Grasping for the Wind

Does science make belief in God obsolete?

Now there's a question to provoke some interesting answers. The Templeton Foundation has asked a bunch of leading scientists, religieux, and atheists to answer the question. You can read all the essays online. Although some do some language parsing, they are all interesting.

Huh...

In the unusual things to happen to me category, for some reason a short essay I wrote for this blog back in January of 2006 has turned up at Urbanministry.org. I don't remember ever submitting the article, (and maybe I didn't) but it is still cool. I think this is one of the better things I have written, actually. Still, I had forgotten all about it and I'm not sure why it has turned up here except that maybe one of the folks I know who work on the site stuck it up there.

The article is about making short term mission trips more holistic, and was the answer to a question in one of my Chalmers Center courses. The Chalmers Center is a correspondence school that is teaching Christians about integrating business and missions.

I know a couple of the folks at Techmission.org, who run the site where the article was posted, but hey, if people find it helpful, more power to them.

Still, its weird to see your name and being called a speaker/author like you actually have some sort of validity and importance to your random thinking.

Book Review: Growingold with B.C. by Johnny Hart

* Genre: Humor, Comics
* ISBN: 1933160683
* ISBN-13: 9781933160689
* Format: Paperback, 195pp
* Publisher: Checker Book Publishing Group, LLC
* Pub. Date: November 2007

FYI: Unbeknownst to many, Johnny Hart was an unapologetic Christian, as this article in a 1997 issue of "Christianity Today" clearly shows.

While I didn’t grow old with B.C., I was able to appreciate Growingold with B.C., the very last compilation of the famous comic by Johnny Hart before his death in April 2007. A retrospective of the comic over the fifty years of its publication, Growingold with B.C. is a short overview of the comic during its award winning run.

The first part of the book looks directly at the characters and the people or situations that inspired Hart to create them. Some of the characters (including Wiley and B.C. himself) were caricatures of real people and real friends of Hart. Others, such as Fat Broad, allowed Hart to replicate humorous situations he encountered in real life. B. C. was always a comic that looked at the real world and found the humor within. As some of the fifty years of personal pictures of Hart that are included with the book show, this was the way that Hart saw life, and he seemed to be one of those people who never passed up an opportunity to make people laugh.

The second part of the book looks at B.C. retrospectively beginning with a few of the early comics, and moving decade by decade up until Hart’s final few strips in the new millennium. Along the way, the awards Hart gained for B.C. are highlighted and the editors (some of whom were his family, who helped finish the book after he passed away during its development) picked out some of the funniest and some of the most poignant of his strips from a fifty year span. As you read through the strips, you can tell that the compilation of these was a labor of love.

Although at times Hart’s humor was either above my head or simply made no sense, for the most part B.C. was a strip of wit and satire. I always particularly enjoyed some of Hart’s subtle wordplay (a lot of which he attributes to his wife’s help) as culminated in the strips containing Wiley’s Dictionary. Hart would take a mundane word, and give it a definition that makes sense, but was clearly nothing like we expected it to be. Such wordplay, when I read this strip everyday in my local paper, engendered in me a love of words, and the subtleties and funny inconsistencies that are rampant within them. What Lynne Truss has done in recent years with her book on grammar Eats, Shoots, and Leaves Hart has been doing for fifty years.

And of course, there are the other strips. Some were poking fun at current culture, some at relationships, and some just oddly humorous for no apparent reason. Hart had a gift for seeing the absurd in life and weaving it into his strips. He wasn’t always funny, and Growingold with B.C. is enough of a cross section that at times readers will read strips that seem to fall flat funnywise, but for the most part Hart was a master of wit. And what took many words for others to make funny, Hart could do with a few sparse pictures and a couple well placed words. This is a collection for any B.C. fan, teachers of English will find it useful, and people who enjoy wit will find this a great introduction to Johnny Hart’s work. Growingold with B.C. isn’t overfull of strips and has just the right amount of material to allow the reader to enjoy them without tiring of them.

Christianity in Space: An Interview with Chris Walley

Chris Walley is the author of The Lamb Among the Stars a series set in the far future that has a unique setting. His novel discusses good and evil within the context of Christian understanding, something very unlike its contemporaries. Walley was kind enough to answer of a few of my questions about his series, his life as a geologist, and the relationship between science and faith. (You can read my review of his first book here.)

Grasping for the Wind: Tell us a little bit about the genesis of your speculative fiction trilogy, The Lamb Among the Stars. Where did the idea come from?

Chris Walley: I was converted into a Christianity of the sort of reformed tradition that took the Puritans seriously. I was intrigued that many of them held the view that there would be a great and long time of blessing before the End came. As I thought about that the question came to me ‘what it would be like to be at the end of such a Golden Age?’ At the time, I was working in Beirut during the civil war and issues of good and evil were brutally on the agenda. Finally one day, I had this image of my hero walking across the wintery landscape of a made world and things started to come together. But it’s been a long haul!

GFTW: Christians writing science fiction is a rare thing. Why do you think this is?

CW: I don't think it should be a rare thing, but I agree it seems to be. I am very concerned that, unlike our ancestors, many Christians have rather given up on any sort of future. Indeed, there is a slightly despairing mood around that basically says ‘all we need to do is hang on until the Rapture’. Well the end may be imminent – I will be delighted to be wrong – but my reading of Scripture is that we are to prepare for the long haul. We have also become scared of science. Shame on us!

GFTW: On the blog Speculative Faith, you have claimed that science can do a great job in explaining spiritual matters. How is this so?

CW: I think there are several reasons why science is of help. The first is that even if they do not understand science (how many of us can explain the principles on which a cellphone, GPS or even an aircraft operate?) people acknowledge that it must be true because it works. In doing so the great agnostic argument ‘I cannot believe in your God because I cannot understand him’ is undermined. The second reason is that the world revealed by science is very complex and very strange. After you have read anything of modern physics the doctrine of the Trinity or predestination seems far less problematic. A third and related reason is that science is enormously humbling.

GFTW: You are a geologist and teacher by trade. Why did you feel called to study what we here in the US often call “Rocks for Jocks”?

CW: Actually, I never felt ‘called’ to study geology. I was not a Christian when I became a geologist, but despite my repeated attempts to be called to the other things (I am quite open to becoming a successful full-time writer!) God has seen fit to keep me in the rock world. There are actually a lot of parallels between geology and writing fiction. To examine a sequence of dull, dusty rocks and conjure up from that some ancient world of steamy swamps and vanished ecosystems is a considerable exercise of imagination.

GFTW: Your science fiction novel The Shadow and Night is deeply philosophical rather than action intensive. Why did you spend so much time exploring the philosophical implications of the entrance of evil into Farholme society?

CW: I hope the ‘deeply philosophical’ isn’t too off-putting! The action increases in the series and by the time we get to the The Infinite Day any philosophy or theology is largely discussed while the characters are either running or reloading. But I am unrepentant about taking time to set the stage in the first volume. One of the problems of the world that we live in is that we have become utterly blasé about evil. We assume that it is normal and it has lost its shock value. What I have tried to do is paint innocence first so that the true nature of evil is made clearer. It is long-felt belief of mine that by relegating evil to truly monstrous men and women doing appalling acts of bloodshed we overlooked the fact that the vast majority of evil is quite undramatic but equally damning.

GFTW: Merral is both deeply flawed and truly heroic. Was his character modeled on anyone in particular?

CW: Merral’s weaknesses are my own; Merral’s heroism is imagined! I have however tried to make him very much an Everyman; a figure that we can all identify with. What is, I think, particularly compelling about Merral is that this is a man who we first meet in a state of innocence who is forced to become the greatest warrior of his age. He never quite loses the horror of having blood on his hands.

GFTW: Why did you have Merral be so dependent on outside help (i.e. Vero, Anya, Perena, the angel of the Lord) for success?

CW: Another fascinating question! Let me suggest two reasons. One of the problems of action novels is that we tend to create heroes with such mighty abilities that they do not need grace. I can't identify with such people and I'm not sure your readers can either. As an aside, they are not actually very interesting creatures. A second reason is the terrible subtlety of evil; how concentrating on a spectacular external evil may cause us to overlook the no less deadly evil within us. Merral’s greatest enemy is always himself.

GFTW: Did you find it difficult to mesh the science (which is based in what we know in 2008) of the Made Worlds with the Christian culture of the Assembly when you were writing?

CW: Handling advanced science is very difficult. I first started drafting ideas for the first novel 20 years ago, and some of the technology I dreamed of then is now available in the shops today! I have actually largely minimised science innovations; one of the great emphases of the Assembly is that it has a great deal of caution about science and technology. Someone has commented that the Assembly are the ‘Amish in Space’; it's not entirely true, but there is something in it. So other than travel between stars through Gates and gravity modification there is very little that is new in the Assembly technology. However as readers soon find out, there are other cultures about who have no such limits.

GFTW: What can you tell us about how the story progresses in The Dark Foundations and The Infinite Day?

CW: Well I'm not going to give you any plot spoilers, but rest assured that soon enough the action comes fast and furious. There is also a progressive escalation of scale. We start off in a quiet, cosy rural world where nothing has happened and we end up with bloody battles in a war that involves a trillion people and a distance of 600 light years. Someone made the off-the-cuff comment that he thought the series was as if C. S. Lewis had written Star Wars. It’s a bizarre thought, but I take it as a compliment and a reflection on the scale of what happens. What I can promise is that evil is defeated but it is not defeated easily. A price is paid.

GFTW: What speculative fiction novels would you recommend other than Tolkien or Lewis?

CW: Ah, here you have embarrassed me! Because I had always had to squeeze my writing into my spare time I have not read as much as I should of late. Where I have read fantasy recently, I have been rather disappointed. Modern British fantasy, for instance, tends to be either dark and gloomy. That’s partly why I write my own tales! I've promised myself that some day I will go into my local bookshop and buy a great pile of speculative fiction. But in the past I’ve enjoyed both Arthur C. Clarke and Asimov – his Foundation trilogy in particular is a great story and probably a subtle influence on my own works.

GFTW: Any parting thoughts?

CW: Only to say that I'm grateful for all the questions. Writing is a lonely pastime, and sometimes you need external questions to make you think about what you're actually doing and trying to achieve. Oh and if anybody reads the books and wants to comment or contact me they can get me either on what is now becoming a pretty well populated facebook fan site [http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2216305373] or via my own website [www.chriswalley.net].

This interview is part of the February 2008 CSFF Blog Tour. Other participants include:

Brandon Barr; Jim Black; Justin Boyer; Grace Bridges; Jackie Castle; Carol Bruce Collett ; Valerie Comer; CSFF Blog Tour; Gene Curtis; D. G. D. Davidson; Chris Deanne; Janey DeMeo; Jeff Draper; April Erwin; Marcus Goodyear; Rebecca Grabill ; Jill Hart; Katie Hart; Michael Heald; Timothy Hicks; Christopher Hopper; Heather R. Hunt; Jason Joyner; Kait; Carol Keen; Mike Lynch; Margaret; Rachel Marks; Shannon McNear; Melissa Meeks; Rebecca LuElla Miller; Mirtika or Mir's Here; Pamela Morrisson; Eve Nielsen; John W. Otte; John Ottinger; Deena Peterson; Rachelle; Steve Rice; Ashley Rutherford; Chawna Schroeder; James Somers; Rachelle Sperling; Donna Swanson; Steve Trower; Speculative Faith; Robert Treskillard; Jason Waguespac; Laura Williams; Timothy Wise

The Manga Bible

Found out about this today. I should have seen it coming. Still, it might be interesting to take a look at it, even if it seems a little off the wall. The Manga Bible is a new product from Doubleday that is trying to bring the Bible relevance, especially to young folks who like Manga style books.

The New York Times article says that:

In the Manga Bible, whose heroes look and sound like skateboarders in Bedouin gear, Noah gets tripped up counting the animals in the Ark: “That’s 11,344 animals? Arggh! I’ve lost count again. I’m going to have to start from scratch!”

Abraham rides a horse out of an explosion to save Lot. Og, king of Bashan, looms like an early Darth Vader. The Sermon on the Mount did not make the book, though, because there was not enough action to it."

Personally I think while it might be entertaining to read (I mean the Bible is chock full of sex and violence, its like Terry Goodkind on steroids) it is sacrificing relevance for truth in a lot of cases. And it isn't complete anyway.

So would you read it? The US edition only costs $12.95.

What do you think of the idea of a Manga Bible?

Christian UFOlogist?

Interesting discussion going on over at Worldmagblog, where writer Lynn Vincent discusses her encounter with a UFO and her Christian beliefs. The top comment also has a link to a lecture by a self identified Christian UFOlogist named Michael Heiser who is also a credible academic and author of a novel about Area 51, UFO's and the like called The Facade.

This has kind of been on my mind lately because I am currently reading The Shadow and Night by Chris Walley, an explicitly Christian science fiction novel set eleven thousand years in the future, which so far is absolutely engrossing. Nice to know others struggle with such strange things. After all, how does a Christian write about alien races or genetic science without seeming to be anti-science?

A Year of Reading 2008

This is a continually updated list of all the books I have read in the year 2008. Links are to reviews I have written for some of these books. You can also look at my list for 2007.

January February March April May June
July August September October November December

January

Series 65: Uniform Investment Adviser Law Exam Manual by Kaplan Financial
The Prodigal Troll by Charles Coleman Finlay
Instant Knowledge by the editors at mental_floss
The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes
In The Beginning by the editors at mental_floss
Eberron: Bound by Iron by Edward Bolme
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
Bash Down the Door and Slice Open the Badguy edited by W. H. Horner
Hunter's Run by George R. R. Martin, Gardner Dozois and Daniel Abraham
A Bit of Madness by Emmanuel Civiello and Thomas Mosdi
Goblin Hero by Jim C. Hines
The Shadow and Night by Chris Walley
Dragon Outcast by E. E. Knight

February

Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse edited by John Joseph Adams
Breach the Hull edited by Mike McPhail
Confessor by Terry Goodkind
Blood Ties by Pamela Freeman
Sojourn Volume 6: The Bezerker's Tale by Ian Edgington and Greg Land
Forgotten Realms: Neversfall by Ed Gentry
Infoquake by David Louis Edelman
The Golden Cord by Paul Genesse
Grimspace by Ann Aguirre

March

The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells
Madhouse by Rob Thurman
The Dead Guy Interviews by Michael Stusser
The Hidden City by Michelle West
Klassic Koalas: Ancient Aboriginal Tales in New Retellings by Lee Barwood
Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
Growingold with B. C. by Johnny Hart

April

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Small Favor by Jim Butcher
Heroes Adrift by Moira J. Moore
Misspelled edited by Jule E. Czerneda
Flash Fiction Online, April 2008 edited by Jake Freivald
Rolling Thunder by John Varley
Empress by Karen Miller
Phytosphere by Scott Mackay
Goblin War by Jim C. Hines
Return of the Sword edited by Jason M. Waltz

May

Shadowmarch by Tad Williams
Forgotten Realms: Obsidian Ridge by Jess Lebow
Iron Man: Beneath the Armor by Andy Mangels
The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt
Bloodheir by Brian Ruckley
The Martian General's Daughter by Theodore Judson
The Four Forges by Jenna Rhodes
Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan

June

A Darkness Forged in Fire by Chris Evans
Wizards edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois

July

August

September

October

November

December

January February March April May June
July August September October November December

A Year of Reading 2007

The Year is Done! I hope you had a great one and have high hopes for 2008. Below is a list of all the books I read in 2007 (I like to keep track because I am just that hyper-organized). The final five have reviews written that I just haven't posted because every review deserves a suitable amount of time at the top of the blog. You will see them in January of 2008.

January February March April May June
July August September October November December

January

Tuf Voyaging by George R. R. Martin
Condensed Knowledge by the editors at mental_floss
Crown of Stars by Kate Elliott
In the Ruins by Kate Elliott
Gifts by Ursula K. Le Guin
Changing Planes by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke
Monks and Mystics by Mindy and Brandon Withrow
Outposts: Journeys to the Surviving Relics of the British Empire by Simon Winchester
Dying of the Light by George R. R. Martin
Life@Work by John Maxwell
The Children of Men by P.D. James
Forgotten Realms: Frostfell by Mark Sehestedt
The Druids by Peter Berresford Ellis

February

The Magic of Recluce by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
Forgotten Realms: Sacrifice of the Widow by Lisa Smedman
Dragon Champion by E. E. Knight
Forgotten Realms: Double Diamond Triangle Saga by Various Authors
Outwitting History by Aaron Lansky
Forbidden Knowledge by the editors at mental_floss

March

Three Blind Mice and Other Stories by Agatha Christie
Witness for the Prosecution and Other Stories by Agatha Christie
Rome 2006 by Rick Steves
Supplement to the Italian Dictionary by Bruno Munari
Keats and Italy by Various Authors
The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
Night by Elie Wiesel
Dachshunds for Dummies by Eve Adamson
Legend by David Gemmell
Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe by James M. Ward

April

Forgotten Realms: Depths of Madness by Erik Scott de Bie
The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories by Agatha Christie
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
Shakespeare's Kings by John Julius Norwich
On Becoming a Leader by Warren Bennis
The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain
Black Gate: Issue 10 Spring 2007 by John O'Neill (ed.) and Howard Andrew Jones (ed.)
Forgotten Realms - Unclean: The Haunted Lands, Book I by Richard Lee Byers

May

Dragon Avenger by E. E. Knight
Eldest by Christopher Paolini
Scatterbrained by the editors at Mental_Floss
The Prestige by Christopher Priest
Real Estate Finance for Investment Properties by Steve Berges
The Clerk's Tale by Margaret Frazer
The Bastard's Tale by Margaret Frazer
The Hunter's Tale by Margaret Frazer
Forgotten Realms - The Gossamer Plain: The Empyrean Odyssey Book 1 by Thomas M. Reid
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The King's Buccaneer by Raymond E. Fiest
The King Beyond the Gate by David Gemmell
The Unhandsome Prince by John Moore
A Fate Worse than Dragons by John Moore
Maskerade by Terry Pratchett
The Truth by Terry Pratchett
Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett

June

Interesting Times by Terry Pratchett
The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
The Restorer by Sharon Hinck
Another Fine Myth/Myth Conceptions by Robert Asprin
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Father of Dragons by L. B. Graham

July

Black History Through Blue Eyes: The Debt the World Owes to Africa by James Seymour
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Forgotten Realms: Scream of Stone, The Watercourse Trilogy Book III by Philip Athans
The Case of the Missing Books by Ian Sansom
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees
Dangerous Visions edited by Harlan Ellison
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
The Widow's Tale by Margaret Frazer
A Rhyming History of Britain by James Muirden, David Eccles (Illustrator)

August

More Than A Hobby by David Green
Real Estate Investment Trusts: Structure, Performance, and Investment Opportunities by Su Han Chan, John Erickson, Ko Wang
Tipperary: A Novel by Frank Delaney
Explorer's House: National Geographic and the World It Made by Robert M. Poole
Forgotten Realms: The Howling Delve by Jaleigh Johnson
A Life Well Spent: The Eternal Rewards of Investing Yourself and Your Money in Your Family by Russ Crosson
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
The Telling by Ursula K. Le Guin

September

Black Gate Issue #11 by John O'Neill (ed.)
The Surrogates by Robert Venditti, Brett Weldele
Shadowstorm by Paul S. Kemp
Forgotten Realms: Swords of Dragonfire by Ed Greenwood
Forgotten Realms: Shadowstorm by Paul S. Kemp
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Honored Enemy by Raymond E. Feist and William R. Fortschen
Murder in LaMut by Raymond E. Feist and Joel Rosenberg
Forgotten Realms: Storm of the Dead by Lisa Smedman
The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What it Means for All of Us by Robyn Meredith
The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller
Union of Renegades by Tracy Falbe
Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley

October

Wind Follower by Carole McDonnell
The Sagittarius Command by R. M. Meluch
The Summoner by Gail Z. Martin
Making Money by Terry Pratchett
Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell
Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines

November

Scarlet by Stephen R. Lawhead
The Princes of the Golden Cage by Nathalie Mallet
Green Rider by Kristen Britain
The Phoenix Unchained by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory
Forgotten Realms: Stardeep by Bruce Cordell
The Awakened Mage by Karen Miller
Forgotten Realms: The Orc King by R. A. Salvatore
Ragamuffin by Tobias Buckell
A Prayer for the Damned by Peter Tremayne
The Blue Haired Bombshell by John Zakour
Hedge Hunters by Katherine Burton
Sails and Sorcery: Tales of Nautical Fantasy edited by W. H. Horner
Shimmer, The Pirate Issue edited by John Joseph Adams

December

Eberron: The Orb of Xoriat by Edward Bolme
Sojourn: The Sorcerer's Tale by Ian Edgington and Greg Land
Across the Face of the World by Russell Kirkpatrick
Forgotten Realms: Crypt of the Moaning Diamond by Rosemary Jones
Fellowship Fantastic by Martin H. Greenberg and Kerrie Hughes
Genetopia by Keith Brooke
The Tales of the Last War edited by Mark Sehestedt
Bad A** Faeries edited by Danielle Ackley-McPhail
Robin Hood and the Beasts of Sherwood by Clayton Emery
Tides by Scott Mackay
Auralia's Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet

January February March April May June
July August September October November December

Book Reviews by Title

These are the my book reviews, categorized alphabetically by the title. (Click here for categorization by author.) "The" doesn't count towards the title.

You can also subscribe to an RSS feed of my reviews at librarything.

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

A

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
A Rhyming History of Britain by James Muirden (author) and David Eccles (illustrator)
Across the Face of the World by Russell Kirkpatrick
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
Are Women Human? by Dorothy Sayers
Auralia's Colors by Jeffrey Overstreet
The Awakened Mage by Karen Miller

B

Bad-A** Faeries edited by Danielle Ackley-McPhail (et al.)
Badger's Moon by Peter Tremayne
Bash Down the Door and Slice Open the Badguy edited by W. H. Horner
Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
Beyond the Summerland by L. B. Graham
Breach the Hull edited by Mike McPhail
A Bit of Madness by Emmanuel Civiello and Thomas Mosdi
Black Gate: Issue #11 edited by John O'Neill
Black History Through Blue Eyes: The Debt the World Owes to Africa by James Seymour
The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Bloodheir by Brain Ruckley
Blood Ties by Pamela Freedman
The Blue-Haired Bombshell by John Zakour

C

The Children of Men by P. D. James
The Clerk's Tale by Margaret Frazer
Confessor by Terry Goodkind
The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt
The Crown of Stars Series by Kate Elliott
Crystal Rain by Tobias Buckell
Condensed Knowledge by the editors of mental_floss

D

Dangerous Visions edited by Harlan Ellison
The Dead Guy Interviews by Michael Stusser
The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells
Dragon Champion by E. E. Knight
Dragon Outcast
The Druids by Peter Berresford Ellis
Dying of the Light by George R. R. Martin

E

Eberron: Bound by Iron by Edward Bolme
Eberron: The Orb of Xoriat by Edward Bolme
Eberron: The Tales of the Last War by Mark Sehestedt
The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What it Means for All of Us by Robyn Meredith
Empress by Karen Miller
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Explorer's House: National Geographic and the World It Made by Robert M. Poole

F

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Fellowship Fantastic by Martin H. Greenberg and Kerrie Hughes
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
Flash Fiction Online, April 2008 edited by Jake Freivald
Forgotten Realms: The City of Splendors by Elaine Cunningham and Ed Greenwood
Forgotten Realms: Crypt of the Moaning Diamond by Rosemary Jones
Forgotten Realms: The Gossamer Plain by Thomas M. Reid
Forgotten Realms: The Howling Delve by Jaleigh Johnson
Forgotten Realms: Obsidian Ridge by Jess Lebow
Forgotten Realms: The Orc King by R. A. Salvatore
Forgotten Realms: Road of the Patriarch by R. A . Salvatore
Forgotten Realms: Shadowstorm by Paul S. Kemp
Forgotten Realms: Stardeep by Bruce Cordell
Forgotten Realms: Swords of Dragonfire by Ed Greenwood
Forgotten Realms: Unclean by Richard Lee Byers

G

Genetopia by Keith Brooke
The Gift of Pain by Paul Brand and Philip Yancey
Glory Road by Robert Heinlein
Green Rider by Kristen Britain
Goblin Hero by Jim C. Hines
Goblin Quest by Jim C. Hines
Goblin War by Jim C. Hines
The Golden Cord by Paul Genesse
Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
Growingold with B.C. by Johnny Hart

H

Hedge Hunters by Katherine Burton
Henry V (Classical Comics Edition) by William Shakespeare
Heroes Adrift by Moira J. Moore
The Hidden City by Michelle West
Honored Enemy by Raymond E. Feist and William R. Fortschen
Hood by Stephen Lawhead
Hunter's Run by George R. R. Martin, Gardner Dozois, and Daniel Abraham

I

Infoquake by David Louis Edelman
The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain
The Innocent Mage by Karen Miller
Iron Man: Beneath the Armor by Andy Mangels

J

J. R. R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter
The Junior Books by Dave Ramsey

K

Klasssic Koalas: Ancient Aboriginal Tales in New Retellings by Lee Barwood
Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan
The Know-It-All by A. J. Jacobs

L

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin
Legend by David Gemmell
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
Life@Work by John C. Maxwell

M

Madhouse by Rob Thurman
Magician by Raymond E. Feist
The Magic of Recluce by L. E. Moedesitt Jr.
Making Money by Terry Pratchett
Master of Souls by Peter Tremayne
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan
Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe by James M. Ward
Misspelled edited by Julie E. Czerneda
Monks and Mystics by Mindy and Brandon Withrow
Moon Gate by David Weldon and William Proctor
More Than A Hobby by David Green
The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson
Murder in LaMut by Raymond E. Feist and Joel Rosenberg

N

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Night by Elie Wiesel
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

O

On Becoming A Leader by Warren Bennis
Outposts: Journeys to the Surviving Relics of the British Empire by Simon Winchester
Outwitting History by Aaron Lansky

P

Phantom by Terry Goodkind
The Pendragon Cycle by Stephen Lawhead
The Phoenix Unchained by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory
Phytosphere by Scott Mackay
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
The Prestige by Christopher Priest
The Princes of the Golden Cage by Nathalie Mallet
The Prodigal Troll by Charles Coleman Finlay

Q

R

Ragamuffin by Tobias Buckell
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
The Restorer by Sharon Hinck
Return of the Sword edited by Jason M. Waltz
The Rick Steves' Travel Guide Series by Rick Steves
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Robin Hood and the Beasts of Sherwood by Clayton Emery
Rolling Thunder by John Varley

S

The Sagittarius Command by R. M. Meluch
Sails and Sorcery: Tales of Nautical Fantasy edited by W. H. Horner
Scarlet by Stephen Lawhead
Shadow in the Deep by L. B. Graham
The Shadow and Night by Chris Walley
Shadowmarch by Tad Williams
Shakespeare's Kings by John Julius Norwich
Shimmer, The Pirate Issue edited by John Joseph Adams
Small Favor by Jim Butcher
Smoke in the Wind by Peter Tremayne
Sojourn: The Bezerker's Tale by Ian Edgington and Greg Land
Sojourn: The Sorcerer's Tale by Ian Edgington and Greg Land
The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes
The Summoner by Gail Z. Martin
The Surrogates, Vol. 1 by Robert Venditti

T

Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
Thud! by Terry Pratchett
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Tides by Scott Mackay
Tipperary: A Novel by Frank Delaney
The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn
The Truth by Terry Pratchett

U

Union of Renegades by Tracy Falbe

V

W

Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse edited by John Joseph Adams
Wind Follower by Carole McDonnell
Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley

X

Y

Z

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Guest Book Review: The Stories of Jesus Board Books by Edward and Sarah Bolme

* Authors: Edward and Sarah Bolme
* Genre: Children's Books, Christianity
* ISBN: 0972554645
* ISBN-13: 9780972554640
* Format: Board Book, 20pp
* Publisher: Crest Publications
* Pub. Date: April 2003

Guest Review by K. Hake

Our 7 month old is a bundle of restless energy. Given a choice between crawling around the house shrieking to herself and sitting on daddy's lap with a book, the shrieking wins every time. Having been born into an intensely literary family, though, she doesn't always have that choice and my wife and I are greedy for books that will capture her attention even for a few minutes.

The Stories of Jesus collection from Baby Bible Board Books fits the bill. The four titles each contain twenty pages. The brightly colored anime-esque art work has enough detail to provide some pointing opportunities ("Where's the butterfly, Sadie?") while not being busy. The text can be read in its entirety without resorting to summarizing a page of print before she looses patience. It is encouraging to my wife and me to be filling her little mind with stories of her Savior's life on earth before she is even able to talk and the application to a child's world on the last page of each book along with a related memory verse will enable her to grow into the books and see how God's word ought to bear fruit in our behavior.

The sturdy, baby-sized (5x5 inch) cardboard pages and binding have stood up to some energetic waving and being chased around the tile floors. Sadie approved of each with a taste test, as well, which caused some temporary swelling along the edge of Jesus Feeds The People (no multiplication of the book took place). We would look for collection #2 of these books!

The Baby Bible Board Books series works to "teach essential stories of Jesus with delightful illustrations and simple, clear text. Each story also ends with a simple lesson to help your young soul love Jesus." and is written by Edward and Sarah Bolme. Edward Bolme is also the author of several novels set in Wizards of the Coast's Eberron and Forgotten Realms fantasy role-playing settings.

Notes: A Sermon by Lee Strobel on "Why We Believe What We Believe"

First Redeemer Church
11-18-2007
Lee Strobel: “Why We Believe What We Believe”

Opening Story: Cracker Barrel – mistaking “Buenos Dias” for “What’s a Deist?”

Strobel’s Background:

- Strobel became atheist at 14 years old
o Felt that people created God because of a fear of death
o Became journalist living by the motto “if your mother says she loves you, check it out”
- Strobel’s #1 value at the time was to get maximum pleasure
o Became a narcissist, angry person
o His own daughter’s natural reaction was to hide from him whenever he came home because of his anger
- Married an Agnostic
o Leslie became a Christian through a downstairs neighbor
o Strobel’s first reaction was to divorce her
o Leslie invited him to church (Bill Hybel’s in Chicago)
o He decided to investigate Christianity journalistically

2 Key Questions

- Did Jesus really claim to be the Son of God?
- Did he back it up by rising from the dead?
o 1 Corinthians 15:17 – “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”

1. The Claim

a. Richard Dawkins and The God Delusion claims that there is minimal evidence of Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God. (False)

b. Gospel of Mark is based on Peter’s eyewitness account and is oldest record
i. It is an ancient historical document, no matter its truth
ii. Most common way that Jesus referred to himself is as “The Son of Man”
iii. But the “Son of Man” refers to ”>Daniel 7wherein he is described as eternal, divine

The Son of Man Is Given Dominion

13 “I saw in the night visions,

and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
14 And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed.

iv. When Jesus says “Son of Man” he is claiming divinity and humanity, both
v. Mark 14:61-64 - “Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving death.”
vi. John 10:30 – “I and the Father are one.”

2. The Proof

i. Execution
1. He was truly dead not a “fortuitous resuscitation”
2. He was flogged and in hypoglycemic shock from loss of blood
3. Strobel reads eyewitness account of a Roman flogging
4. crucifixion – a slow death by suffocation and finally by heart attack from lack of oxygen
5. spear that penetrated heart and lung
6. 5 outside sources verify his death (Tacitus, Talmud, Josephus, and others)

ii. Early Accounts
1. Resurrection as legend?
2. the creed from the earliest Christians recognizes his Resurrection and even includes the names of eyewitnesses including skeptics converted – Paul (I Corinthians 15:3 ff.)

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed."

3. This creed is dated only 2-5 years after his death
4. according to scholars, even 2 generations is not long enough for legend to obscure fact
5. Biblical accounts as well

iii. Empty Tomb
1. it was sealed and guarded
2. Discovered by several WOMEN!
a. Criterion of embarrassment – a person is not going to make up something that is actually embarrassing, as this was, so it is more likely to be fact.
b. Women were not credible witnesses under Jewish Law so that also works with the criterion of embarrassment
3. everyone in the first century conceded it was empty
4. Why make up a story if the body was there?

iv. Eyewitnesses
1. a dozen appearances after the Resurrection
2. 515 eyewitnesses including skeptics (i.e. Paul and others)
3. he appeared in various places, inside and outside, individually and in groups
4. Was it hallucinations?
a. Hallucinations are like dreams, they are personal and cannot occur en masse
b. They are not contagious and are individual events
c. “515 people having hallucinations is a bigger miracle than the Resurrection itself”
5. Cowards become brace after seeing Him
a. Willingness to die proves nothing (i.e. 9/11 terrorists)
b. People will die for their religious beliefs if they sincerely believe they are true (disciples, martyrs etc.)
c. They will NOT die for their beliefs if they know they are false.
d. Therefore the disciples knew the truth of the Resurrection and were willing to die for it.

Strobel’s Conversion

- Came to faith on November 8, 1981
- Came to conclusion that “it takes more faith to maintain my atheism” than to believe in Christianity
- John 1:12 – “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
o Believe + Receive = Become
- After conversion
o Ezekiel 36:26 – “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
o Life began to change – no longer as angry or narcissistic
o His daughter (who had feared him) came to faith 5-6 months after his conversion and said “I want God to do for me what he has done for my daddy.” – She is now a Christian Novelist
o His son is seeking a doctorate in philosophy

Ended with prayer and admonition to come to faith in Jesus Christ.

Notes: A Book Reading with A.J. Jacobs

A Book Reading with A.J. Jacobs
MJCCA Book Festival 11/9/2007
Sweetwater Brewing Company Brew Ha-Ha

Author of The Know-it-All (my review) and The Year of Living Biblically

- believes in full immersion in projects
- likes to think of himself as human guinea pig; his “life as a laboratory”.

- Two key articles
o My Outsourced Life in Esquire – outsourced his life to a company in India, and lazed about for a month. Best month of his life.
o I Think You’re Fat – tried out radical honesty, where you lack a filter on what you say. Worst month of his life.
- grew up in a secular home
o He is, “Jewish in the way Olive Garden is Italian.”

- Steps to writing The Year of Living Biblically
o Bought a stack of Bibles
o Collected a board of spiritual advisors
o Read the Bible in several versions and made a list of 700 rules to follow.
o Followed them.
1. Some easier than others, such as in Leviticus 20:27 (ESV) “They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.” All Jacobs had to do was avoid picking a fight.

- There were 2 hard rules to follow
o Avoiding the sins we commit every day such as lying, gossip and coveting
1. “I never became a saint, never became Angelina Jolie.”
2. But in pretending to be a better person, he became one.
o there were rules that were troubling in modern day America, such as stoning adulterers
1. Bypassed this by only using pebbles.
2. Read story from The Year of Living Biblically (pg. 91-94, Day 62) about running into a man who admitted to being an adulterer and the end result of his attempt to stone him.

- There were 2 motivations for writing The Year of Living Biblically
o Genuine spiritual inquiry – sparked by his need to raise up his son morally
o His concern with fundamentalism
- found that the interpretations of words is important
o found out that stoning is not what we traditionally think of it as (i.e. throwing rocks) but actually throwing off a cliff, when the person was drunk.
- Jacobs “Out Bible talked a Jehovah’s Witness”.
- Ironically, he is going to appear on the cover of an evangelical magazine and in Penthouse and Playboy at the same time.

- 4 lessons learned
o Thou shalt give thanks.
o Thou shalt be reverent.
1. Jacobs started out as an agnostic, came out a reverent agnostic – meaning that he appreciates the sacredness of things more
o Thou shalt not stereotype
o Thou shalt pick and choose
- The journey took Jacobs “from the sublime to the ridiculous, and back again”
- When asked if he used the Torah as well as the Bible Jacobs replied that he wanted to, “get back to the original intent, almost like an Antonin Scalia of the Bible!”

Read more at A. J. Jacobs Blog or at mental_floss, where he is regular contributor both to the print magazine and their blog.

Happy Halloween and Blessed Reformation Day

Everyone knows about Halloween. Today is the day we dress up as ghouls and goblins, superheroes, or even other strange things. We get creative, like Ross on Friends (remember Spud-nik?) or we avoid the celebration entirely. And this is all harmless fun.

But we should also remember that today is the traditional day we celebrate a turning point in Western Civilization. Today was the day that Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the Wittenburg door, sparking the Reformation, and changing the political and cultural landscape of Europe irrevocably. And this is a good thing. Without the Reformation, it is unlikely that the Renaissance would have held the power it did, and ultimately, that the power of the princes would be broken, and democracy allowed to flourish. Religion would have had a stranglehold on people, and we would not have the freedom to question ourselves and seek God.

No matter what your religion, Reformation Day is an important day. Without the changes the 95 theses sparked, freedom of religion would have come much later in history, if at all, and the technological and cultural advances of the age would have been regulated to a specific period, rather than becoming the very essence of Western Civilization. And no matter your heritage, you must realize that Western Civilization has historically been the most free, giving birth to constitutional monarchies and democratic republics. This may not always be the case in the future, but for now it is.

So as you wander around with your kids tonight gathering that luscious candy, remember also the great change that swept Europe on this day in 1517.

For a simple way to introduce your children to Martin Luther, buy this book, and read the chapter on Luther, with its fictional story and factual information.

A Geographical History of Religion in 90 Seconds

The Revival of Illumination and Calligraphy

No matter what your religious stance is, you need to go take a look at the St. John's Bible, a worldwide effort to reproduce the Bible with illumination and calligraphy using the same methods as in the Middle Ages. Although it is a Catholic Bible (it includes the apocrypha) the fact that someone had the idea that this $4 million dollar project (mostly donor dollars) is being undertaken is astounding.

Parts of the St. John's Bible are on tour, in very limted places. (the UK and Canada only have on stop left each) and the entire document is scheduled to be completed in 2009.

The art is a mix of modern and ancient, and the book titles and capitals are fascinating to look at.

Christianity Today has an article describing the project.

Notes: A Sermon by Honorable Governor Mike Huckabee

I went to a sermon delivered by Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor seeking the Republication nomination for U.S. President in 2008. He was pleasant, a good speaker, and had some excellent points. My posting of these notes in no way means that I support Huckabee. I still need to think on it. I just thought others might find this useful. Phrases in quotes are direct or as close as I could hear.

A Sermon by Honorable Governor Mike Huckabee
September 22, 2007
First Redeemer Church, Cumming, GA

View the webcast or purchase a video/CD at http://www.thereshope.org/

- Huckabee received four standing ovations at the National Education Association
- Born and raised in Hope, Arkansas
- Was a pastor for twelve years
- Was once asked if he was one of those “narrow minded Baptists” who only believed Baptists were going to heaven. He replied, no ma’am I’m even more narrow minded than that, I don’t even think all the Baptists are going to heaven!”
- Went to Southwestern Seminary in Ft. Worth, Texas
- Is an ordained Southern Baptist Convention minister

Theme Verse: Proverbs 22:28 - “Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers have set.”
- Why? Because when we move it we get lost.
- America is lost and dislocated because “We have moved the landmarks of our liberty”.
- Quote from Edward Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Sound familiar?

1. The rapid increase of divorce; the undermining of dignity and sanctity of the home, which is the basis of human society.
2. Higher and higher taxes and the spending of public money for free bread and circuses for the populace.
3. The mad craze for pleasure; sports becoming every year more exciting and more brutal.
4. The building of gigantic armaments when the real enemy was within: the decadence of the people.
5. The decay of religion—faith fading into mere form—losing touch with life and becoming impotent to guide the people.

The Basic Nature of Man
- we are all sinners
- for secularists, the definition of sin is self-centeredness
- “we are a nation filled with sin”
- Huckabee’s father was a patriot, “he laid on the stripes and I saw stars.”
- Our society was better off when we respected authority and didn’t act like victims
- Story of his son’s attempt to bake a cake but didn’t understand the meaning of dash so the son put in a cup of salt instead of the dash, creating an awful tasting cake.
- It was the lack of knowing the definition of dash that led to the problem. We must be sure and call a thing a thing.
- Some people say that if we are sincere God will honor it, no matter what it is we do.
- “Being sincere is a good thing, but being right is even better.”
- If people make up their own definitions of right and wrong we will not get a kumbaya campfire, but something else.
- “When people redefine right and wrong to match their behavior, rather than match their behavior to right and wrong”, there will be more sin in culture, not less.
- “A political party is nothing more than a vehicle, it is not a destination.”

Huckabee got into politics because he is pro-life.
- All people have individual value.
- “The real discussion is not values, it is the value of a person.” Which is why he can’t compromise on being pro-life.
- Parents are sacrificing their own children for their comfort, rather than, as in the past, sacrificing their own comfort for their child.
- Carl Zimmerman book (?not sure spelling or title)

Christians in Politics
- Some Christians say they don’t want to be involved.
- Not being involved is like owning a bass fishing boat that is perfect but that never gets put in the water. (The sermon is worth watching just for the build-up as he tells this allegory.)
- “I’m not to be of the world, but I am to be in the world.”
- “Have you moved the landmarks?” “ Are you in the water” – making waves
Thanks

A Little Bit of Validation

Mindy and Brandon Withrow have quoted me (I'm at the bottom) on their new website for the History Lives series.

"Monks and Mystics is an excellent text to use as a basis for an upper elementary or middle school Sunday school class on church history. It would also be useful in Christian schools. As a supplemental text it is perfect. Although an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. So much so, that I ordered the first book the next day and plan to order any successive books as they become available. The stories were interesting and well-written…the Withrows do not shy away from using technical terms. Often the characters explain the terms in words that could be understood by a 9 year old in their speech to each other. (In truth I understood some of the terms better than I ever have before!)”

You can read my full review of Monks and Mystics here. Turns out, the newest volume Hearts and Hands: Chronicles of the Awakening Church is scheduled to release January 1 in the U.S and November 1 in the U.K. I have the first three, have enjoyed them all, and highly recommend them to all teachers and parents.

The Positive Use of "Magic" in Scripture

Christian opponents of fantasy novels often point to Leviticus 19:26 “Do not practice divination or sorcery” and the narrative of Saul and the Witch of Endor in I Samuel 28 as God’s command not to have anything to do with fantasy literature, because of its reliance on magic in the story. But the proscriptions against consulting mediums and spirits involved not seeking answers from them and holding themselves as a people apart from using the practices of the Canaanites around them.

In fact, Joseph, son of Jacob, a patriarch and father of two of the tribes of Israel practiced divination. It was his silver divination cup that was placed in the bag of Benjamin in Genesis 44. Joseph calls himself a diviner in verse 15 “Joseph said to them, ‘What is this you have done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination’” (NIV) It is also thought that the Urim and Thummim described in Exodus 28 as being part of Aaron’s breastplate were used as divination devices to discover the will of God. In Ezra 2:62-63 the Urim and Thummim are used to discover a priest to serve in the temple when none could be found.

The Magi who attended Jesus three years after his birth must have been diviners and sorcerers, for watching the stars was not a scientific exercise, but more likely the practice of astrology, the divining of the future from the alignment of the stars. So we find that even followers of God and His Son practiced divination, or what we would call magic. It was in attempting to know the future, or attempting to answer questions by divining the from some other source than God Himself that was the sin, not the practice itself.

Book Review: More Than A Hobby by David Green

Author: David Green with Dean Merrill
Pub. Date: July 2005
Format: Hardcover, 224pp
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Personal Rating 5/5

Generally, I’m not a big fan of those slim little business books that tell the story of how a business got started up. The principles they espouse usually follow the latest trend in business rather than truly being derived from their own experience. Not so in More Than a Hobby, by David Green, founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby. I was excited when my wife (a frequenter of Hobby Lobby) told me that David Green, a man who rarely takes speaking engagements, had written a book. I knew that Green is a Christian whose growth in faith had led him to run ads at Christmas celebrating the birth of Jesus, rather than selling product, and had led him to close on Sunday just like my favorite of restaurants, Chick-fil-A.

In More Than a Hobby, Green tells the story of how he created (with help from his wife and family and $600) Hobby Lobby and grew it into the Arts and Craft Superstore it is today. Although the volume is slim, and can easily be read in a week or less, it was worth the purchase. As the reader follows Green’s story, he will find the biblical principles that govern how Green does business interspersed throughout, but not in a heavy handed way. Green, simply acknowledges that he learned to be a merchant by reading Scripture and applying it in the situations in which he found himself. He freely acknowledges his failure, such as not always being closed on Sundays, or making bad business decisions (such as over diversifying) showing himself to be humble as well as successful.

Many readers will not agree with his philosophy, which can be stated as “keep it simple”. A man with little more than a high school education, Green made Hobby Lobby successful by focusing on the practical and useful, and doing away with fluff. For instance, in defense of his lack of POS systems (i.e. computer checkout and bar codes) in his store Green says, “I’m looking for solid, practical technology that has been proved for years in somebody else’s business....I want to keep things as basic as possible.” Something he has complete control over in this family owned business. The idea of making things simple has led to a streamlined business with little wasted time on dull or useless meetings. Has allowed store managers more freedom to affect their store, and has avoided an entirely top down hierarchy that more often creates problems than solves them as the disconnected head office people make rules that are arbitrary or nonsensical.

Some readers will see the streak of his fundamentalist Christianity throughout the book. He refuses to condone alcohol (something that stems both from his beliefs and a near death experience involving a drunk driver) or risqué greeting cards. But this is an unfair characterization. Yes, he does support a chaplaincy at his headquarters, but requires no one who works for him to be a Christian or become one. He supports America, but is willing to buy product from overseas, if he can get the best price without resulting to bribery or other evils associated with such business.

Of course, he wrote the book, so his self descriptions will be a little glowing, even if humbly so, so I take his assertions with a grain of salt. Yet the principles he espouses have made him very successful (with $1.3 billion in annual sales as of 2005), have not made him dependent on stockholders, and he and the company have been ethical and moral along the way.

I highly recommend More Than A Hobby to any retailer, whether at headquarters or the the store manager, either starting out or an old hat at the job. Christians should, if nothing else, read chapter 12 ‘This is Not a “Secular” Business’. It directly addresses what it means to be a Christian in business, and I found it very helpful. Other than that chapter, God is mentioned rarely, and the non-Christian businessman will find useful principles to apply to his or her business (especially if you are in retail) and the blessings that the application of them can bring.

Happy Lughnasadh!

I once participated in putting together a play called "Dancing at Lughnasadh" at Covenant College. I've always thought the story of Lugh to be a sort of twisting of the story of Christ's death and resurrection. This idea came from reading Stephen Lawhead's Paradise War Trilogy, where he shows how Lugh of the Silver Hand is a Christ figure in Celtic Myth. Of course, Celtic Myth is older than the history of Christ (I think.) But who's to say that there wasn't some common revelation or prophecy in the story of Lugh, that was twisted almost beyond recognition?

From Wikipedia:

In Celtic mythology, the Lughnasadh festival is said to have been begun by the god Lugh, as a funeral feast and games commemorating his foster-mother, Tailtiu, who died of exhaustion after clearing the plains of Ireland for agriculture. The first location of the Áenach Tailteann was at the site of modern Teltown, located between Navan and Kells. Historically, the Áenach Tailteann gathering was a time for contests of strength and skill, and a favored time for contracting marriages and winter lodgings. A peace was declared at the festival, and religious celebrations were also held. A similar Lughnasadh festival was held at Carmun (whose exact location is under dispute). Carmun is also believed to have been a goddess of the Celts, perhaps one with a similar story as Tailtiu.

Top 25 Business as Mission Books

The Business as Mission Network has compiled the top 25 business a mission books. Look no more to figure out which ones actually address business as mission and which are simply about being Christians in the work place. There is a distinction and if you don't know what it is, perhaps you out to read one of the books.

The top ten are as follows, check out this link for the other fifteen.

1. God is at Work :: Ken Eldred
2. Lausanne Forum Papers
3. Business as Mission :: Michael Baer
4. On Kingdom Business :: Eldred and Yamamori
5. Great Commission Companies :: Steven Rundle
6. Kingdom Catalyst :: Johnny Combs
7. Business for the Glory of God :: Wayne Grudem
8. God at Work :: David Miller
9. Tentmaking :: Patrick Lai
10. Kingdom Companies :: Knoblauch and Opprecht

I have personally read numbers 2, 4, 5, and 7. All are great books that I plan to keep on my shelf in the office for regular reference. You can also check out this prior post for some interesting articles on this topic.

Letter to a Christian Author

Dear Sir/Madam

The trouble with Christian fiction is, it proselytizes to the converted! I'm currently in the process of reading a Christian book, a book that will never make it to the mainstream, yet is written as if some non-Christian will actually pick it up and be converted by it.

The good Christian authors, like Francine Rivers or L. B. Graham, know they are preaching to the converted and so write books that affirm their beliefs or provide support and encouragement to the readers they know will read their books.

The bad Christian authors always want to use their books as missionary tools, to preach the gospel to those who have not heard it yet. But let's be honest, no non-Christian is ever going to pick up your book. And if they did, they would know it for the tract that it is, and lump it in with the hand method for sharing the gospel or the "magazines" of Jehovah's Witnesses. They then point to this as the reason so much Christian fiction is "bad" even when it is quite well-written.

It's a sad fact, but its true.

Other Christian authors a truly great. Flannery O'Connor and J.R.R. Tolkien wrote great stories. Madeleine L'Engle and George MacDonald did the same. Their world view allowed them to delve into what it means to be human, both in the darkness and in the light. They wrote stories of excellence trying to understand the world and its fallen nature, and avoided overt attempts to proselytize in their works.

And so they found success in the mainstream by not allowing themselves to have an agenda, but simply to sought to tell a story.

The same is true of secular fiction with overt agendas. The books may sell for a while, even top bestseller lists, but eventually is seen for what it is and discarded. (Unless, of course, the agenda is the destruction of Christianity, which will always be successful in a sin dominated world. i.e. The Da Vinci Code).

You might point to C. S. Lewis as proof of the opposite in the Narnia books, but I say that one can only attribute the books' success to the notoriety of its author worldwide at the volumes' time of publication.

So many other Christian authors simple churn out bad literature for the sake of trying to make a sale. And what they are selling is Christianity. Sorry folks, but Christian fiction ain't gonna convert nobody. It will be a support and help to the converted and the saved, might make interesting stories or raise interesting questions, but only relationships with unbelievers and the power of the Holy Spirit will convert anybody.

The great Christian authors knew this, so they did their very best to delve into the world, to understand how it ticks, much like the watchmaker knows the gears of the cuckoo clock. In doing so, they gave humanity insights into its own nature, perhaps engendering a look into their soul. And they did so without proselytizing (at least not obviously). They allow the story to do its own proselytizing, without the need to insert Scripture or references to God to ensure that the reader "gets" the Christian nature of the novel.

The great Christian author will let the story God has given him or her unfold. God will use the novel to work on hearts, I don't deny that, but it shouldn't be forced. God's seed will plant without overuse of Scripture or excessive allegory.

(You might point to Bunyan and Lewis as successes, but I don't. Their popularity continues because of successive generations of Christians buying and selling their books. Besides, the exception of the popularity of Narnia does not create the rule for all allegory.)

That does not mean we shouldn't try to write Christian novels. But we should be trying less to ensure that we insert Scripture and more to ensure that we are probing the human mind, the creation of God, and our relationships.

Yours Sincerely,

A Christian Reader

PS: Care to disagree? Leave a comment.

Pray to be Shot

Is a Christian paintball park taking "in the world but not of" a little too far? Can we worship while being shot for fun?

Those who support the idea say,

“I’ve looked in the Bible, and can’t find anything wrong with paintball,” reasons Andy Leong, a 48-year-old Chicago marketing executive who’s come to celebrate the birthday of his 13-year-old son, Luke. “In fact, the Bible is filled with combat as a topic.”

. . . .

“There’s an impression that Christians are wimps — that they’re just no fun,” says Promised Land owner Rick Pinter.

“Christians can be tough and heroic.”

There is also a discussion over at mental_floss and Neatorama.

Book Review: Black History Through Blue Eyes

Jim Seymour, in his semi-self-published book Black History through Blue Eyes: The Debt the World Owes to Africa argues that humanity owes a great debt to Africa because it is there, not Mesopotamia, that is the “cradle of civilization”. And that because of this Christians need to work toward racial reconciliation. Seymour's sees European Christians desire to make biblical history and Jesus "white" has led to many of the rifts we see today.

According to Seymour, the Garden of Eden was located in Africa (although at the same time acknowledging the breakup of the two continents of Asia and Africa to create the Red Sea, making it unidentifiable), Solomon was a mulatto (i.e. Bathsheba was black as was her husband Uriah the Hittite, a member of a northern black tribe descended from Ham) and Jesus was black on both sides of his family, although his features were more likely swarthy than African.

I admit I struggled with this argument, not because I felt that Seymour is incorrect, but rather that he fails to provide enough proofs. While this book is not really intended to be a historical argument or a theological one, Seymour indulges himself in arguing the point, but then fails to back it up with enough research. Other times he wildly asserts the black skin color of some of the Old Testament characters without any argument at all. On page 44, he states that, “Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba are all women who ultimately trace their lineage to Ham, the traditional father of the black race.” But of these four, only Bathsheba’s black race is argued for in the book, the others get no other mention in the entire work. And even that is a little flimsy. Uriah the Hittite was black because the Hittites were black, by extension, his wife, who for all we know was a Hebrew, is therefore black also. It was unconvincing, as too many factors come into play. Also on page 44, Seymour states that Mary, mother of Jesus, was of mixed racial heritage, but no argument is made for or against it anywhere in the text.

Leaving this aside, the rest of the book is actually rather interesting. Seymour points out significant personages in the New Testament and Early Church who were African born (i.e. the Ethiopian eunuch, Augustine) and then some significant preachers in American History, none of whom I had ever heard of before. I learned a little about each of these, and challenged a few preconceived notions.

Using Acts 1:8 as his root text, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (ESV) Seymour argues that blacks have become like the Samaria of Jesus’ time. They were a mixed race shunned by the true Jews, much as whites have historically shunned blacks, whether intentionally or not. It is an interesting argument, and not developed enough in this text.

Ultimately, the book has poor arguments with not enough references, many spelling and grammatical mistakes, and relies on assumptions and half-facts. It is not a good book, but it did make me as a Christian rethink my approach to my black brethren (and Hispanic and Asian) and make me want to learn more about them. Fortunately, Seymour’s bibliography is excellent and will point the dissatisfied reader to perhaps better argued or better presented facts.

As an overview of the importance of blacks or Africans in Christian history it lacks punch, and as an argument for that importance it lacks backing or substance. I recommend finding another book if this is a topic important to you. If you are a casual reader unfamiliar with the territory, it might just get you rethinking your assumptions, but you will need to test Seymour's first. Seymour tried, but ultimately failed in his goal, and it is unfortunate, because his concern is valid, and his desire for racial reconciliation one all Christians should have.

God in the Workplace

At my church, last week's sermon was called The Lordship of Christ in your Work. My father gave his testimony of twenty years of being a Christian businessman and the pastor spoke on the importance of ministry in the place we spend 90% of our time.

You can listen to the sermon here.

Then, on Monday, Spirit of Revival Magazine came. This is a publication I get because I support Life Action Ministries (my brother-in-law is one of their missionaries). The topic was God@Work. It was funny that two such things would happen in one week, especially as this topic has been on my mind of late.

The articles from this issue are posted online for free, and include an article by Andy Stanley and an interview with Dr. Henry Blackaby. I recommend that anyone trying to reconcile their faith and their workplace read the online articles. It's free, and they are relatively short.

Notes: Spiritual Formation in the Life of C.S. Lewis Part 2 Notes

Spiritual Formation in the Life of C.S. Lewis
A Breakout Seminar at Perimeter Church June 8-9, 2007
Presentation given by Dr. Lyle Dorsett former head of Wade Center at Wheaton College
See Part 1 of these Notes.

III. Elements of Spiritual Formation (Part 2)

A. The Church
1. “The NT knows nothing of individual Christianity”

2. Salvation is the hallway, pick a room to worship in and fellowship

3. Lewis was shaped by choice of Anglicanism

4. Anglican traditions of Lewis’ time and his opinion
a. Evangelical (Reformed)
- high view of Scripture
- lacked high view of Sacraments
b. Anglo-Catholic
- Lewis’ choice
- high view of Sacraments
- no belief in Transubstantiation
c. Broad Church (i.e. liberal)
- low view of Scripture

5. a proud person cannot do Kingdom work

6. Became Anglo-Catholic because he wanted communion once a week, minimum.

7. 7 years after CSL’s conversion, he felt nudged in prayer to have a mentor

8. Believed one should worship with those different from you

9. felt grace was in communion (John 6)

B. A Spiritual Director – Father Walter Adams (b. 1869 – d. 1952) Anglican Priest
1. CSL chose humble, unknown man

2. CSL felt need for a confessor – James 5
- went because he was held accountable

3. On Sister Penelope’s recommendation and through her prayers in 1940 found Adams

4. Adams was 70 years old when CSL came to him, Lewis met him once a week

5. highly influential on Lewis, can’t understand Lewis without this knowledge

6. Lewis came to love:
a. The Book of Common Prayer (1662 edition) (Enlightenment = chronological snobbery)
b. Anglican Service Order – Reading of Scripture, Sermon, Communion (high point of service), Hymns

c. Confession, Accountability, Fellowship, Service

7. “Care for the soul and Holy Spirit will take care of the rest” – Fr. Walter Adams

8. Lewis didn’t like hymns

9. Lewis’ service was writing

10. Luke 11 – great prayer chapter
- If you don’t fill the soul with the Holy Spirit then the bad will come back with more ferocity.

11. Adams told Lewis he needed Prayer, Scripture and Communion since that is where grace is

12. Adams was a member of the Society of St. John the Evangelist

13. Communion
- Lewis said to “get Holy Communion as often as you can get it”
- Communion is like “an arm from a hidden country reaching out and touching you.” – CSL
- Root of idea is Luke 24 (first communion?)
- Psalm 34:8
- for the first five years CSL said he felt nothing when taking Communion, but felt that the obedience helped him grow and become spiritually strong

14. Adams wrote two pamphlets

15. Lewis chooses him because he knew Jesus personally

16. Mentor of Adams was Robert Benson – founder of Anglican male order
- not only talk about cross but about resurrection (Benson concept)
- the real you must talk to the real God (Benson concept)
- both concepts come out in Lewis writing

17. Lewis faults:
- bitterness toward people
- intolerance
- lust

C. Other Mentors and Influential Friends

1. Evelyn Underhill – founder of modern retreat movement
- Service = Adoration + Awe + Service as a progression

2. little impact on him spiritually from the Inklings, they only helped to sharpen his thinking

3. 3 people of profound impact
- Father Adams (Anglican Priest)
- Sister Penelope (Anglican Nun)
- Helen Joy Davidman (Jewish convert, eventual wife)

4. Tolkien was instrumental in conversion but not growth afterward
- “midwife in Lewis spiritual birth, but he was not very good at post-natal care.” – Dorsett

5. Books
a. George MacDonald – “baptized my imagination” CSL - Phantastes
- “I don’t think I’ve ever written a book that didn’t have something of George Macdonald” - see collection of MacDonald Lewis edited
- Learned concept of joy
- learned characterization
- learned what a father is
b. Charles Williams – Dorsett calls him “bad news”
- professional influence on Lewis
- spiritual influence on Lewis
- Williams sought mental/spiritual affairs with women
- women loved him, he elicited it, and they remained proud of it (Dorsett tells of interview with couple who knew him, woman still loved him after several decades, husband wanted to hurt him)
- Williams wined and dined women while his wife was away
- Lewis fell for his magnetic personality
- Williams got people dependent on himself rather than God
IV. C.S. Lewis as Spiritual Guide

1. increase his role after Father Adams death

2. effective lecturer, but not good one on one

3. spiritual mentor via mail
- most spiritual council in letters to women
- no men due to their lack of humility?
- handwritten letters
- some to children with illustrations
- Topics included: Becoming a Christian; How to Use Money; Bible Interpretation/Doctrine; Overcoming Lust; Getting focus on Jesus

4. Thoughts (General)
- You need to get your focus on Jesus Christ, become dependent on him
- Practice the Spiritual Disciplines
- Get Holy Communion

5. Would counsel people directly – bluntly but reasoned throughout
6. Teaching on pride and humility – sins are manifestations of pride – me and what I want are important, more than Jesus = pride

V. The Best Saved for Last: Marriage to Helen Joy Davidman (d. 1960)

1. had brother who was psychiatrist named Howard (died athiest)

2. mother was cultural Jew, father was atheist

3. encouraged to think critically by father

4. highly gifted photographic memory, analytical and critical mind

5. read 10-15 books a week

6. first publication in 1938 “Letters to a Comrade”

7. “Anya” – book about cleric and “Smoke on the Mountain” – Jewsish Christian interpretation of ten commandments

8. converted in 1946 after abandoned by first husband

9. fed Lewis’ idea of Christ’s presence especially during communion

VI. Questions

1. Lewis often called an evangelical saint, what does Dorsett feel are some of his flaws?
a. his dim view of hymns
b. believed in Purgatory
– saw P as place to wash up before seeing God, not a place of punishment
c. Latter Narnia Chronicles
- sincere person who didn’t believe in Christ could be saved, although Narnia is not allegory as CSL says, so it is not a one to one correlation

2. John 13-16 is essential to understanding his theology

3. How do I read Lewis?
a. things worth doing require effort
b. Read “The Essential C.S. Lewis” by Dorsett

4. The Socratic Club? (Lewis was faculty advisor)
a. Stella Adwinkle asked Lewis about changing worship service to attract unbelievers, he said bad idea because service is for believers
b. The Club would debate and have best minds vs. best minds on two sides of issue
c. Lewis tried to change His culture, not culture in general

5. Lewis and the Theatre
a. not playgoer
b. undeveloped area of knowledge for him
c. probably would be upset with movie Shadowlands
- treatment of Joy Davidman, although Debra Winger did best she could with what she had
- Christ not lifted up enough
- Anthony Hopkins played him poorly
d. Would have hated Narnia movies, didn’t like hype

6. Till We have Faces
- letter to Clyde Kilby explains its purpose
- see PBS series Lewis vs. Freud

7. Aloof from people but understands them well
- listened to Holy Spirit
- listened to people, Inklings, and fiction

Notes: Spiritual Formation in the Life of C.S. Lewis Part 1 Notes

Spiritual Formation in the Life of C.S. Lewis
A Breakout Seminar at Perimeter Church June 8-9, 2007
Presentation given by Dr. Lyle Dorsett former head of Wade Center at Wheaton College
See Part 2 here.

I. Introduction

“I’m tall, fat, rather bald, red-faced, double chinned, black haired, have a deep voice, and wear glasses for reading.” –C.S. Lewis to a fifth grader

- Do not read the bio of Lewis by A.N. Wilson

A. Life and Legacy of C.S Lewis: a Perspective from Nearly Half a Century
- Discipline was needed to become a theologian, apologist
- Lewis wrote in 7 genres

B. Keys to Lewis’ Extraordinary Effectiveness

1. The Author’s Background
- Used his gifts, but also disciplined them
- “nothing I wrote that isn’t essentially evangelistic” – CSL
- Mother died when he was 10 and became agnostic as result

2. The Sacred Anointing
- John 17:3
- He wrote as part of an intimate walk with Christ

3. A Purposive Life
- after conversion (see quote)

“After conversion, C.S. Lewis embarked on an extraordinarily purposeful life. He became as Dorothy L. Sayers phrased it ‘God’s terrier’ – a man with a missionary zeal.” – Lyle Dorsett Seeking the Secret Place

II. Elements of Spiritual Formation (Part 1)

A. The School of Prayer
“What is more natural, and easier, if you believe in God, than to address Him?”

- Mother’s parting gift was a Bible on her deathbed
- Lewis and Warner prayed, yet she died, even after being told that prayer would heal her.
- 2 models of prayer from Scripture as Lewis saw it.
1. pray with faith and there is nothing you can’t do (name it and claim it)
2. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane

- The School of Prayer – a continuing to learn to pray, never too busy, a daily routine
a. daily quiet time (Clifford Boris – his driver – story)
b. Dean’s Prayers at Oxford – corporate prayer
c. Intercessory Prayer – i.e. go through the Epistles and read Paul’s prayers
- worldwide prayer for self and others – Sheldon Vanauken
- always answered letters because he believed he was told to by God during such prayer time
- also believed He was told not to stockpile money, so he set up Agape Fund to give it
d. Healing Prayer
- Father Bide, the healer who became ordained through Agape Fund healed Joy Davidman through prayer – personal physician told said it wasn’t normal remission – Bide said “I pray and sometimes Jesus Christ heals them.”
- Advanced People in the School of Prayer are obedient in prayer
e. Praise Prayer –considered most beautiful part of prayer – joy and privilege of praise – not thanks, just praise.
- Primary text of Lewis for this as the Psalms

- How did Lewis get committed to prayer?
1. Jesus example
2. The Church and Father Adams
3. discipled by Father Adams

- How did Lewis reconcile the name it and claim it with God’s will?
1. tell God waht you want but still ask that His will be done
2. In some cases God tells some special folks to go heal people

- Prepared vs. Extemporaneous Prayer?
1. Lewis did extemporaneous prayer but preferred prepared
2. Liked Church services because you could trust the theology and not have to double check on the person who is praying and his theology
3. Psalms are prepared prayers
4. Lewis paced across the floor while reading the Psalter all the way through every month

B. Scripture

1. knew doctrine but didn’t always feel it in his heart

2. Michael Christenson, “C.S. Lewis: On Scripture”

3. Lewis had a High view of Scripture
a. Lewis followed John Wesley’s quadrilateral

b. Trouble with liberals due to high view (whereas they have low view)
c. Trouble with fundamentalism becasue he saw some of the Scriptures as story instead of History (i.e. Noah, Jonah, Creation)
“More of a wave than a letter” – Letter’s to an American Lady

4. Didn’t see Jesus praise riches anywhere in NT

5. Jesus says “Seek the Secret Place” Lewis said this meant to obey Jesus not question. (a good exercise says Dorsett, is to go through the Gospels and write down every command of Jesus.)

6. CSL “Scripture is the litmus test of all other divine guidance.”

7. CSL could read and write Greek but knew no Hebrew

8. Read for Application and spiritual illumination rather than for curiosity (Read through the Bible for personal transformation)

9. He asked questions of Scripture. He “hammered it out” – Dorsett

10. Read through the Bible frequently, memorized it. Used the 1662 edition of the Book of Common Prayer

11. F.B. Meyer “For Every man and woman that is truly born again, the Spirit is present in you, the spirit is prominent in some, but alas in only a few is He preeeminent.”

12. Lewis was Purposeful, Disciplined, and Humbly Prayed and Read Scriptures.

Book Review: The Restorer by Sharon Hinck

Title: The Restorer
Author: Sharon Hinck
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Christian Fiction
Pub. Date: May 2007
Format: Paperback, 477pp
Publisher: NavPress Publishing Group

When reading fantasy books, I generally apply two arbitrary criteria that I have found useful in determining books I like. The first is I look for the willingness of the author to kill important characters, not secondary or briefly mentioned characters. I've always felt that to do so was brave and showed a willingness to push the story's limits rather than following a predictable course. The second is actually from Aristotle’s Poetics. Summarized, Aristotle says the primary character must be believable. In essence, the character must be more human than superhuman. No one wants to read about the perfect man doing great things (i.e. early Superman). No, the reader prefers the character to suffer and overcome those sufferings (whether external or internal) thus creating a true hero (i.e. Batman or Spider-man).

The Restorer, by Sharon Hinck, fails on the first criteria but fulfills the second. While no major characters are destroyed or killed in the novel, the author does manage to create a physically superhuman character whose inner struggles keep her human enough to make her sympathetic to the reader.

The story follows a standard plot line first made popular by Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court and used by Stephen Lawhead in his Song of Albion trilogy. Someone from our world and time slips through a portal into an alternate universe. The world is similar to our own, but different enough to make the transition jarring. However, Hinck does through a wrench in by making the world technologically advanced and culturally tribal rather than the opposite. The opposite take is more common in science fiction. Allegorizing the story of Deborah in Judges, Hinck creates the story of a Restorer (Susan of Ridgeview Drive, soccer mom extraordinaire) whose purpose is to bring people back to a belief in the One and a return to following the laws given by Him. Susan finds herself to be the Restorer, a person not unlike the judges of the Old Testament.

The story is fun and interesting and stands up to my wife’s criterion for Christian novels. Her criterion is simple; if the Christian part of the novel is removed, is the book just like the others of its genre? The Restorer is so integrated with Scripture (both conceptually and in quote form) and a Biblical knowledge base that the book could not survive without it. While this does limit the audience (as does the character’s soccer mom status) it might find wide acceptance among the women who enjoy reading Christian novels.

Hinck’s writing is good although some of her plot is confusing. How the portal between worlds came to be is not explained till much later in the book and while the explanation is surprising, I found not knowing to be frustrating and distracting. The easy acceptance of Susan of the existence of alternate universes and her being in one is too ready and pat. I would have thought that she would have been more incredulous. Additonally, deus ex machina is not a sufficient explanation of the translation of a plastic sword into a real one. Finally, the ban on long-range weapons makes no sense. I understand its purpose as a plot device (the allegorizing of Judges and the historical record of the small backward nation of Israel’s fight against technological superpowers like Philistia and Canaan make this clear), but Hinck fails to explain how the guardians could hunt without the use of bows and arrows, even slingshots. Being limited to swords and daggers makes hunting near impossible, unless some unexplained and unmentioned device makes it possible.

However, most readers will gloss over these inconsistencies and enjoy the insights into Susan’s character and the careful weaving of Scripture into the narrative. Often, verses will be dropped into a novel to make it Christian, but it is jarring and out of sync with the rest of the story. Hinck is adept at making the words seem to flow smoothly and in showing the real power that Scripture has.

The odd admixture of science fiction and fantasy of the world building give the story an ethereal quality that adds greatly to its mood. The soul searching of Susan and the lack of any true evil character represent well the truth of the pervasiveness of sin.

I did find it difficult to get into until about chapter five. At that point questions start being answered and the story’s pace picks up. However, as a fantasy, The Restorer works well. As a Christian novel it works even better. While I think the audience is limited and leaves the male portion fantasy readership without a frame of reference, perhaps the sequel, The Restorer’s Son, will allow such readership (of which I am a part) to delve into the setting.

I recommend that Christian novel readers looking to step outside of the more common genres in such novels, and Christian fantasy lovers read this book. It is a good story, strong in morals, and epic fantasy lovers will enjoy it to some extent. However, it is best compared with Stephen Donaldson’s Chronicles of Thomas Covenant in the secular market rather than with Robert Jordan or Terry Brooks.

The Restorer is fun and engaging. Hinck has a gift for surprise and the plot never takes a predictable path. Susan of Ridgeview Drive is a hero whose inner struggles mirror our very own. Christians will understand the sanctification process better, and their own need to surrender much more deeply. Others will enjoy the fantasy elements and interesting world-building. Hinck’s foray into fantasy is a welcome addition to the growing canon of Christian speculative literature.

Sharon Hinck Wayne Thomas Batson Trish Anderson Brandon Barr Jim Black Justin Boyer Grace Bridges Amy Browning Jackie Castle Valerie Comer Karri Compton Frank Creed Lisa Cromwell CSFF Blog Tour Gene Curtis D. G. D. Davidson Chris Deanne Jeff Draper April Erwin Linda Gilmore Beth Goddard Marcus Goodyear Andrea Graham Russell Griffith Jill Hart Katie Hart Sherrie Hibbs Heather R. Hunt Becca Johnson Jason Joyner Kait Karen Dawn King Tina Kulesa Lost Genre Guild Rachel Marks Rebecca LuElla Miller Eve Nielsen John W. Otte John Ottinger Robin Parrish Rachelle Cheryl Russel Hanna Sandvig Chawna Schroeder Mirtika Schultz Steve Trower Speculative Faith Jason Waguespac Daniel I. Weaver

Men's Ministry in the Church and It's Uselessness to Me

This post over at worldmagblog couldn't have come at a more opportune time.

You see, I've been thinking about how the church does men's ministry, or at least as I've experienced it. For the most part I have been disappointed and lost when attending men's events of any kind.

My reasons are simple.

1. All small talk is about three things: Sports, politics or theology

2. When praying or singing, these strong men get all weepy and emotional. This is more of a comfort level thing with me, but I just don't do that. And I feel out of place because I can't respond as they do.

Let's take the first one. All small talk is about one of two things, sports or theology. Well, this is also kind of a personal problem. I don't really care about sports. I have no idea what being 14 under par means in golf. (Well, that's changed a little recently, but it is still just a vague idea.) I don't care who won the baseball game last night or if LeBron James plans to become a free agent or whatever. (I think that tells you how little I pay attention, I only know the name of James because of the movie Coach Carter, which I watched last night.) I like football but mostly as a Saturday past time, or background noise as I read. I have no idea who plays for what team and don't really care.

Politics I follow because I am a good citizen, but I'm not really interested. I had enough of theology in college, never really felt any call to study it in depth and am truly content to trust the theologians of my denomination to deal with issues that crop up.

This does not mean that I don't want to learn about God. I read my Bible, pray on my own and with my wife, and read theological texts and Christian biographies of interest to me. These are rarely of interest to anyone else and are rarely relevant to the topic on hand, so I have nothing really to say other than unsubstantiated opinion.

On the flip side, I would like to talk to these men about Cormac McCarthy's The Road, or about the recent passing of Lloyd Alexander. Maybe they want to discuss the role of literature for the Christian, or compare with me Tolkien's life to Lewis'.

Really, it all just boils down to the fact that I just cannot connect with these men. Everything about them is so far removed from the person I am, that there is nothing of substance to talk about. We connect only in that we love the Lord and want to learn more, so we attend Bible studies together. But when we part ways or after the lesson is done, we have nothing to talk about.

I usually end up being more comfortable around women, and am more ministered to by them than men. They share interests I have (I'm not ashamed to say it) don't feel the need to be DOING something but can just sit around and talk. They don't want to go outside to toss a Frisbee or football and can just sit contentedly at the table talking. Usually the topic is not of much interest to me either, but at least they connecting in a way I enjoy, versus a way I hate.

The emotional thing I think is self-explanatory. I naturally hide my emotions, and am comfortable being a person who does. (Drives my wife crazy, by the way.) So don't expect me to come to an event and get all weepy and emotional, to feel the high. To me the Love of Jesus is as rational as it is emotional. I feel it and know the Holy Spirit sustains me and that is sufficient to me. I need no other emotion to find happiness in Jesus.

I'll be honest. It really does come down to me. It's not really the men's ministries fault. I am, as a personality, so far out of the box that they really have difficulty appealing to me. And they shouldn't. They need to appeal to the largest group they can and that is what they are doing. It's really me that's the problem, not the ministry. I guess I just fell lonely in the midst of those who should be my friends.

OK, rant and pity party over. I feel better. Sorry if I offended anyone, but maybe someone else out there feels as I do. I'd like to know who you are. Maybe we can help improve existing men's ministries.

PS: Bill, I've not done any men's minsitry with our church, so this opinion in NO Way reflects on it, since I know next to nothing about it. This is relevant ot previous experiences.

Matthew 8:1 - 9:17

8:1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. 2 And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 3 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 5 When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.
14 And when Jesus entered Peter's house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.” 18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Healing of the Leper and the Centurion’s Servant

1. How does Jesus demonstrate His authority in these verses?

2. How should we apply verses 18-22 to our own evangelism?

23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Calming the Storm

3. Why do you think Jesus views the disciples fear as a lack of faith?

28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

Healing of the Demoniacs

4. This is the climax of the story of Jesus’ authority. What is the extent of His authority if we look at Chapter 8?

9:1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Healing of the Paralytic

5. What then, is the purpose of Jesus’ authority from the last chapter?

9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. 10 And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” 14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

The Call of Matthew

6. What do these illustrations teach us about Jesus’ ministry?

“The times they are a’changing” – Bob Dylan

C.S. Lewis Seminar

If you live in Atlanta, and you know where Perimeter Church is you might be interested in this seminar with Lyle Dorsett on the Spiritual Formation of C.S. Lewis.

From the Website:

In these four lectures, Lyle Dorsett, a leading expert on C.S. Lewis, presents some new light on the major elements of Lewis’s spiritual formation with emphasis on how and why he changed over the years. Relying on hundreds of unpublished letters, nearly fifty oral history interviews, and untapped evidence from Lewis’s personal library, Dr. Dorsett shows how Lewis’s own spiritual transformation became the impetus behind his important role as a spiritual director to countless souls—through his books, to be sure, but also through voluminous personal correspondence designed to care for the souls of hundreds of people who sought his advice.

I'm taking the wife along, maybe we will see you there.

Matthew 6:19 - 7:29

Big Creek Church
Matthew 6:19- 7:29 (ESV)

19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven
1. In verses 19-24 Jesus talks about treasures, eyes, and masters. What common themes tie these verses together?

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Do Not Be Anxious
2. Why do many Christians contravene Matthew 6:25-34 and worry and fret constantly? What responses does the Sermon on the Mount give to such fretting?

7:1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

Judging Others
3. What is the difference between judging others and being properly discerning?

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

On Prayer
4. N.T. Wright says that, “the problem is not that we are too eager to ask for the wrong things. The problem is that we are not nearly eager enough to ask for the right things.” What is your response to his statement? And what are the right things he is referring to, in your opinion?

13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

The Two Ways
5. The Two Ways consist of three warnings. What are they?

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

True Obedience
6. What will the practice of Jesus’ Sermon require of you?

Matthew 5:38-6:18

Big Creek Church
Matthew 5:38 - 6:18 (ESV)

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Loving Your Enemies

1. The form of justice presented by Jesus differs from the Old Testament version. How is it different, and why would Jesus say that he had not come to abolish the law (v. 17-20) and only a few verses later, seem to do just that?

“The fact is that the closer we walk with God, the more will it work in us self-abasement and humiliation and not self-complacency and pride.”
~A.W. Pink

6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Giving to the Needy

2. What problems exist in private giving? The command here is clear, but what occurs even when we follow this command to the letter?

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

The Lord's Prayer

3. In what two ways do Christians misuse the Lord’s Prayer?

16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Fasting

4. In this and the previous two sections, we see Jesus teaching us about motives. What do we learn about proper and improper motives from Jesus’ examples of giving, praying, and fasting?

Matthew 5:13-37

Big Creek Church
Matthew 5:13 - 37 (ESV)

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Fulfilling the Law

1. Jesus compares his followers to salt and light. What do these metaphors suggest about our role in society?

2. We are being challenged to righteousness. How does this challenge affect us today? Where does the world need salt and light right now, and how can we, through following Jesus, provide it?

21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

Murder and Reconciliation

3. Jesus often uses hyperbole to make a point. What point is He making in this section?

27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

Adultery and Oaths

4. These verses (27- 33) can be seen as a continuum. What is the relationship between lust, divorce, and oath breaking?

5. How does Jesus’ teaching in these three areas confront the traditions of His time and the traditions of our time?

Matthew 5:1-12

Big Creek Church
Matthew 5:1- 12 (ESV)

1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.
2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The Sermon on the Mount

“As to ‘caring for’ the Sermon on the Mount, if ‘caring for’ here means ‘liking’ or enjoying, I suppose no one ‘cares for’ it. Who can like being knocked flat on his face by a sledge hammer? I can hardly imagine a more deadly spiritual condition than that of a man who can read that passage with tranquil pleasure.”

~C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock

1. The word for “blessed” can also be translated as “wonderful news”. If we substitute the “wonderful news” translation for “blessed”, what changes occur in the tone and intent of the passage?

2. This list describes qualities that God desires in Christians. How would you define each of these qualities?

Poor in spirit –

Mourning –

Desire for Righteousness (aka justice) –

Mercy –

Purity –

Peace –

Persecution –

“[The Beatitudes] are a summons to live in the present in the way that will make sense in God’s promised future.”

~N.T. Wright, Matthew for Everybody

Marks of Successful Missions

It's been a long time since I wrote much about religion and Christianity, other than to review a book, but a discussion that occurred last night in my small group prompted me to write this post.

We are reading Simply Christian, by N.T. Wright, and discussing its implications and points. Last night we were discussing the chapter "Jesus and the Coming of God's Kingdom."

Our leader began by addressing the Reformed idea of the "already but not yet" in reference to the kingdom. To me, this has always meant that Jesus came to earth and began a new kingdom, one to which we join when we are converted. I mean that our allegiance changes from self to God. The not yet refers to the point when Christ will return and make his kingdom rule all the earth and destroy Satan and his minions. I could be wrong, but that is how I have understood it. (By the way, this does not mean that God lacks full sovereignty over the world, only that we are being allowed to use our free will, which also does not mean that I disagree with predestination. Whew! Reformed theology sure does require a lot of caveats.)

Of course, this ends up relating to the way we do missions, and the how we should further the kingdom through missions. One of the attendees mentioned that MTW had never had any martyrs in all its time doing missions. I, being the good PCA bred boy I am, pointed out its youth (approximately 30 years in its current form) and the fact that martyrdom is no true sign of the effectiveness of missions. To which my opponent (in the best sense) mentioned Jim Elliott. While I respect Jim Elliott and those men who died, I would like to point out that the true missionary was Elisabeth. Jim's work was done, and Elisabeth and the martyr's families truly did the hard work of forgiveness, living in hardship, and becoming a part of the world in which they lived changing it from within.

I responded in this way, to which my opponent mentioned the first century Christians and their martyrdom. To which I trotted out the cultural changes in the world, the humanitarian efforts, and the hue and cry raised when missionaries (not converts in the host countries, we are only speaking of missionaries here) are killed. My argument is admittedly weak, but I was actually trying to combat this idea that martyrdom is the best sign of the effectiveness of one's missionary efforts. I would agree it is a sign, but not the sign that trumps all others.

This was all rather weak wordplay and sparring between us, but I am a big proponent of the new way of missions, that of using business, true business to bring the gospel. It is a method unlikely to produce martyrs in the traditional sense, although livelihoods and homes may at times be sacrificed, as with any new business venture. So I fear that such thinking about the validity of mission will invalidate a great deal of effective missionary work, simply because one does not die in its service, but works hard and smart, and converts many more through a long life of service, than a short one of martyrdom.

Also, I wanted to defend the MTW missionaries I know and the sufferings and hardships they endure. MTW doesn't do everything right, but neither does it do everything wrong simply because it boasts no martyrs, although I am sure it boasts converts, and one soul saved is worth every penny I give to the missionaries I know and the churches who support them.

My question to you, dear reader, is was I wrong in my defense? If I was right, what might bolster my argument? What are the marks of successful missions? And how is the "already but not yet" incorporated into our mission's efforts?

Also, I am often trumped because I am not as widely read as others, but does that always invalidate my opinion? You tell me.

Matthew 4:12-25

Big Creek Church
Matthew 4:12- 25 (ESV)

12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
16 the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.”

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Jesus Begins His Ministry

“Kingdom of heaven” is a euphemism for “Kingdom of God”

1. Verse 17 is a sound byte of Jesus’ campaign. It is a call for revolution. To the Jews this meant militarily. What sort of revolution are you expecting Christ to bring?

2. Repentance isn’t feeling bad for something we’ve done. But an action, a change in direction. Are we marking a change in direction for the wrongs we have committed? Or are we just feeling bad about what we have done?

18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

The Calling of the First Disciples

3. The men Jesus called were lower-middle class folks in their day. What would make men of good means and families to provide for follow an itinerant preacher?

4. Many people first followed Jesus because He met a need. What needs can we meet in our community?

Matthew 3:13-4:11

Big Creek Church
Matthew 3:13-4:11 (ESV)

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

The Baptism of Jesus
Jesus is once again fulfilling Old Testament prophecy. In OT, one has to be washed by water (Exodus 29:4; Leviticus 8:6) and anointed with oil (Exodus 29:7; Leviticus 8:12) represented as the Holy Spirit.

1. John was surprised at Jesus’ request. Jesus was not what he expected. What are our expectations of who Jesus should be?

2. This is our first encounter with Jesus as more than a babe needing protection. What can we learn about his character from this passage?

3. Jesus came once before, and will come again. How can we be John the Baptists and prepare the way?

4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’”

11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

The Temptation of Jesus
4. Look specifically at each temptation. What is Satan trying to accomplish?

5. Satan’s temptations seem to be reasonable compromises. In what ways do we often compromise our own calling?

6. What can we learn about temptation and how to resist it from Jesus’ example?

Matthew 2:13-3:17

Big Creek Church
Matthew 2:13 - 3:17 (ESV)

2:13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Egypt and the Return

7. Why would Herod be so afraid of a king being born now?

8. Matthew quotes or references many Jewish texts. What do each of these tell us about Christ?

V. 15 – Hosea 11:1

V. 18 – Jeremiah 31:15

The settlement in Nazareth – Isaiah 11:1 “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch (Hebrew: nazir) from his roots shall bear fruit.”

3:1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”

4 Now John wore a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1. The desert had two meanings to the Israelites, punishment and renewal. How does John show both of these concepts?

2. John was calling the Pharisees to real repentance. What sin were they to repent of? How would you define real repentance?

3. What are some ways that we abuse our rights as children of God?

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

The Baptism of Jesus

Jesus is once again fulfilling Old Testament prophecy. In OT, one has to be washed by water (Exodus 29:4; Leviticus 8:6) and anointed with oil (Exodus 29:7; Leviticus 8:12) represented as the Holy Spirit.

4. John was surprised at Jesus’ request. Jesus was not what he expected. What are our expectations of who Jesus should be?

5. This is our first encounter with Jesus as more than a babe needing protection. What can we learn about his character from this passage?

6. Jesus came once before, and will come again. How can we be John the Baptists and prepare the way?

Matthew 1:1-2:12

I taught my first Life Group today, these are the questions, based on the text of Matthew, that Val and I concocted and used to instruct.

We read the Scripture and then answered the questions. The questions and related text are actually side by side in a table format with space underneath the questions to write down thoughts or answers.

Matthew 1:1- 2:12 (ESV)

Background of Matthew

Author: Matthew, also called Levi, one of the 12 Apostles
Purpose: Jesus as King and His kingdom as the fulfillment of God’s plan of Redemption
Date: A.D. 60-70
Theme Verse: Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The Genealogy of Jesus

1. Why would Matthew include a genealogy at the beginning of his book?

The Birth of Jesus

The Book of Matthew takes Joseph’s point of view in this regard, just as Luke takes Mary’s.

2. Jesus’s name was a common one, an Aramaic version of the very common Hebrew name Joshua. It is the name Emmanuel that is radical and uncommon. Verse 23 is a direct quote from Isaiah 7:14. Why would such a name be unusual?

3. Mary was later accused of lying about the virgin birth. What proof have we that she wasn’t?

The Visit of the Magi

4. Why would Jesus choose to have the Magi attend his birth?

5. The responses of the Magi and Herod represent the ways people respond to Jesus. What factors cause such responses?

6. What are some of the similarities between Jesus’s birth and death? Why do you think this is?
A. Matt. 27:19
B. Matt. 27:29
C. Matt. 27:45

All in all it seemed successful. We focused on the Kingship of Christ, and giving up control to this radical King in our own life. We also talked about how the Virgin Birth truly takes faith, and cannot be explained scientifically. We discussed how easily we dismiss dreams and visions as God's words, when Jesus' own life was saved through several of these. Finally, we looked at the relationship between Jesus' birth and death.

Bible Quiz

Here's a little quiz that will make you feel good about not reading your Bible today. HT: Imani

Book Reviews by Author

These are my book reviews, categorized alphabetically by the author's last name. (Categorization by title is available here.)

You can also subscribe to an RSS feed of my reviews at librarything.

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

A

Abercrombie, Joe The Blade Itself; Before They Are Hanged
Abraham, Daniel Hunter's Run
Ackley-McPhail, Danielle (et al.) Bad-A** Faeries
Adams, John Joseph Shimmer, The Pirate Issue; Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse
Aguirre, Ann Grimspace
Alcorn, Randy The Treasure Principle

B

Barnes, Jonathan The Somnambulist
Barwood, Lee Klassic Koalas: Ancient Aboriginal Tales in New Retellings
Beah, Ishmael A Long Way Gone
Bennis, Warren On Becoming A Leader
Bolme, Edward Eberron: The Orb of Xoriat; Eberron: Bound by Iron
Brand, Paul The Gift of Pain
Brennan, Marie Midnight Never Come
Britain, Kristen Green Rider
Brooke, Keith Genetopia
Bryson, Bill The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid; The Mother Tongue
Buckell, Tobias Crystal Rain; Ragamuffin
Burton, Katherine Hedge Hunters
Butcher, Jim Small Favor
Byers, Richard Lee Forgotten Realms: Unclean

C

Carpenter, Humphrey J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography
Chapman, Gary The Five Love Languages
Civiello, Emmanuel, A Bit of Madness
Cordell, Bruce Forgotten Realms: Stardeep
Cunningham, Elaine Forgotten Realms: The City of Splendors
Czerneda, Julie E. (ed.) Misspelled

D

Delaney, Frank Tipperary: A Novel
Dozois, Gardner Hunter's Run

E

Edelman, David Louis Infoquake
Edgington, Ian Sojourn: The Sorcerer's Tale; Sojourn: The Bezerker's Tale
Edwards, Kim The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Elliott, Kate The Crown of Stars Series
Ellis, Peter Berresford (see also Peter Tremayne) The Druids
Ellison, Harlan Dangerous Visions
Emery, Clayton Robin Hood and the Beasts of Sherwood

F

Falbe, Tracy Union of Renegades
Feist, Raymond E. Magician; Honored Enemy; Murder in LaMut
Finlay, Charles Coleman The Prodigal Troll
Forstchen, William R. Honored Enemy
Frank, Pat Alas, Babylon
Frazer, Margaret The Clerk's Tale
Freedman, Pamela Blood Ties
Freivald, Jake Falsh Fiction Online, April 2008

G

Gemmell, David Legend
Genesse, Paul The Golden Cord
Goodkind, Terry Phantom; Confessor
Graham, L.B. Shadow in the Deep; Beyond the Summerland
Green, David More Than A Hobby
Greenberg, Martin H. Fellowship Fantastic
Greenwood, Ed Forgotten Realms: The City of Splendors; Forgotten Realms: Swords of Dragonfire

H

Hart, Johnny Growingold with B.C.
Heinlein, Robert A. Glory Road
Hinck, Sharon The Restorer
Hines, Jim C. Goblin Quest; Goblin Hero; Goblin War
Horner, W. H. (ed.) Sails and Sorcery: Tales of Nautical Fantasy; Bash Down the Door and Slice Open the BadGuy
Hughes, Kerrie Fellowship Fantastic
Hunt, Stephen The Court of the Air

I

J

Jacobs, A.J. The Know-It-All
James, P.D. The Children of Men
Johnson, Jaleigh Forgotten Realms: The Howling Delve
Jones, Rosemary Forgotten Realms: Crypt of the Moaning Diamond
Jordan, Robert Knife of Dreams

K

Kemp, Paul S. Forgotten Realms: Shadowstorm
Kirkpatrick, Russell Across the Face of the World
Knight, E. E. Dragon Champion; Dragon Outcast

L

Lackey, Mercedes The Phoenix Unchained
Land, Greg Sojourn: The Sorcerer's Tale; Sojourn: The Bezerker's Tale
Lansky, Aaron Outwitting History
Lawhead, Stephen Hood; Scarlet; The Pendragon Cycle
Lebow, Jess Forgotten Realms: Obsidian Ridge
Le Guin, Ursula K. The Left Hand of Darkness

M

Mackay, Scott Tides; Phytosphere
Mallet, Nathalie The Princes of the Golden Cage
Mallory, James The Phoenix Unchained
Mangels, Andy Iron Man: Beneath the Armor
Martin, Gail Z. The Summoner
Martin, George R.R. Dying of the Light; Hunter's Run
Maxwell, John C. Life@Work
McCarthy, Cormac The Road
McCourt, Frank Teacher Man
McDonnell, Carole Wind Follower
McPhail, Mike (ed.) Breach the Hull
Meluch, R.M. The Sagittarius Command
Mental_floss Condensed Knowledge
Meredith, Robyn The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What it Means for All of Us
Miller, Karen The Innocent Mage; The Awakened Mage; Empress
Moedesitt Jr., L.E. The Magic of Recluce
Moore, Moira J. Heroes Adrift
Mosdi, Thomas A Bit of Madness
Muirden, James & Eccles, David (Illustrator) A Rhyming History of Britain

N

Norwich, John Julius Shakespeare's Kings

O

O'Neill, John (ed.) Black Gate: Issue #11
Overstreet, Jeffrey Auralia's Colors

P

Paolini, Christopher Eragon
Poole, Robert M. Explorer's House: National Geographic and the World It Made
Pratchett, Terry Thud!; The Truth; Making Money
Priest, Christopher The Prestige
Proctor, William Moon Gate

Q

R

Ramsey, Dave The Junior Books
Reid, Thomas M. Forgotten Realms: The Gossamer Plain
Rivers, Francine Redeeming Love
Rosenberg, Joel Murder in LaMut
Rothfuss, Patrick The Name of the Wind
Ruckley, Brian Winterbirth; Bloodheir

S

Salvatore, R.A. Forgotten Realms: Road of the Patriarch; Forgotten Realms: The Orc King
Sayers, Dorothy Are Women Human?
Schlosser, Eric Fast Food Nation
Sehestedt, Mark (ed.) The Tales of the Last War
Setterfield, Diane The Thirteenth Tale
Seymour, James Black History Through Blue Eyes: The Debt the World Owes to Africa
Shakespeare, William Henry V (Classical Comics Edition)
Smith, Alexander McCall The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency
Snyder, Maria V. Poison Study
Steves, Rick The Rick Steves' Travel Guide Series
Stusser, Michael The Dead Guy Interviews

T

Thurman, Rob Madhouse
Tremayne, Peter (see also Peter Ellis) Badger's Moon; Master of Souls; Smoke in the Wind
Twain, Mark The Innocents Abroad

U

V

Varley, John Rolling Thunder
Venditti, Robert The Surrogates, Vol. 1

W

Walley, Chris The Shadow and Night
Waltz, Jason M. (ed.) Return of the Sword
Ward, James M. Midshipwizard Halcyon Blithe
Weldon, David Moon Gate
Wells, Martha The Death of the Necromancer
West, Michelle The Hidden City
Wiesel, Elie Night
Williams, Tad Shadowmarch
Winchester, Simon Outposts: Journeys to the Surviving Relics of the British Empire
Withrow, Mindy and Brandon Monks and Mystics

X

Y

Yancey, Philip The Gift of Pain

Z

Zakour, John The Blue-Haired Bombshell

a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Paul Reeves

At our church, we have a lot of talent in all sorts of places. Paul Reeves recently came on as assistant worship leader and leader of our Sunday Night Services called Charis. He has written his own music and has cut three albums. I like his sound a lot. It's very CCM, and heavily reliant on the guitar, but pleasant to listen to. We are fortunate to have him attending and leading our services.

These two tracks are from his latest album, Invitation, which is definitely his best yet. His sound has matured a great deal since the first album. Listen to the talent I get to enjoy often.

Tell Me

Make Believe

"Make believe you live in a world with no consequences
Do anything you like, we’ll all just turn our eyes blind

Was that a dream, or did we do that
Was that you, was that me, could we just make believe

It’s all over now, was it worth it
Tears come pouring down, well I deserve this"

William Wilberforce

William Wilberforce will be played by one of my all time favorite actors Ioan Gruffudd! I think this movie will be great. Mr. Gruffudd is an excellent actor who distinguished himself in the A&E Hornblower series. It opens February 23 and stars a lot of other good British actors. Amazing Grace looks to be a great movie about a significant and notable man, whose contribution to history is incalculable.

A Prayer for Help

God my father, Holy of Holies,
Forgive me my sins,
Take away my guilt and shame,
Let me place my crown at your feet,
Let me have nothing, for I deserve nothing,
I have trespassed against you.

Make me lower than all your creatures,
For I am less than the snake,
Evil and Wicked, Selfish and lazy,
I crawl on my belly to your throne.

Take my guilt and shame,
Cast it into the Abyss,
Destroy it utterly,
Let me be a new creation,
Able to create for your glory.

Cleanse me, O My God!

A Myth for the Materialist

Evanglical Outpost has written a funny little creation myth for the materialist.

"Throughout history children have been awed and thrilled by retellings of their culture's creation story. Aztec's would tell of the Lady of the Skirt of Snakes, Phoenicians about the Zophashamin, and Jews and Christians about the one true God -- Jehovah. But there is one unfortunate group -- the children of materialists -- that has no creation myth to call its own. When an inquisitive tyke asks who created the sun, the animals, and mankind, their materialist parents can only tell them to read a book by Carl Sagan or Richard Dawkins."

It's creative and a little funny. Let's see if materialists have a sense of humor by watching the comments.

Book Review: Life@Work by John Maxwell

Author: John Maxwell
Genre: Non-fiction
Topic: Self-Help, Business
Pub. Date: May 2005
Format: Hardcover, 242pp
Publisher: Thomas Nelson

John Maxwell is a recognized authority on leadership and business. His many books detail how each person can be a better employee, boss, or person. Life@Work is no exception. Although the majority of Maxwell’s books focus on executives, or those who wish to be executives, Life@Work is written for any employee.

Using Biblical narratives, personal anecdotes, and Scripture, Maxwell and his colleagues work to show us that the best way for us to be good employees is to use our skill, find our calling, serve wholeheartedly, and have a strong character. These four elements are the core principles taught in Life@Work.

The work itself is poorly written. Like most self-help books, there is a lot of self-actualization with a smattering of Christian Scripture. It is unexceptional in this regard. Additionally, because there are actually three authors, it is never clear who the speaker is at any one moment. Many of the anecdotes are personal, but to whom? I also found the organization of the thoughts hard to follow; things were said twice or more often, and in different sections. Although this was probably meant to add continuity to the book, it actually made it hard to understand how one positive or negative trait was different from another.

The principles taught here are valid, and even useful. I have heard these same thoughts espoused my entire life, so it was not useful to me. But to someone new to Christianity, or someone with no idea how to integrate faith and work, this easy to read work might come in handy.

In the Womb

National Geographic is producing a show called In the Womb: Animals. It uses that new 3-D imagery to show animal babies. It's the same 3-D imaging good friends of mine used when they had their first child. It's amazing to watch, and so much cooler than the old ultrasound method. I'll leave the ramifications for the pro-life movement to others more studied than I. I just have to say, "How cute!" (See what you've done to me my lovely wife?)

In the Womb

National Geographic is producing a show called In the Womb: Animals. It uses that new 3-D imagery to show animal babies. It's the same 3-D imaging good friends of mine used when they had their first child. It's amazing to watch, and so much cooler than the old ultrasound method. I'll leave the ramifications for the pro-life movement to others more studied than I. I just have to say, "How cute!" (See what you've done to me my lovely wife?)

Magazine Review: Ruminate

I am fortunate enough to receive a regular email from the moderator of the PCA. It keeps me up-to-date on the latest goings on, publications, and transitions in our denomination. Yesterday, in the email I received was a link to a publication called Ruminate. It appears to be a magazine of Christian fiction, art, and poetry.

Ruminate was "created by a few fellow writers and believers who wanted to create a space for the thoughtful expressions of those who are nudged forward, backward, and sideways by a faith in God." The website proudly proclaims that "Ruminate is a quarterly magazine for artists who desire the space to share short stories, poetry, creative non-fiction, memoirs and visual art that resonate with the complexity and truth of the Christian faith."

I have to say I was intrigued. It looks to be very professionally made and of high quality. I ordered a trial copy of the current issue to see if the magazine fits the website. Check back here later to see my review of this new magazine for Christians in the arts.

Glossolalia

Speaking in Tongues is not a spiritual gift I personally practice, nor is it one that I think is still valid, at least without interpretation.

I've always thought that this gift was needed in the Ancient Church because of the variety of language. Pentecost couldn't have happened without it, but of course, it was the Spirit of God that made it possible. Therefore, I believe it to be a spiritual gift, as stated in Scripture, but I'm not sure though if it should still be used. I can say that the argument that it needs to be used because of a plethora of languages is still valid, unfortunately, most tongues-speakers fail to use a translator, rendering it invalid in my view.

It seems though, that, scientifically speaking, there may be some support for those who practice it according to the NY Times.

“[The study] found that [the women’s] frontal lobes — the thinking, willful part of the brain through which people control what they do — were relatively quiet, as were the language centers. The regions involved in maintaining self-consciousness were active. The women were not in blind trances, and it was unclear which region was driving the behavior. The new findings contrasted sharply with images taken of other spiritually inspired mental states like meditation, which is often a highly focused mental exercise, activating the frontal lobes.

The scans also showed a dip in the activity of a region called the left caudate. “The findings from the frontal lobes are very clear, and make sense, but the caudate is usually active when you have positive affect, pleasure, positive emotions,” said Dr. James A. Coan, a psychologist at the University of Virginia. The caudate area is also involved in motor and emotional control, so it may be that practitioners, while mindful of their circumstances, nonetheless cede some control over their bodies and emotions.”

All of this leads me to the question, What is your take on speaking in tongues?

What a Relief!

This morning's Scripture reading from Leviticus 13:40-41 was a great relief to me. It's nice to know that my thinning hair fails to make me unclean. Besides, I have no idea where I would get a lamb to sacrifice even if I was.

40 “If a man's hair falls out from his head, he is bald; he is clean. 41 And if a man's hair falls out from his forehead, he has baldness of the forehead; he is clean.

I think this is an encouragement to men everywhere. See? The OT is just as applicable and spiritually nourishing as the new. And you disdain its uses. For shame.

Why?

Reading this reminds just how hard it is to make some of these ethical decisions that we face everyday. Not a week goes by that Valerie and I don't discuss some ethical or moral dilemma that concerns either ourselves or those close to us. Why did God give us some much grey area in the Christian life? It almost makes you envy the legalist (of any religion). Their certitude in all things would be such an easy way to live. Not that they don't think things through, but once a decision is made, there is no longer any need to question, only to act in accordance with such decision. Why does God give us moral quandaries? Is it a test of faith? Or some cosmic sense of humor? Or is it simply that he wishes us to have free will?

I think this is especially relevant to us, as we are now have superficial knowledge of so many areas, and lack the time to really dig into these quandaries ourselves. Too often we must rely on "experts" with their own agendas and sin natures. If God had shown us clearly, we wouldn't have to rely on "experts" but the one true Expert.

My assistant pastor would call this one if the mysteries of God. I would agree that it is a mystery, but why did God give us such mysteries to solve? This goes back to the earlier questions. Mysteries are made to be solved, aren't they? Why then, is God shrouded in so many layers that knowing Him is not as easy as it seems? And yet, it is also so very easy. One prayer, one belief, and one life of faith is all that is required. We then "know" God, but then there is so much more to know beyond that even.

Why a mysterious God with mysterious ways?

Book Review: The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn

Two days ago, I read all 94 substantive pages of The Treasure Principle: Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving by Randy Alcorn. (I say 94 substantive pages, because the rest is a series of prayers to seek God’s will for giving, and a few promotional pages common in books of this type.) While the book is no work of John Piper, he does recommend it, “Supercharged with stunning, divine truth! Lightning struck over and over as I read it” (from the back cover).

I cannot say that “lightning struck over and over” I can say that I find Alcorn both eminently quotable, and very good at distributing common sense wisdom reminiscent of Poor Richard’s Almanack.

To evidence a few of his quotes, see the following selection of a few I liked.

“According to Jesus, storing up earthly treasures isn’t simply wrong. It’s just plain stupid.”

“God’s money to do God’s work.”

“Money leads; hearts follow.”

“What kind of trust does it take to part with your money when you die?”

And so on and so forth.

The book argues that giving essentially benefits the giver as much as the receiver. Alcorn says that Jesus himself said so. Unarguably this is true, what those of certain upbringings may find difficult is his insistence that we remember that giving reaps us benefits in heaven. This is true, but should not be our reason for giving. Similar arguments have been used for salvation. Believe so you won’t go to hell is not an acceptable motivation, and give so that you can get is not either.

Giving is sorely needed in churches these days, and Alcorn walks up, smacks you on the side of the head, and says, Doi! Giving benefits you as much as the receiver. Wake up and smell the coffee!

I am thankful for his writing, it’s an easy reading 94 pages, his six easy to remember principles of giving will stay in your mind without taking up much of that space devoted to your finances (so hopefully you'll remember to give at least 10%), and his sound bite method of writing will make it easier to remember the important life lessons when needed.

This should not discourage the reader from taking the two hours to read the book. You will learn simple life lessons, read some interesting stories of living by faith, and learn that living on 90% of God’s income is actually not as hard as you think.

Just remember, it isn’t your money, you can’t take it with you, and God blesses those who give. Give and be blessed!

Traditionalists Critiqued

This is a response I wrote at The Bishop's Pulpit to the article Curre took from the New Wave Online. I liked what I said, so I wanted to post it here as well. Thanks for the orginal post Currie!

Here is the article.
Suggestions for Critics of the Emerging Church

My Comment

Thanks for the post. I'm no fan of some in the emerging church either, but I do think that being made to rethink our approaches and cultural (but not neccessarily Biblical) values is a good thing. I have lways had a person la preference for the traditional way of doing things, but I'm honest enough to know that it is not the only way nor the best way.

However, I do know that the "emerging" church movement is too amorphous to really pin down. My only real critique of it is that I cannot get behind something that defines itself by what is not rather than what it is. I've not read much, but what I have read seems to be that the leaders of the emerging church simply say that they are not traditionalists, and that defines them. Such a definition is insufficient for me, so I would like to see a more cohesive vision for the emerging church movement.

Again, I don't disagree with the idea of engaging culture, etc. but I have heard that vaery same term used by very traditional types and they meant it with the same fervency of the merging church. I don't really see the difference between the two other than sematics and a few semi-controversial methods.

I just don't want the Gospel compromised by any group, but to find my faith in the Jesus of Scripture not in any movement of his followers.

It's Purgatory for Me

Purgatory

You have escaped damnation and made it to Purgatory, a place where the dew of repentance washes off the stain of sin and girds the spirit with humility. Through contrition, confession, and satisfaction by works of righteousness, you must make your way up the mountain. As the sins are cleansed from your soul, you will be illuminated by the Sun of Divine Grace, and you will join other souls, smiling and happy, upon the summit of this mountain. Before long you will know the joys of Paradise as you ascend to the ethereal realm of Heaven.

That one was pretty serious, this one is a little more humorous.

It's Purgatory for Me

Purgatory

You have escaped damnation and made it to Purgatory, a place where the dew of repentance washes off the stain of sin and girds the spirit with humility. Through contrition, confession, and satisfaction by works of righteousness, you must make your way up the mountain. As the sins are cleansed from your soul, you will be illuminated by the Sun of Divine Grace, and you will join other souls, smiling and happy, upon the summit of this mountain. Before long you will know the joys of Paradise as you ascend to the ethereal realm of Heaven.

That one was pretty serious, this one is a little more humorous.

School Shooting

I'm calling it. As soon as the pundits have time to rehash the latest school shooting, they will blame the police for the death of the young girl. It will not be the shooter's fault, not the abuser's fault. No, her death will be the fault of the SWAT team that went into the building trying to save the girls. It will not be the 53 year old man who was on a campus he had no right to be on.

I grieve for the loss of another young person to the corrupt of our society. But I say that the majority of the press will not blame the man, they will either blame the police or the shooter's past. I don't deny that one's past has effect on the person you become, but I also know it doesn't have to define who you are.

Christians need to pray for the family of the girl, pray that she was a believer in Christ, and that her friends will come to Christ through this tumultuous time.

Joseph's Foreshadow

I never really thought about it before, but God uses one of my favorite literary devices all throughout the Bible. It is foreshadowing, partly because I can explain it, and partly because it is easy to recognize.

At any rate, I was reading Genesis 45 this morning and in verse 24, as Joseph is sending his brothers back to his father Jacob, he gives them the admonition “Don’t quarrel along the way!” It seems out of context, but as I thought about it, I realized that this was an excellent example of foreshadowing in Scripture. After all, Joseph was speaking to the other eleven tribes of Israel, or at least their forebears. Now, if you anything of Israel’s history, you know that strife and contention have always been their lot, both with each other, God, and other external forces.

The admonition not to quarrel seems to me to be God’s warning that dissension among the tribes would result in unfortunate consequences. Just before, Pharaoh and Joseph had both promised the best land of Egypt to the family of Jacob. If the brother’s had quarreled might they not have received the best portion? As it is, later in their family’s history, strife between them did lead to conquering by other nations, and their blessed land of milk and honey was first split between them, and then taken wholly away from them.

It is interesting to think that God was warning them of the future, although they didn’t know it yet, through Joseph his prophet (and diviner).

Joseph of Egypt, the Diviner

In reading the Scriptures today (I was reading about Joseph, Genesis chapter 44) I came across an interesting claim (by a servant and himself) that Joseph practiced divination.

The story is the one where Joseph has the cup placed in Benjamin’s bag of grain so that he can claim that his brothers have stolen it, and make of Benjamin a slave. The cup is described (in verse 5) as “the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination” and then again in verse 14 Joseph says “don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination.”

This is an NIV translation, so I’m not sure the word itself is translated correctly. However, although I know that Joseph didn’t practice divination, but received revelation from God directly, I wonder why he continued the ruse for his servants? If the servant thought that this was the cup used for divination practices, either it was a rumor he was repeating, or he had seen Joseph go through the motions of using it.

If the former, we can dismiss it as nonsense, but if the latter, then the question becomes, why? Why would Joseph go through such motions and not reveal honestly that his knowledge came from God? After all, Pharaoh had called him the one true God, and I suspect that the proof of God’s power probably converted a goodly number of peoples.

So why the ruse? Why even the ruse of not declaring himself openly and honestly to his brothers when first they met again? What was God’s purpose here? Were Joseph’s and God’s purposes even one here, or was this a departure from what God wanted? When I see prophets of God concealing and hiding, even lying, yet having things work out in the end, I always wonder at who was making the decisions at that point in time. God or man?

Did Joseph pretend to divination in order to fit better into the culture that surrounded him? Was he trying to fit a cultural mold and then preach the Gospel? Of course, he didn’t have the Great Commission and conversions were not his goal, but faking divinations? Isn’t that falsifying what Hebrews actually believed, obscuring it in occult mystery?

Say What?

This is just too unbelievable. An Anglican Priest converts to Hinduism, worships in front of a Hindu idol, and continues to serve as an Anglican Priest. Archbishop Williams must be going crazy trying to figure out how to reconcile that with Biblical Christianity. Marxism's "opiate of the masses" has returned, and people are swallowing it. I'm stunned.

Moms for Modesty

My wife ran across a blog called Everyday Mommy. The author found that marketing and PR firms review "mommy blogs" for trends and opinions. So she started the Moms for Modesty Blog Team in an attempt to effect change by encouraging retailers to "provide girls' and young womens clothing that is modest, affordable and stylish."

I'm not a mom, nor is the wife. But if you will link through two blogs to a third, go to her site. Otherwise, go here.

Moms for Modesty Mission Statement

* As a Mom for Modesty I believe in common-sense modesty for girls and young women.
* I believe in refraining from sexualizing our girls and young women.
* I believe that it is unwise and unfair to taunt boys and young men by permitting my daughter(s) to dress in an immodest manner.
* I believe that true beauty comes from within and I strive to teach my daughter(s) this truth.
* I will loyally shop at retailers that provide girls' and young womens clothing that is modest, affordable and stylish.

My own opinion is that I don't need to watch girls develop into women [by that I mean watch their flesh become more like a woman's, I see enough skin (i.e. the wife's) at home thank you very much]. I have enough trouble keeping my eyes off of ads and women I meet at church. I don't need pre-teens and teens wearing inapropriate slogans, cuts, or as little clothing as possible to help me break my covenant with my eyes.

"Emerging" Church

Gene Veith has an interesting post about the emerging church on his blog Cranach.
I'm not sure what I think about this new movement as far as details go, but I am the third comment on the list, if you want my current opinion.

Emerging into the mainline

byfaith also had an interesting article a while back, which you can find here.

Reading this made me want to throw up. I don't know where to begin to deconstruct this terrible, terrible argument. No, I won't even dignify it by calling it an argument, its kowtowing to points of view, not bothering to really make any sort of stand.

The Masculine Gospel

Read this fascinating discussion on the masculinity of Jesus. I think what it truly boils down to is that we just want to affirm the humanity of Jesus. We want to affirm the full humanity of Christ just as much as we often affirm His Godhood. Since men and women and individuals are different, we see different aspects of Christ's humanity. But truly, it is all one cohesive whole. He was (and is) all things to all people, as we can never be.

Notice also the woman who denies Christ's Godhood and denies all we have learned from church history. (Which is why it needs to be taught in church more than it is!)

Calvin Gangsta Rap

You have got to view the John Calvin Gangsta Rap. Hilarious!

Also, Derek Webb isn't the only one giivng away music, Jars of Clay is also in on the act, (even if they are not as generous).

9/11 and the Christian

In our memorials and remembrances of that fateful day five years ago, let’s get a little perspective. To us, in the USA, we feel the pain of losing our countrymen, brave heroes, business people and travelers just trying to get from one place to another. This pain is good and right and true. We should mourn, we should care, and we should seek consolation, explanation and justice.

But Christians must see more. Our brothers and sisters in many parts of the world are dying, are in hiding, or are suffering under nefarious regimes. Why do we not mourn loudly the loss of our family? We did lose family members five years ago, I don’t dispute that. But why do we not mourn just as loudly for the loss of our family elsewhere in the world? Why, when so many Christians languish in Sudan, in China, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East? Where is our sense of the injustice of it all?

Why do we not do more, say more, and care just as much about peoples who may not be countrymen, but are our family nonetheless?

This is not to say that remembering the loss of the many people on September 11, 2001 is wrong. But why do Christians have so much to say in remembrance of that day, but then do nothing to cry out at similar and worse atrocities across the globe?

Some do, I know. But it is not enough, it is not enough. I may not know my family intimately, but each loss is painful to God and therefore painful to me. Why do I not weep more for these losses? As much as I weep for the losses of 9/11? I should weep just as much, if not more for these forgotten and forsaken family members.

9/11 and the Christian

In our memorials and remembrances of that fateful day five years ago, let’s get a little perspective. To us, in the USA, we feel the pain of losing our countrymen, brave heroes, business people and travelers just trying to get from one place to another. This pain is good and right and true. We should mourn, we should care, and we should seek consolation, explanation and justice.

But Christians must see more. Our brothers and sisters in many parts of the world are dying, are in hiding, or are suffering under nefarious regimes. Why do we not mourn loudly the loss of our family? We did lose family members five years ago, I don’t dispute that. But why do we not mourn just as loudly for the loss of our family elsewhere in the world? Why, when so many Christians languish in Sudan, in China, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East? Where is our sense of the injustice of it all?

Why do we not do more, say more, and care just as much about peoples who may not be countrymen, but are our family nonetheless?

This is not to say that remembering the loss of the many people on September 11, 2001 is wrong. But why do Christians have so much to say in remembrance of that day, but then do nothing to cry out at similar and worse atrocities across the globe?

Some do, I know. But it is not enough, it is not enough. I may not know my family intimately, but each loss is painful to God and therefore painful to me. Why do I not weep more for these losses? As much as I weep for the losses of 9/11? I should weep just as much, if not more for these forgotten and forsaken family members.

Good for Ghana!

Ghana has banned a homosexual convention. Read the BBC article here. It is actually illegal to practice homosexuality in Ghana. It used to be true here as well. I wonder if those laws are still on the books anywhere?

Anyway, I can be impressed by a country that sticks to its guns and upholds its laws. I do not know why they have such laws, but at least they pay more than lip service to them, like some other countries I know. (hint, hint) So, I say, good for Ghana!

God is Nigh

This came to mind as I was standing at the copier scanning some materials in. It is an old song I learned in Boy Scouts. We sang it to the tune of taps at the end of the day, sometimes as we raised or lowered the American flag.

Day is done,
gone the sun,
from the hills,
from the lakes,
from the sky,
all is well,
safely rest,
God is nigh.

Simple, elegant, beautiful.

Berean Baptist Church

Val and I visited a baptist church yesterday. It was my first experience with a truly baptist church since I went to a Baptist Christian school in the second grade. I'd forgotten how much fun "Bible-thumping" could be. We sang great old hymns that just have that get up an go so lacking in the Presbyterian churches. This place had its solemnity, don't get me wrong, but the music was just plain fun. The people were very friendly and we met this poor young couple, newly married, that have no one else their age in the church, which is unfortunate. Val and I want to be their friends even if we don't go to their tiny little church.

I think we are planning on having them over for dinner to learn more about the church. I want to grill them a little on the theological stance of the church. The sermon was from Acts when the Christians are first called such at Antioch. "The Marks of a True Christian" was the title and it was pretty good, especially when the preacher started pacing up and down in front of the pulpit and getting up and down from the stage. I only took exception to one thing he said, and I might have heard incorrectly.

My only real fear in going to that church is that they might see my infant baptism as invalid and I would be pressured to have a "believer's baptism" which I would refuse to do. This would keep me from membership and I wouldn't be able to participate fully in the church. Val would be okay, cause she was baptized by a believer's baptism, but I wasn't and I don't see the need for a new soaking either. We'll see.

Still, it is a nice tiny little church with a brand new building, new preacher (which says something. Why are they so small with a nice new building? Did the building process break up the church? Another good question to ask.) and a nice young couple we could have as friends. Either way, I think we'll make friends with them and have 'em over some time.

Screwtape on Da Vinci Code

An interesting little satire of The Da Vinci Code by Eric Metaxas, soon to appear in the Mars Hill Review.

Screwtape on The Da Vinci Code

A Beautiful Prayer

1 Kings 8:22-53 (English Standard Version)

Solomon's Prayer of Dedication
22Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven, 23and said, "O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart, 24who have kept with your servant David my father what you declared to him. You spoke with your mouth, and with your hand have fulfilled it this day. 25Now therefore, O LORD, God of Israel, keep for your servant David my father what you have promised him, saying, 'You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me as you have walked before me.' 26Now therefore, O God of Israel, let your word be confirmed, which you have spoken to your servant David my father.

27"But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built! 28Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O LORD my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you this day, 29that your eyes may be open night and day toward this house, the place of which you have said, 'My name shall be there,' that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. 30And listen to the plea of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen in heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.

31"If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath and comes and swears his oath before your altar in this house, 32then hear in heaven and act and judge your servants, condemning the guilty by bringing his conduct on his own head, and vindicating the righteous by rewarding him according to his righteousness.

33"When your people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against you, and if they turn again to you and acknowledge your name and pray and plead with you in this house, 34then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel and bring them again to the land that you gave to their fathers.

35"When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict them, 36then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and grant rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance.

37"If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemy besieges them in the land at their gates,[a] whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 38whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart and stretching out his hands toward this house, 39then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind), 40that they may fear you all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our fathers.

41"Likewise, when a foreigner, who is not of your people Israel, comes from a far country for your name's sake 42(for they shall hear of your great name and your mighty hand, and of your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this house, 43hear in heaven your dwelling place and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to you, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your people Israel, and that they may know that this house that I have built is called by your name.

44"If your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way you shall send them, and they pray to the LORD toward the city that you have chosen and the house that I have built for your name, 45then hear in heaven their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause.

46"If they sin against you--for there is no one who does not sin--and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near, 47yet if they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors, saying, 'We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,' 48if they repent with all their mind and with all their heart in the land of their enemies, who carried them captive, and pray to you toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen, and the house that I have built for your name, 49then hear in heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause 50and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions that they have committed against you, and grant them compassion in the sight of those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them 51(for they are your people, and your heritage, which you brought out of Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace). 52Let your eyes be open to the plea of your servant and to the plea of your people Israel, giving ear to them whenever they call to you. 53For you separated them from among all the peoples of the earth to be your heritage, as you declared through Moses your servant, when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD."

Uncommon Prayer

Why doesn't the PCA and many of the evangelical churches have a Book of Common Prayer or some such? People (including myself) are always saying that we pray just for sick people or that I don't know how to pray properly. I would think that using prayers that we thought through by theologians and scholars would be a good guide. Eventually, our personal prayers could take on the same shape and style and beauty and grace as those written so many years ago.

Why are we stuck with devotionals? I like modern stories of faith, but the prayers found in them are often so inane, bland, and general. (Sometimes they even reek of gimmie-gimmieness.)

I know the Psalms are good for this, but that is a little too ancient. Besides, that is only one man's method of prayer and beautiful as it is, David didn't have the theological conundrums of today. A book of prayer for the PCA would be a good idea I think. Perhaps bringing our best scholars and theologians to the subject, so that we might have a daily office like the Episcopals, Lutherans, and Catholics do.

Teach me how to pray, O Lord, and send me a guide that my prayers might be sanctified, holy, and beautiful. Help me to pray beyond the sicklist and for my own wants and needs. Make my prayers beautiful and glorifying to you. TEach me to pray. Make Jesus' prayer my guide and let the beauty of your grace shine through it. Give me a daily office of prayer for each day of the year, that I might glorify you with my mouth. Amen.

President and Dr. Neilson's Comments
on Gender Roles in the Church

Follow the link to President & Dr. Kathleen Neilson's comments on gender roles in the PCA, especially in the wake of the heated debate at the Kaleo Center's "Gender and the Church".

Responding to Gender Issues at Covenant College

Hating the sin,
while loving the sinner?

I recently had an opportunity to spend a fun evening in a bar with a couple who practice homsexuality. This is not the story of that evening but rather, some pontification on the subject of homosexuality.

I enjoyed the company of these people. While I know that this is not a wrong thing, and in no way did I compromise my message by pretending to support their way of life, some may think me a fool for doing so. Again, that's neither here nor there.

A few days after my fun evening of trivia and booze, I thought about the recent trend that Christians have in always saying that they "hate the sin, but love the sinner." I understand the sentiment and agree with it. But how can we hate the sin, making sure that our homosexual friends know we do so, without hating the sinner? After all, many of these people identify themselves as homosexual, just as we label ourselves Christians. If we hate the sin, then that is all they will know about us.

What I want to know is, how can I hate the sin (which I do) when people who live this way almost wholeheartedly identify themselves as homosexual? (I kinda admire them for that you know, we Christians could learn a thing or two about truly identifying ourselves with our label, and living that by it.)

How can I love the sinner, while hating the sin when their entire identity is wrapped up in being a homosexual?

Environmental Prophecy
and Fulfillment

I have a theory. What if Jesus came at the right ime in the course of environmental history? Once upon a time, Israel was a land of milk and honey, green and lush. But by the time Christ came, Israel was more desert-like and less lush. That's not to say that there weren't areas of greenery, but it doesn't seem to have been quite what I think of when I think of a land of milk and honey.

We so often say that Jesus came as the fulfillement of the prophesies of Israel. What if the very soil of Israel was being prophetic as well? Israel was the land that God gave to the Hebrews in part as a sign of his faithfulness. This faithfulness would culminate in Christ. So when Christ came, he came to renew us and pledge to us the entire world as our breadbasket, not just the land of Israel to the Hebrews. If Christ is for all, then the Earth is for all, and its is our land of milk and honey just as Israel was for the Hebrews.

Perhaps that is why Israel is so desert-like now. I won't say its a punishment from God (cause it isn't) its just that as the Gospel is for all the nations, so too is all the world.

This is a theory that is based on no actual facts. I fact, I'm not even sure if Israel is as desert-like as I make it out to be. It might not be. I need to do some more research.

Capital Punishment

I've been second guessing my once strongly held conviction that capital punishment is an acceptable form of punishment. It seems to me that our whole justice system ought to be revamped so that if someone wrongs you, no matter how heinous the crime, that they should be forced to pay compensation. We already sort of do this in civil court, but I'm thinking that incarcerating someone just isn't an effective deterrent. However, if we were to punish someone where it really hurts (i.e. their pocketbook) and also remove them from society if their crime is especially heinous (little Law and Order reference there). This would alleviate some of the overcrowding in the jails because white collar and non-violent criminals would not be incarcerated. Taxpayers wouldn't have to pay for the upkeep of those who hurt us, and those who were wronged would be compensated. Perhaps I'm being idealistic, but I just don't know.

Friends, Confessors,
and Church History (Unresolved)

On Sunday, I went out on a limb and asked a few hard questions in a group of my acquaintances. Spurred on by an article sent to me by Erik and a subsequent conversation with Valerie, I asked a group of my "church friends" how they define a friend. Well, that opened a whole can of worms, let me tell you. Those of a more extroverted bent like to define everyone as their friend. Me, I prefer to be really narrow in my definition, as did most of the introverts in the crowd. The women also tended to think more broadly (Valerie isn't extroverted, but would define the term more broadly than myself) than the men. At least I didn't offend anyone that I could tell. But then again, I'm not really good at reading such emotions anyway.

The other big topic of conversation I brought up was the role of the confessoion in evangelical circles. Some have them, some don't but those I am most familiar with do not. However, after reading Lauren Winner's Girl Meets God I kinda found that I like the idea of having a confessor. I want to point out that when I think of a confessor, I'm talking about a diinterested (sort of) thrid party. Nor do I mean someone I must find to gain absolution from sin. Rather, I was wondering about public confession and confession to someone other than a friend (a person who might maintain friendship?! at the cost of being brutally honest).

Last but not least, we discussed the role of learning church history as part of being a Christian. I see it as an integral part of sanctification. After all, If we don't know the story of the church, how can the community of the church become sanctified. (Some side issues were: (1) the Bible as self help vs. sanctifying tool and (2) How do we define sanctification?) However, my newly installed assistant pastor and I talked for quite a long time on the topic but came to the conclusion only that it was an interesting idea. I don't feel this is a resolution at all.

No real conclusions were reached on any opf these topics. But I hate that I can't get people to think critically about such things. Am I the only one who cares? Why is conversation so superficial? Why waste time talking about the mundane when there is so much to know? Its not the fault of my acquaintances, its just my insatiable curiousity. You guys in cyber-land have any thoughts on this stuff?

How do we make Short term
missions more holistic?

What follows is an answer to an assignment I had last week from the Chalmers center course Foundations and Principles of Holistic Ministry.

Question 2:"The use of short-term teams in missions has exploded in the past decade. These range from trips to another country to trips to urban or rural areas within the home country. There are a variety of good reasons to utilize short teams. A primary benefit of utilizing short term teams is the learning that can be experienced by those who go on the trip. With proper orientation and reflective learning while on a short term team, much good learning can occur. Unfortunately common myths about missions, especially about holistic missions amongst the economically poor, can be further entrenched especially if quality intentional learning and appropriate practice isn’t a core part of the experience. In thinking about ideas such as poverty as more than deficit, the marred identity of the poor and god-complex of the non-poor, asset-based approaches and the central role of participation in development how might you structure a short-team trip in order to minimize its harm and maximize its benefit?"

Difficult question, but nonetheless, an excellent one. This is designed to think about a youth STM. First of all, I would communicate with a missionary in my church and see if they want or need a short term team, warning them that it can be a time consuming process that may take away (temporarily) from their own mission work. I would also not want to take a team someplace that has a continuous round of STMers all summer long. This is for the sake of the missionaries more than anyone. Once I have a missionary, I would coordinate with them about what they want. What are the needs of the community? In addition, I would want the missionary to work with the community to prepare for the arrival of the STM.

Back in the states, many months before the trip, the attendees would begin regular (weekly or every other week) meetings focusing on training and prayer. Failure to attend would a set number of meetings would result in a refund of their deposit and the inability to attend the trip. I do this to test commitment. I would also limit the number of chaperones, and only high-school age youth could join the mission. The meetings would consist of cultural training, language instruction, packing tips, extensive prayer sessions, and some deep soul-searching of motivations and desires. The community would have decided in advance what they would like us to do in their community so all training would be related to that.

Once on the ground in our host community, the STMers would not be allowed to go everywhere as group. In other words, while there would hopefully be time for communal work and fellowship for the team, I would also want each person to be able to experience the people of the community by working in pairs alongside the community, away from the safety of their group. The term “immersion” comes to mind. Difficult and stressful, I know, but necessary.

If it is possible, I would want the community to welcome the team into their homes in small groups. (Safety and economic constraints exist, but they are a barrier to be overcome.) Immersion is the key. However, nothing that is a burden on the community should be done without the consent of the community.

After the trip, communication would be fostered between the church and the indigenous church of the host community. Knowing, the fallibleness of one person (especially teens), if the church and the team leader do their best to keep in contact (say monthly at least) it will set a good example. There should be debriefings for several months after the trip and if possible, those debriefings should lead up to the meetings that begin for the next mission trip. The idea being that the previous team members would train and prepare new ones for the same location.

The church should send teams to the same area for at least five years running. Change is all well and good, but in fostering good, long-distance, relationships, it isn’t. Even if the church takes a break from a specific mission after five years, they should commit to return within two years after the break.

Smaller churches with large turnover would do well to partner with other local churches, or use a mission organization that sends teams from the same area to the same area.

Obviously, there are a lot of specifics I didn’t address. But the idea is that the community would welcome the team, the team would fully immerse itself in the culture, and that relationships be the primary motivator, not construction or VBS. Discipleship is difficult long-distance, but that is what needs to happen, or else leave a bad taste in the mouth of the community.

Know any good Arab Missions Organizations?

I am in need of the names of some mission organizations that work in Arabian countries. I particularly need information for Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Morocco. If you know of any please post. A name is sufficient, I can do the research from there. Thanks bloggers.

A fair shake from liberal media? Impossible!

POST NUMBER 50!

Anyway, follow this link to a neat article in The New Yorker that gives a fair shake to a Christian college.

Patrick Henry College

Is Your Moral Philosophy Consistent?

This is a more valuable game than most blog quizzes. It does an adequate job of testing whether your moral philosophy is consistent with what you think it is.
This is a secular quiz, so if you are offended by references to sex, don't take it. After all it is called TABOO, and it challenges your thinking on such constructions.

My score (and an explanation of it) can be downloaded (in pdf) with this link.
John Ottinger's Moral Philosophy

This link will lead you to the quiz.
TABOO

For PCA members

If you haven't had a chance to check out the PCA's new magazine byFaith then you should. Go online and order a free trial copy today.

byFaith

I love it, I really feel connected to others in my denomination through the articles. I know what the PCA is doing and am learning more about how the PCA stands on current cultural issues.

Ayn Rand and Objectivism

WARNING! HEADY STUFF ON THE HORIZON!

Don't read if you aren't in the mood to answer a deep, but not very thoughtful question.

I've been reading the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. He says that his novels are based on Ayn Rands objectivist philosophy. The philosophy denies the supernatural and faith. So I went to the website to check it out. I know that its bad that it denies faith and exalts reason, but I find myself liking the ideas presented on human nature. Anyway, I was wondering if any of you professional or amateur philosophers (as you all are) know anything about this philosophy and if there are any Christian critiques or thoughtsn on the philosophy. This is important cause I know this guy who reads the Ayn Rand books and the Terry Goodkind books and is a Christian and I want to be able to talk intelligently on the subject to him. He's no die hard, but it would create interesting discussion.

From the website. Ayn Rand.org

Human Nature
Man is a rational being. Reason, as man's only means of knowledge, is his basic means of survival. But the exercise of reason depends on each individual's choice. "Man is a being of volitional consciousness." "That which you call your soul or spirit is your consciousness, and that which you call 'free will' is your mind's freedom to think or not, the only will you have, your only freedom. This is the choice that controls all the choices you make and determines your life and character."Thus Objectivism rejects any form of determinism, the belief that man is a victim of forces beyond his control (such as God, fate, upbringing, genes, or economic conditions.)

More on the philosphy here.
Objectivism Essentials

Palm Sunday Compromise and
the Judiciary vs. Congress

Terri Schiavo may still live, despite the efforts of her husband to kill her.

Early monday morning President Bush signed into law what is being called the "Palm Sunday Compromise". The law allows her parents to speak on her behalf.

Congress' display of power has truly lifted my spirits. As I have more and more become interested in politics, I was becoming disheartened. Compared to the judiciary, Congress seemed ineffectual and slow moving. But in just two days a bill (coauthored by Florida Representative Dave Weldon and Florida Senator Mel Martinez) was signed into law. So much for a slow moving Congress.

This law does not ensure that Terri Schiavo's life will be saved. I truly hope her life is saved, but this law is really something more to me. Congress is taking its power back from the judiciary. A state judge was going to decide for the nation the issue of euthanasia. A state judge! I know that appeals and such might have made it to the U.S. Supreme Court, but Terri would have been dead by then. So in effect, one local judge held the entire issue of euthanasia in his hand. If Michael Schiavo killed Terri with the judge's permission, then euthanasia would be legalized through one biased man's decision.

Congress couldn't allow it. The "Palm Sunday Compromise" proves it. The Congress has taken the first step to taking back the power of making law that the judiciary had usurped so long ago. And not timidly either. In the House there was an ovewhelming majority and the Senate passed the bill unanimously. Admittedly, the bill seems timid in only allowing her parents to represent her and not directly saving her life as Governor Bush's "Terri's Law" did, but nonetheless a state judge will not decide the issue of euthanasia. Our federal government will, which is as it should be.

A sermon by me (strange to think huh?)

Outline of sermon given on 3/9/05

(Given to K-6 graders at Covenant Christian School)

The Difficulties of Being Christian

Text taken from John 6:44-48; 60-69 (NIV)

44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ [a]Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. 48 I am the bread of life.

60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit [a]and they are life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him.”

66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

I have to warn you that I am a little nervous, I’m not used to speaking in front of so many people. If you see my shaking that’s why. So watch and see if I shake a lot.

1. Some of the disciples left because they didn’t like the idea that Jesus was the Son of God. They thought that no human could be the Son of God. But Jesus was.

2. They left and gave up on being Christians because they learned that being a Christian would be hard.

3. I’ll bet that many of you find it hard to be a Christian.
a. You have to obey your parents, all the time. (Even I have to obey my parents, and I’m twenty-five years old.)
b. You are not allowed to lie or even fib.
c. You can’t cheat. You can’t look at the answers on somebody else’s work.
d. You can’t steal. Even if you know how to without getting caught, you can’t.
e. You have to obey your teachers, all the time.
f. You have to go to church every Sunday even when you don’t want to.
g. Sometimes other kids in your neighborhood make fun of you and laugh at you because you are a Christian.
h. You also have to tell others about Jesus.

4. So it can be very hard to be a Christian. Some of the disciples thought it was too hard. So they left. But there were eleven (not Judas Iscariot) who we know for sure who didn’t run away. They were the Apostles.

5. Verse 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
a. Peter knew that Jesus was the only one who could give them eternal life. He (and the other 10) had nowhere else to go.
b. You will have eternal life. Even though it is hard now to be a good Christian you will be able to laugh and sing and play with Jesus up in heaven.
c. You will also have many blessings. Jesus will be right beside you for the rest of your life. He will give you many blessings if you do your best to be a good Christian.

6. I will leave you with this. Be a good Christian. Even in the next five minutes when you want to race back to class (when you know you shouldn’t) remember that it might be hard to be a Christian but it is worth it so that you can live forever with Jesus and God and the Holy Spirit.

7. Let’s pray.

Social Security

Call this an informal poll, a discussion or whatever you will, but I'd like to know where Covenant grads or former Covenanters fall on the issue of social security.

Should we have personal accounts as Bush and the majority of the Republican party is calling for?

Or should we follw the Democratic line and tweak the existing plan without resorting to the expensive and drastic action of privatizing?

I'm trying to foster a discussion, so all opinions are welcome.

Modern Day Heroes

My father-in-law showed me this last night. Please remember to pray for the safe and early return of our modern day heroes. And may the Iraqis be blessed by our country's presence there.

Homeward Bound