went hitless in games 4 and 5 and most of 6 (until the 9th inning).

The mystery of Tony Larussa's pitching mistake in the 5th game seems to defy explanation, but it was fine with me: Texas won.

And tonight's game: Wow! Bobbled balls, dropped balls--several errors that have translated into unearned runs. Then, 1 strike away from the World Series, Freese hits a long ball to right field that allows 2 to score and tie up the game. Into the 10th, and Josh Hamilton hits a 2-run homer for TX, his first homer in his last 82 at bats.

Now the Cards have men on 2nd and 3rd with only 1 out. Another pitching change for TX ... Theriot hits, makes out #2, but bats in a run, 9-8. TX then intentionally walks Pujols. Can the Rangers get Berkman out (who homered big in the 1st)? Hoping for it!

But no. Berkman bats in a run, and the score is tied, 9-9.

11th inning: David Freese, the guy who tied it up in the 9th hit a homerun in the bottom of the inning to win it for the Cards. The final game tomorrow night.

An Intriguing Picture of God

2011-10-26T17:12:00.000-04:00

The description of Diedrich Van Horn in Ten Days' Wonder, by Ellery Queen, strikes me as a great picture of God's majesty and inevitable effect on his surroundings. Of course, no extra-Biblical analogy to God is perfect, but this one certainly excites the imagination.

(Apologies for the length of the quote)

And then Diedrich Van Horn came quickly down the staircase with outstretched hand and a “Hello!” that caromed off the handhewn beams.

His son followed him, shuffling.

In an instant the son, the wife, the house grouped themselves around Van Horn, reshaped, reproportioned, integrated.

He was an extraordinary man in every way. Everything about him was oversize—his body, his speech, his gestures. The great room was no longer too great; he filled it, it had been built to his measure.

Van Horn was a tall man, but not so tall as he seemed. His shoulders were actually no broader than Howard’s or Ellery’s, but because of their enormous thickness he made the young men look like boys. His hands were vast: muscular, wide-heeled, two heavy tools; and Ellery suddenly remembered a remark of Howard’s on the terrasse of the Café St. Michel about his father’s beginnings as a day laborer. But it was the elder Van Horn’s head which fascinated Ellery. It was large and bony, of angular contour and powerful brow. The face beneath was at once the ugliest and the most attractive male face Ellery had ever seen; it struck him that Sally’s remark about it had been, not a conversational whimsy, but the exact truth. What made it seem so ugly was not so much the homeliness of its individual features as their composite prominence. Nose, jaw, mouth, ears, cheekbones—all were too large. His skin was coarse and dark. In this disproportioned, unlovely composition were set two remarkable eyes, of such size, depth, brilliance, and beauty they illuminated the darkness in which they lay and transformed the whole into something singularly harmonious and pleasing.

Van Horn’s voice was as big as his body, deep and sexual. And he spoke with his body as well as with his voice, not disconnectedly but in unconscious rhythm, so that one was drawn and held; it was impossible to escape him.

Shaking hands with Ellery, putting a long arm quickly around his wife, pouring cocktails, telling Howard to touch off the fire, sitting down in the biggest chair and hooking his leg over one arm—whatever Diedrich Van Horn did, whatever he said, were important and unavoidable. Simply, the master was in his house; he made not point of it—he was the point.

Seeing him in the flesh, in relation to his son and his wife, what they were became inevitable. Anything Van Horn turned his vitality upon would eventually be absorbed by it. His son would worship and emulate and, unable to resolve his worship or rival his object, would become … Howard. As for his wife, Van Horn would create her love out of his, and he would preserve it by engulfing it. Those he loved attached themselves to him helplessly. They moved when he moved; they were part of his will. He reminded Ellery of the demigods of mythology, and Ellery uttered a voiceless apology to Howard for having been merely amused in Howard’s pension studio ten years before. Howard had not been romanticizing when he had chiseled Zeus in his father’s image; unconsciously, he had been sculpturing a portrait. Ellery wondered if Diedrich had the gods’ vices as well as their virtues. Whatever his vices might be, they would be anything but trivial; this man was quite above pettiness. He would be just, logical, and immovable.

And Sally had been right; you didn’t think of him in terms of years. Van Horn must be over sixty, Ellery thought, but he was like an Indian—you felt that his coarse black hair would neither thin nor gray, that he would never stoop or falter; you could think of him only as a force, prime and unchanging.

--from ch. 2, “The Second Day"

What made you pick that Scripture to preach?

2011-10-25T22:28:00.001-04:00

Selecting a text to preach on is half the battle in sermon preparation.

There's one advantage to preaching through a book of the Bible: you know what you're going to preach on next.

But I fill in for the senior pastor, and so I don't typically do a series.

The last two weeks I preached on 1 Thess 1:9-10 and Matt 15:21-28, respectively.

The 1 Thessalonians passage I decided on for a couple of reasons: 1) I'm teaching through 1 Thess in SS, so it was on my mind, and 2) those verses have often struck me as a neat summary of what a Christian is. My title was "Obviously Christian," and the gist of my message was that Christians should be obviously so, because they are characterized by an obvious change, an obvious service, and an obvious expectation.

A great deal of prayer goes into my selection of a sermon text. I ask the Lord to guide me to the text he wants me to preach.

The next week I leaned toward several texts before I settled on the Matt 15 one, including Dan 7:13-14; 1 Thess 2:13; 1 Tim 1:3-7; and 2 Chron 20. The Matt 15:21-28 text, on the Canaanite woman who was at first rebuffed by Jesus before her daughter was finally healed of demon possession, came to mind as one of those passages I have often thought I need to study more because I didn't understand it so well. What a rewarding passage that was to me personally as it encouraged me to persevere in prayer. I hope it was an encouragement to the congregation as well.

Maybe the Government Could Watch This

2011-10-25T15:35:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Callie!

2011-10-24T22:33:00.001-04:00

My youngest's birthday is today. She's 5. What a delight Callie is!

Ever Sung This One?

2011-10-19T16:13:00.001-04:00

Have you ever sung this hymn before?
Have you ever sung a song like it before?
Shouldn't we?

"O God, Thy Righteousness We Own"
Charles Wesley

O God, Thy righteousness we own;
Judgment is at Thy house begun!
With humble awe Thy rod we hear,
And guilty in Thy sight appear;
We cannot in Thy judgment stand,
But sink beneath Thy mighty hand.

Our mouth as in the dust we lay,
And still for mercy, mercy pray;
Unworthy to behold Thy face,
Unfaithful stewards of Thy grace,
Our sin and wickedness we own,
And deeply for acceptance groan.

We have not, Lord, Thy gifts improved,
But basely from Thy statutes roved,
And done Thy loving Spirit spite,
And sinned against the clearest light,
Brought back Thy agonizing pain,
And nailed Thee to Thy cross again.

Yet do not drive us from Thy face,
A stiff-necked and hard-hearted race;
But oh! in tender mercy break
The iron sinew in our neck;
The softening power of love impart,
And melt the marble of our heart.

Source: The Cyber Hymnal

For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God;
and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome
for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
(1 Peter 4:17 ESV)

Note or Not Note

2011-10-17T15:52:00.001-04:00

A friend thinks that each Sunday morning we should collect all the notes that people take during the sermon and read them. He suggests we would find a wide diversity--between note-takers, and between note-takers and preacher.

A related issue is this: should the faithful take notes of the sermon? I know there are some that take issue with the practice, but I can only guess as to why.

The word was meant to be heard?
Note-taking channels the impact of the preached word away from our heart onto the paper; so while we feel like we're attending to the word, we're actually protecting ourselves from it?
While we're writing down one thing, we're missing the next?

I find note-taking helpful. It helps me to focus on what the preacher is saying. Some preachers I can follow without notes. They think like I do. Their sermons progress in a logical, outline-like fashion that proceeds directly from a primary Scripture text. I have no problem attending to such sermons.

Others' preaching takes different forms, and in some of those cases, attending is not always easy. Taking notes helps me to stay on task mentally.

(Incidentally, listening to the preached word with ears, mind, and humble heart is worship. The worship doesn't end when the music ends or the "Amen" is spoken. During the preaching, the worship should continue: the preacher worships as he preaches and the congregants worship as they humbly and expectantly attend to the preaching.)

Note-taking also aids my memory. I'm more likely to remember key points of the sermon if I write them down. And this is true even if I throw my notes away the next day (which is often the case). Instead of hearing the preached word and thinking about it, in note-taking I am hearing it, writing it down, reading what I wrote down, and thinking about it. Note-taking reinforces certain points.

Further, I keep some outlines out on my desk or in my Bible for a few weeks before they hit the trash. This occurs when an especial point really hits home, and I want to review it and think about it for a longer period of time.

Some Sundays I intentionally don't take sermons, in order to break up any rut in my attending to a sermon.

Should the faithful take notes during the preaching of the word? I don't think there's any "should" about it. You can if you like; it's not a moral issue. Note-taking is not obligatory. What is obligatory is reverent attending to the preaching of God's word.

BLT a Little Heavy on the B

2011-10-14T13:48:00.000-04:00

See steps 1 and 2 here.

The Bible in One's Own Tongue

2011-10-14T09:58:00.001-04:00

Peter Ustinov as Frederick the Wise

I re-watched Luther last night, the 2003 movie about Martin Luther, starring Joseph Fiennes. Peter Ustinov plays Frederick the Wise, elector of Saxony, employer and protector of Martin Luther. He's a political figure but also seems to have a spiritual side. He has an enormous collection of relics, of which he's quite proud, but--in the movie anyway--they became less precious to him as he reads Luther's writings.

In a later scene, Luther approaches Frederick with his recently completed translation of the Scriptures into German. (Up to this time, all Scriptures were in Latin, so only priests could read them, a calculated ploy of the Roman Catholic Church.) After a brief discussion of the upheaval such a translation will cause, Frederick then stretches out his hands and asks, "Well, can I have my present now?" As Luther slowly brings the new Bible to Frederick, Frederick's old fingers tremble with an anticipatory itch. Receiving the book, he immediately opens it, and a smile spreads across his kind face as he silently reads for the very first time the Scriptures of One he presumably loves.

It's a beautiful scene full of meaning for those of us who also love the Scriptures. I don't know whether it's historically accurate, but it's beautiful.

Imagine not being able to read the Bible for yourself?

Misspelled Word Leads to Beating, Demonstrations

2011-10-11T08:45:00.001-04:00

Sept 22: A 13-year-old misspelled an Urdu word in her 8th-grade Pakistani class, which led to charges of blasphemy. For her mistake she was scolded, beaten, and expelled; students and Muslims staged a demonstration against her; and calls for a blasphemy case against her were issued. Her apologies fell on deaf ears, and the military spirited her and her family away to safety.

What a horrible thing to live in such a charged environment, where there is no grace.

Source: Voice of the Martyrs

Living on the Water in the Winter

2011-10-11T07:35:00.000-04:00

This description of life in the 18th-century British navy leaves me cold. The second paragraph is especially well-written.

"Winter had come to the Bay of Biscay. With the passing of the Equinox, the gales began to increase in violence, adding infinitely to the labours and dangers of the British navy watching over the coast of France; easterly gales, bitter cold, which the storm-tossed ships had to endure as best they could ...

"We speak about storm-tossed ships. But those ships were full of storm-tossed men, who week by week and month by month had to endure the continued cold and the continual wet, the salt provisions, the endless toil, the boredom and misery of life in the blockading fleet. Even in the frigates, the eyes and claws of the blockaders, boredom had to be endured, the boredom of long periods with the hatches battened down, with the deck seams above dripping water on the men below, long nights and short days, broken sleep and yet not enough to do."

--C. S. Forester, Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, "Hornblower and the Man Who Saw God" (ch. 5)

Grace not Anti-Law

2011-10-10T06:49:00.001-04:00

"... people have a false view of grace. They think that grace is apart from law and has nothing to do with it. That is what is called antinomianism, the attitude of people who abuse the doctrine of grace in order to live a sinful, slack or indolent type of spiritual life.... The whole purpose of grace, in a sense, is just to enable us to keep the law.... Therefore if your so-called grace ... does not make you keep the law, you have not received grace.... What is grace? It is that marvellous gift of God which, having delivered a man from the curse of the law, enables him to keep it and to be righteous as Christ was righteous, for He kept the law perfectly. Grace is that which brings me to love God; and if I love God, I long to keep His commandments. 'He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them,' Christ said, 'he it is that loveth me.'"

--Martyn Lloyd-Jones, "Christ Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets," Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

Old & New Testaments Belong Together

2011-10-09T07:10:00.001-04:00

"I feel increasingly that it is regrettable that the New Testament should ever have been printed alone, because we tend to fall into the serious error of thinking that, because we are Christians, we do not need the Old Testament. If was the Holy Spirit who led the early Church, which was mainly Gentile, to incorporate the Old Testament Scriptures with their New Scriptures and to regard them all as one. They are indissolubly bound together, and there are many senses in which it can be said that the New Testament cannot be truly understood except in the light that is provided by the Old. For example, it is almost impossible to make anything of the Epistle to the Hebrews unless we know our Old Testament Scriptures."

--Martyn Lloyd-Jones, "Christ Fulfilling the Law and the Prophets," Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

Recent Reads

2011-10-07T22:03:00.000-04:00

The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde, is part science fiction, part mystery, and part alternate history. Throw in a focus on classic literature, and you have a strange book. Heroine Thursday Next is with the LiteraTec dept. of the Spec Ops law enforcement agency in England, 1985. In this place and time, literature is taken very seriously, and crimes against literature are criminal offenses. With advanced technology softening the boundaries between real world and literary world, beloved fictional characters are in danger of being victimized by criminals in the real world. The Eyre Affair is the first in the Thursday Next series, but it may be the last one I read. "It's okay" is the best I can say for it.
My rating (out of 5): 2 1/2

Tonight I finished reading Friday the Rabbi Slept Late, by Harry Kemelman, to Sara. We both enjoyed it. A good accessible mystery, with insight into modern Judaism thrown in. This is the first in the series. Already a profitable relationship between Rabbi David Small and Police Chief Hugh Lanigan is developing.
My rating: 3 1/2

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The Fight of Faith, 1939-1981, by Iain H. Murray, is the second and final volume of this brilliant preacher's life. There is very little that inspires my thinking and increases my passion for the Lord like biographies of godly men and women. And this 2-volume biography (at a little over 1200 pages total), is among the best. This second volume covers Lloyd-Jones's 29-year ministry at Westminster Chapel (1939-1968) as well as his "retirement" years, which were actually years spent in writing and other forms of ministry. One of the larger sections of the book covers his involvement and controversial stance in the whole push for unity that began to cross Europe in the late 50s, receiving some impetus from the Billy Graham Crusades. During this time, Lloyd-Jones crosses paths with other well-known evangelical leaders, such as J. I. Packer, John Stott, as well as Billy Graham. His position on unity, carefully articulated by Murray, left him at philosophical and theological odds with these 3 men, as well as with many others. The great benefit of reading this book is its spiritual impact on the reader (at least on me).
My rating: 5

In Pursuit of HIS Glory is the autobiography of R. T. Kendall, another man who enjoyed a long pastorate at Westminster Chapel--25 years, to be exact: 1977-2002. As soon as I finished the Lloyd-Jones bio, I turned to this one, which my parents gave me a year or so ago, because I thought it would be interesting to read of Kendall's connections with Lloyd-Jones, especially in light of mention made of Kendall at the end of the Lloyd-Jones bio. The two books, in a way, are a study in contrasts. Both men were reformed in theology, but they were different in practice. One example: Lloyd-Jones never gave an altar call, felt they falsely induced people into a (deplorable) decision for Christ that was not based in the reality of the new birth, which could only be brought about by the Spirit. Kendall introduced altar calls and gave them regularly. Kendall's book challenged me because of his openness and advocacy of the Charismatic movement and his endorsement of such men as Paul Cain. Men like Cain and Rodney Howard-Browne prophesied about Kendall and others around him, as well as about Westminster. Some of their prophecies came true, but some did not. I have a problem with that. And Kendall's openness to the Toronto Blessing and "holy laughter" gave me pause. What Kendall desired above all was revival, and he was open to the Spirit possibly working in new ways. He didn't want to miss the Spirit. Kendall freely admits, too, his obsession with attendance numbers as a means of legitimizing his ministry. He acknowledges his weakness in that area, but also partially justifies it. What I didn't realize until the end of the book was that his congregation was 200-400 throughout his ministry, and the sanctuary held 2500! That would seem empty. Kendall's theology for the most part seems sound, though his openness to people like Cain and Howard-Browne seems dubious to me, though he does credit Howard-Browne with healing his wife of a chronic cough and depression. Some of his pastoral practices were of interest to me as well.
My rating: 3

The Apostle Paul and the Lone Ranger's Horse

2011-10-04T06:58:00.000-04:00

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:15-16 NIV'84)

N. T. Wright comments that when we first meet Silver in the Lone Ranger series, he is unbroken and untamed, wilful and wild. Tonto suggests that no one can tame a horse like that. But the Lone Ranger is not put off, and "by secret means he calls the animal to be his, and the horse responds and gives him a lifetime of service."

Then Wright writes,

"From the moment when the Lone Ranger shows that he can tame the untameable horse and make it into his servant, and even in a measure his friend, the viewer knows that he will be able to conquer all other obstacles in his path as well. He has already taken the hardest case, and the easy ones will now be--well, easy. And that is precisely the point Paul is making when he talks of what God had done in his life. God has taken the wildest, most violent of blaspheming persecutors, and has transformed him into not only a believer but also a trusted apostle and evangelist. If God can do that, there is nobody out there, no heart so hard, no anger so bitter, that it remains outside the reach of God's patient mercy."

--Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Pastoral Letters 12

The Baptist-Episcopalian Distinction

2011-10-02T21:12:00.001-04:00

"The Episcopalians like to drink in public and praise God in private, while the Baptists like to praise God in public and drink in private."

--Martin Marty
in the Ken Burns documentary Prohibition

2 Fights, 1 Drunk, 1 Close Call

2011-10-02T18:16:00.000-04:00

This past week was an interesting week, now that I think about it. You know how people seem to be dropping left and right around TV detectives, like Angela Lansbury's character in Murder She Wrote and Miss Marple in Agatha Christie's mysteries? I felt like I had a touch of their bad luck last week.

Followed a drunk driver down Coliseum one night. I stayed behind him as he was slowly swerving from lane to lane, determined to honk loudly should he cross into oncoming traffic. Lost him at a traffic light and didn't see him again.

Wednesday afternoon while I was at Burger King, a loud argument erupted between an older man and a mother of young children. He loudly ordered a girl out of the area he was in, and the mom came, retrieved her child, and told the man, "You do not speak to my daughter that way." Well, apparently he did, because he proceeded to speak to the mom that way, too. It escalated from there in accusations, cursing, and threats.

Yesterday, while sitting at a traffic light, I heard the sudden loud screech of tires and looked up in time to see a car skidding toward my back end at a 45-degree angle. Stopping 10 feet back, it suddenly lurched forward again, only to quickly stop again just short. Focusing now on the occupants, I saw the female driver and the male passenger struggling. The man forcibly opened the passenger door and tried to get out while the woman grabbed his sweatshirt. Escaping his sweatshirt, he also escaped the car. She rolled down her window and yelled at him, then turned swiftly into an alley after him.

I don't know; maybe your world's always like this. But for me, the craziness of this sinful world impinged upon mine a little more than usual this week.

Not Much to Say

2011-10-01T22:58:00.000-04:00

HT: Abraham Piper

God's Strength of Character

2011-09-27T09:07:00.000-04:00

God has strength of character.

That's the wonderful impression I gained this morning during my prayer time as I read two seemingly independent verses.

First I landed on Psalm 117:2: "... great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever." (NRSV)

Great is his love. It's not stingy. It's not merely adequate or satisfactory. It's abundant! It's lavish! It's overflowing!

His great love is directed toward us. Because of that love, I flourish. Because that love is great, I flourish greatly (and will increasingly do so the more I remain in his love).

His love is steadfast. It doesn't lack endurance. It doesn't lack foundation. It doesn't lack sustainability or resource. It's not characterized by fluctuations or wavering or dips.

His faithfulness endures forever. He will never leave me. He will never forsake me. He will never tire of me. He will never ignore me. His faithfulness is unconquerable, undiminishing.

Then I moved over to Ephesians 2:4: "But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us" (NRSV).

Again, the great love.

The new element here is his mercy is rich. Again, not stingy in his mercy, not merely adequate, not merely to get us to a point and then go on its merry way. But it is lavish and inundating. It's not like a rain where you're debating about whether to take an umbrella. It's like a rain where you are willing to be late because you are staying right where you are, umbrella or no, because within seconds you will be drenched. His mercy is rich and abundant.

Does God do anything halfway?! What strength of character! How can we lose? How can we be lost? Even though we deserve to; even though we deserve to be. His love toward us is great and steadfast. His faithfulness toward us endures forever. His mercy toward us is rich. This does not sound like the picture of God as someone waiting to zap us every time we sin, taking great delight in making our lives miserable.

Praise the Lord!

Book on Puritan Theology Worth the Struggle of Reading It

2011-09-22T06:00:00.004-04:00

Theology is about life. Those who disdain theology and doctrine because of its perceived irrelevance doom their followers to true irrelevance. Theology informs attitude, thought, and behavior and determines lifestyle. What you believe about God shapes how you relate or don't relate to him. What you believe about Christ shapes how you cling to or ignore him.

It follows, therefore, that the better one's theology, the better one's life; or, the truer one's theology, the truer one's life.

That being the case, how can I not but recommend J. I. Packer's A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life ((C)1990). It is essentially J. I. Packer teaching Puritan theology. It's not set up like a typical theology book, but it is divided into 5 broad subjects. After a section on the Puritans themselves, there follows sections on the Bible, the Gospel, the Holy Spirit, the Christian Life, and Ministry.

Packer asks a question at the outset: Why do we need the Puritans? And he answers with one word: maturity. The book reflects the truth of his answer: These guys were deep! But they weren't deep for the sake of being intellectual. They dwelt much on the things of God and preached them to their people to elevate the living of their people. Their goals in theology were always practical. As Puritan William Perkins put it, theology is the science of living blessedly forever.

A Quest for Godliness is a treasure-trove, a chest full of the spiritual gold that comes from mining deep into the Scriptures. On a tour of Mammoth Cave recently, our guide led us to and highlighted the its wonders. In a similar way the Puritans lead us to and highlight the wonders of Scripture. In so doing they, through Packer, enrich our understanding, swell our hearts with wonder and love for God, and multiply our gratitude toward God.

That's not to imply that this is an easy book to read. It takes time and thought to process the thinking of the Puritans, but it is definitely worth it.

There were many highlights for me along the way in this book, including sections on communion with God, the importance of preaching, marriage and family, worship, and revival. The one chapter I disagreed with was the chapter 8, which would have been better titled, "Against the Heresy of Arminianism." (I have vented on that chapter here and here.)

My rating (out of 5): 4 3/4

I close with a couple quotations from the book (to give you a taste):

[Answering the question why Scripture isn’t better organized—Scripture is written to make us godly, not to make us smart, Puritan John Owen says:] The principal end of Scripture is … to beget in the minds of men faith, fear, obedience, and reverence of God—to make them holy and righteous…. Unto this end every truth is disposed of in the Scripture as it ought to be. If any expect that the Scripture should be written with respect unto opinions, notions, and speculations, to render men skillful and cunning in them, able to talk and dispute … they are mistaken. It is given to make us humble, holy, wise in spiritual things; to direct us in our duties, to relieve us in our temptations, to comfort us under troubles, to make us to love God and to live unto him…. Unto this end there is a more glorious power and efficacy in one epistle, one psalm, one chapter, than in all the writings of men…. sometimes an occasional passage in a story, a word or expressions, shall contribute more to excite faith and love in our souls than a volume of learned disputations…. (pp. 94-95)

[J. I. Packer comments on one Puritan's teaching regarding our friendship with God:]

Thomas Goodwin dwells on the love of Christ, who, when we had fallen into sin and enmity against God, died to make us his friends again—though ‘he could have created new ones cheaper’—and develops powerfully the thought that friendship is not a means to an end, but an end in itself, and that true friendship is expressed in the cultivation of our friend’s company for its own sake:

‘Mutual communion is the soul of all true friendship and a familiar converse with a friend hath the greatest sweetness in it … [so] besides the common tribute of daily worship you owe to [God], take occasion to come into his presence on purpose to have communion with him. This is truly friendly, for friendship is most maintained and kept up by visits; and these, the more free and less occasioned by urgent business … they are, the more friendly they are…. We use to check our friends with this upbraiding, You still [always] come when you have some business, but when will you come to see me? … When thou comest into his presence, be telling him still how well thou lovest him; labour to abound in expressions of that kind, than which … there is nothing more taking with the heart of any friend…. (208)

President Lincoln Who?

2011-09-21T17:44:00.003-04:00

History involves selection. Ask your wife (or husband) her day, and you are hoping that selection is part of the oral history recounted to you. What’s more, you are hoping that the selection is smart; that is, that you are getting the highlights, the important parts, of her day.

American history textbooks have to be selective (and mercifully so). The problem is, modern editions appear not to be smart in their selection.

In a recent email Micah Clark, director of Indiana American Family Association, shared the content of a 3^rd grade American history textbook, Our American Heritage, published by McGraw Hill.

There is but one sentence devoted to the Bill of Rights. It reads, "These rights [of citizens] are listed in the part of the U.S. Constitution called the Bill of Rights."

Two pages cover the Declaration of Independence
Two pages describe the Constitution, all of which are devoted to the three branches of government and separation of powers
No pages are devoted to James Madison and the authors of the Constitution; there is no mention of federalism
Six pages are spent describing the background of Paul Revere
Ten pages are devoted to the history of democracy in ancient Greece.
George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are mentioned only in passing, almost as if they are immaterial scenery on the road to diversity and social Utopia.

In the section entitled "America's Freedom Fighters":

Eight pages are spent covering the life of Frederick Douglass
Five pages on Susan B. Anthony
Six pages on Mary McLeod Bethune, (a black educator an adviser to FDR)
Zero pages are devoted to the life of Abraham Lincoln

In fact, the entire Civil War is described only as a backdrop to the lives of Frederick Douglas and Mary McLeod Bethune.

In the section entitled "The Fight for Freedom Continues":

Seven pages are spent on praise for FDR
Six pages on Eleanor Roosevelt
Six pages are devoted to Thurgood Marshall
Six pages are spent on LBJ's life and the wondrous effects of "Great Society"
Six pages are spent on Cesar Chavez and the lionization of the labor movement

There is no list of American Presidents in the children’s textbook.

What?! No mention of Al Gore?!

My own American history education was obviously deficient. I've never heard of Mary McLeod Bethune.

Praise for the Rooster

2011-09-21T14:29:00.000-04:00

A couple years I read--and was stunned by--Wally Wangerin's The Book of the Dun Cow. Today I came across this praise for it. (You can read my own post on the book here.)

“A book that nearly defies categorization—equal parts Watership Down, Lord of the Rings, Animal Farm . . . and The Canterbury Tales. It’s the story of Chauntecleer the rooster, Lord of all he surveys, until the twisted and evil Cockatrice sets his eye and his armies upon the land. In the end Chaunticleer and his farmland subjects must stand together in the face of the destruction of the earth and the wakening of Wyrm. It’s a story that’s both intimate and epic, horrifying and humorous, dreadful and hopeful. I’ve never read anything else quite like it. Certainly one of my top 10 favorite books of all time. Has to be read to be believed.”
—Pete Peterson

All this to say, you should read the book.

Pony Up for Tony

2011-09-19T15:39:00.001-04:00

As Tony Bennett celebrates his 85th birthday, Barnes & Noble is selling all his music on--get this--73 CDs and 3 DVDs. You can buy the whole collection for a penny short of $400.

I'm amazed. Who will buy this? No doubt there are many Tony Bennett fans with disposable income who would like to have every single Bennett song recorded at their fingertips. But wow! Will any owner of this collection actually listen to every CD? I can't think of any artist I would want 73 CDs of.

Narwhals

2011-09-19T11:22:00.002-04:00

Does A CASE FOR HISTORIC PREMILLENNIALISM make the case?

2011-09-14T17:53:00.000-04:00

Everybody has their favorite doctrines, and, by implication, everyone has their not-so-favorite doctrines. For me, eschatology--the doctrine of last things, or the end times--falls into both categories.

My soul and leans hard in hope on the general, clear truths of eschatology: Jesus is coming back to finish off evil and establish his kingdom. And "the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever—yes, for ever and ever" (Daniel 7:18 NIV). In that sense, eschatology is a doctrine I revel in and bank on and love to witness to in my teaching. I look forward to the return of Christ, my establishment in righteousness and glory, finally dwelling in the new heavens and new earth.

But when it comes to the details of eschatology and the battle lines drawn between the various millennial positions and, within premillennialism, between the various tribulation positions, my eyes develop a glassy condition that is hard to shake.

As a result, my eschatology is fuzzy in the details. In an effort to bring more clarity, I've been reading some books on eschatology. One of the them is A Case for Historic Premillennialism, a compilation of addresses delivered by primarily Denver Seminary profs. and edited by two of them, Craig L. Blomberg and Sung Wook Chung.

First question: What is "historic premillennialism"? It is the post-trib, premillennial view. I.e., Jesus will come back after the tribulation (not before, as popularized by the Left Behind series), and will reign for a thousand years on this earth before the final consummation of all things.

Big question: Does A Case make the case? Let me ask you this: in the presidential debates you watch, which candidates, in your opinion, normally win--your party's candidates, or the other party's? I suspect that for you, as for me, and for most, your guy would have to be as stoned as Ozzy Osbourne always appears to be before you would admit he lost the debate.

Since I classify myself as a post-trib premillennialist--I've now admitted what my dear father has suspected for a long time--I think A Case makes the case, but I don't think it will convince Tim LaHaye fans.

To see the chapter headings, click here, and then click on "Table of Contents."

The chapter most disappointing for me was Blomberg's (ch. 4), where I expected a stellar defense of the post-trib position. I didn't get that. But I plan to re-read it. Fascinating was Richard Hess's chapter (ch. 2), where he detailed the OT pattern in the prophets, where 1) God's people would be judged and condemned, 2) the nations would be judged and trounced, 3) God would save and bless his people. He suggests that pattern holds true throughout the whole of the Bible and history.

Clarifying is Don Payne's chapter (ch. 5) on theological method, where he demonstrates, for instance, that post-tribbers assign theological weight to the NT as the interpretive lens for the OT, and pre-tribbers do just the opposite.

Donald Fairbairn's chapter (ch. 6), my favorite one, was more for me what I thought Blomberg's was going to be. His interaction with the Early Church fathers was fascinating and provided a helpful defense of the post-trib position.

My least favorite chapter was the last one (ch. 8), which I didn't even finish. I'm sure Oscar Campos is a brilliant man, but when you routinely encounter sentences like--

"Since this essay has focused on the nonholistic missiology of dispensational evangelicalism due to its futuristic view of the eschatological kingdom of God, it is only fair to at least mention some of the work of progressive dispensationalism in the last twenty years and its different stance on the issues of the kingdom of God and, consequently, holistic missiology" --

it takes all the fun out of reading.

Interested in the topic? Get the book and read chs. 2, 5, and 6. Probably 4, too. I suspect a second reading of that chapter will yield more fruit. Feel free to skip chs. 3, 7, and 8.

My rating (out of 5): 3

There; I've Posted

2011-09-10T10:51:00.001-04:00

Someone told me I kind of petered out on blogging.

Ten Days' Wonder Improbable and Fun

2011-09-09T12:46:00.000-04:00

Continuing in our tradition of me reading to Sara, we recently enjoyed Ten Days' Wonder, by Ellery Queen. Ellery Queen is the main character, a novelist with an uncommon mind and ability to solve mysteries in his head (similar in some ways to Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot). Ellery Queen is also the pen name of 2 cousins who collaborated together on several mysteries.

Written and set in the 1940s, Ellery is drawn to a mansion by, Howard Van Horn, an acquaintance who is suffering amnesic attacks and is very concerned about what he does during these episodes. Howard, an aspiring sculptor, lives there with his step-mom (who is his age), his insipid uncle, and his magisterial father, Diedrich Van Horn.

The amnesic episodes recede a bit in the background when other troubling dynamics come to the fore and Ellery himself is implicated in a crime against the manor. But even that recedes some when a murder is committed.

Ellery is Freudian in his thinking, and the plot, especially the whole scheme conceived by the murderer, is improbable. But we enjoyed it, nonetheless. Despite it's improbability, the story is not banal. We read this one together rather quickly.

The book is filled with biblical allusions, and these become more obvious as Ellery begins to solve the mysteries of the Van Horn home. I suspect a second read-through would find even more. I say this because as I re-read the first line of the novel, I notice how it mimics the first verses of the Bible. And the description of Diedrich Van Horn when Ellery first meets him (ch. 2) could almost be written by a devout theologian of God himself.

One other note: the vocabulary is delightful. About half-way through the book, I started jotting down the words I didn't know. Here's my list:

gawped

togged

perfidious

buncoed

sidereal

selvage

hypothecated

senescence

pertinacity

nip-ups

neophrastic

The vocab anomalies weren't really a challenge to reading the novel, but it did remind us of the 1940s setting.

First line: "In the beginning it was without form, a darkness that kept shifting like dancers."

Last line: "But he set his feet on the Van Horn driveway and began the long night walk into Wrightsville."

My rating (out of 5): 3 1/2

Congregational Singing ... to Build Up One Another

2011-09-01T06:00:00.001-04:00

One of the complaints I have heard levelled against hymns is that they are about God and addressed to others as opposed to being addressed to God.

Two problems.

1) That's not true of all hymns by a long shot. There's a good mix of both 2nd person and 3rd person hymns, just as there's a mixture in contemporary worship songs. (See an older post on the subject.)

2) Even if it were true, so what? Aren't we commanded to sing to one another?

¹⁸And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs ... (Ephesians 5, ESV).

The occasion of this post is Justin Taylor and Greg Gilbert's post on the subject. I recommend reading it.

Beached Feet

2011-08-31T08:45:00.000-04:00

Twelve severed human feet have washed up on Vancouver's shore over the last 4 years, and no one knows why. Since the first one was discovered in August 2007, "they have turned up with bizarre regularity." See the fuller story.

It's Depressing

2011-08-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

Perhaps these problems have sent you spiraling downwards.

I Like Pride and Prejudice ... the Book, That Is

2011-08-30T06:00:00.002-04:00

I know that Pride and Prejudice is allegedly more popular with the fairer sex, but I thoroughly enjoyed my recent read-through (my second). My first introduction to the story occurred when Sara and I saw the movie at the theater (with Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet).

One author writes of the novel, "[R]eaders may initially find the action somewhat slow, but if they persist they will soon be swept away by the sheer pleasure of the book" (Henrietta Ten Harmsel in Invitation to the Classics, edited by Louise Cowan and Os Guinness). I am one who has been swept away by the sheer pleasure of the book.

What makes this book so pleasurable? Right off the bat, plot and characters comes to mind. The plot isn't overly intricate. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, who spring from different social strata, do not like each other but eventually fall in love. But the plot is far more than that, and the various storylines that play into this plot are delightfully and effectively woven together to make a wonderful story.

Then there's the characters. What a delightful array of characters with their idiosyncrasies! Mr. Collins is loquacious and the ultimate brown-noser. Lady Catherine de Bourgh is arrogant and opinionated (and how I love to see Elizabeth stand up to her). Mrs. Bennet is ridiculous, and Mr. Bennet's sarcastic one-liners are sensibly delivered (usually). Jane is so trusting, and Lydia is so annoying. There's nothing bland about the cast Jane Austen has created.

More could be said. I personally find the ending satisfying as Austen quickly reviews how things turned out for the vast array of characters. And there's a felt justice in each one's case.

It's a good book. (Incidentally, I think it's a good movie, too. I have a friend who loves Austen and didn't like the movie. But I found the movie to be pretty faithful to the book.)

First line: “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

Last line: "Darcy, as well as Elizabeth, really loved them; and they were both ever sensible of the warmest gratitude towards the persons who, by bringing her into Derbyshire, had been the means of uniting them."

My rating (out of 5): 5

Great Memories of Our First Years of Marriage

2011-08-29T07:16:00.000-04:00

During years 2, 3, and 4 of our marriage, Sara and I lived in the farther northern suburbs of Chicago.

On August 18, the second day of our 21^st year married, Sara and I drove around remembering, and enjoying the memories.

Having checked into our Courtyard hotel in Lincolnshire, we decided to head in to Mundelein to Bill’s Pizza Pub, a memorable pizza place from our past. Just down from the Courtyard was the McDonald’s we ate at when we first visited Trinity before we even married. While in Bill’s parking lot, we changed our minds and decided to drive up to Round Lake Beach to see if Olando’s Pizza was still there. Olando’s is my absolute favorite pizza place anywhere (better than Geno’s East, better than Giordano’s). Along the way were delightful memories. The changes in all the suburbs were incredible. Landmarks were gone. Roads were re-routed. New homes, apartment buildings, and businesses were everywhere. Everything seemed more populated.

Townline Road through Mundelein and Vernon Hills was packed and slow as ever. But there was the Olive Garden we ate at once or twice. There was Consumers Credit Union on Rte. 83. Just a bank, right? But a memory, a connection with a wonderful time in our lives, and therefore a memory that made me smile. I was there often. Sara remembered our insurance agent’s office on Rte. 83, but neither of us could remember his name. There was the Lake Co. Housing Authority where Sara worked for 10 months when we first moved up to Illinois. Getting that job was of the Lord; seriously. Then Motorola up on the right. Lots of building around it now. I worked there the summer of ’94. How did I even get that job? Not even Sara could remember. I’m guessing it was through a temp. agency. We remembered eating at the Red Noodle once. The Round Lake Beach Wal-Mart where I worked the summer of ’93 was gone! Where did they move to?!

But Olando’s was still there, and what a pleasure that was! Sara got the loaded salad she fondly remembered as well as Olando’s typically huge slice of pepperoni. I had two slices, which is a little more than a meal—1 sausage and 1 mega-meat. Two Diet Pepsis completed our meal. We grabbed our food and pop and ate in the parking lot of the neighboring bank. Wow! What a meal! We drove on to Ingleside to the apartment we called home and the complex Sara managed. The property is no longer Water’s Edge. It’s been sold and apparently combined with the complex across the pond. The apartments appear to be well-maintained, though Sara couldn’t help noticing some vacancies. Another memory: the Lord’s helping Sara to rent apartments and significantly reduce the number of vacancies. M. Myers Properties was pleased with her management.

On in to Fox Lake, right next to Ingleside. Up there should be the library we frequented. We rented movies there from time to time for $1 each, I think; a good deal at the time. Wow! They expanded it! It’s not the small affair it used to be. There’s Dino’s. Sara ate there once. Hey! The Dunkin’ Donuts is still there. I remember going there with Kent Miller when he and Debby visited. But the Little Caesar’s was gone. Heading south on 59, which was part of my route to Trinity each day, we passed the familiar Volo bog. But wow, is Volo itself built up now. On through Buffalo Grove. Down that road is where Bob and Jeanette moved to. We remembered eating at their place a couple times. Hannah was just a toddler. Bob and I car-pooled to Trinity during my first year.

September 1992-June 1995. We loved our time in Illinois. The Lord forged us together as a couple. Removed from other family, we learned to depend on one another. Great memories. Thank you, Lord, for those 3 years, and thank you for these 3 days to remember and smile.

Taking a Break from Blogging

2011-08-14T17:10:00.000-04:00

Dear Faithful Readers of Forest View,

Thanks for going against the flow.
I am taking a two-week break from many things, and that includes blogging.
There are certain things I want to focus on, like my family and reading.
Hopefully I will be rarin' to blog again around Aug 30.

--Kent S

Friction with the World

2011-08-08T13:39:00.003-04:00

a church in Laos

On March 21 Muslims shot Jamil (25) and another man at church. Sana, Jamil's widow after 1 month of marriage, is losing to her grief. Sosan, the other man's widow, is now a single parent of 6 kids. (Pakistan)

On July 19, I was preparing a Bible study lesson on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnace. On the same day, a mob attacked the homes of 5 Christian families and destroyed much of their possessions. (Sri Lanka)

Recently, Noy and his family were forced from his in-laws' home, where they lived, because he took his daughter to a hospital instead of a witch doctor. His daughter recovered, but Noy, his wife, and 2 children were left without clothing or tools for cooking and farming. Voice of the Martyrs helped them buy a house. (Laos)

On June 26, I preached about Elijah being fed by the ravens. On the same day Pastor T, a Mennonite from Ho Chi Minh City, was arrested and severely beaten and denied visitation by his wife. Since then he has been taken to an unknown location. (Vietnam)

On June 8, I taught on the resurrection of Jesus in our evening Bible study. On the same day, Hindus invaded Pastor Ninama's house and beat his father (65), sister, wife, and 3 children. This had happened one other time, and Hindus are now threatening his life. (India)

The Importance of Love

2011-08-07T15:43:00.000-04:00

Consider the two great commandments. What is the command common to both? Love.

“'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matt 27:37-40 NIV)

The most important thing you can do is to love. It should be the Christian's #1 priority.

Consider the badge of the Christian. How will people know that we are followers of Christ? Is it our dress? Our activities? Our confession? Yes, sometimes. But it's most clearly seen elsewhere. Jesus identified our badge as his followers as love.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35 NIV)

Among the many virtues (self-control, joy, kindness, humility, etc.), one stands out as preeminent: love.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. (Col 3:12-14 NIV)

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV)

Listening to a recording of A. W. Tozer preaching recently, he said something that intrigued me. "Do you know what chapter of the Bible troubles me the most? It's not [I don't remember which he said], and it's not Revelation 19. No, the chapter in the Bible that troubles me the most is 'If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.'" (1 Corinthians 13:1-3 NIV)

Pile up all your accomplishment, all your awards, all your achievements, and bring them before the throne of Christ. What will he be looking for? Love. All your good deeds, if unaccompanied by love--nothing. Reread those 3 verses. Pretty powerful.

One other passage shows love's prominence and preeminence:

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:8-10 NIV)

Islam Poised to Dominate, Aided by the White House

2011-08-06T11:13:00.001-04:00

Here's a half-hour program that is eye-opening, informative, and cause for pause. In all the talks and chatter and opinions about Islam, I found this particular program singularly helpful. The interviewer is not my favorite--he talks too much--but he is informed, and his guest is worth the price of the ticket, so to speak.

Muslim Activities in America

John Stott

2011-08-06T06:00:00.006-04:00

John Stott, Evangelical, Anglican, 1921-2011

John R. W. Stott made the move from this life to the next on July 27. On that day I took my kids to their sports practices, gave Andrew his first driving lesson, ran some errands with Callie, and packed for our trip to Kentucky. But John Stott left all these earthly cares and entered his eternal rest and joy.

I thank the Lord for John Stott. I have benefitted from his writings. His commentary on 1 John continues to shape the way I think about that letter. His commentary on the Sermon on the Mount and his concept of counter-cultural Christianity have also left lasting impressions on me. He had an uncanny ability for exposition, a knack for outlining and summarizing biblical material in a way I could easily grasp. And he could do it in fewer words than many other commentators. I like Moo’s commentary on Romans, for example—it’s very good; but Dr. Stott’s is very helpful when I don’t have the time to read Moo. The other Stott commentary I love is Acts.

Your Mind Matters encouraged me to love the Lord with all my mind. I still turn to The Authentic Jesus for his exposition of Luke 1:1-4. His book on the Holy Spirit (Baptism and Fullness) I found balanced (as Stott often is). Without a doubt my favorite Stott book is The Cross of Christ. How that deepened my understanding of the cross, widened my view of its implications, increased my appreciation of God’s wisdom, and multiplied my reverence and love for our Triune God!

Sara and I heard John Stott preach once. He spoke at a chapel service when I was at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (early 1990s). He had rosy red cheeks, and he preached out of 1 Cor 4.

I benefitted from his writings, his preaching (once), and from his example. He loved the Lord, he loved the Word, and he was committed to evangelism and missions. Like his writings, his life was characterized by a godly balance in the service of the Lord Jesus.

9 Things to Pray for Your Pastor

2011-08-05T06:00:00.002-04:00

These are not original with me, but I'd love it if people prayed them for me!

1. That the gospel would be the focal point of my life and identity - not manhood, not being a husband, not being a father, not being a pastor, but who I am in Christ.

2. That I would not fear man by desiring the admiration of people; that the Lord's "Well done" would be ever before my eyes.

3. That the Lord would not allow me to go long between repentances; that I would keep short accounts with him and be sensitive to and ruthless with my sin.

4. That I would continue to grow in the character qualities of the man of God (1 Tim 3:1-7; 2 Tim 2:22-26; Titus 1:5-9).

5. That I would have a consistent, powerful, diligent life of private prayer; that I would grow in my dependence on the Holy Spirit.

6. That the Lord would give me great diligence in study and sermon preparation, making the most of my time.

7. That my preaching and teaching ministry would be empowered by the Holy Spirit; that the Lord would effect real change in our lives through it; and that by it we would be more endeared to Christ.

8. That I would boldly and faithfully and humbly and joyfully and intentionally share the gospel with the non-Christians in my social orbit.

9. That I would see Jesus as supremely valuable, my greatest treasure, and as my dear friend.

HT: Trevin Wax

3 Audacious Claims in Daniel

2011-08-04T06:00:00.003-04:00

This is supposedly a statue of King Nebuchadnezzar.

In each chapter of Daniel 2-4, a statement of challenge is made about God that the unfolding events disproves.

Daniel 2: When commanded by the king to not only interpret his dream but also to tell him what he dreamed, the king's counselors reply, "There is not a man on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer. What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods, and they do not live with men" (2:10-11 NIV).

Daniel's God, however, proves the counselors wrong, and reveals in the process the inferiority of both the counselors and their gods.

Daniel 3: Infatuated with himself and furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, King Nebuchadnezzar orders them to worship his image. "But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?" (3:15 NIV, emphasis added)

Well, the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego worship can rescue them from his hand. And in the end, Nebuchadnezzar is praising Him (3:28).

Daniel 4: King Nebuchadnezzar returns in Daniel 4 to make another audacious claim. Though warned of his pride, he does not check it, and, admiring the view from his roof, indulges in self-worship: "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?" (4:30 NIV)

At that moment God begins a humbling process in the life of King Nebbie, and later he comes to acknowledge that everything he has is from God and that "Heaven rules" (4:26), even when Nebbie is king.

Funny

2011-08-03T16:08:00.001-04:00

A man often walked through a cemetery on his way home. One night, though, unaware that a new grave had been dug in his path, he tumbled in. For some time he struggled to get out of the 7 foot deep grave, but finally gave up and settled down for the night.

An hour later, a farmer out possum hunting came walking through the cemetery and he too fell into the grave. He began a desperate attempt to get out, unaware that there was anyone else in the grave. The first man listened to him for a few minutes, then reached over in the pitch darkness and laid a hand on his shoulder. "You can’t get out of here," he said...

but he did.

Source: SermonCentral.com

Patriotic Song a Prayer

2011-08-03T09:05:00.001-04:00

Katharine Lee Bates penned "O Beautiful for Spacious Skies" around the turn of the 20th century. A celebration of America, it also contains a prayer of sorts, and how appropriate for today. If only God would do this!

(verse 2)

Katharine Lee Bates

O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!

God mend thine ev'ry flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

Daddy's Scary

2011-08-02T14:10:00.003-04:00

HT: Abraham Piper

Observations

2011-07-24T22:03:00.001-04:00

My credit union's tellers seem able to use their inside voice until they start counting out the money I'm withdrawing; then it's "FIFTY! ONE HUNDRED! ONE HUNDRED FIFTY! ..." Thanks, but I kind of wanted how much cash I had on me to be a little bit of a secret.

When it comes to birds, I'd prefer 2 in the bush over 1 in the hand.

Kids: they never seem to have the know how and the want to at the same. When they're young, they have the want to but not the know how; when they're older the situation is reversed.

While driving one afternoon, I saw a guy stop his pickup (with a lawn service logo on the side) in the middle of a 4-lane rd., step out, grab some roadkill by the tail, and sling it in the bed. What's that all about? Is OmniSource paying for dead critters now?

At some point even a dry heat is a little too much to bear.

Sunday mornings people diligently get up to walk their dogs, but not to worship the living God.

I don't think the government can fix our debt problem. No one can at this point except God. Confession of sin & prayer are what's needed.

A lot of interesting people were down at Three Rivers Festival. And by "interesting" I mean different. And by "different" I think I mean weird.

So is it better that I usually have to discipline my kids for stuff they don't do as opposed to stuff they do?

Mothers, don't let your sons grow up to be idiots.

Some thought Jesus was crazy (Mark 3:21), but it was us who were out of kilter, not him. He came to put us in our right mind (Mk 5:15).

Parents who fail to discipline are feeding their child's inner hellion.

Good Music

2011-07-22T17:20:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple tunes that currently have my attention.

Big Joe

2011-07-20T17:09:00.004-04:00

Big Joe was known throughout the land,

“A savior,” the mass would shout;

For with the gods or with the stars

They thought he had some clout.

When trouble revealed its palsied hand

To any common folk,

To Big Joe’s place they’d hurry first,

‘Cause Big Joe was their hope.

It was the custom to honor Joe

With weekly zealous rite.

Songs were sung and words were said

In praise of Big Joe’s might.

“Big Joe saved me from certain death,”

Mr. Jones would often talk.

“That car crash nearly took me out;

But look! I work and walk.”

The people’s faith in their Big Joe

Was evident and stable;

But the strange thing is to aid someone

Big Joe was never able.

For you see Big Joe was not a god,

Nor even a man or dog;

But just a cigar store Indian

Carved from a larger log.

“These folks are not too bright,” you say,

And with you most agree;

But don’t laugh hard, for their basic need

Is found in you and me.

Deep down inside most people know

Life is out of their control;

And so they look for things in which

To place their faith in full.

But it’s funny where people will place their hope,

In whom their trust is felt;

‘Cause idols topple, heroes age,

And gold and silver melt.

We need someone whose ears can hear,

Whose arms are strong and able,

Whose heart breaks for our deep distress,

Who’s real and not some fable.

Psalm 33:16-17,20-22; 34:17-18

9 Things You Can't Do at the Same Time

2011-07-16T17:00:00.003-04:00

Not my list. This is Sam Crabtree's list, and it's a good one.

Serve two masters.
Be thankful and angry.
Be for Christ and against Christ.
Keep your eyes open while sneezing.
Please God and be faithless.
Be spiritually hot and cold.
Be God and lie.
Be a bull or goat and take away sin.
Be Jesus and be held by death.

9 Favorite Novels

2011-07-16T06:00:00.002-04:00

There's no question about #1 and #2. The other 7 are in no particular order.

1. The Lord of the Rings (J. R. R. Tolkien)
2. Ivanhoe (Sir Walter Scott)
3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
4. The Living (Annie Dillard)
5. The Hobbit (J. R. R. Tolkien)
6. The Great Divorce (C. S. Lewis)
7. Elmer Gantry (Sinclair Lewis)
8. The Chosen (Chaim Potok)
9. Master and Commander (Patrick O'Brian)

Tozer against Putting a Man on the Moon

2011-07-15T06:00:00.002-04:00

I was listening to a recording of A. W. Tozer preaching a sermon at the end of 1961 entitled "Personal Victory for the New Year."

During the sermon he illustrated one of his points by talking about the imminent possibility of the US or Russia putting a man on the moon. Though there's little spiritual value here, what he said I found nonetheless interesting, if only for the reasons that Tozer's a personal hero, he's always so wise, and it's fun to here his comments on non-Scriptural matters.

I transcribed his comments as follows:

Somebody’s going to put a man on the moon one of these days. What anyone would want to do it for I can’t imagine. It’s a dusty place. You’ll sink to your waist in cosmic dust if you went there. There’s no atmosphere there, you’d have to wear one of those Buck Rogers space helmets. You couldn’t walk around because the gravitational pull is so light that you’d go floating away. And the whole thing’s messed up.

There’s no reason for anybody to go there. Look at all you got out here in western Canada. Look at what all they’ve got out here in the western United States. Look at all we can do with we’ve got. We’ve got go floating away to the moon. I don’t know why, I’m sure.

So either Russia or the US will put a man up there, probably in 1962, and maybe they’ll miss their first shot or two, and we’ll have the terrible spectacle of a man they can’t bury and can’t find and can’t locate and can’t stop and can’t doing anything with floating around till the judgment day in an aluminum capsule. Wouldn’t that be a terrible thing?

I don’t know who’ll go up, but oh boy I know who won’t! I know who won’t! I can’t tell you who they’ll send, but I know who they won’t send! Unless of course they put me in irons or something and chuck me in and say, “See ya later.” Because I just wouldn’t go. I’m satisfied with the earth …

If you haven't heard Tozer preach, you might listen to a sermon or two. He has a sense of humor, but far more imporant, his words are charged with the weight of their Scriptural wisdom.

The Topic of Persecution

2011-07-14T06:00:00.004-04:00

Sunday I preached on "Friction with the World" from 1 Kings 18:1-15. (I'm in a short series right now in 1 Kings 17-18.) The theme of the message was the persecution of Christians.

During lunch my son commented on the sermon, "You know, Dad--and I don't think this is a bad thing; I just think it's interesting--it seems like whenever you preach you always mention persecution somehow."

Now to clarify, I don't mention persecution all the time. This past Sunday's sermon was my sixth of the year, and it was the first one on persecution (unless somehow I mentioned the topic in previous sermons, which I don't think I did).

I don't want persecution to be my primary theme as a preacher, but there's a part of me that thinks, unless the Spirit brings revival, we're heading by degrees towards persecution in this country. Because of that, I want the people I shepherd to be aware of that and to be somewhat prepared for that. I want to be prepared for that. When the heat turns up, may the Lord find me faithful.

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. (Revelation 2:10 NIV)

Planned Parenthood's Priorities Pretty Plain

2011-07-13T15:09:00.000-04:00

Here are Planned Parenthood's numbers for 2009. The pie chart tells the story, doesn't it?

If you want some analysis, check out lifenews.

The Lord of the Rings: Book of the 20th Century

2011-07-13T09:14:00.001-04:00

Tom Shippey, in his book J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century, explains how several polls in the U.K. in the 1990s demonstrated superior popularity of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.

… late in 1996 Waterstone’s, the British bookshop chain, and BBC Channel Four’s programme Book Choice decided between them to commission a readers’ poll to determine ‘the five books you consider the greatest of the century.’ Some 26,000 readers replied, of whom rather more than 5,000 cast their first place vote for J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings…. The result was greeted with horror among professional critics and journalists, and the Daily Telegraph decided accordingly to repeat the exercise among its readers, a rather different group. Their poll produced the same result. The Folio Society then confirmed that during 1996 it had canvassed its entire membership to find out which ten books the members would most like to see in Folio Society editions, and had got 10,000 votes for The Lord of the Rings, which came first once again. 50,000 readers are said to have taken part in a July 1997 poll for the television programme Bookworm, but the result was yet again the same. In 1999 the Daily Telegraph reported that a Mori poll commissioned by the chocolate firm Nestle had actually managed to get a different result, in which The Lord of the Rings (at last) only came second! But the top spot went to the Bible, a special case, and also ineligible for the twentieth-century competition which had begun the sequence.

I know it's my favorite novel.