A La Carte (6/14)

7 Ways Fathers Provoke Their Children - “The Bible tells fathers to do two things: bring children up in the ways of the Lord and do not provoke them. How can a father avoid provoking his child?” Here are 7 ways dads may provoke their children.

F-35 - Here’s an interesting article on the long-awaited, much-delayed future of American air power. “After a decade of administrative problems, cost overruns and technical glitches, the F-35 is still not ready for action.”

I Don’t Wait Anymore - This is a poignant article. “When I was 16, I got a purity ring. And when I was 25, I took it off. I didn't tell anyone I was doing it -- it wasn't a statement or an emotional thing. I just slipped it off my finger that day and, before tucking it away in a box, ran my finger around the words on the familiar gold band. ‘True Love Waits.’ Waits. What's it ‘waiting’ for, anyway?”

Living With Less. A Lot Less - This writer’s ideologies may differ from mine, but the point of his article is illuminating. “Somehow this stuff ended up running my life, or a lot of it; the things I consumed ended up consuming me. My circumstances are unusual (not everyone gets an Internet windfall before turning 30), but my relationship with material things isn't.”

Pretty Boy Preachers - “Spurgeon feared no man. Constrained only by the bounds of God's Word, Spurgeon said what he liked, when he liked, how he liked. The problem with Spurgeon was not that men misunderstood his meaning. The problem was that men understood him completely.”

You Won’t Finish this Article - One glance at statistics software is enough to tell me that few of you read all the way to the end of my articles. Slate explains why we do this.

Adversity hath slain her thousand, but prosperity her ten thousand. —Thomas Brooks

The History of Christianity in 25 Objects: Calvin's Chair

St. Pierre Cathedral in Geneva, Switzerland was the work of Arducius de Faucigny, the prince-bishop of the Diocese of Geneva. The building's earliest construction dates from the 12th century, but wars, fires, renovations and additions have often changed its look and shape. Though today it is the home of a congregation of the Swiss Reformed Church, it will always be known as John Calvin's church, for it was here that the great Reformer preached day-after-day and year-after-year. And there within St. Pierre's, is John Calvin's chair, the next of the twenty-five objects through which we can trace the history of Christianity.

In 1517, Martin Luther had sparked Reformation with his Ninety-Five Theses. In the years that followed, his seditious new teachings quickly spread throughout Europe so that Christianity was now split into two broad streams: Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. The work Luther began was to be carried on by others and none would play so crucial a role in defending and systematizing Protestantism as John Calvin. As Mark Noll says, "If Luther sounded the trumpet for reform, Calvin orchestrated the score by which the Reformation became a part of Western civilization."

St Pierre Geneva
John Calvin was a Frenchman, born at Noyon, Picardy in 1509. From an early age he had an interest in church matters. He intended to become a priest, but his father believed his son's prospects were better as a lawyer and for that reason enrolled him in the University of Orleans to study law. Along the way Calvin became intrigued by humanism and began to study the methods of humanism; he also studied and mastered Greek, a skill that would serve him well later in life.

In 1533 a young Calvin encountered Luther's teachings and was converted both suddenly and unexpectedly. Later he would say, "God by a sudden conversion subdued and brought my mind to a teachable frame, which was more hardened in such matters than might have been expected in such a young man." He soon broke with the Roman Catholic Church and became known as a leader within the Parisian Protestant movement. His role as leader made him a marked man and he soon had to flee his native France, first going to Germany and then to Switzerland. He settled in Basel wanting to lead the quiet life of a scholar, but reports of Protestant persecution in France aroused his passion.

In 1536 Calvin published the first edition of the Institutes of the Christian Religion and it immediately sold well, thrusting him again into the limelight. He determined to travel to Strasbourg where he could once more go into hiding, but on the journey he passed through Geneva where William Farel awaited him. Farel was a fellow Frechman and preacher who had determined to settle in Switzerland. With all the force of a prophet, he pleaded with Calvin to remain in Geneva and there to preach as a means of provoking reform within the city. But for a short interval during which both men were forced out of Geneva, Calvin was to remain in the city until his death in 1564.

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Satan Wants To Help You

Satan wants to help you—to help you sin. He is hell bent on taking you to hell with him. Thomas Books, in his book Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices, drew up a list of the devices Satan uses to draw you—yes you!—to sin. Here are six of them:

He presents the bait and hides the hook. Satan shows you the pleasure and the profit that may flow out of yielding to sin, but hides the wrath and misery that will inevitably result. This is, of course, exactly what he did with Adam and Eve: he displayed the benefit of eating that fruit, but hid all the cost. "There is an opening of the mind to contemplation and joy, and there is an opening of the eyes of the body to shame and confusion. He promises them the former, but intends the latter, and so cheats them."

He paints sin with the colors of virtue. Satan knows that if he were to present sin accurately, you would run away from it rather than be attracted to it. Therefore, he conceals sin behind the camouflage of virtue so you can more easily be overcome by it and take more immediate pleasure in committing it. When he does this, pride comes in the form of neatness, covetousness in the form of thrift, and drunkenness in the form of a good time. Whatever temptation you are prone to he will likewise dress up as a virtue.

He convinces you this is only a little sin. Satan tries to convince you the temptation you face, the sin you are drawn to, is just a small and a harmless one. He wants you to believe this is a sin you may commit without any great danger to your soul.

He shows you that even noble men have sinned while hiding from you their sorrow and repentance. Satan will let you see that greater men than you have fallen into this sin and still been loved by God. He will set before you the adultery of David, the pride of Hezekiah, the impatience of Job, the drunkenness of Noah and the blasphemy of Peter. But as he does so, he will hide from you their tears and laments and he will hide from you that they repented of those very things and would plead with you not to succumb to the same temptation.

He presents God as only and ever merciful. Satan will convince you that you do not need to be afraid of this sin, that there is no real danger in this sin, for God is full of mercy, he delights in mercy, is ready to show mercy, never wearies of mercy and is more prone to pardon than to punish. And as he presents God's mercy, he deliberately conceals God's justice.

He convinces you that repentance is easy. As Satan presents a temptation before you, he will try to convince you that the work of repentance is an easy work, that it is not at all difficult to turn, to confess, to be sorrowful and to beg the Lord's pardon. And if all this is true, there is no urgent need to bother yourself with battling sin, for you can repent later just as easily as you now commit the sin.

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A La Carte (6/13)

Here are a few Kindle deals for you: What Every Man Wishes His Father Had Told Him (an excellent book I reviewed here) by Byron Yawn ($2.99); The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones ($2.99); Thoughts To Make Your Heart Sing by Sally Lloyd-Jones: Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, Volume 4, Volume 5 ($1.99 each).

A Guide to Metadata - The NSA scandal has often involved the word “metadata.” This article at the Guardian shows you what kind of information can be stored every time you send an email, snap a photo, and so on.

A Story Already Told - “I listened to that friend describe utter heartbreak and, in her wounded cry, heard the faint and hollow echo of words already spoken. Every story, every life, nothing more than a repeat of the one told before it, a prelude to the one told after.”

Dangers of Online Christianity - Chris Crane is no Luddite, but still sees certain dangers and temptations in online living. He offers counsel in this article.

Wives Tales - Here are some old wives tales about cooking the perfect steak.

Supercell Timelapse - “It took four years but I finally got it. A rotating supercell. And not just a rotating supercell, but one with insane structure and amazing movement.” It’s a thing of beauty.

The Astounding Faith of Aregash - This is amazing. Watch it!

When we take least notice of our good deeds ourselves, God takes most notice of them. —Matthew Henry

Fear God More Than the NSA

Every analogy breaks down at some point which is why it is unwise to push an illustration too far. In the past I have written about the data each of us creates on a daily basis and have illustrated with airplanes and bloodhounds. We create data all the time and just as airplanes leave contrails in the skies, we leave a trail of data; like bloodhounds can track a trail of sweat and breath and dropped skin cells, people with access to our data can track what we have done and what we are doing.

While we all know that we leave data trails behind us, we may have been under the comfortable impression that this data is like contrails and skin cells that dissipate so that in a short time it is gone and can no longer lead to anyone or anything. But this is where the illustration breaks down. In what may prove to be one of the greatest government leaks of all time, Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the NSA and warned us all that our data is being actively collected and stored so that, in time, it may be analyzed and used against us. Big Brother is watching all of us, or, at least, he can watch all of us if he so chooses. It is little surprise that sales of Orwell's 1984 have spiked almost 10,000% in the days since.

You and I are data-creating machines. We create electronic data actively through Facebook comments, emails, blog posts, phone calls, and so much else. Even the letters we mail end up creating data as the envelopes are (sometimes) photographed and stored as an image. We also create data passively through cell phones checking in at the nearby towers and loyalty cards swiped at checkouts. All of this data is collected and increasingly it is collated and analyzed in order to create profiles. Such profiles are invaluable to businesses who want to market their products as precisely as possible; such profiles are invaluable to governments who want to prevent terrorism or dissension.

We still do not know exactly what the NSA and other government bodies are collecting and what they are doing with it. Caution is in order as some of the early reports probably over-stated the matter. What we do know is that government organizations are apparently demanding and keeping records of who is calling whom, when and for how long. There is a lot of dispute about whether they have some kind of backdoor access to Facebook and Apple and Google and all the other giants of the digital world. We will probably never know the exact details. It is likely that some of what is captured is genuinely helpful and important to the security of nations; it is equally probable that far more data is captured than is needed and that this data is stored for future use. But either way, the government is monitoring you.

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A La Carte (6/12)

Here are a few Kindle deals for you: Disciplines of a Godly Man by Kent Hughes ($3.99); The Shepherd Leader at Home by Timothy Witmer ($4.99); No More Excuses by Tony Evans ($2.99); Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by Bruce Ware ($2.99); Date Your Wife by Justin Buzzard ($3.99); The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel ($2.99).

Three Buzzwords - “When writing and speaking about Christian themes, it can be easy to adopt the popular language associated with an idea without realizing the implications of the words we use to describe, teach, or communicate these concepts. It’s important for us to think through the way we talk and grasp the influence that our language has on how we understand certain concepts.” Here are three buzzwords we should think about.

Putting Sin to Death - Here is wisdom from the Puritans on putting sin to death. And while we’re on the subject of the Puritans, Paul Tautges has been reading Thomas Brooks and came up with several important counseling principles.

Breaking Ties with the Boy Scouts - I appreciate R.C. Sproul Jr’s answer to this question: “Should my family, or my church break ties with the Boy Scouts of America, given their decision to welcome openly homosexual scouts?”

False Sense of Progress - Maybe this is part of email’s tricky allure: “we like to feel that we're making progress. So if you get to erase ten e-mails from your inbox, you feel like you have achieved something. But if you think carefully about it, it's not clear that you're going to get something out of it.”

Praying Terrifying Prayers - Erik Raymond writes about those times when we need to pray terrifying prayers.

Satan watches for those vessels that sail without a convoy. —George Swinnock

New & Notable Books

I am in the unique and enjoyable position of receiving copies of most of the latest and greatest Christian books and I like to provide regular roundups of some of the best and brightest of the bunch. Of all the books I have received recently, here are the ones that appear most noteworthy.

Pocket Dictionary of the Reformed TraditionPocket Dictionary Reformed Tradition by Kelly M. Kapic & Wesley Vander Lugt. According to the publisher, “Beginning to study Reformed theology is like stepping into a family conversation that has been going on for five hundred years. How do you find your bearings and figure out how to take part in this conversation without embarrassing yourself? The Pocket Dictionary of the Reformed Tradition takes on this rich, boisterous and varied tradition in its broad contours, filling you in on its common affirmations as well as its family tensions. Here you will find succinct and reliable entries on…” a whole series of theological terms and controversies, important names and councils, and so on. “The Pocket Dictionary of the Reformed Tradition is ready to assist you over the rough parts of readings, lectures, conversations and blogs. It will also be a companionable and concise introduction to one of the great Christian traditions.” (Learn more or buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Name above All Names by Sinclair Ferguson and Alistair Begg. Alistair Begg and Sinclair Ferguson. Do we need to say a whole lot more than that? “Jesus Christ has been given the name above all names, the highest seat of honor, the right to reign and rule. Yet the busyness of our lives and the diversions of this world often distract us from knowing the most important person we could ever know. Perhaps we need some help to see Jesus afresh. In this thoughtful study and worshipful reflection, two influential pastors draw on decades of pastoral experience in order to guide us through the whole sweep of Scripture and examine seven key qualities of Jesus's identity and ministry. Name above All Names helps us to see and meditate on the incomparable character of Christ—a spiritual exercise that enables us to readily respond to the exhortations of Scripture, to focus our gaze upon the King of kings, and to better understand just how great Jesus really is.” (Learn more or buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Sex and MoneySex and Money by Paul David Tripp. “Pleasure. We live in a world obsessed with finding it, passionate to enjoy it, and desperate to maintain it. Chief among such pleasures are sex and money—two pleasures unrivaled in their power to captivate our attention, demand our worship, and drive us to hide or to despair. You don't have to look far to see that we are in big trouble in both areas. Many of us see the battle. We feel the strain of the war. And we are eager for freedom in a world gone mad. Seasoned counselor and pastor Paul David Tripp pulls back the curtain on the lies that surround us and on the distortions we often overlook. As Tripp thoughtfully exposes the insanity of our culture, he also wisely speaks to our own tendencies to fall prey to sexual and financial idolatry. Sex and Money ultimately directs us to God's Word and the liberating power of the gospel, offering real-world advice, and giving us the guidance we need to find true joy and enduring satisfaction.” (Learn more or buy it at Amazon or Westminster Books)

Fanny Crosby: The Blind Girl’s Song by Lucille Travis. Trailblazers is an excellent series of biographies for young readers and the most recent volume is on the hymnwriter Fanny Crosby. If it is consistent with the rest of the volumes, it will be a great addition to the series and one to consider for the kids. (Learn more or buy it at Amazon)

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The Glory of Heaven

The Glory of HeavenA few weeks ago a reporter from Macleans magazine got in touch to ask if I would be willing to talk about a whole new genre of books--books that claim the author has journeyed to heaven. He had been assigned the story and was baffled by their popularity. I am baffled too. He saw as well that even as authors are insisting that heaven is real and that they have seen it, hell is on the downgrade. He understood readers want the assurance that heaven exists and they want to believe that hell does not.

These books crowd bookstore shelves (as evidenced by this snapshot I took at a local bookstore). Every couple of months there is another book telling the story of a near death experience followed by a journey to the afterlife. Every couple of months one of these books hits the list of bestsellers. 90 Minutes in Heaven, Heaven Is For Real, Proof of Heaven, To Heaven and Back...it just goes on and on. While bookstores are now full of these books, there have been very few responses to them.

Heaven Tourism Books
Enter the second edition of John MacArthur's The Glory of Heaven. The first edition was written to combat New Age themes that were pervading the church in the early to mid-90's. The second edition is angled specifically at exposing this genre of heaven tourism. While much of the content is the same, there is also much that is new, refreshed and updated.

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A La Carte (6/11)

Bruce Ware’s Father, Son and Holy Spirit, an excellent book on the Trinity, is just $3.99. Here are a couple more deals: Hitler in the Crosshairs by John Woodbridge ($3.99); The Case for Christ Student Edition by Lee Strobel ($2.99); The Student Edition of The Case for Faith (which I haven’t read) is also at $2.99.

Filled with Frogs - Mark Altrogge: “If Pittsburgh were overrun by frogs, and even the Steelers had frogs in their bedrooms, I don't think I'd forget that.  But God knows our tendency to forget, so he warned Israel about forgetting his mighty deliverance. And you know what? They forgot.”

The Sufficiency of Scripture - The sufficiency of Scripture is a very important doctrine that we neglect to our peril. This is a good article to read in order to brush up on what it means and why it matters.

The Thrill of the Chaste - From Christianity Today: “Women have always longed for the men of romance novels. In some ways, that’s what romance novels are for. The latest romance subgenre, though, has its own effects. Not only may readers of Amish fiction compare their husbands’ bodies to a hunky hero like Levi Yoder, but also their own households to the bucolic, romanticized Amish life.”

The Glory of God - If you’ve ever tried to define what you mean by “the glory of God” you know just how difficult it is. Andy Naselli looks to a ThM thesis and offers help.

Ask.fm - CNet writes about another place teens are hanging out online: “Spy on Ask.fm’s public stream and you’ll feel like you’ve been transported back to middle school, dumped in the center of he-said, she-said dramas — sometimes innocuous, sometimes not. Here, hormone-crazed young boys and girls banter about their after-school plans, tease their peers, boast about their most recent hookups, and try to appear cool with expletives and graphic language.”

The more purely God’s word is preached, the more deeply it pierces and the more kindly it works. —William Gouge

Best Commentaries on 1 & 2 Samuel

Series Introduction: I live in a small house. I work in a small office in a small church. For those reasons and others I will never have a huge library. When I add a book I almost always remove a book, a practice that allows me to focus on quality over quantity. Over the past couple of years I have focused on building a collection of commentaries that will include only the best volumes on each book of the Bible. I know when I’m in way over my head, so before I began I collected every good resource I could find that rated and reviewed commentaries. I studied them and then began my collection on the basis of what the experts told me. Since I did all of that work, and since I continue to keep up with the project, I thought it might be helpful to share the recommendations.

My focus is on newer commentaries (at least in part because most of the classics are now freely or cheaply available) and I am offering approximately 5 recommendations for each book of the Bible, alternating between the Old Testament and the New. Today I have turned to the experts to find what they say about 1 & 2 Samuel.

1 & 2 Samuel

1 SamuelDale Ralph Davis - 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel (Focus on the Bible). Dale Ralph Davis has written fantastic commentaries on many of the historical books of the Old Testament, 1 & 2 Samuel among them. (As an aside, I was excited to see in a recent catalog that he’ll also be providing Daniel for the BST series.) While they are written at such a level that they are accessible for the general reader, they are very helpful for pastors as well. Truly, if you are going to preach Samuel, you will definitely want to have access to them. (Amazon: 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel; Westminster Books: 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel).

David T. Tsumura - The First Book of Samuel (New International Commentary on the Old Testament). Tsumura’s commentary on 1 Samuel was published in 2007; the NICOT still does not have a volume on 2 Samuel, though apparently Tsumura continues to work on it. Keith Mathison recommends this commentary and says, “It is very well written and very thorough. Tsumura's expertise in the languages of the ancient Near East is evident throughout.” He suggests as well that when the second volume is complete the set “will likely be the standard scholarly commentary on these books for many years.” (Amazon, Westminster Books)

1 SamuelRichard Phillips - 1 Samuel (Reformed Expository Commentaries). To this point Phillips has covered only 1 Samuel, but it is an excellent volume and I trust (and hope!) he will be providing the commentary for 2 Samuel as well. As with all of the volumes in the Reformed Expository series, it is based on sermons and approaches the text section-by-section rather than verse-by-verse. Phillips is especially helpful when it comes to contemporary application. (Amazon, Westminster Books)

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