Over The Rhine: The Long Surrender

Well, what d'ya know, a new long-playing record from Linford and Karin?

Go here and click the record player to give it a listen.

Crying In The Wilderness

(The Best Books - no.7)

Subtitled Evangelism and Mission in Today's Culture, David Smith's collection of essays is short in length but long on profound and disturbing insight. It could be the most insightful 80 pages you'll ever read. Written at the end of the 20th century, it has lost none of its significance.

Getting creative things done...like sermons

I'm indebted to the guys at 99% again for some stimulating thinking on getting creative things done. In particular I found the advice about focussing on one or two creative projects per week helpful, thinking in my mind 'Aha, Sunday's sermons!'. Blocking-out dedicated, uninterrupted time for such work seems eminently sensible. And focussing on process, not goals sounds helpful, too.

You might want to think of combining this advice with other reflections (previously mentioned here), such as "After focusing intently on a project or problem, the brain needs to fully disengage and relax in order for a “Eureka!” moment to arise."

Obedience: Possible, Prescribed & Precious

Kevin DeYoung's article on obedience is being linked-to all around the blogosphere - and rightly so. It highlights the fallacy of thinking every act of Christian obedience is still 'a filthy rag' to God. Theologically satisfying and pastorally wise. Go read it!

So: what are you, saint or sinner?

A very helpful, pastoral ask by Michael Bird:

I often set my students this essay question: "What better describes the state of Christians: (a) Sinners saved by grace; or (b) Saints who sometimes sin?" You could say that both are true, but there are slightly different nuances to them. Is it our pre-gospel state that defines our identity and behavior, or our post-gospel state that defines our identity and behavior. I favor the latter. I am no longer who I was nor will I ever be that person again. He is dead, crucified, buried, and raised to new life. Yes, the old me steeped in sin tries to resurrect itself, and when it does I try my hardest to put it to death, for I know it pleases my Lord to do so.

preaching when you're dry

In a piece on Preaching Living Water When Your Well Has Run Dry (Part 2), Mark D. Roberts concludes with this:

Thus, ironically, we may be more effective channels of living water when we are spiritually dry than when we are spiritually hydrated. Admitting our thirst, we are ready for God's refreshment. Confessing our neediness, we are open to God's help. When we're dry, our illustrations may not be as polished, our prose not as poetic. But in our dependence upon the living water of the Spirit, we may actually be better able to offer this water to those who are thirsty.

Billy Graham chatting to Woody Allen

From some years back, clearly. But worth watching.

HT: Out Of Ur

on being creative (brian eno)

The difficulty of always feeling that you ought to be doing something is that you tend to undervalue the times when you’re apparently doing nothing, and those are very important times. It’s the equivalent of the dream time, in your daily life, times when things get sorted out and reshuffled. If you’re constantly awake work-wise you don’t allow that to happen. One of the reasons I have to take distinct breaks when I work is to allow the momentum of a particular direction to run down, so that another one can establish itself.

Brian Eno (via 99%)

On Time Management

Some helpful thoughts from Doug Wilson. Worth a gander and a ponder.

HT: Justin Taylor

It's really not about you

Foundations: The Theological Journal of Affinity

...is now available online - the current issue is made up of the papers from the Affinity Study Conference held in February on the doctrine of scripture.

Worth downloading. And reading.

Pastoral Listening

Pastoral listening requires unhurried leisure, even if it's only for five minutes. Leisure is a quality of spirit, not a quantity of time. Only in that ambiance of leisure do persons know they are listened to with absolute seriousness, treated with dignity and importance. Speaking to people does not have the same personal intensity as listening to them.

Eugene H Peterson, The Unbusy Pastor

Herman Dune: Strange Moosic

From Paris, so it says. Quirky. Intriguing. Playful and enjoyable, in a minor way.

And you can listen to it at The Guardian.

So: you don't want an iPad?

The reservoir of will and discipline

Researchers have suggested that "Choice, active response, self-regulation, and other volition may all draw on a common inner resource."


They conducted four experiments: "In Experiment 1, people who forced themselves to eat radishes instead of tempting chocolates subsequently quit faster on unsolvable puzzles than people who had not had to exert self-control over eating. In Experiment 2, making a meaningful personal choice to perform attitude-relevant behavior caused a similar decrement in persistence. In Experiment 3, suppressing emotion led to a subsequent drop in performance of solvable anagrams. In Experiment 4, an initial task requiring high self-regulation made people more passive (i.e., more prone to favor the passive-response option)."


They concluded that, "These results suggest that the self's capacity for active volition is limited and that a range of seemingly different, unrelated acts share a common resource."


Fascinating, methinks.


(HT: Tony Schwartz)

Free of Charge

(The Best Books - no.6)

Miroslav Volf has produced a great read here - stimulating, thoughtful and well-worthy of its accolade from Rowan Williams (but don't let that put you off......). He interacts a lot with Luther as he explores the notions of giving and forgiving and, for my money, gives a stunning account of life lived 'in Christ'.

Here Comes The Rain Again (Hall & Stewart)

ereaders: using and losing

Alan Jacobs makes some good points here.

Risen

A (fairly) new album by the Sovereign Grace Music folks is available for listening on Spotify.

Francis Chan on Hell

Did you know

that The Masked Badger is also posting a series of 'best books'? We've been twinned in our mid-life crisis lists of books, records etc (the mid-life crisis was his, not mine, just so we're clear on that).

Anyway, here's his latest.

the scale of the universe

Wow, check this out!

Micah 6:8 (Peter Craigie)

There is no mystery as to what God requires, and it has nothing to do with sacrifice and offering. God requires three things of Israel, Micah affirms, and the three are as pertinent today as they were in Micah's time.

(i) Do justice. No amount of frenzied temple activity could fill the vacuum of justice. While injustice ruled in Israel, every moment of temple worship was a mockery of Israel's faith. God was just and had always acted in justice with his people; in return he required them to act and live in justice. And, as Micah's earlier preaching had indicated, justice was notable by its absence in Israel. Yet justice is a paramount virtue, without which human beings cannot live together in the manner that god intended.

(ii) Love kindness. Kindness, or loving-kindness as the Hebrew word is frequently translated, is again one of the principal attributes of God in the Old Testament. As God always acted toward his people in loving-kindness, so too he required them to act thus toward one another. Loving-kindness, though intimately related to justice, goes beyond the first virtue; it gives, where no giving is required; it acts when no action is deserved, and it penetrates both attitudes and activities. It is a part of the virtue extolled by St Paul in his extraordinary hymn to love (1 Cor. 13:1-13).

(iii) Walk humbly with your God. It is the daily walk in relationship with God that lies at the heart of religion; the ritual of the temple could give expression to the vitality of that walk, but it could never replace it as the centre of Israel's faith. And the humble walk with God went hand in hand with the practice of justice and the love of kindness. The triad of virtues forms the foundations of the religious life; this was what God required of Israel.

Although we may learn deeply from each of the three parts of the prophet's message, it is the collective whole which is most vital. And when we sense ourselves, in moments of introspection, to be in God's court and wonder what he requires of us, it is to these three foundations that we must return. There is a human tendency within us, when faced as was Israel with the catalogue of our shortcomings, to turn to intense forms of religiosity. We should be in church more; we should spend hours in agonising prayers of repentance; we should give all that we have to God; and so it goes on, until the fanatic is produced within us, but still without the heart of true religion. "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God." At first it does not sound like much, but it is more than enough for one lifetime.

(Peter C Craigie, Twelve Prophets Volume 2, Daily Study Bible)

A Grace Disguised

(The Best Books - no.5)

Some books seem good at the time but time then tells a different story; they recede in your estimation, not because of anything bad but because they maybe weren't so special after all. This one is a recent read for me but I'm confident it won't go the way of some others.

Jerry Sittser writes out of the most terrible tragedy and writes clearly and compellingly of the God of grace. It isn't sensationalised, nor is it sentimentalised. This is a book that offers real hope for sufferers and deep wisdom for pastors. He writes well, too, which is always a bonus. Some might wish he said more, and more quickly, about the Lord and his ways but that wouldn't be true to the experience of suffering.

Friday Night Spotify: The Electric Light Orchestra

This is a real blast from the past, in several ways. But enjoyable accompaniment nevertheless:

ELO's first album.

Psalms

(The most helpful books - no.4)

You won't sit down and read this one cover-to-cover (well, I doubt it) but James L Mays' commentary on the Psalms in the Interpretation Bible Commentary series is a stunner. He seldom fails to be deeply stimulating, is always reverential and is a great addition to any preacher's books on the psalms. From a Lutheran background, you'll also find his liturgical connections helpful and he always brings us to Jesus.

There are few commentaries I rate as highly as this one. And you can even try it out via Google Books! Tremper Longman III gives it a 5-star rating and he's not wrong to do so.

You might also want to look out for his work on the theology of the psalms, The Lord Reigns - another great resource.

Collected Writings of John Murray - Volume 1: The Claims of Truth

(The most helpful books - no.3)

A good friend bought me this for being best man at his wedding, back in 1986. What a gift! Murray forces you  to think and to think biblically, to reflect and to reflect slowly. Theology, deep and profound, wholesome and compulsive.

In time I bought the other 3 volumes, all very worthwhile, especially volume 2 (longer writings)  but this was the start for me and remains a long-standing favourite. So, thanks Pete!

praying for the world

Over many years now, scores of people have found Operation World a terrific resource for informing their prayers for the nations. There's a new edition of the work available but if you want easy access via your browser to the day's prayer needs, just bookmark this link.

I've added it to the bookmark bar on Google Chrome and it works a treat as a visible & constant reminder.

the way of learning

A great deal of scholarly attention has been given to the power of liturgy in forming identity and the shaping effect of narrative in our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. The way we learn something is more influential than the something that we learn. No content comes into our lives free-floating; it is always embedded in a form of some kind. For the basic and integrative realities of God and faith, the forms must also be basic and integrative. If they are not, the truths themselves will be peripheral and unassimilated.

Eugene H. Peterson, A Memoir: The Pastor, p.33

revival: some questions

In an earlier post, I mentioned a recent gathering to pray for revival. As always, such events leave me with questions in my mind about the subject. I'd be grateful for any interaction on them:

1. The basic premise seems to be 'the situation is so bad, we need God to act in revival; we can't do it on our own'. I want to ask: Do we need revival or do we need God? Are they the same thing? Is revival his only means of handling situations that seem desperate? If not, how do we guard against a 'revival or bust' mentality?

2. The scriptural basis for revival seems to hang largely, if not exclusively, on a selection of OT texts (from Psalms, Isaiah, Micah etc). How are we to view those requests for God to 'come down' in a post-incarnation, post-cross, post-resurrection, post-ascension and post-Pentecost world? Are there prayers for revival in the NT? What would such prayers look like with Jesus and his work firmly in view? How can we be Christo-centric in our prayers for revival?

3. Reprising my earlier post, how do we relate praying for revival with a longing for Jesus to return? Which ought to be the dominant desire in our hearts? Why don't we pray more for Jesus to return?