Coram Deo ~

Looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview

Monthly Archives: September 2015


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FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday

connecting faith and workFaith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles

LEADERSHIP:

FAITH AND WORK:

  • A Prayer for Mondays to be Celebrated as Fridays. Scotty Smith prays “May we see our work less as a job and more as a vocation—less as a way of just paying the bills or preparing for retirement, and more as a means of expanding your kingdom and revealing your beauty.”
  • Five Questions to Ask Yourself When Considering a Job Change. Andrew Spencer writes “Here are five questions I used to evaluate my recent job change.
  • This Story Isn’t About Marriage. Bethany Jenkins writes “Kim Davis, a county clerk in Kentucky, has refused to issue marriage licenses to all couples—gay or straight—since the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision in June. As a Christian, Davis objects to gay marriage. Six couples have brought suits against her, arguing she must fulfill her duties as an elected official despite her religious convictions.”
  • Let Your Wine Age….Not Your Bad News. Dr. Alan Zimmerman discusses the right way to deal with bad news.
  • 9 Steps to Start Growing Early. John Maxwell writes about beginnings and how to start well. He states “So whether you have children, grandchildren, students, or young adults that you’re mentoring, here are some ways you can assist young people in starting early.”
  • Rethinking WorkRethinking Work. Barry Schwartzaug writes “Work that is adequately compensated is an important social good. But so is work that is worth doing. Half of our waking lives is a terrible thing to waste.”
  • Thrive. In this “Minute with Maxwell”, John Maxwell encourages us not only to strive, but to thrive.
  • ‘Good’ Is a Protest Against Moral Decay. Carey Anne Bustard interviews Ned Bustard, owner of World’s End Images, is a graphic designer, art gallery director, author, illustrator, and printmaker. He edited It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God and co-edited Bigger on the Inside: Christianity and Doctor Who.
  • Three Dangers of Only Looking at the Present. Eric Geiger writes “The present reality is a strong pull on leaders. When a leader wants to rise above the day and look to the future, the urgent can quickly pull a leader back to focusing on today.”
  • Do I Need a Job to be able to Work for God? James Clark writes “Keep searching for job prospects. Think hard about your calling. Ponder your strengths and in what sort of job they could be best harnessed. Beware of the spiritual pitfalls that accompany joblessness. But please do not let yourself believe that apart from a job you have no work to do.”
  • A Worker’s Prayer. The Getty’s write “Before You I Kneel (A Worker’s Prayer)” is a hymn for the working day, a prayer for each task we are given. The spark for the song came from our good friend, Jeff Barneson, who introduced us to a special service called “The Holy Ordination to Daily Work” that Intervarsity conducts annually at Harvard University. As Keith and one of our new Nashville friends, Jeff Taylor, put the melody together, they reflected on JS Bach who finished his working day of writing for the church by inscribing SDG (Soli Deo Gloria) at the bottom of the manuscript page. It became the hook that we built both the song and this particular arrangement on where we hear Bach’s timeless melody, “Wachet Auf,” played on folk instruments.”
  • 7 Elements of a Strong Work Ethic. Jacqueline Whitmore writes “A strong work ethic energizes you and your employees to face your challenges head-on, be your best and keep you at the top of your game.”
  • 5 Rude Emails You Send Every Day. Travis Bradberry writes “Even the most likable and well-mannered among us can still look like jerks in an email. Writing an email that comes across just like you do in person is a fine art. Most of the mistakes people make in their emails are completely avoidable. The following list digs into these subtle mistakes and hidden blunders.”
  • ahh-procrastinationTo Stop Procrastinating, Start by Understanding the Emotions Involved. Shirley S. Wang writes “Researchers say chronic procrastination is an emotional strategy for dealing with stress, and it can lead to significant issues in relationships, jobs, finances and health.”
  • Five Consequences of a Life Out of Balance. Michael Hyatt writes “If you are working more than fifty-five hours a week, you are out of balance. You are putting at risk at least five very important assets.”
  • The Powerful Effect of Noticing Good Things at Work. Joyce E. Bono and Theresa M. Glomb write “Before turning on the radio or getting on a call during your homeward commute, take a moment to reflect on the good things that happened at work. Doing so can help you capitalize on the small, naturally occurring flow of daily positive events — a ubiquitous but too-often-ignored source of strength and well-being.”
  • Mountaintop Lessons. Jena Lee Nardella writes “When I stand on a mountaintop I am reminded of two important lessons I had to learn somewhere along the way — 1. to take on immoveable mountains, the first thing you have to do is move; 2. it’s important to take moments of true rest.”
  • 5 Dysfunctions of Teams. Watch this 37 minute video from Patrick Lencioni based on his classic book, one of the most helpful books I’ve ever read.

Quotes about Faith and Work

  • Leaders who don’t listen will eventually be surrounded by people who have nothing to say. Andy Stanley  
  • Stress is more often related to what you are doing, not how much you are doing. Andy Stanley
  • The genius at the top doesn’t make the team look good. A good team makes the person at the top look like a genius. Simon Sinek
  • Leaders trying to be managers — managers trying to be leaders — Frustrating themselves and others. Ron Edmondson
  • Sabbath is a redefinition of how we work, why we work, and how we create freedom through our work. Dan Allender
  • Mission includes our secular vocations, not just church ministry. Tim Keller
  • Successful leaders release rather than control. Dan Rockwell
  • Great leader: hot heart, cool head. Bad leader: cold heart, hot head. J.D. Greear
  • Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments. Coach K
  • A holy ambition is something you really, really want to do that God also wants you to do. John Piper
  • If you stop and do nothing until you can do everything, you will remain useless. Charles Spurgeon
  • In nothing has the church so lost her hold on reality as in her failure to understand the respect the secular vocation. Dorothy Sayers

Kingdom CallingKingdom Calling Book Club – Won’t you read along with us?

Kingdom Calling: Vocational Calling for the Common Good by Amy L. Sherman

I first read this book in a “Calling, Vocation and Work” class with Dr. Michael Williams and Dr. Bradley Matthews at Covenant Seminary two summers ago. King Jesus is on a mission to bring restoration in every sphere of society and has invited His followers to join Him in this Kingdom-advancing work.  Learn to deeply, creatively and intentionally steward your vocational power in ways that advance foretastes of the coming Kingdom of shalom for our neighbors near and far.  It’s an excellent book, so let’s read it together. This week we’ll look at Chapter 4: How the Gospel of the Kingdom Nurtures the Tsaddiqim

  • In 2008, InterVarsity leader James Choung did the Christian world an invaluable service when he published a new, simple diagram for explaining this gospel of the kingdom. Choung’s Four Circles illustration tells the Christian story from this creation/Fall/redemption/consummation paradigm. Unlike the Bridge illustration, Choung’s presentation centers the gospel story right away on God and God’s mission in the world, rather than on humans and their sinfulness.
  • Congregants’ understanding of the gospel affects their views of three arenas crucial to living as the tsaddiqim: sanctification, evangelism and mission. This is why it is crucial that missional leaders preach the “big” gospel of the kingdom.
  • Sanctification. The big gospel helps us understand that sanctification is a matter of conforming not only to the character of Christ, but also to his passions and identity.
  • Becoming like Jesus also means seeing ourselves as he did, as “sent ones,” and being passionate about the things he is passionate about.
  • Jesus is passionate for justice and shalom.
  • Jesus is also passionate about reconciliation among diverse people.
  • And, like his Father, Jesus is passionate about the poor, the vulnerable, the sick and the stranger. To become like him is to adopt all these passions as our own.
  • Moreover, genuine sanctification means that we intentionally identify with the identity of Jesus.
  • Evangelism. How we understand the gospel also shapes our approach to evangelism. Our presentation will include the vital good news of personal justification by faith in Christ’s atoning blood. But we will also talk about the power of Jesus in redeeming all our fundamental relationships (with God, self, others and the earth).
  • Our gospel presentation will rejoice in Jesus’ victory over both the penalty of sin and the corruption of sin.
  • The gospel of the kingdom should also reshape the language we use in evangelism.
  • Evangelists of the gospel of the kingdom should encourage seekers to respond to Jesus’ invitation to come over and join his heart. Intimate communion with Jesus occurs when we go to him.
  • The kingdom gospel also leads us to invest more thought and energy in the missional work of enacting and demonstrating the heart of God in the world.
  • Our understanding of the gospel also influences our view of mission.
  • First, the gospel of the kingdom illuminates our Lord’s top three missional priorities. As articulated in his inaugural address in Luke 4, they are evangelism, compassion and justice.
  • Second, the gospel of the kingdom draws us to holistic ministry, to addressing people’s spiritual and material needs.
  • Third, the gospel of the kingdom shapes mission by encouraging us to think more “cosmically” about evil than does the too-narrow gospel.
  • It proclaims not only the redemption of individual sinners but also the destruction of the devil’s work and the restoring of all things.’
  • Finally, the gospel of the kingdom shapes the direction of our mission.
  • We come to see that while he loved everyone, his steps tended to lead him toward the poor. In this Jesus is simply following in his Father’s footsteps.
  • The big gospel presented through tools like James Choung’s Four Circles puts the mission of God, the missio Dei, front and center. We see that God is on the move, doing his work of restoring all things.
  • The gospel of the kingdom tells us not only what we’re saved from, but also what we’re saved for. We have a purpose, we have a sacred calling, we have a God-given vocation: to partner with God in his work of restoring all things.


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Movie Review ~ A Walk in the Woods

A Walk in the WoodsA Walk in the Woods, rated R
** ½

This film is based on Bill Bryson’s book of the same name, and stars 79 year-old Robert Redford as Bryson. The film is directed by Ken Kwapis (He’s Just Not That Into You).

Bryson has made a living out of traveling and then writing about it. After a particularly challenging television interview while plugging his books, and then attending the visitation of a friend with wife Catherine (Emma Thompson), he decides to take a walk near his home in New Hampshire to think things over. You can tell he’s unsettled. There he sees a sign pointing to the Appalachian Trail and gets the idea to leave his wife for six months and hike the trail.

Catherine thinks he’s crazy and tries to talk him out of it, saying he certainly can’t do it alone and it’s just too dangerous. After everyone he calls turns him down, out of the blue his old college buddy Stephen Katz, played by the 74 year-old and badly out of shape Nick Nolte, contacts him and offers to walk the trail with him. The two have not seen each other for years after having a falling out, but decide to make the trip together. Note: in real life Bill Bryson and his friend were each 44 years old when the trip took place.

While Bryson has achieved much success since the two parted ways, Katz has not. He’s struggled with alcoholism and trouble with the law. The two are definitely an “Odd Couple”, with Bryson stopping to discuss the various types of rocks he sees contrasted with the rugged Katz constantly using profanity, and his mind often on sex. But the two join forces to travel to Georgia in March, intending to walk the entire 2,180 mile trail through 14 states to Maine. What follows is often a very funny depiction of their trip and what they run into (beautiful scenery, bears, people and inclement weather).

One of the people they run into is Mary Ellen (Kristen Schaal) an annoying, obnoxious fellow hiker who talks endlessly and is a know it all. Bryson and Katz finally have something in common – working together to ditch Mary Ellen. Another person they encounter is hotel/restaurant owner Jeannie (Mary Steenburgen) who openly flirts with Bryson.

I really enjoyed the film and laughed out loud on several occasions. I enjoyed the acting performances of Redford and Nolte and the beautiful scenery we occasionally get to see.

The film is rated “R” for a significant amount of adult language, mostly from Katz and often quite funny. However, my biggest concern with the film, and it is a big concern, was the way in which God’s and Jesus’ names were abused – each at least fifteen times – and I cringed each time.

As Christians watching films, we need to be discerning. John Piper has said “In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches that the first priority in praying is to ask that our heavenly Father’s name be hallowed.” Our culture certainly does not abide by that – in our personal conversation, and in our films and television programs. My lower rating of this film is due to how God’s and Jesus’ names are abused.

This was the second film Redford and Nolte starred in together, the first being 2012’s The Company You Keep. Interestingly, the original plan was to have Paul Newman play the Katz character in the film. But problems in getting the film made, Newman’s declining health and eventual death in 2008 prohibited that.


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11 Things I’ve Learned to Do from My Leaders

IntegrityWhat should we expect from our leaders? I would say at a basic level, we shouldn’t necessarily expect consistently good performance reviews (we should earn those), but we should be able to expect transparency, trust and respect from our leaders.

Throughout my career, and in church and in professional organizations, I’ve been blessed to work with many good leaders. I’ve tried to learn something from each of them. My leadership style has been molded by learning from my leaders, what I’ve learned from reading leadership and personal development books, and my own experiences as a leader. I have found that what I’ve learned from my leaders can fall into two primary categories – what to do and what not to do. In this article I’ll look at what to do and next time we’ll look at what not to do. As I’ve worked with my leaders I try to incorporate the best things about them and make that part of my leadership style. It’s hard to pick out just a few over thirty-five plus years, but here are 11 things I’ve learned to do from them:

  1. Focus on what is most important. Early in my career I worked for a manager who stressed the importance of knowing the “Essential Policies” of the department I worked in. These were policies that were critical to effectively and safely operating our facilities. My manager gave me a clear line of sight to what was most important.
  2. Personnel Policies. Similar to the above item, early in my career I had a director who drilled into us the importance of knowing our organization’s personnel policies. We dreaded our sessions with him (some would even be scheduled appointments outside of the office), when he would ask us questions about the policies, but those sessions helped build a strong foundation that has served me well during my career.
  3. Caring for People. How to truly care for the people you work with. My career mentor showed me how to see employees as people, and not just figures on an organization chart. He demonstrated for me the importance of getting to know them, and finding out what was important to them (their family, interests, goals, favorite sports team, faith, etc.). He demonstrated that with me by taking a personal interest in me and stressed such things as getting a will and joining our organizations’ 401-K savings plan.
  4. Keeping things professional. That same manager also stressed the importance of a leader keeping relationships with their team members professional. I remember him telling me more than thirty years ago that you can’t go out bowling with the guys on one night and then impartially deal with a performance problem with them the next morning. I’ve tried to maintain this separation to this day. A small example of this being that I will not ask a current team member to be a friend on Facebook. However, I do have several former team members as “friends”.
  5. Completed staff work. One director really stressed the importance of delivering completed staff work. That is, work that will not require any further edits, or questions. That was ten-plus years ago, and I try to encourage the same today with my team.
  6. Being a person of character. This has been modeled to me by several leaders that I have worked with. One of the basic things I mentioned above that we can expect from our leaders is trust, and that is related to this. A definition of character that I like to use is “doing the right thing when nobody is watching”. It’s a concept that is important to me, not only as a leader but in all aspects of life.
  7. Reading. In a situation that is unusual these days, I’ve had the opportunity to serve on the leadership team with the lead senior pastor for more than nineteen years, and sit under his leadership for nearly twenty-one. He is a reader and has modeled that behavior for me. As Albert Mohler writes in The Conviction to Lead, leaders are readers. He writes “When you find a leader, you have found a reader. The reason for this is simple—there is no substitute for effective reading when it comes to developing and maintaining the intelligence necessary to lead.”
  8. Follow-up. One of my pet-peeves is a lack of follow-up. A few of the leaders I worked with early in my career modeled effective follow-up by checking on assignments in status meetings. One would extend trust, but verify that things were moving along. There can be a fine line between follow-up and micromanaging, and effective leaders know the difference.
  9. Preparation. Early in my career our staff was to host an orientation of our department for leaders from another department. We “winged it” and embarrassed our leader, who really let us have it afterwards. Preparation has been one of my core values since that time.
  10. Mentoring and developing people. So much of the positive things I’ve learned came early in my career from my mentor. This is another one. I have seen some leaders hold it against their team members when they are ready to seek out other opportunities and move away from their team. Not Mel. He took joy –yes, I’ll use that word – in developing his young leaders and then helping them move on to other opportunities of greater influence. I worked with Mel two different times in my career (separated by six years). I learned so much from him that it’s still a big part of who I am 21 years after we last worked together, and I know a lot of others feel the same way.
  11. Praying for your people. Again, my lead pastor has modeled this behavior for me. He is a man of prayer and he prays for his people.

The above are just a few things I’ve learned to do from my leaders. Fortunately, my “What to Do” list is much longer than my “What Not to Do” list, which we’ll look at next time.

How about you? What would you have to add to this list?


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MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS

After All These Years by Andrew PetersonAfter All These Years by Andrew Peterson
****

Andrew Peterson is not only an excellent singer/songwriter, but also the author of the four-book fantasy series for young readers called the Wingfeather Saga. After completing the latest book he was creatively spent and decided it was a good time to put out a collection of his music spanning his recording career which began in 1996. The result was this 20-song release, comprised of four new songs, eight of his classics re-recorded and eight favorites, specifically chosen by his fans on his Rabbit Room website. I found it similar in nature to Matt Maher’s 2013 All the People Said Amen and Jars of Clay’s 2014 20.

The new songs are:

After All These Years – This song was released as a single and features a light, folk-pop melody. Peterson sings of God’s faithfulness:

‘Cause you never let go. You never let go.
You led me by the hand into a land of green and gold.
You never let go. You never let go.
Your love endures forever wherever I go
after all these years.

Everybody’s Got a Song – This is a loving tribute to Peterson’s hometown of Nashville.

To All the Poets – This song was written with Gloria Gaither. Peterson thanks God for all of the poets he has known for sharing their gifts with him.

Romans 11 (Doxology) – Peterson puts Paul’s words to music. I can hear this being sung in a worship service:

For from Him, through Him,
to Him, is everything
To God be the glory forever and ever.
To God be the glory forever, amen.

Peterson’s lyrics creatively paint pictures over his acoustic backing. All of the songs are excellent here, so it’s really hard to pick favorites. Mine would be “Dancing in the Minefields”, “The Silence of God” (which I actually thought had been written by Peterson’s friend Michael Card, as it was included in his 2006 album The Hidden Face of God), and “The Good Confession”. Peterson was born in Illinois and I enjoyed the multiple references to the state, having lived here my entire life.

If you are an Andrew Peterson fan, this is a nice collection. If you are not familiar with this music, this would be an excellent introduction.

Andrew Peterson Concert Review

Andrew Peterson at Calvary Baptist Church in Normal, Illinois (August 29, 2015)

Andrew Peterson appeared in concert at the Calvary Baptist Church for their “Back to School Weekend” event. He was accompanied on drums by his 15 year-old son Asher. Andrew immediately built a good rapport with the audience with his warm smile and the stories he told about his songs, many of which are about his family.

He opened with “All Things New” and followed that up with his “legalism recovery song” “Rest Easy” from his most recently studio album, 2012’s excellent Light for the Lost Boy:

You don’t have to work so hard
You can rest easy
You don’t have to prove yourself
You’re already mine
You don’t have to hide your heart
I already love you
I hold it in mine
So you can rest easy

Next was “God of My Fathers”, most of which was written by Ben Shive, with Peterson changing just a few words.

Peterson was born in nearby Monticello, Illinois, where his dad was a pastor and he lived his first seven years. He said that returning to the state and seeing corn fields and silos was for him like seeing the Grand Canyon.

He told a story about his Grandma Click who lived in Lakeport, Florida, and then sang “All the Way Home”. One of our favorite songs of the evening was about his uncle Steve (a dairy farmer), who had been diagnosed with cancer and had only a few months to live. He decided to drive with his wife Margie to Alaska to fish for salmon. Peterson said that he sang the song “Alaska or Bust” in front of his uncle’s casket at his funeral:

So get in, I’ll do the drivingIMG_0256
And your bag’s already packed and in the truck
So Margie, get in, put down those dishes
Well, the town will see us go if we’re in luck
So come on, it’s Alaska or bust

He played “Lay Me Down” next, which was the first song that mentioned Illinois:

I suppose you could lay me down to die in Illinois
Bury me beneath the rows of corn
Or in-between the maple trees I climbed on as a boy
Where in the Land of Lincoln I was born

Peterson has been married to Jamie for 20 years and they have three children. After a big fight at year 15 he wrote “Dancing in the Minefields”, which was what he called a “get outta trouble song” and is one of my favorite of his songs:

We went dancing in the minefields
We went sailing in the storm
And it was harder than we dreamed
But I believe that’s what the promise is for

He then told of a song he wrote on a night when he couldn’t sleep. It had been his birthday and also a day when he released a new album. The only review on iTunes had ripped the album and given it a one-star rating. It bothered him all day and he wrote the song “Fool with a Fancy Guitar”.

Just before the break he played “Be Kind to Yourself”, his only song on the piano (all of the others were on the acoustic guitar) and the only song he played from the forthcoming album The Burning Edge of Dawn, which will be released October 9. The song, produced by Gabe Scott, was written for his daughter who deals with self-condemnation.The Burning Edge of Dawn

Peterson mentioned that he is 41 years old and on Father’s Day broke his leg hopping stones in a river in Asheville, North Carolina. This was his first show since having the boot removed.

The first of two songs about the Resurrection was “Day by Day”. Another “Illinois song” was “The Ballad of Jody Baxter”. This song was about the main character in the book, “The Yearling”. He also mentioned that Frederick Buechner is one of his favorite writers, and one of the things Buechner wrote about was listening to your life. In “The Ballad of Jody Baxter”, he looked at his childhood in Illinois as Eden and Florida as the Fall.

What was good, good, good
Is gone, gone, gone
And there’s a little boy
Who’s lost out in the woods
Always looking for the fawn

He then asked for requests and played a powerful version of “High Noon”, another song about the Resurrection.

He finished a wonderful concert with “Calling Out Your Name”, “The Reckoning” and “After the Last Tear Falls”, written with Normal native Andrew Osenga. It was my first time seeing Peterson in concert and Lord willing, it won’t be the last. I’m very much looking forward to the new album on October 2.

musicnews

  • The Wonderlands: Darkness. The third of Jon Foreman’s four EPs will be released on September 4. You can pre-order it on iTunes and get “Come Home” and “June & Johnny” instantly downloaded.
  • Highland Hymn. Watch this video of a performance of “Highland Hymn” from the album Glory to the Holy One, performed live during a concert the evening before the start of the 2015 Ligonier Ministries National Conference at Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida.
  • Laser Detects Brain Tumour Cells During Surgery. Reuben Hill was diagnosed with epilepsy and a brain tumour after he was found collapsed in his bedroom. During the laser-guided surgery to remove the tumour, he was asked to talk or sing to see if these functions had been negatively affected. Fergus Walsh writes “With the lights dimmed, Mr Hill sang these poignant words from the (Matt Redman) hymn “10,000 Reasons”: “Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me, I’ll still be singing when the evening comes.” The operation was a success and he’s now well on the road to recovery.
  • NEEDTOBREATHE – “Brother (feat. Gavin Degraw)” (Live Acoustic Video). NEEDTOBREATHE performs “Brother (feat. Gavin Degraw)” live acoustic from New York City.
  • What a Fool Believes. Michael McDonald and the Doobie Brothers performed their classic song recently on The Tonight Show.
  • Song for Someone. Illustrator and photographer Matt Mahurin directs this video for “Song for Someone” from U2’s latest album Songs of Innocence.

Much of modern worship music has become disconnected, even uninterested in sound theology. We need to work towards a re-connection. Fernando Ortega

Song of the Week

 The Silence of God by Andrew Peterson

This song was included in Michael Card’s 2006 album about lament – The Hidden Face of God, so I naturally thought it was written by Michael. I recently found out that it was actually written by Michael’s friend Andrew Peterson. It is our song of the week. Listen to the song here.

It’s enough to drive a man crazy, it’ll break a man’s faith
It’s enough to make him wonder, if he’s ever been sane
When he’s bleating for comfort from Thy staff and Thy rod
And the Heaven’s only answer is the silence of God

It’ll shake a man’s timbers when he loses his heart
When he has to remember what broke him apart
This yoke may be easy but this burden is not
When the crying fields are frozen by the silence of God

And if a man has got to listen to the voices of the mob
Who are reeling in the throes of all the happiness they’ve got
When they tell you all their troubles
Have been nailed up to that cross
Then what about the times when even followers get lost?
‘Cause we all get lost sometimes

There’s a statue of Jesus on a monastery knoll
In the hills of Kentucky, all quiet and cold
And He’s kneeling in the garden, as silent as a Stone
All His friends are sleeping and He’s weeping all alone

And the man of all sorrows, he never forgot
What sorrow is carried by the hearts that he bought
So when the questions dissolve into the silence of God
The aching may remain but the breaking does not
The aching may remain but the breaking does not
In the holy, lonesome echo of the silence of God


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THIS & THAT and Favorite Quotes of the Week

This and That

Christian Living:

  • Pray Like a Child. Listen as Paul Miller, author of The Praying Life, reminds us of how dependent Jesus was on his heavenly Father, even to the point where he said he did nothing on his own. As Jesus prayed then, so must we, coming to God with childlike faith. A special guest is Paul’s mute autistic daughter, Kim.
  • 15 Ways to Fight Lust with the Sword of the Spirit. Kevin DeYoung writes “How in the world, in this world we live in, and with our sex-saturated hearts, can we obey the seventh commandment? Let me suggest fifteen passages of Scripture that can help us fight lust and the temptation to sexual immorality.”
  • Fasting for Beginners. David Mathis writes “Chances are you are among the massive majority of Christians who rarely or never fast. It’s not because we haven’t read our Bibles or sat under faithful preaching or heard about the power of fasting, or even that we don’t genuinely want to do it. We just never actually get around to putting down the fork.

Current Events:

Great Resources:  

  • Tim Keller Sermons. You can listen to nearly 100 of Tim Keller’s sermons free at the Gospel in Life Redeemer Presbyterian Church You Tube site.
  • Can I Be Sure I’m Saved? R.C. Sproul writes “At a practical level, people who are struggling with their assurance of salvation often approach me and ask, “How can I know I am save?” In response, I ask them three questions.
  • Openness Unhindered Part 2. In this episode of the Mortification of Spin podcast, Carl Trueman, Aimee Bryd and Todd Pruitt continue their discussion on Rosaria Butterfield’s latest book: Openness Unhindered, in which they respond specifically to her thoughts on and approach to Christian fellowship and hospitality. I found the section of the book on hospitality of particular interest.
  • Openness Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and Union with Christ. Kelsey Hency writes “In Openness Unhindered, Butterfield sets out to equip and encourage those dealing with sexual temptation, guide unbelievers to Christ’s hand, and rouse believers blind to their own sin. If you come to the book seeking answers about one of today’s most controversial topics, you will certainly find some. But you’ll leave with more than answers. You’ll leave with the hope of the gospel.
  • Five Easy Pieces. Carl Trueman, who I enjoyed a wonderful week of classes on B.B. Warfield a few years ago at Covenant Serminary, gives a brief overview of five new books.
  • NIV Zondervan Study Bible. In this five-minute video, D.A. Carson talks about the new NIV Zondervan Study Bible, which he served as General Editor for.
Truth is Stranger than Fiction ~ As seen in Christianity Today

Truth is Stranger than Fiction ~ As seen in Christianity Today

Church Life:

  • The Mark of Christianity That is Disappearing from Our Worship. Trevin Wax writes about the disappearance of confession from our worship.
  • Every Believer’s Responsibility. In this short video, John MacArthur states that it is every believer’s responsibility to hold their pastors accountable by searching the Scriptures, just as the Bereans did.
  • On Leaving Church. Bill Muehlenberg writes “There are many Christians who have stopped going to church. They have not given up on God, have not renounced their faith, have not denied Christ, and have not become pagans. They simply are no longer going to church. That this is happening is not a matter of doubt, but why this is happening is in fact a difficult question to answer.”
  • Eight Reasons Why We Need the Puritans. My pastor introduced me to the writings of the Puritans years ago via the publishing ministry of my friend Don Kistler. Here’s a good article from Jeff Robinson on why we need the Puritans.
Doug Michael’s Cartoon of the Week

Doug Michael’s Cartoon of the Week

Just for Fun:

  • #‎TRUMPBIBLE. Eric Metaxas writes “Donald Trump recently said the Bible is by far his favorite book, but when asked to share a favorite verse or two, he declined, saying religion was a private thing and he didn’t want to get specific. Many concluded he doesn’t read the Bible. But to silence his critics, Trump today shot off the following “25 of my favorite Bible verses”.  Here’s just a few:
    • In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was TERRIFIC. And also YUUUUGE.
    • Look, I prefer Messiahs who don’t get crucified, okay? I mean, I’ve given a lot to his churches. A LOT. Face it, he let us down.
    • A good wife, who can find? I found three.
As seen in World Magazine

As seen in World Magazine

 Favorite Quotes of the Week

  • Before the sun goes down, extend God’s grace to somebody that you’d rather altogether avoid. Scotty Smith
  • Father, so overwhelm my heart with your beauty and grace today it’ll be difficult to complain about anything or criticize anyone. Scotty Smith
  • God is so boundlessly pleased with Jesus that in him he is altogether well pleased with us. Charles Spurgeon
  • If Christ were only a cistern, we might soon exhaust His fullness, but who can drain a fountain? Charles Spurgeon
  • I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes. Charles Spurgeon
  • The Gospel is not good instructions, not a good idea, and not good advice. The Gospel is an announcement of what God has done for us in Jesus. Michael Horton
  • Just be who God has called you to be right where you are, with the people he has called you to serve. Michael Horton
  • All men have offended God’s justice and deserve His judgment. R.C. Sproul
  • If God ceased to exist for a second the universe would perish with Him. R.C. Sproul
  • If it were left to us, we would all fall away from the faith and perish. R.C. Sproul
  • There is no such thing as a great man of God, only weak, pitiful, faithless men of a great and merciful God. Paul Washer
  • Pray earnestly for a deep sense of your own insufficiency.” It’s a God-given gift. John Newton
  • It is evil to be enslaved to good things. John Piper
  • Don’t make yourself more miserable than you have to be. If God wanted you to feel guilty all the time he wouldn’t have sent Jesus. Kevin DeYoung
  • Self-loathing is self-worship. Andrew Peterson
  • You can never be righteous without being redeemed, you cannot worship without being redeemed and righteous. Ravi Zacharias
  • Don’t love Jesus just for what he does, love him for who he is. Tim Keller
  • Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin. Francis Chan
  • We are great sinners, but Christ is an even greater Savior. Steven Lawson
  • Legalism gives us a temporary feeling of security based on self, the gospel gives us assurance of our eternal security based on Christ. Burk Parsons
  • The root and source of sin is unbelief and turning from God, just as the source and root of righteousness is faith. Martin Luther


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BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS

Book Reviews
Adoption by Russell MooreAdoption: What Joseph of Nazareth Can Teach Us About This Counterculture Choice by Russell Moore. Crossway. 64 pages. 2015
****

This short book was first published as Chapter 3: “Joseph of Nazareth vs. Planned Parenthood: What’s at Stake When We Talk about Adoption,” in Moore’s 2009 book Adopted for Life.

Moore asks what it would mean if our churches and families were known as the people who adopt babies—and toddlers, and children, and teenagers. What if Christians were known, once again, as the people who take in orphans, and make of them beloved sons and daughters? He writes that all of us have a stake in the adoption issue, because Jesus does.

Moore tells us that there’s rarely much room in the inn of the contemporary Christian imagination for Joseph, especially among conservative Protestants like him. But, he tells us, Joseph serves as a model to follow as we see what’s at stake in the issue of adoption because Joseph, after all, is an adoptive father. Moore writes that as Joseph images the Father of the fatherless, he shows us how adoption is more than charity. It’s spiritual warfare.

Moore writes that the demonic powers (Pharaoh, Herod and Planned Parenthood) hate babies because they hate Jesus. When they destroy “the least of these” (Matt. 25:40, 45), the most vulnerable among us, they’re destroying a picture of Jesus himself, of the child delivered by the woman who crushes their head (Gen. 3:15). Moore states, it’s easy to shake our heads in disgust at Pharaoh or Herod or Planned Parenthood. But it’s not as easy to see the ways in which we ourselves often have a Pharaoh-like view of children rather than a Christ-like view. Moore writes that the protection of children isn’t charity, its spiritual warfare. He states that all of us, as followers of Christ, are called to protect children.

Moore writes that an orphan-protecting adoption culture is countercultural—and always has been. An adoption culture in our churches advances the cause of life, even beyond the individual lives of the children adopted. Imagine if Christian churches were known as the places where unwanted babies become beloved children.

Moore states that if we follow in the way of Joseph, perhaps we’ll see a battalion of new church-sponsored clinics for pregnant women in crisis situations. Perhaps we’ll train God-called women in our churches to counsel confused young women, counselors able and equipped to provide an alternative to the slick but deadly propaganda of the abortion profiteers. If we walk in Joseph’s way, perhaps we’ll see pastors who will prophetically call on Christians to oppose the death culture by rescuing babies and children through adoption.

Moore writes that although Planned Parenthood thinks “Choice on Earth” is the message of Christmas, we know better, or at least we should. He encourages us to follow the footsteps of the other man at the manger, the quiet one.

Book News

  • Killing ReaganKilling Reagan. The latest book in the Killing series (Lincoln, Kennedy, Jesus and Patton) from Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency will be released September 22.
  • Parables by John MacArthurNew John MacArthur Book. John MacArthur’s next book will be Parables: The Mysteries of God’s Kingdom Revealed Through the Stories Jesus Told, which will be released October 27.

BOOK CLUBS – Won’t you read along with us?

Prayer BOOK CLUB

Tim Keller's New Book on PrayerPrayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Tim Keller

Christians are taught in their churches and schools that prayer is the most powerful way to experience God. But few receive instruction or guidance in how to make prayer genuinely meaningful. In Prayer, renowned pastor Timothy Keller delves into the many facets of this everyday act. Won’t you read along with Tammy and me? This week we look at Chapter 4 ~ Conversing with God.

  • We have learned that prayer is both an instinct and a spiritual gift. As an instinct, prayer is a response to our innate but fragmentary knowledge of God.
  • As a gift of the Spirit, however, prayer becomes the continuation of a conversation God has started.
  • Christian prayer is fellowship with the personal God who befriends us through speech. The biblical pattern entails meditating on the words of Scripture until we respond to God with our entire being, saying, “Give me an undivided heart, that . . . I may praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart” (Ps 86:11–12).
  • Timothy Ward’s book Words of Life argues that God’s words are identical with his actions.104 He quotes Genesis 1:3, “‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
  • God’s words, however, cannot fail their purposes because, for God, speaking and acting are the same thing.
  • When the Bible talks of God’s Word, then, it is talking of “God’s active presence in the world.”
  • “Thus (we may say) God has invested himself with his words, or we could say that God has so identified himself with his words that whatever someone does to God’s words . . . they do to God himself. . . . God’s . . . verbal actions are a kind of extension of himself.
  • If God’s words are his personal, active presence, then to put your trust in God’s words is to put your trust in God. “Communication from God is therefore communion with God, when met with a response of trust from us.”
  • The conclusion is clear. God acts through his words, the Word is “alive and active” (Heb 4:12), and therefore the way to have God dynamically active in our lives is through the Bible. To understand the Scripture is not simply to get information about God. If attended to with trust and faith, the Bible is the way to actually hear God speaking and also to meet God himself.
  • We know who we are praying to only if we first learn it in the Bible. And we know how we should be praying only by getting our vocabulary from the Bible.
  • Our prayers should arise out of immersion in the Scripture. We should “plunge ourselves into the sea” of God’s language, the Bible. We should listen, study, think, reflect, and ponder the Scriptures until there is an answering response in our hearts and minds.
  • That response to God’s speech is then truly prayer and should be given to God.
  • Your prayer must be firmly connected to and grounded in your reading of the Word. This wedding of the Bible and prayer anchors your life down in the real God.
  • The Psalms reveal a great range in the modes of prayer.
  • We would never produce the full range of biblical prayer if we were initiating prayer according to our own inner needs and psychology. It can only be produced if we are responding in prayer according to who God is as revealed in the Scripture.
  • In every case the nature of the prayer is determined by the character of God, who is at once our friend, father, lover, shepherd, and king.
  • We must not decide how to pray based on what types of prayer are the most effective for producing the experiences and feelings we want. We pray in response to God himself. God’s Word to us contains this range of discourse—and only if we respond to his Word will our own prayer life be as rich and varied.
  • We should not decide how to pray based on the experiences and feelings we want. Instead, we should do everything possible to behold our God as he is, and prayer will follow. The more clearly we grasp who God is, the more our prayer is shaped and determined accordingly.
  • The lesson here is not that God never guides our thoughts or prompts us to choose wise courses of action, but that we cannot be sure he is speaking to us unless we read it in the Scripture.
  • David wanted to build God a house, but God said, “No, I will build you a house.”
  • David wanted to build God a place that displayed his glory. God said, in effect, that he had a counterproposal. He would establish David’s royal family line and it would ultimately reveal God’s glory in a more permanent, far-reaching, and universal way.
  • The Word of God created within David the desire, drive, and strength to pray. The principle: God speaks to us in his Word, and we respond in prayer, entering into the divine conversation, into communion with God.
  • One of David’s descendants will take up a kingdom and never relinquish it, because of the divine power of his indestructible life
  • We who believe in him will ourselves become God’s “house”—a temple of living stones indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
  • God’s Word of power “dwells richly” in all believers, giving them hearts to praise, sing, and pray to God with a joy and reality that neither David nor John the Baptist could know
  • David found the heart to pray when he received God’s Word of promise—that he would establish his throne and build him a house. Christians, however, have an infinitely greater Word of promise. God will not merely build us a house, he will make us his house. He will fill us with his presence, beauty, and glory. Every time Christians merely remember who they are in Christ, that great word comes home to us and we will find, over and over again, a heart to pray.

Studies in the Sermon on the Mount BOOK CLUB

Studies in the Sermon on the MountStudies in the Sermon on the Mount by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

This book made a significant impact on my wife Tammy when she read and discussed it with friends thirty years ago. When I picked up my diploma the day after graduation ceremonies from Covenant Seminary last year I was given a copy of this book. After enjoying Lloyd-Jones book Spiritual Depression (and the sermons the book was taken from), I couldn’t wait to read this book, which is the printed form of sermons preached for the most part on successive Sunday mornings at Westminster Chapel in London. This week we look at CHAPTER TWO: GENERAL VIEW AND ANALYSIS

  • No part of this Sermon can be understood truly except in the light of the whole.
  • The whole is greater than a collection of the parts, and we must never lose sight of this wholeness.
  • Unless we have understood and grasped the Sermon on the Mount as a whole, we cannot understand properly any one of its particular injunctions.
  • Everything in this Sermon, if we treat it rightly, and if we are to derive benefit from considering it, must be taken in its setting; and, as I have just been emphasizing, the order in which the statements come in the Sermon is really of supreme importance. The Beatitudes do not come at the end, they come at the beginning, and I do not hesitate to say that unless we are perfectly clear about them we should go no further.
  • There is a kind of logical sequence in this Sermon. Not only that, there is certainly a spiritual order and sequence. Our Lord does not say these things accidentally; the whole thing is deliberate. Certain postulates are laid down, and on the basis of those, certain other things follow.
  • Never discuss any particular injunction of the Sermon with a person until I am perfectly happy and clear in my mind that that person is a Christian. It is wrong to ask anybody who is not first a Christian to try to live or practise the Sermon on the Mount. To expect Christian conduct from a person who is not born again is heresy.
  • We always tend to forget that every New Testament letter was written to Christians and not to non-Christians; and the appeals in terms of ethics in every Epistle are always addressed only to those who are believers, to those who are new men and women in Christ Jesus. This Sermon on the Mount is exactly the same.
  • The Sermon is divided up into general and particular. The general part of the Sermon occupies v. 3 to v. 16. There you have certain broad statements with regard to the Christian. Then the remainder of the Sermon is concerned with particular aspects of his life and conduct. First the general theme, and then an illustration of this theme in particular.
  • But we can sub-divide it a little further for the sake of convenience. In V. 3-10 you have the character of the Christian described in and of itself.
  • Then v. ii, 12, I would say, show us the character of the Christian as proved by the reaction of the world to him.
  • v. 13-I6 is an account of the relationship of the Christian to the world, or, if you prefer it, these verses are descriptive of the function of the Christian in society and in the world,
  • There, then, is a general account of the Christian.
  • From there on, I suggest, we come to what I may call the particular examples and illustrations of how such a man lives in a world like this. Here we can sub-divide like this. In v. 17-48 we have the Christian facing the law of God and its demands.
  • Then we are told of his relationship towards such matters as murder, adultery and divorce; then how he should speak and then his position with regard to the whole question of retaliation and self-defence, and his attitude towards his neighbour.
  • The whole of chapter vi, I suggest,’ relates to the Christian as living his life in the presence of God, in active submission to Him, and in entire dependence upon Him.
  • Chapter vii can be regarded in general as an account of the Christian as one who lives always under the judgment of God, and in the fear of God.
  • Certain things always characterize the Christian, and these are certainly the three most important principles. The Christian is a man who of necessity must be concerned about keeping God’s law.
  • Again one of the essential and most obvious things about a Christian is that he is a man who lives always realizing he is in the presence of God. The world does not live in this way; that is the big difference between the Christian and the non-Christian.
  • The third thing is equally true and fundamental. The Christian is a man who always walks in the fear of God-not craven fear, because `perfect love casteth out’ that fear. Not only does he approach God in terms of the Epistle to the Hebrews, `with reverence and godly fear’, but he lives his whole life like that.
  • Let me now lay down a number of controlling principles which should govern the interpretation of this Sermon.
  • What is of supreme importance is that we must always remember that the Sermon on the Mount is a description of character and not a code of ethics or of morals.
  • The Christian, while he puts his emphasis upon the spirit, is also concerned about the letter. But he is not concerned only about the letter, and he must never consider the letter apart from the spirit.
  • If you find yourself arguing with the Sermon on the Mount at any point, it means either that there is something wrong with you or else that your interpretation of the Sermon is wrong.
  • If you criticize this Sermon at any point you are really saying a great deal about yourself.
  • Finally, if you regard any particular injunction in this Sermon as impossible, once more your interpretation and understanding of it must be wrong.
  • There was a time when the designation applied to the Christian was that he was a `God-fearing’ man. I do not think you can ever improve on that-a `God-fearing’ man. It is a wonderful description of the true Christian.
  • So we must not only take the injunctions of the Sermon seriously. We must also check our particular interpretation in the light of the principles I have given.
  • I maintain again that if only every Christian in the Church today were living the Sermon on the Mount, the great revival for which we are praying and longing would already have started.

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Coram Deo Celebrates 17 Year Anniversary!

Coram DeoSeptember marks the 17th anniversary of Coram Deo since beginning as a church newsletter in September 1998. It’s a church that we’ve attended since December, 1994 and I became an elder at in March, 1996. This was actually not the first newsletter that our young, small church had attempted. Earlier, a former pastor started one, but became frustrated and gave up after he wasn’t receiving many contributions.

A few things caused Tammy (my wife) and I to start Coram Deo. (See this article from R.C. Sproul about what coram Deo means). First, people in the church knew we went to the movies each Friday night. They would often ask if a particular film was appropriate for their children, or themselves, to see as believers. Writing short reviews of the films was a way to get that information out.

Second, for years I used to do the weekly announcements at the beginning of our church’s worship service. A man, who only got to church about half the time, expressed frustration to me that he missed important information that was announced, but not available anywhere else. The newsletter gave us a vehicle for that information.

Third, we wanted to look at culture – books, music, movies, the issues of the day, etc. from a distinctly Christian worldview or perspective.

Our first issue in September, 1998 was a combination of church specific information and looking at contemporary culture from a Christian worldview that we continue today with the blog. See the cover page of that first issue below:

Coram Deo Cover-page-001

That first issue included a monthly article from our lead pastor entitled “Pastor’s Corner”, a church calendar that listed sermon titles, baby showers, local concerts, choir practice, etc., member birthdays and anniversaries, upcoming concerts, movie and music reviews, etc. Originally just four printed pages, we later added electronic copies on the church website, and by the time we sunset the newsletter at the end of 2013 it had grown to thirty pages. In late 2013, we began offering both a blog and newsletter and as of 2014 we moved completely to a non-church specific blog format.

Much has changed since our first issue. I returned to Covenant Seminary in 2005 and graduated in 2014. But today we continue much of what was in that original issue 17 years ago. You can expect music, movie and book reviews. We’ll also have a focus on integrating faith and work, and I’ll share links to articles that I find interesting. We’ll also have occasional guest posts from Tammy and her sister Teri who is director of a local Pregnancy Center.

We hope you enjoy reading the blog as much as we enjoy putting it together for you. Please let us know how we can serve you better. And if you enjoy the blog please tell others about it and have them enter their email address to follow us via email.

Blessings,

Bill and Tammy