The Mingling of Souls: God’s Design for Love, Marriage, Sex and Redemption by Matt Chandler. David C. Cook. 224 pages. 2015 *** ½
We attended a live video broadcast of Matt Chandler, senior pastor at the Village Church in Dallas, presenting this material from the Song of Solomon. Along with our ticket to attend the event we received a copy of this book.
Chandler states: “The sheer amount of confusion, heartbreak, and fear that I have witnessed at The Village Church in regard to romantic relationships and sex provides my primary motivation for writing this book.”
He writes that: “What we learn in the Song of Songs is that a marriage shaped according to this gospel of grace, forged over years of hard-earned trust and forgiveness, can be an unsafe place for sin but a very safe place for sinners.”
I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to you. I highlighted a number of passages and would like to share some of them with you below:
Pentecostal Outpourings: Revival and the Reformed Tradition by Michael A. G. Haykin, Robert Davis Smart and Ian Hugh Clary. 280 pages. Reformation Heritage Books. 2016. ****
This book details exciting historical accounts of revivals. All you have to do is to look at today’s headlines to see that our nation desperately needs revival. But what is biblical revival? Is it a planned, man-centered event, such as “Revival – Saturday Night”? No, as one of the editors and contributors of this volume, Robert Smart writes, the intent of the book is to “Promote the knowledge of God, the gospel of Christ, and the great outpourings of the Spirit through a variety of Reformed authors reflecting and applying historical and biblical lessons for today’s Christian leader.”
The authors, who include Steven Lawson (Foreword), Joel Beeke, Michael Haykin, Iain Campbell, Tom Nettles and others, put forth the view that revival is “a sovereign gift from God in which, for a special season, His normal and true work of advancing His kingdom is sped up or quickened so that more is accomplished through His servants in a shorter period of time.” The authors take special care to demonstrate that revivals are mixed with counterfeit Christianity and require wise leadership.
Each chapter in this well-written book features a different Reformed tradition, historical context, and regional culture where revival occurred, yet each fits within an overall Reformed and biblical interpretation of revival. Part one of the book looks at revival in the British Isles, while part two looks at revival in America. I enjoyed reading about the men associated with these revivals. Jonathan Edwards, who even in his own time was known as the “theologian of revival” for both the First and Second Great Awakenings; George Whitfield and Asahel Nettleton, are also well-known, but most such as Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen are not so familiar. Frelinghuysen has been described both as a forerunner and a catalyst of the Great Awakening. Fortunately, this book tells the stories of some of these more obscure leaders for modern readers.
Smart concludes the book by stating that the authors of the book call for Reformed leaders to “grab the baton of leadership and finish the race with continuity and zeal, and a greater understanding of previous revivals will encourage them to do this.” He asks all to join in asking God for both reformation and revival.
I was surprised to read that by the end of the eighteenth century, only 10 percent of the population of the growing American nation was in fellowship with a local congregation. Might that be where our nation is heading? As one of the authors of this book states, our only spiritual hope for true revival is to turn to the God of revival.
Interview with Dr. Robert Davis Smart on the new book Pentecostal Outpourings
Pastor Bob Smart has been my pastor for more than twenty-one years. Throughout that time he has had a heart for, and prayed fervently for biblical revival. That’s one of the reasons I was pleased to see this new book on revival which details exciting historical accounts. I recently had an opportunity to talk to Dr. Smart about this new book.
Recently I read P.K. Hodel’s amazing book Simply My Window (and my wife is reading the book now). You can read my review of Simply My Window here.
I have known P.K. (Pam) for years. She and her husband Mark (Harrison in the book) attend the same church as my wife and I do and we are in the same small group on Sunday evenings. However, reading the book I realized that I really didn’t know them very well.
I recently had a chance to reach out to Pam and ask her some questions about the book. If you have not yet read the book, I hope reading Pam’s responses will prompt you to read it.
The film is directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: The First Avenger). We saw this film in IMAX 3-D in a packed theater with an enthusiastic audience who reacted to each amazing scene they saw (watch for the scene with Captain America and the helicopter, or a great stunt with a motorcycle, for example). In fact, even before the film started, some shouted out “Team Cap!” to be responded with “Iron Man!” And the audience was not disappointed.
The latest Marvel film is a long one at 2 hours and 26 minutes. It is rated PG-13 for the standard super hero violence, some adult language (and unfortunately the abuse of God’s name). We really enjoyed the humor in the film. Some films get distracted with the fighting and violence (think of the recent Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice), but this one never lost track of the story.
As the film opens, we see some of the Avengers – Captain America (Chris Evans), the Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), and Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson) – in Lagos, Nigeria trying to stop the theft of biological weapons. Unfortunately, a casualty of their heroic actions is the death of several innocent people. This isn’t the first time this has happened, and now the Avengers are told by Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (William Hurt), that 117 nations will soon be approving the Sokovia Accords, and all the Avengers will need to sign it. The agreement will provide oversight for the superheroes; they will no longer be able to enter into situations worldwide without approval. Many of the Avengers, including Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) sign the Accords, but a few, notably Captain America, do not.
As King T’Chaka (John Kani) addresses the representatives before the Accords vote, a bomb goes off. Many are injured and some are killed, including King T’Chaka. We see his son T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) kneeling over his father’s dead body. Soon news reports flash a photo that show the bomber as being Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), who was at one time Captain America’s best friend. As the manhunt begins for the Winter Soldier, Captain America seeks to protect him, putting him on the opposite side of his Avenger friends that signed the Accord, notably Iron Man. That sets up the Avengers “Civil War” – betrayal is a key theme in this film along with standing your ground to do the right thing. Team Iron Man consists of Iron Man, Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Vision (Paul Bettany), Black Widow, War Machine (Don Cheadle), and Spiderman (Tom Holland), while Team Captain America consists of Captain America, Bucky Barnes, Falcon, Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), Scarlett Witch, Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and Ant Man (Paul Rudd).
Not all of the Avengers are in the film (notably absent were Thor and the Hulk), but many are, in addition to some new characters (Black Panther and Spiderman, for example.) The strong cast also includes Martin Freeman, Marisa Tomei, and Alfre Woodard.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable film with excellent stunts, computer animations, and screenplay. As with all Marvel superhero films, don’t get up when the film ends, but stay through all the credits to see two brief previews for future Avenger films.
Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles
FOR YOU EEYORES OUT THERE – YEAH YOU!
Limits. In this “Minute with Maxwell”, John Maxwell states that some people put limits on themselves, negatively impacting their ability to reach their potential.
3 Ways to Unleash the Power of Determination. In this “Tuesday Tip”, Dr. Alan Zimmerman writes “Failures use their circumstance to give up, while successes use their circumstances as a reason to get going. And determination is the resolve to meet every obstacle with the assurance that it can and will be overcome.”
5 Things That Will Kill Your Impact. Stephen Graves writes “Impact is not just a power score or some random popularity contest. Nor is impact simply your online influence (i.e., Facebook likes). Impact is much deeper and long-lasting. It’s the change you bring about in the lives of others. It’s about changing the way people think, act, believe, live, purchase, and more.”
The Foundation of Forgiveness. John MacArthur writes “God’s forgiveness is the pattern by which we are to forgive. That is the foundational truth on which all godly relationships are built and developed.”
Blasting Our Shame with the Gospel. Here’s our prayer of the week from Scotty Smith. I’d highly recommend that you sign up to receive this prayers each day via email.
Should Christians Cremate Their Loved Ones? John Piper writes “I am encouraging churches to cultivate a Christian counter-culture where people expect simple, less expensive funerals and burials, and where we all pitch in so that a Christian burial is not a financial hardship on anyone.”
Living an Others-Oriented Life. Mark Dever writes “Being a disciple of Jesus means orienting our lives toward others, just as Jesus did.”
How the Gospel Frees Us to Risk. Russell Moore writes “Courage is walking forward, and embracing others in love, even though you may suffer greatly in ways you could never imagine now. Jesus walked that way before you, and walks that way now with you. That’s the way of the cross.”
CHURCH LIFE:
The Babylon Bee’s Adam Ford Says the Church Needs Laughter. Daniel Darling interviews Adam Ford about his calling as a humorist, why Christians need satire, and how pastors can use what is funny to communicate what is serious. Is it Biblical for Churches to Require a Tithe? Jonathan Leeman writes “We preach generosity. We disciple carefully, always encouraging people to trust God with their money. But then we leave the details to them and how the Holy Spirit is working in their hearts, knowing that the New Testament treats how much a person gives as a matter of liberty.”
I think that we too often don’t stop to think about those who have helped us along the way, including our leaders and mentors. I recently realized that three of my former leaders will be retiring in the next few weeks. Our leaders can influence us in a positive or negative manner – these three have definitely impacted and influenced me in an affirmative way. You can read what I’ve written about them here. Below, I’d like to single out one of my former leaders and tell you what I admire about him.
More than ten years ago I went through a very difficult time at work which you can read about here. Although the Lord used this time for good, for a long time the wind was taken out of my sails at work. About four years later I started reporting to Dan. I was not necessarily looking forward to this based on what I had heard about him, which I wrote about here. But I was wrong about him – as wrong as I could be.
From the beginning, Dan was great to work for and with. He was an encourager and very supportive. As an encourager, he made me and my team feel appreciated. One way he did this was to send handwritten notecards to employees in his function who had done something particularly noteworthy. He was supportive in things that I wanted to do in my areas of responsibility (work efforts, personnel decisions, etc.) as long as I had done my homework.
A year after beginning to work for him, when a position that would result in a promotion opened up, Dan took a chance on me and we continued to work together for the next few years. During that time I did get the wind back in my sails. And about the reputation that I misjudged? I’ve told many people since then that I would take a bullet for that man. Although I no longer report to him, I’m proud to call him a friend. Maybe I can correct his rumored reputation.
We learn from all of our leaders. Sometimes it’s for good, like my experience with Dan. Sometimes we learn what not to do from other leaders as I wrote here.
Don’t forget to thank those that have helped you along the way. Let them know how they have impacted you and your story.
On December 21, 1970 Elvis Presley (played by Michael Shannon) and accompanied by best friend Jerry Schilling (played by Alex Pettyfer) show up unexpectedly at the gates of the White House. On a plane from California to Washington, D.C., Presley had scrawled out a handwritten note to President Nixon, who is played here by Kevin Spacey. The reason? Elvis was upset with the way the country was going (drugs, communists, etc.) and he felt that he could make a difference. His request? He wanted to meet with Nixon that day and receive a badge to be a federal agent at large so he could help combat the drug culture and the “hippie elements” ruining the country, even going undercover to serve his country.
Much of the 86 minute film shows how Schilling, Sonny West, played by Johnny Knoxville, and Nixon’s staffers try to arrange the meeting. Nixon’s staffers, led by Egil Krogh played by Colin Hanks, and Dwight Chapin played by Evan Peters, see the advantage of Nixon meeting and being photographed with Presley because he is clearly out of touch with the youth of America. Nixon initially says “no” to the meeting, but when he finds out that his 22 year-old daughter is a big fan of Presley’s he agrees to it, in hopes of getting an autograph for her.
What exactly did the two men discuss? Even though Nixon was known to tape conversations, he didn’t start until two months after the events that take place in this film, so no transcript of Nixon and Presley’s meeting exists, only a memo describing it. So I’m not sure how much of this film directed by Liza Johnson and written by Joey Sagal, Hanala Sagal and Cary Elwes is fact or dramatization.
The actual meeting did take place hours after Presley and Schilling showed up at the gates of the White House. It resulted in an Oval Office photo of Nixon and Presley that the National Archives says is its most requested image.
Oscar nominee Shannon really doesn’t look much like Elvis Presley, though Spacey did look a lot more like Nixon. The movie portrays Presley as someone who loves his guns and his country, and is appalled by much of the counterculture. He tells Schilling that people don’t know the real Elvis, to them he’s just a thing that reminds them of something that happened to them in the past (first kiss, breakup, etc.). In another scene he talks about his twin brother dying minutes before he was born and suggests that his success was perhaps because God felt guilty for taking his brother and so gave Elvis the luck of two people.
Two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey is effective as Nixon. He is shown displaying some of his own insecurities (about his appearance, for example). Unfortunately, the actual meeting between Nixon and Presley takes up only a very short part of the film. The interaction between Spacey and Shannon, as the two try to control the conversation in the Oval Office, was certainly the best part of the film.
There is so little content here (not enough to make a full-length film), that the filmmakers add a subplot that you won’t care about concerning the tension Schilling feels about his friendship with Presley versus being with his own fiancée back in California.
Jerry Schilling turned down seven scripts until he found one suitable for the movie “Elvis & Nixon.” He’s an executive producer on the movie, but as for the finished film, Schilling said, “Is it the movie I would have set out to make? No. Is it a well-acted, well-done movie? Yes. The movie is based on facts. The fact that we went to Washington. That we got to the White House. The fact that he got the badge. This movie, as the director would say, is not a History Channel documentary. This is more of a docu-comedy.”
The film has received positive ratings from fans and critics who found it to be funny. Unfortunately, we found the film to be slow and boring.
The film includes some good music from the period (Blood Sweat and Tears, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Otis Redding), but none of Elvis’ music, leading to the assumption that the filmmakers could not get the rights to the use of his music.
The film is rated “R” for adult language, including several abuses of God’s and Jesus’ names, mostly from Nixon.
The Mingling of Souls: God’s Design for Love, Marriage, Sex and Redemption by Matt Chandler. David C. Cook. 224 pages. 2015
Book Review:
Pastor Bob Smart has been my pastor for more than twenty-one years. Throughout that time he has had a heart for, and prayed fervently for biblical revival. That’s one of the reasons I was pleased to see this new book on revival which details exciting historical accounts. I recently had an opportunity to talk to Dr. Smart about this new book.
Recently I read P.K. Hodel’s amazing book Simply My Window (and my wife is reading the book now). You can read my review of Simply My Window 
Captain America: Civil War, rated PG-13
I think that we too often don’t stop to think about those who have helped us along the way, including our leaders and mentors. I recently realized that three of my former leaders will be retiring in the next few weeks. Our leaders can influence us in a positive or negative manner – these three have definitely impacted and influenced me in an affirmative way. You can read what 
Elvis & Nixon, rated R