“Do not start a podcast.”
This is the message of the world. Or at least it came from separate but united sources on the internet.
Which is fine, because I don’t really like podcasts.
Plus I don’t want to start a podcast.
Then my friend used some (other) of my arguments against me.
So, here we are.
Sitzfleisch is the word I needed that I didn’t know I needed.
I saw it last week in a list from Ryan Holiday of keys to being a more disciplined person.
“Stay in the saddle
There’s an old German word sitzfleisch which means basically sitting your butt in the chair and not getting up until the task is complete.
Many a great conqueror in the days of horseback were called āOld Iron Assā for their ability to stay in the saddle.”
It reminded me of an anecdote I’ve heard John MacArthur give a number of times about the key to being a better preacher.
“A young man said to me, ‘What is theā ‘ and he was kind of starry-eyed, and Iām sure he expected some spiritual esoteric answer. He said, ‘What is the real key to great preaching?’ I said, ‘Well, itās the ability to keep your rear end in the chair till you understand the text.'”
Sitzfleisch = butt in chair
The āGolden Rule of Readingā – however you want others to read what you’ve written, so read what they’ve written. At least start by considering their claims to be true. This isn’t immature, it’s loving. Love believes all things, it doesn’t doubt all things.
This applies to all sorts of material, but maybe most to what has been written in Scripture. At least when starting out:
Read carefully, not assumingely.
Read charitably, not critically.
Read acceptingly, not suspiciously.
For even more mental marination, Joe Rigney wrote “Do Unto Authors – Four Principles for Reading Well” in which he talks about Golden Rule Interpretation.
And with confirmation from Isaac Watts in 1741:
“Lastly, remember that you treat every author, writer, or speaker, just as you yourselves would be willing to be treated by others, who are searching out the meaning of what you write or speak.”
āOn the Improvement of the Mind
John Wesley wrote āA Clear and Concise Demonstration of the Divine Inspiration of the Holy Scripturesā in 1789. It’s GOOD.
āI beg leave to propose a short, clear, and strong argument to prove the divine inspiration of the holy Scripture.
The Bible must be the invention either of good men or angels, bad men or devils, or of God.
- It could not be the invention of good men or angels; for they neither would nor could make a book, and tell lies all the time they were writing it, saying, āThus saith the Lord,ā when it was their own invention.
- It could not be the invention of bad men or devils; for they would not make a book which commands all duty, forbids all sin, and condemns their souls to hell to all eternity.
- Therefore, I draw this conclusion, that the Bible must be given by divine inspiration.ā
Based on what is in the Bible, the Bible is TRUE/right or FALSE/wrong, it can’t be just a āgoodā book.
Great quote on the power of Truth in the public square from John Milton’s Areopagitica in 1644:
Who ever knew Truth put to the worse in a free and open encounter? … [Truth] needs no policies, nor stratagems, nor licensings to make her victorious; those are the shifts and the defenses that error uses against her power: give her but room, and do not bind her when she sleeps.
Today is September 28. It’s a good day to read Proverbs 28. Maybe the wise should call the 28th Recognize and Resist Wicked Rulers Day.
The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but THE RIGHTEOUS ARE BOLD AS A LION.
(Proverbs 28:1)
When a land transgresses, it has many rulers,
but with a man of understanding and knowledge,
its stability will long continue.
(Proverbs 28:2)
Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
but THOSE WHO KEEP THE LAW STRIVE AGAINST THEM.
(Proverbs 28:4)
When the righteous triumph, there is great glory,
but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves.
(Proverbs 28:12)
Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
(Proverbs 28:15)
A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,
but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.
(Proverbs 28:16)
When the wicked rise, people hide themselves,
but when they perish, the righteous increase.
(Proverbs 28:28)
I don’t always listen to podcasts, but when I do, it’s mostly from people whose thoughts I care about. The Contraratics have been at it for a few years, the Hauling Off ladies are going to keep at it, and here’s a new addition from one of the men at our church, Business 300 by Philip Kulishov. His “300” is his commitment to make his episodes 300 seconds or less, which brings him under the five minute mark. If you’re a listener, listen up.
I put a link to this in my convocation notes, but it needs its own call-out. For what it’s worth, I actually searched for an online reading of “Learning in Wartime” before my first college Greek class of the year, but wasn’t satisfied with what I found so I read the whole thing myself. Glenn posted this the next day. I’ll be sharing this link with others in the future.
Glenn does a great job reading this great address. Glenn has also read/recorded Kuyper’s Lectures on Calvinism and he’s made a version of Vindiciae Contra Tyrannos (with permission) as well.
It also turns out that the artwork he used for this recording is an image he made as our church studied through the Apocalypse under the theme of “Just Conquer.”
Listen to this. Bookmark it. And comb your hair.
Abraham Kuyper on the chosen and precious foundation of our churches:
Your church is then a colony of heaven living on the earth. It has its own autonomous existence, resting on its own foundation; it is constructed in its own unique style; it is built of very different stone than those offered by the mines of the world; and in its state and organization it depends not on the laws of nature, nor on the legislation of earthly lawmakers, but only on the law of life of its divine founder.
āOn the Church, p. 323, emphasis added; think also of 1 Peter 2:4-5
There is a new podcast in the world.
My wife and one of her good friends had been talking about the possibility of podcasting, and then were prodded by one of the young ladies in our church/school to record their first episode at her birthday party.
These are ladies worth listening to. Along with a guest, they talk about dealing with temptations to sin as a mom, and in particular as an intellectual or at least intellectually interested mom, and then finish off with some direction for younger girls on thinking about how they invest their attention dollars as sisters in Christ.
If you’re interested then listen, subscribe, and share.