Self-Forgetfulness
"Those who will never be fooled can never be delighted, because without self-forgetfulness there can be no delight, and this is a great and a grievous loss." (Alan Jacobs, The Narnian, xxiii)
The Subtle Drama
1 minute ago
Lord Speak Or I'll Die!
To you, O Lord, I call;my rock, be not deaf to me,lest, if you be silent to me,I become like those who go down to the pit.2 Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy,when I cry to you for help,when I lift up my handstoward your most holy sanctuary. (Psalm 28:1-2)
Your Past Has Passed
Our past can haunt us.
Things we did, should have done, and should not have done, tend to weigh us down and strangle the life out of us. Many of us think, "If I hadn't sinned so much, God could use me." Dwelling on our past can lead us to what Martyn Lloyd-Jones called spiritual depression. Here is what he has to say about this.
Would you like to get rid of this spiritual depression? The first think you have to do is say farewell now once and forever to your past. Realize that it has been covered and blotted out in Christ. Never look back at your sins again. Say: "It is finished, it is covered by the Blood of Christ." That is your first step. Take that and finish yourself and all this talk about goodness, and look to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only then that true happiness and joy are possible for you. What you need is not to make resolutions to live a better life, to start fasting and sweating and praying. No! you just begin to say:I rest my faith on Him aloneWho died for my transgressions to atoneTake that first step and you will find that immediately you will begin to experience a joy and a release that you have never known in your life. (Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression, 35)GB
Fathering Atheism
James Spiegel, in his book, The Making of an Atheist shows how closely atheism and fatherlessness are connected.
The historic consistency of these two things cannot be ignored, and they should be a wake up call to all fathers. Here is a list of a few of the most skeptical figures in the modern era, and the relationship (or lack of!) they had with their fathers.
ATHEISTS WHOSE FATHER DIED
David Hume: was 2 when his father died
Arthur Schopenhaur: was 16 when his father died
Friedrich Nietzsche: was 4 when his father died
Bertrand Russell: was 4 when his father died
Jean-Paul Sartre: was 15 months old when his father died
Albert Camus: was 1 when his father died
ATHEISTS WITH WEAK FATHERS
Thomas Hobbes: was 7 when his father left the family
Voltaire: had a bitter relationship with his father, whose surname (Arouet) he disowned
Baron d'Holbach: was estranged from his father and rejected his surname (Thiry)
Ludwig Feuerbach: was scandalized by his father's public rejection of his family (to live with another woman)
Samuel Butler: was physically and emotionally brutalized by his father
Sigmund Frued: had contempt for his father as a "sexual pervert" and as a weak man
H.G. Wells: despised his father who neglected his family
Madalyn Murray O'Hair: intensely hated her father, probably due to child abuse
Albert Ellis: was neglected by his father, who eventually abandoned the family
Daniel Dennet: was 5 when his father died in a plane crash
Christopher Hitchens: apparently his father was very distant (he said: "I don't remember a thing about him. It was all her [his mother], for me.")
Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins: very little is known about their relationship with their fathers.
(The Making of an Atheist, 64-69)
One could easily miss the point of the above information. I am not suggesting that fatherlessness equals atheism in all cases at all times. There are certainly exceptions, and their is obviously nothing one can do if their father dies! But one cannot overlook the fact that the Bible calls men to disciple, discipline, teach, admonish, protect, encourage, and walk with their children. The entire book of Proverbs seems to be geared toward young men, who would have children and would need to know how to teach them! In fact, the Virtuous Woman passage in Proverbs 31:10-31, is not primarily seeking to teach woman how they ought to live. It is meant to teach men what kind of woman to look for (though it certainly should be read as a radical call to biblical womanhood!). Make no mistake about it, biblically speaking, fathers are most responsible for their children.
My point here is not to discredit godly, dedicated mothers. In fact, my point is to help them! Men, it is your (and my) calling and duty and delight to lead and disciple your children. Many of you reading this had weak fathers who were more concerned with work, women, wealth, and the weekend. If you are not careful, you will follow in their footsteps. You must severe your proclivity toward cowardly, distant, aggressive relating and plunge yourself into Christ who will love your children through you. Girls need men who will hold them, take them on dates, and teach them what kind of man to marry. Boys need men who will wrestle with them, pray with them, and teach them how to pursue a woman.
Men affect everyone, especially their children. This might mean you have to put down the fishing and hunting gear or the golf clubs. When you stand before God, he will not ask you how many 10 lb bass you caught or how many 57 Fords you remodeled. He will call to account how well you loved and encouraged your children.
Gotta go, my son is crying!
GB
Must Read For Any Christian
I was recently asked what books I thought every Christian should read. While there are many, here are 10 (in no certain order) I would like for everyone in my church to read:
1. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis (OK, this one is in a certain order!)
2. Desiring God by John Piper
3. When I Don't Desire God by John Piper
4. The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer
5. A Praying Life by Paul Miller
6. Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller
7. Connecting by Larry Crabb
8. Humility by C.J. Mahaney
9. Knowing God by J.I. Packer
10. The Gospel and Personal Evangelism by Mark Dever
29 Reflections On Turning 29
I turned 29 on February 20th. Here are a few random thoughts. 1. I don't know Christ nearly as much as I want to.
2. I have so many books to read.
3. One more year to revel in the 20's, though I don't fear the 30's.
4. What is that on my back?
5. I can't believe I've been alive for this long.
6. There is so much to do.
7. I thought certain sins would go away.
8. I never realized I needed other people the way I do.
9. I feel still feel like I am 20.
10. Hair getting a little thin.
11. My son makes me realize what Jesus meant about becoming a child.
12. How does my wife put up with me?
13. I am thankful ministry has been mostly unsuccessful, I couldn't have handled success in the early 20's.
14. One more year before 30 to get published.
15. Where did 2001 go?
16. 2009, with the exception of my son being born, sucked! (Pardon the language!)
17. Christ was still enough in 2009.
18. The Bible really is amazing!
19. I am more attracted to my wife than ever.
20. God gave wine to gladden the heart of man (Psalm 104:15).
21. Preaching has gotten no easier.
22. God is always working in my life, even when I can't see it.
23. Ministry can run your life and be your god.
24. Avatar was surprisingly good.
25. The Saints won the Super Bowl?
26. Being young tricks you into self-sufficiency.
27. I don't want to waste my life.
28. The time to live is now.
29. I have been given much; much is required.
GB
For Those Anxious About Numbers In Church
I often rack my brain trying to figure out why some Sundays at worship are better than others. Martyn Lloyd-Jones has perhaps the best word on this I have read:
Let me make a personal confession. This kind of thing has often happened to me in my ministry. Sometimes God has been gracious on a Sunday and I have been conscious of exceptional liberty, and I have been foolish enough to listen to the devil when he says: 'Now, then, you wait until next Sunday, it is going to be marvelous, there will be even larger congregations.' And I go into the pulpit the next Sunday and I see a smaller congregation. But then on another occasion I stand in this pulpit laboring, as it were left to myself, preaching badly and utterly weak, and the devil has come and said: 'There will be nobody there at all next Sunday.' But thank God, I have found on the following Sunday a larger congregation. That is God's method of accountancy. You never know. I enter the pulpit in weakness and I end with power. I enter with self-confidence and I am made to feel a fool. It is God's accountancy. He knows us so much better that we know ourselves. He is always giving us surprises. You never know what He is going to do. His book-keeping is the most romantic think I know of in the whole world. (Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression, 131)
GB
Going Meatless
So I have decided not to eat meat for Lent. Thats right, 40 days with no steak, burgers, fajitas, chicken sandwiches, monterey chicken at Chili's, no chili, no tacos . . . should I keep going!? You get the idea!
I don't think I have a problem with eating too much meat, I just figured I would do something that would interrupt the routine of my life a bit. Also, I want to enjoy God through what I eat and often, being familiar with something, hinders me from doing so. I can't wait to tear into a steak in 40 days and remind myself how good God is that He made whole animals from steak! Another thing this fast will do is help me to think a little harder about those who rarely, if ever, get the kind of meals we do in America. Hopefully it will make me more generous and less greedy and demanding when it comes to my stuff! It will definitely challenge me to get a little more creative when it comes to buying groceries and eating out.
Ultimately this fast will remind me of the Gospel, that Christ is enough for me, and that if I never have another steak or burger again, He would be enough for me!
I encourage you to consider giving something up for Lent. For some helpful reasons why you should do so, click HERE.
GB
Fond of Sin
"We are all too Christian to really enjoy sinning, and all too fond of sin to really enjoy Christianity." (Peter Marshall, Quoted in Whiter Than Snow by Ted Tripp)
I've Been Longing For This!
At the recent Desiring God Pastor's Conference, John Piper presented a biographical sketch of C.S. Lewis entitled: Lessons From An Inconsolable Soul.
HERE it is!
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