Read the Bible This Year!

Want to read the whole Bible in 2011? Why not? It only takes about 10-15 minutes a day (yes, really!). One way is to start in Genesis and go all the way through, reading 3-4 chapters per day. Another way is with one of several reading schedules that are chronological. Send me an email, and I can send you one. I have one that puts all the Psalms on Sundays, another that puts the Psalms, as much as possible, into their historical context (the latter is the one I've used for about a decade).

The ESV web site also has several reading plans that you can do online--you can find out about that by clicking here.

Why not do it this year?

Silent Night/7 O'clock News by the Beatles

Here is a video that captures the contrast of Christmas with Matthew 2:13-23 (the aftermath of the wise men's visit and Herod's fear/anger). It was done by Simon and Garfunkel during the Vietnam war:

What Is the Family's Purpose?

Countless people--not only Christians, but especially Christians--have decried the downfall of the family. Recent surveys show that the percentage of adults in a marriage is steadily declining, and the percentage of children born out of wedlock is steadily rising. It doesn't take a degree in psychology or theology to recognize that this is not good (in fact, those with degrees in psychology are the ones insisting that this does not matter--shame on them! But that is another matter....)
In Christian circles (and especially in Reformed circles) some have sought to fight this by insisting that, in fact, the family is a small church, and the church exists primarily to strengthen the family. Does the Bible truly teach this?
It may be that you have never asked that question--and you might say, Wendell, where on earth are you getting this? That's OK. But if you have asked yourself what the relationship is between church and family, here is an article you may find helpful--at least to understand how family relates to church in a theological way.

Church + Friends = Happiness

At least so says the research in this article. Is anyone surprised? What do you think?

Unlocking the Mysteries of Life

Here is a video by that title that I watched this morning. Beware--it is over an hour long.



It is excellent. Primarily because it does not try to do too much. What I mean by that is this: you can't get from science to Christian faith--that is the work of the Spirit through the preaching of the gospel. But scientific discovery does undermine the false assumptions behind naturalistic evolution--as it must, because this is God's world.

You can also watch it here on google video.

Failed Human Predictions

Click this link for a most interesting observation about the reliability of biblical prophecy--and the failure of human predictions! The blog operator does not allow me to copy and paste--otherwise I would paste it in here. But just click on the link.

Here's another video--this one puts me at risk of violating the 10th commandment. I wish I could have been there:



By the way, this one was "sponsored" by a small business in Canada that, I take it, wants to make itself known. Not a bad way to do so!

Here is something that I have heard a lot about, and have seen in person. How do we handle this for ourselves, our children, and our church? I welcome your thoughts. This, by the way, is why I still only have a pay-as-you-go cell phone, and it will take a miracle for me to permit my kids to have a cell phone (let alone an I-phone) anytime before their, say, 30th birthday :). Is that the answer? I'm not sure, honestly.

Another Good Book

We recently had an election. Once in a while I am asked why I do not preach sermons about elections--how to vote, etc. There are many reasons for this, most notably that we are tempted enough to do what Psalm 146:3 tells us not to do: "Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation...." Perhaps the most powerful sermon that could be preached about elections is NOT to trust in elections for anything eternal and ultimate.

But of course it behooves us to vote, and every election time, although I do not preach on how to vote, I usually do turn my mind to that vast subject of how, as citizens of heaven, we best fulfil our citizenship on earth. Recently I mentioned Carl Trueman's book Republocrat, and now I want to mention another that I am reading: The City of Man, by Michael Gerson and Peter Wehner.

Although these two books come at it differently (Trueman from what might be called the "center-left," and these guys more from the right), what they have in common is this: they all advocate that we think about our political commitments as comprehensively as possible. Abortion and gay marriage are not the whole ballgame; they are parts of it, but they are not the whole game. There are other moral issues at play.

Gerson and Wehner begin (after some introductory chapters) with "The Morality of Human Rights," writing: "... issues of war and peace, human rights and genocide, extreme poverty and pandemics have massive human consequences and, therefore, unavoidably moral dimensions."

That's about how far I've read in this book--so far so good! I'll let you know if somethings trikes me, one way or another, as I keep reading.

What Do Atheists Know About God?

If you have asked that question, or if it seems a strange question, follow this link.

For All Facebook Users--and Public Speakers...

Above is a pictorial representation of Mark Zuckerberg's speech, done by an outfit called Fastcompany. Mark Zuckerberg is the founder of Facebook, and his speech was to explain, um, what is coming down the pike for, um, Facebook. I know just how he, um, feels; maybe you do, too!

What the Bible Is and Is Not

That is the title of an interview with Mike Emlet, whose book Crosstalk Ross used as a basis for a Sunday School class a while ago. Emlet was interviewed on the show "Family Life" on September 30 and October 1. It is well worth a listen--you can listen to the Sept. 30 interview here. The Oct. 1 (part 2) interview is here.

The Many Uses of Bicycles

All you bikers out there (bicyclists, that is--not Harley-riders :)), check this out. A new use for bicycles, perhaps coming soon to a city near you...

Copenhagen Cargo Bikes from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

Suffering and Joy

In studying 2 Timothy, one of the remarkable things is Paul's situation--he wrote 2 Timothy "in chains" (2:9), as a prisoner (1:8), and in the prospect of his death (4:6). Yet his letter is not focused on himself, and he writes with great hope.
This should not surprise. For followers of Jesus Christ suffering and joy go together. I was reminded of this again from 1 Thessalonians 1:4-6: "For we know, brothers beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction... for you received the word with much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit...."
Gordon Fee remarks: "Here we find that remarkable collocation of joy and suffering found throughout the NT. The early church understood suffering to be part of its lot, and believers were not to be surprised by it; yet because they they had experienced their new life as the indwelling of the Spirit, they also lived with great joy."

Of Cheap Stunts

I hate to belabor this point--it should be obvious. But the stunt by the "pastor" in Florida to threaten to burn a Koran (or Quran) for its publicity value illustrates what the gospel and Christianity is, and is not. (I do this in part because I had breakfast with a brother this morning who was accused at work of being one of "you guys" who burn Qurans. It is one thing to endure scoffing for the sake of the gospel; it is another thing to be mocked for the idiocy of someone far away who happens to have "Christian" in the name of his church. I for one want to distance myself farther from that "pastor" than from the Muslim down the street).
If following Jesus means that you are right and righteous, and that ________ (fill in the blank with "Muslim" or any other kind of people) are wrong and evil, then we should burn Qurans (and lots of other books, including many on our own bookshelves). But for our instruction there is a group of people in the New Testament who thought they were right and righteousness, and despised those who were not like they were. But they were the group of people for whom Jesus had the least "tolerance"--the Pharisees. Read Luke 11:37-54. If being "right" and "good" make one worthy of God's attention and acceptance, then the Pharisees are at the top of the heap. But they were at the bottom of Jesus' heap.
Following Jesus, it turns out, begins with the recognition that I am neither right nor righteous, but am in fact enslaved to worshipping myself. That enslavement takes many forms--including enslavement in a false religion, of which Islam is but one example. But what I share with the Muslim by nature is that I believe I can save myself, that a just God must consider I am a good person, and such nonsense. And the only thing that can deliver both the Muslim and me (or anyone else) from being thus enslaved is the gospel. So that whatever I have of being right or good is not native to me, but wholly by God's grace, in response to which, in the worlds of Isaac Watts, "each of us cries with thankful tongue, Lord, why was I a guest? Why was I made to hear your voice and enter while there's room, when thousands made a wretched choice, and rather starve than come?"
As followers of Jesus our response to Islam should be the same as to every form of enslavement to sin: prayer that God will open blind eyes, and gospel proclamation (which is a costly thing--let's face it!). Not cheap stunts that drag Jesus' name through the mud.

The "Center" of Paul's Theology

Here is something to ponder, if you have the occasion to meditate on it. I have begun a series in 2 Timothy, and on Sunday I tried (emphasis on tried!) to convey a sense of what is at the "center," the middle, the focus, of Paul's writing. Here is a summary by Gordon Fee that is worth pondering (and there is a lot to ponder, as it is very concise):
"Through the death and resurrection of his Son Jesus, our Lord, a gracious and loving God has effected eschatological salvation for his new covenant people, the church, who now, as they await Christ's coming, live the life of the future by the power of the [Holy] Spirit." (God's Empowering Presence, p. 12).
I realize for many (muself included) that is too dense to digest. Think about it, though. Ponder it. In Christ, we live the life of the future (the life of 'the age to come' in Paul's epistles, also called "eternal life" or just "life" in John's gospel; also called the life of the kingdom of God/heaven in Matthew and Mark). And it is life lived in the church--and it is life lived in the fallen world ("this present age").
Like I said, a lot to think about.

New Blog to Follow

While there are several blogs that I occasionally look up, just to see what is of interest there, from bloggers whom I often find insightful, here is a blog that has had a lot of interesting stuff from a variety of sources--including some good Christ-centered reflection on "secular" sources. It is the blog of David Murray, a Scotsman who teaches at the Puritan Reformed Seminary in Grand Rapids, MI.
Much of what he blogs about has to do with leadership, or with pastoral ministry. But a good deal of it is for everyone. Check it out.

What does a Christian write for the Harvard Business Review?

Here's what--based on a graduation speech to the Harvard Business School class of 2010. A bit lengthy, but well worth a read. Incidentally, David Brooks commented on this in the New York Times, also a very worthwhile read (and much shorter!).

"How-to" and "What-to" Preaching

I've had several conversations in the last few days about why at our church (and other gospel-centered churches) preachers do not tell congregations, very specifically, what to or what not to do (or how to, or not to, do something). Here is why.
Let me use the example of offensive language (since I used a marginally offensive word in a sermon recently, as I was told :)). Say I preached a sermon with this title: "Words That Should Never Come out of a Christian's Mouth." And I produced a list of the kinds of language Christians should never use, all with biblical quotations to back up why this or that word or phrase is inappropriate or downright evil. I might even go on to say how bad people are who use such language, and they ought to watch out, for, referring to James 3:6, the tongue is "set on fire by hell itself."
Such a sermon would have one of two consequences in those who heard it:
First, there would be those who are not in the habit of using such words. They would hear this sermon, and think to themselves, "I got that box checked. I don't use such language. Whew! I must be a good Christian." In other words, it would produce a Pharisee.
Second, there would be those who are in the habit of using such language. They would hear the sermon and say to themselves, "Man, I just can't do it. I might as well give up. I'm never going to be able to stop swearing. I must be a horrible Christian. Maybe I'm not a Christian at all." In other words, it would produce a drop-out.
Pharisees and drop outs. Neither group would be affected at all by the gospel. The Pharisee is self-righteous, and sees no need for the gospel. The drop-out is crushed, and sees no hope in the gospel. I have not, therefore, preached the gospel at all, no matter how "practical" my sermon, no matter how easily I can go to work on Monday and "apply" it to my life.
But there is another reason why we don't preach sermons whose main points are "how-to" or "what-to." It is because when God's Word gives God's commandments, they are never such as can be directly "applied" on Monday morning, to our complete satisfaction. God never commands us things like, "don't leave home without kissing your wife as you go out the door." That would be doable, so that if I did that consistently I would have reason to feel self-righteous. No, God gives us big commandments like, "Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her." Kissing my wife every time I go out the door may be a good thing, and may be consistent with that commandment, but the commandment is much, much too big for me to ever feel like, "I got that box checked off! I must be a good husband!"
That's why we always preach the gospel. That's why we never preach God's commandments without a strong dose of the gospel (by which our righteousness, our boasting, is found in Christ and him alone because he died and rose again). God's commandments are so big that they deal not with externals, but with our hearts. And our hearts are so warped that nothing short of the gospel of Jesus' death and resurrection has any hope of giving us any assurance, or of giving us hope that we might ever change for the better--or make progress toward keeping God's big commandments. For we always need gospel forgiveness, and gospel change. And that is what, above all, we preach.

At the Center of the Church Is a Well

Here's another book I have been reading. I was initially especially intrigued because the author was on my floor, over 20 years ago, when I was a Resident Asistant in college--though I'm sure he doesn't remember.
In one of the chapters he gives the image of the church as a ranch. But whereas we often think of the pastures of a ranch surrounded by fences--to keep the cattle in, as well as the neighbor's cattle out--perhaps a giant ranch is more to the point. On huge ranches it is impractical to build fences. Instead, the rancher digs a well. The cattle, if they don't want to die, will naturally stay close to the well.
As I read that, I thought of the woman at the well in John 4. She came to the well becaue that is where there is water. Jesus went to the well, because he had better water than was in the well--and he had it for people who needed it most.
The church, too, has the living water of the gospel. It is for people who need it--including those inside the church, and those outside the church. Those who know the water will stay close, if they are wise. But the well should also draw those who don't know the water yet--like the Samaritan woman. The fences should not be necessary to keep those who know the water in--and should not be in the way of those on the outside who want to come and taste the water.
I found that a different, and helpful, way to look at the church and the gospel the church offers.

Calling All Men

Recently Rick Phillips came out with a book on biblical masculinity, titled The Masculine Mandate. That seems to be a popular topic, though sometimes what is put forward is more testoneronal than biblical. That said, I haven't yet read it--but I have read this summary, and it has convinced me that I need to read the book. Hope you will find the same thing.

PCRT 2010

Over the past week or so I have been listening to the audio CD's of this year's Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology. The theme is "These Last Days: A Christian View of History." It is, not surprisingly, excellent (though I've only listened to the first two sessions so far). What is the history and future of the world God made? How is Christ the key player in that history and future? What is the role of human culture in that history? How does human culture interact with God's redemptive work in Christ, and his church? Where do we find ourselves in the grand purposes of God for the world he made? It is excellent stuff. I'll be glad to lend it to you--it will give you good stuff to listen to on your commute (that's where I mostly listen to it, if not in the office). If you can afford it, order your own from www.alliancenet.org. Unfortunately, it is not (yet?) available for download (someone ought to put a bug in their ear about that, really!).

I've been reading a good book the last week or so--am almost done with it. One of the many, many trends in our day among evangelicals is to leave the "institutional" church, and to get together with a few friends for fellowship instead. While that is an extreme response to the challenges of the church (and one which, incidentally, Christ the Head of the Church does NOT commend in the Bible), we all know that being a member of Christ's church--particularly a local church--has its moments.
This is a book that, while it adresses the extreme of leaving the organized church altogether, also positively gives a wonderful vision for not only tolerating, but loving Christ's Church--and our local church. If you'd like to borrow if, please do (I should be done reading it by next week).
By the way, this book is not scholarly--you won't get bogged down by it.

A Gift for Father's Day

This Sunday, I am told, if Father's Day. As a father, I'm not sure I'm crazy about Father's Day. I could easily do without it, honestly. But here is an article that we may take to heart--think of something more useful for Father's Day than the usual Father's Day gift. Better yet, take Father's Day to meditate on the ultimate Father, who gave his own Son so that men and women could be his children, instead of remaining rebels and prodigals. Every Lord's Day is, in one sense, Father's Day for him. Except that everything we give to him is in the final analysis a gift from him to us, and places us even further--delightfully so--in his debt. How strange the gospel works, that even when we do good it is because God has granted us the wherewithal both to desire and to do what glorifies him (see Philippians 2:13).
But I digress. Read the article anyway. And think about what you ahve been given, and be generous, not out of guilt, but out of grace.

MTW Video

Here is an excellent video, including Jon Eide and Garret and Kristen Clemmer, about the mission of MTW in the Ukraine. Don't miss it!

How Mormonism Fails

The June New Horizons has another excellent article--this one from my fellow-pastor Jody Morris. Jody grew up Mormon, and he gives an excellent testimony of his coming to Christ, and the liberation that it was for him not to have to earn God's favor through his own good works. If you have a copy, it will reward the time to read it. I'll put a link to it as soon as it is up on the web.

Grace and Money

We're kicking off a fund-raising drive for a new facility at Covenant. How do you do fund-raising out of grace, and not out of guilt? How do we give out of grace? Tim Keller has an excellent sermon that you can download here titled "Grace and Money." See how money is redefined as the "bottom line" for a disciple of Christ.
Tip: Download it, then burn it on to a CD, and listen to it in the car on your way to or from work. What else are you going to listen to?

A Moment of Cynicism

Indulge me for a moment--the cynical side of me--and take a look at this video, a satire of what happens in some churches on Sunday morning. What do you think?

A Prayer

Here is a prayer--suited to what we have seen lately in Luke 18, from the rich ruler to the blind beggar (from the Valley of Vision):
Glorious Jehovah, my Covenant God,
All your promises in Christ Jesus are yes and amen, and all will be fulfilled.
You have spoken them, and they shall be done; commanded, and they will come to pass.
Yet I have often doubt them, have lived at times as if there were no God.
Lord, forgive me that death in life, when I have found something apart from you, when I have been content with lesser things.
But through your grace I have repented;
You have given me to read my pardon in the wounds of Jesus, and my soul trusts in him, my God incarnate, the ground of my life, the spring of my hope.

The Fear of God

I am reading a book by Ed Welch about addictions. He has in there an excellent chapter on the fear of God. he defines it as follows:
"The fear of the Lord is knowing that I live coram deo, before the face of God. It is knowing that the Holy God sees every aspect of my life. The result is that we live knowing that we are seen. We live publicly, and follow Christ in joyful and reverential obedience." (p. 176)
Here's another thing to think about from later on the same page:
"The practical theology of all addictions [and indeed of all sin] says that God is present sometimes and absent at others. We typically indulge our sin without pangs of conscience when we believe no one sees. How do we know this? Notice what happens if someone actually catches us. We are embarrassed; we have a sudden sense of our guilt. What we tried to keep in the dark is now exposed in the light. The reality, of course, is that we are never in private. 'You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence' (Ps. 90:8) All our lives are lived out in the courts of the Lord. We are always seen and in the presence of the Holy One."

By Grace Alone

This is from a forthcoming book by Sinclair Ferguson, titles By Grace Alone: How the Grace of God Amazes Me. (Sinclair Ferguson was one of my professors in seminary)
The gospel is an invitation to receive a gift. But many people hear it as a summons to do better. Paul makes it clear that the gospel is not about something we do. It is about what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.... You did not, do not, and cannot earn your own salvation. You can contribute nothing to it in any way. It is not earned by your achievements, your merit, your faith, your level of sanctification, your faithfulness, or your Christian service. Reconciliation is a free gift of grace from beginning to end. Christ already has done everything that is needed in order to take your sins and to transfer His righteousness to you.

More on Music

This month's New Horizons magazine is well worth the read. Besides two pictures from our own Barbaranne Kelly (one of Ross' ordination, the other with the article about the Chinese Church), there is an excellent article on Why God Wants Us to Sing. It is not yet on the OPC's New Horizons website, but when it gets put up, it should be here. Again, well worth the read.

God is a Mathematician

Thus said a famous mathematician. I was a math major in college, and so I found this article on "hybrid numbers" (numbers that are a combination between real and imaginary numbers) quite fascinating.
I'm not sure I understand the ins and outs of what this article says. But one of the big questions in the philosophy of mathematics is this: Do we construct mathematics, or do we discover it? Here is a strong argument, from my standpoint, that wherever mathematicians may go, God has already been there--so that we discover it more than constructing it. See what you think!

Here's the video

Amazing Grace on the Black Notes

Here is a link to a video (I haven't yet learned how to embed it) about the hymn Amazing Grace that is quite fascinating. Enjoy!
Two of the most common metaphors for sin in the New Testament are (1) sin as a terminal illness, and (2) sin as slavery. Last Sunday I preached on the healing of the ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19), where we focused on the former. This video reminds us of the latter. In both senses the remedy is Christ's taking on himself our sin and sinfulness, and uniting us by faith to his freedom and health/cleanness. Soli Deo Gloria!

Calvin and Hobbes

I once read surmised that Bill Watterson named the characters in his cartoon strip after John Calvin and Thomas Hobbes (empiricist philosopher). Don't know if that is true or not. But Bill Watterson walked away from the cartoon abruptly in 1995, after a 10-year run, and is apparently publicity-shy. Well, here are two web pages, if you're interested, about Watterson and his cartoon strip--one a report, the other an e-mail interview with the author. Happy reading.

You Cannot Serve God and ________

Yesterday our sermon text included Jesus' words: "You cannot serve God and money." In fact, you can place almost anything in the place of "money" in that sentence, and it would hold equally true. I've just finished Tim Keller's book, Counterfeit Gods, and he pointed to a sermon that deals with "soul idolatry"--not the external bowing down to physical idols, but the internal bowing down to the idols that our hearts create for us. That sermon is well worth a read.