An Understandable Approach to Jesus' Farewell Discourse

Everything you ever wanted to know about the coming of the Holy Spirit, and then some. Well not quite, but Don Carson, in this book covering a few chapters of the Gospel of John, does a good job of eliminating some of the confusion. As Carson writes in the preface, this book is meant for the ‘church at large’ rather than academia. And for that we owe him a heartfelt thank you.  As part of a Doctoral program, I’ve read other books by Carson, and there is definitely a difference between academic and the general public. I’m glad that he has recognized the difference

Reading through the gospels is never an easy job, and for many lay people, the Gospel of John, with its emphasis on the deity of God, is slightly more difficult than the accounts of Jesus' life and ministry as narrated in the Gospels off Matthew, Mark, and Luke. If you are one of those who want to understand the Fourth Gospel, but find yourself struggling, The Farewell Discourse and Final Prayer of Jesus: An Evangelical Exposition of John 14-17 (Baker Books, 1980, repackaged edition 2018) may be the book you’ve been looking for. Almost 40 years later the writing is still fresh, and the questions posed are still troubling people in the pews. And of course, the answers are still relevant.

The Disciples were confused, as many of us still are, at Jesus’ words in these few pages, and Carson does an admirable job of pointing out a number of issues that cause that confusion, as well as some of the opposing arguments. I’m going- you can’t come, but then I’ll be back for you. You won’t see me, then you will see me.  I’m praying for me, for you, and all those who will come later. Yes there’s a lot with which to wrestle.

I see a sermon series in the near future, and the folks in our weekly Bible study group are going to be blessed with this approach to the Fourth Gospel.

Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Books through the Baker Books Bloggers program. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review.

5/5

Doing church versus being the church

In his new book Resurrecting Religion: Finding Our Way Back to the Good News (NavPRess, 2018) Greg Paul tells some real-life stories of people learning to live the Gospel, to share justice as it’s described in the Bible, and how to live in community. Sanctuary, located in Toronto, is not just a place where society’s down and out can go for a meal and a bed, rather it’s a community where people can learn to experience the love of Christ in an entirely, for many, new way.

                I enjoyed reading the book, since I’ve long felt that our churches are often very unbalanced when it comes to who we care for. Think James and his admonition against treating the rich man differently from the poor man.  Greg demonstrates how people from across the broad spectrum of society can come together in a community based on their similarities in Christ, regardless of the differences in their circumstances as the world see them.

                Although this is a compelling case for being the church instead of doing church, the juxtaposition of passages from the Epistle of James and stories from communal life at Sanctuary left me wondering whether this is supposed to be a commentary on James, using examples from Sanctuary, or the story of Sanctuary describing how they fit the model of the church as described by James.

                But above all, this book is a call for justice, a call to justice. And not our worldly view of justice that suggests that the system makes sure that the ‘bad guy’ gets what he deserves. This is a call to biblical justice, where those who tend to be marginalized in and by society experience the love of Christ, the grace of God, and as they experience love and grace they recognize that they have worth, and they learn to share that love with others.

                Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity, and the lessons in this book make a good start in teaching us how to move in that direction.

                I received a complimentary copy of this book from Tyndale House Publishers

                4/5

Love thy Body: the two-story answers to one story questions

At the risk of being called a hater, I have to say that I like Nancy R. Pearcey’s book Love Thy Body: Answering Hard Questions about Life and Sexuality (Baker Books, 2018). Not only do I like the book, but I have to agree with her position on the issues that she addresses. But in all fairness, I also have to admit that this is one of the scariest books I have read in quite some time.  Not scary in the sense of monsters, or Stephen King novels, but scary in the sense of how did we get to the point where we, as a society, now find ourselves. Not scary in the sense that the author is trying to force us to accept a different standard, but the fact that many people are already making lifechanging decisions based on a new standard which is based more on feelings than on body reality.

               

                  This is also a book which, depending on your worldview, you will either agree with, or absolutely hate. And worldview as it is changing seems to be one of the main points of this book. In a very broad sense, worldview determines how you perceive and respond to the world around you.  My understanding has always been that a worldview helps one answer the big questions of life, but in our post-modern, post-Christian world, it almost seems like we are expected and encouraged to answer the questions and then adopt a worldview that supports those answers.

                Pearcey tackles questions that often tend to be major issues for Christians. What person who goes to church on a regular basis (not that church attendance is the defining factor of Christianity,) doesn’t have an opinion on things like abortion, homosexuality, pornography, and all the other things that our religion tells us are wrong? Sometimes church people’s (or church humans, if we cave to the pressure to accept personhood over humanity) opinions on these topics cause an outrage from those with a more liberal point of view, and some church people have such liberal opinions that other church people have trouble accepting them. 

                Change is often a good thing, but change solely for the sake of change, isn’t always in the best interest of humanity, but as things are changing in our world, as worldviews evolve (or devolve, depending on your perspective) humanity doesn’t seem to matter. For many people the concept of personhood seems to take precedence. All people are human, but not all humans are people. Thus, a case can be made for abortion, since a fetus hasn’t yet attained personhood.   

                Or how are decisions made concerning gender? In the case of transgenderism, the standard used to be to mold the mind to fit the birth body, but now it seems that because someone is not just a human, but more importantly a person, it’s now acceptable, admirable, and expected to change the body to fit the mind.

                Pearcy makes a strong case for a biblical worldview, a worldview which happens to concur with many points of a worldview based on the holy books of other major religions, but which seems to be superseded by an ever increasing tendency to put the individual above society.

                I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review. I was not required to write a positive review.

                4/5 

Some thoughts on UNIMAGINABLE

Have you ever asked yourself one of those deep, searching, questions like “what if”?  What if some particular thing hadn’t happened, or had happened differently. That’s the question that Jeremiah J. Johnston asks us to consider in Unimaginable: What our World Would Be Like without Christianity. (Bethany House, 2017)

As an associate professor, Dr Johnston teaches at Houston Baptist University, and serves as the president of the Christian Thinkers Society. There is definitely an academic slant to the book. He breaks the book into three distinct parts. The World before Christianity, the World without Christianity, and the world with Christianity.  One overarching idea is that a world with Christianity is definitely a better place to be.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of overlap in the three categories. Why? Because even in a world where Christianity exists, there are a lot of competing religions, and not all of them encourage their adherents to follow Christ.  We still have slavery and human trafficking, there is still war, racism, and any number of things that were happening BCE, and which in a perfect world would not exist. Freud, Hitler, Ho Chi Minh and others, within the past 100 years prove that even in our Christianized world, things are still not as Jesus intended.

As a professing Christian I agree that Christianity has the potential to make things right, however a lot of that depends on Christians to stand up and, on a regular basis, do the next right thing. Johnston points out how humanity is being dehumanized, which tracks with others who are writing about how attempts by ultra-liberal thinkers to redefine ‘person’ and ‘human’ are leading us down a slippery slope.

While I appreciated the careful thought that went into this book, I found it to be a little one-sided. Obviously, as a professor of Christianity, his position is definitely that the world is better off with Christ followers in it, and the world would be much better if there were more evidence of Christianity apparent for all to see.

If this had been slightly more balanced I would be inclined to give it a more favorable review.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review

3/5

thoughts on 'Your God is Too Glorious'

Sometimes we all need to remember to stop and open our eyes, stop and smell the roses, stop and see where God is at work in our lives. And that’s usually easier said than done. So, it was a joy to read Your God Is Too Dangerous: Finding God in the Most Unexpected Places, by Chad Bird. (Baker Books, 2018)

                Elijah stood in a crevice, waiting for the LORD to pass by. Surprisingly enough, God didn’t appear in the Big, or in the LOUD, but in the small or the still.  While Elijah was waiting the was a wind, an earthquake, and a fire, but the LORD wasn’t there. Finally, he heard a still, small, whisper, and it was in that whisper that he found God.  And often that’s where we’ll find Him too, if we just learn to recognize Him.

                There is something amazing about being surprised by the glorious wonder of seeing God appear when and where you don’t expect Him. And this book is one surprise after another. Not only examples of God showing up unexpectedly, but also theological truths of which we need to be reminded from time to time.

                I enjoyed reading this book; there wasn’t anything earth-shatteringly new, but the stories brought a sense of serenity and peace. Something that is frequently missing in the craziness of today’s political climate.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review.

4/5

from healthy to fit-your body and your church

We live in a culture that says it values health. We all want to be healthy, but there is a sizable portion of the population that isn’t interested in doing the things that it takes to get and stay fit. It seems like it’s just a lot easier to visit the doctor, see how our choices have affected our health, and head to the pharmacy for the latest in a long list of prescriptions.  Yes it would healthier to quit smoking, change the diet, cut back on the drinking, get more sleep, and go to the gym. But who has the time, energy, interest to do all that?  (as a side not, after I started reading this book, even though it’s not about our physical health and fitness, I went and signed up at a Fitness place opening near my house.) That means convicting.  I pay them money, and they didn’t even give me a tee-shirt (or a speedo, because I’m mostly interested in the pool). Ask me in 6 months how it’s working out.

        

         I started reading this book and posted this on social media: “Wow! And I’m only on page 27. XXX I think you might like this book. XXX you might get some ideas too.” And no I didn’t recommend to my friends because of any health issues they may or may not have. You see they’re both interested in the main topic of Building the Body: 12 Characteristics of a Fit Church” by Gary McIntosh and Phil Stevenson (Baker Books, 2018).And that topic is not just the health, but the fitness of the local church. 

            Since as a society and culture we’re obsessed with fitness, the authors use a physical fitness model to talk about the church. (They attribute their model to the American College of Sports Medicine.) Fitness has 5 components: cardiovascular endurance, muscle strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition. They break each of these categories in sub-categories to define the 12 characteristics. Things like outreach, effective evangelism, strategies for making disciples, vision, worship, stewardship, and several other key elements.

           

        And to further the sports analogy, the physical fitness part, they turn to one of America’s favorite fitness activities (no, not watching football on the TV-chips in one hand, beer in the other). They talk about runners, and break them into 5 categories. 1) Beginner: no experience, philosophical-they like the idea of running, but haven’t really engaged in the activity. 2) Novice: some background in running, can perhaps run up to 3 miles—actively learning. 3) Intermediate: making progress in both running time and pace, and demonstrate knowledge of running well. 4) Advanced: familiar with necessary training, they push themselves and look for others to challenge them. They also share their expertise. The final category, 5) is the Elite runner. They compete at higher levels. Olympic class athletes.

          

        So what does this have to do with church growth, one of Dr. McIntosh’ area of expertise? He applies it to the church.  Gary and Phil put churches into this 5 categories, and provide helpful ways to evaluate where your church is. And they offer a disclaimer: rejoice where you are doing the right stuff, and identify areas for improvement—then push your church to the next level. After all we all want to make a difference for the Kingdom, and just as in physical fitness, being healthy is good, but being truly fit is better!

         

         I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review

           5/5

review Nick Vujicic "Be the Hands and Feet"

     I've heard Nick Vujicic speak several times: a public arena, a military installation, a high school auditorium. I even got to be part of a greeting committee at the airport one of the times he came to Utah.  His presentations are always spot on, his earlier books make for fascinating reading. And "Be the Hands and Feet" follows that pattern.

It's so obvious that Nick speaks from the heart, and his heart is beating in time with the Heart of God.
I got a different feel from reading this books, than other books by Nick.  Those always seemed to me to be motivational--directed to those that are often, for whatever reason, marginalized from society. Whether in books or speaking engagements, I walked away feeling empowered. One looks at the body of Nick Vujicic (one without hands or feet) and realize what he is doing, and you can't help but think, 'if he can do _____(and it's an impressive list of things he's done and experienced!), then I can certainly get through my issue, or meet my goals, or fulfill my dreams.
    In "Be the Hands and Feet: Living Out God's Love for All His Children", I felt that there is a slight difference.  This book is a call to the church, a call to the community, a call to the culture and society to actually be the hands and feet of God. Treat others--especially the ones that you might not normally associate with--as Jesus would treat them. This is a battle cry for human rights, human dignity, and Shalom such as humanity  hasn't seen since the Garden of Eden.
    Let Nick touch your heart, and encourage it to beat in time with the Heart of God. 
    And by the way if you ever have the opportunity to hear Nick in person, and he offers hugs, try to get one. You'll be blessed!
 Book releases in Mid February! pre-order now!
 I received an advance review copy of this book from the publisher as part of the Launch, and in case you didn't figure it out, I gave this book a 5/5.

Paddington 2 in theaters January 12

Nolan is 21. “So what?”, you might ask. What does that have to do with a movie about a bear in London spreading marmalade?  Fair question. It really doesn’t except for the fact that several months before Nolan was born we began a couple of processes that most first time expectant parents are confronted with. Obviously one of the most important is choosing a name, after all the name stays with the child for a lifetime. But, at least in our case, a close second was deciding on a theme for the nursery.  If our child were to be a girl, we had cute little bunnies picked out, but for a boy we decided on Paddington.  Stuffed animals, crib accouterments, books, onesies, and the list goes on.

        

Eventually we outgrew Paddington in favor of other things, but that lovable bear from London was a part of our family for a few years. Years of wonder, delight, and innocence.  He was so popular, and then seemed to fade away, or at least we weren’t quite as aware of him as we had been.

And now, Paddington is making a return. The movie “Paddington 2” is set to release on Friday January 12^th.   This whimsical and delightful film just won the Truly Moving Pictures award and is currently 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

A press release offers this synopsis: “Following the worldwide hit “Paddington,” one of the most successful family films of all time, this much-anticipated sequel finds Paddington (Ben Whishaw) happily settled with the Brown family in London, where he has become a popular member of the local community, spreading joy and marmalade wherever he goes.”

“While searching for the perfect present for his beloved Aunt Lucy’s hundredth birthday, Paddington sees a unique pop-up book in Mr. Gruber’s antique shop, and embarks upon a series of odd jobs to buy it.  But when the book is stolen, it’s up to Paddington and the Browns to unmask the thief”.

“Paddington 2 stars: Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), Hugh Grant (Four Weddings and a Funeral), Sally Hawkins (Jayne Eyre), Brendan Gleeson (Into the Storm), Julie Walters (Mamma Mia) and Ben Whishaw (The Hollow Crown) as the voice of Paddington”.

Watch the trailer here

            And once again there is a giveaway, courtesy of Grace Hill Media! Like and comment, and I’ll select a random winner. 

Win a copy of the DVD "Extraordinary"

We all have that race that we’re running, and sometimes, even though the race ends well, the peripheral races suffer.  And such is the story that is told in the movie Extraordinary coming to DVD later this month. But God calls us to and for a purpose, and each of us gets to decide just how obedient we chose to be to that call.  Sometimes the decision is a difficult one, as David and Nancy Horton find out.

My friends at Icon Media Group are making a copy of the DVD available to me as a giveaway.  See the trailer HERE

What is the “2,900-mile race across America” that God has called you to like to make, to ‘inspire people one last time?”  Looking forward to your 2900 mile race stories, and I'll a select a random winner to receive the DVD.  PLEASE post your answer as a response on the blog page.

Universal City, California – Based on the real-life events of acclaimed ultra-marathoner David Horton and his wife Nancy, Extraordinary is coming to DVD, Digital and On Demand on January 16, 2018, from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. An impactful and perfect story for the entire family, the inspirational film stars Shari Rigby (OctoberBaby), Leland Klassen (Altar Egos), Karen Abercrombie (War Room) and Kirk Cameron (Fireproof) and follows Horton as his dream of tackling a nearly 3,000-mile run takes its toll on his body, and brings his marriage to the breaking point.
 
Based on a true marriage journey, Extraordinary tells the amazing story of ultra-marathon runner and college professor David Horton, his wife, Nancy, and their attempt to finish their marriage race well. Although proud of his incredible athletic accomplishments and the impact he has on his students, David’s family continuously pays a high price for his years of competitive running. Following his open-heart surgery and irreparable damage to his knees, Nancy is ready for Dave to hang up his racing shoes for good and focus his boundless energy on their family. Instead, feeling called by God to “inspire people one last time,” Dave sets off for a 2,900-mile race across America.

Enter to win a copy of the DVD .