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"On the Bookshelf"
Recently I read Eugene Peterson’s fantastic book, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society. Many years after its first publication, A Long Obedience is based on the Songs of Ascent in Psalm 120-134. Israel sang these 15 songs as they traveled—ascended—to Jerusalem for the feasts of Passover, Tabernacles, and Pentecost, and Peterson uses them to teach 15 aspects of Christian discipleship.
A Long Obedience challenged me greatly. A few of my favorite parts:
“Feelings are great liars. If Christians worshiped only when they felt like it, there would be precious little worship. Feelings are important in many areas but completely unreliable in matters of faith. Paul Scherer is laconic: ‘The Bible wastes very little time on the way we feel.’”
“The Christian is a person who recognizes that our real problem is not in achieving freedom but in learning service under a better master. The Christian realizes that every relationship that excludes God becomes oppressive. Recognizing and realizing that, we urgently want to live under the mastery of God.”
“Joy is not a requirement of Christian discipleship, it is a consequence.”
“We can decide to live in response to the abundance of God and not under the dictatorship of our own poor needs. We can decide to live in the environment of a living God and not our own dying selves. We can decide to center ourselves in the God who generously gives and not in our own egos which greedily grab. One of the certain consequences of such a life is joy.”
“A Christian who has David in his bones, Jeremiah in his bloodstream, Paul in his fingertips and Christ in his heart will know how much and how little value to put on his own momentary feelings and the experience of the past week.”
“For obedience is not a stodgy plodding in the ruts of religion, it is a hopeful race toward God’s promises.”
“Many think that the only way to change your behavior is to first change your feelings. We take a pill to alter our moods so that we won’t kick the dog. We turn on music to soothe our emotions so that our conversation will be less abrasive. But there is an older wisdom that puts it differently: by changing our behavior we can change our feelings.”
“The Bible is not so much God telling us some thing—some idea, some fact, some rule—as God speaking life into us. Are we listening? Are we answering? Bible reading is prayed reading.”
This summer, I’m studying Tammie Head’s Duty or Delight? Knowing Where You Stand With God, published by LifeWay, and I’m really enjoying it.
Honestly, enjoying isn’t the right word. More like struggling through it. Really being challenged by it. Okay, I’m uncovering lots of insecurities and trust issues stemming from my terribly warped view of God, and quite frankly my heart feels completely raw from all the work that’s going on inside.
There, that’s more like it.
Perhaps I should’ve left it at “enjoying”.
In Week 3 of the study, Mrs. Head discusses two verses, written by two prophets. The first is Ezekiel 36:26: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
Oh, how hard my heart can be. I wall myself off to guard against hurt, but all that self-protection turns to my heart to stone. Mrs. Head writes in Duty or Delight, “God uncovered in me that I not only had trust issues with people but deep down I also had trust issues with God.” Describes me perfectly. But, what if I trusted Him to lovingly tear down my walls? What if He gave me a new spirit…a spirit that believes, and hopes, and trusts? What if, instead of a heart of stone, He gave me a heart of flesh–a soft heart that beats with love for Him?
The second verse is Jeremiah 32:39: “I will give them singleness of heart and action….” A single heart, devoted only to Jesus Christ. I’m so easily distracted by books, emails, housework, even facebook. I hide in those distractions, and they keep me from the One I love most. Mrs. Head writes, “When the Holy Spirit starts nudging our hearts toward spending time with the Lord and we choose spiritual laziness by hiding in the distractions of this world, that’s when the breakdown in our relationships begin to occur.”
Ouch. I really should’ve left it at “enjoying”.
With all this in mind, I’m asking God for two things: a soft heart, and a single heart. And God wants to give them! I don’t have to strive after them, or work at making my heart softer or more devoted. God simply, gladly, freely, gives me a soft heart, and a single heart.
Lord, thank You for loving me enough to work on my heart. Will You give me a new spirit…a spirit that trusts? Remove my heart of stone, Lord, and give me a soft heart of flesh. And, grant me a single heart–a heart that isn’t distracted, but devoted to You and Your kingdom. Let my soft, single heart love You, Lord. Thank You for loving me. Amen.
- Click here for Tammie Head’s site, Totally Captivated Ministries.
- Click here for Duty or Delight? Knowing Where You Stand With God, published by LifeWay.
Recently, I read a fantastic biography about G.K. Chesterton. I’d only known Chesterton as an author who influenced C.S. Lewis, but Defiant Joy by Kevin Belmonte introduced me to Chesterton as the author of nearly 80 books, a poet, an apologist, and more. Belmonte’s biography left me interested to read more of Chesterton’s works, and inspired to develop the joyful character that was his.
A few great quotes from Defiant Joy:
“Christianity is the “philosophy in which I have come to believe. I will not call it my philosophy, for I did not make it. God and humanity made it; and it made me.” (G.K. Chesterton)
“We could use another Chesterton today, I think. In a time when culture and faith have drifted even further apart, we could use his brilliance, his entertaining style, and above all, his generous and joyous spirit. When society becomes polarized, as ours has, it is as if the two sides stand across a great divide and shout at each other. Chesterton had another approach: He walked to the center of a swinging bridge, roared a challenge to any single combat warriors, and then made both sides laugh out loud.” (Philip Yancey)
“Chesterton was one of the deepest thinkers who ever existed; he was deep because he was right, and he could not help being right; but he could not either help being modest and charitable.” (Etienne Gilson)
For more on the life and writings of G.K. Chesterton, pick up Kevin Belmonte’s great biography, Defiant Joy.
Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers’ BookSneeze program.
My friend wrote a book! Michael DeFazio, one of the pastors at Real Life (and husband to my sweet friend, Beth, and daddy to the cuh-yoo-test baby girl, Miss Claire) recently released Jesus in 3D. Michael wrote Jesus in 3D “to take a close look at Jesus as a real person—the real person you read about in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.” Throughout, he answers seven questions:
- What story does Jesus fulfill?
- What did people want from Jesus?
- What did Jesus come here to do?
- What made Jesus angry?
- What did Jesus teach?
- Why did Jesus die?
- What difference does Jesus’ resurrection make?
A few of my favorite quotes from the book:
“Jesus isn’t auditioning for minor roles in the stories we’re already writing. He wants to re-story our lives as a whole.”
(On Ku Klux Klan leader Sam Bowers) “Not all who claim the name of Jesus look like Jesus. Sometimes, in fact, quite the opposite is tragically true. Now obviously this is an extreme example but it illustrates a sin we all commit in one way or another: thinking Jesus taught whatever we think is important and right and good.”
“I have a wife named Beth and a daughter named Claire. If you don’t love them, you don’t love me. Simple enough? In the same way, if we fail to love one another, we don’t love God.”
“We are resurrection people. We are not mere human beings for we are those on whom the culmination of the ages has come. We are new creation. We are, to reuse a metaphor, firstfruits of what the world one day will be.”
If you have a flat, two-dimensional Jesus…if you’re hungry for the whole picture…then let Michael DeFazio reveal Jesus in 3D.
And finally…here is the precious Claire DeFazio!
She likes her daddy’s book, too.
In fact, she eats it up.
Oh, sweetheart! I can’t stand it.
I’m hoping for more great books from Michael. And also, more cute babies.
I don’t do moderation, I’m afraid. I’m an “all or nothing” person. Addiction and attachment, then, come easily. Caffeine, food, approval, shopping, organization and control….all of these and more have been the focus of my unhealthy obsessions at one time or another.
A few years ago, when I determined to stop drinking Dr. Pepper, I started shopping for books instead. I traded a stop at Circle K for a visit to Barnes and Noble. Andy soon stopped this addiction, though, because books were more expensive than sodas, and I went back to Dr. Pepper. Obviously, I didn’t conquer my addiction; I just switched the object of my attachment, and then switched it right back again.
On one of my book sprees, though, I happened upon a book that helped me so much. In his book, Addiction and Grace, Dr. Gerald G. May explains “the relationship between addiction and spiritual awareness”. According to Dr. May, “we try to fulfill our longing for God through objects of attachment.” He says that we will continue to substitute one addiction for another until we finally let ourselves truly be okay with spaciousness, with simplicity, with openness to God, and with grace.
If you can relate…if you struggle with unhealthy attachments of any kind…I highly recommend this book. A few highlights from Addiction and Grace:
Addiction also makes idolaters of us all, because it forces us to worship these objects of attachment, thereby preventing us from truly, freely loving God and one another.
…our failure is necessary, for it is in failure and helplessness that we can most honestly and completely turn to grace.
It’s like getting rid of an alley cat. You don’t have to kick it. Just don’t feed it.
…addiction is the most powerful psychic enemy of humanity’s desire for God.
It is addiction that keeps our love for God and neighbor incomplete. It is addiction that creates other gods for us. Because of our addictions, we will always be storing up treasures somewhere other than heaven, and these treasures will kidnap our hearts and souls and strength.
You’ll find four great books around our house this year. If you and your kids are looking to dig into God’s Word on a daily basis, consider these devotionals….
The One Year Mother-Daughter Devo by Dannah Gresh
This new book was one of my most favorite Christmas presents to my girls and me. I’ve written about Dannah Gresh’s fantastic ministry to tweens before. Her mother-daughter date nights have meant so much to me. And now, she’s done it again. What a great way to connect a mom’s heart to her daughter’s…while connecting them both to the heart of God.
Day-by-Day Kid’s Bible by Karyn Henley
Our family read through this a few years ago, and loved it. We’ve noticed lately, though, that Molly doesn’t know Bible stories as well as she should, so we’re excited to go through this book again. Karyn Henley (author of The Beginner’s Bible and many others) tells God’s Story at a second-grade reading level. This Bible unfolds chronologically, meaning, for example, that David’s psalms appear with stories about David himself. Henley also includes a fantastic timeline in the book, placing world history events alongside scriptural stories. Day-by-Day is a must-read to teach your children God’s story…and their place in it. (For devotions rather than just a daily reading, also check out Karyn Henley’s God’s Story and Me.)
Voices of the Faithful with Beth Moore
I recently received this book for free from Thomas Nelson’s BookSneeze blogger program, and I’m excited to read through it. In Voices, daily devotions are written by missionaries around the world. Each month, Beth Moore opens a new theme (God’s word, prayer, etc.) with an essay of her own. I look forward to encouragement and insight from this book.
Solo: An Uncommon Devotional by Eugene Peterson, Jan Johnson, J.R. Briggs and Katie Peckham
Lectio divina, anyone? Using Peterson’s translation, The Message, Solo is “an ancient approach to exploring Scripture updated for today’s students.” Andy and Nathan are reading through Solo together this year. In fact, as I type, they’re hiking around on the hills behind our house, looking for just the right place to encounter the Lord together. Oh, my heart. Love those boys.
What devotional or Bible study plan are you using this year? Let me hear your answers in the comments! Or, if you’re still choosing a devotional for 2011, consider one of these. Let’s make our heart’s cry of 2011 be, “Word of God, speak!”
Andy Stanley’s newest book, The Grace of God, releases today from Thomas Nelson. Beginning with the creation account, Pastor Stanley explores grace in several different Bible stories. The book refreshes longtime believers with reminders of grace. And for new believers, it explains God’s entire story beautifully, focusing on the Author’s main objective: grace. Grace, Stanley shows, is written on every page of scripture.
From The Grace of God:
It is our misunderstanding of grace, as modeled and taught by Jesus, that leaves us feeling as if grace allows people to “get by” with things. But grace doesn’t dumb down sin to make it more palatable. Grace doesn’t have to. Grace acknowledges the full implication of sin and yet does not condemn.
Grace is the vehicle God uses on occasion to ensure we get precisely what we don’t deserve.
God’s response to the thirsty soul is grace.
The church should not make it difficult for people who are turning to God. (Acts 15:19)
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Moms of daughters! I just read a book you won’t want to miss. Dannah Gresh, founder of Pure Freedom and Secret Keeper Girl ministries, recently released Six Ways to Keep the “Little” in Your Girl: Guiding Your Daughter from Her Tweens to Her Teens. I’ve written about Mrs. Gresh a few times before—I am her biggest fan, I think—and this newest release only made me love her more.
Geared for mothers of girls ages 8-12, Six Ways blends practical tips, statistical research and devotional application. Gresh suggests activities for moms and daughters to do together. She has also done her homework, citing studies and statistics to back up her assertions. And it’s all written from a biblical perspective, as one mom encouraging another to point her daughter to the Lord.
Six Ways discusses modesty, boys and dating, body image, friendships and more. I’ve been feeling the pressure of raising daughters lately…frankly, I haven’t felt this inadequate since I was a “tween” myself! But Six Ways and other resources from Dannah Gresh provide the tools I need. I’m so grateful for the friend who first mentioned the name “Dannah Gresh” to me. (Thank you, Laura!) Hopefully I can be the friend who passes her name to you, too. For your daughter’s confidence, purity, and future, don’t miss Six Ways to Keep the “Little” in Your Girl.
From Six Ways:
“The most sensational scenarios are not what’s robbing our little girls of their innocence. It’s the slow drip of value-ingraining shows where girls dress up and go on dates, and our little girls are pressed to identify with older, more mature characters and life scenarios.”
“How do you cause a modest and content spirit to grow in your daughter? You cultivate one in yourself first.”
“…our children are in a spiritual battle every day. God desires for them to live a full and abundant life. Satan desires their destruction. The enemy will usually not use blatantly evil encounters to seduce them, but will enter subtly through relationships. That’s why we have to be so involved in our daughter’s friendships, teaching her to be discerning as she moves toward those years when she will be making decisions with less input from us.”
“Here’s the challenge: You want to keep her off the boy-crazy train while at the very same time developing within her a love for marriage. How do you do this? You do it be being positive about boys and telling her about what she can have in the future—not by being paranoid about boys and telling her what she can’t have now. Dream with her about the pure relationship God wants her to have one day, and teach her that the beauty of that relationship depends on how she lives today.”
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Pastor and author Max Lucado just released his newest book, Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference, published by Thomas Nelson. Mr. Lucado is part story-teller, part poet, part exhorter, and all disciple of Jesus. Outlive Your Life inspires the church today to truly be the church. To serve, to help, “…to live in such a way that the world will be glad you did.” Focusing on stories in the first twelve chapters of Acts, Lucado writes, “Let’s examine each event through the lens of this prayer: Do it again, Jesus. Do it again.”
Chapter 7—“Do you see this woman?”—had me in tears. What ugly self-absorption it revealed in Amy Storms! And by the book’s final page, my heart echoed Mr. Lucado’s prayer: Do it again, Lord, through me. Use me. Make a difference in the world, God, and start with me.
More from Outlive Your Life:
“None of us can help everyone. But all of us can help someone. And when we help them, we serve Jesus.”
“A mere 2 percent of the world’s grain harvest would be enough, if shared, to erase the problems of hunger and malnutrition around the world. There is enough food on the planet to offer every person twenty-five hundred calories of sustenance a day. We have enough food to feed the hungry.”
“Let’s be the people who stop at the gate. Let’s look at the hurting until we hurt with them. No hurrying past, turning away, or shifting of eyes. No pretending or glossing over. Let’s look at the face until we see the person.”
And my very favorite passage:
“What gift are you giving that he did not first give? What truth are you teaching that he didn’t first teach? You love. But who loved you first? You serve. But who served the most? What are you doing for God that he could not do alone? How kind of him to use us. How wise of us to remember.”
Note: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their Book Review Blogger program. I was not required to write a positive review, and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
I’ve written before about the fantastic mother-daughter ministry of Dannah Gresh. The girls and I attended a Secret Keeper Girls conference last year, and I’ve been crazy about Mrs. Gresh ever since. This summer, the girls and I followed one of her books of Mother-Daughter dates, and I’ll always treasure the memories made and conversations shared.
Next month, Gresh releases her newest book, Six Ways to Keep the “Little” in Your Girl. I’ve pre-ordered my copy and can’t wait to read it. Between now and the book’s release, Dannah is leading “30 Days of Prayer for Your Daughter”. Read more about it here. If you have a daughter—especially between the ages of 8 and 12—please visit Dannah Gresh’s Pure Freedom and Secret Keeper Girl sites to find out more on this life-changing, life-giving ministry.
