Month: June 2019

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A Shot of Encouragement

#SamePageSummer

I’ve been using the M’Cheyne Bible reading plan for 2019, but am excited to add the #SamePageSummer readings through the New Testament for June-August. Mo and all four kids are also going to do it, so we’ll be same-paging as a family along with everyone else.

“What happens when Christians are coming to the Word regularly? They are being worked over, regularly, by the Spirit and by the Word.”

Rachel Jankovic

Here’s a page with links for the plans and some FB groups. Get more of the Word. Taste that the Lord is GOOD. (1 Peter 2:1-3)

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The End of Many Books

Keep Going

by Austin Kleon

This was probably my least favorite of the three (along with Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work!, but it still has a bunch of little verbal shots in the arm to keep one going, which is the point. I especially appreciate “Forget the noun, do the verb.” You can read more on that idea here and here, or obviously buy the book.

4 of 5 stars

Categories
The End of Many Books

Range

by David Epstein

Epstein challenges the modern idol of early specialization in sports, in education, in music, in everything. I have already recommended this to a bunch of people, especially in education circles, and will be rereading it immediately with a group of guys who are aiming to start a college. Epstein doesn’t refer to the lordship of Christ in all of it, but he makes a compelling case that there is a lot of good things to learn (in Christ’s creative and sustaining domain), and even more of a case that learning about a lot of those things helps us appreciate and connect and do more good things.

4 of 5 stars

Categories
Lord's Day Liturgy

Thanks in Advance

The timing of the Lord’s thanks stands out at the Lord’s Table. According to Paul, Jesus gave thanks before He broke the bread and “in the same way also” before He shared the cup (1 Corinthians 11:24-25). What really stands out about the timing, though, isn’t only that He gave thanks before both of the elements, but that He gave thanks “on the night when he was betrayed,” before the cross.

Wouldn’t it have been better to wait, to inaugurate the communion meal after the torture was over, the blood cleaned up, the tombstone rolled away? Jesus knew what was coming. He knew His work wasn’t finished, and He taught the disciples to give thanks in advance.

From our historical perspective, Christ has completed His sacrificial work but He has not finished His sanctifying work of His Bride. He is still at work to purify and unite all of us, and we can give thanks before He’s finished.

When you look two pews in front of you, when you stand behind that person getting the bread and cup, are you only noticing all the ways that they fail? Are you thinking about how much more they need to grow? Or are you giving thanks, believing that He who began a good work in them will be faithful to complete it?

Jesus gave thanks on the night He was betrayed. The betrayal lead to His being mocked, beaten, and crucified. But His death lead to His resurrection, and His resurrection leads to our life. He gave thanks because He knew everything that was coming. Give thanks. He’s both done and not done yet.

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Lord's Day Liturgy

Ruining the Taste

It’s been three weeks of the #samepagesummer so far, but whether you’re following that Bible reading plan or not, we won’t receive the food of His holy Word if we are full of sin. We must acknowledge and abandon sin before we’re free to feed on Scripture, and feeding on Scripture is necessary if we hope to grow in salvation.

Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation– (1 Peter 1:1-2, NAS)

Numerous translations (such as the ESV, NIV, NRSV) read as if there were two commands but, really, Peter provides one prerequisite and then one command. We could play up the grammatical structure: “having put aside sin…long for Scripture,” or “Crave the pure after getting rid of the putrid.”

Peter mentions five sins and, though not an exhaustive list, these five are sufficient to inhibit spiritual growth. “Malice” or viciousness exalts oneself as judge over others and rather than positioning oneself under the judgment of the Word. “Guile” or deceit honors false words rather than the Word of truth. “Hypocrisy” allows division of soul rather than bring one wholeheartedly before the Word. “Envy” promotes pursuit of competing satisfactions rather than promoting the Word that is more to be desired than gold. “Slander” likewise ruins a tongue’s taste for true goodness.

Any and all of these sins will cripple our spiritual growth. But which sin in this passage is the worst? The greatest sin here is not longing for the Word. The other sins ruin our appetite for that which will nourish our souls. Sin burns our tongues, it leaves a bitter taste. All sins must be confessed and put away so that we will hunger for the good Word and grow.

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Lord's Day Liturgy

The Lord Builds

One thing to look for when reading Scripture is the order of the author’s points. For example, Peter said to put away sin for sake of hungering for the Word, and then he connected the Word to tasting that the Lord is good (1 Peter 2:1-3).

Tasting His goodness seems like it would be the end, and in some sense it is. But Peter says more about those who taste and then “come to him,” that is, those who come to the Lord. He is good, of course you would come. But we don’t come alone.

We come as “living stones” who are “being built up as a spiritual house.”

You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

What do we need to do for this building up, this identification to happen? We need to taste that He is good and come to Him, and then He does the work. “As you come to him…you yourselves like living stones are being built up,” the passive voice. The Lord builds.

God does command us to be of the same mind, to have the same love, to be in full accord and of one mind (Philippians 2:2). And He creates this fellowship by His Spirit as He builds us on the cornerstone of Jesus Christ.

Categories
Lord's Day Liturgy

The Dad Hat

Fathers have an exhaustive, and exhausting, set of responsibilities. The Dad hat is just one of a godly man’s hats, but it is a hat he never really hangs up on a hook. Here are a sampling of specific tasks that belong to fatherhood.

Dad should be the one who sets priorities for the family. He should be the first one one who seeks out sinners, who disciplines, and who brings the gospel of forgiveness and reconciliation to bear. He should teach and train his household in the ways of being a disciple of Christ. He should provide food for them—even if he isn’t the one who prepares it—in a way that creates a table for the family to eat around. And dad should be giving tools and encouragement and assignments, even more as the kids get older, for their various jobs day by day.

A dad must do all of these things while doing his other jobs. He must be a faithful father while being a faithful husband, not one or the other. He must steward his money and his minutes as a neighbor and citizen. And he must worship God with the rest of his church.

Worship is where his responsibilities begin, and it is the result of fulfilling them. Worship brings us to our heavenly Father, and worship shows us what we are to be. God the Father gives us identity as His people. God the Father forgives us. God the Father equips us by His Word. God the Father communes with us at the Table. And God the Father blesses us to go work.

Fathers, you do not have a tougher job than our Father. He also is a father to many sinners, to many needy children, and He gives His favor to those who imitate Him.

Categories
Lord's Day Liturgy

Never the Same Person Twice

The Christian life is a growing life. At the same time, we are always growing in the same fields. We develop our knowledge and application of one Book–the Bible, one message–the gospel, one Lord–Jesus Christ. Growth involves greater and greater familiarity with a few great things.

But doesn’t familiarity breed contempt? It certainly can and has historically. Aren’t we putting ourselves in danger’s way by cultivating daily habits (such as Bible reading, prayer, fellowship) and weekly liturgy (such as singing, Lord’s table)?

Routine can cut deep ruts. Any man may live so close to special things that he forgets how special they are. But because we read a divine Book, believe an eternal message, and follow an immortal Savior, we can be sure that contempt or boredom on our part is a problem on our part.

In order to properly appreciate great things, grace things, we need grace. We will always need grace, and grace is always God’s to give not ours to take. We ask, we depend, we put ourselves downstream, but always we depend on God to give it.

He regularly gives grace at this Table. It is not magical, but it is supernatural. He doesn’t force-feed it into us without faith, but He will nourish and strengthen and unite believers here by His grace. It works and changes us so that we don’t eat in exactly the same way twice because we’re never the same person twice.

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The End of Many Books

Art and the Bible

by Francis Schaeffer

2019: Still good, though I’d like to read more about Schaeffer’s thoughts on art styles.

2016: A brief, biblical apology for Christians to appreciate, make, and/or evaluate art.

4 of 5 stars

Categories
The End of Many Books

Julius Caesar

by William Shakespeare

2019: Adding a star. There are some great gems in here, even though I’m still not convinced that assassination is the right way to solve national problems. 🙂

2013: Note, according to Goodreads, three stars doesn’t mean it was only half-good, it means “I liked it.” Okay, sure. I did.

This edition includes abundant and helpful notes for old English terms and idioms.

4 of 5 stars