I want to take a few minutes to address the subject of regrets again. Previously, I had written “How Should We Handle Our Regrets”. Recently, while reading John Maxwell’s latest book The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication, I came across a section where he wrote about a study in which people were asked to respond to the following:
“When you look back on your experiences in life and think of those things that you regret, what would you say you regret more, those things that you did but wish you hadn’t, or those things that you didn’t do but wish you had?”
He goes on to state that of those who responded, 75% replied that they regretted those things that they didn’t do but wish that they had. It surprised me, but immediately what came to mind for me was not becoming a pastor, but instead having a career in the general marketplace. I say it surprised me because it isn’t something that I had really thought about. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: October 2023
Reflections on Aging
When I was ending my career, the organization I worked at provided us a session with a well-known financial organization. We were told that we were leaving at a time when we were most likely in good health, had plenty of time and money. He called those the “Go Go Years”. He told us that as we get older and perhaps in not such good health, we would move into the “Slow Go Years”. And later yet, we would move into the “No Go Years”.
I find myself in the “Go Go Years”. Yet, an honest reflection tells me that I am now retired, both my wife and I have lost all of our parents, I am on Social Security and Medicare. I don’t often think about my decreasing life expectancy. No, in my mind – unless I look into the mirror – I’m about half of my true age. But there are times when I am reminded just what my true age is.
Here are a few of those times. Continue reading
Serving God in Retirement
I’ve recently spent time with a friend and former team member who will be retiring in a few weeks. I congratulated him, and told him that he may have a variety of feelings as he approaches his retirement date and immediately afterward. For so many years (for me it was nearly 38), I knew where I was going to work each day, and what I would be doing. Then, all of a sudden, that phase of your life is over. I remember feeling almost like I was doing something wrong, like I should be somewhere, instead of home.
My wife Tammy and I agreed that I would not just jump into activities after retiring, but take some time to decompress after my retirement date. Some refer to this as taking a sabbatical. Ideally, we were hoping to find ministry work that we could do together.
After serving God in your primary vocation, what does serving God in retirement look like for you? What is your purpose in this new chapter of your life? That is a question that several members of our church small group have been asking recently. Continue reading
MUSIC REVIEWS and NEWS
Shadow Kingdom – Bob Dylan
****
In May 2021, not able to tour due to the pandemic, Bob Dylan offered a pay for view “concert” titled Shadow Kingdom: The Early Songs of Bob Dylan. It was directed by Alma Har’el and billed as a live, pay-per-view concert. Set in a fictitious Marseilles bar called the Bon Bon Club, the event was actually a performance of a studio recording, with musicians – Alex Burke, Buck Meek, Joshua Crumbly (guitars), Shahzad Ismaily (accordion) and Janie Cowan (upright bass) – playing the roles of the actual personnel who recorded the original music with Dylan.
The new Shadow Kingdom album features thirteen songs from the film and an instrumental piece called ‘Sierra’s Theme,’ which played over the film’s closing credits. The personnel on the album are – Dylan (vocals, harmonica), Jeff Taylor (accordion), Greg Leisz (pedal steel guitar, mandolin), Tim Pierce, T-Bone Burnett, Ira Ingber (guitars) and Don Was (upright bass). There are no drums or piano.
Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
- More of this review and a review of Live from Red Rocks by Mac Powell
- Music News
- Song of the Week Lyrics ~ God of Every Grace by Keith & Kristyn Getty, Matt Boswell, and Matt Papa
BOOK REVIEWS and NEWS
The Bible Convictions of John Wycliffe by Steven Lawson. Ligonier Ministries. 212 pages. 2021
****
This book is a part of the helpful A Long Line of Godly Men series, the purpose of which is to explore how these leaders used their gifts and ministries to further the work of Christ in their time.
Steven Lawson begins by giving us a brief biography of John Wycliffe. He tells us that the fourteenth century was an especially dark time for the church. The light of the gospel had been dimmed. Wycliffe was the most learned scholar of his day and a professor at Oxford University, the top school in Europe. He would become the premier figure of his generation who would illuminate the path to recovering the gospel and reforming the true church. He was known as the shining “Morning Star of the Reformation.”
In 1361, Wycliffe was ordained to the priesthood in 1361, and began preaching as the rector of the parish church in Fillingham. Wycliffe soon began his career as a professor at Queen’s College, Oxford, where he gained a reputation as its most brilliant and popular teacher in theology and philosophy. Wycliffe spent most of the rest of his life lecturing at this institution, where he became regarded as the top theologian and philosopher in England.
Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
BOOK REVIEWS ~ More of this review…
BOOK NEWS ~ Links to Interesting Articles
BOOK CLUB ~ Truths We Confess by R.C. Sproul
I’M CURRENTLY READING….
Continue reading
10 New and Upcoming Books You Might Be Interested In
I enjoy books in a variety of genres (theology, biography, leadership, etc.), and always have an “on deck” list of titles I’m waiting to get to. Here are 10 new and upcoming books that you might be interested in:
Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age by Rosaria Butterfield
From the Amazon description:
Modern culture is increasingly outspoken against a biblical understanding of what it means to be a woman. Even some Christians, swayed by the LGBTQ+ movement, have rejected God’s word on issues of sexuality and gender in favor of popular opinion. In light of these pressures, it’s more important than ever to help women see the truth about who God created them to be.
In this powerful book, Rosaria Butterfield uses Scripture to confront 5 common lies about sexuality, faith, feminism, gender roles, and modesty often promoted in our secular culture today. Written in the style of a memoir, this book explores Butterfield’s personal battle with these lies―interwoven with cultural studies, literary criticism, and theology―to help readers see the beauty in biblical womanhood, marriage, and motherhood. Continue reading
Oh the Things I’ve Seen!
We recently returned home from a trip to Europe which featured a Rhine River cruise. It was our first cruise. We saw many wonderful sites, such as the Alps in Switzerland, castles and cathedrals. It was our third, and possibly, our final trip to Europe, and it caused me to say to Tammy a few days after returning, “Oh the things we have seen”. Yes, this world is wonderful.
It got me to thinking about all the things that I have seen in my lifetime. Growing up, our family took car trips during the summer, so we got to see many of our states, and things like Niagara Falls, Disneyland and the Baseball Hall of Fame, among many other sites that I think back on. Unlike my cousin and two aunts who did get to see the Beatles in concert, I never did. But I did get to see three of the four members in concert, and even I’ve walked across Abbey Road. I’ve seen just about every music artist I’ve ever wanted to, some of them several times. I’ve seen Michael Jordan play several times, watched Doug Collins play in my hometown during his college years, saw my childhood hero Mickey Mantle hit a home run late in his career, watched Tiger Woods play several times, went to the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, played on some spectacular golf courses, and saw Mark McGuire hit home run number 60, when the single season record was 61. We’ve been to many theology conferences, heard wonderful speakers which includes my spiritual mentor R.C. Sproul dozens of times. Yes, oh the things I have seen! I have been blessed. Take just a few minutes to think of the wonderful things you have seen in your lifetime. Your list will look different from mine. What would your list look like? Continue reading
My Review of Surprised by Oxford
Surprised by Oxford, rated PG-13
** ½
This film, based on the 2013 book Surprised by Oxford: A Memoir, is the true story of Caro Drake, a young American woman who earns a scholarship to the University of Oxford for her postgraduate studies. Her goal is to earn her PhD in Romantic-era literature. Ryan Whitaker (son of the Christian music artist Michael W. Smith) directs the film. The film opened with a brief interview with the author (who appears in the film), and author and podcaster Annie Downs.
Caro, played by Rose Reid, has grown up without any religious faith. Her Mom is a Roman Catholic, and her father was arrested by the FBI when she was only eight. Early on at Oxford while with her friends, she meets Kent Weber, a Christian, played by Ruairi O’Connor, and misinterprets a message she sees pop up on his phone. After that, she wants nothing to do with him, though he continues to pursue a friendship with her. She has unmet longings and eventually agrees to his request to read C.S. Lewis’ book Surprised by Joy; we then see their relationship budding. But between the growing relationship and her contemplation of the Christian faith, she is distracted from her studies and faces the possible loss of her scholarship. She dives back into her studies, but wisely accepts the counsel of Provost Regina Knight, played by Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey).
The film includes beautiful scenery of Oxford and the Cotwolds, both of which we visited in 2019. It is part love story and part Christian conversion story, though the film never really fleshes out her actual conversion. Most of the film moves along slowly, but then the film ends abruptly. It is well made and acted. Caro’s story has been compared to C.S. Lewis’ famous conversion nearly a century ago at Oxford. The film includes some PG-13 adult language and talk about sex.
The film was in the theaters for just two days. Hopefully it will be available on streaming soon.
THIS & THAT: A Gathering of Favorite Articles and Quotes
- How to Pray for Your Enemies. John Piper writes “Jesus gives numerous examples of the kinds of behaviors involved in loving our enemies. The first mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount after the command to love is prayer.”
- Practically, How Do We Abide in Jesus? John Piper writes “Abiding in Jesus—in his love and in his word—is trusting that he really is loving us at every moment and that everything he has revealed about himself and his work for us and our future with him is true.”
- On the Crushing Guilt of Failing at Quiet Time. Kevin DeYoung writes “Spiritual disciplines are great (and necessary) when the goal is to know God better. Spiritual disciplines are soul-crushing when the aim is to get our metaphysical workout in each day, knowing that we could always exercise more if we were better Christians.”
Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
- More interesting article links
- Favorite Quotes of the Week
FAITH AND WORK: Connecting Sunday to Monday
Faith and Work News ~ Links to Interesting Articles
- Does my Earthly Work have Eternal Value? (Part 1). Russ Gehrlein writes “This topic is worth considering, especially if you think that what you do all day is not worth much. Perhaps there is more lasting value to your work than you think.
- Working for the Weekend? Part 1. Robert Covolo writes “No, we don’t work for the weekend. Nor do we make our work a weekend. Rather, we embrace both work and rest as those made in the image of the God who does both.”
- Reassessing Our Relationship with Work and Rest. Michaela O’Donnell writes “We will worship God, the one who both works and rests, and gives us the good gift of a rhythm that includes both. In this, our sense of meaning-making returns to the one who made us and who invites us to align with the kingdom in all that we do.”
- The Emotional Journey of the Entrepreneur. Jeff Haanen writes “We need to acknowledge that entrepreneurs don’t just change the world; they themselves are being changed by the world around them. This move toward self-awareness is the first step toward living healthier emotional and spiritual lives as entrepreneurs.”
Click on ‘Continue reading’ for:
- More links to interesting articles
- The Top 10 Faith and Work Quotes of the Week
- Faith and Work Book Review ~ Leading With a Limp by Dan Allender
- Quotes from the book Agents of Flourishing: Pursuing Shalom in Every Corner of Society by Amy Sherman.