Books II

"All human nature vigorously resists grace because grace changes us and change is painful."
Flannery O'Connor

I have not read any of O'Connor's books, but wonder if anyone else has.  Care to weigh in?

Books

In my last blog I stressed the need for everyone to have their own quiet time.  In my quiet time I start by reading from a book about worship, devotion, theology, etc.  If you haven’t guessed by now, I love to read, in a couple of earlier blogs I recommended books I had recently read.  I want to get back to that pattern.  At first I thought about the last couple of books that I read, but as I paced I changed my mind.  I need to really chew on ideas before I get to the point of writing, means I do a lot of pacing.  I decided to start with two books that I thought enough of to give multiple copies away.

I had never heard of Arminianism till about 8 years ago in a Sunday school  class at Colony Park Church.  After I heard the term I read a review in “Christianity Today” about a book by Roger Olson called Arminian Theology.  Exciting title I know, but the review sounded interesting so I bought the book.  I found the book to be an extremely interesting read.  This was the first time I read a book that completely resonated with me, as I read I kept saying “Yes”.  Olson goes over 10 big myths about Arminianism and explains why they are myths and not truths.  Olson explains the difference between classical Arminianism and revisionist Arminianism and how this has led to many misconceptions.  I found this to be an extremely enlightening book, a very interesting and not a difficult read.  I have read several books by Dr. Olson, some get a little wordy, but Arminian Theology is a book I gave to several friends.

The other book I gave a lot of copies away is Dinner with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory.  I usually read 10 to 15 pages at a time during my quiet time, this book I could not put down.  Fortunately for me it is not a long book, I read it in one night.  The book starts with a businessman getting an invitation to dinner with Jesus, at first he thinks it is a prank but decides to go anyway.  He learns why Christianity is a faith about God establishing a relationship with us, and why the other religions depend on our own actions.  He learns there is only one path to God.  This is the first of 3 books in a series, it stands alone very well.  I believe it is a must read

Of course, we have to read the Bible daily, we must immerse ourselves in the word.  But these are 2 of many books that can help us grow and understand our faith.  I hope to do several more blogs recommending books that have help me grow in my faith and might help you grow in your walk with God.   Please do not be afraid to recommend books to me or to others.

Suicide?

You probably heard the sad news regarding Pastor Rick Warren’s adult son committing suicide this past weekend.  I’m sure many, if not all, reading this have had their own experience was this kind of thing in one way or another. 

When you get the news that someone you know has committed suicide, it just knocks the wind out of you.  It literally drops you to your knees.

But how is a Christian to respond?  There have been many comments and posts on the internet.  Greg Laurie (who lost an adult son) weighed in on his blog.  Our own (EFCA) Tim Addington shared from his heart on his blog.  Many others have as well.

I saw one post on facebook in response to this from a high school classmate.  He wrote:  

"My evangelical uncle, and his evangelical son-in-law, ushered my brothers and I away from graveside to tell us something of extreme importance. We formed a circle in the shade of this lovely old oak tree, and my evangelical uncle said that because my father had committed suicide, he was going straight to Hell without passing "Go" and collecting two-hundred dollars. His evangelical son-in-law confirmed it in no-uncertain-terms and seemed ready to defend the belief, if necessary. I swear to Christ [sic] that it seemed as though his jaw was set and he was ready to fight.  My brothers and I were in stunned disbelief. To this day, my disbelief is still stunning."

It’s obvious, from reading his other posts on facebook, that he has had some unfortunate experiences with the Christian faith.

Those who know me, are aware that I listen to podcasts frequently – while I work out, while I commute and even while I iron (yes, I’m secure enough in my manhood to do that!)  A couple of years ago, I turned on this podcast heading to work.  The pastor pre-empted his sermon with about a 10 to 15 mini-sermon about suicide since one of their support staff had done so.  It was the proverbial elephant-in-the-room that had to be dealt with.  I thought the response was good.  Honest.  Sometimes tough.  But perhaps if my high school friend would have heard something like this years ago, his attitude towards God might be different.

Eager To Please

Easter Sunday, Pastor Brett related the disciple Peter being "eager to please" God.  Peter is a lot like us -- or should I say, we're all a lot like Peter.

Many of you are familiar with VeggieTales and their creator, Phil Vischer.  By his own admission, Vischer admits to wanting to be “a Christian Walt Disney”.  Many Christians, I’m sure, would support him in those thoughts.  But years later, after the demise of Big Idea Entertainment, Vischer has a different take on what some call a “vision” or “dream” (an eagerness if you will).

His viewpoint, as I understand it, is that we often think we have a vision/dream from God, when in fact, it may really be our effort to appease God through our works.  Actually, this is really a fascinating concept in light of the holiday we just celebrated.  Easter is the celebration of Christ’s work on the cross.

He notes that many (most?) people in the Bible who responded to visions/dreams given by God were hesitant (i.e. Moses).  We, on the other hand, come up with a “dream/vision” that we get excited about.  We get excited about it because it’s something WE can do – on our own power.  We are not dependent on God in our endeaver.

Sure we ask for God’s help and blessing for our dream/vision, but is He becoming the means to an end?  Is God the “how” rather than the “what”?  Sometimes we have a tendency to make Christianity about us and not about God.

I hope I’m expressing Vischer’s views well enough here.  I don’t intend to step on the toes of Rose and Pat, who lead our spiritual gifts class.  That’s biblical – and important!  They are helping people find their passion, but that is different from a vision/dream.

Passion and skill sets are something God gives each of us to serve His bride – the Church.  In the Old Testament, we are told of those who had the skills necessary to build the Temple.  Others had the skills to lead worship, etc.

We could have lengthy discussions pertaining to the definition of dreams, visions, passions and skills.  But I think ultimately, Vischer’s key points are that,

1)    God is the focus (not us).

2)    Nothing we do for God is enough, not matter how hard we work or what is accomplished.

If this eager-to-serve concept is something that is causing you to consider some self-reflection, you may be interested in Vischer's book, Me, Myself and Bob: A True Story About Dreams, God and Talking Vegetables.  Or, if you want just the YouTube "cliff notes" version, try this.

I think a great line from Phil is this: "Until I was ready to do nothing for God - to just rest in my relationship with Him - I wasn't ready to do anything for God."