Family devotions are a tricky thing for a lot of families:

Where do you start? What are the best resources to use? 

When we were looking for something to for our family to use, we were recommended Marty Machowski’s Long Story Short, ten-minute devotionals taking families through the Old Testament and connecting it all to Jesus.

For the better part of a year now, we’ve been working our way through this devotional and it’s been a fantastic experience (aside from, unfortunately, learning that some of the imagination exercises make our oldest daughter cry). But as we’ve been trekking through the Old Testament, in the back of my mind, I’ve been wondering what resources are available to look a little more in-depth at the New.

That’s one of the many reasons I’m excited about Machowski’s follow-up, Old Story New: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God.

Those familiar with Long Story Short will find Old Story New very comfortable. Each 5-day lesson looks at a particular portion of the New Testament (from Matthew through Revelation), with two days of initial examination, day three connecting it to the gospel, day four completing the lesson, and day five taking you to one of the Psalms or the Prophets to see what we can learn about Jesus.

This lesson plan is hugely helpful because, while it should be obvious that the gospel is about Jesus, it leads to some tremendously helpful conversations. For example, recently, we were looking at Matthew 2:7-21, where we read that Herod planned to kill Jesus as a toddler, but an angel of the Lord warned Joseph to flee until Herod’s death (and fulfilling multiple Old Testament prophecies in the process).

The question that gave us pause as we read as “Why did God prevent Jesus being killed as a baby, but allow it when he was a man?”

Think about it:

Theoretically, Jesus could have been killed when he was two. In fact, he could have died at any number of points in his earthly life. But he didn’t until the exact moment appointed for him. Why?

Because he had to fulfill all righteousness. In order for Jesus to be the perfect sacrifice we require to pay for our sins, he needed to live under the Law. He needed to keep the Law perfectly. This would have required him living well into adulthood. Our sin could not have been atoned for by baby Jesus, toddler Jesus or preteen Jesus—it had to be the man, Jesus Christ, who would bear the punishment for our sins.

This is dinner conversation at the Armstrong house.

(Yeah, we’re kinda weird.)

One of the things families will need to consider when looking at a resource like Old Story New is how much time they want to devote to using one book or series of books. Combined, Long Story Short and Old Story New represent a three-year long journey through Genesis all the way to Revelation. Think about it this way: When we started these devotionals, Abigail was four-years-old; when we’re done, she’ll be seven. This is a little less than half her life we’re talking about!

It’s a big commitment, but it’s one we’re all-in for.

We want our kids to have a solid understanding of the Scriptures—not to just know stories or good moral lessons, but to know how everything connects to Jesus. We’re glad to have Old Story New be a part of that process. I hope it’ll be a part of it for your family, too.

Title: Old Story New: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God

Title: Marty Machowski
Publisher: New Growth Press (2012)

What makes the Church the Church—and what’s its role in the believers’ life?

So many books are trying to answer these questions and the results vary pretty wildly to say the least. Whether we think the Church should be driven by purpose, simple, vertical, or whatever qualifier you want to put in front, if our understanding of the Church doesn’t flow from a greater knowledge of our union with Christ and its implications, we likely need to reconsider.

Thabiti Anyabwile understands this, and in his new book, The Life of God in the Soul of the Church: The Root and Fruit of Spiritual Fellowship, he explores the foundations and expressions of our union with Christ.

Love as the Mark of the True Church

Why do we need to develop a robust understanding of the Church?

“[Anyone] trying to serve a church without a big, healthy understanding of the Bible’s teaching on the church is like a man trying to catch a 600-pound marlin with dental floss, or like a man trying to build a house by laying his bricks ten yards apart,” Anyabwile writes (Kindle location 175-177).

In other words, an under-developed ecclesiology is a ministry killer. It’s all well and good to say that you love the Church and want to serve her, but if you don’t know what the Church is according to Scripture—and this applies especially to those serving as leaders—you’re setting yourself up to fail.

Anyabwile’s corrective to this is among the strongest I’ve read. While distinguishing between them, he refuses to separate the “vertical” and “horizontal” aspects of spiritual fellowship. You can’t actually build a functional ecclesiology without the two together.

Focusing solely on the “vertical” leads to the division of the body—it’s about me and my personal relationship with God; my experiences, my feelings, my perferences… It ultimately leads to a hand saying to the rest of the body, “I have no need of you.”

Focusing solely on the “horizontal,” on the other hand (no pun intended), leads to the dissolving of the body. There’s nothing binding us together inseparably, so we’ve got no real reason to come together at all.

The Scriptures allow for neither of these—instead, they (shockingly by Western standards) push again and again to the reality of a body united in love by Christ and expressed in love for one another: Continue Reading…

There are some books of the Bible that are sadly neglected by many, perhaps most, Christians. Philemon is one of those. Tucked between Titus and Hebrews, its 25 verses contain some of the Apostle Paul’s most powerful words on forgiveness, words we would do well to heed.

We’re confused about what forgiveness means in our culture—so much so that we rarely use the word anymore. We think saying ‘sorry’ when we’ve done something wrong (or sometimes just when we feel bad) is enough. But forgiveness is so much more—because, at its core, forgiveness is a gospel issue. Indeed, without the gospel, there is no true forgiveness.

Jacob Abshire understands this and it’s what I so appreciate about his book, Forgiveness: A Commentary on Philemon. In this book, Abshire unpacks the message of Paul’s oft-neglected (and sometimes misunderstood) letter while showing readers how forgiveness brings life to the gospel-saturated, Spirit-filled heart and flows out of that same heart in response.

Forgiveness was a welcome surprise, for several reasons. First, commentaries typically lean heavier on the technical side, which, while helpful for study, makes many impenetrable for the average reader. By keeping Forgiveness grounded in common language, Abshire offers a very comfortable and accessible look at Philemon.

More importantly, Abshire’s examination this short epistle leaves the readers appropriately challenged, convicted and encouraged. Like Paul does with Philemon, Abshire doesn’t use Paul’s words as an opportunity to coerce readers into forgiving others. There’s no strong-arming or ham-fisted applications of the many commands to forgive we find in Scripture. Instead, Abshire (like Paul) reminds us that forgiveness and reconciliation is not so much a feeling, but a work of grace:

We often say that we have forgiven another person, yet we fail to take the first and foremost step – we fail to receive them. Without this crucial step, we fail to truly forgive. For this reason, forgiveness is not merely a feeling deep down inside that we may have. It is a commitment of the mind and will to another person. It is a commitment of grace that brings about the restoration of friendship and unity. Since it is lasting, it requires work. (p. 79)

Driven by devotion to the Word of God, Forgiveness provides much-needed assistance to those seeking to better understand Paul’s letter to Philemon while encouraging readers to respond faithfully the call to forgive those who wrong us. As those who have been forgiven of so much, how can we do otherwise? I trust readers will be blessed as they carefully read and apply this important work.

Title: Forgiveness: A Commentary on Philemon
Author: Jacob Abshire
Publisher: Truth411 (2012)

When Christians think of the work of Christ, we typically think of His work on the cross—His atoning death on the cross for our sins and rising again in victory over death. This is a central truth of the Christian faith, one upon which it stands or falls.

But it’s only part of Jesus’ work.

“If Jesus had only paid for our sins, He would have succeeded only in taking us back to square one,” writes R.C. Sproul in The Work of Christ: What the Events of Jesus’ Life Mean for You. “It is important that we not minimize the work of Christ throughout His life by focusing too narrowly on the work of Christ in His death.”

That may seem like a shocking statement, but it’s an important one. The totality of the events of Jesus’ life comprise His complete work—from His incarnation to His promised return. Yet we too quickly forget this, particularly as we work out our various evangelistic methods and formulas, and even in the day-to-day practical living of the Christian life.

This must not be. If Christ is our righteousness, then we need to understand the impact of the other aspects of His life for us beyond His death.

This is why Sproul’s written The Work of Christ, where he briefly examines 12 essential events in the life of Jesus: Continue Reading…

One of the most encouraging trends I’ve seen recently is a renewed concern over holiness. While, historically, holiness has always been a matter of extreme importance, it’s one that recently has been neglected (something another book on this subject made clear). So what’s the problem? The problem, as Kevin DeYoung sees it, is “we don’t really care much about it” (Location 115).

If his new book, The Hole in Our Holiness: Filling the Gap between Gospel Passion and the Pursuit of Godliness, is any indication, DeYoung wants to change that.

Desperately.

In this book, DeYoung offers careful criticism and wise counsel to a generation that may be a bit too comfortable with the gap between their passion for Christ and their pursuit of godliness.

According to DeYoung, holiness—and the Christian life—is really about one thing: Obedience to Christ. “Is obedience what your church is known for?” he writes. “Is it what other Christians think of when they look at your life? Is this even what you would want to be known for?” (Location 144)

This might seem harsh, or even legalistic to some, but it’s important. We like to be known for being “relevant,” or bringing a greater sense of creativity to our churches or being active in seeking the welfare of our communities—and these aren’t bad things in and of themselves. But these are no sure sign of a pursuit of holiness, any more than loudly proclaiming your gospel-centeredness to all the world can be. If our lives are marked by ongoing patterns of unrepentant sin, all the creativity, good deeds, contextualization, or “taking a stand for Christ” won’t do us a lick of good, because the call is not to those things explicitly, but to holiness: Continue Reading…

Holiness. It’s a concept that’s really out of style in the larger culture (which is not surprising given the current cultural conditions). While it’s not surprising that the world has lost any notion of what holiness means, it’s quite troubling that there’s a whole generation of Christians who also have no clue what it means to be holy and why it matters.

Tyler Braun understands the problem well because he’s experienced it himself. He knows that holiness is not about a list of rules or some long-forgotten ideal, but the warp and woof of the Christian faith. In his new book, Why Holiness Matters: We’ve Lost our Way–But We Can Find it Again, Braun unpacks the call to holiness with the right balance of urgency and charity for the Millennial generation.

New Affections Leading to New Behavior

Perhaps most helpful is how Braun defines holiness from the outset. “Holiness is new affections, new desires, and new motives that then lead to new behavior,” he writes (p. 12). Here Braun cuts right to the heart of the issue: behavior modification vs. heart transformation. Holiness is not about external righteousness seeking to earn salvation; nor is it having a “relationship” with Jesus that doesn’t lead to new actions. It’s a response to the Holy One who calls us to be holy as He is holy.

Yet, this is the problem we see over and over again in the church, a problem Braun illustrates to great effect using his own story and examples from others. We don’t take the call to holiness seriously because we don’t see sin as something that seriously needs to be dealt with. That’s why some can say, “Well, I don’t get drunk too often, just on weekends,” or “Yeaaaah, I guess I shouldn’t be watching stuff like that, but I don’t do it all the time.” We minimize sin and fool ourselves into believing it’s going to be okay. Here’s how Braun puts it:

The problem with justifying ourselves like this is we tend to look at sin as a neutral object, something ont for us or against us, just a reality of life. . . . Next Christians show their lack of holiness by accepting sin as a way of life instead of an evil to be overcome (p. 14, 15)

Braun’s argument takes readers through a basic (but helpful) examination of holiness and its relationship to innocence, wrath, shame, love, values, community, mission and artistry. Among the most challenging aspects is his take on how Christians value (or rather don’t) innocence:

In a Christian culture that does not value innocence, it is no wonder our generation is often indistinguishable from the culture around it. We’ve simply been taught bye our culture that life experience is the most valuable thing a person can have. (pp. 22-23)

There is so much that this speaks to—among them, the rampant sexual immorality and pluralistic and humanist thinking that’s seeped into the church. This is an extremely provocative assessment. And an accurate one. If we valued a holy innocence, what would our teaching on sexuality look like? Would it expand beyond “wait until you’re married” and begin to dig deeper into how to honor God in that aspect of our lives? Regardless of your generation, this is a point that needs to be stressed.

What is “Love”?

As much as I appreciated the book, there were a few places where Braun overstates his case just a bit. His chapter on mission contains arguably the most significant examples. He writes:

Jesus, in His obedience to the Father and His free gift given to us, did not offer Himself with strings attached. He simply asked us to follow Him. Jesus never told us to “love your neighbor as yourselves but make sure you convert them.” He just told us to love people. If the people we make intentional decisions to love and serve never come to faith in Christ, will we still make an effort to love them? Anything but an answer of yes becomes bait-and-switch evangelism where we use service, activism, and neighborly love to get people to faith. (p. 112)

I get (I think) what Braun’s trying to say, but there’s a significant issue here (and one I believe to be totally unintentional). Yes, we should be intentional about serving others regardless of whether or not they come to faith in Christ, absolutely. If we throw up our hands and say, “you’re not worth my time because you’re not responding the way I had expected,” that reveals something dark about our own hearts. But is it fair not to (apparently) suggest that the desire to evangelize somehow cheapens service? I’m not so sure.

I think the key issue is a distinction between “loving people” and “evangelism” that Jesus doesn’t make. He didn’t “just” tell us to love people; He told us to make disciples. A key aspect of that is serving those who are not believers, necessarily includes sharing with them the only news that can reconcile them with their Creator and allow them to escape His just wrath for their rebellion. If we don’t come in with that “agenda” then are we truly being loving?

Holiness matters. We are most certainly living in a time where we’ve lost our way, but it’s possible to find our way again. I love the desire that Braun expresses in Why Holiness Matters. It’s a challenging read in all the right ways and one that, whether you’re young or old, you’ll find much to benefit from.

Title: Why Holiness Matters: We’ve Lost our Way–But We Can Find it Again
Author: Tyler Braun
Publisher: Moody Publishers (2012)

When you first become a parent, you’re blown away by the immensity of the responsibility. Suddenly there’s this little person who you’re responsible for, who depends on you for, well, everything. But after the shock wears off, routines get established, and your kids start sleeping regularly through the night, you settle into a new normal. And it’s a lot of fun.

Until your child is diagnosed with leukemia.

That’s what happened to Michael Kelley and his wife when their son, Joshua, was just two years old. And instantly, their world was torn apart—including their faith. His recently released book, Wednesdays were Pretty Normal: A Boy, Cancer, And God, takes readers on his family’s journey with cancer and it to deepen their understanding of what it means to have “faith.”

Many books have been written about suffering. Some are preventative medicine, helping you develop theological categories to understand what’s coming. Some seek to encourage readers in the midst of trial and suffering. And then there are books like this one—books that are best described as “devotional theology.” Wednesdays were Pretty Normal is a very honest look at Kelley’s struggle through his son’s cancer treatment:

• How faith needed to turn from an abstract concept into something active
• How we need to stop trying to minimize or self-medicate away our pain and actually see it for what it is
• How suffering isn’t an excuse to question God’s character

What Suffering Reveals

Kelley’s greatest strength in this book is that he doesn’t offer a sanitized version of events. He doesn’t paint himself as a model of faith or heroism in the face of the family’s crisis. Instead, he goes to work and cries at his desk. He cries out to God in frustration. He wrestles with this whole question of “God’s plan”: Continue Reading…

Often times, when I read a book by a Mom geared to Moms, I go through a strange cycle of elation and despair.

The cycle goes like this:

1. Read book. Get super-psyched because now I have all the weaponry I need to attack the job of mothering and be super excellent, effective and efficient.
2. Try to implement book ideas. Get mad at my kids when they don’t react like the book said they should.
3. Yell at kids. Cry on the couch after they go to bed.
4. Repeat step one (with a new book).

Letting Go of Perfect: Women, Expectations, and Authenticity by Amy E. Spiegel is not the kind of book that makes me go through this cycle. It’s not a how-to book, it’s a how-it-really-is book. Which is much more helpful.

In the following video, I share my reflections on Spiegel’s new book, a couple of my big takeaways, and why I believe this is a really helpful read for Moms who are sometimes just trying to make it through the day:

Title: Letting Go of Perfect: Women, Expectations, and Authenticity
Author: Amy E. Spiegel
Publisher: B&H Books (2012)

Today’s post is by Kim Shay. Kim and her husband live in southwestern Ontario, where she’s spent the last 22 years primarily as a stay-at-home mom while teaching the Bible to women and serving on the Women’s Ministries committee at her local church. Kim blogs regularly at The Upward Call; follow her on Twitter at @UpwardCall.

As Christian women, it is inevitable that at some point we will be in a position to counsel another woman. Whether it is in a formal setting or an informal one with family or friends, as women, we need to be prepared to answer questions and advise in a biblical manner. We want to avoid handing out platitudes or, worse, error. Women Helping Women: A Biblical Guide to Major Issues Women Face is a valuable tool in that process. The editors, Elyse Fitzpatrick and Carol Cornish, set out to provide tools to help women counsel other women in order that they may live abundantly in Christ.

Women Helping Women is organized in two parts. The first sets the foundation for the biblical model of counseling, and specifically, the need for women to counsel women. The second section provides guidance with regard to a number of potential counseling situations. While the book can be used as a reference instead of read from beginning to end, the first part is crucial, as it establishes the difference between biblical and secular counseling. Fitzpatrick opens the section by emphasizing that biblical counseling is about vision, faith and hope. She reminds the reader that biblical counseling, obviously, begins with the Bible:

We believe the Bible is sufficient to answer every problem and meet every need that we, as God’s children have.

The following chapters are an outflow of that foundation. One of the necessities of biblical counselling is that women are encouraged to see how sin affects their circumstances. If a woman is not willing to accept that possibility, she will continue to struggle with her situation. This approach is not the approach of secular counseling, which frequently directs the counselee to place blame for her circumstances. Yes, people will sin against us, and we may have no control over how someone treats us, but that does not give us the freedom to sin in our reactions. Many of our problems are of our own making or are made worse by our own sin. Continue Reading…

Have you ever noticed when you’re reading one of the gospels or an epistle and, after seeing a reference to an Old Testament passage, you find yourself going, “How does that fit?” The application of the passage makes sense and “feels” right, but you’re not sure why the author chose that particular reference or when you go back to the original passage you start getting confused.

This makes perfect sense because (let’s face it) there can be a great deal of confusion in how the New Testament authors used the Old if we don’t understand how and why they’re using it.

Consider Luke:

1. What was his approach to reading the Old Testament?
2. What themes were being communicated in his references to the Old Testament?

In his recently released volume in Zondervan’s Biblical Theology of the New Testament series, A Theology of Luke and Acts, Darrell L. Bock provides a wealth of information to help us better understand Luke’s approach in his insightful examination of Luke’s use of the Old Testament.

“In everything Luke does, a key frame is the teaching and promise of Scripture, for Luke’s claim is that this seemingly new faith realizes promises of old that God made to his people,” Bock writes (p. 408), noting that a review of Luke-Acts reveals three fundamental beliefs undergirding Luke’s interpretative approach: Continue Reading…