But oh God, tenderly, tenderly. Already, month by month and week by week you broke her body on the wheel whilst she still wore it. Is it not yet enough?

The terrible thing is that a perfectly good God is in this matter hardly less formidable than a Cosmic Sadist. The more we believe that God hurts only to heal, the less we can believe that there is any use in begging for tenderness. A cruel man might be bribed—might grow tired of his vile sport—might have a temporary fit of mercy, as alcoholics have fits of sobriety. But suppose that what you are up against is a surgeon whose intentions are wholly good. The kinder and more conscientious he is, the more inexorable he will go on cutting. If he yielded to your entreaties, if he stopped before the operation was complete, all the pain up to that point would have been useless. But is it credible that such extremities of torture should be necessary for us?Well, take your choice. The tortures occur. If they are unnecessary, then there is no God or a bad one. If there is a good God, then these tortures are necessary. For no even moderately good Being could possibly inflict or permit them if they weren’t.

Either way, we’re for it.

What do people mean when they say, “I am not afraid of God because I know He is good?” Have they never been to a dentist?

Yet this is unendurable. And then one babbles—”If only I could bear it, or the worst of it, or any of it, instead of her.” But one can’t tell how serious that bid is, for nothing is stake on it. If it suddenly became a real possibility, then, for the first time, we should discover how seriously we had meant it. But is it ever allowed?

It was allowed to One, we are told, and I find I can now believe again, that He has done vicariously whatever can be so done. He replies to our babble, “You cannot and dare not. I could and dared.”

-A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis, pp. 49-51.

 

A Grief Observed

I’m reading the book A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis currently. It’s a portion of journal entries by him following the death of his beloved wife Joy. It is truly incredible. It really is a theologian raging against God in the midst of indescribable grief. I’m not sure why his crying out against God is so refreshing to me. Blasphemous, perhaps, but he spoke from the depth of what he was feeling at the time, and I find that kind of honesty something to be praised, whether he is questioning who God is or not. I feel like most of us choose to hide what we feel in order to present ourselves as somehow holier or stronger than we are. Perhaps it would do us some good to speak freely about what we feel, instead of covering up.

Of course, we must guard who we talk to, not wanting to cause younger believers to stumble. But, I think that God is more than capable of handling our fear, sadness, and anger. Reading through Lamentations 3 is enough to demonstrate that the Lord is fully aware of our fear, anger, and disappointment with Him, and that such expressions deserve protecting in the canon. He did not censor the things Jeremiah said, whether it was accurate or not. It simply fully expressed all the anguish Jeremiah was feeling.

I think everyone should read this book by Lewis. It’s heart wrenching, but I have found it quite useful, particularly since I am writing my honors thesis on suffering. He certainly suffered, and he let God know about it.

Fantasy, fiction, and the Gospel

I’m a nerd. Anyone who knows me at all realizes that. I’m a fantasy book loving, Harry Potter obsessed, dork that loves playing role-playing video games as much as the next introvert. And while I almost never have time to actually sit down and read fiction with everything I’ve got going on, the summer is always the time when I can finally rest from the constant work and activities that come from being a full time student and pick up some light reading that transports me into a world nothing like our own.

In most of these books I find myself confronted with characters who are constantly having to choose between giving in to the evil that they are so inclined towards or living righteous lives in the service of others. Usually these choices are completely unrelated to worship or a particularly god that they serve. Every once in a while, however, I catch glimpses of the Gospel.

So I wanted to show you a passage from the book I’m currently reading called Sacrifice of the Widow by Lisa Smedman. Without going into too many details, this book is showing a battle between a few different gods that are vying for power and the ways in which they relate to and use their servants to achieve those goals. Let the nerdiness begin…

Date Your Wife

 

I should really be in bed right now trying to sleep, but I had to post this. I love being a member of Garden City Church in San Jose and having a pastor like Justin Buzzard who is constantly challenging me and the other men in our church to really stand up, believe the Gospel, give our entire lives over to Jesus, and serve those around us. I am particularly encouraged hearing him discuss the role of Christian men in the marriage through his book Date Your Wife (you should really pick it up, whether you’re a man or a woman). He sets the bar very high, but that’s because we have Jesus Christ as our perfect example. And although the bar is set high, he doesn’t tell us to work harder and apply the “law” of marriage to ourselves and beat ourselves when we fail. Here’s the reality: we are all going to fail, but Jesus didn’t and Jesus is making us into new creations who love and serve the way we should. Check out this interview Justin did with Desiring God:

And here’s the trailer for the book:

 

Teach children the Bible is not about them

I had to repost this! It’s such a great reminder about the Bible—it’s about what Christ has done, not what we must do to earn God’s favor.

by Sally Lloyd-Jones

When I go into churches and speak to children I ask them two questions:

First, how many people here sometimes think you have to be good for God to love you?

They tentatively raise their hands. I raise my hand along with them.

And second, how many people here sometimes think that if you aren’t good, God will stop loving you?

They look around and again raise their hands.

These are children in Sunday schools who know the Bible stories. These are children who probably also know all the right answers — and yet they have somehow missed the most important thing of all.

They have missed what the Bible is all about.

They are children like I once was.

As a child, even though I was a Christian, I grew up thinking the Bible was filled with rules you had to keep (or God wouldn’t love you) and with heroes setting examples you had to follow (or God wouldn’t love you).

I tried to be good. I really did. I was quite good at being good. But however hard I tried, I couldn’t keep the rules all the time so I knew God must not be pleased with me.

And I certainly couldn’t ever be as brave as Daniel. I remember being tormented by that Sunday school chorus, “Dare to be a Daniel” because, hard as I tried to imagine myself daring to be a Daniel, being thrown to lions and not minding… who was I kidding? I knew I’d be terrified out of my skull. I knew I would just say: “OK yes whatever you say! Just don’t throw me to the lions! Don’t pull out my fingernails! Make it stop!”

I knew I wasn’t nearly brave enough. Or faithful enough. Or good enough.

How could God ever love me?

I was sure he couldn’t.

One Sunday, not long ago, I was reading the story of Daniel and the Scary Sleepover from The Jesus Storybook Bible to some 6 year olds during a Sunday school lesson. One little girl in particular was sitting so close to me she was almost in my lap. Her face was bright and eager as she listened to the story, utterly captivated. She could hardly keep on the ground and kept kneeling up to get closer to the story.

At the end of the story there were no other teachers around and I panicked and went into automatic pilot and heard myself — to my horror — asking, “And so what can we learn from Daniel about how God wants us to live?”

And as I said those words it was as if I had literally laid a huge load on that little girl. Like I broke some spell. She crumpled right in front of me, physically slumping and bowing her head. I will never forget it.

It is a picture of what happens to a child when we turn a story into a moral lesson.

When we drill a Bible story down into a moral lesson, we make it all about us. But the Bible isn’t mainly about us, and what we are supposed to be doing — it’s about God, and what he has done!

When we tie up the story in a nice neat, little package, and answer all the questions, we leave no room for mystery. Or discovery. We leave no room for the child. No room for God.

When we say, “Now what that story is all about is…”, or “The point of that story is…” we are in fact totally missing the point. The power of the story isn’t in summing it up, or drilling it down, or reducing it into an abstract idea.

Because the power of the story isn’t in the lesson.

The power of the story is the story.

And that’s why I wrote The Jesus Storybook Bible. So children could know what I didn’t:

That the Bible isn’t mainly about me, and what I should be doing. It’s about God and what he has done.

That the Bible is most of all a story — the story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.

That — in spite of everything, no matter what, whatever it cost him — God won’t ever stop loving his children… with a wonderful, Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.

That the Bible, in short, is a Story — not a Rule Book — and there is only one Hero in the Story.

I wrote The Jesus Storybook Bible so children could meet the Hero in its pages. And become part of his Magnificent Story.

Because rules don’t change you.

But a Story — God’s Story — can.

________

Sally Lloyd-Jones is one of the speakers at our National Conference this September, along with Carolyn McCulley, Elyse Fitzpatrick and others. Visit the event page to learn more and register.

Source: 
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/teach-children-the-bible-is-not-about-them

Heaven books

There has been a lot of interest about the book Heaven is for Real, and it isn’t the first of it’s kind.I think that reading the most popular ones can be useful, simply to understand what it is people have been reading. But, we have to be careful to take everything with a grain of salt, and I think that Tim Challies highlights some interesting points that Christians ought to be aware of when reading this kind of material. To read his first article on the topic, click here.

What the Bible says about the Heaven books

by Tim Challies

After writing about this new genre of I went to heaven books, I received many comments and emails asking me about biblical examples of those who glimpsed heaven—John in the book of Revelation, Paul in 2 Corinthians, Isaiah in his prophecy. I will address this briefly today.

There are several themes in today’s “I went to heaven” books:

• Each of the people experienced heaven after dying a natural death. In every case, the soul had left the body so the person was clinically and spiritually dead.
• After the experience of heaven, each of the people was restored to life so that the soul returned to the body and the body was no longer clinically or spiritually dead.
• Each of the people describes as much as they can remember and does so in order to offer encouragement and in order to validate what the Bible says.

There is no biblical precedent for experiences of this kind. Let me look to each of the biblical passages.

Ron Burgundy (Anchorman) is a Presbyterian theologian?

Because of all this talk about eschatology (study of the last things) and heaven caused by my previous post on N.T. Wright’s views of heaven, I wanted to pick up a book that explained postmillennialism because I’ve only been exposed in depth to dispensational premillennialism (click here for a chart that briefly compares all the eschatological views). I got the book Victory in Jesus: The Bright Hope of Postmillennialism and—lo and behold!—the author Dr. Greg Bahnsen, former teaching elder (pastor) in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, looks fairly similar to Ron Burgundy (played by Will Ferrell) from the movie Anchorman.

If only he had the mustache.

I’ll get back to you once I finish the book. It looks quite good thus far. I’m pretty excited about it.

If anyone is interested, John Piper hosted “An Evening of Eschatology” at his church in 2009, which was a 2 hour debate among the three views: Jim Hamilton (premil), Doug Wilson (postmil), Sam Storms (amil). It was really interesting. To watch it, click here.

And with that, I leave you with my favorite scene from Anchorman!

Calling all men: Date Your Wife!

I’m excited to have this opportunity to point you all to a book that I think is going to have a big impact on how Christian men and women view their marriages. I think this book is going to work in such a way that God will call men to lead in their stagnant and dying marriages, revitalizing and renewing those relationships. I think this book is going to call younger men who are unmarried out of their boyhood and into the manhood they need to embrace.

Date Your Wife by Justin Buzzard, pastor of Garden City Church, is going to help us all see that the joys of dating only get better with marriage. I’m can’t wait to read it!

Get it for $5 on Amazon: Click Here

The Joy of Calvinism

I just read a great review by Ted Kluck of The Joy of Calvinism by Greg Forster on The Gospel Coalition website. I definitely think this is going to be the next book I purchase. It’s easy, at times, to forget the joy of one’s salvation. Unless the joy of the Lord is our strength, we become weak and feeble in our spiritual walk. But Scripture shows us God’s personal, unconditional, irresistible, and unbreakable love for those who He is saving. What great joy in that!

The Joy of Calvinism: Knowing God’s Personal, Unconditional, Irresistible, Unbreakable Love

I would wager that the vast majority of reviews you read about this book will start with some kind of wisecrack about how “joy” and “Calvinism” are mutually exclusive (yuk yuk), since growing up “Calvinist” has resulted in some of history’s greatest personal-religious meltdowns. Calvinists aren’t generally known for being a fun-loving group of people, unless your idea of a party consists of downloading sermons all night and then having long theological debates about dead Puritans.

Lots of other reviews start by saying things like, “If you only read ONE book this year, read THIS one!” I would never start a review that way . . . until now. I actually think that especially for the kinds of people who read this website (young Calvinists, mostly) this is the one book you should read this year because it will speak directly into our unique subculture in fresh and potentially helpful ways.

As young Calvinists there are a number of markets that we’ve “cornered” in recent years. We’ve pretty much locked down the “knowing our theology” market, we almost single-handedly killed the emergent church a few years ago, and we’re beginning to see Calvinists influencing broader non-historically-Calvinistic denominations and universities. These are all good things, because as the author effectively explains, Calvinism isn’t a “brand” or a list of points, it’s a framework for understanding scripture and the Bible that results in the greatest possible amount of truth, comfort, and joy. Yet the question remains: Are we living joyful lives?

Recommended Reading

I wanted to post my recommended reading list (the list is also found next to the “About” page above), as I know that many people will be searching for new books to read during the new year! Each of the books I have listed have been extremely helpful in my own walk, and I wholeheartedly recommend them all.

*All the links will take you to Amazon.com to make things easy if you want to check any of them out!

ESV Study Bible - One of the most wonderful resources for anyone, and was written in such a way that there would be enough supplementary information included for any pastor to be fully equipped in their ministry with only this text. The ESV translation is a great word for word translation of the Scriptures (for more information on the translation, click here: Why Our Church Switched to the ESV.pdf by Kevin DeYoung)

Anything written by John MacArthur – I have profited more from the ministry of John MacArthur than any other pastor today. His dedication to expositing the word of God with clarity is wonderful! He is a faithful man of God, concerned with the truth above all else.

Particularly: Hard to Believe: The High Cost and Infinite Value of Following Jesus, The Gospel According to Jesus: What Is Authentic Faith?, A Simple Christianity: Rediscover the Foundational Principles of Our Faith, The Truth War: Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception, and The Murder of Jesus 

Knowing God by J.I. Packer – This book is, perhaps, the single most significant book of Christian literature I have read. Renowned theologian and pastor, J.I. Packer discusses the importance of rightly knowing God, and examines the character and nature of God and His relationship with us in a rich and thorough manner. Every Christian should read and re-read this book throughout their lives.

Keep in Step with the Spirit: Finding Fullness in Our Walk with God by J.I. Packer – Packer examines the Bible’s teaching on the Holy Spirit and how He relates to believers. A rich and worshipful examination of the glorious Third Person of the Trinity, and one that has opened my eyes to the wonderful counsel of the Holy Spirit.

After Darkness, Light: Distinctives of Reformed Theology: Essays in Honor of R. C. Sproul edited by R.C. Sproul, Jr. – An anthology of essays from 10 different authors, which constitute a Festschrift in honor of R.C. Sproul Sr., that explains the essential nature and biblical truth of the 5 Solas of the Protestant Reformation to the Christian faith, and also the Scriptural foundation for the doctrines of grace (ie. total depravity, unconditional election, definite atonement, irresistible grace, perseverance of the saints). This book has fundamentally revolutionized my understanding of God’s nature and His unimaginable grace towards His children.

Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges – Jerry Bridges explains a God honoring and theologically rich explanation of how an all-powerful, good God can perfectly account for suffering and evil in the world. This book has encouraged me to have such a great confidence in God, trusting that He works all things for the ultimate good and for the fulfillment of His purposes.

Redemption: Freed by Jesus from the Idols We Worship and the Wounds We Carry by Mike Wilkerson – author addresses the reality and depth of the freedom we receive in Christ, from both our sinful idols and the wounds we have sustained. This book is about the true Christian life–freedom!

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan – As the title would suggest, this book is a call for Christian to live out of a radical love for God that both transforms us and helps us to live lives that would help transform the world around us. One of the most read Christian books of recent times, sure to be a classic.

Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan – This book is a call to live a life that is so dependent on the ministry and presence of the Holy Spirit, that we would be incapable of surviving apart from Him. In a worshipful manner, Francis Chan explains and encourages Christians to give their lives fully to the Holy Spirit, our Great Counselor and earthly Advocate.

Humility by Andrew Murray – A very short book, and yet packed with some of the most important biblical truth on the issue of humility. Andrew Murray, 19th and early 20th century pastor and missionary, shows how humility should be the crowning jewel of each Christian, and has been a huge blessing to me. Truly one of the best books I have ever read.

Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray – Andrew Murray discusses how Christian can and should be dedicated to God with absolute surrender. Short book, but remarkably powerful.

Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine by Wayne Grudem – This is an absolutely wonderful and remarkably thorough exposition of the doctrines of the Christian faith, saturated with Scripture and wholly practical. Topics span from the nature of God (communicable and incommunicable attributes), the nature and work of each Person of the Trinity, salvation, angels, the Church, etc. An exhaustive text and extremely helpful.

The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way by Michael Horton – An exhaustive systematic theology that covers every aspect of the Christian faith. Although Horton’s systematic theology is more philosophical than Grudem’s, I have found that they are both extremely useful in their own way. Grudem’s is more practical in many ways, whereas Horton’s could be said to be more deep (and therefore, often more difficult to understand). It is a wonderful resource to have, but is exhausting to read.

Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist by John Piper – The main premise of this book is that, “God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him.” John Piper encourages us to make God our highest joy, seeking fulfillment in Him alone. In this way God is glorified! “What is the chief aim of men? To glorify God by enjoying Him forever!”

Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen – Written in 1923, Presbyterian churchman and theologian J. Gresham Machen compares the teachings and claims of the historic orthodox Christian church to the claims of liberal Protestantism. In a denomination that was warring over the supremacy of the Scriptures as the sole arbiter of truth and orthodoxy, J. Gresham Machen stood against the tides of cultural change, founding the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and Westminster Theological Seminary. In a society and church that is overwhelmed with postmodern sympathies, this book is extremely practical and beneficial, even (perhaps particularly) for a church that is almost a century removed from his situation.

The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul – Perhaps one of the most popular Christian books of this century (and certainly Dr. Sproul’s most well known). Sproul discusses the holiness of God in a way that is accessible to any Christian, and wholly awe inspiring. This book inspires worship of the Lord, in no uncertain terms. R.C. Sproul is a world renowned Reformed theologian, an accomplished and knowledgable author, and one of the greatest Bible teachers of this century. To see other books by him, click here

Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin – One of the most significant, influential texts written in the history of the Christian faith. Calvin identifies the false teaching of his day, exhorts fidelity to the Scriptures alone, and presents a thorough exposition and defense of the absolute Sovereignty of God.

The Bondage of the Will by Martin Luther – Luther’s response to Erasmus of Rotterdam and his Discourse on Free will. This is a powerful and thorough case for the power and sovereignty of God in the case of human salvation. Should be essential reading for every Christian.

The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism by Tim Keller – the author provides a compelling argument for God, drawing on numerous disciplines to make his case.

The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus by Lee Strobel - This is the first book I read when I became a Christian, written by an atheist (at the time). Lee Strobel became a Christian after investigating the evidence for the claims of Christianity  by interviewing experts in different scientific and historical fields of study, and it provided me with a significant amount of information on the historical, empirical evidence.

The Case for a Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence That Points Toward God by Lee Strobel – Author interviews scientists from different fields (ie. biology, physics, astronomy, neuroscience, etc.) to determine whether or not science may suggest the existence of a Creator.