Like so many others, I wasn’t sure when I was growing up that I wanted to go to heaven. I pictured it as a combination of older people’s homes (the kind with lots of crystal and plastic covers on the furniture) & church – - I found both boring.
Monthly Archive for December, 2007
Page 2 of 6
One cool thing about the blogosphere (at least the part of it where I hang out) is that, at this time of the year, many list the books they’ve most enjoyed during the previous year.
I ordered the below after reading Tullian Tchividjian’s list – - I have not been disappointed.
Engaging God’s World: A Christian Vision of Faith, Learning, and Living
Plantinga reminds us that there is continuity between this space and history and the New Earth:
One of the most important influences in my life has been Jerry Bridges. I don’t know him personally, but when I began really growing as a believer, The Pursuit of Holiness was a great encouragement. Later, I read The Discipline of Grace, see this post, and it answered many of my questions about the relationship between personal effort and grace.
So, when I read on Justin Taylor’s blog that Jerry Bridges made the following statement, I headed for Amazon and updated my wish list. Bridges said:
I think the reason many are depressed over the holidays is because they do not know how to interpret the yearnings of their soul.
I don’t suppose that there is anyone who has not experienced yearnings or longings of the soul – Augustine said that he experienced them when he read Plato – - he felt as though he was looking at a peaceful valley from a wooded ridge - - a nostalgic feeling — that there was a beautiful place that he couldn’t quite access.
Here is Randy Alcorn’s final post on Dietrich Bonhoeffer – - lots to think about here, and some cool pictures.
Christianity Today has posted what they believe are the Top 10 stories of 2007:
“The events, people, and debates of the past year that Christianity Today‘s editors believe have shaped, or will significantly shape, evangelical life, thought, or mission.”
If you are discouraged about the progress you are making in the Christian life, consider reading Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace
. . . how you can sail forward with the wind at your back . . .
“We try to change ourselves. We take what we think are the tools of spiritual transformation into our own hands and try to sculpt ourselves into robust Christlike specimens. But spiritual transformation is primarily the work of the Holy Spirit. He is the Master Sculptor . . . Grace and the personal discipline required to pursue holiness, however, are not opposed to one another. In fact, they go hand in hand. An understanding of how grace and personal, vigorous effort work together is essential for a life-long pursuit of holiness.” (Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace: God’s Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness, Colorado Springs (NavPress, 1994), 11,13).
My daugher, by her own assessment, remains the only 13 year old in either hemisphere who does not have a cell phone.
For everyone else, who does have a phone, it is good to read Tullian Tchividjian’s introduction to this Ken Myers column. . . then click on the link to the article. While it has been out for a number of years, Myer’s All God’s Children and Blue Suede Shoes , has never been more relevant.
Remember, Christians are called to bring truth into lively and gracious intersection with all of life. This includes how we use our cell phones.
As for me. It’s Monday. I’m still recovering from sermonic hangover. There are few Monday’s when the title of Gunny’s weekly column does not apply to me. That to say, the screen on my phone is dark.
If you go to this web site, you can listen to your favorite television show theme song. “Have Gun, Will Travel,” “Bonanza,” . . . they’re all there.
Bonanza isn’t the same without being able to see the map of the Ponderosa burn.
I once used the image of the map burning as an illustration for the expansion of the church in the book of Acts. I thought it was very creative, but only about five people remembered it.
This is one of my favorite pictures of our church – - and it means all the more that it was taken on the day one of our young couples was married.
I continue to be thankful for the people God used to build a church that would serve the Lord’s people here in Stillman Valley for over 100 years now.
