Holy Communion

I just finished reading N.T. Wright's little booklet, The Meal Jesus Gave Us: Understanding Holy Communion.

 

Once again, as always, Wright's books are incredibly insightful and helpful to understanding biblical backgrounds for any and every subject he writes about. But in this booklet, he spices things up a little with some modern parables related to communion- like a birthday party, then a re-enactment of participating in a Passover meal, and later an early church Communion meal. These all carry a lot of weight in helping one really "get" what this special symbol is all about. The second part of the book deals more with the actual meaning of this sacrament, some of it's history in the church, and suggested format- following the Anglican Liturgy- for leading or participating in this part of worship.

 

you can read this book in about 2 hours and forever approach the Lord's table differently!

The Ordinary Hero

I am highly recommending Tim Chester's new book, The Ordinary Hero: Living the Cross and Resurrection.

 

i know, the first part of the title is a bit hokey and doesn't really fit the book's content. It was probably a publisher's bad decision and not Chester's. But the book itself is really fantastic. i have been surprised and encouraged with each passing chapter. Chester essentially lays out the DNA of thoroughly and truly biblical spirituality. I think he has hit the nail on the head with his explanation of the Christian life as embodying the death and resurrection of Christ- with all its many implications. The chapter on heaven as a "renewed world of life" is worth the price of the book. It's about the best summary of the Biblical information on heaven i've seen, and itself relies much on Tom Wright's book, Surprised by Hope. Michael Gorman's book, Crucifomity: Paul's Narrative Spirituality of the Cross, also had some clear influence here.

 

But this is really one of the best books on discipleship/Christian living i've seen in a long time. Chester is both a scholar (PhD) and a Pastor (The Crowded House in Sheffield England). Thus, he combines a rich understanding of the New Testament with a tremendous understanding of human doubts, needs, fears, and hopes.

 

With so many wishy-washy "Christian" books out there with no biblical or theological foundations, this is a rare and exciting read. So, ignore the so-called "best sellers" at your local Christian bookstore, and order this one today from Amazon.com

 

grace and peace.

Great Quote and Recommendation

"we discover what the shape and the inner life of the church ought to be only when we look first at the church's mission, and we discover what the church's mission is only when we look first at God's purpose for the entire world, as indicated in, for instance, Genesis 1-2, Genesis 12, Isaiah 40-55, Romans 8, 1 Corinthians 15, Ephesians 1, and Revelation 21-22. We read scripture in order to be refreshed in our memory and understanding of the story within which we ourselves are actors, to be reminded where it has come from and where it is going to, and hence what our own part within it ought to be." ~ N.T. Wright

 

I encourage you to read these important chapters of the Bible and see if it doesn't refresh your own memory, encourage you, and free you from self-obsessed religion into glad service to our King and redeemer!

Latest Books!

Been a long time since i posted. i'm trying to get back to, even if just to keep a record of my reading.

 

Lot's of good ones lately.

 

Presently reading: Engaging With God: A Biblical Theology of Worship, by David Peterson

 

Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands, by Paul David Tripp

 

The Last Word: Scripture and the Authority of God, by N.T. Wright

 

The Ordinary Hero: Living the Cross and Resurrection, by Tim Chester

 

The New Testament in Antiquity, by Gary Burge, Lynn Cohick, and Gene Green

 

The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate, by John H. Walton

 

Recent: Unfashionble: Making a Difference by Being Different, by Tullian Tchividjian

 

The Language of God, by Francis Collins

 

Faith, Form, and Time, by Kurt Wise

 

Betrayal, by Douglas Bond- a novel about John Calvin

 

In case you wonder how i go about my reading, well, i've set up something of a system. i try to read for an hour a day on a certain topic. Monday- Worship, Tuesday- Biblical studies, Wednesday- Counseling, Thursday- Theological studies or history, Friday- personal spiritual formation. Then at night i try to have a bedtime book... something different from all of that.

 

additionally, i'm trying to stick to a 3 month- read-throug-the-Bible routine, where i read the entire New Testament in 1 month, then Psalms and Proverbs together in 1 month, then selections from the Old Testament in 1 month.... with different selections throughout the year. THis way, i will, more or less, read through the Bible 3-4 times a year. It's hard to stick to all this..... it ends up being about 2-3 hrs of reading a day. Some days i can't do that. Usually it breaks down to about 1hr to 1.5 hrs in the morning before my daily work, then about 1-1.5 hrs at night before i fall asleep (i have trouble sleeping, so i get a lot of reading done then). If my schedule is too full, i'm trying to stick to the Scripture reading over my other related interests...... i believe i can never have enough scripture in my mind and heart to do the work that i do!

 

I'm also trying to freshen up my Greek and Hebrew vocabulary...... not much time for that, so i put flash cards in the bathroom! you know, gotta get it when you can! i need CD's or Tapes with the vocab on them or something so i can learn on the go.

 

What are you reading?

 

 

A Chapter Closed.... mostly

The Lord has been kind to close a recent chapter of difficulty, anxiety, stress.... and growth (though i hope the growth continues).

 

When we decided to move back to Georgia in January of 2008, one of our biggest prayers was that our house in Chattanooga would sell, and that we would not have to go through another hard house situation (our move from Georgia to Tennessee had been a painful and stressful experience). Basically, our prayer was that God would make things easy and comfortable with no hardships. I'm sad to say we cared more about that- because of my weak faith- than we did about growing in our experience of, knowledge of, love for, and trust in God. We thought if God made it easy, that would be a sort of confirmation that our move was indeed his will and that our faith was strong.

 

But where did i get the idea that safety and security followed God's will, or proved genuine faith? Certainly not from the Bible. If you look at Hebrews 11, just the first 3 people, prosperity and peace do not always follow obedience. Abel had faith, he died. Enoch had faith, he did not die. Noah had faith, everyone else died! Most of these were more concerned with faithfulness and fruitfulness than safety, security, or obsession about the future. So, the Scriptures abound with examples that "through many tribulations must we enter the kingdom of God." God never promised that our road would be easy. It wasn't. some nights i would wake up full of anxiety and fear. I would cry out to God, wrestle with God, blame God, seek God, get mad at God, repent, cry, etc... I though God was killing me. In a sense, He was.

 

We first put the house up for sale in January 08. We could not afford to list with a Realtor because we had little to no equity. We moved to Georgia in April (after commuting for about 6 weeks) into some friends' basement. At the end of May we had found a renter for our house. it was supposed to be a "Lease-purchase" contract where this young couple would buy the house once their credit score was high enough. I thought they could manage it. So we ventured out and were able to buy a house here in Dawsonville, GA- the day before my daughter Abigail's 4th birthday. We were thrilled with the new house and the new ministry work. However, i had this worried feeling that things would not work out with the Chatt house, so my joy in the new one was always qualified.

 

Well, soon afterwards, one by one, all my fears became reality. The renters couldn't pay rent. They didn't take good care of the house. We fell behind on payments. We had to evict them after 4 months. We listed the house with the top selling agent in Chattanooga- even though we could not afford it. We waited. nothing.... month by month.... nothing.

 

Well, God never promised it would be smooth sailing. Anyone who says otherwise is flat out lying, misguided, or trying to take your money. But God did promise something better. God gives us Himself- promising to be with us always, use everything for our ultimate good, and to conform us into his image. Did we make a mistake buying that house or moving? I don't think so. Did we buy wrong house? Well, we didn't buy the house that would sell, but we did buy the house that would make us holy- that is, teach us to love, trust, and rely upon God. The scriptures say that such trials are designed to make us not rely upon ourselves!

 

And God blessed us big time along the way. We have made some of the best friends ever in this last year. We have seen a new church be planted and grow. We have seen neighbors join us in our journey. We have been blessed as a family with health, joy, and every real need supplied. We have felt "at home" here. We have been able to use our gifts for the common good. We have been infused with passion to live a missional life for Christ's sake. It has been good.

 

The house in Chattanooga eventually foreclosed. Well, the first mortgage foreclosed, the second is dragging their feet. The house auctioned off on monday- April 27, so the house is officially off our hands...... 16 months after we first put it up for sale! Whew! Thank God! UNfortunately, even though the mortgage liens disappear, the actual debts do not. Our loan on that house was originally an 80/20 loan.... with the same bank, later sold to 2 seperate banks.... of course, i had no say on that! This kept us from being able to get the "short sale" and "deed-in-lieu" options we had requested along the way. So, the 2nd mortgage has not yet foreclosed on us, they just keep reporting our debt to the credit bureaus every month. They will soon close it and we'll just have the foreclosures on our record for a while............ like so many others around the country right now. It stinks. our credit is shot. But thank God we already had this house before the bottom fell out. And who knows? maybe having no credit will keep us from making stupid purchases and keep us out of debt! 

 

 Alot of time went in to managing that mess. I only pray that God's work in my heart will continue. Honestly, i did not handle all of this well. I struggled a lot. i'm not proud of it. I sinned a lot in the process. But God's grace is sufficient for me. I am thankful for the hardship, and hope it produces in us a harvest of righteousness and peace.

I'm loving the Heidelberg Catechism!

Heidelberg Catechism #60

Q. How are you right with God?

A. Only by true faith in Jesus Christ. Even though my conscience accuses me of having grievously sinned against all God's commandments and of never having kept any of them, and even though I am still inclined toward all evil, nevertheless, without my deserving it at all, out of sheer grace, God grants and credits to me   the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner, as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me. All I need to do is to accept this gift of God with a believing heart.

Piper on the Recession

Some great thoughts below from John Piper on how God might intend to use this economic recession in the lives of His people.

(Some of) God's Purposes in This Recession

1. He intends for this recession to expose hidden sin and so bring us to repentance and cleansing.

2. He intends to wake us up to the constant and desperate condition of the developing world where there is always and only recession of the worst kind.

3. He intends to relocate the roots of our joy in his grace rather than in our goods, in his mercy rather than our money, in his worth rather than our wealth.

4. He intends to advance his saving mission in the world—the spread of the gospel and the growth of his church—precisely at a time when human resources are least able to support it. This is how he guards his glory.

5. He intends for the church to care for its hurting members and to grow in the gift of love.