February Reading Report

It has been a good month to read. I hope that you have taken advantage of some of the inclement weather to spend more time in a good book or books.

Much of the work of ministry is reading. In addition to the following books there is an ongoing process of reading, reviewing, taking notes, comparing, assessing and incorporating reading materials for preaching. Some is informative some is for illustrative purposes. Currently I am preaching from Matthew so there is constant reference to multiple commentaries, periodical literature, monographs, lexical materials and other relevant resources. 

So, after a long day of reading in my study I like to go home and read whilst watching a ball game or some other type of diversionary activity. The following summarizes February.

The Two Georges

This is a work of alternative history by Harry Turtledove and…Richard Dreyfuss. Just a little candy to occupy my mind on cold winter nights. I have read this book countless times. Its premise is that the American Revolution never took place. George Washington went to England, met with King George and averted revolution. In the book a famous painting (The Two Georges) representing their meeting is stolen from an exhibition in New Liverpool (Los Angeles) and the book follows Thomas Bushell and his adjutant Samuel Stanley on numerous adventures to recover the painting. 

This book has some of the best descriptions of food, dining, the process of dining, the eating and/or consuming of food you will ever read. It is always interesting to consider how things are from the perspective of how they could have been.

Too Big to Know

Weinberger, David Basic Books. Another foray into “popular” epistemology. The premise of the book (to simplify) is that the internet is rewiring our brains. We have replaced thinking deeply and thoroughly with skimming the top of knowledge. This is made possible by the velocity of information which now comes at us as well as the inability anyone has to filter the flood.

The heart of his premise is that the network itself is now smarter than any individual which is a part of the network. This dovetails with last month’s reading of The Death of Expertise. If the room itself is smarter than anyone in the room, if the individuals in the network together have more knowledge than any possible expert then most of our assumptions about knowledge, how it is acquired and where  it is to be gotten need to be rethought. 

American Nations

Woodward, Colin American Nations: A History of the Eleven Regional Cultures of North America. Viking, New York, 2011. 

If you want to understand the current political landscape of our country. If you want to understand why New York and Los Angeles have so much in common or why living in Southern Illinois is pretty much the same as living in west Tennessee. READ THIS BOOK.

The premise. He whose culture arrives first controls the culture going forward. I had seen the map reprinted on the Internet and had a basic understating of the principles he is discussing but tracing these “nations” from their foundation to the current role they each play in our fractured political landscape was a true eye-opener. You will not agree with solutions and it may be that he gets a little preachy at times…but OH, my goodness.

Awakening the Evangelical Mind

Strachen, Owen. Awakening the Evangelical Mind: An Intellectual History of the Neo-Evangelical Movement. Grand Rapids, Zondervan. 2015.

Knocked this one off the day the big blizzard hit. It was an interesting read focusing on Harold Okenga, Carl F.H. Henry and their colleagues who studied and worked around Harvard in the mid-twentieth century. They went from evangelical students in the sometimes hostile campuses of the east coast to being the driving force behind the institutional growth of Ne0-Evangelicalism beyond the narrow structures of Fundamentalism. 

A good read. Found out some stuff I did not know. Would recommend. There were spots where it got a little hagiographical. 

The Benedict Option

Dreher, Rod. The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation. Penguin/Random House, New York. 2017. 

Premise, the culture war is lost. Our job is not to save the culture but to be the practicing Church in such a way that we can maintain fidelity to our witness as our world increasingly turns to barbarism. The best way to do this is to adopt a monastic approach to living in the PostChristian World. This involves intentionally living in such a way that we are able to be pure and focused as the world goes to hell in a handbasket. Of critical importance is the Church (in any tribal/denominational flavor) resisting the mindset that we must become like the culture to minister to it. 

I have been wanting to read this book for a long time. There is some intersection in my own developing thoughts about culture and the author’s. In the end whether we use a monastically derived model or simply describe our practice as truly being the incarnate presence of Christ it is abundantly clear that the Church must stop being a mere adjunct of culture and reclaim our place separate and apart from the world as a place where God’s voice-And His voice alone is heard.

A Month of Reading…

So. I hope that is helpful. I just try to read a little every day. My little and yours may be quite different. I am able to sustain reading of books I call “candy” while doing several other things. If I am reading in my study I try and stay more focused and “work reading” generally requires some kind of note-taking. My recommendation; be thirsty my friends! Spend time in God’s Word so that scripture can order the categories through which you see the world.

Something About a Snowscape

There is not much one can say that has not been said already. I sat in this chair and looked out this window to my left for 8 hours on Monday and it snowed the whole time. And it was cold. Really cold. Yesterday I saddled up and walked down to the church house to un-bury my pickup truck and to see how deep the snow was on the parking lot. 

When I got home I shoveled enough to get to the door. It is exhausting to walk through 12 inches or more of snow. During the pandemic I have generally been able to get to the Church and to work in my study. Last winter was pretty mild so I was always able to get down the hill.  

It is easy to complain. It is cold. The Snow is deep. And so on. There is, however, something about a snowscape. Snow falls in silent testimony to a God so mighty that He need not make a peep in demonstrating that might. We are familiar with the swirling destruction of hurricane, tornado, and thunderstorm all of which testify in a similar fashion to a God who is able to bring  refreshing and nourishing rain to a landscape through a a display of both majesty and mayhem. 

When I glance out of the window at the drifted windy  snowscape a scripture which comes to mind as it has during prayer throughout what has become a memorably snowy winter; 

“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (Psalm 51:7 ESV)

 Maybe we needed reminded. Maybe as this year of turmoil winds down the Father wanted to remind us of all that the shed blood of Jesus does for us. Maybe we need reminding of  what He has accomplished to save us from our sin and  sanctify us to His purposes. Maybe we needed a few days of looking out our windows or standing on our porches, gazing out into the snowscape in thankfulness for our redeemed place before our mighty God. 

Start Now

As I write these words it is cold outside. There is icy snow…or snowy ice the distinction is, at this point, lost on me. Leaving the house this morning took a little grit. When I returned home yesterday afternoon my windshield was clear. It was snaicing. That is a word I just made up. Snow/ice/rain. Snaicing. 

So, when it was time to leave this morning there was ice on the windshield. The wipers had ice on them. The hood. The back and sides were clear. An icy mess. 

What to do? 

1. Go back inside. Work from home. I was bright enough to bring my computer home yesterday afternoon. 

2. Go back inside, return to bed. 

3. Go back inside. Read and relax. 

4. Start cleaning off my truck. Spray deicer, warm it up, scrape, scuff and tap on the ice. 

I chose option 4. Quickly. Because when you have a choice like that; start now.  Waiting would have seemed like a wise, productive choice. Another cup of coffee, maybe watch some news. 

There is no point waiting. When there is good to do-start now. When there is an issue to study-start now. Whatever good God has given you to do-start now-there is no point in waiting. 

“making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16 ESV)

 When Paul wrote those words he was reminding the church that time is limited. Get your scraper. Start up the motor. And redeem the time. 

Pitching vs. Throwing 2.4.2021

Baseball fans know that there are throwers and there are pitchers. Throwers have natural talent, so much in fact that they can use brut strength and velocity, or natural movement on the ball to do all the work. Nolan Ryan. Randy Johnson. Roger Clemons. Fastball, Slider/Curve/Splitter. Power. 

On the other hand. Pitchers. Pitchers are generally not known for their power or velocity. Throwers, as they age and add guile and savvy to their craft can become pitchers. No pitcher becomes a thrower. You don’t add velocity to your fastball as you age. 

And pitchers don’t need to. Because they know how to win with their best stuff, their worst stuff, regardless of field or weather conditions they improve their game without really adding to their “natural” abilities. One of the best pitchers ever was Greg Maddux. The following quotation from Wikipedia should be on his plaque at Cooperstown…

On July 22, 1997, Maddux threw a complete game with just 78 pitches (63 strikes and 15 balls) against the Cubs. Three weeks earlier, he had shut out the defending champion New York Yankees on 84 pitches, and five days before that he had beaten the Phillies with a 90-pitch complete game. Maddux allowed just 20 bases on balls in 1997, including six intentional walks.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Maddux

The real difference between a thrower and a pitcher is intent. This is not only true of baseball but of preaching as well. Which is, actually, my concern here. Just about any one trained in the basics of Biblical hermeneutics or who has spent any time at all listening to Sermons can put together a perfectly respectable message.

Unfortunately, many people who preach regularly approach the process like a gifted amateur. They step up and just let’er rip. With respect to their craft they are “throwers” not “pitchers.” They may well be very successful yet they are not leveraging their regular opportunity to the best of their ability. 

Like good pitching good preaching is a matter of Intent. Most preachers preach at least once, maybe more times during a given week. So like a pitcher they need to think in terms of control, variety, and cumulative effect. 

Good preaching does its laps in the outfield. Good preaching plays a long-game. Good preaching considers the "opposing lineup." Good preaching anticipates the questions, concerns and distractions that listeners bring into the assembly. Good preaching anticipates that the  listener who is skeptical this morning, may be back in 2 months, or catch Bible-Study online and something then will catch their attention. Good preaching  like good pitching "sets up" the batter. 

Our goal is to have the best possible message each and every time we speak on behalf of God. That means:

Intent

Control

Variety

Cumulative effect.

There will be times that you just rear back and let’er rip. Do that too often and the strain will get to you. Here’s to a lifetime of preaching; not just one good outing.