Reading Classics Together: The Bruised Reed (VIII)

As this round of Reading Classics Together draws near to a close (we’ve got just one more week after this) I’m already thinking ahead to the next book. But I guess I need to keep my head in the game and first finish up this one. It’s been a great read and I’ve learned a lot from Sibbes. Let me share a few of the highlights from this week’s reading. Highlights As I do every few weeks, I want to …

Reading Classics Together: The Bruised Reed (VI)

It’s Thursday again, which means we’re continuing our reading through The Bruised Reed by Richard Sibbes. We are quickly drawing near to the end of this book–something that happens quickly when reading two chapters at a time. Another two or three weeks and we will be finished. Summary For some reason I found both of this week’s chapters more difficult than the ones that had come before. Somehow they seemed just a little bit less clear in their purpose. I’m …

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Reading Classics Together: The Bruised Reed (V)

Today we continue reading through Richard Sibbes’ classic work The Bruised Reed. This is, of course, part of the Reading Classics Together program in which we read some of the classic books of the Christian faith and discuss them together. Summary Our reading for this week comprised two chapters, as usual, with the first of these, “Duties and Discouragements” just packed with great content from beginning to end. In this chapter Sibbes seeks to address whether or not we ought …

Reading Classics Together: The Bruised Reed (IV)

A new Thursday brings us to our next reading in Richard Sibbes’ classic The Bruised Reed. This week we were to read chapter 6 (“Marks of the Smoking Flax”) and chapter 7 (“Help for the Weak”). Summary Some weeks I like to provide a summary of the content of the chapters we’ve read. Today, though, I think I’ll simply provide a roundup of some of those most quotable quotes. As I’ve said before, Sibbes has that Puritan ability to condense …

Reading Classics Together: The Bruised Reed (III)

This morning we come to our third reading in Richard Sibbes’ The Bruised Reed. Though we’re still early in the book, already I’m seeing so much evidence as to why Sibbes was known as a physician of the soul or, to use the title given to him in his day, “The Heavenly Doctor Sibbes.” I don’t know that I’ve ever read a book that is more comforting, more pastoral in its tone. Sibbes has an amazing ability to bring comfort …

Reading Classics Together: The Bruised Reed (II)

Today we come to our second reading in Richard Sibbes’ The Bruised Reed. We are looking at chapters 2 and 3 today, seeing that Christ will not break the bruised reed and learning what God means by “the smoking flax.” Summary Sibbes looks first to Christ’s dealing with the bruised reed (and, to reiterate, a bruised reed is a person who is in misery of spirit so either he will come to Christ or be drawn closer to Christ). He …

Reading Classics Together: The Bruised Reed (I)

Today we begin our journey through Richard Sibbes’ The Bruised Reed. I’m starting a bit late in the day, as it happens, due to some technical issues. Nevertheless, here we go. If you have decided to read this classic with us, you are free to leave a comment below. And if you’re not the commenting sort, that’s just fine. I ask only that you keep reading the book. Summary As you might expect, the first chapter of The Bruised Reed …

Quelle Surprise!

Aileen gave herself the best birthday present ever. On her thirtieth birthday she gave birth to our daughter, Michaela Joy. It was a great day, even if we didn’t get around to having Aileen’s birthday dinner that day. Now that it is my thirtieth birthday I have proven unable to deliver such a great gift for myself. Thankfully, I’ve got family on my side. This morning at around 10 AM my biggest little sister (Maryanne, for those of you who …