My thoughts on faith, books, and life in general
It’s been all over the news for the last few weeks, and watching the fall of Congressman Anthony Weiner has been like watching a train wreck in slow motion. There’s a lot that can be said (and most of it has been) about this situation, but I want to point out two lessons that everyone can learn from Weiner’s failures.
I just finished reading The Next Story by Tim Challies. I really enjoyed it! I believe this book is a must-read for pastors, and anyone who wants to better understand and confront the new realities and theological issues of the technological world in which we live.
Author/pastor/blogger Tim Challies does a great job at highlighting some of the new issues and realities that confront us as users of technology today. This is a topic that needs to be discussed, and Challies may be one of the first to take this issue on and discuss it in depth.
Jon Acuff’s new book Quitter is definitely one of the best books I’ve picked up this year. Acuff starts with the question, “Have you ever felt caught between the tension of a day job and a dream job? That gap between what you have to do and what you’d love to do?”
Sharing from his own personal journey from cubicle-dwelling-advertising wannabe to bestselling author,blogger, and communicator, he the reveals lessons he learned. These lessons helped him and will help us make the transition from doing what pays the bills, to doing what we love.
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, To Timothy, my true child in the faith:Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” 1 Tim 1:1-2
Paul was a mentor to Timothy. He was like a father in the faith. All of us need spiritual mothers and fathers – mentors. Paul may not have led Timothy to faith in Christ (it may have been Timothy’s mother and grandmother – cf. 2 Tim 1:5).
Just this week I was encouraged by spending time with several other ministers. I had a great time with my contemporaries and some dear friends, but I also got to connect with some elder ministers. I am always glad when I get to glean wisdom from older ministers and men of faith. These are men who have walked with God for many years and have gained wisdom and experience that can be of great value to me.
Yesterday the eyes of the world (certainly all the news media) were upon William and Kate as they exchanged vows at Westminster Abby in London. I will admit that, although I initially pretended not to care much about it, I watched the wedding – twice. The first time because I was up for work at 5am anyway, and the second time because my wife and I had DVR’d it to watch together in the evening.
Having confessed to getting swept up in the obsession with the Royal Wedding, I have to say that I was impressed by a number of things.
First, it was good to see how excited people still get about a wedding. As a Christian and a minister, I believe marriage is important, and promote the institution of marriage (as opposed to any number of other marriage-like lifestyles).
Earlier this year, I read a great post by Chris Brogan about distractions. What struck me about this post is how true it rang in my life. If you’re like me, you’re really as “busy” as you feel.
Often when I feel like I’m really busy, or overwhelmed, it’s not because I really have too many important things to do. Instead, it’s because I’ve got so many distractions — little things that I’m doing that take time and energy away from doing the really important things. Maybe you’ve encountered the same thing in your life. Or it could be that it’s just me.
For me, this quote is the core of Brogan’s post.
Here’s the except:
“You are not as successful as you want to be because you’re looking at little numbers and wanting to pop them like digital bubble wrap, instead of working on the tasks that have no numbers beside them, but are worth so much more than the number to the right of these words.”
Maybe it’s your email that distracts you. You spend hours checking your email, looking for new messages, or it could be twitter, or maybe your favorite blog (or even waiting for people to comment on your latest blog post). Whatever it is, we’ve got to recognize that focusing on these little numbers is killing our productivity. Once we recognize that, maybe we can take the necessary steps to stay focused.
In Majestie, author David Teems seamlessly blends quality historical research with superb readability. Who knew King James I of England could be such an interesting character? Teems introduces us to the King, giving great background and juicy details, and making his subject accessible to today’s readers. There are helpful footnotes, but the main text is insightful, yet not too dry, and quite colorful.
Beginning with stories such as how James was almost aborted in his mother’s womb, Teems gives great background that pulls back the curtain on the royal Stuart family, revealing the good, the bad, and the ugly in all their majestic glory. From the beginning, I was hooked and this biography read like a novel – full of intrigue, plotting, love affairs, and even the Bible.
While James is certainly the star of the book, other characters like his mother Mary Queen of Scots, John Knox, Elizabeth, Shakespeare, and many others move in and out of the spotlight from time to time. Of all the other subjects, it is the King James Bible (or Authorized Version) which takes center stage by the end of the book. As has been noted, the KJB is the bestselling book in history, and the most read.
Teems explores the process of translating the Bible into English, as well as looking at the men who played crucial roles in accomplishing this monumental task. Yet through it all, at the center remains James.
I highly recommend this book for those who are interested in a primer on the King James Bible, or for anyone who loves history. I especially enjoyed the Kindle version because of the ease of looking through footnotes and looking up other 17th Century figures, items, and ideas.
Have you read this one? What did you think? What are you reading these days?
I just finished Andy Andrews’ most recent book, The Final Summit, sequel to his bestseller The Traveler’s Gift. I really enjoy his books, and this one was no exception. I find that I learn something new with almost every page of his books.
You will probably get the most out of this book if you have already read The Traveler’s Gift or are at least familiar with the story of David Ponder and the seven decisions. The Final Summit once again follows David Ponder who, though now much older, once again is taken on a supernatural journey to meet with leaders from throughout history.
Continue Reading…
There are a few a lot of days when I feel powerless, like I have no control over my life.
We live in uncertain times, don’t we?
Maybe like me, you look around you and recognize you have no control over some of the things that are going on around you. We turn on the news and see bad things happening. It could be that you’re out of work, and can’t seem to find a job. Or it could be that you feel stuck in a job that isn’t your dream job. There could be any number of things going on in your life that might make you feel small, weak, powerless.
