Genesis 34:1-4
Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her. And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this girl for my wife.”
The prince's infatuation with Dinah was lust, not love.
Lust consumes, love constructs.
Lust looks for what it can get out of something.
Love looks to what it can give to it.
The prince didn't know her last name, her interests, her hopes or her dreams. He only knew his interests in her and his hopes and dreams associated with her.
Lust seeks to serve itself at the expense of others.
Love seeks to serve others at the expense of itself.
Ecclesiastes 10:16-17
Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child, and your princes feast in the morning!
Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
Feasts are meant for the end of the day.
Sex is meant for marriage.
A land where princes delight in doing things out of order will experience a boom of disorder. When your prince and principles are out of order, everything that flows downstream from them will produce increasing measures of disorder and inordinate affection.
Friday, January 31, 2020
Thursday, January 30, 2020
day no. 15,074: from, for, and through
1 Corinthians 8:6
There is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
All things find their origin in God, the Father. He is the only Creator. Everything else is creation. All things find their chief end in glorifying God, the Father. He is the only End for which we are. He is the Source and the Destination.
All things were made through Jesus, the Son of God. He is the only one through which everything else was made. Everything that has been made was made through Him. He was not made. All things are held together by Jesus, the Son of God. He is the Connection between who we are and why we are. He is the Cause and the Commotion, the Start and the Sustenance.
All things were made through Jesus, the Son of God. He is the only one through which everything else was made. Everything that has been made was made through Him. He was not made. All things are held together by Jesus, the Son of God. He is the Connection between who we are and why we are. He is the Cause and the Commotion, the Start and the Sustenance.
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
day no. 15,073: know what I mean?
"Bold-hearted men are always called mean-spirited by cowards." — C.H. Spurgeon
The coward does not dare to say what he means unless he's saying the daring are "mean." The courageous dares to say what he means even when it means being called names.
Cowardice is not just content with niceness, it aims at it. It prefers milquetoast to the toaster. As a result, it considers meanness the deadliest vice and niceness the cardinal virtue.
But Christ did not command niceness, but kindness; He did not condemn being mean, but malice, clamor, slander, wrath, etc.. (Eph 4:31-32)
Boldness is not callous indifference, but it does develop callouses from counting the cost of being considered mean and paying the bill in cash.
To be bold will mean being considered mean by some.
To be kind will mean being considered unkind by many.
By the standard of niceness, boldness is mean.
By the standard of righteousness, boldness is a mean.
The coward does not dare to say what he means unless he's saying the daring are "mean." The courageous dares to say what he means even when it means being called names.
Cowardice is not just content with niceness, it aims at it. It prefers milquetoast to the toaster. As a result, it considers meanness the deadliest vice and niceness the cardinal virtue.
But Christ did not command niceness, but kindness; He did not condemn being mean, but malice, clamor, slander, wrath, etc.. (Eph 4:31-32)
Boldness is not callous indifference, but it does develop callouses from counting the cost of being considered mean and paying the bill in cash.
To be bold will mean being considered mean by some.
To be kind will mean being considered unkind by many.
By the standard of niceness, boldness is mean.
By the standard of righteousness, boldness is a mean.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
day no. 15,072: all that God wants to say has been said in Christ
"All that God wants to say has been said in Christ. All." - Steven W Smith, Recapturing the Voice of God: Shaping Sermons Like Scripture
Hebrews 1:1-3
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Colossians 1:15-20
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
A preacher's mission is to connect his listeners to the Word of God. The Word of God leads a person to Christ and Christ leads a person to the Father and there is nothing beyond Him.
Romans 11:36
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.
He is the be all, end all of all things.
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Revelation 19:11-16
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
He is the first and final Word.
Hebrews 1:1-3
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Colossians 1:15-20
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
A preacher's mission is to connect his listeners to the Word of God. The Word of God leads a person to Christ and Christ leads a person to the Father and there is nothing beyond Him.
Romans 11:36
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.
He is the be all, end all of all things.
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Revelation 19:11-16
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
He is the first and final Word.
Monday, January 27, 2020
day no. 15,071: more observations from hovering over Genesis 38
God's design for intimacy requires responsibility.
We cannot have one without the other without causing trouble. If you want intimacy without responsibility, like Onan, you hurt other people and himself was judged by God. If you don't want to father a child, don't have sex. It is also of note, that no one in this passage is attempting to divorce intimacy from responsibility. That does happen and we see it sometimes in the church where married couples become glorified roommates who go long stretches without sexual intimacy, which Paul tells the Corinthians in chapter 7 of his first letter is sin. Do not forsake coming together except for a particular reason and a specified season.
Intimacy behind closed doors should equal responsibility out in the open.
Onan was ok being intimate with Tamar behind the doors, but didn't want to associate or take responsibility for her in public.
You should not be in private what you're not willing to be in public. There are things you do in private that you shouldn't do in public, but the part you're playing in the bedroom should not be one you stop playing in public. If you're acting like a husband, then be one. If you're acting like a lover, then be one. But don't play two different roles depending on where the actions are taking place.
Intimacy is not secrecy.
Intimacy is private. But healthy intimacy goes public. If it's done in secret without no intention of being brought into the light, it is sin.
Judah becomes an additional example of this phenomenon later in the passage, pursuing intimacy and secrecy. He attempts to cover up his intimacy and to keep it at a distance. He doesn't own his actions or take responsibility until he is forced to. He is aware of the principle and demonstrates that he even holds the right ideal when it is hypothetical and "out there." He would know enough about how to complain about music videos or TV sitcoms, but doesn't see it in his own dealings. When he does it, he has good reasons. When he hears about it on pop radio, he is disgusted. He is not wrong to be disgusted by what he hears on the airwaves, he is wrong to be complacent with it in his own bedroom, on his own computer, on his own phone.
We cannot have one without the other without causing trouble. If you want intimacy without responsibility, like Onan, you hurt other people and himself was judged by God. If you don't want to father a child, don't have sex. It is also of note, that no one in this passage is attempting to divorce intimacy from responsibility. That does happen and we see it sometimes in the church where married couples become glorified roommates who go long stretches without sexual intimacy, which Paul tells the Corinthians in chapter 7 of his first letter is sin. Do not forsake coming together except for a particular reason and a specified season.
Intimacy behind closed doors should equal responsibility out in the open.
Onan was ok being intimate with Tamar behind the doors, but didn't want to associate or take responsibility for her in public.
You should not be in private what you're not willing to be in public. There are things you do in private that you shouldn't do in public, but the part you're playing in the bedroom should not be one you stop playing in public. If you're acting like a husband, then be one. If you're acting like a lover, then be one. But don't play two different roles depending on where the actions are taking place.
Intimacy is not secrecy.
Intimacy is private. But healthy intimacy goes public. If it's done in secret without no intention of being brought into the light, it is sin.
Judah becomes an additional example of this phenomenon later in the passage, pursuing intimacy and secrecy. He attempts to cover up his intimacy and to keep it at a distance. He doesn't own his actions or take responsibility until he is forced to. He is aware of the principle and demonstrates that he even holds the right ideal when it is hypothetical and "out there." He would know enough about how to complain about music videos or TV sitcoms, but doesn't see it in his own dealings. When he does it, he has good reasons. When he hears about it on pop radio, he is disgusted. He is not wrong to be disgusted by what he hears on the airwaves, he is wrong to be complacent with it in his own bedroom, on his own computer, on his own phone.
Sunday, January 26, 2020
day no. 15,070: not without a reason and a season
1 Corinthians 7:1-5
Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
A married couple should not forsake the regular coming together in sexual intimacy without a good reason and for a defined season.
You need a reason and a season to justify forsaking oneness.
God's design for a spouse is not a glorified roommate. He doesn't desire that you become such good friends that sex isn't necessary. Granted, you should have a growing, healthy relationship outside of having sex, but God is saying you do not have a healthy, growing relationship if you are not regularly having sex. You may like it and enjoy it, but God doesn't. Your preferences do not get to drive this, God's do. So it's not a matter of "what works for you and your spouse," it's a matter of how it's supposed to work according to God's decree and design.
Without a good reason and a specified season, sex should be a regular occurrence in a Christian home.
Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 3 The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. 5 Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
A married couple should not forsake the regular coming together in sexual intimacy without a good reason and for a defined season.
You need a reason and a season to justify forsaking oneness.
God's design for a spouse is not a glorified roommate. He doesn't desire that you become such good friends that sex isn't necessary. Granted, you should have a growing, healthy relationship outside of having sex, but God is saying you do not have a healthy, growing relationship if you are not regularly having sex. You may like it and enjoy it, but God doesn't. Your preferences do not get to drive this, God's do. So it's not a matter of "what works for you and your spouse," it's a matter of how it's supposed to work according to God's decree and design.
Without a good reason and a specified season, sex should be a regular occurrence in a Christian home.
Saturday, January 25, 2020
day no. 15,069: rest is preparation for work
Proverbs 12:11
Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.
Proverbs 28:19
Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
Everyone will have plenty of something. That something is determined by to what one applies themselves. If you work the land with your hands full of toil, you will reap plenty of fullness. If you work people over with empty-handed excuses, you will reap plenty of emptiness.
Proverbs 21:5
The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
The diligent benefits from plans, the hasty employ relentless planning as an excuse to avoid being diligent.
Proverbs 13:4
The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
The lazy, while able to calm his fingers, cannot calm his cravings. He can keep himself from work, but he cannot keep himself from wanting. Wishing may fill his dreams, but it cannot fill his belly.
Ecclesiastes 5:12
Sweet is the sleep of a laborer
Rest prepares for work,
Laziness for poverty.
Rest without work is laziness.
Work without rest is slavery.
Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.
Proverbs 28:19
Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
Everyone will have plenty of something. That something is determined by to what one applies themselves. If you work the land with your hands full of toil, you will reap plenty of fullness. If you work people over with empty-handed excuses, you will reap plenty of emptiness.
Proverbs 21:5
The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
The diligent benefits from plans, the hasty employ relentless planning as an excuse to avoid being diligent.
Proverbs 13:4
The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
The lazy, while able to calm his fingers, cannot calm his cravings. He can keep himself from work, but he cannot keep himself from wanting. Wishing may fill his dreams, but it cannot fill his belly.
Ecclesiastes 5:12
Sweet is the sleep of a laborer
Rest prepares for work,
Laziness for poverty.
Rest without work is laziness.
Work without rest is slavery.
Friday, January 24, 2020
day no. 15,068: if equality is doctrine, envy is virtue
“If the doctrine of equality be true, ‘we must consider envy to be as sound a guide in politics as reverence by religious men is considered to be in religion’.” – W.H. Mallock cited by Russell Kirk
Reading Toby Sumpter's BLOG today (10/28/19), I came across this quote as well as Toby's insightful commentary...
But I would boil it all down to the goodness of hierarchy, or if we want to put it a bit more flamboyantly, the goodness of inequality, or perhaps even more defiantly, the goodness of authority and dominion. This authority and dominion is the foundation of freedom, safety, and provision because dominion insists upon responsibility, ownership, and therefore true, Christian love. There can be no love where there is no responsibility, and there is no responsibility where there is no authority. And apart from this kind of responsible love, there can be no long term flourishing, fruitfulness, creativity, or dare I say it, progress.
Where envy is king, equality is commanded.
Where Jesus is Lord, inequality is edict.
If equality is doctrine, envy is virtue.
If inequality is God's design, envy is sin.
All that to say, if equality is pure doctrine, envy is pure worship.
Reading Toby Sumpter's BLOG today (10/28/19), I came across this quote as well as Toby's insightful commentary...
But I would boil it all down to the goodness of hierarchy, or if we want to put it a bit more flamboyantly, the goodness of inequality, or perhaps even more defiantly, the goodness of authority and dominion. This authority and dominion is the foundation of freedom, safety, and provision because dominion insists upon responsibility, ownership, and therefore true, Christian love. There can be no love where there is no responsibility, and there is no responsibility where there is no authority. And apart from this kind of responsible love, there can be no long term flourishing, fruitfulness, creativity, or dare I say it, progress.
Where envy is king, equality is commanded.
Where Jesus is Lord, inequality is edict.
If equality is doctrine, envy is virtue.
If inequality is God's design, envy is sin.
All that to say, if equality is pure doctrine, envy is pure worship.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
day no. 15,067: keep the marriage bread pure
The word "companion" literally means "with bread" Our companions are the ones we regularly eat with. Malachi says this with specific reference to our spouses,
Malachi 2:14
She is your companion and your wife by covenant.
Marriages are meant to be lifelong endeavors in oneness. Paige and I have made it a habit to eat together in the evenings. Whatever our busy days entail, the question of where and what we'll be eating at the end of the day is always, already decided... together and whatever Paige prepares.
We are to eat with our wives. It helps reinforce our oneness. It puts into practice what is already true in principle. It lives out what is already our lives. It orients our livelihood around what is already our life in the sight of God: we are one, joined together by Him in covenant vows. Let no man, or meal time, separate what God has joined together. That is to say, do not let preference or indifference lead to a divided table.
All that to say, inasmuch as it depends upon you, have dinner every day with your wife.
One meal... one menu... one meal time.
One, one, one!
One, one, one!
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
day no. 15,066: the sin of empathy
Recently (10/23), I watched the first episode of Doug Wilson's "Man Rampant" ft. Joe Rigney. The episode orbited around the idea of "the sin of empathy." HIGHLY recommend. The following are some thoughts I had in response to it.
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
God commands us to be kind and compassionate. The world has hijacked this sentiment and sold it back to us in the form of being nice and empathetic.
Kindness is focused on your neighbor. Niceness is focused on yourself. Kindness is looking to the interests of others. Niceness is looking to your interest in others.
Many awful things have been done in the name of niceness. Niceness can be weaponized to manipulate, but kindness would never do such a thing. It is unkind to say nice things in order to get what you want. It is nice to be polite in order to politic. Kindness does not suffer such hogwash.
Sympathy is entering into suffering with those who are hurting without identifying yourself with their hurts or taking a "similar source of hurting 101" seminar in order to gain access to the situation. Sympathy suffers with people without having to take the sufferers' side without question. A person can be hurting... and wrong. Sympathy acknowledges that. Empathy cannot tolerate even the suggestion of such a thing and rages that I even interjected truth into such a sensitive situation as though lies were better salve than verity.
Empathy insists that the hurting person is owed an apology without qualification or exception. Sympathy suggests getting the facts straight first might better help untangle the knot. Empathy would rather its rescuers drown with them than have them arrogantly standing on the shore throwing a lifeline out. Empathy is upset that their one foots remains on solid ground suggesting that the rescuers reluctance to get both feet into the water implies their lack of concern for the one drowning. But sympathy knows that the only way to help the one drowning is to enter into their suffering enough to contact them, but not so much as to lose contact with what offers hope to both of them...solid ground, good footing and the upper hand. There is a reason, after all, why the one is drowning and the other isn't and that ground must be held in order for both to have any hope.
"If I am drowning in a rapid river, a man who still has one foot on the bank may give me a hand which saves my life. Ought I to shout back (between my gasps) 'No, it's not fair! You have an advantage! You're keeping one foot on the bank'? That advantage — call it 'unfair' if you like — is the only reason why he can be of any use to me. To what will you look for help if you will not look to that which is stronger than yourself?" -- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
God commands His people to be kind and to be compassionate. We must think of others and do to them as we would have done unto us. We do not want people saying nice things to our faces in order to make us feel better about ourselves if they do not believe the things they are saying to us, or worse yet, believe them, but are wrong for assuming so. Niceness is evil. Empathy is sin.
No wonder C.S. Lewis in That Hideous Strength named the embodiment of evil in practice as the N.I.C.E. Niceness is fueled by lies, flattery, arrogance, murder, envy and malice. Kindness is fueled by the fact that Christ died for liars, flatterers, proud haters, and envious slanderers.
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
God commands us to be kind and compassionate. The world has hijacked this sentiment and sold it back to us in the form of being nice and empathetic.
Kindness is focused on your neighbor. Niceness is focused on yourself. Kindness is looking to the interests of others. Niceness is looking to your interest in others.
Many awful things have been done in the name of niceness. Niceness can be weaponized to manipulate, but kindness would never do such a thing. It is unkind to say nice things in order to get what you want. It is nice to be polite in order to politic. Kindness does not suffer such hogwash.
Sympathy is entering into suffering with those who are hurting without identifying yourself with their hurts or taking a "similar source of hurting 101" seminar in order to gain access to the situation. Sympathy suffers with people without having to take the sufferers' side without question. A person can be hurting... and wrong. Sympathy acknowledges that. Empathy cannot tolerate even the suggestion of such a thing and rages that I even interjected truth into such a sensitive situation as though lies were better salve than verity.
Empathy insists that the hurting person is owed an apology without qualification or exception. Sympathy suggests getting the facts straight first might better help untangle the knot. Empathy would rather its rescuers drown with them than have them arrogantly standing on the shore throwing a lifeline out. Empathy is upset that their one foots remains on solid ground suggesting that the rescuers reluctance to get both feet into the water implies their lack of concern for the one drowning. But sympathy knows that the only way to help the one drowning is to enter into their suffering enough to contact them, but not so much as to lose contact with what offers hope to both of them...solid ground, good footing and the upper hand. There is a reason, after all, why the one is drowning and the other isn't and that ground must be held in order for both to have any hope.
"If I am drowning in a rapid river, a man who still has one foot on the bank may give me a hand which saves my life. Ought I to shout back (between my gasps) 'No, it's not fair! You have an advantage! You're keeping one foot on the bank'? That advantage — call it 'unfair' if you like — is the only reason why he can be of any use to me. To what will you look for help if you will not look to that which is stronger than yourself?" -- C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
God commands His people to be kind and to be compassionate. We must think of others and do to them as we would have done unto us. We do not want people saying nice things to our faces in order to make us feel better about ourselves if they do not believe the things they are saying to us, or worse yet, believe them, but are wrong for assuming so. Niceness is evil. Empathy is sin.
No wonder C.S. Lewis in That Hideous Strength named the embodiment of evil in practice as the N.I.C.E. Niceness is fueled by lies, flattery, arrogance, murder, envy and malice. Kindness is fueled by the fact that Christ died for liars, flatterers, proud haters, and envious slanderers.
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
day no. 15,065: flyover reflections on Genesis 38
While it is easy to see how Joseph dominates the last part of Genesis, there is also, if one takes notices, a growing spotlight being placed upon Judah. This chapter, dedicated to him, is only one example. Jesus, the lion, is from the tribe of Judah. The blessing will end up going through Judah, not Joseph. Isn't that surprising? Especially given the amount of time Moses gives to Joseph's story? Quite the plot twist. Even more so in light of Judah's response to sexual temptation in this chapter when compared with Joseph's in the following.
Yet, Jesus traces His lineage back through Judah, not Joseph.
We see Judah doing what the prince from Gen 34 did with Dinah in terms of acting upon impulse and what John in his first epistle would call "the lust of the eyes."
1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Onan is following his father's footsteps of trying to live in light of a "sex without consequences" styled philosophical approach to impulse. You can live like there are not consequences, but there are. If you act like there aren't, the consequences don't evaporate. They remain. They cannot be wished away. The entire abortion industry is built upon the philosophy of sex without consequences and orgasms without responsibilities. Each abortion is an orgasm enthroned and its consequences left on the altar.
The idea of sex and responsibility permeates the passage. There are certain responsibilities that end in sex and sex certainly ends in corresponding responsibilities. In other words, responsibility will lead you to sex and sex is always followed by responsibility.
This episode is crazy and filled with sexual immorality and irresponsibility and yet, it is part of Jesus' story. Tamar is one of four women listed in His lineage. This is not just part of this particular story, it is a specific part of Jesus' story. These are His ancestors and these are the events that eventually led not only to His birth, but to the very necessity of His being born. His family is a perfect example of why He had to come.
Monday, January 20, 2020
day no. 15,064: the stray cat strut
Genesis 32:31
The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.
No one walks away from an encounter with God with a strut. The telltale gait of the one who met God is a limp and a grin.
The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.
No one walks away from an encounter with God with a strut. The telltale gait of the one who met God is a limp and a grin.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
day no. 15,063: men, mission and the great commission
God has given men five offices to occupy and execute:
1 - Conqueror
2 - Cultivator
3 - Savior
4 - Sage
5 - Glory-bearer
God has called men to conquer the earth and have dominion over it. He has called men to cultivate what they dominate and make things better because they have come under our control and custody. Men are called to put themselves between the dangers of the world and the things they love -- those for whom and that for which they have taken responsibility to possess and bless. God calls men to meditate on God's Word and to grow in their knowledge of Who He is in order to do what He says. And men are called to walk as the Son of God, the chief Man among men, walked, imitating His life and doctrine.
So the five offices are associated with five verbs:
1 - Dominate
2 - Cultivate
3 - Mediate
4 - Meditate
5 - Imitate
We see these at work in the final words Jesus gave to the eleven men He called His apostles. This is the battle plan and marching orders to conquer the world for Christ's glory, the world's good and our personal growth.
Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
DOMINATE
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
Jesus says without qualification, "Every square inch of everything belongs to Me. Go make it what it already is... MINE!"
CULTIVATE
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations
Our mission is not merely to flood the earth with our presence, but fertilize the earth for His glory. We are to go out and make things better wherever we go. We are not just to take the land, but to make it fruitful; not not make converts, but disciples. The goal is not just measured by square feet, but by fruitfulness.
MEDIATE
baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
The same way that Jesus left the safety of His home in order to protect those in danger on earth, we leave the comfort of our homes in order to save those in danger. We do this by immersing them in the things of God, connecting them to the one Mediator between God and man, the God-man, Christ Jesus. We do not merely immerse them in water, but into the one thing that saves, protects, perseveres and provides... the grace and mercy of God in the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus.
MEDITATE
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you
We are called to teach the nations what Jesus has commanded. We cannot teach what we do not know. And we cannot show them how to do something we are not doing ourselves. To teach them implies knowledge. To show them how to observe implies obedience. We must dedicate our minds to His information and doctrine communicated by His eternal Word. And we must be committed to doing what we read, understanding His commands and applying ourselves to them.
IMITATE
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
We are called to be imitators of God. Just as He lived, died, rose and ascended in order to intercede on behalf of His people until He returns to judge the living and the dead, we are called to live in light of His Law, die to ourselves in repentance, raise to life in faith and be with those God has given us responsibility until death does us part or He returns.
1 - Conqueror
2 - Cultivator
3 - Savior
4 - Sage
5 - Glory-bearer
God has called men to conquer the earth and have dominion over it. He has called men to cultivate what they dominate and make things better because they have come under our control and custody. Men are called to put themselves between the dangers of the world and the things they love -- those for whom and that for which they have taken responsibility to possess and bless. God calls men to meditate on God's Word and to grow in their knowledge of Who He is in order to do what He says. And men are called to walk as the Son of God, the chief Man among men, walked, imitating His life and doctrine.
So the five offices are associated with five verbs:
1 - Dominate
2 - Cultivate
3 - Mediate
4 - Meditate
5 - Imitate
We see these at work in the final words Jesus gave to the eleven men He called His apostles. This is the battle plan and marching orders to conquer the world for Christ's glory, the world's good and our personal growth.
Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
DOMINATE
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
Jesus says without qualification, "Every square inch of everything belongs to Me. Go make it what it already is... MINE!"
CULTIVATE
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations
Our mission is not merely to flood the earth with our presence, but fertilize the earth for His glory. We are to go out and make things better wherever we go. We are not just to take the land, but to make it fruitful; not not make converts, but disciples. The goal is not just measured by square feet, but by fruitfulness.
MEDIATE
baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
The same way that Jesus left the safety of His home in order to protect those in danger on earth, we leave the comfort of our homes in order to save those in danger. We do this by immersing them in the things of God, connecting them to the one Mediator between God and man, the God-man, Christ Jesus. We do not merely immerse them in water, but into the one thing that saves, protects, perseveres and provides... the grace and mercy of God in the life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus.
MEDITATE
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you
We are called to teach the nations what Jesus has commanded. We cannot teach what we do not know. And we cannot show them how to do something we are not doing ourselves. To teach them implies knowledge. To show them how to observe implies obedience. We must dedicate our minds to His information and doctrine communicated by His eternal Word. And we must be committed to doing what we read, understanding His commands and applying ourselves to them.
IMITATE
And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
We are called to be imitators of God. Just as He lived, died, rose and ascended in order to intercede on behalf of His people until He returns to judge the living and the dead, we are called to live in light of His Law, die to ourselves in repentance, raise to life in faith and be with those God has given us responsibility until death does us part or He returns.
Saturday, January 18, 2020
day no. 15,062: this tiny and tawdry theatre
I've been listening to Chesterton's "Orthodoxy" on audibook as I run on the treadmill in the evenings and just delighting in it. It is like audio grilled cheese. Full of comfort and sentiment and just a pleasure to consume. Came across this gem again over the weekend (10/26/19)
"Suppose, for instance, it were the first case that I took as typical; suppose it were the case of a man who accused everybody of conspiring against him. If we could express our deepest feelings of protest and appeal against this obsession, I suppose we should say something like this: 'Oh, I admit that you have your case and have it by heart, and that many things do fit into other things as you say. I admit that your explanation explains a great deal; but what a great deal it leaves out! Are there no other stories in the world except yours; and are all men busy with your business? Suppose we grant the details; perhaps when the man in the street did not seem to see you it was only his cunning; perhaps when the policeman asked you your name it was only because he knew it already. But how much happier you would be if you only knew that these people cared nothing about you! How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it; if you could really look at other men with common curiosity and pleasure; if you could see them walking as they are in their sunny selfishness and their virile indifference! You would begin to be interested in them, because they were not interested in you. You would break out of this tiny and tawdry theatre in which your own little plot is always being played, and you would find yourself under a freer sky, in a street full of splendid strangers.'" - G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy
Sooo.... good. I feel like this complements well the lessons I recently heard from N.D. Wilson on life as a story and the characters we play on the stage God provides us.
“You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
"Suppose, for instance, it were the first case that I took as typical; suppose it were the case of a man who accused everybody of conspiring against him. If we could express our deepest feelings of protest and appeal against this obsession, I suppose we should say something like this: 'Oh, I admit that you have your case and have it by heart, and that many things do fit into other things as you say. I admit that your explanation explains a great deal; but what a great deal it leaves out! Are there no other stories in the world except yours; and are all men busy with your business? Suppose we grant the details; perhaps when the man in the street did not seem to see you it was only his cunning; perhaps when the policeman asked you your name it was only because he knew it already. But how much happier you would be if you only knew that these people cared nothing about you! How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it; if you could really look at other men with common curiosity and pleasure; if you could see them walking as they are in their sunny selfishness and their virile indifference! You would begin to be interested in them, because they were not interested in you. You would break out of this tiny and tawdry theatre in which your own little plot is always being played, and you would find yourself under a freer sky, in a street full of splendid strangers.'" - G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy
Sooo.... good. I feel like this complements well the lessons I recently heard from N.D. Wilson on life as a story and the characters we play on the stage God provides us.
“You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Friday, January 17, 2020
day no. 15,061: homiletical help, week 6: not just any words will do --> CONTENT PT. 2
Good morning God's heralds,
2. a person or thing viewed as a sign that something is about to happen.
verb
be a sign that (something) is about to happen.
Heralds gotta herald. Herald is defined by the dictionary as:
noun
1. an official messenger bringing news.2. a person or thing viewed as a sign that something is about to happen.
verb
be a sign that (something) is about to happen.
We are messengers. Our words are the sign of what God is about to do based on what we declare He has already done.
This week, let's talk about CONTENT again: what words to say when
1 CORINTHIANS 4:6
I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written
There is wisdom in not wandering beyond the fences God provides for us in His Word. No one should go beyond God's wisdom - not followers or leaders, not congregants or pastors, sheep or shepherds. Paul and Apollos were not given a hall pass to go outside God's Word. The source of their strength and wisdom and knowledge was not found in a different place. They put their trust in the Word of God and on it they relied. They oriented their thoughts around God's thought, their practices around God's commands and their livelihood around the Author of life and His writings.
As you prepare for your next message, do not only study the text you are preparing to preach. Continue to read the REST of Scripture. If the principles and big ideas you are wanting to focus on in your assigned text are really principles and big ideas, they will show up elsewhere in Scripture. Principles permeate everything. They are foundations on which other things are built. As such, if what you propose to make a big idea in a text is nowhere found in the rest of Scripture, you may not be focusing on something that is truly a BIG idea, and more just an interesting idea or possible idea.
There is wisdom in not wandering beyond the fences God provides for us in His Word. No one should go beyond God's wisdom - not followers or leaders, not congregants or pastors, sheep or shepherds. Paul and Apollos were not given a hall pass to go outside God's Word. The source of their strength and wisdom and knowledge was not found in a different place. They put their trust in the Word of God and on it they relied. They oriented their thoughts around God's thought, their practices around God's commands and their livelihood around the Author of life and His writings.
As you prepare for your next message, do not only study the text you are preparing to preach. Continue to read the REST of Scripture. If the principles and big ideas you are wanting to focus on in your assigned text are really principles and big ideas, they will show up elsewhere in Scripture. Principles permeate everything. They are foundations on which other things are built. As such, if what you propose to make a big idea in a text is nowhere found in the rest of Scripture, you may not be focusing on something that is truly a BIG idea, and more just an interesting idea or possible idea.
Until next time, stay hungry my friends. God's Word is food and we need it daily.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
day no. 15,060: selfie shtick
While reading a book about B.B. Warfield last night (10/23/19) I came across the concept of self in his discussion on Philippians 2:3-8...
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Warfield points out that self deprecation is still at the end of the day about the self. The end goal of deprecating the self is to please, ironically, the self -- in other words, the reason you're running yourself down or setting yourself aside is to assuage your self. But because it deprecates the self, it doesn't read as selfish or prideful. It reads as humble.
This, however, is not what Jesus did. He emptied Himself for others. This is not self deprecation, but self abnegation.
2 Corinthians 9:7
God loves a cheerful giver
Self deprecation is anything but cheerful. It's mopey, dopey, gloomy and doomy. It is glum and drum. It is willing to give things up, but not willing to be cheerful about the endeavor. In fact, the whole point of giving things up may be to draw attention to how difficult and miserable it is in doing so.
Self abnegation, by contrast, is for the sake of others and it is fueled by joy. It doesn't mean that the giving away is always fun or filled with rainbow-colored unicorn-powered confetti, but it does mean that the point of denying one's self is for the joy of others, beginning with God.
Self deprecation says, "No," as it looks inward as an end in itself.
Self abnegation says, "Yes," as it looks up and a result says, "No" when it looks inward.
Self abnegation is in essence a "Yes" whereas self deprecation is in its seed form a "No." And up from each grow the fruit corresponding to its seed. Self abnegation grows joy and hope and a giving away that is for the benefit of others. Self deprecation grows bitter resentment and self interest in insisting everyone else see how very selfless it has become.
The heart of self deprecation looks in and says, "No, thank you."
The heart of self abnegation looks up and says, "Yes, thank You"
Jesus set Himself aside for the sake of others, not to address a guilty conscience or to demonstrate His mastery over Himself, but for the benefit of others. His going without was for our going with.
"And thus it is not mere self-denial that Christ calls us to, but specifically to self-sacrifice not to unselfing ourselves, but to unselfishing ourselves." ― B.B. Warfield
This reminds me of what C.S. Lewis says at the beginning of The Weight of Glory...
“If you asked twenty good men to-day what they thought the highest of the virtues, nineteen of them would reply, Unselfishness. But if you asked almost any of the great Christians of old he would have replied, Love - You see what has happened? A negative term has been substituted for a positive, and this is of more than philological importance.
The negative ideal of Unselfishness carries with it the suggestion not primarily of securing good things for others, but of going without them ourselves, as if our abstinence and not their happiness was the important point.”
Lewis, again, made note of this in The Screwtape Letters...
“Note, once again, the admirable work of our Philological Arm in substituting the negative unselfishness for [God’s] positive Charity. Thanks to this you can, from the very outset, teach a man to surrender benefits not the that others may be happy in having them but that he may be unselfish in forgoing them. That is a great point gained.”
Jesus said it this way and apparently it left a large impression on His followers since all of His biographers mention it and several of them more than once...
Matthew 10:39, 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24, 17:33, John 12:25
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
You do not gain your self by looking for it or to it. You find your self by losing it for the sake of Jesus Christ. In emptying yourself for His glory and the good of your neighbors, you truly find your self.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Warfield points out that self deprecation is still at the end of the day about the self. The end goal of deprecating the self is to please, ironically, the self -- in other words, the reason you're running yourself down or setting yourself aside is to assuage your self. But because it deprecates the self, it doesn't read as selfish or prideful. It reads as humble.
This, however, is not what Jesus did. He emptied Himself for others. This is not self deprecation, but self abnegation.
2 Corinthians 9:7
God loves a cheerful giver
Self deprecation is anything but cheerful. It's mopey, dopey, gloomy and doomy. It is glum and drum. It is willing to give things up, but not willing to be cheerful about the endeavor. In fact, the whole point of giving things up may be to draw attention to how difficult and miserable it is in doing so.
Self abnegation, by contrast, is for the sake of others and it is fueled by joy. It doesn't mean that the giving away is always fun or filled with rainbow-colored unicorn-powered confetti, but it does mean that the point of denying one's self is for the joy of others, beginning with God.
Self deprecation says, "No," as it looks inward as an end in itself.
Self abnegation says, "Yes," as it looks up and a result says, "No" when it looks inward.
Self abnegation is in essence a "Yes" whereas self deprecation is in its seed form a "No." And up from each grow the fruit corresponding to its seed. Self abnegation grows joy and hope and a giving away that is for the benefit of others. Self deprecation grows bitter resentment and self interest in insisting everyone else see how very selfless it has become.
The heart of self deprecation looks in and says, "No, thank you."
The heart of self abnegation looks up and says, "Yes, thank You"
Jesus set Himself aside for the sake of others, not to address a guilty conscience or to demonstrate His mastery over Himself, but for the benefit of others. His going without was for our going with.
"And thus it is not mere self-denial that Christ calls us to, but specifically to self-sacrifice not to unselfing ourselves, but to unselfishing ourselves." ― B.B. Warfield
This reminds me of what C.S. Lewis says at the beginning of The Weight of Glory...
“If you asked twenty good men to-day what they thought the highest of the virtues, nineteen of them would reply, Unselfishness. But if you asked almost any of the great Christians of old he would have replied, Love - You see what has happened? A negative term has been substituted for a positive, and this is of more than philological importance.
The negative ideal of Unselfishness carries with it the suggestion not primarily of securing good things for others, but of going without them ourselves, as if our abstinence and not their happiness was the important point.”
Lewis, again, made note of this in The Screwtape Letters...
“Note, once again, the admirable work of our Philological Arm in substituting the negative unselfishness for [God’s] positive Charity. Thanks to this you can, from the very outset, teach a man to surrender benefits not the that others may be happy in having them but that he may be unselfish in forgoing them. That is a great point gained.”
Jesus said it this way and apparently it left a large impression on His followers since all of His biographers mention it and several of them more than once...
Matthew 10:39, 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24, 17:33, John 12:25
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
You do not gain your self by looking for it or to it. You find your self by losing it for the sake of Jesus Christ. In emptying yourself for His glory and the good of your neighbors, you truly find your self.
Wednesday, January 15, 2020
day no. 15,059: we receive our guest's rewards
Matthew 10:40-42
Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.
In reading a book about B.B. Warfield this morning (10/21/19), I came across the preceding verse with the following application...
If a person receives a prophet, they are treated as though they are in cahoots with the prophet - that is, you will get coming to you what the prophet you permitted entrance had coming to them. Same goes for a righteous person. If you host a righteous person, you are yoking yourself to their righteousness and as such will receive a reward in keeping with what they deserve.
This principle applies first and foremost to our salvation. When we receive Jesus, we receive the reward due Him. His perfect life has earned eternal life by fulfilling God's Law as Adam ought to have done.
Our standing before God is in keeping with those we receive.
If we receive Jesus, then we receive what Jesus earned and what Jesus had coming to Him, which is intimacy and fellowship with God the Father forever.
Imagine if you stood to gain the reward of whomever you allowed into your home. Conversely, imagine you stood to inherit the problems of whomever you welcomed through your doors. Would that change who you let into your home? Who you send invitations to? Are there things you allow into your home now you wouldn't if you knew letting them meant receiving what they deserved? Are there invitations you need to send if you are going to receive any righteousness?
When we open our doors, we receive our guest's rewards.
Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. The one who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and the one who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.
In reading a book about B.B. Warfield this morning (10/21/19), I came across the preceding verse with the following application...
If a person receives a prophet, they are treated as though they are in cahoots with the prophet - that is, you will get coming to you what the prophet you permitted entrance had coming to them. Same goes for a righteous person. If you host a righteous person, you are yoking yourself to their righteousness and as such will receive a reward in keeping with what they deserve.
This principle applies first and foremost to our salvation. When we receive Jesus, we receive the reward due Him. His perfect life has earned eternal life by fulfilling God's Law as Adam ought to have done.
Our standing before God is in keeping with those we receive.
If we receive Jesus, then we receive what Jesus earned and what Jesus had coming to Him, which is intimacy and fellowship with God the Father forever.
Imagine if you stood to gain the reward of whomever you allowed into your home. Conversely, imagine you stood to inherit the problems of whomever you welcomed through your doors. Would that change who you let into your home? Who you send invitations to? Are there things you allow into your home now you wouldn't if you knew letting them meant receiving what they deserved? Are there invitations you need to send if you are going to receive any righteousness?
When we open our doors, we receive our guest's rewards.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
day no. 15,058: as bold as a beard
Last Saturday (10/20/19) we listened to THIS at dinner.
We have made it our habit as a family to annually listen to these since 2017 when this 31 day devotional was published by Desiring God in recognition of the 500 year anniversary of the 95 Theses and the Protestant Reformation.
This episode featuring Heinrich Bullinger is of particular interest to me. I love learning about the culture of the time and that the facial hair we observe on so many reformers was there intentionally. As someone who values assiduity highly, the fact that even their facial hair was a theological statement is just delightful.
The norms of their day were sexless, androgynous clerics trotted out by the Catholic church -- clean shaven, unmarried, angelic, Ken-doll, round nub, no sex ministers.
The reformers intentionally sought to restore masculinity to the pulpit. And what better way to communicate manliness than facial hair? As feminine as childbirth is to women, facial hair is masculine to men. Nothing so easily and naturally communicates manhood than a mane.
Knowing that the reformers were aiming at masculinity is refreshing and knowing that they were doing it in defiance of the dominate atmosphere and theology of Rome is all the more enthralling.
The reformers bears were middle fingers perched on their faces for everyone to see. This was a statement against Rome and for Biblical manhood.
We have made it our habit as a family to annually listen to these since 2017 when this 31 day devotional was published by Desiring God in recognition of the 500 year anniversary of the 95 Theses and the Protestant Reformation.
This episode featuring Heinrich Bullinger is of particular interest to me. I love learning about the culture of the time and that the facial hair we observe on so many reformers was there intentionally. As someone who values assiduity highly, the fact that even their facial hair was a theological statement is just delightful.
The norms of their day were sexless, androgynous clerics trotted out by the Catholic church -- clean shaven, unmarried, angelic, Ken-doll, round nub, no sex ministers.
The reformers intentionally sought to restore masculinity to the pulpit. And what better way to communicate manliness than facial hair? As feminine as childbirth is to women, facial hair is masculine to men. Nothing so easily and naturally communicates manhood than a mane.
Knowing that the reformers were aiming at masculinity is refreshing and knowing that they were doing it in defiance of the dominate atmosphere and theology of Rome is all the more enthralling.
The reformers bears were middle fingers perched on their faces for everyone to see. This was a statement against Rome and for Biblical manhood.
Monday, January 13, 2020
day no. 15,057: blessed sweat
1 Timothy 5:17
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
Preaching is a labor of love. It is toil. It is hard work. But it is rewarding.
Preaching is blessed sweat.
There are other ways to get to work, but it is one labor I find particularly gratifying. I don't wish it was easier. The mental sweat makes it all the more satisfying. I love the problems that come with gardening the field of a passage and pruning it back to produce more fruit. I love pulling the weeds and testing the fruit, tilling the soil, mending the fences, etc...
Preaching is blessed sweat.
I am grateful for this season where God has given me ample opportunity to work hard for His glory, others good and my growth in the midst of it.
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
Preaching is a labor of love. It is toil. It is hard work. But it is rewarding.
Preaching is blessed sweat.
There are other ways to get to work, but it is one labor I find particularly gratifying. I don't wish it was easier. The mental sweat makes it all the more satisfying. I love the problems that come with gardening the field of a passage and pruning it back to produce more fruit. I love pulling the weeds and testing the fruit, tilling the soil, mending the fences, etc...
Preaching is blessed sweat.
I am grateful for this season where God has given me ample opportunity to work hard for His glory, others good and my growth in the midst of it.
Sunday, January 12, 2020
day no. 15,056: orthodox all over
I am very excited to be going through "Orthodoxy" by G.K. Chesterton again. This, however, is my first time"reading" it on audiobook. This is, overall, my third time through it since purchasing it back in 2016. It's return on investment -- C.S. Lewis' ultimate consideration for what constitutes a "good" book -- is exponential and only one chapter in, I'm already grinning from ear to ear.
CH 1 - INTRODUCTION IN DEFENCE OF EVERYTHING ELSE
The only possible excuse for this book is that it is an answer to a challenge. Even a bad shot is dignified when he accepts a duel.
What a great opening gambit. I'm writing this because I was asked. If it's not what you were hoping for, you can't blame me, I'm only firing back as best as I can, the way any gunslinger with integrity would try to do given the circumstances. Dignity is achieved by walking the paces in acceptance to the challenge, not in necessarily delivering deadly accuracy, although in all fairness, I suspect the challenger was not cheering for Chesterton to be a sureshot in this situation.
But I have a peculiar reason for mentioning the man in a yacht, who discovered England. For I am that man in a yacht. I discovered England.
I adore this opening illustration -- a man is pictured, bold and courageous out to discover foreign lands, arriving and planting a flag in what turns out to be his own familiar backyard. Coming to Christ is like that. It is searching for meaning and purpose and big things we assume must be somewhere out there in the land of adventure and is found only by returning to the basic principles of life which were always there at work. Finding Christ requires the adventure of stepping outside yourself and the comfort of discovering yourself in the process, a willingness to give up all comfort and the discovery of the greatest comfort known to man, a perfect blend of foreign and familiar in Jesus Christ alone.
But nearly all people I have ever met in this western society in which I live would agree to the general proposition that we need this life of practical romance; the combination of something that is strange with something that is secure. We need so to view the world as to combine an idea of wonder and an idea of welcome.
I love the word play for this phenomenon: wonder and welcome. Christianity scratches both itches. The paradox of being in awe and being invited, realizing the otherness of it all and then being asked to enter into it all at once. That is Christianity, Jesus Christ, in flesh, among men, but God offering divinity to humanity by becoming human.
It is one thing to describe an interview with a gorgon or a griffin, a creature who does not exist. It is another thing to discover that the rhinoceros does exist and then take pleasure in the fact that he looks as if he didn’t. One searches for truth, but it may be that one pursues instinctively the more extraordinary truths
The reason so many miss Christianity is because they have it in their minds that truth, whatever it is, must be a particular way. Like a rhinoceros which is a real thing, but looks as though it shouldn't be. We assume meaning and purpose must be like griffins, elusive and imaginary, rather than giraffes which are tangible, yet unrealistic. We believe Christianity is unbelievable and exchange that truth for a lie which we find more believable.
It may be that somebody will be entertained by the account of this happy fiasco.
Describing conversion as a happy fiasco is brilliant.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
and grace my fears relieved.
Salvation is found in being undone and finding yourself put back together, in being leveled and yet raised up, lost and yet found, dead and yet alive.
CH 1 - INTRODUCTION IN DEFENCE OF EVERYTHING ELSE
The only possible excuse for this book is that it is an answer to a challenge. Even a bad shot is dignified when he accepts a duel.
What a great opening gambit. I'm writing this because I was asked. If it's not what you were hoping for, you can't blame me, I'm only firing back as best as I can, the way any gunslinger with integrity would try to do given the circumstances. Dignity is achieved by walking the paces in acceptance to the challenge, not in necessarily delivering deadly accuracy, although in all fairness, I suspect the challenger was not cheering for Chesterton to be a sureshot in this situation.
But I have a peculiar reason for mentioning the man in a yacht, who discovered England. For I am that man in a yacht. I discovered England.
I adore this opening illustration -- a man is pictured, bold and courageous out to discover foreign lands, arriving and planting a flag in what turns out to be his own familiar backyard. Coming to Christ is like that. It is searching for meaning and purpose and big things we assume must be somewhere out there in the land of adventure and is found only by returning to the basic principles of life which were always there at work. Finding Christ requires the adventure of stepping outside yourself and the comfort of discovering yourself in the process, a willingness to give up all comfort and the discovery of the greatest comfort known to man, a perfect blend of foreign and familiar in Jesus Christ alone.
But nearly all people I have ever met in this western society in which I live would agree to the general proposition that we need this life of practical romance; the combination of something that is strange with something that is secure. We need so to view the world as to combine an idea of wonder and an idea of welcome.
I love the word play for this phenomenon: wonder and welcome. Christianity scratches both itches. The paradox of being in awe and being invited, realizing the otherness of it all and then being asked to enter into it all at once. That is Christianity, Jesus Christ, in flesh, among men, but God offering divinity to humanity by becoming human.
It is one thing to describe an interview with a gorgon or a griffin, a creature who does not exist. It is another thing to discover that the rhinoceros does exist and then take pleasure in the fact that he looks as if he didn’t. One searches for truth, but it may be that one pursues instinctively the more extraordinary truths
The reason so many miss Christianity is because they have it in their minds that truth, whatever it is, must be a particular way. Like a rhinoceros which is a real thing, but looks as though it shouldn't be. We assume meaning and purpose must be like griffins, elusive and imaginary, rather than giraffes which are tangible, yet unrealistic. We believe Christianity is unbelievable and exchange that truth for a lie which we find more believable.
It may be that somebody will be entertained by the account of this happy fiasco.
Describing conversion as a happy fiasco is brilliant.
'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
and grace my fears relieved.
Salvation is found in being undone and finding yourself put back together, in being leveled and yet raised up, lost and yet found, dead and yet alive.
Saturday, January 11, 2020
day no, 15,055: it makes no difference what you chose if you don't chose God
On the treadmill the other day (10/19/19, I also listened to the essay, "A Slip of the Tongue" by C.S. Lewis contained in "The Weight of Glory."
If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God, it will make in the end no difference what you have chosen instead.” Those are hard words to take. Will it really make no difference whether it was women or patriotism, cocaine or art, whisky or a seat in the Cabinet, money or science? Well, surely no difference that matters. We shall have missed the end for which we are formed and rejected the only thing that satisfies. Does it matter to a man dying in a desert by which choice of route he missed the only well?
This reminded me of a quote by Oswald Chambers from My Utmost for His Highest which I read through annually.
The disposition of sin is not immorality and wrong-doing, but the disposition of self-realization — I am my own god. This disposition may work out in decorous morality or in indecorous immorality, but it has the one basis, my claim to my right to myself. When Our Lord faced men with all the forces of evil in them, and men who were clean living and moral and up right, He did not pay any attention to the moral degradation of the one or to the moral attainment of the other; He looked at something we do not see, viz., the disposition.
What Lewis and Chambers are pointing out is that salvation is a binary decision. You either chose God's way, His truth and His life or you reject the only way, the only truth and the only life there is. There are not other ways, other truths or other lives. There is only God and not God, the narrow way and the wide way, truth and lies, life and death. There is no life to be found outside of God's life. lt makes no difference if you look for life in patriotism and dying for your country or in individualism and dying for your addiction.
If there is only one well, it will make no difference which other well you were looking for or what others paths you took, if it wasn't the path that leads to that well, you will die from thirst. There is no amount of sand that can quench your thirst. You cannot squeeze moisture out of it, no matter how much of it you have or what kind of it you prefer.
If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God, it will make in the end no difference what you have chosen instead.” Those are hard words to take. Will it really make no difference whether it was women or patriotism, cocaine or art, whisky or a seat in the Cabinet, money or science? Well, surely no difference that matters. We shall have missed the end for which we are formed and rejected the only thing that satisfies. Does it matter to a man dying in a desert by which choice of route he missed the only well?
This reminded me of a quote by Oswald Chambers from My Utmost for His Highest which I read through annually.
The disposition of sin is not immorality and wrong-doing, but the disposition of self-realization — I am my own god. This disposition may work out in decorous morality or in indecorous immorality, but it has the one basis, my claim to my right to myself. When Our Lord faced men with all the forces of evil in them, and men who were clean living and moral and up right, He did not pay any attention to the moral degradation of the one or to the moral attainment of the other; He looked at something we do not see, viz., the disposition.
What Lewis and Chambers are pointing out is that salvation is a binary decision. You either chose God's way, His truth and His life or you reject the only way, the only truth and the only life there is. There are not other ways, other truths or other lives. There is only God and not God, the narrow way and the wide way, truth and lies, life and death. There is no life to be found outside of God's life. lt makes no difference if you look for life in patriotism and dying for your country or in individualism and dying for your addiction.
If there is only one well, it will make no difference which other well you were looking for or what others paths you took, if it wasn't the path that leads to that well, you will die from thirst. There is no amount of sand that can quench your thirst. You cannot squeeze moisture out of it, no matter how much of it you have or what kind of it you prefer.
Friday, January 10, 2020
day no. 15,054: forgiveness and excuses
I listened to "The Weight of Glory" by C.S. Lewis on audiobook while on the treadmill recently (10/19/19) and heard the following from an essay entitled, "On Forgiveness"
Now it seems to me that we often make a mistake both about God's forgiveness of our sins and about the forgiveness we are told to offer to other people's sins. Take it first about God's forgiveness, I find that when I think I am asking God to forgive me I am often in reality (unless I watch myself very carefully) asking Him to do something quite different. I am asking him not to forgive me but to excuse me. But there is all the difference in the world between forgiving and excusing. Forgiveness says, "Yes, you have done this thing, but I accept your apology; I will never hold it against you and everything between us two will be exactly as it was before." If one was not really to blame then there is nothing to forgive. In that sense forgiveness and excusing are almost opposites. Of course, in dozens of cases, either between God and man, or between one man and another, there may be a mixture of the two. Part of what at first seemed to be the sins turns out to be really nobody's fault and is excused; the bit that is left over is forgiven. If you had a perfect excuse, you would not need forgiveness; if the whole of your actions needs forgiveness, then there was no excuse for it. But the trouble is that what we call "asking God's forgiveness" very often really consists in asking God to accept our excuses. What leads us into this mistake is the fact that there usually is some amount of excuse, some "extenuating circumstances." We are so very anxious to point these things out to God (and to ourselves) that we are apt to forget the very important thing; that is, the bit left over, the bit which excuses don't cover, the bit which is inexcusable but not, thank God, unforgivable. And if we forget this, we shall go away imagining that we have repented and been forgiven when all that has really happened is that we have satisfied ourselves without own excuses. They may be very bad excuses; we are all too easily satisfied about ourselves.
This was a very helpful clarification to consider. I think I easily slip into the head space of considering offenses in terms of excuses. The more viable the excuse, the more apt I am to forgive it, but according to Lewis, in reality, the less it needs to be forgiven. The less viable the excuse, the less apt I am to forgive it, but according to Lewis, in reality, this is the sin that God commands me to forgive.
If the excuses are adequate, it costs me nothing to forgive the sin.
When the excuses are inadequate, it costs me a great deal to overlook the offense.
Before I congratulate myself for being so generous in spirit, I need to consider how lazy I am in "forgiving" sins when I've only accepted excuses and held grudges when I reject the excuses. But when the excuses don't cut it, it's time to forgive. When the excuses do, it requires nothing of me to overlook it, because... there's nothing to overlook.
This is helpful on a boots on the ground kind of way for me, but also on a throne up in Heaven kind of way. God forgives the inexcusable. He doesn't overlook the offenses of mine for which I come best prepared to offer mitigating evidence. He does not count sins which are actual, inexcusable, solid, sins.
Praise God!
Now it seems to me that we often make a mistake both about God's forgiveness of our sins and about the forgiveness we are told to offer to other people's sins. Take it first about God's forgiveness, I find that when I think I am asking God to forgive me I am often in reality (unless I watch myself very carefully) asking Him to do something quite different. I am asking him not to forgive me but to excuse me. But there is all the difference in the world between forgiving and excusing. Forgiveness says, "Yes, you have done this thing, but I accept your apology; I will never hold it against you and everything between us two will be exactly as it was before." If one was not really to blame then there is nothing to forgive. In that sense forgiveness and excusing are almost opposites. Of course, in dozens of cases, either between God and man, or between one man and another, there may be a mixture of the two. Part of what at first seemed to be the sins turns out to be really nobody's fault and is excused; the bit that is left over is forgiven. If you had a perfect excuse, you would not need forgiveness; if the whole of your actions needs forgiveness, then there was no excuse for it. But the trouble is that what we call "asking God's forgiveness" very often really consists in asking God to accept our excuses. What leads us into this mistake is the fact that there usually is some amount of excuse, some "extenuating circumstances." We are so very anxious to point these things out to God (and to ourselves) that we are apt to forget the very important thing; that is, the bit left over, the bit which excuses don't cover, the bit which is inexcusable but not, thank God, unforgivable. And if we forget this, we shall go away imagining that we have repented and been forgiven when all that has really happened is that we have satisfied ourselves without own excuses. They may be very bad excuses; we are all too easily satisfied about ourselves.
This was a very helpful clarification to consider. I think I easily slip into the head space of considering offenses in terms of excuses. The more viable the excuse, the more apt I am to forgive it, but according to Lewis, in reality, the less it needs to be forgiven. The less viable the excuse, the less apt I am to forgive it, but according to Lewis, in reality, this is the sin that God commands me to forgive.
If the excuses are adequate, it costs me nothing to forgive the sin.
When the excuses are inadequate, it costs me a great deal to overlook the offense.
Before I congratulate myself for being so generous in spirit, I need to consider how lazy I am in "forgiving" sins when I've only accepted excuses and held grudges when I reject the excuses. But when the excuses don't cut it, it's time to forgive. When the excuses do, it requires nothing of me to overlook it, because... there's nothing to overlook.
This is helpful on a boots on the ground kind of way for me, but also on a throne up in Heaven kind of way. God forgives the inexcusable. He doesn't overlook the offenses of mine for which I come best prepared to offer mitigating evidence. He does not count sins which are actual, inexcusable, solid, sins.
Praise God!
Thursday, January 9, 2020
day no. 15,053: homiletical help, week 5: not just any words will do --> CONTENT
Good morning mouthpieces,
You have been called by God to speak on His behalf. When we preach we are messengers relaying the King's business to His subjects. If we've spent time with the King, we will become more acquainted with the flavor of the words in His letters. We can hear the tone, volume, heat, pace, etc...
This week, let's talk about CONTENT: what words to say when
2 CORINTHIANS 4:1-2
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.
God does not commend attempts to corrupt His word. He does not honor cunning. It is not our job to make sure His subjects like the content of His messages. We often confuse our responsibility to not add to its potential difficulty as a responsibility to shape His words in such a way in order to ensure their reception. But it is not within our jurisdiction to tamper with His words to make the people like the King better.
In other words, we should not meddle with God's message. It is His. The Gospel belongs to God. As messengers and heralds, we are responsible to say what He said. Do not entertain the temptation to tamper with God's Word in order to produce a particular result. Whatever you may accomplish in doing so, it will not be above board.
Our goal is to state the truth openly and to invite everyone to look at the verses we're looking at and come to a different conclusion. Our confidence comes from saying what God said, not from thinking of ways to say things which we imagine will be better received.
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
day no. 15,052: strength enough to get it on
“No one doubts that an ordinary man can get on with this world: but we demand not strength enough to get on with it, but strength enough to get it on. Can he hate it enough to change it, and yet love it enough to think it worth changing?” - G.K. Chesterton
Cultivation requires a pessimistic frustration with the lack of productivity combined with an optimistic excitement for how much it could produce. In order to cultivate, one must hate something enough to change it, yet love it enough to see the changes through. It is easier to settle for getting along as is than it is to muster the gusto to get one over on the way things usually go.
Men don't often love things enough to make them better. They either hate them enough to wish they were better or love them so much that they can't stand to bring about any change that could cause them any pain... even if that pain was productive.
Through this practice, men learn to be okay with regular, run-of-the-mill, everyday leakage.
Ecclesiastes 10:18
Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks.
The roof sinks all at once because it was neglected often over time. It sags because it hasn't sunk. Water seeps where initiative sleeps.
Cultivation requires a pessimistic frustration with the lack of productivity combined with an optimistic excitement for how much it could produce. In order to cultivate, one must hate something enough to change it, yet love it enough to see the changes through. It is easier to settle for getting along as is than it is to muster the gusto to get one over on the way things usually go.
Men don't often love things enough to make them better. They either hate them enough to wish they were better or love them so much that they can't stand to bring about any change that could cause them any pain... even if that pain was productive.
Through this practice, men learn to be okay with regular, run-of-the-mill, everyday leakage.
Ecclesiastes 10:18
Through sloth the roof sinks in, and through indolence the house leaks.
The roof sinks all at once because it was neglected often over time. It sags because it hasn't sunk. Water seeps where initiative sleeps.
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
day no. 15,051: pomplementarianism
Yesterday I was doing a little wordsmithin' wesson and came up with...
POMPLEMENTARIANISM - that thing where someone is very vocally complementarian in order to quietly maintain egalitarian exegesis.
"She doth profess too much."
POMPLEMENTARIANISM - that thing where someone is very vocally complementarian in order to quietly maintain egalitarian exegesis.
"She doth profess too much."
Monday, January 6, 2020
day no. 15,050: all my plea
When from the dust of death I rise
to claim my mansion in the skies,
e'en then this shall be all my plea,
Jesus hath lived, hath died, for me.
"Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness" - Translator: John Wesley; Author: Nicolaus Ludwig, Graf von Zinzendorf (1739)
The Christian faith is that Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried and that on the third day He rose again from the grave according to the Scriptures.
When we die, we return to the ground from which we were made. Jesus, never being made, left Heaven in order to die. When we die in Christ, we enter the Temple made not by human hands. Jesus, put on human hands in order make us His temple.
to claim my mansion in the skies,
e'en then this shall be all my plea,
Jesus hath lived, hath died, for me.
"Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness" - Translator: John Wesley; Author: Nicolaus Ludwig, Graf von Zinzendorf (1739)
The Christian faith is that Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried and that on the third day He rose again from the grave according to the Scriptures.
When we die, we return to the ground from which we were made. Jesus, never being made, left Heaven in order to die. When we die in Christ, we enter the Temple made not by human hands. Jesus, put on human hands in order make us His temple.
Sunday, January 5, 2020
day no. 15,049: i beg your pardon
"When we have done all we ever shall do, the very best state we ever shall arrive at, will be so far from meriting a reward, that it will require a pardon... if I was to live to the world's end, and do all the good that a man can do, I must still cry, 'Mercy!'" - B.B. Warfield
The Kingdom is gained by mercy, not merit; it is inherited through death by grace, not achieved through favor by works. Heaven is inhabited by pardoned criminals, not model citizens.
"All Christians are pardoned criminals." - B.B. Warfield
The Kingdom is gained by mercy, not merit; it is inherited through death by grace, not achieved through favor by works. Heaven is inhabited by pardoned criminals, not model citizens.
"All Christians are pardoned criminals." - B.B. Warfield
Saturday, January 4, 2020
day no. 15,048: the man in the mirror
1 Corinthians 13:11-12
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
Becoming a man involves repenting of childishness. You do not become a man merely by getting older. You can be a grown man physically and still be a boy spiritually.
Children talk, think and reason a particular way. The common ingredient in everything for them is their inability to NOT do whatever it is they WANT to do. If they want to say something, they say it. If they want to think a certain way, they think it and there is no reasoning them out of it. You cannot reason with them. They have an internal, indestructible logic that rules them. They are unable to rule their own spirit as evidenced by their complete utter inability to say, "No" to themselves in any capacity or to any degree.
But even the man of God who regularly says, "No" to himself in order to say, "Yes" to God sees only a glimpse of who and what he will be. The sanctified self is a mere shadow of the glorified self yet to come. Then we shall see God as He is and we shall become fully mature in Christ.
1 John 3:2
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
Colossians 1:28
Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-14
And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Philippians 3:14-16
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
Becoming a man involves repenting of childishness. You do not become a man merely by getting older. You can be a grown man physically and still be a boy spiritually.
Children talk, think and reason a particular way. The common ingredient in everything for them is their inability to NOT do whatever it is they WANT to do. If they want to say something, they say it. If they want to think a certain way, they think it and there is no reasoning them out of it. You cannot reason with them. They have an internal, indestructible logic that rules them. They are unable to rule their own spirit as evidenced by their complete utter inability to say, "No" to themselves in any capacity or to any degree.
But even the man of God who regularly says, "No" to himself in order to say, "Yes" to God sees only a glimpse of who and what he will be. The sanctified self is a mere shadow of the glorified self yet to come. Then we shall see God as He is and we shall become fully mature in Christ.
1 John 3:2
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
Colossians 1:28
Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-14
And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Philippians 3:14-16
I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Friday, January 3, 2020
day no. 15,047: a year in books, 2019 edition
1. The Holy Bible: New Testament (ESV) - Holy Spirit
2. My Utmost for His Highest - Oswald Chambers
3. The Power of Prayer: One-Minute Devotions - E.M. Bounds
4. How To Be Free From Bitterness - Jim Wilson
5. Pilgrim’s Progress - John Bunyan
6. The Ology: Ancient Truths Ever New - Marty Machowski
7. The Biggest Story - Kevin DeYoung
8. Cautionary Tales for Children - Hilaire Belloc
9. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
10. Dangerous Journey - John Bunyan
11. Pilgrim’s Progress, Part II: Christiana’s Story - John Bunyan
12. Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis
13. Lunchmeat and Life Lessons - Mary Lucas
14. Wise Words - Peter J. Leithart
15. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis
16. The Vanishing American Adult - Ben Sasse
17. The Silver Chair - C.S. Lewis
18. Where the Sidewalk Ends - Shel Silverstein
19. The Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis
20. Everything On It - Shel Silverstein
21. Gaining By Losing - J.D. Greear
22. The Little Pilgrim’s Progress - Helen L. Taylor
23. The Magician’s Nephew - C.S. Lewis
24. Why Children Matter - Douglas Wilson
25. The Last Battle - C.S. Lewis
26. My 1st Book of Questions and Answers - Carine MacKenzie
27. Partakers of Grace: The First Epistle to the Corinthians - Douglas Wilson
28. The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis
29. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs - John Foxe
30. The Jesus Storybook Bible - Sally Lloyd-Jones
31. 100 Cupboards - N,D, Wilson
32. The Heidelberg Catechism - Caspar Olevian and Ursinus Zacharias
33. A Light in the Attic - Shel Silverstein
34. Decluttering Your Marriage - Douglas Wilson
35. Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis
36. The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive - Patrick Lencioni
37. Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication, 1: Warfighting - U.S. Marine Corps
38. 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith - Various Authors
39. My 1st Book of Christian Values - Carine Mackenzie
40. The Art of Manliness: Timeless Wisdom on Living the 7 Manly Virtues - Brett McKay
41. The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis
42. The Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis
43. 100 Cupboards: Dandelion Fire - N.D. Wilson
44. Isaiah: God Saves Sinners - Ray Ortlund, Jr.
45. The Reformed Pastor - Richard Baxter
46. The Neglected Qualification - Douglas Wilson
47. European Brain Snakes - Douglas Wilson
48. The Other Side of the Coyne - Douglas Wilson
49. Church Music and other Kinds - Douglas Wilson
50. The Seven Deadlies - Douglas Wilson
51. Church Membership - Jonathan Leeman
52. Pomosexuality - Douglas Wilson
53. Man Rampant: Official Study Guide - Douglas Wilson
54. The Weight of Glory - C.S. Lewis
55. Poem For Patriarchs: The Verse and Prose of Christian Manhood - Douglas Phillips
56. Here We Stand: A 31-Day Journey with Heroes of the Reformation - Desiring God
57. My 1st Book of Christian Bible Prayers - Philip Ross
58. Warfield on the Christian Life: Living in Light of the Gospel - Fred Zaspel
59. The Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis
60. Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication, 1-1: Strategy - U.S. Marine Corps
61. Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication, 1-2: Campaigning - U.S. Marine Corps
62. Black and Tan - Douglas Wilson
63. The Neglected Qualification - Douglas Wilson
64. Eve in Exile - Rebekah Merkle
65. Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication, 1-3: Tactics - U.S. Marine Corps
66. The Man in the Dark - Douglas Wilson
67. Strong: As A Man is, So Is His Strength - Matthew Pennock
68. Future Men - Douglas Wilson
69. 100 Cupboards: The Chestnut King - N.D. Wilson
70. Orthodoxy - G.K. Chesterton
71. The Thanksgiving Story - Alice Dalgliesh
72. Same Sex Mirage - Douglas Wilson
73. Covenant Sequence in Leviticus and Deuteronomy - James B. Jordan
74. Heaven Misplaced: Christ’s Kingdom on Earth - Douglas Wilson
75. The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis
76. Marine Corps Warfighting Publication, 6-10: Leading Marines - U.S. Marine Corps
77. The Soul Winner - Charles Haddon Spurgeon
78. 100 Cupboards: The Door Before - N.D. Wilson
79. The Autobiography of George Muller - George Muller
80. The Neglected Qualification - Douglas Wilson
81. Pomosexuality - Douglas Wilson
82. European Brain Snakes - Douglas Wilson
83. Church Music and other Kinds - Douglas Wilson
84. My 1st Book of Memory Verses - Carine Mackenzie
85. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
86. The Seven Deadlies - Douglas Wilson
87. Gospel Eldership - Bob Thune
88. The Dawning of Indestructible Joy - John Piper
89. The Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis
90. A Grief Observed - C.S. Lewis
91. Good News of Great Joy - John Piper
92. Jesus Christ, Forgiver of Our Sins: The Advent of Christmas - Penelope Van Voorst
93. Worlds Between Worlds - Penelope Van Voorst
94. The Four Loves - C.S. Lewis
95. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God - Jonathan Edwards
96. How To Be Free From Bitterness - Jim Wilson
97. Good Country People - Flannery O’Connor
98. A Good Man Is Hard to Find - Flannery O’Connor
99. The Four Loves - C.S. Lewis
100. The Action Bible: New Testament - Sergio Cariello
101. The Giving Tree - Shel Silverstein
102. The Dragon and the Garden - N.D. Wilson
103. In The Time of Noah - N.D. Wilson
104. The Sword of Abram - N.D. Wilson
105. In The Name of Christ - Atticus Van Voorst
106. The Biggest Story - Kevin DeYoung
107. The Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis
108. God Rest Ye Merry: Why Christmas is the Foundation for Everything - Douglas Wilson
109. Beowulf - translated by Seamus Heaney
110. Angels in the Architecture - Douglas Wilson
111. Cautionary Tales for Children - Hilaire Belloc
3. The Power of Prayer: One-Minute Devotions - E.M. Bounds
4. How To Be Free From Bitterness - Jim Wilson
5. Pilgrim’s Progress - John Bunyan
6. The Ology: Ancient Truths Ever New - Marty Machowski
7. The Biggest Story - Kevin DeYoung
8. Cautionary Tales for Children - Hilaire Belloc
9. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
10. Dangerous Journey - John Bunyan
11. Pilgrim’s Progress, Part II: Christiana’s Story - John Bunyan
12. Prince Caspian - C.S. Lewis
13. Lunchmeat and Life Lessons - Mary Lucas
14. Wise Words - Peter J. Leithart
15. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - C.S. Lewis
16. The Vanishing American Adult - Ben Sasse
17. The Silver Chair - C.S. Lewis
18. Where the Sidewalk Ends - Shel Silverstein
19. The Horse and His Boy - C.S. Lewis
20. Everything On It - Shel Silverstein
21. Gaining By Losing - J.D. Greear
22. The Little Pilgrim’s Progress - Helen L. Taylor
23. The Magician’s Nephew - C.S. Lewis
24. Why Children Matter - Douglas Wilson
25. The Last Battle - C.S. Lewis
26. My 1st Book of Questions and Answers - Carine MacKenzie
27. Partakers of Grace: The First Epistle to the Corinthians - Douglas Wilson
28. The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis
29. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs - John Foxe
30. The Jesus Storybook Bible - Sally Lloyd-Jones
31. 100 Cupboards - N,D, Wilson
32. The Heidelberg Catechism - Caspar Olevian and Ursinus Zacharias
33. A Light in the Attic - Shel Silverstein
34. Decluttering Your Marriage - Douglas Wilson
35. Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis
36. The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive - Patrick Lencioni
37. Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication, 1: Warfighting - U.S. Marine Corps
38. 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith - Various Authors
39. My 1st Book of Christian Values - Carine Mackenzie
40. The Art of Manliness: Timeless Wisdom on Living the 7 Manly Virtues - Brett McKay
41. The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis
42. The Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis
43. 100 Cupboards: Dandelion Fire - N.D. Wilson
44. Isaiah: God Saves Sinners - Ray Ortlund, Jr.
45. The Reformed Pastor - Richard Baxter
46. The Neglected Qualification - Douglas Wilson
47. European Brain Snakes - Douglas Wilson
48. The Other Side of the Coyne - Douglas Wilson
49. Church Music and other Kinds - Douglas Wilson
50. The Seven Deadlies - Douglas Wilson
51. Church Membership - Jonathan Leeman
52. Pomosexuality - Douglas Wilson
53. Man Rampant: Official Study Guide - Douglas Wilson
54. The Weight of Glory - C.S. Lewis
55. Poem For Patriarchs: The Verse and Prose of Christian Manhood - Douglas Phillips
56. Here We Stand: A 31-Day Journey with Heroes of the Reformation - Desiring God
57. My 1st Book of Christian Bible Prayers - Philip Ross
58. Warfield on the Christian Life: Living in Light of the Gospel - Fred Zaspel
59. The Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis
60. Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication, 1-1: Strategy - U.S. Marine Corps
61. Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication, 1-2: Campaigning - U.S. Marine Corps
62. Black and Tan - Douglas Wilson
63. The Neglected Qualification - Douglas Wilson
64. Eve in Exile - Rebekah Merkle
65. Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication, 1-3: Tactics - U.S. Marine Corps
66. The Man in the Dark - Douglas Wilson
67. Strong: As A Man is, So Is His Strength - Matthew Pennock
68. Future Men - Douglas Wilson
69. 100 Cupboards: The Chestnut King - N.D. Wilson
70. Orthodoxy - G.K. Chesterton
71. The Thanksgiving Story - Alice Dalgliesh
72. Same Sex Mirage - Douglas Wilson
73. Covenant Sequence in Leviticus and Deuteronomy - James B. Jordan
74. Heaven Misplaced: Christ’s Kingdom on Earth - Douglas Wilson
75. The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis
76. Marine Corps Warfighting Publication, 6-10: Leading Marines - U.S. Marine Corps
77. The Soul Winner - Charles Haddon Spurgeon
78. 100 Cupboards: The Door Before - N.D. Wilson
79. The Autobiography of George Muller - George Muller
80. The Neglected Qualification - Douglas Wilson
81. Pomosexuality - Douglas Wilson
82. European Brain Snakes - Douglas Wilson
83. Church Music and other Kinds - Douglas Wilson
84. My 1st Book of Memory Verses - Carine Mackenzie
85. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
86. The Seven Deadlies - Douglas Wilson
87. Gospel Eldership - Bob Thune
88. The Dawning of Indestructible Joy - John Piper
89. The Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis
90. A Grief Observed - C.S. Lewis
91. Good News of Great Joy - John Piper
92. Jesus Christ, Forgiver of Our Sins: The Advent of Christmas - Penelope Van Voorst
93. Worlds Between Worlds - Penelope Van Voorst
94. The Four Loves - C.S. Lewis
95. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God - Jonathan Edwards
96. How To Be Free From Bitterness - Jim Wilson
97. Good Country People - Flannery O’Connor
98. A Good Man Is Hard to Find - Flannery O’Connor
99. The Four Loves - C.S. Lewis
100. The Action Bible: New Testament - Sergio Cariello
101. The Giving Tree - Shel Silverstein
102. The Dragon and the Garden - N.D. Wilson
103. In The Time of Noah - N.D. Wilson
104. The Sword of Abram - N.D. Wilson
105. In The Name of Christ - Atticus Van Voorst
106. The Biggest Story - Kevin DeYoung
107. The Abolition of Man - C.S. Lewis
108. God Rest Ye Merry: Why Christmas is the Foundation for Everything - Douglas Wilson
109. Beowulf - translated by Seamus Heaney
110. Angels in the Architecture - Douglas Wilson
111. Cautionary Tales for Children - Hilaire Belloc
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)