Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

Monthly Archives: July 2015


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THIS & THAT and Favorite Quotes of the Week

This and That

CHRISTIAN LIVING:

  • Learning the Art of Contentment and Discontentment. Colin Smith writes “Love Christ more and you will love money less. When you have less you will find yourself saying, “I am learning to be content. Christ is more to me than all the world.” When you have more you will say, “How can I use what I have to serve Christ? Because Christ is more to me than all the world.””
  • Seven Subtle Symptoms of Pride. Fabienne Harford points out seven sneaky symptoms of the infection of pride from Jonathan Edwards.
  • Cosmic Treason. Man did not remain in the state of righteousness in which he was created. He sinned against God and fell, becoming dead in sin and defiled in every faculty of soul and body. Most people today deny this fact, believing that man is by nature good. In this message from the Ligonier Ministries 2009 Leadership Conference, Pillars of the Christian Faith, R.C. Sproul looks at how it is incumbent upon faithful Christian leaders therefore to teach the truth about the Fall and about the true nature and evil of sin.
  • Do Not Underestimate a Defeated Devil. Jon Bloom writes “It is a dangerous thing to underestimate the power of spiritual evil and to overestimate our ability to withstand it.”
  • A Prayer for Greater Freedom from Resentment. Here’s another wonderful prayer from Scotty Smith.
  • Texting and Driving Is Stupid. Tony Reinke writes “Talking on the phone while driving makes you 4-times more likely to get into an accident. Texting while driving makes you 23-times more likely to get into an accident. Christians are called to stop texting-and-driving not just because it’s illegal. More importantly, texting-and-driving is a form of neighbor-neglect, and neighbor-neglect is a sin against our God that calls for intentional measures of self-control.”
  • 6 Bad Reasons to Check Your Phone in the Morning. Kevin Halloran discusses a recently recent episode of John Piper’s “Ask Pastor John” podcast, called “Why Not to Check Your Phone in the Morning“. In that episode Piper shares six reasons we are prone to go to our phone first thing in the morning. Each of the six reasons are drawn from motives that can quickly become sinful and hinder desire to serve others and obey God.
  • 5 Ways Mission Agencies Stretch the Truth. Darren Carlson writes about how some mission agencies exaggerate statistics to recruit staff, missionaries, and donors.An Embarrassing Week for Christians Sharing Fake News. Ed Stetzer shares three things to do to fix the false rumor you spread online.
  • 5 Tips for Spotting Fake News. Bob Smietana shares these five tips.
  • How Should Christians Comment Online? Jon Blooms helpfully shares how and when we should comment online.
  • Creation’s Groans Are Not Meaningless. Tim Keller writes “We know we’re not what we one day will be and we don’t have now all that we one day will (Rom. 8:24). We know all our best days lie ahead and all our painful days will lie behind us then. And so, even on our worst days and in our hardest moments, we know this: It is worth it.”
  • How Should Christians Respond to Attacks and Insults? R.C. Sproul shares insights from Jonathan Edwards to keep in mind as we deal with the inevitable attacks and insults that come our way in this life.
  • Jesus Outside the LinesScott Sauls on Steve Brown, Etc. Scott Sauls, author of Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides (the next book Tammy and I will read together), was recently on the Steve Brown, Etc. podcast.
  • What’s Thrilling Them About Jesus. In this less than five-minute video, John Piper, Richard Coekin and Tim Keller talk about what’s thrilling them about Jesus at the moment.
  • 7 Gospel-Centered Principles for Protecting Your Marriage. Jim Newheiser writes “What can a couple do to preserve the joyful loving intimacy of their marriage? Consider these seven gospel-centered principles.”
  • Why I Love the Church. John MacArthur begins a short series on why he loves the church by stating that the church is being built by the Lord Himself.
  • The Blessing of Catechizing Our Children. Joel Beeke writes “God has given us a wonderful means of grace in catechizing our children. Yes, we need discipline and diligence to do it, but when we persevere, the rewards are sweet.”

SPORTS:

  • Hole in One at the British Open. Playing in his first-ever British Open, 28-year-old Englishman Daniel Brooks hit arguably the best shot of the tournament in the second round last Saturday, making a hole-in-one at the par-3 11th.
  • If protecting your mind means changing some things that seem “innocent,” do it today. Tony Dungy

JUST FOR FUN:

  • Wayward Pines. This summer we’ve been watching M. Night Shyamalan’s new television program Wayward Pines. It reminds me of Lost and Shyamalan’s 2004 film The Village. It includes a good cast, including Matt Dillon, a simply evil Academy Award winner Melisa Leo, and equally evil Terrence Howard, Carla Gugino, Toby Jones, Juliette Lewis and more.
  • Faceketball with Lebron James. Did you see Lebron James and Jimmy Fallon play this game recently on The Tonight Show?
  • From Minions to 3,2,1 Penguins to the bird from Up, somehow “Kevin” became the name for dumb cartoon characters. Mr. Bacon and I feel hurt. Kevin DeYoung
  • Words I will never get used to hearing: “Grandma just texted me and said…” Tim Challies
  • To win with money you must live on less than you make. Act Your Wage. You are not in Congress. Dave Ramsey

IN THE NEWS:

R. C. SproulR.C. Sproul

  • Congratulations to R.C. Sproul. Dr. Sproul celebrated 50 years in ministry on July 17.
  • Wheaton Staffer Announces Support for Gay Relationships. Denny Burk writes about Julie Rogers of Wheaton College. He states “This is a sad departure. I expect we will see many more like it in the days ahead. And each one will be an occasion for grief.”
  • What Does the Rainbow Mean for Gays? Dieudonne Tamfu writes “The next time you see a rainbow flag, think of this. One day soon, God’s glory, now seen dimly in the rainbow, will be fully revealed and draw everyone to worship. God’s glory will fill the earth. The glory of the LGBT movement will soon fade, but God’s glory and love toward those forgiven by faith in Jesus will last forever.”
  • How Wide the Divide: Sexuality at the Forefront, Culture at the Crossroads. Ravi Zacharias writes “There are three starting points that separate the historic Christian view from those who called for the legalizing of gay marriage that is now the law of the land, albeit by one vote.”

PLANNED PARENTHOOD AND ABORTION:

  • “A Lot of People Want Intact Hearts These Days” — Planned Parenthood, Abortion, and the Conscience of a Nation. Albert Mohler writing of the video showing the senior medical director of Planned Parenthood casually discussing the sale of organs from aborted babies, states “A nation that will allow this, will allow anything.”
  • Planned Parenthood and Evil. Jesse Johnson writes “So, why is Planned Parenthood evil? They are evil because they have roots in eugenics, they disproportionally target minorities, they use our tax dollars to do it, they make birth control difficult to get, they lobby for late-term abortions, and they do this all to make a profit.”
  • Doug Wilson offers a few thoughts and suggestions about the Planned Parenthood video.
  • Exposing and Engaging Planned Parenthood & Abortion. The Radical blog includes the shocking Planned Parenthood video and responses from some Christian leaders.
  • Planned Parenthood and the Atrocity of Corpse-Selling. Russell Moore writes of an undercover video showing Deborah Nucatola, Senior Director of Medical Services for the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, explaining how Planned Parenthood sells the parts of aborted unborn children. The video shows her describing how the heads of these babies come at the highest price.
  • Congratulating Planned Parenthood. Carl Trueman, who I enjoyed a class on B.B. Warfield at Covenant Seminary a few years back, writes “Planned Parenthood is not to be condemned. Surely it is to be congratulated for having so perfectly summarized the spirit of our age.
  • Planned Parenthood: How Much Longer? Jonathan Parnell writes “How much time will we give the abortion industry before they self-destruct? How much longer, America? How long are we going to let this go on? How many more conversations need to leak? How much more blood must be spilt? How many more body parts must be dismembered, packaged, and sold before we realize this whole thing is a nightmare? God, may it end soon.”
  • We Know They Are Killing Children—All of Us Know. Here’s a 2013 article from John Piper in which he writes “We have killed fifty million babies. And what increases our guilt as a nation is that we know what we are doing. Here’s the evidence (eleven points) that we know we are killing children.”
  • Why the President of Planned Parenthood’s Apology Doesn’t Work. The President of Planned Parenthood Cecile Richards released a video statement to defend her organization in the wake of the damning video that was released earlier this week. Denny Burk writes “The statement is awful on so many levels. But there are two glaring reasons that her statement falls short.”
  • Five Ways We Fight for Children. Phillips Holmes writes “Whether you’re single or married, young or old, we can all do something for the sake of the defenseless unborn and glorious truth of what we believe. What can we do?” He then offers five helpful things we can do.
Courtesy of World Magazine
Courtesy of World Magazine

Quotes of the Week

God and Theology:

  • If I know anything about the character of God after fifty years of ministry, I know that God hates abortion. R.C. Sproul
  • Every day we need our gaze redirected from ourselves to God. Sinclair Ferguson
  • The foundation of our love for the Lord lies in the recognition of His holiness, our sinfulness, and His grace. Sinclair Ferguson
  • Be assured, there is nothing new in theology except that which is false. Charles Spurgeon
  • There is an inherent blasphemy in seeking to add to what Christ Jesus in His dying moments declared to be finished. Charles Spurgeon
  • The devil is so subtle that he dominates man and persuades him at the same time that he is not being dominated. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
  • Temptations and occasions put nothing into a man, but only draw out what was in him before. John Owen

The Christian Journey:

  • No man can come to God but by an extraordinary revelation of the Spirit. John Calvin
  • I cannot have God in my heart if he is not in my head. Before I can believe in, I must believe that. R.C. Sproul
  • There will be no doubt about His having chosen you when you have chosen Him. Charles Spurgeon
  • You are either a Christian or you are not a Christian; you cannot be partly a Christian. You are either “dead” or “alive”; you are either “born” or “not born”. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
  • The ultimate test of our spirituality is the measure of our amazement at the grace of God. Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones
  •  God’s love for you musn’t be measured by your present circumstances but by his eternal Christ. The sane choose grace over ease, every time. Scotty Smith
  • Worldliness is departing from God. Iain H. Murray
  • Look at your Facebook posts. Do they display fear, love or self-control? Pastor Duane Otto
  • What is right has to win the day over what we may see as rights. Ravi Zacharias
  • It is impossible to forgive someone if you feel superior to him or her. Tim Keller
  • You find that the things you let go of while following Jesus were the things that were going to destroy you in the end. Francis Chan
  • Our examples of enduring hardship are often more powerful than our stories of success and triumph. Mark Dever
  • All roads do indeed lead to God, the only question is, what will God say to you when you get there? Burk Parsons

Prayer:

  • Prayer should be done regularly, persistently, resolutely, and tenaciously at least daily, whether we feel like it or not. Tim Keller
  • Prayer is not optional for the Christian; it is required. R.C. Sproul


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FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Links to Interesting Articles about Faith and Work:

sabbath_Wisdom and Sabbath Rest. Tim Keller writes “The purpose of Sabbath is not simply to rejuvenate yourself in order to do more production, nor is it the pursuit of pleasure. The purpose of Sabbath is to enjoy your God, life in general, what you have accomplished in the world through his help, and the freedom you have in the gospel—the freedom from slavery to any material object or human expectation. The Sabbath is a sign of the hope that we have in the world to come.”

  • Re-Creation or Wreck-reation…What’s Your Approach to Life and Work? In this “Tuesday Tip” Dr. Alan Zimmerman writes that he tells his clients “If you can’t find time for recreation, sooner or later your body will make time for illness.” He shares four tips for what you should do if you’re feeling overwhelmed, stressed out, burned out, or off balance.
  • Escape Perfectionism Once and For All. Michael Hyatt states that “Perfectionism is the enemy of productivity and success. It costs us opportunities, even freedom. But anyone can beat perfectionism and finally launch with the three simple steps in this podcast.”
  • Avoid Vacation Meltdown. Malinda Fasol writes “Here are our five safe harbor suggestions to shield you from the storm of conflict, which often accompanies vacation.”
  • 15 Ways to Dig Out of Discouragement. Dan Rockwell writes “The only reason encouragement matters is discouragement is real. Positive thinking addresses the reality of negative. Dark feelings give relevance and power to positive.”
  • The Slowest Way to Build a Reputation. C. Patton uses an illustration about his daughter to show that a reputation is built over time.
  • 5 Ways to Bless Others with Our Words at Work. This post from the Theology of Work Project states “The words we use in our places of work have the power either to bless or curse, to build others up or to tear them down. Our choice of words often has more power than we realize.”
  • Communication. In this “Minute with Maxwell”, John Maxwell looks at the word “communication”.
  • The Future of Work – Part 2. Mark Miller continues to discuss his Free Address experiment, an approach to work in which a person does not have a designated, permanent workstation or office.
  • This Job Influences the Future of Culture. Bethany Jenkins “I’ve come to realize that being a college career counselor or coach might just be one of the most strategic jobs that any person, especially any Christian, can have. Here are four reasons why.”
  • A Testimony of Conscience and Conviction in the Workplace. Hands On Originals Christian Outfitters is a small printing company in Lexington, Kentucky, that, up until recently, had very few problems when they declined to print a certain message. The company is owned by Blaine Adamson. Watch Adamson’s testimony in this four-minute video.

LEADERSHIP:

  • Clarity. Mark Miller writes “How to help a team or organization stay laser focused on what matters most is a universal and eternal question for every leader. It doesn’t matter if you are leading a scout troop or a multi-national conglomerate. Clarity is a precursor to alignment and alignment multiplies impact. As leaders, we should always be in the pursuit or preservation of clarity. The list of strategies and tactics is virtually endless.”
  • How to be a Horrible Boss. Barnabas Piper writes “Do you want to be an epically bad boss? Do you want to grind employees into dust, crush their morale, and leave quaking dry husks of humanity in your wake? If so, then all you need to do is follow these 13 simple steps.”
  • Are You on the Leadership Fast Track. Mark Miller says that if you want to accelerate your career development, perhaps you need to be more of a Developer.
  • Act As If Then Is Now: Strategic Change Management. In this two-minute video from Leadercast, Andy Stanley shares his leadership principles for understanding why change management is important and the two key areas on which to focus as an investment in the future.
  • 5 Leadership Questions with Brad Lomenick. On this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins and Barnabas Piper talk with Brad Lomenick about his own experiences, his passion for authenticity in leadership, and even some of his thoughts about being a single leader.
  • Great Teams Have Great Depth. John Maxwell shares six dimensions of depth that every team leader needs to focus on to have a winning season
  • 15 Ways NOT to Lead Well. Brad Lomenick asks “How is your leadership dysfunctional? What stands out as areas to improve? Here are a few key indicators of the kind of leadership and ultimately a leader that needs to reimagine, re-engage, and recommit. Look for these, and if they exist, be committed to change.”
  • How to Make Meetings Less Painful. In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, hosts Todd Adkins and Barnabas Piper and guest, Brad Lomenick, discuss 5 questions about how to make meetings less painful.
  • 7 Questions Leaders Should Use Often. Ron Edmondson shares 7 examples of questions leaders should memorize and use often.
  • 11 Ways to Earn Respect at Work. Peter Daisyme writes “We seek respect in our professional lives. Gaining the respect of others in the workplace is something many people want, but often have misguided ideas on how to achieve this goal. The following tips will provide valuable insight into the process of gaining and keeping respect in the workplace.”
  • When Should Leaders Change Their Minds? Jeff Iorg writes “Despite how firmly we (leaders) hold our convictions, we are also learners — meaning we are open to new ideas. When we discover new insights, we are humble enough to change our minds. When we are wrong, we admit it and move forward. But with new information generated daily and all the different biblical interpretations being proposed, how do you know when to change your mind?”

 Faith and Work

  • Calling means that everyone, everywhere, and in everything fulfills his or her (secondary) callings in response to God’s (primary) calling. Os Guinness
  • If there is no Caller, there are no callings – only work. Os Guinness
  • Start your day with good intentions and set yourself up for a good attitude. It’s not what happens to you that matters but how you respond. Ken Blanchard
  • It’s normal to enjoy praise and dislike criticism. True character is when you prevent either from affecting you in a negative manner. Coach K
  • The greatest leaders mobilize others by coalescing people around a shared vision. Ken Blanchard
  • Dependence on God as a leader is a requirement, responsibility and obligation, not just a perk or program of the Christian life. Brad Lomenick

 The Conviction to Lead by Albert MohlerThe Conviction to Lead Book Club – Won’t you read along with us?

The Conviction to Lead: 25 Principles for Leadership That Matters by Albert Mohler

We’re reading this excellent book on leadership principles from a renowned agent of change, Albert Mohler. It is one of the best that I’ve read on leadership and is broken down into 25 relatively short chapters. Won’t you read along with us? This week we look at

Chapter 23: Leadership that Endures

  • The leaders who make the biggest difference are those with long tenure. Great impact requires a lengthy term of leadership, and the leader who wants to make a difference had better make a public commitment to stay.
  • The most effective leaders know to stay on the job, determined to see the task done.
  • Short terms for leaders are the rule rather than the exception.
  • The average tenure of corporate leaders is amazingly short, and their leadership impact is frighteningly temporary. If you want to make a lasting difference, you had better make the commitment to endure.
  • Leadership is an endurance test that will demand the best of anyone.
  • Endurance is what keeps the leader on the job, day in and day out.
  • Endurance not only makes demands of leaders, it also offers the blessing of a long memory and a longer period of evaluation.
  • Leadership requires maturing, learning, adapting, rethinking, and retooling. None of these things come fast or easily.
  • Convictional leaders prize endurance for one other fundamental reason—the endurance of truth. The truths we hold and the beliefs we cherish take the form of convictions that frame every aspect of reality. Our mission is to see these convictions known, believed, and translated into meaningful combined action.


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5 Ways to Know Your Team Members Better

servant-leadershipAs a leader I want to serve those that I am privileged to lead. In order to serve them you need to know them. Each year we hold a summer outdoor team event. It’s always a wonderful time of food, fun, relationship-building and learning. And each year we capture the event by putting photos from the event in a book that I keep on the small table in my office where I meet with people. I often use the book to tell people that you are only blessed to work with a group of people for a short time and then they, or you, move on.

I can look at the books from past events to remind me that very few of the people that attended the event just a few years ago are still on the team. Some of us may work together again, but some (from a book I looked at this week from 2008) have already retired, and one sadly has since died.

Here are 5 ways you can get to know your team members – whether it be at work, church, volunteer organizations or school:

  1. See them as people, not resources. I often hear people referred to as ‘resources’, and that always bothers me. When I began my career the department currently named Human Resources was called Personnel. I think this could reflect more than just a name change. See your team members as people, not just as an analyst, for example. Do you see them as just resources to help you accomplish your goals, or as people that you want to come alongside to help them reach their goals?
  2. Get to know them personally. Find out about their family, their favorite authors, sports teams, music, hobbies and their dreams and goals. Don’t just find out about their skills and experiences, but about them as people. Find out what is troubling them. Even though it seems that many have it all together, I believe that everyone is worrying about something, be it finances, health, relationships, family, etc. You need to know your team members personally to know this. Are you praying for your people?
  3. Find out how you can serve them. Servant leadership is something that I am passionate about, though not always good at. I love John Maxwell’s quote that the leader is there for the people, not the people for the leader. I like to help people develop to their fullest potential and to utilize their strengths more fully. Would your team members say that about you if asked?
  4. Spend time away from the job site with them. Now don’t misunderstand me here. Mel, my career mentor told me more than thirty years ago that if you are going to have only one relationship with your team members it has to be a professional one. I apply that advice – with exceptions. For example, I make it a personal policy not to ask a current team member to be a friend on Facebook. I also wouldn’t go to a movie or ballgame with them while they were current team members. However, I do pray for them and their families often. What I also try to do is arrange opportunities to see team members other than in just our monthly “One on One” and team meetings. An example is our monthly team birthday lunch. Each month, whoever is celebrating a birthday gets to choose the restaurant where the team will get together to celebrate their birthday. Not everyone attends, but it gives me an opportunity to see many of them away from the usual business situations.   Can you think of some creative relation-building activities and off-site locations that you can do with your team?
  5. Show them that you care. Ask them about their vacation, how the recent class they attended was, what they did over the weekend, etc. If you know that they are waiting on health test results for themselves or a family member follow-up with them to show them your support. Another of my favorite John Maxwell quotes is that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Would your team members say that you care about them as people?

These are just a few ways you can better get to know your team members as a caring servant leader. There are many, many more. What suggestions do you have to share?

IMG_6012


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Movie Review ~ Ant-Man

Ant-ManAnt-Man, rated PG-13
****

The twelfth and latest of the modern Marvel superhero films is directed by Peyton Reed, and it’s a good one. The story begins back in 1989 with Dr. Hank Pym (a young looking Michael Douglas) in a tense meeting with Tony Stark’s dad (John Slattery), Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), who will be recognized as “Agent Carter” from Captain America and Agent Carter, and Mitchell Carson (Martin Donovan). Dr. Pym, the founder of the company that bears his name, has possession of a red vial containing the Pym particle (a shrinking technology) that he developed, and SHIELD wants it badly.

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is just out of San Quentin State Prison for his cat-burglar work. His old cellmate Luis (Michael Pena), offers to let him stay at his apartment. Scott doesn’t want to go back in to prison. Instead, he wants to get a real job, so he can have more time with his young daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson). Cassie and his ex-wife Maggie (Judy Greer), now live with Paxton (Bobby Cannavale) a policeman. But with Scott’s record he’s finding it hard to find a legitimate job.

Dr. Pym developed an Ant-Man suit that when used with the Pym particle is extremely powerful. But he doesn’t want his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly from Lost), with whom he has a strained relationship, to put it on because of something that had happened years ago. So Hank recruits Scott for a job that will involve putting a stop to Darren Cross (Corey Stoll from House of Cards). Cross is an old protégé of Pym’s, and Hope’s boss. He’s about to make billions on a weaponized “Yellowjacket” suit that uses Pym’s technology. He wants to make an army of Yellowjackets, and his buyer, represented by Carson, is an organization called HYDRA.

We loved this movie. It was creative, fun, and with Paul Rudd and Michael Pena it was also very funny. It does include about a dozen profanities that are certainly not necessary, and the expected violence that Marvel films contain.

Don’t forget to stay through both sets of the credits following the movie.

See this short video of how Downtown Disney is promoting the film with tiny billboards.

 


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BOOKS and MUSIC

The Expository Genius of John Calvin (A Long Line of Godly Men Series Book 1) by Steven J. LawsonBook Review ~

The Expository Genius of John Calvin (A Long Line of Godly Men Series Book 1) by Steven J. Lawson. Reformation Trust. 133 pages. 2007.
****

On a recent trip to Europe we stopped in Geneva for the afternoon and visited St. Peter’s Cathedral (Cathedrale St-Pierre) in the heart of Geneva’s Old Town, where John Calvin served for 25 years. Over the next two days in Paris I read this book, including a wonderful afternoon spent on a bench along the Seine River.

This book was the first in a series that examines the varied ministries of noted men from church history. Lawson states that Calvin “was a driving force so significant that his influence shaped the church and Western culture beyond that of any other theologian or pastor.”

Lawson writes that apart from the biblical authors themselves, Calvin stands today as the most influential minister of the Word of God the world has ever seen. He states that by overwhelming consent, he remains the greatest biblical commentator of all time.

Lawson begins the book with a brief biography of Calvin, whose father, a financial administrator for the Catholic bishop of the Noyon diocese, raised his son to enter the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church. When his father died, the 21-year-old Calvin moved back to Paris to pursue his first love, the study of literature, especially the classics. He later returned to Bourges, where he completed his legal studies and received his doctor of laws degree. It was while he was studying at Bourges that Calvin came in direct contact with the biblical truths of the Reformation.

Calvin went to Basel, Switzerland (1534-1536), and began writing his magnum opus, Institutes of the Christian Religion. Calvin’s Institutes would become the defining masterpiece of Protestant theology, according to Lawson the single most important book to be written during the Reformation.

Calvin was first appointed professor of sacred Scripture in Geneva, then, four months later, pastor of Saint Pierre Cathedral. Calvin and Farel immediately began working to reform the church in Geneva. Their attempts to fence the Lord’s Table by excommunication resulted in their banishment from the city in 1538.

Calvin went into exile to Strasbourg where he pastored a congregation of some five hundred French-speaking refugees in Strasbourg. He also taught the New Testament in the local theological institute, wrote his first commentary (on Romans), and published the second edition of the Institutes.

During these years in Strasbourg, Calvin also found a wife, Idelette Stordeur, a member of his congregation. An Anabaptist widow, she had a son and a daughter from her first marriage. They married in 1540, when Calvin was 31. Idelette would die of tuberculosis in 1549.

Meanwhile, the City Council of Geneva found itself in much struggle, and called for Calvin to return as the city’s pastor. Calvin re-entered the city on September 13, 1541, never to relocate again. In Geneva, he made his mark as the Reformed church leader and the Reformation’s brightest light.

Upon his return, Calvin hit the town preaching, reassuming his pulpit ministry precisely where he had left off three years earlier-in the very next verse of his earlier exposition.

The rest of the book has Lawson reviewing the distinctives of Calvin’s preaching. They are:

  1. Biblical authorityCathedrale St-Pierre
  2. Divine Presence
  3. Pulpit priority
  4. Sequential Exposition
  5. Diligent Mind
  6. Devoted heart
  7. Relentless will
  8. Direct beginning
  9. Extemporaneous delivery
  10. Scriptural context
  11. Stated theme
  12. Specific text
  13. Exegetical precision
  14. Literal interpretation
  15. Cross-references
  16. Persuasive reasoning
  17. Reasonable deductions
  18. Familiar wordsIMG_0096
  19. Vivid expressions
  20. Provocative questions.
  21. Simple Restatements
  22. Limited quotations
  23. Unspoken outline
  24. Seamless transitions
  25. Focused intensity
  26. Pastoral exhortation
  27. Personal examination
  28. Loving rebuke
  29. Polemic confrontation
  30. Succinct summation
  31. Pressing appeal
  32. Climatic prayer

The book concludes with two appendices:

Appendix A: John Calvin’s Verse Distribution for Sermon Series

Appendix B: John Calvin’s Unspoken Outline of Job 21:13-15 Organized by T. H. L. Parker

I have read several of the books in this series of short biographies (Luther, Owen, Whitefield, Spurgeon), and plan to read books on Tyndale, Knox, Watts and Edwards. I enjoyed this look at Calvin’s expository preaching, which will be most appreciated by those who preach the Word.

BOOKS AND OTHER RESOURCES:

Song of the WeekWatchin’ Over Me by James Taylor

“Watchin’ Over Me” is from James Taylor’s new chart topping album Before This World, his first album of new material since 2002’s October Road. It is one of my favorite songs on the album as Taylor sings of appreciation for those who helped him during his times of drug addiction.
Watchin’ over me when I was high
Holdin’ my hand and wipin’ my eye
Watchin’ me cheat, watchin’ me lie
Oh watchin’ over me
Lookin’ back over on the damage I done
Made no kind of plan to be carryin’ on
Thought I might ought to been dead and gone
I said oh the damage done

How’m I gonna pay that debt I oweBefore This World - James Taylor
Big red Jesus on the radio
Down on my knees after the show
I said oh the debt I owe

I learned my lesson again
Well, I learned my lesson again
Only one way to surrender
Learned my lesson again
Got to return it to sender
Leave a little light in the window
Got to remember my friend

Guess I got to say it’s a lovely day
Nice enough to know it could ever be so
Ready man, steady man, here I’m gonna go
I said, oh, the lovely day
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musicnewsHymns We Should Sing More Often: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah. Kevin DeYoung continues his series which “aims to remind us (or introduce for the first time) excellent hymns that are probably not included in most church’s musical canon.”

Brother. NEEDTOBREATHE recently appeared on Good Morning America to perform their song “Brother” with Gavin DeGraw.

No One Like Our God. Here’s a video of an acoustic version of Matt Redman’s song from Abbey Road.

Uncomfortable. Andy Mineo’s new album Uncomfortable is scheduled to be released September 18. Definitely one of my most anticipated albums of the year.

  • U2 Short Film “Song for Someone” With Woody Harrelson. Directed by Vincent Haycock, cinematography by Steve Annis and produced by Pete Vitale & Park Pictures, “Song for Someone” features Woody Harrelson as a man being released from prison after years of incarceration and features his daughter Zoe Harrelson. The piece thematically links to RECTIFY, SundanceTV’s Peabody award-winning series that follows the story of Daniel Holden and his family as they struggle to move forward after Daniel’s release from 19 years on death row.

music quoteQuotes from Musicians:

  • There are more animal shelters than there are shelters for women and children who need refuge from abuse. Andy Mineo
  • No, they did not take his life–he laid it down. And the chains of death could never hope to hold him, so in the night my hope lives on. Andrew Peterson
  • Worship helps us let the ‘throne set the tone’ for our lives – a declaration and a reminder that Jesus is Lord, and everything is in His hands. Matt Redman


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THIS & THAT and Favorite Quotes of the Week

This and ThatCHRISTIAN LIVING:

SPORTS:

  • Jordan Spieth Eagle. The 21-year old golfer has already won the first two legs of the Grand Slam (the Masters and U.S. Open). See this 106 yard shot he holes for an eagle in the third round of last week’s John Deere Classic.

JUST FOR FUN:

  • Sherlock Christmas Special. After a year and a half, there will finally be some new Sherlock to enjoy. A Victorian Christmas special (featuring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock and Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson), will air this year on television and also in select theatres. See the trailer here.
  • Nonsense Karaoke with Chris Pratt. Did you see Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) recently on the The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon?
  • If you’re in a rush, just know whatever airport security line I am in, the other lines will always be faster. Eric Geiger
  • Internet is down at home. Drove to Panera. Internet is down at Panera. I think God may be trying to tell me something. Tim Challies
  • The people lining the street for the running of the bulls were probably the same people who thought a dinosaur theme park was a good idea. Kevin DeYoung
  • Only Pixar can make you care about an imaginary friend made of cotton candy who is named Bing Bong. Tim Challies
Beyond the Ark by Doug Michael

Beyond the Ark by Doug Michael

Favorite QuotesFavorite Quotes of the Week 7.12.15

Present Theologians:

  • Foot washing is far more appropriate for followers of Jesus than attempts at life fixing. We serve them, only Jesus changes people. Scotty Smith
  • Doing justice includes not only the righting of wrongs, but generosity and social concern, especially toward the poor and vulnerable. Tim Keller
  • Everyone says they want community and deep friendship. However, because it takes accountability and commitment we run the other way. Tim Keller
  • To pray is to accept that we are, and always will be, wholly dependent on God for everything. Tim Keller
  • The Arminian view makes the final decision of our salvation rest upon a human choice, not upon a divine action. R. C. Sproul
  • For the Arminian, salvation is possible for all but certain for none. In the Calvinist position, salvation is sure for God’s elect. R.C. Sproul
  • It is not the perfection of one’s life but the direction of a life that provides evidence of regeneration. John MacArthur
  • What God requires and what he has done to save us in Christ is evident from Genesis to Revelation. Michael Horton
  • Truth without grace isn’t really true. Grace without truth isn’t really gracious. Scott Sauls
  • Repentance: conviction of our sin, contrition over our sin, confession of our sin, consecration to turn from our sin. Repeat daily. Burk Parsons
  • When your sin is exposed, you will run toward confession and forgiveness or self-righteousness and self-justification. Paul David Tripp
  • If your friends never make you uncomfortable. You don’t have friends. You have fans. Darrin Patrick
  • Churches should evaluate everything they do to determine how it can be done better. Thom Rainer
  • The repentant man rightfully loses trust in himself. He recognizes his self-dependence as the source of his problems, not the solution. Randy Alcorn
  • Only the Gospel goes deep enough to effect real hard change. Everything else is just behavior modification. Jared Wilson
  • There are no freelance Christians; there is no solo-flying to heaven. Alistair Begg
  • Calvin, outside of God’s Word, has been the greatest influence in my life. Ian Hamilton
  • God has chosen us. Our status is not a matter of our worthiness, but of His love. Sinclair Ferguson
  • What matters most isn’t what others think of us, or even what we think about ourselves, but what God has declared to be true of us in Christ. Scotty Smith
  • You cannot talk about evil without assuming a moral framework. Ravi Zacharias
  • Refusing to teach a passage of Scripture is just as wrong as abusing it. Francis Chan.

Theologians from the Past:

  • Right is right though all condemn, and wrong is wrong though all approve. Charles Spurgeon
  • If he be lost, damnation is all of man; but, if he be saved, still salvation is all of God. Charles Spurgeon
  • Man was made in the image of God, and nothing will satisfy man but God, in whose image he was made. Charles Spurgeon
  • Praying without fervency is like hunting with a dead dog. Charles Spurgeon
  • The nearer a man gets to God, the greater he sees his sin. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
  • If you look at your past and are depressed it means that you are listening to the devil. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
  • I’ve held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all but whatever I’ve placed in God’s hands, that I still possess. Martin Luther
  • I’ll trust in God’s unchanging Word, till soul and body sever. For though all things pass away, His Word shall stand forever. Martin Luther
  • God tolerates even our stammering, and pardons our ignorance … as, indeed, without this mercy there would be no freedom to pray. John Calvin
  • The greatest test of a man’s character is his tongue. Oswald Chambers


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FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

Gospel Centered Work by Tim ChesterBook Review ~

Gospel-Centered Work: Becoming the Worker God Wants You to Be by Tim Chester. The Good Book Company. 2013. 111 pages
****

Dr. Tim Chester is a director of the Porterbrook Seminary, and a leader of The Crowded House, a church planting network. I’ve read several “For You” books written by Tim Keller from The Good Book Company, and this is the first book of Tim Chester’s that I’ve read. It’s an excellent resource for those looking to connect their faith and work, a passion of mine.

Although you can read the book by yourself as I did, I would recommend reading it with someone else or better yet in a group. I think you will get even more out of the book by doing that. Each chapter contains the following helpful sections:

Consider this. A scenario—often based on a real-life situation—which raises some kind of dilemma or frustration in our working lives.

Biblical background. A relevant Bible passage together with some questions to help you think it through.

Read all about it. A discussion of the principle, both in terms of its theological underpinning and its contemporary application.

Questions for reflection. Questions that can be used for group discussion or personal reflection.

Ideas for action. Some ideas or an exercise to help people think through the application of the principle to their own situation.

Chester asks the reader to consider what it means to live for Jesus in the workplace, and states that we need to connect Sunday morning and Monday morning.

Many think that work is a necessary evil we have to endure. But Chester states that work is commended in the Bible as a good thing. It is both a privilege and a blessing. That is why we find satisfaction and fulfilment in work.

Chester talks about working as if Jesus were your boss, something that John Piper first helped me think through years ago and was emphasized more recently in the fine book The Gospel at Work by Sebastian Traeger and Greg Gilbert. Chester writes that Christians have rediscovered that work can be done for the glory of God, stating that we glorify God when we give credit to Him for what we achieve, rather than claiming the credit for ourselves.

I appreciated Chester’s discussion of work and rest. He writes “Some people rest to work—the only value they see in rest is making work more productive. Some people work to rest—the only value in work is earning an income to enjoy leisure. But according to the Bible, work is good and rest is good.” He wants to help us achieve a balance between work and rest.

He addresses a number of helpful topics related to work, such as busyness, conflict, being a witness for God in the workplace, and ways in which churches can support Christian workers. A few suggestions that I appreciated on the last topic were:

  • Visit people in their workplace to see where they work, meet their colleagues and pray for them in context.
  • Have a regular “window on the workplace” when you gather as a church, in which someone talks about their work and shares prayer needs.
  • Send a regular email to workers in their workplace with a brief “thought for the day”.
  • Routinely include application to the workplace in sermons and Bible studies.

This was an excellent biblically based look at work. Highly recommended.

Faith and Work News:

  • Work as Worship. See this excellent four-minute video about seeing work as worship and connecting our faith and work.
  • Making Work Meaningful. Matt Perman shares and 18-minute TEDx talk by Ryan Hartwig, co-author of Teams that Thrive. It’s called “The Myth of Meaningful Work.” The talk closes with closes with four suggestions for helping people bring meaning back into their work.
  • Kingdom Calling by Amy L. ShermanSeeking the Prosperity of Our Neighbors. Amy Sherman, author of the excellent book Kingdom Calling (which is the next Faith and Work book we will be reading and sharing highlights on the blog), explains how why recognizing our vocational power is so important when seeking the good of our cities.
  • 10 Ways to Find More Energy Today. Dan Rockwell shares this helpful list.
  • Vocation Resource Lists. The Center for Faith and Work has produced helpful new vocational resource lists for you to find compelling reads and other resources that will reenergize your mind and spirit toward the gospel’s power for transforming your work.
  • From Farm to Fork to Keyboard. Bethany Jenkins visits with Abigail Murrish, an agricultural writer passionate about encouraging people to know their food, eat well, and show hospitality. Since her time at Purdue University, Abigail has appreciated talking with farmers (versus about them) to understand difficult agricultural issues and grow in her knowledge of the Christian call to steward creation.
  • Delegation. In this month’s podcast, Andy Stanley explores an easy and effective way to delegate.
  • Catalytic Meetings. Mark Miller writes “To create catalytic meetings, here are five ideas guaranteed to make things happen.”
  • The Road to Character by David BrooksHow Should I Choose a Career? Using the example of Francis Perkins from David Brooks’ book The Road to Character, Jeff Haanen writes “Having a vocation is not about fulfilling a personal desire or want, in the sense of avoiding pain and seeking pleasure. It’s opening yourself to be used by God as He chooses.”
  • Four Ways to Express Love to the People You Lead. Eric Geiger writes “To serve the team well, you must know those you are leading. You must know how members on the team feel valued and appreciated. How do those on the team feel most valued and appreciated? Is it time, words of affirmation, acts of service, or gifts?”
  • Introducing The 5 Leadership Questions Podcast. Barnabas Piper writes “The 5 Leadership Questions podcast is new from LifeWay’s leadership development team. Each episode co-hosts Barnabas Piper and Todd Adkins will ask five questions of different guests or about different leadership topics. The aim of the podcast is to inform and encourage Christian leaders whether they serve in the pastorate, the business world, non-profits, or on a volunteer basis.”
  • Where Imagination and Innovation Meet. In his keynote address at the 2014 Center for Faith and Work conference, Tim Keller walked us through how the hope of the gospel is not only the source of our imagination, but the fuel and anchor we need to drive our imagination into innovative terrain. Making Unpopular Decisions. Dan Rockwell shares some good tips to think about when making those unpopular decisions.
  • The Influence of Business Leaders’ Faithfulness (Lessons from Ruth). Eileen Sommi writes “I have known some good men and women in positions of influence who are not only able to run successful businesses, but also affect others in significant ways by their faith, compassion, generosity, and goodness. They see beyond the profit margin and take advantage of their position and success to bless others. They see their work as a blessing from God and want to give back and be used by him for his purposes.
  • You Don’t Have to Plan Everything. Jon Bloom writes “God doesn’t want or intend us to plan everything. He is working a highly detailed plan and he wants us to follow his lead — perhaps more than we are today. Let us ask ourselves if and where we may be leaning too much on our own understanding in pursuing God’s kingdom advance.”
  • 10 Good Questions for Leaders to Ask Themselves. Brad Lomenick offers these helpful questions in this short read.
  • The Most Critical Part of Leadership – And 80% Miss It! Megan Pacheco writes “Many business experts argue there is one aspect of leadership that is more predictive of exceptional performance than any other factor. Understanding it and operating by it will transform any individual and every person and organization they influence. What is that leadership silver bullet? Purpose.”
  • Boss vs. LeaderManagement vs. Leadership. Many people use these terms interchangeably. David Mead writes “There’s a difference between management and leadership. Management is about doing stuff – the day to day operations needed for the tactical things to get done. Leadership, on the other hand, is about people.”
  • Six Places Leaders are Developed. Eric Geiger writes “From a Christian perspective, leadership development is not constrained to one environment. Because the whole world is His, leadership development can happen in a plethora of places. Because He continually matures His people, God will use anything to conform us more to the image of His Son.”
  • Standing on the Shoulders of Giants. John Maxwell writes “We all need other people. When you’re open to learning from others, you set yourself up for the kind of success that can lead to significance.”
  • Skills Can Kill: 4 Dangers of (Only) Skills Based Leadership. Eric Geiger states that both character and competence are essential for leaders. He then writes “When people think of developing leaders, they often think in terms of necessary skills that need to be acquired. Often leadership development degenerates into only skill-based training. While skills are important, there are four dangerous outcomes of only developing skills.
  • Holding down a job or fulfilling a calling? Dave Kraft writes “The purpose of this post is to simply get your mind and heart cranking on asking yourself if you have, or are pursuing, a job or a true calling from God.
  • 5 Ways to Help the “Least of These” in the Church. Raleigh Sadler writes “How can the local church be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ if we aren’t being his eyes and ears, too? How can we love someone if we don’t even know they exist? Here are five places to start.”
  • A CEO’s Revolutionary Approach to Fun on the Job: Joy at Work by Dennis Bakke. Joy at Work by Dennis Bakke, co-founder and CEO of AES, an energy company, offers a model for the 21st-century company that wants to treat its people with respect, give them unprecedented responsibility, and hold them strictly accountable because it’s the right thing to do – not just because it makes good business sense.
  • Every Square InchBruce Ashford on the Gospel and Every Square Inch. Bethany Jenkins visits with Bruce Ashford, provost and dean of faculty as well as professor of theology and culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, author of Every Square Inch: An Introduction to Cultural Engagement for Christians.
  • Everybody Matters Podcast: Richard Sheridan. Richard Sheridan is the CEO and Chief Storyteller of Menlo Innovations, a company that builds custom software, whose mission is to “end human suffering in the world as it relates to technology.”  This week’s episode of the Everybody Matters podcast features a conversation with Rich about joy, Menlo’s culture, building great teams and his ongoing leadership journey.
  • Growth. In this “Minute with Maxwell”, John Maxwell talks about the word “Growth”
  • Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make. Mark Miller shares ten mistakes that leaders make. Can you think of others?
  • You’ve Got 3 Choices When Your Job Gets You Down. Dr. Alan Zimmerman writes “No matter how bad things are, no matter how awful your job or your life may be, you always have three choices.  You can LIVE with it; you can LOBBY to change it, or you can LEAVE.  And just knowing you have a choice makes all the difference in the world. Make sure you understand each of your three options.”

 Faith and Work Quotes:

  • Our primary calling as followers of Christ is by him, to him, and for him. Our secondary calling, considering who God is as sovereign, is that everyone, everywhere, and in everything should think, speak, live and act entirely for him. Os Guinness
  • Luther wrote ”The works of monks and priests, however holy and arduous they be, do not differ one whit in the sight of God from the works of the rustic laborer in the field or the woman going about her household tasks, but that all works are measured before God by faith alone.” Os Guinness
  • When I take one day out of every seven to focus on worship, fellowship, and rest, I am far more capable and motivated in the six that remain. Tim Challies
  • Success is never owned, it’s rented and rent is due every day. Coach K
  • Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God. Coach K
  • Leaders maintain positive environments when they deal with negative issues quickly, decisively and compassionately. Dan Rockwell
  • Every leader is in a tug-of-war…the real question is who are you pulling against, your own people or the competition? Mark Miller

 Book Clubs – Won’t you read along with us?

The Conviction to Lead by Albert MohlerThe Conviction to Lead Book Club

The Conviction to Lead: 25 Principles for Leadership That Matters by Albert Mohler

We’re reading this excellent book on leadership principles from a renowned agent of change, Albert Mohler. It is one of the best that I’ve read on leadership and is broken down into 25 relatively short chapters. Won’t you read along with us? This week we look at:

Chapter 22 ~ The Leader and Time

  • Most leaders know that time is precious and that it is, in a sense, not on our side.
  • Leaders understand that time is working against them, and that success or failure depends upon the right deployment and stewardship of time.
  • Drucker advised leaders to carefully analyze where their time goes, convinced (rightly) that much of the executive’s time was wasted on peripheral matters. Wisely, he also urged leaders to allocate significant discretionary time for the thinking and planning that are central to leadership.
  • The first thing we learn about time in the Bible is that God created it and that time is contrasted with eternity.
  • The Christian leader understands his calling in terms of God’s eternal purposes and plan.
  • We are not limited to the horizon of earthly time. We want our lives to serve an eternal purpose.
  • The second truth the Christian leader knows is that our time is in God’s hands.
  • The Christian leader knows that a day of judgment is coming, when every minute of our lives will be exposed to God’s righteous judgment. That is a sobering thought, but it underlines the importance of our faithfulness in the stewardship of the time we are given.
  • So how are we to exercise the faithful stewardship of time? The first task, as Peter Drucker reminds us, is to be honest about how we use it. Time-wasters, he advises, “abound in the life of every executive.”
  • The effective leader learns how to be available at the right times—the times that will make the most difference.
  • Leadership by conviction affirms the reality that leadership is an intellectual enterprise. It is more than intellectual, of course, but never less. And intellectual work requires large blocks of uninterrupted time. Planning, strategy, conception, analysis, evaluation—all of these are intellectual activities. Add to these the task of framing messages and the ongoing responsibility to continue learning.
  • Faithful leaders know that time has to be protected or it will be lost. Once lost, it can never be regained. This requires hard decisions and maturity.
  • The leader’s stewardship of time fits within the context of the leader’s life and times.
  • Some of us do our best thinking in the morning, while others do better at night. As Drucker advised, lean into your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses.
  • When the leader has discretion, he should plan the stewardship of time so that strengths are maximized and weaknesses are minimized.
  • The faithful leader knows that time must be measured against the backdrop of God’s eternal character and purposes. Everything humans build will one day be reduced to ruins, but our lives and our leadership will, in Christ, have eternal consequences and impact.
  • The leader knows a time to work and a time to rest, a time to plan and a time to act, a time to read and a time to speak, a time to play and a time to fight.


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Movie Review ~ Minions

MinionsMinions, rated PG
***

This hilarious prequel tells the early story of the popular banana-loving, yellow Minions from the Despicable Me films (Despicable Me 3 is due out in the summer of 2017).   The film is directed by Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin, and follows (with narration from Geoffrey Rush), the Minions’ evolution from single-celled organisms to little creatures whose only goal is to serve the most despicable masters they can find throughout history – from T. Rex, Dracula and Napoleon – they are always looking for their next boss. But somehow, despite their best intentions, their bosses always meet tragic ends. And after the battle of Waterloo, the Minions are sent into exile. Without someone to serve they fall into a deep depression in the frigid Antarctica.

Finally Kevin has a plan. Kevin, Stuart and Bob (all voiced by Coffin), will leave the rest of the group in Antarctica to find a new evil boss for the group to serve. Their search takes them to London and New York in 1968, where they meet the Nelson family (featuring Michael Keaton and Allison Janney as the parents) on their way to Orlando for a villain convention. Kevin, Stuart and Bob catch a ride with them in hopes of finding a new villain there to serve.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-moving and funny film which features music from the late 1960’s from the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Kinks, Turtles and Donovan. The Minions also get to sing a few songs from the era as well.

Sandra Bullock voices Scarlet Overkill, who we found underwhelming as a villain. Jon Hamm voiced her husband Herb, whose character was more enjoyable. Jennifer Saunders voices the Queen.

Tip: Stay in your seats through all of the ending credits for more fun.


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Music Reviews and News

Gloria. U2 performed their 1981 song “Gloria” for the first time in ten years recently during the third show of their five night residency at the United Center in Chicago. Here are the lyrics to the song:

I try to sing this songU2 at the UC
I…I try to stand up
But I can’t find my feet
I try, I try to speak up
But only in you I’m complete

Gloria…in te domine
Gloria…exultate
Gloria…Gloria
Oh Lord, loosen my lips

I try to sing this song
I…I try to get in
But I can’t find the door
The door is open
You’re standing there
You let me in

Gloria…in te domine
Gloria…exultate
Oh Lord, if I had anything
Anything at all
I’d give it to you
I’d give it to you

Gloria…Gloria…

musicnewsConcert Video: Bono and Costa Rica Woman Video. We attended U2’s concert at the United Center on June 25. Bono pulled Marcela, a young woman from Costa Rica out of the crowd. Watch it here.

  • Abide with Me. Check out this video of an acoustic version of my favorite song of 2015, “Abide with Me” performed by Matt Redman.
  • Your Love is Enough. Watch this video of Jon Foreman performing an acoustic version of this song from his The Wonderlands: Shadows EP, to be released July 17.
  • Amazing Grace. Watch former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on piano accompanying Utah violinist Jenny Oaks Baker in a beautiful rendition of “Amazing Grace.”

Music speaks quoteMUSIC QUOTES:

The only thing harder than waiting on God, is wishing you had. KB

Dear Lord, thank you, I haven’t been angry, mean, or selfish today. But I’m about to get out of bed and I’m gonna need some help. Lecrae

Is there anything better than a child experiencing her first sparkler? I think not. Charlie Peacock

Song of the Week

Moment of Surrender by U2

This song was included in U2’s 2009 album No Line on the Horizon. They played pieces of it before and after “Bad” in their second of five shows at Chicago’s United Center recently.

I tied myself with wire
To let the horses run free
Playing with the fire
Until the fire played with me

The stone was semi-precious
We were barely conscious
Two souls too cool to be
In the realm of certainty
Even on our wedding day

We set ourselves on fire
Oh God, do not deny her
It’s not if I believe in love
But if love believes in me
Oh, believe in me

At the moment of surrender
I folded to my knees
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me

I’ve been in every black hole
At the altar of the dark star
My body’s now a begging bowl
That’s begging to get back, begging to get back
To my heart
To the rhythm of my soul
To the rhythm of my unconsciousness
To the rhythm that yearns
To be released from control

I was punching in the numbers at the ATM machine
I could see in the reflection
A face staring back at me
At the moment of surrender
Of vision over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me

I was speeding on the subway
Through the stations of the cross
Every eye looking every other way
Counting down ’til the pentecost

At the moment of surrender
Of vision of over visibility
I did not notice the passers-by
And they did not notice me

I write modern worship choruses


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Book Reviews and News

Book Review ~ The Road to Character by David Brooks

The Road to Character by David Brooks The Road to Character by David Brooks. Random House. 320 pages. 2015 Audiobook read by Arthur Morey with an introduction by David Brooks
***

I recently listened to an interview Eric Metaxas had with David Brooks, in which Brooks was identified as one of two conservative columnists at the New York Times. Hearing the interview convinced me to read this book. Brooks begins the book by saying that it’s an attempt to save his soul. In fact, one may wonder after reading the book if Brooks (who has been described as a cultural Jew), has indeed had a spiritual awakening as he talks of sin, holiness and that we are all ultimately saved by grace. He quotes Tim Keller and C.S. Lewis, among others in the books. But we don’t really know as he has said in recent interviews that he doesn’t talk about his faith in public. He has stated that he has a lot of questions, but hasn’t settled, indicating that “the shoots are too green and the grass too fragile.”

I’m very interested in the subject of character. I’ve often heard character defined as doing the right thing when nobody is watching. I like that definition and find it helpful. Brooks refers to character as “a set of dispositions, desires and habits that are slowly engraved during the struggle against your own weakness.”

Central to the book is what Brooks learned about Adam One and Adam Two from the 1965 book The Lonely Man of Faith by Rabbi Joseph B Soloveitchik. Adam One has what Brooks refers to as resume virtues, and wants to build, create, produce, win and achieve high status. Adam Two has eulogy virtues, those nice things people say about us at our funerals that enable us to do good and be good. Adam Two knows that in order to find yourself you have to lose yourself. Adam One seeks success in the world, while Adam Two is more committed to character and the inner life. These two Adams are always in conflict.

Brooks’ goal is the recovery of a “vast moral vocabulary and set of moral tools, developed over centuries and handed down from generation to generation”. He does this with mini-biographies of what he calls heroes of renunciation who are marked by selflessness, generosity and self-sacrifice. With each diverse individual – some I was familiar with and others not – he discusses a particular virtue such as humility, sacrifice, love, etc. He tells us about Frances Perkins, Dwight Eisenhower and his mother Ida, Dorothy Day, George Marshal, A. Philip Randolph, Mary Anne (aka George) Elliot, Augustine and Samuel Johnson. Brooks tells us that each had to go to humility on the road to character.

He ends with a striking contrast between NFL quarterbacks Johnny Unitas and Joe Namath, but then tells us that those changes didn’t come in the 1960’s or 1970’s as we might assume, but actually back in the late 1940’s and 1950’s.

I enjoyed Brooks’ discussion of vocation, quoting from Victor Frankl and Frederick Buechner, whom Jeff Goins also quoted from in his recent book The Art of Work. Brooks writes that a vocation is not a career, but rather a calling. In discussing how things have changed, he states that we used to ask what life wants from me. But we are asking a different question these days, asking what do I want from life?

He writes that sin is not talked about today, but that it is essential to the concept of character. Brooks defines sin as when we “screw” (not his word) things up.  He refers to today’s culture as the “Big Me” culture and discusses how our culture has changed since World War II, including a changed definition of character.

As I was going through the book, enjoying his portraits of the above individuals, I wasn’t seeing a thread tying everything together. As I reflect back now I think he may be trying to tell us that there are many different roads to character that a person takes. Brooks writes that some of these individuals were saved by religion, some harmed by it and some had no use for it. He helpfully summarizes things at the end with what he calls the Crooked Timber, a 15-point humility code. The individuals Brooks looks at in the book were redeemed by their weakness. He writes that “we are all stumblers, and the beauty and meaning of life are in the stumbling.”

Book News

BOOKS AND OTHER RESOURCES:Eight Twenty Eight audiobook

  • Free Audiobook. This month’s free audiobook from Christianaudio is Eight Twenty Eight: When Love Didn’t Give Up by Larissa Murphy & Ian Murphy
  • A Book Recommendation from Ligon Duncan. Duncan discusses Thomas Brook’s Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices in this short video.
  • Bound for Glory: An Updated Teaching Series from R.C. Sproul Jr. Nathan W. Bingham writes “Scripture provides a beautiful pattern for the family through clear and transcendent instruction for husbands, wives, children, and the church. Submitting to God through His Word, the family is to be an intimate window into the glory of God. In this updated 9-part teaching series, Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr. provides practical guidance in how to apply this truth.”
  • Grace to You Bible App. Grace to You, the ministry of John MacArthur, introduces the Grace to You Bible App, which is the ESV Bible on your phone or tablet, along with all of MacArthur’s sermons, articles, study guides, Q&As, and more— always related to the passage you’re reading. The app is available free of charge worldwide for all iOS and Android devices.

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