My 2014 Reading List

[Léon Cogniet - The Artist in His Room at the Villa Medici, Rome]

Soviet Russia during wartime; climbing Mount Everest in canvas puttees and hobnailed boots; Hasidic teenagers in Brooklyn: these were just a few of the subjects I read about in 2014. Sure, I didn't make my reading goal, but it was a great year for reading all the same.

My 2014 Reading Goal

I set a goal to read 50 books in 2014. My actual total: 34. (Just like last year, I fell short.) But can I get a little credit for reading several huge novels? I mentioned last year that I wanted to read more fiction and literature in 2014, and as you'll see below, I accomplished that goal. (I think I'd like to add more books on theology and pastoral ministry in 2015.)

Here Are My Rules

I only counted books that I read all the way through. In my weekly sermon prep, I often end up reading parts of different books, but they don't count. Also, I read lots of periodicals and online journals, but I don't count them toward my total. Why not? I find that the concentration required to read a book all the way through is different (and more valuable) than reading a blog post or online article. Also, reading blog posts and articles isn't life-giving to me the way reading a book is.

A book that I'll remember in the future, a book that adds enduring value to my life, that's a book I'll define as good. I use a 5 star system in my ratings to signify the following:

✭✭✭✭✭ life-changing and unforgettable

✭✭✭✭ excellent

✭✭✭ worth reading

Books getting less than 3 stars aren't on my "Best" list, which doesn't mean they were necessarily bad, but just not books that I'd excitedly recommend to you.

✭✭ read other things first

✭ not recommended

---

The Best Books I Read in 2014 (in chronological order)

The Abominable: A Novel, by Dan Simmons. The first book I read in 2014, and one of the best I read all year. It's a long novel (688 pages) about a team trying to climb Mount Everest in 1924, against a background of mystery and international espionage. Author Dan Simmons takes the gaps in our historical knowledge (What really happened to George Mallory and Sandy Irvine? Why didn't Hitler put Operation Sea Lion into motion and invade England in 1940?) and connects them and fills them in in creative and satisfying ways.From Booklist, via Amazon:

It‘s 1924, and a trio of rogue climbers: mysterious WWI vet Deacon, emotional Frenchman Jean-Claude, and our narrator, brash young American Jacob, are hired to find the corpse of a dignitary lost on Everest. While they’re there, they go for the legendary summit. Right away, there‘s a complication: a fourth team member, the dead man‘s cousin and a woman, no less! But it‘s the subsequent complications that make this required reading for anyone inspired or terrified by high-altitude acrobatics: sudden avalanches, hidden crevasses, murderous temperatures, mountainside betrayals, and maybe just maybe a pack of bloodthirsty yeti. Though the first 200 pages of climbing background might have readers pining for the big climb, it is nearly always interesting, and, later, Simmons excels at those small but full-throated moments of terror when, for example, a single bent screw might mean death for everyone."

The Abominable had me constantly reaching for my atlas and looking things up on Wikipedia.

Highly recommended. ⭑⭑⭑⭑

The Christ of the Indian Road, by E. Stanley Jones. I'd like to understand the culture in which I minister as well as Jones, a Methodist missionary to India 100 years ago (and a friend of Gandhi's) understood his.

Recommended. ⭑⭑⭑

Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. The story of Louie Zamperini's life is one of the more remarkable I've ever read.

Highly recommended (and I also recommend the movie, by the way). ⭑⭑⭑⭑

The Last Hero, by Peter Forbath. This fictionalized retelling of Henry Morton Stanley's final trip through the Congo is terrifying and compelling. Another long novel (729 pages) that had me constantly reaching for the atlas and encyclopedia, it re-introduced me to the remarkable life of Henry Morton Stanley. Stanley was one of the most famous and lionized me in the world in the last 3rd of the 19th century, and though I'd read about him when I was a teenager, I'd forgotten how improbable, exciting, and impressive were his accomplishments. Like Louie Zamperini--although actually much more so--Stanley's life story is one of those that if you made it up, no one would believe it.

Highly recommended. ⭑⭑⭑⭑

The Chosen, by Chaim Potok. Why read fiction? Fiction enables you to experience the life of another in a way that is impossible otherwise. The Chosen is about the friendship between two boys in the Hasidic community in Brooklyn during the Second World War.

Highly recommended. ⭑⭑⭑⭑

Essentialism, by Greg McKeown. I wrote about this book here. Like most of these sorts of business and leadership books, it's too long, but still worth the read.

Recommended. ⭑⭑⭑

What Radical Husbands Do, by Regi Campbell. I'd like all the men I know to read this book.

Recommended. ⭑⭑⭑

The Advantage, by Patrick Lencioni. A great book on organizational leadership.

Recommended. ⭑⭑⭑

Jayber Crow, by Wendell Berry. The only novel of Berry's I've ever read, it's a slow accounting of the life of a small hamlet in Kentucky, and its bachelor barber.

Highly recommended. ⭑⭑⭑

---

The Best Book I Read in 2014

Urban warfare, Stalingrad, 1942.

German soldiers at Stalingrad, January 1943.

Soviet attack, February 1943.

German POWs, Stalingrad, 1943.

Life and Fate, by Vasily Grossman (translated by Robert Chandler). A novel by a Red Army journalist who lived through the Battle of Stalingrad, Life and Fate is a masterpiece and an experience that I will never ever forget. I first heard about Life and Fate as a college history student, and have had it on my someday/maybe list for 15 years or so. It's a massive novel (896 pages), and was the last book I read in 2014. Here's a good summary from Publisher's Weekly:

Obviously modeled on War and Peace, this sweeping account of the siege of Stalingrad aims to give as panoramic a view of Soviet society during World War II as Tolstoy did of Russian life in the epoch of the Napoleonic Wars. Completed in 1960 and then confiscated by the KGB, it remained unpublished at the author's death in 1964; it was smuggled into the West in 1980. Grossman offers a bitter, compelling vision of a totalitarian regime where the spirit of freedom that arose among those under fire was feared by the state at least as much as were the Nazis. His huge cast of characters includes an old Bolshevik now under arrest, a physicist pressured to make his scientific discoveries conform to "socialist reality" and a Jewish doctor en route to the gas chambers in occupied Russia. Ironically, just as Stalingrad is liberated from the Germans, many of the characters find themselves bound in new slavery to the Soviet government. Yet Grossman suggests that the spirit of freedom can never be completely crushed. His lengthy, absorbing novel--which rejected the compromises of a lifetime and earned its author denunciation and disgrace--testifies eloquently to that spirit."

Highly, highly recommended. (I'll need to write more about this separately.) ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

---

The Rest of 2014 (in chronological order)

Some of the books below are quite good, but for whatever reason, they didn't grab me in such as way to make my "best of" list above. Still, some of these books might be worth your time. Others most definitely aren't. Caveat lector.

That Used to be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented And How We Can Come Back, by Thomas Friedman & Michael Mandelbaum. The title pretty much says it all.... ✭✭

Stanley: the Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer," by Tim Jeal. After reading?The Last Hero (see above), I wanted to learn more about Stanley. ⭑⭑

The Little Way of Ruthie Leming, by Rod Dreher. A memoir about returning home after the death of an only sibling. I first read about the book on Dreher's blog, which is one of my favorites. A nice book about the importance of family and community. ⭑⭑

Death by Meeting, by Patrick Lencioni. Helpful. ⭑⭑

Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Grace, by Heath Lambert. A book about men and pornography. ⭑⭑

FoundationFoundation and EmpireSecond Foundation, all by Isaac Asimov. I'd heard that these were ground-breaking books in science fiction, so I think I was expecting more. Good, but not great. ⭑⭑

The Tale of Three Kings, by Gene Edwards. A lot of evangelical pastor types love this book about Saul, David, and Absolom. Not totally sure why. ⭑⭑

The Anglican Evangelical Doctrine of Infant Baptism, by John Stott & J. Alec Motyer. Not helpful to me. ⭑

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, by John Maxwell. I don't get much out of Maxwell's stuff. ⭑

All In, by Mark Batterson. ⭑

Developing the Leader Within You, by John Maxwell. Maxwell's first book, and definitely one of the worst books I've ever read. More clich‘s than a box of chocolates. ⭑

The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork, by John Maxwell. ⭑

Podcast Launch, by John Lee Dumas. ⭑

Come Home: A Call Back to Faith, by James MacDonald. My mom told me about this book, and as soon as I heard the title, I thought, "I want to do a sermon series on that theme." I ended up doing the series--one of my favorites we've ever done--but I didn't find the book very helpful to me, and all I ended up using was the title (which is a great title, by the way). ⭑

An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture, by Andrew Davis. Can't beat the price. ⭑⭑

Eat This Book, by Eugene Peterson. Like?Come Home mentioned above, I got a sermon series out of this title (which I'd heard elsewhere), but didn't get much content for the actual series from the book. ⭑⭑

7 Men and The Secret of Their Greatness, by Eric Metaxas. I want to like Eric Metaxas's books because I believe in what he's trying to do and agree with his general worldview, but as with his Bonhoeffer book, I found the writing in this book to be really annoying and juvenile. Unfortunately, I just don't think Metaxas is a very good writer. Not recommended. ⭑

Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, by Michael Hyatt. Good practical stuff for bloggers. ⭑⭑

In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership, by Henri Nouwen. I love the epilogue about Nouwen and his friend with special needs, speaking at a conference together. Beautiful. ⭑⭑

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to?Build the Future, by Peter Thiel. I really disliked this book; this Vox post is a good summary of my own feelings. (For another funny article on Silicon Valley arrogance and foolishness, see this New York magazine piece?about the men behind the laundry app "Washio.") Not recommended. ⭑

Not Yet Christmas, by J.D. Walt. Some nice reflections on Advent. ⭑⭑

Into the Silent Land: a Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation, by Martin Laird. A reference on Rod Dreher's blog pointed me towards this book. Good stuff on contemplative prayer. ⭑⭑

I'd love to hear your thoughts on any of the above. Anything I need to be sure and read in 2015? 

P.S. Subscribe!

If you've read this far, you're committed, so why not subscribe to future updates from my blog? Click here to subscribe.  

3 Don'ts When Reading Genesis

Genesis is hard enough as it is; here are three things NOT to do when reading the first book of the Bible.

Don't Mistake "Is" for "Should"

Genesis is descriptive, not prescriptive, i.e., it describes the world as it is, not as it should be. Subsequent to The Fall described in chapter 3, every situation, family, and life is corrupted by sin. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are sinful men, and their families are a mess. Don't be surprised when great heroes of the faith turn out to be seriously flawed. And don't confuse descriptions of sin with approval of sin, even in the lives of the Patriarchs.The good news? God writes straight with crooked lines.

Don't Draw Conclusions Before the End

The Bible is not a series of disconnected stories; rather, it is one long drama in three acts, with a prologue at the beginning and an epilogue at the end:

• The Prologue: Genesis 1-11 (Creation, Fall, and the Flood)
• Act 1: Genesis 12 through the rest of the Old Testament (Covenant and Israel)
• Act 2: the Gospels (Jesus)
• Act 3: the book of Acts up through the present day (the Church)
• The Epilogue: the Book of Revelation (the End).

Each small story in the Bible fits into the larger whole. You wouldn't draw too many conclusions about the author of a story from the first page of a novel or the director of the movie from its first five minutes. In the same way, reserve judgment until you see how the story resolves. Yes, there are parts of the story that are troubling, but reserve judgment until you see where everything is going.

Don't Fill the Gaps with Suspicion

The Bible is filled with gaps. All we usually get are big broad strokes, and it's left to our imagination to fill in the gaps about why or how. For example, in the Genesis 4 account of Cain and Abel, why does the Lord God approve of Abel's gift but not Cain's? Isn't that rather arbitrary and unfair?Here's the true answer: no one knows why God preferred Abel's gift to Cain's. In the face of such a gap, then, we have to fill it with our own conjectures.Unfortunately, in the modern, cynical world, we are quick to fill gaps in the Bible with our own suspicions. But suspicion is a choice, and there is another approach:Don't fill gaps with suspicion; fill gaps with trust.It's true that deciding ahead of time to fill the gaps in the Bible with trust is a faith decision, but deciding ahead of time to read with a hermeneutic of suspicion is itself a faith decision. If you decide ahead of time that the Bible can't be trusted and that God is cynically setting up people for failure so he can punish them, then nothing you read will ever change your mind.A better way is to decide to fill the gaps in Genesis and elsewhere with trust and humility. Then, when you encounter things you don't understand, you'll admit what you don't know and assume that what you don't understand has a purpose in God's redemptive plan.

P.S. What About the Bizarre Stuff in Genesis 6:1-4?

If you ever tried to read through Genesis, chances are that Genesis 6:1-4 caused you some trouble.

When people began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them,‘the sons of God saw that they were fair; and they took wives for themselves of all that they chose.Then the?Lord‘said, My spirit shall not abide?in mortals for ever, for they are flesh; their days shall be one hundred and twenty years.?The Nephilim were on the earth in those days?and also afterwards?when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown."

-Genesis 6:1-4 [NRSV]

Here's the truth: nobody really understands this passage. Here's how Terence Fretheim puts is:

This brief segment is one of the most difficult in Genesis both to translate and interpret. Certain words are rare or unknown...; issues of coherence arise on many points. These verses may be a fragment of what was once a longer story, or scribes may have added to or subtracted from the text. The fact that the text presents ambiguity may be precisely the point, however: the mode of telling matches the nature of the message....

"Consistent with other sections in chaps. 1-11, this material reflects an era no longer accessible to Israel. [That is, the ancient Israelites who were the original readers of Genesis. --AF] The text does not mirror a typical human situation...but speaks of a time long past when God decreed a specific length to human life."

-Terence Fretheim, from?Genesis, in vol. I of?The New Interpreter's Bible

So, who are the mysterious "sons of God" mentioned in v. 2? Three options:

1. They are sons of Seth, mentioned in chapter 5, mixing with unbelievers.

2. "They may be royal or semi-divine figures who accumulated women in their harems" (Fretheim).

3. They are some kind of angelic beings. This seems most likely in context, and most troubling and bizarre to think about.

But, basically, as mysterious as this passage is, it fits with the larger context: before the Flood, things were going from bad to worse, spinning out of control.

The good news is that?Genesis 6:1-4 doesn't affect any important Christian doctrines or beliefs. (Which doesn't mean it isn't really strange.)

The Cleanest Toilet You'll Ever Sit On

Most people would do the bare minimum if their job was to clean toilets. Charles Clark is not most people.

How Seriously Do You Take Your Work?

Here's what Mr. Clark says about his job as a high school custodian: "If I clean a toilet, and you sit on that toilet, you can rest assured that's the cleanest toilet you'll ever sit on."

The Custodian Counselor

Aside from the dignity and integrity with which he takes his official duties, Mr. Clark also serves unofficially (and effectively) as a counselor to troubled young men at the high school at which he works.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=731RSOJa1pc[/embed]May God bless him.

The Murderous, Hilarious Human

The human is a creature of contradictions, capable of murder, wit, wry observation, and great perseverance, not to mention many other things. Consider:

"Slaughtered Him Like a Ram"

Details are sketchy, but by some reports Boko Haram, the Nigerian Islamist militant group, butchered 2,000 people last week in northeastern Nigeria.A 12 year-old survivor of an earlier attack, now living as an orphan in a refugee camp, recalls the death of his father:

I saw them kill my father; they slaughtered him like a ram. And up until now I don‘t know where my mother is." -Suleiman Dauda

Jesus, have mercy. This is what the human has made his particular speciality for thousands of years: murder.Of all the earth's creatures, none is capable of greater evil than the human.

So, Why Not Destroy the Creation?

In Genesis 6-9 we read of Noah and the Great Flood that the Lord sends to destroy the earth. When I read of what's happening in Nigeria or Syria or some other place, I think, "Why not wipe the whole thing away, Lord? Why not stop all the killing?"For people like me, living comfortable lives in comfortable places, it's easy to be troubled by the Lord's decision to kill everyone. But if we were living in the midst of the kind of suffering and misery and murder that's happening in Syria or the Borno state in Nigeria, would we be praying for God just to end it all?When we honestly contemplate the violence of which the human creature is capable it seems that God was right: the slate needs to be wiped clean.

But the Creation's Still Here

So, why didn't the Lord finish the job and completely destroy our?entire race?

The Deadly Mix

The human is a mix of the brutal and the beautiful, of violence and humor. While murder was happening in Nigeria (and many other places), there was an NFL playoff game yesterday between Dallas and Gren Bay. After Dez Bryant's remarkable catch was controversially overruled by the officials, someone posted on Twitter:[embed]https://twitter.com/BMcCarthy32/status/404770957916532736[/embed]The same creature that is capable of the murders in Nigeria is also capable of a wry, funny observation in 140 characters or less. That tweet by Brandon McCarthy is just about perfect, isn't it?

Plus a "Bro Country" Mashup

An aspiring country music songwriter named Greg Todd wanted to prove that there is a simple formula that the writers of the top "Bro Country" songs all follow. So, he laid the songs over each other in an audio mashup, and made a video of it:[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY8SwIvxj8o[/embed]The same creature that is capable of murder and writing witty 140 character sentences is also capable of astute analysis of a pop cultural phenomenon. And capable of putting his analysis together in a way that pokes good-natured fun at the industry in which he wants to succeed.

And Then We Have The "Ghost Boy"

Martin Pistorius lived a real-life nightmare: he was totally unable to move for 12 years, but everyone thought he was in a‘vegetative state. For 12 years, he was a prisoner in his own body, able only to control his thoughts.His story is one of the more remarkable (and blackly?humorous) stories I've heard in years. At one point, Mr. Pistorius talks about how much he hated the television show?Barney that was always on the tv in front of him, day after day; his admission made me laugh out loud. (Listen to the 11 minute NPR story yourself.)

Maybe God Knew

I'm not saying that a funny Tweet, entertaining YouTube video, and‘the‘testimony of a man imprisoned in his own body somehow balance out the horrifying murders in Nigeria. I'm merely pointing out how strange a creature is the human: all of the different examples above are the actions of the exact same species.Maybe God knew what a bizarre mix the human was. Maybe, while hating the sin in the human, the Lord also loved the humor, invention, perseverance, and love of which the human was capable.Maybe God isn't through with us yet. 

Lurking at the Door

Where did it go wrong with Bob McDonnell? Where does it go wrong with any of us? Beware thinking that you or I are aren't capable of the same things. And worse.

What Do You Do When You Want to Sin?

It's a question I've been asking recently: how does someone purposely refuse sin when it's sin that he wants to choose?It's easy to refuse sin when it's not what you want, but what about when sin's precisely what you most want?The one who wants to commit adultery?will choose adultery.The one who wants to steal will choose theft.The one wants to gossip will choose to spread the unkind word.The one who wants to murder will choose murder.At the moment when you are confronted with a sinful choice that you've already decided you want to take, it's too late.

The First Murder in the Bible

The first murder in the Bible is in Genesis 4, but before it happens, the LORD God warns Cain, "Sin is lurking at the door. It's desire is for you, but you must master it" [Genesis 4:7 NRSV].At some point, rather than fearing sin, Cain welcomed it, and was devoured.Cain murders Abel--his own brother--and murder has been part of the human story ever since.

No One Is Safe

Bob McDonnell, former Governor of Virginia, was sentenced Tuesday to 2 years in Federal Prison on corruption charges. Bob McDonnell is a Christian and is?described by his family, associates, and political rivals as a good man. And yet for all that, Bob McDonnell made a choice to choose the sin that would devour him, but that choice wasn't at the specific moment that a political donor asked him for some special favors: it was way before that.At some point, Bob McDonnell made a choice to ignore small dishonest choices. And then those choices grew up.Sin starts small, but grows. There are sins in my life that if I ignore--or worse, deliberately attract--will devour me.Same goes for you.At the moment we are faced with the sin that will devour us, it's too late. The only way to be protected is to fight the sins early, when you don't want them and when they are small.

Kill It Early

The easy time to kill adultery is when the first thought of it appears, not when you're on‘the work trip with the co-worker you've been flirting and drinking with for 48 hours and whom you've been looking forward to sleeping with for several weeks. At that point, you?want to choose sin, and you will. At that point, sin's been lurking at your door a long time: its desire for you is probably much stronger than your desire to master it.You fight theft by attacking the obvious signs of greed in your life.You fight gossip by repenting of small harmful sentences you speak about others.You fight murder by being aware of your tendency to small bursts of indignance and superiority.

It's Lurking At Your Door

I'm not any better than anyone else. And neither are you. But for the grace of God, there we go.

Vive La France

 The singing of?La Marseillaise?from?Casablanca,?one of my favorite scenes in all of film, seems especially appropriate today?after?the murders this morning at the?Charlie Hebdo?offices in Paris.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM-E2H1ChJM[/embed]Some quick thoughts:

• Note how virtually everyone goes along with the Nazi song at the beginning, because they are afraid of being different;
• Note Victor Laszlo‘s face of determined courage as he stands on the balcony with Rick and hears the Nazi song;
• Note how Elsa looks at Victor as he walks purposefully to the orchestra (she knows what he‘s capable of);
• Note how it takes one man‘s courage to put courage in others;
• Note how Elsa looks at Victor once the singing catches on;
• Note how the Nazis prepare to use violence once they can‘t bully and propagandize their opponents into silence. (The clip ends at the point at which the Nazis force the closing of Rick‘s Cafe.)

I want to be a man like Victor Laszlo; I?d like to earn the right for my wife to look at me the way Elsa looks at him. Vive La France. Vive La Libert?. (Credit to?Rod Dreher?for reminding me today about that scene from?Casablanca.)

Do You Understand?

 "And I will put enmity????between you and the woman,????and between your offspring?and hers;he will crush?your head,????and you will strike his heel.-Genesis 3:15

Quick Thoughts on Genesis 1 (& the Best Visual Interpretation I've Seen)

How things begin matters. We see God‘s intention for creation from the beginning: an integrated whole, in which all the parts are good and all the parts fit together to give glory to God. The Hebrew word for this is?shalom: peace, wholeness, harmony.

The Song of Creation

One other quick thought on Genesis 1. The author talks of days and nights from the very beginning, but the sun and the moon aren‘t created until the fourth day. Ancient peoples were more connected to sun and moon than we are, now that we have electricity and night doesn‘t mean dark. Ancient peoples certainly knew that the sun and the moon are required for there to be days? and nights.Here‘s the point: Genesis 1 is a beautiful theological treatise on creation, and for me, I don‘t see it contradicting physics and cosmology; I see physics and cosmology providing the fine details and Genesis 1 the broad strokes. 

P.S. The Best Visual Interpretation of the Bible I've Ever Seen

I've written previously about Darren Aronofsky's?Noah?and shared some of my reservations about the final 15 disappointing minutes of the movie. But this scene in which Noah retells the Genesis story of Creation and Fall is the best visual interpretation of scripture I've ever seen (although the image from The Minimum Bible project I included above is pretty good, too):[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFCXHr8aKDk[/embed]

P.P.S. Join Us!

Folks in my church are reading through Genesis as part of our 2015 Bible?reading plan. We'd love to have you join us and make it a part of your #First15. 

My One Word for 2015

Resolutions don't work. Rather than focusing on a list of specific ways we want to live differently each year, I wrote last year about a better alternative: focusing and living into a one word theme for the new year.

The Most Important Thing I Did in 2014

The single most important thing I did in 2014 was make a habit of getting up early for prayer and exercise. As I've written?previously, that habit was a keystone habit that affected every area of my life last year.Overall, I did better in the first seven months of the year than I did in the final five months, when I found myself busier than I'd ever been in my life. Rather than redoubling my efforts towards my early habit when I needed it most, I let it slide, and therefore so did my prayer life, physical fitness, and sermon quality. (No kidding--I think my early habit helps me be a much more effective preacher.)So, I'm keeping the same word for 2015 as I had for 2014.

My One Word for 2015

My one word for 2015 is?early.I want to:

• wake up early
• pray early
• workout early
• finish tasks early
• get to appointments early
• finish my sermon early (this would be life-changing!)
• get to bed early

What about you? Why? Leave comments below. 

P.S. A Note to My Dear Readers

Dear reader, today is our one year anniversary. I've enjoyed writing for this blog, and though I've been doing it infrequently, I'm interested in writing more regularly in 2015.If?you haven't yet done so, why not sign up to receive updates from me? I promise to only rarely share your info with Russian spammers. (Just kidding--I'll sell it to the highest bidder, regardless of nationality.)You can sign up at the top right of this page.

A Christmas Hymn

A poem for you and yours. Merry Christmas. 

A Christmas Hymn

by Richard Wilbur A stable-lamp is lightedWhose glow shall wake the sky;The stars shall bend their voices,And every stone shall cry.And every stone shall cry,And straw like gold shall shine;A barn shall harbor heaven,A stall become a shrine. This child through David‘s cityShall ride in triumph by;The palm shall strew its branches,And every stone shall cry.And every stone shall cry,Though heavy, dull, and dumb,And lie within the roadwayTo pave his kingdom come. Yet he shall be forsaken,And yielded up to die;The sky shall groan and darken,And every stone shall cry.And every stone shall cryFor stony hearts of men:God‘s blood upon the spearhead,God‘s love refused again. But now, as at the ending,The low is lifted high;The stars shall bend their voices,And every stone shall cry.And every stone shall cryIn praises of the childBy whose descent among usThe worlds are reconciled. 

"The Kind of Woman You Should Marry"

It's one of those things my dad said that I'll never forget: "That, boys, is the kind of woman you should marry."

My Dad's Life Lesson About Marriage

My dad isn't the kind of guy who sits his sons down and says, "I'm going to share with you a life lesson, so be sure to pay attention." But, from time to time over the years, he would say something about life in an offhand way,and because it didn't happen very often and never seemed forced or planned, I'd remember what he said. This is what he had to say about marriage.

The Run on the Savings and Loan

We were watching?It's a Wonderful Life;?I was probably in my early twenties and home for Christmas. In the movie, George Bailey wants to travel and see the world, and he and his new bride Mary have scraped and saved to make it possible. It's their wedding day, and George and Mary are about to leave Bedford Falls for their honeymoon when George gets word that there has been a run on the bank his family?owns, Bailey Bros.Building and Loan. (It's during the Great Depression.) Banks are?closing right and left, but if the Savings and Loan closes it will be a social disaster, because Bailey Bros. Building?and Loan is the only bank in town not run by greedy Mr. Potter. Mr. Potter wants to keep the poor and the immigrants in debt; Bailey Building?and Loan offers the poor and the immigrant a way out of poverty and into home ownership. If the old Building?and Loan goes under, Bedford Falls will be a worse place to live

Here's the Scene

Watch the whole 6:44 clip--it's worth it.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbwjS9iJ2Sw[/embed] 

"That's the Kind of Woman You Should Marry"

Mary Bailey spontaneously offers their honeymoon funds for the purposes of keeping the Savings and Loan open. She displays a beautiful, simple, great-hearted generosity.After that scene, my dad said to us, in an off-hand way, "Boys, that's the kind of woman you should marry."And I did.

The Advent Conspiracy

After such a week, after such a year of violence, rape, murder, hate, falsehood, and war, J.D. Walt says what I want to say:

Come, Holy Spirit, and inaugurate Advent in our midst. Come and open up the book of a new year of our Lord. Lift our hearts to long for your coming and deepen our longing to imagine your kingdom.We confess? Advent, the season of holy anticipation, has become for us a sign of anxiety. Like Martha, we busy ourselves with so many things, preparing for a celebration of our own design. We confess? our attention has become distraction. Our hearts, minds, and souls are divided as we literally surf the channels of our?consumeristic culture. Yet, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand? (Isa. 64: 8). Begin anew this Advent to shape us. Make us like Mary to sit at the feet of our Lord Jesus and discover the only necessary thing: your Presence. Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved. Shape these days of Advent into a season of undivided attention, of holy anticipation.As we sing of peace on Earth and goodwill to all people, open our ears to hear the mournful songs of a war-torn world: the unquenchable cries of ordinary families like our own whose losses are beyond our ability to comprehend. As we prepare to wrap the countless gifts our children will open on Christmas morning, open our hearts to the countless children for whom Christmas morning will be yet another day to survive. Lead us to respond to you in remembering those who will otherwise receive nothing, who are orphaned, whose parents are dead, distant, or imprisoned. Open our eyes to see those neighbors nearest to us who are lonely, afraid, sick, and suffering. We confess? our lifestyles have become enclaves of escape from the pain and suffering that surrounds us. Yet, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand? (Isa . 64: 8). Let this year be different, Lord. Shape our attention in these days of Advent into a lifestyle of love for neighbor and the needy.?Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead [your people] like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth? (Ps. 80: 1). O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that the mountains would quake at your presence? (Isa.64: 1). As we remember and celebrate the birth of the baby in Bethlehem, let us not forget that the King is returning. We confess? we have made ourselves at home in a world that is not our home. We know a time is coming when the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give us light, when the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. We know the Son of Man will come on the clouds with great power and glory and he will send out his angels to gather his elect from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven (see Mark 13: 24? 27). Stir in our hearts a holy anticipation for the world to come, and an undying urgency for the world that is passing away. By your Spirit, make us watchful and wakeful. For, O L ORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand? (Isa. 64: 8).Come, Holy Spirit, and inaugurate Advent in our midst. Come and open up the book of a new year of our Lord. Hear us as we pray:Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.And forgive us our debts,as we also have forgiven our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.(Matthew 6:9-13)"A prayer from from?Not Yet Christmas: It's Time for Advent, by J.D. Walt

Come, Lord Jesus

Here's what I want to say about Ferguson: Come, Lord Jesus.Here's what I want to say about Eric Garner: Come, Lord Jesus.Here's what I want to say about Syria: Come, Lord Jesus.Here's what I want to say about Ebola orphans: Come, Lord Jesus.Here's what I want to say about rape, about divorce, about broken families, about our epidemic of fatherlessness, about all the terrible, ugly things that are a part of our daily world: Come, Lord Jesus.

This Is Why Advent Matters

It's more important than buying the presents, attending the Christmas parties, sending out the Christmas cards, or decorating the Christmas tree. It's‘the only way to avoid getting caught up in the soul-destroying getting and spending of the season. And, if you have kids at home, it's a way you can be deliberately counter-cultural and push back against the messages of materialism to which our kids are incessantly subjected.What's more important than all those things is to prepare spiritually for Christmas by observing Advent. Advent is the time of the church year that leads up to Christmas. It's the way we remind ourselves of why we celebrate and what we truly need.And, in the midst of the heavy headlines these past few weeks, Advent gives voice to the deepest need we have: for a Savior. Liberals and conservatives; black and white; rich and poor--we may not agree on many things, but we can all agree on this: our world is a broken, hurting world. Come, Lord Jesus.

One Simple Way to Let Advent Shape Your Soul

At my church, we've selected a series of Advent readings to help you prepare for Christmas; one chapter of scripture a day, leading up to Christmas Eve, that tells the grand story of salvation, Genesis to Jesus. You can find the list of readings here and a family plan here.Read a chapter a day. If you have kids, you might want to read the chapter before opening that day's box on your Advent calendar.

It's Not Too Late to Catch Up

The reading plan started Monday, December 1, but you can catch up easily this weekend.

I'll Be Blogging About Each Day's Reading

I'll offer a short blog post each day to put the reading in context. Because I've already missed a few days, I've added them below. 

Genesis 1: Creation's Song

How things begin matters. We see God's intention for creation from the beginning: an integrated whole, in which all the parts are good and all the parts fit together to give glory to God. The Hebrew word for this is shalom: peace, wholeness, harmony.One other quick thought on Genesis 1. The author talks of days and nights from the very beginning, but the sun and the moon aren't created until the fourth day. Ancient peoples were more connected to sun and moon than we are, now that we have electricity and night doesn't mean dark. Ancient peoples certainly knew that the sun and the moon are required for their to be "days" and "nights." Here's the point: Genesis 1 is a beautiful theological treatise on creation, and for me, I don't see it contradicting physics and cosmology; I see physics and cosmology providing the fine details and Genesis 1 the broad strokes.The connection with Advent: God's purpose for creation is?shalom. That's what we're waiting for. 

Genesis 3: The Problem?Starts Here

Why does sin enter God's good creation?I don't know, and neither does anyone else. What we do know is that this creation that God created good is marred, every part of it. There are no problem-free situations. Sin has ruined everything. Because of sin there is racism, rape, war, divorce, cancer, etc.Note that sin means that deceit and blame are now a part of human relationships.The connection with Advent:?This is why we need a savior. This explains why the world is the way it is. 

Genesis 12: The Conspiracy Begins

It's the strangest plan in the world: the Lord's plan to redeem and heal all of creation begins with one lonely Mesopotamian nomad named Abraham. Through Abraham, the Lord will do something amazing: "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:3b).One of the things I love about the Advent Conspiracy is how it begins so small: one man; one family; one manger.The?connection with Advent: This is where the conspiracy begins. 

Genesis 24: The Next Step

The plan won't work if the family line dies out. Abraham is miraculously blessed with a son named Isaac, and now Isaac meets his wife, Rebekah.The connection?with Advent: The conspiracy continues. 

Genesis 25: The Strangeness of the Conspiracy

Rebekah is pregnant with twins, and she receives a puzzling word from the Lord:"Two nations are in your womb,and two peoples born of you shall be divided;the one shall be stronger than the other,the elder shall serve the younger."? (Genesis 25:23)This strange conspiracy is overturning the way things work. Everyone knows that older brothers are more important than younger: this is how society works. And yet in this conspiracy, the elder shall serve the younger.The connection with Advent:?don't expect things to work the way you think they should. The Lord's ways are not our ways. Thank God. 

Genesis 37: The Conspiracy Begins to Unravel

That younger brother mentioned above is Jacob. Jacob fathers a whole bunch of kids (12 sons; 1 daughter) with four different women. You don't have to know much about human nature to know that this is going to be messy. The 2nd youngest son, and Jacob's favorite, is named Joseph. The family drama is so modern:

This is the account?of Jacob‘s family line.

Joseph,?a young man of seventeen,?was tending the flocks?with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah?and the sons of Zilpah,?his father‘s wives, and he brought their father a bad reportabout them.

Now Israel?loved Joseph more than any of his other sons,?because he had been born to him in his old age;?and he made an ornate?robe?for him.When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him?and could not speak a kind word to him."Genesis 37:2-4

Jacob's sons fake the death of Joseph and sell the boy into slavery. (You really should read the Bible--very interesting.)The?connection with Advent: Just because we can't see how the conspiracy is going to work, doesn't mean the Lord isn't working....

Come Work With Me

If you are looking for your dream job, look no further...Because your dream job doesn't exist. But, my church is hiring in our kids ministry: know anyone who'd be a good fit?*

Director of D6 Family Ministry

Munger Place Church is growing, and we are expanding our staff!? This full-time position is responsible for working with the Director of Discipleship and volunteer team to define, implement and oversee Christian education for children from birth through fifth grade, including Sunday morning programs, Vacation Bible School and much more. This position will also collaborate with other Munger staff on general Discipleship and churchwide programs and matters.D6 attendance on Sunday mornings currently averages about 175 children, with approximately 67 adults in D6 volunteer service.The Director of D6 Family Ministry is expected to maintain high Christian values and professional integrity in order to provide an example for the children and families of our community. His/her job is also to encourage all children and families of the community to strive for the same standards.Usual working hours?are Monday - Thursday 9 am - 5 pm, Sunday 8 am - 1 pm, an evening small group, and meetings/events at various times.Location:? Dallas, TXEssential Responsibilities include:Pastoral:? Influence and lead children and their families to Jesus Christ, being available to them in crisis situations and for concerns/questions, making pastoral care visits.Leadership:? Supervising, evaluating, recruiting, coordinating, training and supporting the D6 Ministry volunteer teams.? Selecting, supervising and directing paid, part-time nursery/childcare workers and art hour coordinator.? Attending/helping lead adult leadership retreats and meetings.? Participating in the research, design, and implementation of a ministry to the parents of children 0-18.Administration? Evaluating, planning, coordinating and overseeing all planning for regular ministries to children and their families, which includes D6 Sunday School, 4th and 5th grade ministry, childcare, Confirmation, family fight nights, parent classes/meetings, and any programming added to Children and Family Ministry.? Updating D6 webpages.? Helping plan and lead special children and/or family events (i.e. Back to School Sunday, 3rd Grade Bible Sunday, Christmas Eve Family Service, etc).? Planning and executing summer Vacation Bible School.Stewardship? Consistently evaluating the effectiveness of D6 programs and events and reacting accordingly.? Managing the D6 budget.? Collaborating with D6 and family ministries at HPUMC.Other? Attending church staff meetings, professional development/continuing education events and other meetings/events as necessary.WE REQUIRE a Christian (preferably United Methodist) committed to living a life that reflects the Gospel who is comfortable working in a United Methodist church and has the following qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a related field strongly preferred
• Seminary or other formal religious education preferred
• At least 3 years experience in church ministry as staff or lay leader
• Supervisory experience required
• Ability to build, lead and empower volunteer teams
• Ability to adapt and evaluate curriculum
• Ability to implement a ministry vision
• Proficient computer skills, using applications such as MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, database, email, Internet and social media. Should also be comfortable updating website pages.
• Excellent organization, communication (verbal and written) and listening skills, with a high degree of initiative and accountability
• Exceptional interpersonal and relational skills, with sensitivity to church members and visitors
• Familiarity with United Methodist doctrine; must be comfortable teaching it and representing the church
• Understanding and enjoyment of children and families and guiding their spiritual development
• Familiarity and comfort with special needs children and with diverse socioeconomic populations
• Physical demands include sitting, standing, walking, seeing, hearing, lifting approx. 10 lbs.

We provide?competitive pay and full benefit package, generous holiday schedule, and a fun, collaborative and supportive work environment!To apply, please email the following to?jobs@hpumc.org, specifying D6 Director/Munger in subject line:

• Resume & cover letter/email
• Your pay requirement
• Your religious/church affiliation

No calls, please. * For those of you Mungarians who are wondering, Amanda Grubbs is NOT going anywhere. Instead, she'll become Director of Discipleship at Munger and will be responsible for D6, youth, and adult discipleship, i.e., she'll be overseeing the aspects of ministry at Munger that do not involve worship. Amanda is a talented, faithful leader, and I think she'll be a rockstar in this new role.?If you see her around, be sure to tell her congratulations on her promotion (which is what this essentially is). I'm personally grateful to have her as a colleague.

You Need to Know the Background to This Prayer

My friend Lin Thomas is blind. He was diagnosed a few years ago with irreversible glaucoma; the doctor who evaluated him told him, "You'll never work again."Lin can't work, but he's busy. He rides up and down on the DART train in Dallas making connections with troubled young men who remind him of himself when he was younger. His disability has given him the time to do that sort of thing.Lin lives on a disability check. Even in straitened financial circumstances, he tithes--gives 10%--to our church.Last Sunday, Lin gave me a prayer he'd written, and I asked him to read it in church today. Here's his prayer (text below the video):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVzl2uDub-w&feature=youtu.be

Lin Thomas's Thanksgiving Prayer

(1 Thessalonians 5:18: Give Thanks Always)Father, thank you for the life that we live;Thank you for the love that you give;Thank you for the food that we eat;Thank you for a strong heartbeat;Thank you for the water we drink;Thank you for the thought we think;Thank you for the pleasure and pain;Thank you for the sunshine and rain;Thank you for a place here on Earth;Thank you for the grace of our birth.In Jesus' name, Amen. 

One Word That Will Change Your Life

What if there were one word that had the power to change every aspect?of your life? What if one word could affect your health, your finances, your marriage, your career? What if applying one word to your everyday life could really have that much of an effect?

The Power of Habit (which isn't our "one word")

Charles Duhigg wrote about habits in his 2012 book?The Power of Habit, which I briefly reviewed here. As Mr. Duhigg explains, your brain develops habits so you don't have to spend energy thinking through decisions--you just act without thinking. An important part of that process is the "habit loop," which works like this:First, there is the?cue‘that triggers the habit;Second, there is the routine?itself;Third, there is the?reward from the routine.

This Is Why You Are Addicted to Your Phone

In practice, the habit loop might work like this:1. Your phone buzzes. That's the?cue.2. You take your phone out and look at it. That's the?routine.3. You get a dopamine hit from the new email. That's the?reward. Note that sometimes the email or notification you get isn't meaningful to you. But, because?sometimes the notification might mean something, your brain still perceives it as a potential reward.The power of the habit loop is evident in the way many of us will interrupt virtually anything else going on in our lives to look at our phones when they buzz. And it's all because of the simple habit loop of?cue, routine, and reward. 

Change Your Habits, Change Your Life

Knowing this about habits, we are able to manipulate them to get the results we want. In some ways, for example, Alcoholics Anonymous is all about replacing destructive habits with healthy ones. (This is why coffee is an important part of so many AA meetings. Coffee becomes part of a replacement habit loop.)Here's the truth: if you are intentional about your habits, you can change your life. 

The Power of a?Keystone Habit

The really interesting part of?The Power of Habit?is the discussion about so-called "Keystone Habits." A keystone habit is a simple habit that has effects that cascade into other aspects of an individual's or a group's life.So, a keystone habits might be:

• Exercising every morning;
• Making your bed every morning
• Having all?players on the team put on their socks in a certain way;
• Putting safety concerns on the top of your corporate agenda.

To think of it another way, a keystone habit is the first domino that falls and knocks down all the others with it.So, a keystone habit in healthy families is having dinner together at home every evening. That simple practice affects the relationship between the mom and the dad and the kids' behavior in school and even their reading level. It's one domino that falls, knocking over a bunch of others.

A One Word Keystone Habit Guaranteed to Change Your Life

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." (Mark 1:35). [My emphasis.]

"Early"?is a word that can change your life.Early?is about intentionally spending?the first 15 minutes of your day--before doing anything else--in silent prayer and scripture reading.Early?is shorthand for a keystone habit that will affect every other part of your life. Guaranteed. 

Don't Start Your Day Being Reactive

Most of us start our day in this way:1. The alarm goes off. (The?cue.)2. We pick up our phone and check our email, or our Facebook or Twitter accounts, or turn on our preferred news channel, or check on an overnight sports score. (The routine.)3. We get a hit of dopamine as we feel more connected and assure ourselves we haven't missed out on anything. (The?reward.)What's so problematic about this habit is that?it means‘that we are spending the first minutes of our day in a reactive rather than an active pose.

No Wonder We Are Such Anxious People

Do you really want to spend the first minutes you have every day seeing what someone else had for dinner or hearing another depressing headline about the world or worrying about your boss's latest request? Rather than being in control of your day, starting your day by checking headlines or email or social media accounts means you are immediately ceding control to someone or something else.

The Power of the First 15

Now, imagine the alternative.1. The alarm goes off.2. You get up and settle into your favorite chair or sit at the kitchen table or go on your front porch. You deliberately cultivate a sense of gratitude at another day of life. You think over the coming day's appointments and pray for each of them. You read a psalm or a portion of a scripture reading plan. You pray for your family, your colleagues, your city.3. You shut your Bible, close your journal, take a deep breath, and start your day.Can you imagine what could happen if you intentionally started every day like this?Can you imagine how much more control and how much less anxiety you'd have throughout the day?

Don't Worry If You're Not a Morning Person

Everyone has to get up sometime. Even if you aren't a morning person, you can still wake up 15 minutes earlier than you would normally. "Early" means to be deliberate about your first 15 minutes. It doesn't really matter when that 15 is. If you work the night shift, your first 15 could be 4:00 PM. What matters is that you spend your first 15 minutes in silence and scripture.

Don't Worry If You're Not a Religious Person

Even if you don't believe in prayer or scripture, you can still do this. Spend the first 15 minutes of your day thinking of all you have to be grateful for.

5 Steps to Life Change

1. Create a morning routine. Think deliberately through your cue, your routine, and your reward. Maybe you need to set the coffee machine to be a part of your First 15. For me, marking a big fat "X" on a paper calendar is surprisingly satisfying.
2. Create an evening routine. You need to prepare the night before for how you'll spend your First 15 every day. Lay out your Bible; set out your cereal bowl. Whatever it is, your morning routine begins with an evening routine.
3. Plan your time. Don't just get up and see what you want to do. Rather, make a plan to follow a certain reading plan or to pray over a certain list of names or read an online devotional or to deliberately list all the gifts?for which you are grateful that day, etc.
4. Commit for 21 days. Anyone can commit to the First 15 one day, but that's not enough for the habit loop to affect your behavior. Commit for three week?no matter what and see what happens.
5. Evaluate. What's working? What's not working? If you are struggling to make the First 15 a habit, then you should reexamine your habit loop. Is the cue not clear enough? Is the routine not smooth enough? Do you need a better reward?

Pushups Over Time

Following a habit once doesn't make any difference; following a habit for weeks and months and years will change your life. Doing 20 pushups today is irrelevant; doing 10 pushups a day for 100 days will radically alter your health.Being deliberate with your First 15 once might not make a big difference, but even 3 weeks of practicing the "early" habit will make you into a different person.

What do you have to lose?

P.S. Folks in my church are currently following a scripture reading plan called "Eat This Book." Today is the first day of a new book--we're beginning Luke's Gospel today. Why not make a chapter of Luke's Gospel part of your First 15 for the next 3 weeks?

What Trade-Off Do You Need to Make This Month?

As I've blogged about before, I use a paper calendar and a Sharpie marker to keep myself getting up early every morning and getting a workout in. But since the end of August, I now use two calendars(!): one's still my workout calendar, while the other is a scripture-reading calendar that's part of the "Eat This Book" campaign in my church. Here's my scripture calendar for September:Pretty good, right? (It doesn't hurt that I'm trying to blog about the Eat This Book reading every day. I did end up missing a few days last week; maybe I need a blogging calendar, too....)

September Is the Cruelest Month

Unfortunately, I've not been as consistent in working out. In fact, September was my worst month so far this year. Here's my workout calendar for September:What happened? You could say that I became a lazy slob (and you wouldn't be far wrong), but more specifically, here's the truth: I didn't make the trade-offs necessary to get a workout in every morning.

There Are Always Trade-offs

I read a book this summer that reminded me of a principle that I already knew but often choose to ignore: everything in life comes with a cost; everything requires a trade-off. If you say "Yes" here, it means saying "No" there. This principle obviously applies to time management, but it also applies to much bigger life choices. And it's a principle that the Israelites learned at the foot of Mount Sinai and that we can read about in Exodus 33.

What's the Problem With A Little Jewelry?

While Moses is on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments, the Israelites are having an idolatrous revel?[Exodus 32]. They even make a golden calf and begin to worship it. On returning, Moses is furious, has the golden calf melted down and ground into dust, and then collects all the jewelry that the Israelites possess and forbids jewelry among the Israelites from that point forward [Exodus 33:4-6]. Why? What's the problem with Israelite jewelry?

Every "Yes" Requires a "No"

The Lord knew that if the Israelites kept their pagan gold and other jewelry, they would be tempted over and over again to idolatry, because the original golden calf was made out of the jewelry and ornaments the Israelites were wearing [cf. Exodus 32:1-3]. If the Israelites were going to turn from idolatry, they needed to make a clean break, and apparently even their jewelry might have been an occasion for sin and idolatry.

No Exceptions

There are?always trade-offs, without exception.

• Saying yes to your spouse means saying no to everyone else. Marriage requires exclusivity and priority, or else it doesn't work.
• Saying yes to financial freedom at age 60 means saying no to the kind of expenses your friends are racking up in their 30s.
• Saying yes to sobriety means saying no to hanging out with your bar-hopping friends.

There is no exception to the trade-off principle. There are no short-cuts.

It's a New Month

Today is October 1. What new beginning can you make this month? What trade-off can you intentionally make? What are you going to have to give up in order to get something better? Maybe it's time to take off your pagan jewelry and throw it in the fire. (You do understand that's a metaphor, right?)

P.S.

I got to bed really late last night and really didn't want to get up at 5:00 AM this morning. But more than I wanted to stay in bed, I wanted to have a series of black "X's" in my calendar, and I wanted the first day of the month to be a good one. So I traded a bit more sleep for something better this morning. And here is what I have to show for it: So far so good.

Quiz! What's Your Favorite Idol?

Are we modern, Western people really more advanced than the ancients? We certainly believe we are. This arrogance is one of the reasons modern Americans have such difficulty with the Bible; after all, we are advanced and advancing, and the Bible--particularly the Old Testament--is backwards and primitive.It is true that we are an advanced people technologically--think of all the ways we can kill or display pornography!--but when it comes to idolatry, we are as prone to idol worship as the ancients. Or more so.

Israel and the Golden Calf

We read in Exodus 32 of the golden calf that the Israelites made and worshipped while waiting for Moses to return from Mount Sinai. Like so many of the stories in the Bible,‘the account of the golden calf seems remote and distant. But that's because we don't understand what an idol is.

The Definition of an Idol

In his book Counterfeit Gods,?Tim Keller describes idolatry in this way:

What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give.A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living. An idol has such controlling position in your heart that you can spend most of your passion and energy, your emotional and financial resources, on it without a second thought. It can be family and children, or career and making money, or achievement and critical acclaim, or saving 'face' and social standing It can be a romantic relationship, peer approval, competence and skill, secure and comfortable circumstances, your beauty or your brains, a great political or social cause, your morality and virtue, or even success in the Christian ministry. When your meaning in life is to fix someone else's life, we may call it 'co-dependency' but it is really idolatry. An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, 'If I have that, then I'll feel my life has meaning, then I'll know I have value, then I'll feel significant and secure.' There are many ways to describe that kind of relationship to something, but perhaps the best one is worship." [Emphasis mine.]

Be Proud, O Modern

Idolatry isn't something that we've grown out of; idolatry is something modern Western culture is perfecting. The ancients would be astounded at the brazen boldness of our idolatry: we are worshipping idols of which they never dreamed.

Which Idol Did You Get?

J.A. Medders has a nice summary of Keller's material on his blog, which I've excepted below.

Life Only Has Meaning/I Only Have Worth If....

1. I have power and influence over others. (Power Idolatry)
2. I am loved and respected by _____. (Approval Idolatry)
3. I have this kind of pleasure experience, a particular quality of life. (Comfort idolatry)
4. I am able to get mastery over my life in the area of _____. (Control idolatry)
5. People are dependent on me and need me. (Helping Idolatry)
6. Someone is there to protect me and keep me safe. (Dependence idolatry)
7. I am completely free from obligations or responsibilities to take care of someone. (Independence idolatry)
8. I am highly productive and getting a lot done. (Work idolatry)
9. I am being recognized for my accomplishments, and I am excelling in my work. (Achievement idolatry)
10. I have a certain level of wealth, financial freedom, and very nice possessions. (Materialism idolatry)
11. I am adhering to my religion‘s moral codes and accomplished in its activities. (Religion idolatry)
12. This one person is in my life and happy to be there, and/or happy with me. (Individual person idolatry)
13. I feel I am totally independent of organized religion and am living by a self-made morality. (Irreligion idolatry)
14. My race and culture is ascendant and recognized as superior. (Racial/cultural idolatry)
15. A particular social grouping or professional grouping or other group lets me in. (Inner ring idolatry)
16. My children and/or my parents are happy and happy with me. (Family idolatry)
17. Mr. or Ms. Right? is in love with me. (Relationship Idolatry)
18. I am hurting, in a problem; only then do I feel worthy of love or able to deal with guilt. (Suffering idolatry)
19. My political or social cause is making progress and ascending in influence or power. (Ideology idolatry)
20. I have a particular kind of look or body image. (Image idolatry)

The Only Known Cure

The only known cure for idolatry: faith, hope, and love. 

Some New Music for You to Check Out

How could you not take to a guy like this? Meet David Crowder, in his own words:

I was born half Baptist (the East Texas, King James carrying, pipe organ, hymnal singing, Southern, type Baptist) and half Pentecostal (the Holy Ghost, jumpin? and shoutin?, hand-waving, prophecying, Southern, type Pentecostal). Later, I was born again.

Crowder Math

I've been a fan of David Crowder's music for over a decade; nobody sounds like him. Here's my summary of his unique style:Texas gospel rockabilly+Electronic dance beats+simple, piercing lyrics

---

= David Crowder

Hee Haw, Aqua Net, and Olivia Newton John

[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUwXo0jgORI[/embed]David on his musical influences:

The son of an insurance salesman and a social worker, fructifying in the piney woods of Texarkana, I was as muddled as the name of my town. We drove a light blue Ford Thunderbird; not the old, classic kind, but a brand new one that had a sticker on it. The one with the electric windows and mirrors and the headlamp covers that flipped open when you turned on the headlights and an in-dash eight-track player. My dad and mom both used Aqua Net hair spray. He parted it on the right side and always carried a comb. She got permanents and had curlers that heated up every Saturday night while we all watched The Lawrence Welk Show and Hee-Haw. The eight-tracks in rotation were Elvis, Willie Nelson, Olivia Newton John, and Bill Gaither. Everything I‘ve ever done musically can be traced back to there that Ford Thunderbird, those sounds, the view out of those windows, and my brother punching me in the arm on the way to Sunday morning Church. That is all metaphor and all true.

After 6 albums, the David Crowder* Band broke up in 2012. But, David has kept making music under the name Crowder? and released his first solo album, Neon Steeple, in May 2014.

Neon Steeple

Like previous David Crowder albums,?Neon Steeple has a story to tell from start to finish. Although there are a few standout songs that work well on their own, the best way to listen to the album is in one sitting, beginning to end.Here's David describing his work on the album:

Neon Steeple is a collection of songs and sounds looking forward to the past and counting the present as sacred. It is a longing for belonging, a search for home. It is a collection of choruses that believe that this is not all there is. There is more, there must be. It is the sound of the Appalachians and Ibiza. Folk music and EDM. The music of the People. Folktronica. Digital and Analog. The Ones and Zeros and the Handshake. The Banjo and the 808.

Four Year-Old Dance Party, etc.

Neon Steeple is a beautiful album that tells a beautiful story in an unsentimental and creative way. It's also a lot of fun.The song My Beloved? is a favorite of a four year-old in my household. (The video is embedded above, but the album track is a much better version.) It‘s a clap-your-hands-stomp-your-feet happy hoedown.One of my favorite tracks is Come As You Are? (embedded below) that is an invitation to the weak, weary, broken-down to lay down their burdens and shame.[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE6QXWFL6jY[/embed]Another standout track is the southern throw-down Lift Your Head Weary Sinner (Chains). It‘s an aggressive, growling song.But to pick out those three tracks is to give the impression that the rest aren‘t worth hearing, an impression I don‘t want to give.?I Am? is another favorite of mine; I love the ambiguity in the central hook:

"I am holding onto you;In the middle of the storm,I am holding on...I am."

Who's holding whom? That's the question, isn't it?Another great track is the duet with Emmylou Harris (?My Sweet Lord?): just achingly beautiful.

?Blind is the fool, I see that now;I broke the rules, and let ya down.I walked alone; now I have run dry:I need my sweet Lord to help tonight.

The entire album is really strong: I recommend it.

"Making Dead People Alive"

As much as I appreciate David Crowder the musician, I think I appreciate David Crowder the writer and theologian even more:

Neon Steeple is both a critique and a hope. The meta-narrative of scripture is about innocence lost, it is about displacement, about things not being right and a search for belonging and home and forgiveness and reconciliation, the tension of death and life, what it means to be alive. The story is not about making bad people good, it is about making dead people alive. The story sold is rarely that.What if we started believing??

 What if indeed?

3 Steps To A Better job

We spend the majority of our time--our most precious resource--working. And yet many people live for the weekends, feel unfulfilled in their work, and go to bed at night wondering, "What did I really accomplish today that actually?matters?"[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy3rjQGc6lA[/embed]I don't believe work has to be like this.What if you could have work that matters and that you love, without (probably) changing jobs?

For a Better Job, Ask These Three Questions

1. "Where Can I Best Serve?"

If we are honest, most of us end up in the jobs we have because our first question is "How can I get earn the most respect and the most money?" That question won't lead you to fulfillment in your work. Instead, you'll be working for yourself--a sure way to gain the whole world while losing your own soul.It may be the case that asking the question "Where Can I Best Serve?" will lead you to change jobs. You may be in finance and you ought to be a chef, or you may be a musician and you ought to be a school principal. It may be that you are in the field you are in not because it bests fits your gifts, but because you thought it would get you the most money or most please your parents.But, it may be that you just need to change your mindset and not your job. You can serve others in almost any field:

• Football coaches serve by helping their players learn how to play as a team;
• Litigators serve by helping their clients work through the difficult, scary, but necessary facts of business in America;
• Entrepreneurs serve by creating products and services that meet needs in society.

Blessed By Nest

I bought and installed the Nest learning thermostat at home about a year ago. It sounds funny to say it, but the whole experience was a blessing to me. Someone clearly thought through every aspect of the product: the thermostat, the packaging, and the instructions. Some entrepreneur conceived of the idea, and that idea met a need I had in my living room.One thing I know for sure: God created you to serve the world. You may be in the wrong career, or it may be that you've been thinking of serving your bank account rather than the world. The first step to work that matters is to consciously think of work as a means to serve others.

2. "Am I Willing To Get Fired?"

Work matters, but it's not what's most important. If you hold your work too tightly, it will restrict your life and your integrity. You'll care more about meeting the numbers than about meeting your husband for dinner or meeting your wife's needs or meeting your kids at their soccer games. But, if you're willing to hold your work in an open hand, paradoxically, work will matter more to you in the ways that matter. Be willing to lose your job. And be grateful to have it.

3. "Who Can I Bless Today?"

If you are feeding hungry children, it's obvious how you can bless someone today. But, we can bless others in lots of other, more mundane ways. For example, you can bless others through:

• Running a meeting with competence and efficiency;
• Caring about the person on the other end of the sales call as more than a potential commission;
• Deliberately trying to help your boss succeed (even if your boss isn't your favorite person).

If you see your everyday work responsibilities as a way of intentionally blessing others, your work will take on a whole new understanding.

Your Work Is Your Ministry

I'm in the pastoral ministry, but the people in my church are called into ministry, too. Their ministry might involved fixing cars or selling mortgages or investing in start-ups, but it's ministry. My job is specialized: to equip the folks in my church to be better ministers. But, there is no Christian who isn't called to ministry.

On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with the work you are doing?

What needs to change for you to see your work as your ministry?

 (We're talking about topics like this--topics that matter to men--at 7, a men's gathering at Munger Place Church every Friday morning at 7:00 AM, September 26-November 7. More info here. Either you are a man, or you know one--either way, we'd love to have you.)  

Is God Nice?

The conventional?wisdom is that God?is just like a religious Santa Claus: nice, gentle, and tame. In other words, a God totally unknown to the Israelites.

The Israelites Were Afraid at Sinai

In Exodus 19 we read of the intense preparations the Israelites take before the theophany on Mt. Sinai. This is the first contact the ordinary Israelites have ever had with the Lord, and they are terrified.

And So Is Everyone Else

Terror is actually the universal sentiment in scripture when ever anyone meets with God or his angels. Even in the New Testament, the human response to a theophany (a divine appearance) is always fear:

• Remember the shepherds in Luke's account of Christmas, keeping watch over their flocks by night? The first thing the angel of the Lord says to them is "Fear not!" [Luke 2:10].
• On the Mount of Transfiguration, even Peter is terrified at the temporary vision he, James, and John are given of the true nature of Jesus. When they hear the voice of God, they fall to the ground in terror [Matthew 17:6].
• On the road to Damascus, Paul also falls to the ground in fear after hearing the voice of the risen Christ [Acts 9:4].

Scripture is clear: the majesty of God is terrible to behold.

Her Majesty is Not Amused

We should not be surprised that divine majesty is as serious as something can be. Even 21st century interactions with human majesty require clear protocol and produce respect and solemnity. Consider the rules‘that even the American President has to observe when he meets with Her Majesty. For example, it is considered reprehensible to ever turn your back on the queen. Why? Because majesty provokes respect. 

"All Rise"

We don't have a king or queen in this country, but we do have the law, and the law is majestic and terrible. The law has the power of life and death over the people. When the judge enters the courtroom, everyone stands out of respect, not of the person of the judge, but of the law which the judge represents. Only God is greater than the law.

God is Not Tame

It shouldn't be surprising that a divine appearance is terrible. Moses was right to prepare the people. Any God worth the title is by definition greater than anyone of whom we can conceive. Our pop culture versions of the Santa Claus God betray our lack of honest imagination.To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, God is good, but he is not tame.No, it's not surprising that God is terrible and majestic. But do you know what is surprising?That the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, full of grace and truth [John 1:14].The Incarnation? That's surprising in the best possible way.