"Take Up and Read"

On being a good soldier...

2006-07-04T08:46:00.000-05:00

Nowadays, many of us consider daily the selfless sacrifices made by those called into military service to preserve the freedoms and way of life with which we are so blessed. We pay special tribute to the military men and women, as well as their families, serving our country and engaged in the war on terror-to honor them and to show our gratitude for their service. It is right that we do so. It gives something back to them and hopefully inspires us to live beyond ourselves and our comforts.

Most Christians are not in the military but there are parallels between serving our country in the military and serving our Lord in the church. Both appeal to ideals which transcend self and eagerly and willingly serve on the behalf of others. Both call us to the highest levels of character and integrity so that we can trust in and count on one another. Both look beyond the cares and comforts of the here and now, patiently endure trials and suffering and confidently face the future. And just as a soldier is called to duty from the affairs of civilian life, a soldier for Christ is called to duty from the concerns of the world. In both there is a submission to the authority of another.

Fulfilling the calling of either does not come easily. It can be difficult, but one way to meet the challenge is by the inspiration of example. We gain that inspiration by reading...reading contemporary accounts or biographies from history either on the battlefield or the mission field. Let us take up and read and be inspired to be a good soldier for Christ Jesus.

...On the preservation of liberty

2006-06-17T08:36:00.000-05:00

Our country was founded on the assumption that its continuing existence is dependent upon the character of the citizens. John Adams wrote, “The preservation of liberty depends upon the intellectual and moral character of the people. As long as knowledge and virtue are diffused generally among the body of a nation, it is impossible they should be enslaved.”

Adams had a Biblical view of the world and of human nature. He knew that history had shown that the tendencies of our fallen nature need constraining. He knew that constraints-positive and negative-on that nature were part of God’s grace common to all, and that a major positive constraint on sin was the feeding of the character [and minds] of the people through the diffusion of knowledge and virtue. It was not a secondary matter that the early American Puritans and, later the founders, placed a high value on the education and literacy of the people. Adams and the other founders knew that true liberty was dependent on an educated population. The basis of that education is the written word.

Just as the life of the Church rests upon the Word as its foundation and is dependent on the Biblical literacy of its members, the life of a free nation is dependent upon the literacy of its citizens. Literacy goes beyond the ability to read. It requires one to be “well read” and discerning of what is read. As we celebrate our Nation’s founding in a couple of weeks and ponder the liberty we are graced with by Providence, let us take up our responsibility to nurture our intellectual and moral character. Let us in the church model that to the world. Let us take up and read!

... "Give Careful Thought to Your Ways!"

2006-03-24T05:33:00.000-06:00

Such was the command to the nation of Israel through the prophet Haggai (Read 1:3-15). In context, God was convicting the people for their selfish orientation, their apathy toward Him and their vain social and economic priorities. They responded in obedience and “in the fear of the Lord.” The passage applies as much today as it did to Israel after they had grown indifferent to the rebuilding of the temple.

We live in a “Christian-Lite” age, with priorities often self-oriented and divorced from biblical content even among Christians. We tend to worry more about how our faith can meet our “felt-needs,” grow our self-esteem or enhance our image before others, rather than how we can grow in obedience and in glorifying our Lord. In fact, we are often indifferent toward the Bible’s priority to know our God, walk in loving obedience to His decrees and love Him with all our minds—and to “be transformed by the renewing of our minds!”

Haggai reminds us of the importance to grow our minds—to increase our knowledge, thinking and reflection…to grow in wisdom and sharpen our conscience before a holy God—through the provision given and mediated by the Word of God. As the Psalmist prays (Ps 90:12),“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Let us consider our ways and take up and read!

(First published in Dei Light April 2005)

...shades of "freedom"

2006-03-16T00:13:00.000-06:00

Reading history suggests that some things in the present are not always as they seem or as they are portrayed. One example is the contemporary discourse on “personal freedom” supported by appealing to the basis of our Nation’s founding. Historically, freedom was understood primarily in a corporate context, dependent on a corresponding individual responsibility and accountability to society and exercised primarily through the institutions of family, church and local government. Accountability brings necessary restraints on freedom’s exercise—restraints necessary because of the inclinations of our fallen state as made clear in the Scriptures and demonstrated over and over in history. In contemporary rhetoric, calls for “freedom” are often veiled appeals for additional personal autonomy, the shedding of accountability and, in effect, the removal of those restraints. But history shows that individual autonomy tends not to enhance freedom but endanger it. By nature, we need accountability and restraints on the inclinations of that nature. Those restraints largely come by the means of God-given institutions of family, community, government and, for Christians, the church. So let us grow in our understanding of the subject of freedom through the reading of history. And let that history enhance our discernment and point us not toward personal autonomy but toward growth in personal responsibility and accountability. Let it help us in the strengthening of our God-given institutions—for the preservation and strengthening of true freedom. Let us take up and read!

Recommended: Bunyan's "Grace Abounding"

2006-03-08T09:56:00.000-06:00

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners by John Bunyan. Whitaker House, 2002.

This work is the spiritual autobiography of John Bunyan—the English preacher most famous for the allegory Pilgrim’s Progress—written in 1666 well into a 12-year imprisonment for his faith. In Grace Abounding, Bunyan recounts his life beginning with guilt and despair over his sin and ending yet a sinner but with a heart full of thanksgiving and in awe of the grace of God in Jesus Christ. If you have struggled with sin, assurance of faith, anxiety and doubt or even apathy and boredom with the things of God, this account will be a great encouragement. Use it as a mirror and read it to be encouraged and to grow in knowing our amazing God and His abounding grace extended in Christ to us, even “the chief of sinners.”

…On viewing history in time

2006-02-24T05:12:00.000-06:00

Among the most productive reading is good history, but how one views history makes a difference. Common in our culture is a cyclical view of history or the thought that history just goes on in a repetitive and random pattern without direction, beginning or end. The cyclical view, pessimistic and without ultimate meaning, recognizes only the here and now (the root meaning of secular) and the passing of time. There is no concept of eternity—past or future. In stark contrast is the Biblical view of history, which is linear recognizing a beginning, end and purpose with direction. History is seen in the context of eternity and an eternal God working out everything according to His purpose—the ordering of time. It is what makes historic events historic. It is easily argued that the most historic event in the course of humanity was the first coming of Christ. We measure the years by it. His coming was foretold consistently over 1500 years. The Old Testament anticipates His coming and the New proclaims it. Christ’s first advent is acknowledged by virtually all civilizations and all major religions. Nobody has impacted the course of history as he. Nobody has been more loved or more hated. It is His coming that reveals the purpose in history. History is “His story.” View history in all its fullness. See its direction and its significance. Know it to face the future—with optimism and purpose. Take up and read!

(First published in December 2005 Dei Light)

…On recognizing and responding to duty

2006-02-19T06:41:00.000-06:00

Duty is a term often associated with military service. But it has much broader application. It applies to citizens of a country. It applies to members of a family. It applies to those in a church body. Duty recognizes obligation and puts others or another before self. As such, fulfilling duty has moral implications. The 19th century British historian Lord John Acton wrote that moral foundations of society are not the satisfying of appetites but the fulfillment of duties. In the working out of our faith, too often we concern ourselves more with the satisfaction of our appetites—appetites for success, for personal fulfillment, for comfort, for happiness, for acceptance or for popularity. But Christ calls us to the fulfillment of duty—to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.” That admonition refers to duty—the duty of one in submission to our Lord. And a duty that is ever mindful of a transcendent God. Reading history and biography can help take our eyes off ourselves, sharpen our senses toward duty and expose our tendency to put first the satisfaction of our appetites. Let us cultivate a sense of duty—duty to others and ultimately to our Lord. To help that cultivation, let us take up and read!

...On Words of Counsel

2006-01-29T13:57:00.000-06:00

Experience shows that we often have a tough time accepting counsel or advice. It offends our pride. We also live in a culture flattered and lured by the subjective. “I did it my way,” goes the song. “If it feels good do it!” “What’s true for you may be different than what’s true for me.” Too often we ride the winds of subjective opinion or the popular. We cry for freedom without responsibility and without restraint. But without objective counsel and restraint, “everyone does what is right in his own eyes.” (Judges 17:6) These are not words of freedom but words of judgment. We need objective counsel. We need restraints to keep us on the straight and narrow and to dampen the cycles of opinion and fad. “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint.” (Proverbs 29:18) A primary source of counsel and restraint is the written word. Written history—history of the world, our country, of nations rising and falling, of leaders good and bad—provides insight and perspective. Biography provides example. The Bible reveals who we are, who God is and what he has done for us, and—for the Christian—is to be our delight (Psalm 1). So let us seek objective truth. Let us set aside our pride and the subjective and be open to counsel and guidance for living. Let us grow in the counsel of a good book and in the Good Book. Let us take up and read!

Recommended: Richard Mayhue's "Practicing Proverbs"

2006-01-29T13:53:00.000-06:00

"Practicing Proverbs: Wise Living for Foolish Times," by Richard Mayhue, Christian Focus Publications, 2003

“To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice...” Those words, recorded in the first chapter of Proverbs, introduce the purpose of a book rich in practical application for living. But the treasures of Proverbs remain largely neglected by most Christians. Mayhue’s unique work helps to organize the Book of Proverbs for six life applications: spiritual, personal, family, intellectual, work-place and societal. A brief biography of King Solomon is provided to relate the content to its author. Mayhue also addresses the common questions raised in the reading of Proverbs. The work also has several practical indexes including devotional, life-application, subject and thematic which assist the reader in applying Proverbs to life’s challenges. Use this book for personal study, family devotions, small group study, and for a handy reference when facing questions of discernment. Practicing Proverbs is highly recommended for every home library.

...On new beginnings

2006-01-15T07:15:00.000-06:00

The New Year traditionally brings a sense of being able to start fresh, to renew our manner of living and to rededicate ourselves to the larger things of life. Consider these words from The Valley of Vision entitled A Disciple’s Renewal...
“O my Saviour, Help me. I am so slow to learn, so prone to forget, so weak to climb; I am in the foothills when I should be on the heights; I am pained by my graceless heart, my prayerless days, my poverty of love, my sloth in the heavenly race, my sullied conscience, my wasted hours, my unspent opportunities. I am blind while light shines around me: take the scales from my eyes, grind to dust the evil heart of unbelief. Make it my chiefest joy to study thee, meditate on thee, gaze on thee, sit like Mary at thy feet, lean like John on thy breast, appeal like Peter to thy love, count like Paul all things dung. Give me increase and progress in grace so that there may be more decision in my character, more vigour in my purposes, more elevation in my life, more fervour in my devotion, more constancy in my zeal. As I have a position in the world, keep me from making the world my position; May I never seek in the creature what can be found only in the Creator; Let not faith cease from seeking thee until it vanishes into sight. Ride forth in me, thou King of kings and Lord of lords, that I may live victoriously, and in victory attain my end.”
May God grant us the grace to appropriate this prayer in our lives as we begin anew in 2006. Take up and read!

Recommended: "Here I Stand"

2005-12-27T06:05:00.000-06:00

"Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther" by Roland H. Bainton. Penguin Books, 1995 (first published in 1950).

Almost everybody knows something about Martin Luther, his role in the Reformation and the emergence of Protestantism. But for many of us, that knowledge may be limited to hearing about 95 theses being nailed to a door a long time ago, a catechism or the hymn "A Mighty Fortress." In this biography, Bainton gives a fascinating account of the life of this student turned monk and later reluctant reformer during a period of great political and religious upheaval in Europe. We see the intense internal struggle and progression from one terrified by God to one profoundly awakened to God’s grace and provision found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Word of God. We tend to take history, and in particular this history, for granted. But this is our history. It is this history that changed the course of Western Europe and set the stage for the modern world in which we live. It is also this history that best articulates the essentials of the Christian faith and the absolute authority of the Word of God that reveals those essentials. Read "Here I Stand" to strengthen your sense of history, to increase awareness of God’s providential workings and to grow in appreciation for the Faith entrusted to our generation...so that we may, in God’s grace, pass it to the next.

...On "Traditional Values"

2005-12-27T06:01:00.000-06:00

Words form ideas and it is ideas that have most impacted the world, both for good and evil. Ideas may be of truth or falsehood, fact or opinion, leading or misleading and, consequently, the recipient must be able to discern the difference or be tossed hopelessly about by the last argument heard. Take the prevalent discussion within popular culture—and within the church—on “traditional values,” for example.

In the late 1800’s, philosopher and atheist Friedrich Nietzsche championed the idea of the death of all truth and morality. In Nietzsche’s nihilism, there were no transcendent rules for human life, no absolute moral standard and no certainties on which to rely—only personal values. Freedom, according to Nietzsche, was the shedding of all external constraints on one’s behavior. That line of thinking, in large part, became the genesis of modern day relativism and subjectivism. Having adopted Nietzsche’s philosophy, today’s “values” are highly pragmatic and may be nothing more than convention, preference, habit, feeling, or opinion. They are highly subjective, can vary between individuals or groups and will even change depending on the circumstances. In this context, for the church to talk of and advocate “Christian values” can be problematic. As Nancy Pearcey has put it in her excellent new book, Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity, “when we use the term values, we are broadcasting to the secular world a message that says we are talking only about our own group’s idiosyncracies [sic], which the rest of society should tolerate as long as it doesn’t upset any important public agendas.”

Historically in the church, before talk of “values” there was talk of “virtue” and objective moral standard. Virtue, by definition, is conformity to a moral standard that transcends us with a corresponding abstention from vice—independent of our personal beliefs (or what we value). As Christians, we confess belief in the standard of righteousness (virtue) found in the Bible. But the thinking of the world has influenced us so that we advocate “traditional values” (whatever they me be) instead of cultivating the virtues of Scripture and a sense of living morally before a holy [and transcendent] God. As one author has put it, “it is because we have lost our virtue that we are left to talk about values.”

The ability to discern the difference can be cultivated by reading, and reading critically. Reading develops our ability to understand the words, ideas, and arguments that we are presented with. Reading develops our ability to understand the times. Reading develops our ability to know and articulate our faith, to minister to one another, and to engage effectively in the public square. Reading will help us to understand and effectively challenge the “values” of today, so let us frequently take up and read!

(First published in Dei Light November 2004)

…on meanings of Christmas

2005-11-28T20:34:00.000-06:00

'Tis the season... A needed perspective before we hit the malls from C.S. Lewis entitled, “What Christmas Means to Me”

"Three things go by the name of Christmas. One is a religious festival. This is important and obligatory for Christians; but as it can be of no interest to anyone else, I shall naturally say no more about it here. The second (it has complex historical connections with the first, but we needn’t go into them) is a popular holiday, an occasion for merry-making and hospitality. If it were my business to have a “view” on this, I should say that I much approve of merry-making. But what I approve of much more is everybody minding his own business. I see no reason why I should volunteer views as to how other people should spend their own money in their own leisure among their own friends. It is highly probable that they want my advice on such matters as little as I want theirs. But the third thing called Christmas is unfortunately everyone’s business.
I mean of course the commercial racket. The interchange of presents was a very small ingredient in the older English festivity. Mr. Pickwick took a cod with him to Dingley Dell; the reformed Scrooge ordered a turkey for his clerk; lovers sent love gifts; toys and fruit were given to children. But he idea that not only all friends but even all acquaintances should give one another presents, or at least send one another cards, is quite modern and has been forced upon us by the shopkeepers. Neither of these circumstances is in itself a reason for condemning it. I condemn it on the following grounds.
1. It gives on the whole much more pain than pleasure. You have only to stay over Christmas with a family who seriously try to ‘keep’ it (in its third, or commercial, aspect) in order to see that the thing is a nightmare. Long before December 25th everyone is worn out—physically worn out by weeks of daily struggle in overcrowded shops, mentally worn out by the effort to remember all the right recipients for merry-making; much less (if they should want to) to take part in a religious act. They look far more as if there had been a long illness in the house.
2. Most of it is involuntary. The modern rule is that anyone can force you to give him a present by sending you a quite unprovoked present of his own. It is almost a blackmail. Who has not heard the wail of despair, and indeed of resentment, when at the last moment, just as everyone hoped that the nuisance was over for one more year, the unwanted gift from Mrs. Busy (whom we hardly remember) flops unwelcomed through he letter-box, and back to the dreadful shops one of us has to go?
3. Things are given as presents which no mortal every bought for himself—gaudy and useless gadgets, ‘novelties’ because no one was every fool enough to make their like before. Have we really no better use for materials and for human skill and time than to spend them on all this rubbish?
4. The nuisance. For after all, during the racket we still have all our ordinary and necessary shopping to do, and the racket trebles the labour of it.
We are told that the whole dreary business must go on because it is good for trade. It is in fact merely one annual symptom of that lunatic condition of our country, and indeed of the world, in which everyone lives by persuading everyone else to buy things. I don’t know the way out. But can it really be my duty to buy and receive masses of junk every winter just to help the shopkeepers? If the worst comes to the worst I’d sooner give them money for nothing and write it off as a charity. For nothing? Why, better for nothing than for a nuisance."

(God in the Dock, pages 304-305.)

… ‘Today’ in perspective

2005-11-03T18:11:00.000-06:00

In the last post, we considered the question of making the best use of time. Let us now consider time in perspective; that is, in the context of eternity. In our “enlightened” and “practical” times we have largely lost the perspective of eternity. Circumstances and results are seen only in time and because of them, contentment eludes us. We always “have time” in the future, there is “never enough time” in the present (except when it “drags on forever”) and we always wonder “where the time went” in the past. Too often, we can not let go of the past, we fret of the future and as a result, live a dissatisfied, worrisome, depressed or even hateful present. Or we put all our hopes in that future time when we acquire certain things or realize our goals and objectives and “satisfaction” will be achieved. Much to our dismay, those times consistently elude us or disappoint us. Discontentment and ingratitude are among the results.

God’s Word informs the Christian on how to consider time in the context of eternity. He has determined our preappointed times (Acts 17:26) and established a time for every purpose (Ecc 3:1-17). Whatever trouble we face in time is shown to actually be a “weightless trifle” in light of the eternal certainty given by grace (2 Cor 4:17-18) and ultimately those troubles are realized to be for our good (Rom 8:28). With an eternal perspective, we can persevere in whatever Providence brings (Rom 8:25).

A Biblical worldview of our current circumstances in light of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ in the past and what, in Him, is promised for the future in eternity is what brings true contentment in the present. And gratitude—gratitude for what has been given to us in spite of us. Given for eternity. The Bible is replete with passages that show us eternity. Look them up in the present, take up and read, nourish an eternal perspective and grow in gratitude and contentment.

(First published in DeiLight December 2004)

…On redeeming the time

2005-11-03T18:08:00.000-06:00

As those “in Christ,” we confess that we are not the owner of what we possess but the steward. That is, we recognize that we are to manage that which inherently comes from and belongs to God. Stewardship often is thought of as merely the giving of a portion of our income to the church, but that view completely misses the Biblical perspective. Stewardship accounts for, not a portion but, all…and not just all of our money! For the Christian, the responsibility and duty of Biblical stewardship encompasses all of life and all that life includes—with the understanding that the “all” has not, strictly speaking, been given but entrusted. Rightly understood, the good steward endeavors to put in service, for the owner’s benefit, all that has been entrusted to him; possessions, abilities, and time—even his or her “free” time.

Paul wrote, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” (Eph 5:15-16) We are to make the best use of the allocated and measured lifetime we are given on earth, in recognition of the brevity of life (Psalm 90:12). We are also to live life circumspectly—that is, accurately or precisely with great care and prudence—recognizing the reality of evil in the world around us.

This Biblical teaching calls us to consider how we spend our time—even our free time—and whether those activities demonstrate good stewardship of that time. That is where the practice and discipline of reading comes in. Spending (or redeeming) time reading good books stretches and strengthens the mind, increasing discernment and the ability to be circumspect. It is a “best-use” of the time we are entrusted with. Reading helps equip us for life and its challenges, as well as its responsibilities and duties. Let us grow in the stewardship of our “free” time and let us frequently take up and read!

(first published in DeiLight October 2004)

…on returns on investment.

2005-11-03T18:04:00.000-06:00

For most commodities, we want to get the most for our money in quantity and quality. Ironically, for learning and education, we often want the least for our money. The degree is what we’re after and the easy route with the least work is sought—the easier courses and the easier professors. Education, intended for the cultivation of minds and critical for the survival of a free society, is reduced to only the diploma or a credential necessary for status and success. When the course or degree requirements are met, the process of learning comes to a stop. Learning—engaging and exercising the mind—is hard work, which we too often no longer see a need for. Physical fitness and diet is a priority for our culture (as evidenced by the spectrum of products successfully marketed to us), but we have a disposition to discount or ignore the care and feeding of our minds. We become mentally lazy and lose the ability to evaluate and think about things objectively and independently. As a result our ability to discern truth from error—to view and address the issues of life—through the lens of truth and wisdom is compromised. For Christians, apathy—as it relates to cultivating our thinking—is nothing less than a tragedy.

Solomon wrote that, “The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” (Proverbs 18:15) Paul, writing to Christians, exhorted us to “be transformed by the renewing of our minds.” (Romans 12:2) Christian minds are “renewed” through the Word… the written Word. Prudence is cultivated, not by neglecting knowledge and learning, but by critical thinking engaged in life’s issues, which comes in part by reading good books along with The Good Book. So let us, not only watch our diet and exercise regularly, but also let us take up and read to get our thinking minds in shape!
(First published in DeiLight September 2004)

...More on reading old books

2005-10-14T19:37:00.000-05:00

Many of us have only read old or classic books as students because we had to. If you were like me you did not get much out of the experience, putting little into it and having little interest. But as we get older, that attitude often changes. We come to realize that what amounts to contemporary arrogance—exalting the new and trendy while thumbing our noses at the old and the forgotten—stifles the ability to discern good ideas from bad or truth from error. We come to a point of realizing just how much we do not know after all. Then we begin to discover and mine the treasures from the past. Much of that treasure comes in the form of old books. As Gene Edward Veith has written, “For those of us stranded in the modern age, the old styles can cut through the fog of our culture and communicate truths that will seem refreshingly new.” Reading old books provides for a larger perspective of the time in which we live. Understanding the worldviews, cultures and assumptions of the past help us to understand our own times. It can awaken us from an irresponsible slumber, temper our tendency to pursue that which is popular or correct the error in our thinking. It also replaces a passive consumption of ideas with active and critical thinking. So be encouraged to read anew the old books. Broaden your understanding of the present through the lens of the past. Take up and read!

Recommended: Flavel's "Mystery of Providence"

2005-10-08T16:34:00.000-05:00

The Mystery of Providence by John Flavel. Banner of Truth, 1995 (first published in 1678).

This book is a classic work on a treasured biblical teaching all but lost in our "modern" day and should be read by every Christian who desires to enlarge his or her view of and appreciation for the majesty and grace of God. English Puritan John Flavel takes Providence-the ordering of life's details by our sovereign and gracious God-and illustrates the providential workings in our everyday lives, shows our duty to know and reflect on those providences (especially the difficult ones) and works through their practical implications. Written well over 300 years ago, it has passed the test of time. As Michael Bolan writes in the introduction, "[Flavel's work] is calculated to abase man and exalt God, and yet to kindle faith and adoration in the heart of every child of God." And it does just that, growing a healthy humility while increasing confidence, contentment and trust in God's provision through all things-good and bad, easy and difficult, ordinary and extraordinary. Reading The Mystery of Providence will profoundly change the way you see the world and your place in it

...On seeing "large things largely"

2005-10-08T14:11:00.000-05:00

It is to our advantage to have both mentors and protégées in life; that is, one or more (usually older and wiser) who are models to us in conduct and character and who can give us advice and guidance, and also those (perhaps younger and less experienced) whom we can give counsel and be an encouragement to. Those relationships of witness and of being witnessed to aren’t always personal. One of my recently acquired “mentors,” gained through the reading of his biography during long hours in the hospital at my wife’s bedside”, is John Adams—the patriot, statesman, and our Nation’s first Vice President and second President. In Adam’s life of incredible personal sacrifice, his abiding love for his wife and family, his steadfastness and integrity of character, and his sense of duty to public service draw my admiration and cause must reflection; but it was his devotion and accountability to Christ and his awareness of and trust in God’s providential ordering of times and circumstances that most captivate my thoughts.

As Adams led the process toward declaring independence from Britain, it was said of him that he “saw large things largely.” In other words, as he navigated the “trees” of great endeavors, he always did so with the “forest” clearly in focus. Adams was able to do that primarily because of his Biblical worldview (even then in the minority) and because of his awareness of and duty toward Providence. That perspective on “things large” came through knowing the Scriptures as well as through reading widely. From “his treasured books” and reading he knew history, the lessons from the history of nations, and God’s providential hand in history. Even at age 25, he recognized that a man could not apply wisdom, knowledge, and virtue “unless his mind has been opened and enlarged by reading.” Let us all take a lesson from John Adams, endeavor to understand the “large things” of life under the hand of Providence through good books and the Good Book, and take up and read!

(Originally published in Dei Light June 2004)

...On reading old books

2005-09-20T00:48:00.000-05:00

I love old—and proven—books. New books that reach popularity, including those which carry the description “Best Seller,” usually achieve their status not by quality of writing but by effectiveness of marketing. Most quickly fade in memory and become irrelevant to the future. The best measure of the quality of a book is time. Hence, I frequently turn to older books. C.S. Lewis wrote “Every age has its own outlook. It is [especially] good at seeing certain truths and [especially] liable to make certain mistakes.” He wrote of Christian books, “A new book is still on its trial…It has to be tested against the great body of Christian thought passed down through the ages, and all its hidden implications have to be brought to light…” Lewis contended that that light is brought through reading the proven books. “The only [method of correcting our error in thinking] is to keep the clean sea breeze of the centuries blowing through our minds, and this can be done only by reading old books.” Lewis recommended reading one old book for every new one and, if that was too hard, one old for every three new. I concur. Take Up the old books and Read!

Recommended: Sanders' "Spiritual Leadership"

2005-09-08T07:52:00.000-05:00

Spiritual Leadership: Principles of Excellence for Every Believer, by J. Oswald Sanders. Moody Press, 1967, 1980, 1994.

Over 29 years of military service, I have been exposed to many books and articles and much education and training on leadership, but Sanders contemporary classic Spiritual Leadership has proven to be the best single resource on the topic. It is a book I have read and reread over the past decade and which has become a primary reference on leadership. Spiritual Leadership is not a typical “how-to” book. In 22 short chapters, J. Oswald Sanders’ challenges leaders and potential leaders of the church at all levels with fundamental moral issues of leadership and a broad spectrum of practical topics and disciplines required for effective spiritual leadership. The themes are drawn from Scripture and from the biographies of eminent men of God with an emphasis on character and godliness in leadership. It will bring you Coram Deo (before the face of God) and challenge your thinking in regard to the duties, responsibilities, privilege, as well as the perils of leadership. Spiritual Leadership is highly recommended for individual study and for small groups. It is a must-read for all in an office of leadership, whether that office is in the home, church, workplace or community.

…On the benefits of knowing history

2005-09-08T04:42:00.000-05:00

I disliked history while growing up, to the dismay of my father—the local high school history teacher. Not until I became a Christian did understanding history become a passion. Studying the Bible and the history of the church brings a clearer understanding of the church and us as individuals. It grows an appreciation of God’s providential work in the world and the realization that all of history is God’s redemptive history. Knowing history also brings discernment in navigating through the myriad of issues we face as responsible members of family, church, community and nation. Understanding history provides foundations for thinking, tests ideas and brings logic and stability to our reasoning. Learning history through biography encourages, gives example and makes history practical.

Author and historian David McCullough has well said, “History is who we are and why we are the way we are.” Ideas, perspectives, and circumstances have a history. They also have consequences. We often wrestle with or anguish in the consequences without ever considering or endeavoring to learn and understand the history. Knowing history is foundational. The Bible repeatedly surveys redemptive history (e.g. Acts 7) for good reason. Understanding God’s work in redemptive history matures us and protects us from being “tossed to and fro” (Eph 4:14). Understanding history secures us from being carried by every fad and bandwagon of contemporary thought that comes along— in the church, community, or nation. Instead we grow in discernment and in thinking responsibly as Church members and citizens. Knowing history matters—to you and the community you are part of—so take up and read!

(Originally published in DeiLight February 2005)

… On the duty and blessing of gratitude

2005-09-05T01:51:00.000-05:00

Secular researchers have recently reported that grateful people have better mental health—and to a certain extent, physical health—than those who “count their hassles.” They also sleep better, are nicer to be around and more willing to help others. Reports also reveal that those who live grateful lives are less dependent on positive life events for their level of gratitude. In other words, grateful people are grateful in spite of circumstances. Researchers have also concluded that ungrateful people are often characterized with excessive self-importance, arrogance and entitlement from others without assuming reciprocal responsibly to others—a pattern of behavior known as narcissism.

None of this recent research should surprise us. Cicero, the Roman philosopher and politician who lived during the declining years of the Roman Empire in the century before the birth of Christ, wrote, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” Seneca, the Roman playwright, philosopher and tutor to Nero in the first century, called ingratitude “an abomination.” Indeed, it can be argued that gratitude is crucial for the welfare and survival of a family, community, and society. All of this suggests that gratitude is a moral issue because interactions among us are greatly influenced by our relative state of gratitude or ingratitude. If we live ungrateful lives, we relate to those around us differently than if we live a life of gratitude.

Moreover, our state of gratitude is a moral issue because it is a direct measure of our awareness of who God is and what he has done for us. Left to ourselves, we tend to be ungrateful or worse (Mark 7:21-22). We tend to conclude that we owe nothing. But the Gospel tells us that we owe everything! Gratitude is a product of and inherent to faith in Jesus Christ (Eph 5:20). God’s Word teaches us of the duty (1 Thess 5:18) and blessing (2 Cor 9:11) of gratitude and the consequences of its absence (2 Tim 3:1-5). Gratitude appreciates and takes nothing for granted (as reflected in the Letter to the Philippians). In the Gospel, gratitude recognizes God’s merciful, gracious provision for both time and eternity. Communion with Christ combines remembering with thanksgiving. Gratitude flows from confidence that He has and will supply all our needs. It rids us of our selfishness, impatience, criticalness, bitterness and sense of entitlement. Gratitude puts self aside and responds, “I thank You for the privilege of serving You.” And we serve Him also by serving those around us—in our homes, church, community and country.

Our relative state of gratitude is grown and nurtured by reading. Good reading helps to slow us down and take our gaze off ourselves. In addition to the Scriptures, such reading as biographies, history, of other times and of other places stimulates appreciation and broadens gratitude for what we have been given. So let us discipline ourselves to take up and read!

(Originally published in DeiLight January 2005)

… On abundance of the “ordinary”

2005-09-04T02:45:00.000-05:00

The value of reading good literature such as a classic novel, history or a good biography includes seeing the rich texture of “ordinary” lives full of good and bad complexities. Most of us live lives of abundance in regard to the complex fabric of home, family, friends, church, work, material comforts, and recreation. Abundance is good when recognized as such but most of us grow dull to it. Abundance is a matter of perspective. It easily becomes ordinary. We take the abundance for granted and grow to ignore it. Our perspective of things ordinary results in boredom, indifference and ingratitude. We even feel deprived and entitled to more. But the fruit of faith in Christ includes discernment, contentment and gratitude so our perspective has moral implications. A good book can be a mirror to sharpen our own sensibilities about life—sensibilities that weaken or die if not stimulated—and grow our sense of gratitude for what we have been blessed with and our sense of responsibility as stewards of those blessings. From reading we can gain an objective view of the richness of the “ordinary,” sharpen our moral compasses and grow a sense of appreciation and gratitude for the abundance we are given. So let us not become “dull.” In our abundance, let us sharpen our sensibilities to things “ordinary.” Let us take up and read!

…on the impact of the written word.

2005-08-31T11:43:00.000-05:00

The title of this column—Take Up and Read—was not chosen by chance. It comes from the conversion story of one of the pillars in the history of the Christian church. Aurelius Augustinus, better know as Saint Augustine, lived in the 4th and 5th centuries and led a wanton early life full of dissipation and lustful pleasures. He eventually became enamored by pagan philosophies and a dualistic heresy called Manichaeism. His growing drive for truth and understanding carried him to Platonism and eventually led him back to the Christian scriptures. Through the Bible, Augustine was brought before God in all His holiness and before a mirror that clearly revealed his sin before God. At the age of 32, in the midst of an intense internal turmoil that Saint Augustine described in his Confessions as “being beside myself with madness that would bring me sanity,” Augustine withdrew in utter despair and conviction over his sin. Book 12 of The Confessions of Saint Augustine describes his state and subsequent conversion.

While laying in this state of bitter sorrow and despair, Augustine overheard a child chanting as if it was a nursery rhyme, “take up and read, take up and read” which he interpreted as a command from God to once again pick up the Scriptures. He opened Paul’s Epistles to read Romans 13:13-14; “Not in reveling and drunkenness, not in lust and wantonness, not in quarrels and rivalries. Rather, arm yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ; spend no more thought on nature and nature’s appetites.” Upon reading, Augustine had a “light of confidence flood his heart” and came to receive and understand God’s grace and the forgiveness found by faith in Christ. Shortly thereafter, he reported his awakening to his mother, Monica, who had been praying for his salvation most of his life and who immediately “leaped for joy and triumph and blessed [God who is] ‘able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.’”

The full account of his awakening and the subsequent impact of Saint Augustine’s work—especially the later impact on Luther and Calvin leading to the Reformation—is one of the most amazing testimonies of God’s grace in church history. It is a testimony to the power of the Word and the reading thereof. Let us all take a lesson from that child outside Augustine’s window, from Augustine’s confessions, and from God’s providential work of grace in Augustine’s life and take up and read!

(First published in DeiLight August 2004)

…on seeing “large things largely.”

2005-08-28T22:29:00.000-05:00

Recommended: Guinness' "The Call"

2005-08-25T05:02:00.000-05:00

The Call, by Os Guinness. W Publishing Group, 1998, 2003.

Certain phases of one’s life are often characterized by questioning the purpose in life. Many books (among them several best sellers) have been written in recent years that attempt to address those questions. Few if any have the breadth and depth, as well as the practicality, of this book by Os Guinness. Unlike typical how-too books that offer superficial formulas, The Call is an in-depth and profound work that brings the reader to wrestle with the fundamental issues of life. A reflective work, it is a book to be slowly and deliberately chewed and digested. The author offers a good suggestion to read and contemplate each of the 26 chapters one day at a time. Each chapter is introduced by real-life and largely unfamiliar illustrations from historic figures. Guinness introduces the reader to nearly 20 classic books that are sure to stimulate further reading. He also introduces the reader to much history—bringing application to ones calling—from battles between the Greeks and Persians to post-Cold War world events. The Call is not light and easy reading but, with a little devotion of time and thought, it is not difficult or technical either. Whatever stage of life you are in, it will take you to the depths, challenge your thinking and focus your direction. The book includes a study guide for groups.

Recommended - Packer's "Knowing God"

2005-08-24T11:52:00.000-05:00

Knowing God, by J.I. Packer. Intervarsity Press, 1993.

Christianity is about relationship, specifically a relationship with God because of the saving work of Jesus Christ. Relationship has to do with knowing another, and we can only know God by what He has revealed to us. J.I. Packer, in this “modern classic” first published in 1973, writes from the premise that much of the weakness in the church today is a result of ignorance of both the ways of God and the practice of communion with Him. He writes, “Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life…with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you.” We are to have knowledge of Him. Knowing God is just that—Packer opens up the Scripture and brings the reader face to face with the God of the Bible, with all His attributes and His works. This book is highly recommended. Read it slowly and, then, read it again. Give it to family or a friend. Use the companion Knowing God—Study Guide and make it a small group study. So that you can realize the answer to Christ’s prayer, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)

...On Cultivating the Mind

2005-08-24T11:39:00.000-05:00

Nobody can deny the role that television plays in the typical household and in our “view” of the world and all the elements of life. Sitcoms, movies, documentaries, sound-bite news, and recently, “reality shows” feed our perspectives on life’s issues. That has brought challenges that any parent can relate to. Images and sound bites quickly jumping from one topic cultivate a short attention span and a need to be entertained. TV blurs the lines between fiction and reality and tends to produce moral indifference and civic/political apathy. We have become “channel-surfers” not looking for anything intentionally but merely seeking to be stimulated. Shallow thinking is fostered making us susceptible to being “tossed to and fro” by every fad, advertisement, or political mantra that comes along.

Responsible citizens, and particularly Christians, are called to be different. We are to think actively and critically, grounded in the ability to discern between truth and falsehood. That comes from cultivating our minds through reading, studying, contemplating, and applying the written word of the Bible, like the Psalmist who found “his delight in the law of the Lord…meditating in it day and night.” (Ps 1:2) Cultivation also comes from reading good biographies, history, topical books, history and literature. It starts with reading, so let us develop the discipline of reading. We can keep our TV but let us watch it intentionally and critically. And let us turn it off regularly so that we can take up and read!

...On the Discipline of Reading

2005-08-18T01:35:00.000-05:00

A Christian friend of mine once said, “The world belongs to those who read.” In the light of history, where Christianity has gone literacy has always followed. That is particularly true after the Reformation when the Bible was made available to all who could read. Reading teaches us to think more logically and with more depth. It helps protect us from buying into the latest sound bites or images that are splashed in front of us. In the public rhetoric we often hear of the fight to rid illiteracy in the far corners of the world. Sadly, closer to home we suffer not so much from illiteracy, but from “aliteracy;” that is, having the ability to read but not the will.

We ought to be about the business of cultivating a habit of reading. Of course, God’s Word should be on the top of our priority list but we also should be reading other good literature, fiction and non-fiction. People frequently ask me for recommendations on what to read. Start with what interests you. Search beyond the latest best sellers. Try some of the classic literature we read in school. Read biographies. Among the most encouraging accounts are of the lives of early church leaders, as well as the founding fathers of our Country. Read about other places and cultures in the world. Read books which cultivate your profession. Read for recreation. Above all, take up and read!

(First published in April 2004 "DeiLight")