Read for 2012

Happy New Years!

Since 2010, I have been keeping track of the books I have been reading. My goal is to slowly increase my reading count over time. This year, I have read a total of 41 books. I intend to increase that total for 2013. Anything with a star, I found particularly enjoyable and worth the read. Some theology books I had to read for school... which means I may not agree with everything that was written. It would be best to ask me if you want advice on what to read. In terms of categories: leisure is for fun; laymen refers to books that are aimed towards general consumption; pastoral is for leadership stuff; academic requires more effort on the part of the reader.

Finally, this is for me to keep track of what I have read. I'll get around to updating that book list for solid recommendations.

Read for 2012

Leisure
Suzanne Collins - Hunger Games I, II, and III.
Koushun Takami - Battle Royale.
Nick Metcaiffe - The Pool Bible.
Cormac McCarthy - The Road
Jeff Lindsay - Dexter Darkly Dreaming
Jeff Lindsay - Dexter by Design
Martin Nemko - How to do Life.
Arnold Dallimore - George Whitefield Vol. 2.*

Laymen
D. A.  Carson - The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God.*
Mack Stiles - The Marks of the Messenger.*
David Steele - The Five Points of Calvinism.*
Dietrich Bonhoeffer - Letters from Prison.
Carolyn Mahaney - Feminine Appeal.
Michael Goheen - A Light to the Nations.
Michael Frost/Alan Hirsch - The Shaping of Things to Come.
Matt Chandler - The Explicit Gospel.
Michael Jenkins - The Next Christendom.
Henry Bettenson - Documents of the Christian Church.
Michael E. Wittmer - Heaven is a Place on Earth.
Tony Reinke - Lit.*
Graeme Goldsworthy - According to Plan.
Greg Dutcher - Killing Calvinism.
Joel R. Beeke - Taking Hold of God.
Craig Bartholomew/Michael Goheen - The Drama of Scripture.*

Pastoral/Leadership
Bryan Chapell - Using Illustrations to Preach With Power.*
John Piper/D. A. Carson - The Pastor as Scholar, The Scholar as Pastor.
Dave Harvey - Am I Called?
Ruth Haley Barton - Strengthening Leadership of the Soul.
Bill Hybels - Courageous Leadership.

Academic
Scott Hafemann - Biblical Theology.*
Scott Hafemann - Central Themes in Biblical Theology.
John Piper - The Justification of God.**
Robert A. Peterson/Michael D. Williams - Why I am not an Arminian.
Wayne Grudem - Systematic Theology.*
Daniel Block - Commentary on Judges.
Thomas E. Schmidt - Straight and Narrow?: Compassion and Clarity in the Homosexuality Debate.*
Joe Trull/James Carter - Ministerial Ethics.
William Struthers - Wired for Intimacy.
Glen Stassen/David Gushee - Kingdom Ethics.

Meteor Showers

It was a good night to watch the meteor shower tonight. Two of them together: Geminid and 3200 Phaeton. There is nothing like watching the stars with some friends and chatting about different things. Conversations are punctuated by the random appearance of a shooting star blazing across the night sky.

One conversation stood out in particular as A* and I drove home.

"I always thought you and X would have been good together."
"Yeah, me too."
"How come nothing ever came out of it?"
"I screwed up. One of the biggest mistakes of my life."
"Don't say that. How do you know that's true?"
"It is."

And long digressions into that sort of stuff. Things best not to repeat. Nice to get those things off one's chest... I suppose.

George Whitefield

If you have the opportunity, you should read the 2 volume work on George Whitefield by Arnold Dallimore. It is the definitive resource on Whitefield, taking 30 years to complete.

On Whitefield, Charles Wesley wrote...

Though long by following multitudes admired,
No party for himself he e’er desired;
His one desire, to make the Saviour known,
To magnify the name of Christ alone;
If others strove who should the greatest be,
No lover of pre-eminence was he,
Nor envied those his Lord vouchsafed to bless,
But joy’d in theirs, as in his own success,
His friends in honour to himself preferr’d,
And least of all in his own eyes appear’d. 

The Journal of Charles Wesley, Vol. 2, p 428.

Perhaps, one day I will write a longer post worthy of the name Whitefield. But, a question we can take away is this. What will friends say of us and the race that we have run? Would they say that our ONE desire was to make the Saviour known? To magnify the name of Christ alone?

Mandate

So I had the blessing of spending the day with a dear brother in Christ, Allan... I can offer him up praise here, because I highly doubt he will ever read this blog. It is always an encouragement to chat with him and discuss theological stuff with him. I am blessed to call him my friend. I have not seen him for a number of months... but it is always easy to re-connect with him. Oddly enough, we always seem to be working through the same things, whether theologically or in our character.

Today was especially odd.... we kept on ordering the same thing....

Lunch was at Denny's... we both feasted on a Country Fried Steak, Hash Browns, and Brown Toast with coffee. When the separate bills arrived, we both paid with fifties. (We be ballin' yo)

For afternoon tea, we both ordered Passion Tea Lemonades at Starbucks... (The acronym spells PTL... clearly the most Christ-like of all the beverages).

[We caught a movie before dinner. Do not see "The Watch", it is very adult-like and inappropriate.]

For dinner, Allan ordered a "Wild Crunch"... Upon realization I might order the exact same thing again... I ordered two pounds of wings instead.

In conclusion, great minds think a-like.... lesser minds also.

Bye!

Real

"If you look at our disappointments, you'll see what you love. When the bottom falls out, you'll learn stuff about what you love that you never knew before. It won't always be pretty. You'll learn what you believe. You'll learn what you really believe, when the bottom falls out. When the crushing disappointments come. And you'll learn where you really rest, where you'll really find your fulfilment and satisfaction and security. You'll find what your real treasure is, when the disappointments come."

- Ligon Duncan, T4G 2012 in "The Underestimated God"

Depressed

Not gonna lie, pretty depressed.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.
Matt 16:24-26

I read this in my devotions this morning. To be honest, I did not feel like reading Scripture today, that is how sin is. It robs you of your joy, and then it requires a lot more effort to come before God. And I'm not speaking only of personal sin, but the far-reaching consequences of your sin in the lives of other believers.

And again, these issues point me to the question. 

"What am I doing?"

It seems like signing on for pastoral ministry is just begging for suffering. They are the men that are the most pitiful in the world. To be honest, I do not know if I have the stomach for it.

On Shepherding

It is hard to shepherd souls. It is hard to combat intricate moral evil. It is hard to help people walk through pain and anguish. Gregory the Great called it the "art of arts" in his great treatise on pastoral care. He thought the task of guiding souls far more difficult than the tasks performed by a mere medical doctor. Think about that. The body is relatively accessible. It is often explicable by cause-and-effect reasoning and treatable by medication or surgery. But "the more delicate art deals with what is unseen", the irrational madness in our hearts (Jer 17:9; Eccl 9:3). When you consider the challenge, how is it that most churchly counseling seems slapdash, pat answer, and quick fix? A good M.D. spends a lifetime in acquiring case-wise acumen. A mature psychotherapist pursues continuing education. Can a pastor be content with one-size-fits-all boilerplate? Kyrie eleison. People are not served when the Christian life is portrayed as if some easy answer will do - a pet doctrine, religious strategy, involvement in a program, spiritual experience - and presto!, case solved. Again, hear Gregory’s words:

One and the same exhortation is not suited
to all, because they are not compassed
by the same quality of character.... In
exhorting individuals great exertion is
required to be of service to each individual’s
particular needs.

A pastor’s work is the art of arts.

Journal of Biblical Counseling, 26:1 "The Pastor as Counselor" David Powlison

Reading update

As of last night, books read for 2012 has reached a total of TEN. Still a good bunch more to do, but this looks like a summer which I can get a lot of reading done.

In other news, remember the girl I lent Joe Boot to? She has a very good grasp of presuppositions now. Pretty happy that she retained it.

Pluggin' Away

Going to Seminary is expensive. On top of that, finding a scholarship can be really difficult. That's why I was so excited to find this Seminary Scholarship website today. Not only are they giving away a $1,000.00 scholarship and a digital theological library, all I had to do to apply was watch a short video and answer a few questions! It took less than 15 minutes. What is best of all is that if you're in seminary and apply for the Seminary Scholarship, and put my name as the person who referred you, if you win the scholarship, so do I! We could both get a $1,000.00 scholarship and digital theological library. So, do us both a favor and go apply for the Seminary Scholarship today.

Pretty much for Vince. :D

Small Encouragement

Procrastinating on 15 page paper due tomorrow.

Just a small thought that I do not want to forget over the course of time. I lent a book to a Christian sister last week, so that she could get a grasp of presuppositions (Joe Boot - Why I Still Believe). She came up to me this week and had a very good question on the birth of Jesus and how Athiests will argue that Jesus was in two places at once (Egypt in Matthew; the Temple in Luke). We talked for a little while, and she brought up that she was not done my book yet and would have to hold on to it a little longer. That's no issue for me, as I have books lent out to friends reaching the two year mark. :|

In any case, she's a fast reader. So it was a surprise to me for such a short book to offer difficulty. She stated her reason: "I'm not done taking notes." It did not hit me at that moment, but as I reflect upon it now... I am encouraged.

Anyways, back to work.

History

I am slowly coming to realize the importance of both personal history and the history of Christianity.

Whenever you purchase a new computer, it takes a while to get things the way you want them. You have to install the right applications, move your personal data, and much much more. I have started backing up my personal e-mails on to my machine. As the e-mails flew in, I started reading any that caught my attention.

I appreciate the summer in 2007 and 2008, where Vince and I fired e-mails back to one another pretty much everyday. We discovered the thread limit for g-mail is 100 messages. We regularly broke that limit.

I saw some of the first e-mails I exchanged with my pastor: how we connected through a random bible study, how I introduced him to my old church, and how our friendship has matured over the years.

Probably what cut to my heart the most were the many names of friends I have not seen in a while. I sorely miss members of the Zoe committee: Eleasa in Brisbane, Vicks who I never see for some reason, Kelly who goes on HK trips without telling me. There are many other names: CCF people, Ryerson people, etc.

As I perused through the different e-mails, I was reminded of how blessed I am to have friends like these. God has worked through my life in both the good situations and the bad. It gives me hope to know that God has dealt with me faithfully all these years. As I look forward to the future and its uncertainties, I know God will continue to be faithful to me. It is a great comfort to trust in His sovereignty.

I'll cover the Christian History another time.

A Good Day

In an effort to be more positive, I will write about some of the good things that happened today.

Keep in mind this is how I will avoid studying for my Hebrew exam in 36 hours (that I will most likely do very very poorly on).

Decided to go to a Theological Research Seminar at school today. These are seminars held for the opportunity of students and professors to showcase what they are working on. This one was on a re-examination of gender roles based on Adam and Eve. The woman speaking was clearly moving towards an Egalitarian view despite not bringing it up explicitly. It was a little hard to understand her, because she is native to Japan.

I gained some valuable insight for which student was part of what camp based on the questions that people asked her. The camps I am referring to are Egalitarianism vs. Complementarianism.

After the seminar, I talked with some of the other seminary students and it was nice to just shoot the breeze and chat about random things. Definitely want to read more, as a lot of these young men are more well read than I am.

Had Hebrew class, which is always nerve-wracking. You always get asked questions about your translations in that class. So it is like playing Russian Roulette for hard verses. I did not have any difficulties this class (which is always praiseworthy!)

Afterwards, I drove the prof to my evening class on Judges. Over burgers, we talked about random things. I learned of his love for Christian history and that he comes from the Reformed tradition. I realize now that I can learn a lot for him, so I definitely need to get thesis prep work done.

And now, I study for Hebrew.

Mormons

Ran into one today. Totally botched it. Need to bone up on stuff. The end.

On Witnessing

"How much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? If I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you and you didn't believe it, and that truck was bearing down on you, there's a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that." - Penn Jillette

Witness

I had the chance to witness to a cousin while helping another cousin move. We had a lot of alone time, because we came earlier than the rest of the family. The result: 2 hours of one-on-one discussion which we would normally never have at family events.

I praise God that He would use such a broken vessel as myself to share the good news of the Kingdom, but I can't help but feel unsatisfied with the sharing. This isn't a matter of "Why hasn't God saved him?". Rather, throughout my delivery I stumbled through words. I also started with some preamble which I think distracted from the gospel message.

This has caused me to re-think my approach to evangelism.

One. I think I will drop the world views/presuppositions approach and just start off in a Christian world view.

Two. I need to be more direct and focused on the gospel, and not follow rabbit trails in peripheral things.

Three. I will think through adopting a George Whitefield 15-minutes and must evangelise with that person. Or D. L. Moody, witness to at least one total stranger everyday.

Seeing family for dinner tomorrow night, just praying that there is an opportunity to share there.

Seminary

FYI, if you're a regular reader and I haven't told you in person.... I am in seminary now, yay!

Probably, the most exciting thing for me is doing a regular Bible study with my housemates. I am praying that they'll be receptive to Scriptural teaching and hope that it will impact their lives immensely.

Otherwise, classes are good. I get along fine with the other students. It's a lot of work and reading. The paper writing is a little frustrating. Papers are either too short and you have to fit your argument in a small space, or too long and requires too much research. Keeping in mind, I did a business/technical degree in undergrad. I am not used to doing papers. (I'm not really used to doing that much at all.)

God has been gracious with me while here. I just pray I can keep it up.

SDG.

Amazing

It's amazing some of the things you can write over the years.

QOD

Do not enter the ministry if you can help it.

Discerning God's Call

I have had the blessing to have a long theological discussion with some brothers in Mississauga this past Sunday. I was greatly encouraged to know that there are some young men out there that realize there are issues with North American Christianity and Christianity as revealed in the Bible. I have no doubt that young men such as these will entertain the thought of entering full time ministry. What would have greatly helped me is if I read this letter from MLJ to his daughter on the subject of determining God's will:

I need not say that Mama and I were both much moved by your letter of last week and what you had to say in it about your thought and feelings concerning foreign mission work.

As far as we are concerned we are content with God's will for you whatever it may be. That is not easy, of course, but I thank God that we have had sufficient grace to commit you to his will. I have always tried to preach to myself what I have so often said to others that we are but pilgrims and strangers in this world. All we have is but given to us as guardians and custodians by God, not to keep to ourselves but to enjoy as from Him. This applies to our children and our business as parents is to prepare them for life and for God's purpose for them in life, regarding it as one of the greatest and highest privileges that they have been placed in our hands. . .

The one vital, all important thing is to know the will of God. It is not as easy as it sometimes sounds. I was for over two years in a state of uncertainty and indecision before leaving medicine for the pulpit. But in the end it was made absolutely and perfectly clear and mainly by means of things which God did.

These are the rules which I would advise you to observe:

1. Never speak to anyone about it. Don't tell people what you are feeling and discuss it and ask for advice. That always leads to still more uncertainty and confusion. Make an absolute rule of this at all costs. Say nothing until you are absolutely certain, because we are all subject to self suggestion.

2. Do not even think about it and discuss the pros and cons with yourself. Once more this leads to auto suggestion and confusion.

3. In meetings, etc. do not start with the thought in your mind, 'I wonder whether this is going to throw light on my question or help in any way?'

4. In other words, you must not try to anticipate God's leading. Believing as I do that God does 'call' very definitely, and in a distinct and definite doctrine of a call, and a vocation is distinct from 'the need is the call' idea, I believe that God will always make His will and His way plain and clear. With reverence, therefore, I say leave it to God entirely as regards purpose, time and all else.

All you have to do is to tell God that you are content to do His will whatever it may be and, more, that you will rejoice to do His will. Surrender yourself, your life, your future entirely to Him and leave it at that. . . You must not go on asking God to show you His way. Leave it to Him and refuse to consider it until He makes it impossible for you not to do so.

Also remember, and especially in an atmosphere like OICCU and IVF which tends to be activist and to place such emphasis on works, that 'to be' comes before 'to do'. That is where we all fail. Our business is to make ourselves such instruments as shall be fit and meet for the Master's use. He always tells such people how and where and when He wants to use them. You prepare yourself and He will then show you what he wants you to do.

I urge you not only for your own sake but even for the work's sake to implement these principles.

- Martyn Lloyd Jones - May 17, 1948

How narrow is narrow?

The past few days I had the pleasure of hanging with some Christian friends. Some friends from Paris, some from my old church, and some from a conference I went to a long time ago. One of them was a woman pastor. Earlier this month, I finished my Hebrew courses at Tyndale. I am very relieved that the course is over. I think I was getting to the point where I would have argue with many of the students there. I found their lack of Scriptural understanding appalling. No, being a youth pastor does not excuse you from knowing the Word. And finally, I had the opportunity to evangelize to some University friends a week ago. I felt kind of fundie.

All of this has been causing me to ponder how narrow is the road that we Christians walk (Matt 7:13,14)? Because, for many of my Christian friends... they would gladly affirm that Jesus Christ is the only way (John 14:6, Acts 4:12). However, if I pushed them... how clearly would they exclaim that their unconverted family member would burn in hell for all eternity to the glory of God (Rev 14:9-11, Rom 9:22,23)? Doesn't the second chance or universal salvation extolled by Rob Bell sound tempting in that light? (Tempting, but not Biblical.)

But, back to the topic at hand. My pastor had a saying in terms of belief: head, heart, and hands. There had to be an intellectual understanding of who they were believing in, a heart-felt appreciation and love for God, and hands that served Him. For the non-Christian, it is clear they do not believe in God. They are unregenerate lovers of self that worship the gods they have made with their own hands. It becomes more difficult when dealing with those who claim Christ, but who Christ may not know (Matt 7:22,23). They have no love for learning more about God, and no desire to serve him. They love their notion of God... but when it comes to wrath (Rom 1:18,19), judgment (2 Cor 5:10), and suffering (2 Tim 3:12; 1 Pet 4:1-2)... they are quiet or hostile to these ideas that are clearly demonstrated in Scripture.

For the non-Christian, it is clear that we must evangelize to them as often as we can. If we have a true appreciation for God's wrath, and the infinite suffering that a non-believer will face in hell... we would witness with unwavering clarity. For who would let anyone drink poison or walk into oncoming traffic? If we had a clear understanding of God's wide and deep love for the believer, would we not direct our friends and family to drink water that satisfies and to stop gorging themselves on things that leave them empty? (Regardless of how awkward it makes us feel...)

It is with greater difficulty I approach those that assume they are Christian. And it is not my desire to be judgmental or critical, but from where I stand... their lives do not reflect Christ. I think to see Christ in the Christian... it should be easy. I'm not saying that every Christian will be perfect. No far, from it... I think a mark of maturity in a believer's life is the realization of how sinful they actually are. What I am saying is for those that claim to be Christ-following, there should be some pattern that resembles the life that Christ lived. Things like an appreciation for God's written word (Lk 2:46,47), obedience to the word (Jn 14:15, 15:14), pursuit of holiness (1 Pet 1:16), love for the brethren (1 Jn 3:16, Jn 13:35), and more.

And I think one of the most noble yet slightly off-target, is the caring of the physical needs of people and the neglecting of spiritual needs. The physical needs of brethren (Jas 2:14-16) and unbelievers (Jas 1:17) is important. However, Christ commissioned us to make disciples (Matt 28:28-30). We send "missionaries" to foreign countries to build wells, yet offer no living water. And we have the audacity to call this evangelism. Why are we so slow to speak the name of Christ, knowing His name is the only name that saves?

Another concern is the consistency and inconsistency as Christians. Since I am somewhat of a thinker, this is the area I find that Christians struggle with the most: inconsistencies in theology and the application of their theology. What do people do with passages regarding women pastors (1 Tim 2:12-14) or Christians dating non-Christians (2 Cor 6:14) or predestination (Eph 1:3-5)? Many are surprised when I discuss such matters with them. (Which really causes me to wonder - what are pastors preaching from the pulpit? -- especially for those people who find pastors who only preach application.) Most react negatively, refusing to address the text before them. Praise God, that there are some that do appreciate the correction and make changes accordingly.

So what to do when we encounter such "Christians"? First, it is important to remember that we are sinful, fallen creatures. We need to approach these people with the humility and love of Christ. A frequent concern I have with myself and those that adhere to reformed theology is the perceived arrogance we possess when talking things of theology. Now, this shouldn't stop us from admonishing our brethren with Christian truths. (For some have taken this perceived arrogance and gone overboard, refusing to call heresy when it is due to avoid looking like a meanie.) Second, assuming that these are brethren from other churches, we have to realize that God is sovereign and the one who will ultimately cause changes in their heart. We don't need to beat ourselves up if they don't want to dig into the Scriptures and correct their ways. Third, do not lose heart in correcting one another. Since Brian didn't take to your correction says nothing about how Tony will react.

This post has gone on long enough. I know this has not been exhaustive. But, I am exhausted. :)