My Move Toward Historic Optimism

In a previous post, I mentioned that I recently read Douglas Wilson's book Heaven Misplaced. I actually read this book once before, but the content had a different impact this time. The first time I read it, I treated it as a curiosity, but this time through, I was well-primed to actually try and absorb this information: soak it up, so to speak, as a potential belief. So much so, that I think I may have crossed over into actual belief.

Suspended Disbelief

Near the beginning of the book Wilson asks the reader to suspend their disbelief. This willing suspension of disbelief is something that any reader of fiction must do in order to enter into the story. In other words, one can't really get into The Lord of the Rings (for example) without momentarily disregarding the non-existence of orcs. If you can't suspend disbelief in orcs or elves or dark lords, every page you read you will be thinking to yourself, "... well, there is no such thing..." and there will be no suspense for the heroes of the story as they face off against any made-up enemies. On the other hand, if the reader suspends that disbelief, they open the door for an entering into the story in a way that they could not do otherwise. 

Wilson recommends doing this sort of disbelief suspension for his book because (I think) he knows that the majority of his readers will have been brought up in a particular doctrinal understanding of the Over-Arching Story of the Biblical drama which will conflict with what he is presenting. He also knows that they don't know that they were brought up in any doctrinal understanding, but that they think that what they were brought up believing is what any sane Christian believes (which isn't true) and he doesn't want anyone reading this book and thinking, "yeah right..." on every other page.

In other words, if one goes into a book like this, ready to argue every point along the way, it becomes increasingly difficult to grasp the larger picture. And the proof isn't in the ingredients, the proof is in the pudding.  The suspension of disbelief will allow you to take in all of the ingredients, let them blend and boil, and then cool into a nice pudding before you really taste it. 

I can say all of this now, but to be honest, my own willingness to suspend disbelief didn't happen overnight. 

Where it Started

About 20 years ago a notion turned into an idea: I just couldn't get away from it, there was a general sense of energetic optimism that seemed to saturate the New Testament. I'm not going to try to prove this to you, I suspect you probably know what I'm talking about. Those writers seemed to think that Christ was now King, that His kingdom had begun, that he was now seated at the right hand of the father and was given all authority (Matthew 28:18), and that through the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matthew 24:14), the world would come to know Him. They seemed to think that he really would reign from the right hand of the father until all of his enemies were defeated (Psalm 110:1; Matthew 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42–43; Acts 2:34–35). The final one being death (I Corinthians 15:25-26). 

I've included some scripture references here for the sake of phrases... but that isn't what captured me. There was a general sense of potential success I found when reading the New Testament. I couldn't figure it out. Why were they so confident? Why did they seem so sure of the success of the mission, if in the end it would be a total washout? I knew the explanations, but the explanations didn't jive with my general reading of the Bible. More specifically, my eschatological view was only visible when I went looking for it: My regular reading of the scriptures didn't leave the same taste in my mouth as the view I had been taught. 

Where it was Going

Then one day I learned that the eschatological view I had been taught didn't exist until the late 1800's. This wasn't a defining moment, but it was like the tip of the first domino in a line of dominoes. Not a proof of anything in and of itself, but it opened the door to other possible interpretations. I started asking myself if 1,800 years of Christians could have been wrong.  And then, what did the Reformers believe? Where did the Puritans stand? What about the Church Fathers? Especially those closest to the writing of the New Testament: Where did they stand? 

It was in this state of mind that I watched a video called An Evening of Eschatology. Here it is, if you'd be interested in watching it:

This video, moderated by John Piper, presents three eschatological views in a round-table debate format. The three views represented at the table are Historic Premillennial, Amillennial, and Postmillennial... meaning that the view I had grown up with wasn't even at the table. This video affected me in three ways: (1) It served as an introduction to these other beliefs. (2) It emphasized that none of these three beliefs were heretical... that they weren't breaking any rules of Biblical interpretation which would deem them absolutely false by means of their inception or construction, and (3) It demolished my old view completely. 

I can still remember watching that video the first time and marveling at how succinct their explanations were. Even though these three views weren't in agreement, they were all much more direct and understandable than anything I had ever heard before. I can recall thinking to myself, "huh... huh! ...this actually makes sense!"  Nobody had to break out the bulletin board covered in note cards with scripture references and red yarn connecting all of the dots. Nobody had to say, "Well actually, if you connect this verse with this verse and side track it through this verse (all ignoring their respective contexts), then you can clearly see that this means something that you'd never have seen taking this at face value."  And even if I didn't agree with their assessment, I couldn't get away from the idea that they still made perfect sense, even if they disagreed. 

I recently compiled a list of authors, pastors, and speakers who have had an impact in some form, either directly or indirectly, on my theological and doctrinal convictions.  I sorted the list according to the 4 views of the end times. I shared it on X and it got a bit of attention. I share it here again because I want to emphasize the reality that these other views are believable and have been believed by many a trustworthy theologian. 

Click here to see the entire spreadsheet.

I might as well point out that the shortest column of my personally influential theologians was the Dispensational column. But what surprised me the most was the column that ended up being the longest: I had assumed that the Amillennial view would have held the smallest number of adherents, but I was wrong, it was by far the longest. Again, a list like this proves nothing, but it should also not be dismissed as irrelevant. 

Two more Dangling Chads

Besides that initial interest in the Gospel Optimism of the New Testament writers, there were two other issues that crept in near the beginning of my Pastoral ministry. Long before I watched that debate, these two issues were present in my mind, but tarried in the realm of vague curiosities. Once my old eschatology was destroyed, and I was "up in the air until we were all up in the air", these two issues resurfaced demanding answers. 

The first one was the role of Israel and the Church. Under my Dispensational upbringing, I had believed that there was Israel and then there was this interim of the Church while Israel was in the doghouse, but one day God would be moved with compassion again toward Israel. He would do this, even if for no other reason than the fact that there were all of these unfulfilled promises he had keep. Those promises would then be fulfilled during the 1,000 year millennial reign of Christ. For all of this to happen, there would need to be a re-established nation of Israel, a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, and for some reason, a red heifer. This all sounded so fantastically amazing except for one thing... I kept reading the New Testament over and over again and it sure seemed like there was no longer a distinction between Jew and Gentile (Rom. 10:12). That not all Israel are Israel (Rom. 9:6) and that I was now as much a child of Abraham (Gal. 3:7,29) as the Apostle Paul.  And that I would be an actual inheritor of the promises (Gal. 3:29 & 2 Cor. 1:20)!  

I am, of course, not attempting to build an argument for this here, but I am trying to say that there was a general discomfort with those dispensational views which stemmed from my regular reading of scripture. It was a big-picture question that was standing at the back of my consciousness, occasionally saying, "a-hem" or coughing during those awkward silences of the mind. I knew that proof-texts from Jerry B. Jenkins wouldn't silence this question any longer. 

The second issue was one of prophetic expectancy. When Daniel was given visions about the end, he was told to seal them up until the end (Dan. 12:4), but John's book was then opened at the end (Rev. 5:1-2).  In fact, when John wrote Revelation, he explicitly says that these things were "soon to take place" at the beginning of the book and at the end of the book (Rev. 1:1 and Rev. 22:6).  When John told us about the antichrist  (which he actually doesn't mention in Revelation), he told us it was the last hour and the fact that there were already antichrists in the world is how we could know it was the last hour (1 John 2:18).  A couple of chapters later he actually says about the spirit of the antichrist: that it was something,.. "...which you heard was coming and now is in the world already" (I John 4:3). The Apostle Paul talked about The Day being at hand (Rom. 3:12) and implied in many places that we might see the coming of the Lord (1 Thess. 4:1) and considered that Timothy may be encountering things to happen in the last days (1 Tim. 4:1 & 2 Tim. 3:1).

Again, I am not attempting to list a series of proof texts to convince anyone of anything. I figure that much of what I am saying has crossed your mind as well because much of what I am referring to has actually been a reality in the deconstruction of the faith of many. We might want to turn our heads away from it, but many have struggled with this reality... Those writers seemed to think something was going to happen soon. Jesus even expressly mentions this in his Olivet Discourse, stating plainly, "Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place." (Matthew 24:34, ESV)  Was he wrong? Was he confused? Was this a result of him not knowing the "day or the hour"? Why would he make a statement like that? 

Another Brick in the Wall

These were the three main questions I had in my mind when I watched that eschatological debate: (1) Why were the gospel writers so optimistic about our mission? (2) Why did Paul talk about Gentile me as a full-fledged heir of the Kingdom? and (3) Why were the New Testament writers, especially Jesus, expectant of something happening soon? For many, these would not present themselves as eschatological questions... but these are actually at the very heart of the eschatological point. Our eschatology is less about the timeline of the very final days of late, great planet earth, and more about those Gospel of the Kingdom questions. 

Into these questions two theologians entered into my life. The first one was D.A. Carson. A few years back I listened to a series that he taught on Revelation that altered my approach. The series he does never gets to the eschatological and prophetic explanations, but is simply an unpacking of the book itself. His expertise and knowledge of Biblical Literature and the unique handling of the apocalyptic genre present in Revelation was one that I will never forget. What I gained from him laid the groundwork for any understanding challenging texts: The first question being, "what did this mean to those original recipients?"  The Scriptures were written... but they were actually written!  They were letters written to people. We might be reading them, and they were definitely written for us... but they were not written to us. 

The other theologian was R. C. Sproul. When I finally came across his series called, Crisis in Eschatology, I was ready to go. He taught through the Olivet Discourse within the framework of the context. In the Gospel Narrative, The Olivet Discourse was actually an answer to a question that the disciples asked Jesus. Sproul unpacked Jesus' answer as an answer to that question. The result is a more theologically consistent understanding of this prophetic discourse.

The debate had cleared out the old structure, Carson staked out the ground and poured the footers, and Sproul laid the foundation. My questions were ready to be answered and I knew that this new building would be full of Gospel Optimism for the Kingdom that Christ preached. With this in mind I picked up Heaven Misplaced again and devoured it. My disbelief had been suspended, not simply as a purposeful mental exercise in order to consider his presentation, but as a reality in my own mind.

The End.

Now... I think he might be right. I think that the Gospel ought to be optimistic. I think that the Kingdom will win in the end. And I think that all of His enemies really will be defeated through the power of the gospel... with only the final one to be put down upon his return. At that time, we will go out to tell Him that He has won the City. We will meet him in the air with all those who have gone before, and then we will return to live in that city for all eternity as he makes all things once and for all, new. 

If you are reading this and thinking, "yeah... right..." then I would like to encourage you suspend your disbelief and read this book. If nothing else, I hope you might read it and think, "That'd be nice. I wish it was true."

Heaven Misplaced:
Christ's Kingdom on Earth

In the meantime... while I am trying to figure out what to do (since we might be here for awhile), I am reading this: 

Angels in the Architecture: 
A Protestant Vision for Middle Earth

The Household and the War for the Cosmos - Review

 The Household and the War for the Cosmos by C.R. Wiley

If you have not read this book, I will begin this review by saying that I highly recommend that you do that now. Seriously. Click the link above and purchase a copy of it and start reading. If the title seems odd to you, I would like to double my encouragement to get a copy of this book. There is a cosmos. There is a war for it. And the household, your household is playing a part in this war. 

I know he lives.

 C.R. Wiley - From The Household and the War for the Cosmos

"I hate to say it, but even the piety of Wesley and Whitfield was a downgrade of the real thing. This is because by the eighteenth-century piety’s sphere had already contracted. It is a well-documented story, so I won’t go into detail, but I think I can sum it up succinctly. By the time of Wesley and Whitfield, what had once been regarded as public truth had been reduced to private convictions. Authority in general had eroded due to revolutions in politics, the sciences, and even economics. To meet the challenge evangelists were forced to stress direct, very personal experience of the supernatural by everyone. The second-hand Truth contained in catechisms and confessions was no longer enough. Even eyewitness accounts of the risen Christ were not as trustworthy as a “warmed heart.” This is how we ended up with a hymn like “I Serve a Risen Savior.” In that song the line that is supposed to persuade you to believe that Jesus rose from the dead is, “You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart!” What we are left with today is heart religion, because now the heart is the only place Jesus can be publicly acknowledged to live. Ironically, many people think that this is the sum total of Christianity, and the notion that this is actually a downgrading of the faith is inconceivable."

Entertainers of Goats

While others shelve the Scriptures to become entertainers of goats rather than feeders of sheep, we must declare with William Still, "Let goats entertain goats, and let them do it out in goat-land"! A pastor must feed his flock with "the whole counsel of God" (Acts 20:27) as one who knows that the Bible, as is the Christ it reveals, is true food and drink (cf. John 6:55), both for his people and also for himself. Show me a pastor for whom the Bible is the song of his heart and the source of his deepest convictions, and I will show you a pastor who speaks with the power of heave behind his words, yet who walks in a spirit of humility and in utter dependence on God.

William R. Edwards, Theology for Ministry: How Doctrine Affects Pastoral Life and Practice

Yesterday's Grace

Christians should never be satisfied with yesterday's grace. It is a shocking thing for Christians to have to admit that they have grown little in their knowledge of Jesus Christ.

~Basics for Believers by D.A. Carson pg 89-90

Dragon or Lamb

We choose: we follow the dragon and his beasts along their parade route, conspicuous with the worship of splendid images, elaborated in mysterious symbols, fond of statistics, taking on whatever role is necessary to make a good show and get the applause of the crowds in order to get access to power and become self-important. Or we follow the Lamb along a farmyard route, worshipping the invisible, listening to the foolishness of preaching, practicing a holy life that involves heroically difficult acts that no one will ever notice, in order to become, simply, our eternal selves in an eternal city. It is the difference, politically, between wanting to use the people around us to become powerful (or, if unskilled, getting used by them), and entering into covenants with the people around us so that the power of salvation extends into every part of the neighborhood, the society, and the world that God loves. —EUGENE PETERSON

This quote is in the prelude of the book The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb: Searching for Jesus’ Path of Power in a Church that Has Abandoned It by Jamin Goggin & Kyle Strobel

none of your trials can prove you to be a lost man

"Certain of my brethren are frequently in trouble. Their whole life is a floundering out of one slough of despond into another. You have had many losses in business -- nothing but losses perhaps; you have had many crosses, disappointments, bereavements; nothing prospers with you ... it is no sign, beloved, that you are not a child of God ... remember that none of your trials can prove you to be a lost man."

Charles Spurgeon, as quoted by Zack Eswine in the book, Spurgeon's Sorrows

God's righteousness binds together his love and his wrath.

We have seen that God's love always observes the boundaries of his righteousness. Even in redemption, god takes enormous pains so that in showing love he may be just (Romans 3:26). the sacrifice of Christ ensures that God's redemption is both loving and righteous, so that Scripture can even appeal to God's righteousness as a ground for the forgiveness of sins, and thus God's righteousness becomes a form of love. But it is also God's righteousness that ensures  the final punishment of those who reject his love, that is, his wrath against them. Without the wrath of God against those who finally disbelieve, God's love is no longer righteous. So God's righteousness binds together his love and his wrath. God's righteous love must be wrathful, if at the end of history there remain any unrepentant people. 

John Frame, Systematic Theology pg. 275

Money, Sex, and Power by John Piper - Book Review

This is a review for Christian Audio's version of Living in the Light: Money, Sex, and Power by John Piper. 

Money, Sex, and Power is John Piper's newest book release. I just finished listening to Christian Audio's version of this book as read by Rick Souer. In this book John Piper asserts that Money, Sex, and Power have been given to us, as good gifts from God, for our enjoyment but also for His Glory. He also asserts that these three gifts are highly volatile and dangerous to our lives and our souls. In as much as they can bring God great glory, when ordered and orchestrated according to God's plan, they can also bring great ruin when they swing toward the center of our desires.

Pastor John begins this book by defining the terms: money, sex, and power. He then goes on to describe the specific dangers that each of these good gifts can pose in our lives and what the destruction might look like, to varying degrees, as each person might succumb to worshiping any one of these and thereby honoring the created over the creator. Throughout the book, and especially near the end, he sets up the illustration of a solar system, with each of these: money, sex, and power, as planets with Jesus Christ as our Sun. I love how he paints this illustration with an almost poetic beauty. How our solar system sings with beauty when the sun is at the center with it's gravitational pull aligning all of the erratic orbits of these other things in our lives.

As usual, this book is saturated with Scripture. I am convinced that if you were to wring one of John Piper's books in your hands, Scriptures would pour out: drenching your hands and pooling themselves at your feet. I love this about his books.

I want to highly recommend this book. I am giving it five stars on Amazon. It was full of wisdom, insight, and practical knowledge. It presents a thoroughly Biblical view of money, sex, and power. So, if you don't always have time to sit down and read, then I want to recommend this as a good audio book to purchase or borrow. I know on Amazon (through the link attached to the image above) you can listen to this version through Audible for free with a three month trial.

When I Don't Desire God by John Piper - Book Review

Here is my review of When I Don't Desire God: How to Fight for Joy by John Piper and read by David Cochran Heath.

I have made no secret of the fact that the last few months of my life I have battled a certain melancholy spirit like I never have before. This hasn't been the most trial-fraught time of my life by any means, but this dark cloud has followed me at all times and has shadowed all I have done. I have clung to Jesus, but sometimes it has felt like: just barely. So, it was a very providential moment when I rediscovered that I already had the audio version of this book, and it was just waiting to be listened to.

As many people know, John Piper's flagship book is Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. That is a fabulous book, but I have found that, like many others, I don't need convincing that I should desire God as the greatest good. Instead, I find in myself that as much as I know this is true, I don't always feel it. Is there something wrong with me? Am I doing something wrong that I wouldn't spontaneously burst into overflowing admiration for the Creator of the Universe? Why is it that as I seek to pursue obedience to the God who, in love, has redeemed me through great sacrifice, that I am not filled with joy in my pursuit? In other words, "What do I do when I don't desire God?" The answer to that question is found in this book: Fight for Joy.

As with all of John Piper's books, this book is filled with Scripture. It is not only Biblically based, it is Biblically guided and thoroughly Biblical in its final assessment. It is laid out in clear terms how one is to Fight for Joy... a Joy that is truly a gift from God, not something that is earned. This is an encouraging book, filled not only with Biblical examples of those who needed to fight for joy, but also with a plethora of historical examples. So many of these examples were of saints that I had placed on a higher spiritual plateau, but after hearing of their struggles I find a welling up of hope in my heart.

This version was read by David Cochran Heath and produced by Christian Audio. If you aren't much of a reader, I would encourage you to check out an audio book sometime. This one would be a great one to start with!

J. I. Packer: An Evangelical Life by Leland Ryken - Book Review

I freely admit that I don't normally have the endurance for listening to audio books that take more than 5 or 6 hours to listen to.  It isn't that I don't like to listen, but my audio book listening times are usually limited to my commute to and from work. Listening to a lengthy audio book in 15 minute segments tends to feel wearisome, but I found with J. I. Packer: An Evangelical Life by Leland Ryken that I was creating times to continue listening. About 1/3 of the way through the book, I found that I didn't want it to stop. I genuinely felt like I was getting to know J. I. Packer, so I wanted to know more of his story.

I wouldn't relate listening to this book like watching a movie. The first part of the book did tell his story, but it wasn't action-packed suspense. What kept me going was the character of this man. In many ways I began to relate to his decisions and understand why he might be doing what he was doing.

I especially appreciated Leland Ryken's approach to breaking up the biography the way he did. As I mentioned, he started by giving an overview of his life, but then he went the extra mile to attempt to reveal more of Packer's character by examining several areas of his life. There were portions that explored Packer as a Preacher and Packer as an author. There was also the examination of the many controversial topics that were an ongoing part of Packer's life as a public figure. Before I listened to this book, I didn't realize that Packer was an Anglican, but by the time I was done I found myself appreciating his ongoing efforts to bring doctrinal reformation to the church. He described himself as a crusader, and I can see and appreciate that fact.

This book was read by David Cochran Heath, who always does an outstanding job. If you are interested in learning more about J. I. Packer, then I would highly recommend this book.

This book will also be important to me because this is the book I was listening to as I decided that I wanted to be a full-time Pastor. (I have been a part-time Pastor and a part-time Teacher for the last 6 years.)

Shuffle Growth is the Plague of Danville Churches

Despite the fall in overall church attendance, only one in six regular churchgoers thinks the church he or she attends is declining in numbers. Two-fifths think their church is growing. Perhaps some people are in denial about falling church numbers. But it may also be that many churches are growing but mainly through transfer growth. A declining number of Christians are consolidating into growing churches. It is still possible to grow a church by offering a better church experience than other churches. Whatever the merit of this, it is vital for us to realize that this is not evangelistic growth. It is possible to plant a church and see it grow without doing mission. "People can be attracted to a church by what it offers," says Jim Peterson, "but ... increase of this sort isn't church growth at all. It's just a reshuffling of the same fifty two cards."

~Everyday Church by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis

The Wonder Working God by Jared Wilson -- Book Review

Thanks to Christian Audio's Reviewers Program, I was able to just finish listening to The Wonder-Working God: Seeing the Glory of Jesus in His Miracles by Jared Wilson. This book was also read by the author, which I always prefer.

In The Wonder Working God, Jared Wilson has gathered together descriptions and expositions of the miracles of Jesus. At first, I believed that the miracles were grouped according to their similarity of the miraculous occurrence. But just now, as I am typing this review, I have realized that the grouping goal was according to how the miracle revealed the Miraculous Jesus. Obviously there are similarities to the types of miracles that are grouped together in the chapters, but the author has done an amazing job at pulling back the details of the miracle and the comments and conversations around the miracle to show that each of these miracles was not simply about showing that Jesus could do stuff, but showing how Jesus is truly glorious in every way.

Even though the Wonder Working God is not simply a commentary on the miracles of Jesus, it could still be a wonderful tool to use in a study of these miracles. And as I listened to the book, I started to realize that each chapter reads more like an excellently crafted sermon than an exegetical commentary. As you read/listen, the gospel message is clearly there, but not in a forced way... in an expository way...  The way a good preacher will pull back the words of Scripture to reveal Jesus. Jared Wilson has definitely done an amazing job of Preaching Christ.

I highly recommend this book.

The Freelance Christian?

The freelance Christian, who follows Jesus but is too good, too busy, or too self-sufficient for the church, is a walking contradiction. In the old covenant, God set his people apart from the nations. In the new covenant, he sets us apart as we live among the nations. But all of Scripture testifies that believers cannot be godly or fruitful without joining God's family and realizing some form of separation from the world. 

~Daniel M. Doriani, I Peter Reformed Expository Commentary

you must have a doctrine

In his epistle to the Romans, Paul mentions predestination in close proximity to God's foreknowledge: "Whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." (Romans 8:29) Christians who seek to be biblical in their thinking must have a doctrine of election and of predestination. These concepts were not invented by Augustine in his debate with Pelagius, or by Luther in his debate with Erasmus, or by Calvin in his debate with Pigius, or by Edwards in his debate with Chubb. These concepts of election and predestination are found in the text of Scripture. If you really want to be biblical as a Christian, it is incumbent upon you to hold to the biblical doctrine of predestination and of election and not some other construction. 

R. C. Sproul, St. Andrews Expositional Commentary on 1 - 2 Peter

Everyone's a Theologian by R.C. Sproul - Book Review

I just finished listening to Christian Audio's version of Everyone's a Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology by R.C. Sproul that was read by Grover Gardner... Here is my review of this book.

According to the cover of Everyone's a Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology by R.C. Sproul, this book is meant to be an introduction to Systematic Theology. As I was listening to it, I was starting to feel like it wasn't quite an introduction, but a full-fledged book on Theology. It wasn't as concise as I was expecting, and it seemed like some of the topics would have been a bit too challenging for the new Christian.

If I put that aside, it was actually a very good introduction to theology. Each chapter only lasts 5 to 15 minutes, so it makes for an easy listen. I listen while I commute to and from work, so a book like this is perfect for those times where I listen just a little bit at a time. Each section gave the basics of those theological topics in such a way that you could walk away with a solid foundation of thought without being overwhelmed... but like I said, if you are brand new to Christianity, then this book might be a bit much.

Striking a Deep, Resonating Chord

I just started reading Charles Spurgeon: Preaching through Adversity by John Piper. I am going to share on this blog a portion of the introduction to this book because it struck such a deep, resonating chord with me.

If you know me in real life, you know that I have been really showing the wear and tear of trying to be a full-time pastor, a full-time teacher, a husband, a father... and everything else... a home-owner, a mechanic, a handy-man, after-school program, etc. etc. etc. I have been busy before, but I have never felt quite like I currently do.

So, when I read this introduction, I felt like I was taking a peek into my own soul. Therefore, I share this introduction to give you a peek...

allergic to vengeance

I am re-reading Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We've Made Up by Francis Chan. This book has been my guide for a current Sunday School Class that I am teaching. This is a sobering topic... in more than one way. First, the realities of what Jesus and others in the Bible actually say about Judgment is simply terrifying. Second, these thoughts of Hell leave me grieving for those that might actually end up there, or are there. Finally, I am finding that I don't know if I am actually ready to speak the same way that the Bible does on this topic.

I want to share a quote that will convey my feelings on this, and will also show that I am not alone in these thoughts. Consider these following words from Francis Chan:

Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman Book Review

I just finished listening to Christian Audio's version of Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus by Kyle Idleman, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.

Any time there is a book that seems to grab a measure of popularity, my tendency is to steer away from it. All it takes for me is seeing the rubber bracelets or the stickers or other paraphernalia in random places. No direct offense to the kids I saw wearing these bracelets, but honestly, before I knew this was the title of a Christian book, I thought that "not a fan" had something to do with getting off the bench at a sporting event. (i.e. I wasn't noticing a correlation between bracelet wearers and students who were obviously followers of Jesus Christ.)

This perception of the book caused me to avoid listening to it for quite some time, but last week I finally started the book... and like I said, I was pleasantly surprised. I was expecting shallow theology and some sensationalism, but what I found was actually quite targeted and convicting.

The premise of the book is the challenge of whether or not you are a follower of Jesus Christ, or simply a fan of Jesus Christ. It seems in scripture, once you do some digging (or just actual reading) there is a difference between a fan and a follower. Kyle Idleman starts by defining the differences, but then he begins to unwrap these differences and examine what these differences would look like in your day to day life. With each new chapter and the stories that followed, I found myself being challenged and wondering who I could share this book with. I am considering using this book as a guide in a Sunday School Class or an evening Bible/Book study.

If you have not read (or listened to) this book, then I want to highly recommend it to you. I especially enjoyed the audio book because it was read by the author. He did a wonderful job both writing and reading his book.

Psalm 119 Journible

Our new Bible Study books showed up on the porch today.

For our new Tuesday night Bible Study time, I picked a book from the Journible Series (or the 17:18 series). There are several editions of the Journible Series, but I picked a nice short one for the introduction to our Bible Study. The one I chose was Journible Through Psalm 119 because I love Psalm 119 and because Psalm 119 emphasizes the Psalmist's passion and love of God's Word... a passion that is seriously lacking in many, who claim Christianity as their faith.

Pouring over the scriptures, pondering them, and reading them were a natural response to my genuine introduction to Jesus. I wanted to get to know him. And what is important is that I attribute this attachment to the Bible... not to some inherent quality within myself... or as a result of what the Spirit of God does in just a handful of His followers... but to the natural response to anything that we come to value.