There are three people sitting on that chair you're sitting in right now.
There is the person you are right now this moment.
There is the person you could be for God if you sold out one hundred percent. (Most of us are light years from what we could be and ought to be.)
And there is the person for evil that we may become if we take our eyes off the Lord.
- Dr. Adrian Rogers, from "The High Cost of Low Living" (2 Sa. 11:1-5)
Friday, March 22, 2013
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Review: "The Truth About Grace" - Dr. John MacArthur
If you are looking for feel-good, watered-down theological pablum, walk past this book and head for the self-help section. If, however, you want a brief, intelligent, understandable discourse on the Christian doctrine of grace, pick up Dr. John MacArthur's The Truth About Grace.One of three books so far in the "The Truth About" series (the other two dealing with forgiveness and the Lordship of Christ, respectively), The Truth About Grace
carefully and logically dissects the doctrine of grace. In a brief yet packed 68 pages, Dr. MacArthur talks about what grace is, how it is received, how it is misunderstood, its personal realities for the believer, and how Christians can and should live it out in everyday life.The Truth About Grace
and its companion volumes on forgiveness and the Lordship of Christ would be outstanding selections for both personal and small-group study, as well as essential items in any church library. It takes a doctrine that has sparked both confusion and division in the evangelical community and lays it out in a simple, easy-to-comprehend format.Monday, May 28, 2012
Review: "God's Unlikely Path to Success" by Tony Evans
This might be Dr. Tony Evans' finest book yet. Evans, pastor of the Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas and team chaplain for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, is an accomplished and talented author with a series of bestsellers as long as your arm - books on spiritual warfare, race relations, marriage, the Holy Spirit, and so much more. He combines years of experience and learning with an approachable, enjoyable style of writing that takes the academic and makes it popular and understandable, while not losing any of the meaning.
God's Unlikely Path to Success
does nothing to damage or diminish that sterling reputation. In this book (to be released August 1st by Harvest House Publishers), Evans takes a look at life lessons from eight of the Bible's seemingly unlikely success stories - or, as Evans puts it in the subtitle, "less-than-perfect people."
does nothing to damage or diminish that sterling reputation. In this book (to be released August 1st by Harvest House Publishers), Evans takes a look at life lessons from eight of the Bible's seemingly unlikely success stories - or, as Evans puts it in the subtitle, "less-than-perfect people."- Moses the Murderer
- Rahab the Harlot
- Jacob the Liar
- Jonah the Rebel
- Esther the Diva
- Peter the Apostate
- Samson the Player
- Sarah the Prostitute
All hold a place in the faith "hall of fame" (Hebrews 11), all reached substantial victories for the kingdom and glory of God... and all eight were, at some point, colossal failures.
And that, my friends and readers, is the key message. Eight people who engaged in repugnant, unethical, immoral behavior - and who ultimately repented of their sins and went on to achieve great things. Each of these people did something terrible - sometimes many things - and, to borrow a (cleaned-up) phrase from the movie "Shawshank Redemption," "crawled through a river of **** and came out clean on the other side."
What this well-written, informative, and enjoyable book means to us today is summed up by Tony Evans in the last pages of the book. After talking about the remarkable NBA career of Jason Kidd, Evans speaks directly to the reader:
It's not too late.
Don't let your circumstances, where you have been, what you have done,
who has done what to you, or whata you are up against
dictate the final outcome of the game.
God's Unlikely Path to Success
presents a solid, Biblically sound message of redemption and hope. Like Tony Evans said above, it's not too late. The game isn't over. The final whistle hasn't blown.Wednesday, April 25, 2012
The Priests Who Stayed with the Titanic
Fascinating article from the Catholic Herald UK on three Catholic priests who stayed onboard the sinking Titanic, hearing confessions, giving absolution, and leading in the recitation of the Rosary.
The names of Father Byles, Father Peruschitz, and Father Montvilla have been all but lost to history. They were ignored in the many movies about the Titanic. Yet their names should be listed with those of the Four Chaplains, who saved many lives aboard the troop ship Dorchester at the sacrifice of their own, and Father Joseph T. O'Callahan, Chaplain aboard the carrier USS Franklin, who received the Medal of Honor for his heroism when the Franklin was struck by by two Japanese bombs.
The names of Father Byles, Father Peruschitz, and Father Montvilla have been all but lost to history. They were ignored in the many movies about the Titanic. Yet their names should be listed with those of the Four Chaplains, who saved many lives aboard the troop ship Dorchester at the sacrifice of their own, and Father Joseph T. O'Callahan, Chaplain aboard the carrier USS Franklin, who received the Medal of Honor for his heroism when the Franklin was struck by by two Japanese bombs.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Creation & Evolution
"You must believe one or the other of these two ideas. There is no other possibility. Either you believe that God created the world, or you believe the talk that gases - nobody knows how or where they came from - suddenly solidified and formed some primitive slime, and though there is no mind, no understanding, no law, no order, no purpose in anything, somehow or other blind, hidden forces so worked and manipulated and reacted against one another that from a very primitive kind of undefined life they developed into human beings with their brain and power, they produced to the complexity of the flower, the extraordinary instrument that we call the eye, and all the astounding things that happen in creation."
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Gospel in Genesis
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Gospel in Genesis
Monday, April 23, 2012
Review: The Book of Man - William J. Bennett
In 1993, Dr. Bill Bennett – Secretary of Education under Ronald Reagan - published The Book of Virtues, in which he presented examples of moral and immoral behavior, from a wide range of sources, aimed primarily (though not exclusively) at children and young adults. Bennett followed this volume up two years later with The Moral Compass: Stories for a Life's Journey
. His goal, again, was to present examples of
good and bad behavior from both fictional and historical sources. This time,
the examples were organized to resemble waypoints along life’s journey (thus,
the subtitle). In both volumes, Dr. Bennett wanted to present examples, factual
and fictional, on how to profitably live one’s life.
In more recent years, Dr. Bennett’s
focus has shifted to some degree, from presenting examples of how to live as
individuals to looking at the past and future of America as a whole. He’s
published a fascinating and comprehensive three-volume set on world and
American history – America: The Last Best Hope (Volume I): From the Age of Discovery to a World at War
, America: The Last Best Hope (Volume II): From a World at War to the Triumph of Freedom
, and A Century Turns: New Hopes, New Fears
– and written extensively on terrorism and
Islam.
, America: The Last Best Hope (Volume II): From a World at War to the Triumph of Freedom, and A Century Turns: New Hopes, New Fears
– and written extensively on terrorism and
Islam.
With the publication of The Book of Man: Readings on the Path to Manhood
, Dr. Bennett has combined the two
areas of focus into a most enjoyable and useful hybrid.
, Dr. Bennett has combined the two
areas of focus into a most enjoyable and useful hybrid.
The Book of Man follows in
the stylistic footsteps of The Book of Virtues and The Moral Compass
by taking fictional and historical examples of how men should conduct
themselves in civil society (and all too often don’t). These examples run the
gamut in terms of political and religious viewpoints – “contributors” include
St. Francis of Assisi, General Robert E. Lee, Billy Graham, and Walt Whitman,
just to name four – and go from the ancient Greeks to the present day.
Dr. Bennett divides The Book of
Man into six sections, each covering a significant aspect of a man’s life: Man
in War; Man at Work; Man in Play, Sports & Leisure; Man in the Polis
(Politics); Man with Woman & Children; Man in Prayer & Reflection. Each
section contains dozens of readings from sources throughout time and cultures –
Man in War, for example, gathers together figures as varied as Alexander the
Great, Winston Churchill, and Colin Powell. Sprinkled among the individual
stories, memoir excerpts, and poems are profiles of significant men with a
lesson for modern men and boys – Medal of Honor recipient Audie Murphy, NBA
great Pistol Pete Maravich, Mario Andretti, Jaime Escalante, and many others.
Dr. Bennett notes in the
Introduction that the selections presented in The Book of Man are
primarily positive ones – “they point to maxims, models, and standards of
behavior.” While there are, he acknowledges, lessons to be learned from
negative examples – where men have failed or succumbed to temptation or bad
judgment – Dr. Bennett believes that boys and men today need lifting up, and he
selected these readings with an eye to “raise the sights and aspirations of
boys and men.”
Note those last three words: “boys
and men.” This is the key to just how good The Book of Man is. It is not
just a kids’ book, nor is it just a parenting guide on how to raise boys. It is
rather a guidebook for males wherever they are on life’s journey – fathers and
sons, singles and marrieds, young and old. The Book of Man is an
excellent book to read in small bites – alongside your morning devotions,
perhaps – or to read from cover to cover in a few sittings. Either way, you
will be well served.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
The Basque Sheepherder & the Shepherd Psalm
The Basque Sheepherder and the Shepherd Psalm - James K. Wallace
Originally appeared in the June 1950 issue of The Reader's Digest. Condensed from The National Wool Grower, December 1949. Reprinted in The 30th Anniversary Reader's Digest Reader, 1951.
Old Ferando D'Alfonso is a Basque herder employed by one of the big Nevada sheep outfits. He is rated as one of the best sheep rangers in the state, and he should be; for back of him are at least 20 generations of Iberian shepherds.
But D'Alfonso is more than a sheepherder; he is a patriarch of his guild, the traditions and secrets of which have been handed down from generation to generation, just as were those of the Damascus steel temperers and other trade guilds of the pre-medieval age. Despite a 30-year absence from his homeland he is still full of the legends, the mysteries, the religious fervor of his native hills.
I sat with him one night under the clear, starry skies, his sheep bedded down beside a pool of sparkling water. As we were preparing to curl up in our blankets, he suddenly began a dissertation in a jargon of Greek and Basque. When he had finished, I asked him what he had said. In reply he began to quote in English the Twenty-third Psalm. There on the desert I learned the shepherd's literal interpretation of this beautiful poem.
"David and his ancestors," said D'Alfonso, "knew sheep and their ways, and David has translated a sheep's musing into simple words. The daily repetition of this Psalm fills the sheepherder with reverence for his calling. Our guild takes this poem as a lodestone to guide us. It is our bulwark when the days are hot or stormy; when the nights are dark; when wild animals surround our bands. Many of its lines are the statements of the simple requirements and actual duties of a Holy Land shepherd, whether he lives today or followed the same calling 6000 years ago. Phrase by phrase, it has a well-understood meaning for us."
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
"Sheep instinctively know," said D'Alfonso, "that ere they have been folded for the night the shepherd has planned out their grazing for the morrow. It may be that he will take them back over the same range; it may be that he will go to a new grazing ground. They do not worry. His guidance has been good in the past and they have faith in the future because they know he has their well-being in view."
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.
"Sheep graze from around 3:30 o'clock in the morning until about ten. They then lie down for three or four hours and rest," said D'Alfonso. "When they are contentedly chewing their cuds, the shepherd knows they are putting on fat. Consequently the good shepherd starts his flocks out in the early hours on the rougher herbage, moving on through the morning to the richer, sweeter grasses, and finally coming to a shady place for their forenoon rest in fine green pastures, best grazing of the day. Sheep, resting in such happy surroundings, feel contentment."
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
"Every shepherd knows," said the Basque, "that sheep will not drink gurgling water. There are many small springs high in the hills of the Holy Land, whose waters run down the valleys only to evaporate in the desert sun. Although the sheep need the water, they will not drink from these fast-flowing streams. The shepherd must find a place where rocks or erosion have made a little pool, or fashion with his hands a pocket sufficient to hold a bucketful."
He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
"Holy Land sheep exceed in herding instinct the Spanish Merino or the French Rambouillet," went on D'Alfonso. "Each takes his place in the grazing line in the morning and keeps the same position throughout the day. Once, however, during the day each sheep leaves its place and goes to the shepherd. Whereupon the shepherd stretches out his hand, as the sheep approaches with expectant eyes and mild little baas. The shepherd rubs its nose and ears, scratches its chin, whispers affectionately into its ears. The sheep, meanwhile, rubs against his leg or, if the shepherd is sitting down, nibbles at his ear, and rubs its cheek against his face. After a few minutes of this communion with the master, the sheep returns to its place in the feeding line."
Yea, though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil. Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.
"There is an actual Valley of the Shadow of Death in Palestine, and every sheepholder from Spain to Dalmatia knows of it. It is south of the Jericho Road leading from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea and is a narrow defile through a mountain range. Climatic and grazing conditions make it necessary for the sheep to be moved through this valley for seasonal feeding each year.
"The valley is four and a half miles long. Its side walls are over 1500 feet high in places and it is only ten or 12 feet wide at the bottom. Travel through the valley is dangerous, because its floor, badly eroded by cloudbursts, has gullies seven or eight feet deep. Actual footing on solid rock is so narrow in many places that a sheep cannot turn around, and it is an unwritten law of shepherds that flocks must go up the valley in the morning hours and down toward the eventide, lest flocks meet in the defile. Mules have not been able to make the trip for centuries, but sheep and goat herders from earliest Old Testament days have maintained a passage for their stock.
"About halfway through the valley the walk crosses from one side to the other at a place where the path is cut in two by an eight-foot gully. One section of the path is about 18 inches higher than the other; the sheep must jump across it. The shepherd stands at this break and coaxes or forces the sheep to make the leap. If a sheep slips and lands in the gully, the shepherd's rod is brought into play. The old-style crook is encircled around a large sheep's neck or a small sheep's chest, and it is lifted to safety. If a more modern narrow crook is used, the sheep is caught about the hoofs and lifted up to the walk.
"Many wild dogs lurk in the shadows of the valley looking for prey. After a band of sheep has entered the defile, the leader may come upon such a dog. Unable to retreat, the leader baas a warning. The shepherd, skilled in throwing his staff, hurls it at the dog and knocks the animal into the washed-out gully where it is easily killed. Thus the sheep have learned to fear no evil even in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, for their master is there to protect them from harm."
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.
"David's meaning is a simple one," said D'Alfonso, "when conditions on the Holy Land sheep ranges are known. Poisonous plants abound which are fatal to grazing animals. Each spring the shepherd must be constantly alert. When he finds the plants he takes his mattock and goes on ahead of the flock, grubbing out every stock and root he can see. As he digs out the stocks, he lays them upon little stone pyres, some of which were built by shepherds in Old Testament days, and by the morrow they are dry enough to burn. In the meantime, the sheep are led into the newly prepared pasture, which is now free from poisonous plants, and, in the presence of their deadly plant enemies, they eat in peace."
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
"At every sheepfold there is a big earthen bowl of olive oil and a large stone jar of water. As the sheep come in for the night they are led to a gate. The shepherd lays his rod across the top of the gateway just higher than the backs of his sheep. As each sheep passes in single file, he quickly examines it for briers in the ears, snags in the cheek, or weeping of the eyes from dust or scratches. When such conditions are found, he drops the rod across the sheep's back and it steps out of line.
"Each sheep's wounds are carefully cleaned. Then the shepherd dips his hand into the olive oil and anoints the injury. A large cup is dipped into the jar of water, kept cool by evaporation in the unglazed pottery, and is brought out - never half full but always overflowing. The sheep will sink its nose into the water clear to the eyes, if fevered, and drink until fully refreshed.
"When all the sheep are at rest, the shepherd lays his staff on the ground within reach in case it is needed for protection of the flock during the night, wraps himself in his heavy woolen robe and lies down across the gateway, facing the sheep, for his night's repose.
"So," concluded D'Alfonso, "after all the care and protection the shepherd has given it, a sheep may well soliloquize in the twilight, as translated into words by David: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Originally appeared in the June 1950 issue of The Reader's Digest. Condensed from The National Wool Grower, December 1949. Reprinted in The 30th Anniversary Reader's Digest Reader, 1951.
Old Ferando D'Alfonso is a Basque herder employed by one of the big Nevada sheep outfits. He is rated as one of the best sheep rangers in the state, and he should be; for back of him are at least 20 generations of Iberian shepherds.
But D'Alfonso is more than a sheepherder; he is a patriarch of his guild, the traditions and secrets of which have been handed down from generation to generation, just as were those of the Damascus steel temperers and other trade guilds of the pre-medieval age. Despite a 30-year absence from his homeland he is still full of the legends, the mysteries, the religious fervor of his native hills.
I sat with him one night under the clear, starry skies, his sheep bedded down beside a pool of sparkling water. As we were preparing to curl up in our blankets, he suddenly began a dissertation in a jargon of Greek and Basque. When he had finished, I asked him what he had said. In reply he began to quote in English the Twenty-third Psalm. There on the desert I learned the shepherd's literal interpretation of this beautiful poem.
"David and his ancestors," said D'Alfonso, "knew sheep and their ways, and David has translated a sheep's musing into simple words. The daily repetition of this Psalm fills the sheepherder with reverence for his calling. Our guild takes this poem as a lodestone to guide us. It is our bulwark when the days are hot or stormy; when the nights are dark; when wild animals surround our bands. Many of its lines are the statements of the simple requirements and actual duties of a Holy Land shepherd, whether he lives today or followed the same calling 6000 years ago. Phrase by phrase, it has a well-understood meaning for us."
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
"Sheep instinctively know," said D'Alfonso, "that ere they have been folded for the night the shepherd has planned out their grazing for the morrow. It may be that he will take them back over the same range; it may be that he will go to a new grazing ground. They do not worry. His guidance has been good in the past and they have faith in the future because they know he has their well-being in view."
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.
"Sheep graze from around 3:30 o'clock in the morning until about ten. They then lie down for three or four hours and rest," said D'Alfonso. "When they are contentedly chewing their cuds, the shepherd knows they are putting on fat. Consequently the good shepherd starts his flocks out in the early hours on the rougher herbage, moving on through the morning to the richer, sweeter grasses, and finally coming to a shady place for their forenoon rest in fine green pastures, best grazing of the day. Sheep, resting in such happy surroundings, feel contentment."
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
"Every shepherd knows," said the Basque, "that sheep will not drink gurgling water. There are many small springs high in the hills of the Holy Land, whose waters run down the valleys only to evaporate in the desert sun. Although the sheep need the water, they will not drink from these fast-flowing streams. The shepherd must find a place where rocks or erosion have made a little pool, or fashion with his hands a pocket sufficient to hold a bucketful."
He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
"Holy Land sheep exceed in herding instinct the Spanish Merino or the French Rambouillet," went on D'Alfonso. "Each takes his place in the grazing line in the morning and keeps the same position throughout the day. Once, however, during the day each sheep leaves its place and goes to the shepherd. Whereupon the shepherd stretches out his hand, as the sheep approaches with expectant eyes and mild little baas. The shepherd rubs its nose and ears, scratches its chin, whispers affectionately into its ears. The sheep, meanwhile, rubs against his leg or, if the shepherd is sitting down, nibbles at his ear, and rubs its cheek against his face. After a few minutes of this communion with the master, the sheep returns to its place in the feeding line."
Yea, though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil. Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.
"There is an actual Valley of the Shadow of Death in Palestine, and every sheepholder from Spain to Dalmatia knows of it. It is south of the Jericho Road leading from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea and is a narrow defile through a mountain range. Climatic and grazing conditions make it necessary for the sheep to be moved through this valley for seasonal feeding each year.
"The valley is four and a half miles long. Its side walls are over 1500 feet high in places and it is only ten or 12 feet wide at the bottom. Travel through the valley is dangerous, because its floor, badly eroded by cloudbursts, has gullies seven or eight feet deep. Actual footing on solid rock is so narrow in many places that a sheep cannot turn around, and it is an unwritten law of shepherds that flocks must go up the valley in the morning hours and down toward the eventide, lest flocks meet in the defile. Mules have not been able to make the trip for centuries, but sheep and goat herders from earliest Old Testament days have maintained a passage for their stock.
"About halfway through the valley the walk crosses from one side to the other at a place where the path is cut in two by an eight-foot gully. One section of the path is about 18 inches higher than the other; the sheep must jump across it. The shepherd stands at this break and coaxes or forces the sheep to make the leap. If a sheep slips and lands in the gully, the shepherd's rod is brought into play. The old-style crook is encircled around a large sheep's neck or a small sheep's chest, and it is lifted to safety. If a more modern narrow crook is used, the sheep is caught about the hoofs and lifted up to the walk.
"Many wild dogs lurk in the shadows of the valley looking for prey. After a band of sheep has entered the defile, the leader may come upon such a dog. Unable to retreat, the leader baas a warning. The shepherd, skilled in throwing his staff, hurls it at the dog and knocks the animal into the washed-out gully where it is easily killed. Thus the sheep have learned to fear no evil even in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, for their master is there to protect them from harm."
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.
"David's meaning is a simple one," said D'Alfonso, "when conditions on the Holy Land sheep ranges are known. Poisonous plants abound which are fatal to grazing animals. Each spring the shepherd must be constantly alert. When he finds the plants he takes his mattock and goes on ahead of the flock, grubbing out every stock and root he can see. As he digs out the stocks, he lays them upon little stone pyres, some of which were built by shepherds in Old Testament days, and by the morrow they are dry enough to burn. In the meantime, the sheep are led into the newly prepared pasture, which is now free from poisonous plants, and, in the presence of their deadly plant enemies, they eat in peace."
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
"At every sheepfold there is a big earthen bowl of olive oil and a large stone jar of water. As the sheep come in for the night they are led to a gate. The shepherd lays his rod across the top of the gateway just higher than the backs of his sheep. As each sheep passes in single file, he quickly examines it for briers in the ears, snags in the cheek, or weeping of the eyes from dust or scratches. When such conditions are found, he drops the rod across the sheep's back and it steps out of line.
"Each sheep's wounds are carefully cleaned. Then the shepherd dips his hand into the olive oil and anoints the injury. A large cup is dipped into the jar of water, kept cool by evaporation in the unglazed pottery, and is brought out - never half full but always overflowing. The sheep will sink its nose into the water clear to the eyes, if fevered, and drink until fully refreshed.
"When all the sheep are at rest, the shepherd lays his staff on the ground within reach in case it is needed for protection of the flock during the night, wraps himself in his heavy woolen robe and lies down across the gateway, facing the sheep, for his night's repose.
"So," concluded D'Alfonso, "after all the care and protection the shepherd has given it, a sheep may well soliloquize in the twilight, as translated into words by David: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
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