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Buried and Barricaded
If you were in the center of a redwood tree I imagine that you would not be affected by much. If you were standing beside a redwood tree I imagine that you would be affected very much by the glory of the tree. Sin buries and barricades our affections. Sin blinds us to the ugliness of our sin, sin dulls us to the poison of our sin. Sin even tries to tell us that sin is satisfying, that righteousness is the sucker-outer of life.
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O Come Again, Emmanuel
Maybe some of you have family that you haven’t seen for a while coming to your house for Christmas, or maybe you are headed to see them. If things are good, you’re even eager to see them and share the day together. You’re looking forward to it, and you’re preparing for it. You’ve invited them, you’ve got their trip itinerary printed and hung on the refrigerator door, you’ve put new sheets on the kids’ beds, you’ve bought enough food for two feasts, and you’ve wrapped the presents and put them under the tree.
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When We Have Problems
The Lord’s response to Paul’s request to have his thorn removed is archetypal. He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9a)
That is a fantastic truth. We should share that on the Internet. Someone should print it in a sympathy card, probably using a gentle, italic font, and adorn it with a soft colored flower. It’s perfect, especially for Paul, and other people.
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Born with Flesh
The apostle John wrote that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). A few chapters later John recorded Jesus, who was talking with some grumbling Jews, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:51).
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Deserving a Different Christmas
During this advent season we focus our thoughts on the first coming of the Messiah, about the Father sending His Son from heaven to earth. The Christmas story, as told by Matthew and Luke, is a story of the Son’s contentment with His Father’s decision.
In those days many gods of men were getting a lot of man’s attention. But Jesus didn’t come out of petty or bitter jealousy. In fact, that sort of jealousy doesn’t come from above.
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Intermittent Feasting
I know people, they talk to me. I read things; learning is an ongoing process. One subject that has been brought to my attention from half a dozen directions is that of intermittent fasting. Probably the first time I considered the idea (though he didn’t use the term) was in Robert Capon’s book, The Supper of the Lamb, as he counseled a man who was serious about his eating and his weight not to eat for a while rather than eat/nibble health junk food, you know, something like rice cakes.
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When You Can See More Cracks in Contentment
I thought it would be good to check in on #NoDiscontentDecember. Well, what I mean is I thought it would be good to give you a report about how our #NoDiscontentDecember is going, since the Higgs are the ones who committed to it; we didn’t make you do it. It’s just supposed to be sparking ideas for you and/or your family.
The first thing, now eight days through December, that I can report is that contentment is both harder and easier when you focus on it.
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Discipline Equals Freedom Field Manual
3 of 5 stars to Discipline Equals Freedom Field Manual by Jocko Willink
GOOD. GET SOME. GET AFTER IT.
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Finished with Discipline
The analogy of the church as a body does so many good things, but there are numerous other ways to think about our relationships. We are also a family, brothers and sisters, and we are an outpost of heavenly citizens on earth.
When we think about “members” as body parts, we affirm our appreciation of and need for one another. When we think about “members” as fellow citizens serving the Lord of heaven, we affirm His calling and acceptance of one another.
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No Discontent December
If you could have only one thing for Christmas, and you knew you would get what you asked for, what would it be? If you could commit yourself to do one thing for Christmas, what would it be? I’m sure there are some great answers, but I’m going to share one as an example.
We decided as a family that there was too much to do in December to have bad attitudes about it.
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A Spoonful of Flour
One note does not make a song. One chord, made of three notes struck at the same time, still does not make a song. One ingredient does not make bread. Imagine if at the Lord’s Supper everyone took a spoonful of flour. We’d definitely need bigger cups for the wine.
The Lord’s Table is a Table for all the members; it is members only, but not because it is closed to those we don’t like or who don’t meet our requirements.
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Finish
3 of 5 stars to Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done by Jon Acuff
I enjoy Acuff’s humor (the snark and the 80’s references), and I appreciated his numerous punches at perfectionism especially as it hinders productivity, or at least makes getting things done no fun.
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Motivation Above
What makes a church a church? How is a church formed? There’s a choice. A church could be seen as a group of people who choose to come together, or a church could be seen as a group of people whom God chose to come together. Implications abound downstream of what we see.
Abraham Kuyper published his address arguing that the church should not be supported or controlled by the State.
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The Magician's Nephew
5 of 5 stars to The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
2018: It is so goosebump inducing to read this as the sixth book, as it was in publication order, rather than to read it as the first book, which it is in Narnian chronology. The creation account, while different from the actual creation account of our world in many ways, really sings. We’re also reminded that for those who love Aslan, Aslan loves those we love who are suffering even more than we love them.
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The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment
5 of 5 stars to The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment by Jeremiah Burroughs
I started reading this with my 5th-6th grade Bible class last school year, but we didn’t finish it. I started over when summer break began, then got sidetracked a couple times. Then I committed to plodding at two pages per day and it was a fantastic kick in the contentment pants every day. Though brief, it’s not really a book to read in a week, any more than one wants to take a month’s worth of antibiotic pills in one gulp.
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Thankful for the Body
When we combine this season of thanksgiving with the communion we share at the Lord’s Supper with the diversity of Spirit-gifted members in the body, we have reason to get specific in gratitude for the different gifts we see.
When I look around the Table on Sunday morning, or, after everyone has come to the Table and is back in their spot ready to eat and drink together, I am very thankful.
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Make It Perfect
There are two ways to make your Thanksgiving holiday family time together perfect this week. One way to make it perfect is to have your family not spend any time together. Really. Where two or three are gathered together, there is disagreement in their midst. This is merely “perfect” in the sense of free from strife, though that is probably an imperfect definition of perfect. When we as Christians think about perfect we usually think about what is as good as it could possibly be.
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The Odyssey
4 of 5 stars to The Odyssey by Homer
Read this again in 2018 with the Omnibus Tenebras group. I’m doubling my previous star rating, and adding that this time I grew in admiration for Odysseus and Penelope, for a story of glory in fighting for marriage and family rather than glory in circuitous fighting as in The Iliad. Good work, Homer.
2012: 2 of 5 stars. I’m glad that I read it.
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Me First: The Deaths We Should Die for Our Students
More than a month ago I got to address a group of teachers at the first ACCS Regional Schools Training Day held at Providence Classical Christian School. Here are the notes for my talk.
TL;DR or Abstract: The gospel is good news that Jesus died so that we might live. As Christians the gospel is not only something we must believe and proclaim, it is also something we must embody. Like Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:7-12, teachers have many and various opportunities to bring life to their students (and the students’ families) by dying.
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Royal Blood
David wrote a song about how “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). He called that Lord the “King of glory.”
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
The LORD, mighty in battle!
Lift up your heads, O gates!
And lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
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The Biggest Display at the Ministry Fair
We’re headed into an extended look at spiritual gifts over the next few months in the Sunday morning sermons. There are a variety of ways, as usual, to mess up our blessings.
One way is to lift up whatever gift God has given to us as the best one, to act superior over our brothers, or to expect that what we’re called to do is what everyone should be doing. These Christians not only have the biggest display at the Ministry Fair, but they give you the most Pharisaical look of disapproval for even looking at the other tables.
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Comparatively Uppity
On earth, the Lord’s Table may be the pinnacle of places where people do not get what they deserve. If we first examine ourselves, rather than being exposed by the Lord, we know that we are guilty outside of Christ, and that even after we came to Christ we have not always appreciated what He’s done for us.
Yet somehow we can still get uppity when we compare ourselves to others who are coming to the Table.
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Eye Opening
It is the work of God to open eyes.
The apostle John told the story of a man born blind in John 9:1-41. Initially the disciples assumed that the man’s blindness was a direct result of someone’s sin, either his own sin or his parents. Jesus didn’t deny that this could happen, but Jesus did deny that it happened here. “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (verse 3).
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The Supper Is a Sermon
Or, You Are Always Preaching
Preachers are often asked how long it takes them to prepare a sermon. The question wants to know how many hours the preacher spent that week getting ready to preach. Did he translate the verses for himself? Did he brainstorm? Did he read any commentaries? Did he write out his notes? Did he pray specifically over the sermon? There are any number of steps.
But it’s actually a more difficult question than that.
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The Vocabulary of Repentance
We owe some of our most cherished vocabulary to the Reformers. This is Reformation Sunday, the Sunday closest to October 31st when Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses against the sale of indulgences. It is good for us to be thankful for God’s use of faithful men.
William Tyndale was the first man to translate the New Testament into English from Greek. John Wycliffe hand-wrote copies from Latin into English, but Tyndale had access to the Greek New Testament thanks to Erasmus, and his printed English copies created a firestorm.