The Golden Compass
October 31, 2007 | 1 Comment
Lar,
Where are you brother? I expect you to get back into blogging shape sometime soon! Anyhow….The Golden Compass. That’s a movie that is set to be released in December. From what I understand, it is the anti-Narnia, even though it is being publicized as if it were in the same category. This movie is based on the first of three books by an avowed atheist named Philip Pullman. The trilogy itself is entitled His Dark Materials. That doesn’t sound to favorable to me.
Interestingly enough, it seems as if Pullman himself is quite transparent in his desire to destroy the idea of Christianity. Sadly, few seem to realize that the use of a narrative for children is a wonderful way to do so. Therefore, many speak of the film (and the books I suppose) as if it were no big deal. You can hear them now, “It is just a story.”
Well…let it be clear…there is no such thing as ‘just a story.’ For every story has an author. And every author has a worldview. And we are kidding ourselves if we think that the author’s worldview will not ’shine through’ his or her story. And we are kidding ourselves more if we think that the worldview that ’shines through’ the story will not impact us or our children. Such a notion is foolishness to say the least (I suppose, b/c it is so arrogant).
Think about it brother, God has revealed Himself especially through stories. It is especially through stories (true ones of course) that He has chosen to make Himself known. Even more, the story that is all of human history will serve as the primary place we behold the glorious riches of His Person. History itself is all about God.
So are stories a big deal? You bet they are. That is why what we see on television or in the movies are a big deal. For whether we realize it or not, they are informing our thinking. They have lessons to teach us. And the power of a story is that it can so captivate us that it places our mind in a receptable mood. We think we are just being entertained, when in reality our minds are being renewed (for good or for ill).
Yes…stories are a very big deal. That is why Christians ought to be busy acting like their Creator and writing good stories. It is also why we should be very careful about what our children read about and watch. Indeed, it is why we ourselves should be very careful about what we read and what we watch. We are foolish and arrogant to think that we can read and watch without being affected.
I am sure that some may think I am a raving conservative Christian. But that is not the case. I enjoy movies as much as anyone else (to which I think you would attest). That is because I enjoy a good story. But every time I watch and read I am on my guard. I want to know what I am being taught. I want to think through the message conveyed through the subtle influence of art. Let us be diligent to think things through and to pray for much grace.
Also, if you want to find more out about The Golden Compass, click here. I would also enjoy hearing some of your thoughts on the matter. I could certainly say more….
Working on my discernment with you,
Joe
The Concept of Calling
October 30, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
Al Mohler summarizes a book called The Listening Heart by A.J. Conyers. Naturally, his post is worth reading. I know I say that about every Mohler post I link to, but I would urge everyone to check this one out in particular. For the day and age we live in is not one that encourages the concept of calling. After all, to speak of calling demands talk of a Caller. And not to many people want to engage in such a discussion today.
Yet surely we are all the poorer for it. For the Caller Himself has given each us gift for the good of one another and the glory of His name. And, as Mohler points out, to fully appreciate and utilize those gifts requires community–and in particular, the community of faith. We serve one another well when we learn how to recognize each other’s strengths and desires and in turn, point one another in the right direction. Vocation. Calling. How many 18-21 year olds have no idea what they want to do with their lives? No need to answer, because the number is staggering. Well, we aren’t serving them well by talking about ‘what they want to do with their lives.’ Sure, desire is a part of it. But desire is usually an indication of divine call. And we need to help them see desire in its proper context.
Sadly, there is too much confusion today over the topic of calling or vocation. People wander from job to job, because they just can’t figure out what the Lord has called and equipped them to do. The Church is the place where they ought to find help. And sadly, there seems to be as much confusion in the church as there is everywhere else.
So Lar, let us labor to put flesh on our understanding of vocation. It will serve both ourselves and many others very well.
Seeking Him with you,
Joe
Sermon Jams
October 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
You just received the same email I did with a link to this, but I had to share the wealth. Check this out. Much thanks to Gino for finding this site and pointing us to it.
Jamming with you,
Joe
Great Ending
October 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
As we said yesterday, we should post this for everyone to enjoy. I saw that Justin Taylor did as well at his blog. I saw it yesterday on ESPN.com when I was looking for the final PSU score. So…(for whatever reason the embedding it isn’t working). The link is here.
Enjoy it (I’ve watched it like 4 or 5 times the past few days!),
Joe
Another Halloween Article
October 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
This one is by Al Mohler, someone whose wisdom I highly prize.
Discerning throught things with you,
Joe
Margin Quotes
October 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
I have yet another ‘must-read’ in my hands. (I am like the boy who cried ‘Wolf!’ in that regards huh?). It is called Margin and focuses on our great need for boundaries in life, boundaries that keep us from burn out. It’s a book sorely needed today. Anyhow, I hope to write more about this book next week sometime. For now, I thought I would share a quote or two. Here it goes…
“Do you think Jesus would have carried a pocket calendar? Would He have consulted it before making commitments? Would He have bypassed the leper because His calendar said He was late for the Nazareth spring banquet?
Do you think Jesus woudl have worn a wristwatch? What would have been His reaction if the temple service extedned past noon and alarms went off in the crowd? Would He have drive out the clock watchers along with the money changers?….
Do you think Jesus would have carried a beeper? Would Martha and Mary have page Him to come and raise Lazarus from the dead? Can you imagine Him being paged out of the Last Supper?
The clock and the Christ are not close friends. Imagine what God thinks of us now that we are so locked into schedules that we have locked ourselvesr out of the Sermon on the Mount–it is hardly possible to walk the second mile today without offending one’s pocket calendar. We jump at the alarm of a Seiko but sleep through the call of the Almighty.”
Naturally, Lar, there is much more to the book than that simple quote, but those paragraphs are good for reflection, I believe. We live in a day and age unlike any the world has evern known, a day and age that affords great opportunity for impact along with great opportunity for depression and burn out and debt and schedule overload. It takes great discernment and guidance to faithfully maneuver our way through these plentiful options. This book is surely helping me in that regard.
Needing grace to live with margin,
Joe
Thinking about the Kingdom
October 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Joe,
It has been tough for me to get much time to blog lately, as things have been a bit busy. Today I began to prepare for Sunday night’s message on Jesus’ words, ‘Let your Kingdom come, let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ It struck me that one large reason why this may not be a frequent prayer on our lips or in our heart is because we don’t know what the Kingdom of God is.
So what is the Kingdom? That is a tough question to answer. What I did today (thanks to some Bible software) was to look up every mention in the New Testament of the word ‘kingdom’. I thought that it would at least get me started in reflecting on why this prayer from Matthew 6:10 is so important. I observed some exciting things, which I hope to share tomorrow.
As for now, let us be careful to be informed about what we pray for. How many have mindlessly uttered the Lord’s prayer for years (as we did before and after PSU games, remember?) without even knowing what they are asking for? May we not be those people. May we take pains to know what God has revealed about the Kingdom, so that we know what we are praying, and so that we live in such a way as to speed its coming.
Larry
Another Thought on Reading
October 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
I was reading earlier today when another reading tip hit me. I suppose it isn’t terribly profound or different than what we have mentioned, but I thought it was important to share. In short, when you read, take care to engage your affections.
You made mention of the need to pray while we read. We both said that prayer is a means through which our hearts are stirred by what we know. I agree with that of course. However, I also think that it is important for us to read with a view towards engaging our emotions. What I mean by that is that as we read, we should not only be thinking through what is being presented to us. But we should also ask ourselves: How should I feel about this?
That might seem terribly subjective or robotic in a sense, but I don’t think it has to be. Essentially, you are asking yourself, “If what this author is saying true, what should of emotional response does it warrant?” And of course, the responses vary. Some realities are worth a great deal of emotional response (glory of God filling the earth as the waters cover the sea for example), while others are not (how to balance your checkbook [something Erin was explaining to me yesterday...]).
Incidentally, these questions lead towards another tip, namely, look for connections to what you already know. The reason this lines up with the emotional element of reading is because if you are reading about balancing your checkbook, you probably won’t be too excited. But if you begin to think about the fact that balancing your checkbook is a means through which you grow in diligence and faithfully manage your financial world to the glory of Almighty God, you may get a little more excited. Indeed, you should get a little more excited. Of course, that example is quite mundane, but I trust it illustrates my point.
I could go on (as usual, yes), but that is enough for now. Engage your affections. Get excited about the text. Don’t allow yourself to become so familiar with a certain subject that you somehow become bored by it. And secondly, look for connections to what you already know. Particularly, look for connections to the great realities of the universe. For when you do these two things faithfully, reading (whatever) will be anything but routine.
Enjoying good books with you,
Joe
Halloween Musings
October 24, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Joe,
I thought this was a nice post from Tim Challies on the subject of Halloween. I have been thinking about this subject a bit lately, and I would say I’m pretty much in agreement with what Challies has to say. I’d be interested to hear what the rest of Blog Nation thinks about this subject.
Larry
Old School R.C. Sproul Interview
October 24, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
This interview is not a short one, but it is a good one. Thanks to Ralph for sending it to me last week. As usual, Sproul’s insights are worthy of consideration and reflection.
Catch you later,
Joe
Do the Next Thing
October 24, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
You may have heard about this poem before, but if not, I trust you will agree that it is worth reading and meditating upon. Check it out when you have the chance.
Doing the next thing,
Joe
The Spread of Religion
October 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Lar,
Not sure if you have seen this map, but I saw it at Justin Taylor’s blog and definitely thought it was worth linking to. It really puts our historical position into great perspective. It also stimulated numerous thoughts concerning what God is doing in the world. The great thought is that we know where it is all headed. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of God’s glory as the waters cover the sea! In that, let us rejoice….
Thankful for special revelation,
Joe
Monday Message
October 22, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Joe,
Michelle, Halle and I are headed down to Ocean City for a few hours, so I won’t be posting for the rest of today. But I wanted to pass along this message by Sinclair Ferguson on the justice of eternal punishment. I listened to it this morning on my run. I actually only listened to the first half, and am eager to listen to the rest on Wednesday when I run. But I trust that if the second half is anything like the first, it is a message well worth listening to.
I trust you’ll agree that we do not think about these realities nearly enough. Even the first half of this message left me trembling at the justice of God, and marveling at the mercy of God in Christ.
Larry
A Final Word on Reading
October 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Joe,
Not sure if you have more to say on this subject, and if you have some specific question/topic for discussion I’d be happy to keep it rolling, but for now I think this will be my last word on the subject.
I said I had one final tip, and I have you to thank for it. The tip is: get a plan for what you will read. To make the most of reading, we need to find books that stretch us beyond our own narrow way of thinking. It is easy for me to pick up a Piper book or an Edwards sermon, and of course these are profitable for my soul. It’s easy for me to read a book about preaching, but it’s not as easy for me to read a book on biblical theology of doing business to the glory of God.
You have been an encouragement to me to step out of my comfort zone and read books that I would not normally read. Of course you still have to lend me some of those books, but I am eager to read! If left to ourselves, we will stay in our limited circle of authors and limited circle of topics, and never expand our thinking greatly. Trying to wrestle with The Good of Affluence and relate it to Don’t Waste Your Life is a challenge, and one we all need to be mature Christians. As great as Piper is, to read only Piper is to deprive ourselves of a wealth of resources.
So Joe, I encourage you to keep the reading plan coming. I, for one, know I need your help to do this. You have a gift for it. And to the rest of our readers, feel free to let Joe know if you need some direction for what books to read. He will certainly help you set up a plan that will nourish your soul and expand your thinking.
Larry
Some Stats on Reading
October 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Joe,
No need to speculate on how much one can read if they set aside 20-30 minutes for reading. Back in January I posted on this, so here are some numbers.
This ought to be a great encouragement to those with limited time, but with maximal enthusiasm to get the most out of good books.
I have one more thought on how to read, and I will try to get it posted later today.
Larry
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