∞
Cutting the Cords
Things were desperate for David in Psalm 18. His situation was deathly. The cords of death encompassed me; The torrents of destruction assailed me;the cords of Sheol entangled me; The snares of death confronted me. (Psalm 18:4-5)
In David’s case, the cords and snares were reaching up from below the ground trying to drag him down. His song praises God for delivering him, for cutting the cords and keeping him alive.
∞
Garrulous Talk
Because men sin, men hide. We are bent to find hiding places because being exposed often hurts. We prefer not to remember, and prefer others not to see. The first thing Adam did after his disobedience was hide. Men hide behind isolation, they hide behind lies. They can even hide behind liturgy, and they can hide behind, rather than in, the gospel. Consider this observation about Christian hiding that hits close to home.
∞
Wisdom and Wonder
5 of 5 stars to Wisdom and Wonder by Abraham Kuyper
2019: This was my second read through the book, and it is as good as I remember. The church is most definitely not the boss of science and art, but the church should most definitely encourage Christians both to work in the spheres of science and art and also to appreciate where God’s common grace has allowed unbelievers (even though often inconsistent with their stated worldview) to contribute to humanity.
∞
The Idea Was More Than Ideas
The Lord’s Supper is a great place to get perspective. The Table has two elements on it: bread and wine. The bread was baked and brought by someone, not dropped out of the seventh celestial sphere. The wine was bottled, and bought and brought by someone, also not delivered via a special Holy Spirit spigot. Anyone, with faith or without faith, could eat this bread, and anyone could drink this cup (though they might move on to another table if they see the portion size).
∞
Witnessing Songs
We take worship in song seriously. Singing is not the only act of worship, but the bones of praise move best with the muscles of melody held in by the skin of songs. What happens when we learn and sing good songs of worship? The body is encouraged, yes. But the body is also made more accountable. In Deuteronomy 31 the Lord told Moses that his days of leading Israel were almost finished.
∞
Range
4 of 5 stars to Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein
Epstein challenges the modern idol of early specialization in sports, in education, in music, in everything. I have already recommended this to a bunch of people, especially in education circles, and will be rereading it immediately with a group of guys who are aiming to start a college. Epstein doesn’t refer to the lordship of Christ in all of it, but he makes a compelling case that there is a lot of good things to learn (in Christ’s creative and sustaining domain), and even more of a case that learning about a lot of those things helps us appreciate and connect and do more good things.
∞
Keep Going
4 of 5 stars to Keep Going by Austin Kleon
This was probably my least favorite of the three (along with Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work!, but it still has a bunch of little verbal shots in the arm to keep one going, which is the point. I especially appreciate “Forget the noun, do the verb.” You can read more on that idea here and here, or obviously buy the book.
∞
Thanks in Advance
The timing of the Lord’s thanks stands out at the Lord’s Table. According to Paul, Jesus gave thanks before He broke the bread and “in the same way also” before He shared the cup (1 Corinthians 11:24-25). What really stands out about the timing, though, isn’t only that He gave thanks before both of the elements, but that He gave thanks “on the night when he was betrayed,” before the cross.
∞
Ruining the Taste
It’s been three weeks of the #samepagesummer so far, but whether you’re following that Bible reading plan or not, we won’t receive the food of His holy Word if we are full of sin. We must acknowledge and abandon sin before we’re free to feed on Scripture, and feeding on Scripture is necessary if we hope to grow in salvation.
Therefore, putting aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation– (1 Peter 1:1-2, NAS)
∞
The Lord Builds
One thing to look for when reading Scripture is the order of the author’s points. For example, Peter said to put away sin for sake of hungering for the Word, and then he connected the Word to tasting that the Lord is good (1 Peter 2:1-3). Tasting His goodness seems like it would be the end, and in some sense it is. But Peter says more about those who taste and then “come to him,” that is, those who come to the Lord.
∞
The Dad Hat
Fathers have an exhaustive, and exhausting, set of responsibilities. The Dad hat is just one of a godly man’s hats, but it is a hat he never really hangs up on a hook. Here are a sampling of specific tasks that belong to fatherhood. Dad should be the one who sets priorities for the family. He should be the first one one who seeks out sinners, who disciplines, and who brings the gospel of forgiveness and reconciliation to bear.
∞
Never the Same Person Twice
The Christian life is a growing life. At the same time, we are always growing in the same fields. We develop our knowledge and application of one Book–the Bible, one message–the gospel, one Lord–Jesus Christ. Growth involves greater and greater familiarity with a few great things.
But doesn’t familiarity breed contempt? It certainly can and has historically. Aren’t we putting ourselves in danger’s way by cultivating daily habits (such as Bible reading, prayer, fellowship) and weekly liturgy (such as singing, Lord’s table)?
∞
Formerly Known as Selfish Fathead
Growing in grace leads to unexpected challenges. As disciples we want to grow more and more into the image of Christ. As a church we want the whole body to be built up and knit together. Stagnant spirituality stinks, so how could spiritual progress not be necessarily refreshing? Growth is positive, yes, and sometimes painful.
Growing in grace can be painful when others see our growth and say something encouraging. A friend says, “You don’t fly off the handle nearly as often as you used to.
∞
The Monster in the Hollows
5 of 5 stars to The Monster in the Hollows by Andrew Peterson
It was very hard to discipline myself to only read one or two chapters a day. Perhaps this book has more tough plot points, and twists, than the previous two books in the series, but I am very much enjoying Peterson’s novel-songs.
∞
Julius Caesar
4 of 5 stars to Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
2019: Adding a star. There are some great gems in here, even though I’m still not convinced that assassination is the right way to solve national problems. :)
2013: Note, according to Goodreads, three stars doesn’t mean it was only half-good, it means “I liked it.” Okay, sure. I did. This edition includes abundant and helpful notes for old English terms and idioms.
∞
Art and the Bible
4 of 5 stars to Art and the Bible by Francis Schaeffer
2019: Still good, though I’d like to read more about Schaeffer’s thoughts on art styles.
2016: A brief, biblical apology for Christians to appreciate, make, and/or evaluate art.
∞
The Road Called Aestas
I read the following story for our school’s end of year assembly. It would probably be helpful to read The U.H.’s Hot Tips for Completely Wasting Your Summer first, and it may also be helpful for me to say that what stuck out to me from the U.H.’s article were things such as bed, T.V., and being lazy. : )
There is a road that is only visible for about three months of the year, or twelve weeks if you count more precisely like a pregnant woman.
∞
Now We Belong
It used to be that the carcasses of the animals whose blood was used in sacrifices on the Day of Atonement were taken outside the camp to be burned up.
For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. (Hebrews 13:11)
The bodies didn’t belong at the altar. Jesus fulfilled this work for us at Calvary.
∞
All Are Yours
I gave the following remarks at our school’s graduation ceremony on June 2, 2019.
Good evening to our school board, faculty, families, friends, raggants young and old, and especially to our seniors. All of you have worked a great work to get here tonight, and it is an honor to celebrate with you, as well as to address our two candidates for graduation.
It is often a dangerous thing to speak about dichotomies, to divide things into only two.
∞
Justifiable Blessings
One of the reasons that we include confession of sin in our weekly liturgy is not just that we recognize that we are sinful, but we receive God’s revelation that He is perfectly righteous. God not only acts in accord with moral law, what we refer to as moral law comes from His character. His nature is right. He always does what is justifiable. We don’t, of course. This is why we love the Son who gave Himself for us that we could be justified, declared righteous by God.