The Boy and the Ocean by Max Lucado

Aaron Armstrong —  April 19, 2013 — Leave a comment

boy-ocean-lucado

If you’re a parent, you know how hard it can be to find good books for children.

Kid’s books tend to swing too far into the simplistic or go so far over the reader’s heads that they lose interest. Balancing isn’t easy, especially when you’re trying to write a story for little people on a big subject: the love of God.

In The Boy and the Ocean, Max Lucado offers a really sweet story of a mother and father describing the wondrousness of God’s love as they play in the ocean and climb mountains. Throughout the book, Lucado repeats this refrain:

God’s love is like the ocean… It’s always here. It’s always deep. It never ends. God’s love is special.

My middle daughter in particlar, Hannah, is quite fond of the book. She picked it up right away and asked to have it read to her daily for the better part of a week. The story is just right for a three-year-old’s comprehension level, so parents will be pleased with the book in that regard. And because Lucado writes with a distinctly poetic rhythm, our kids tend to be mesmerized when we read it.

Where the book really shines, though, is in the artwork. Illustrator T. Lively Fluharty’s art is stunning. We loved his work in The Barber Who Wanted to Pray and were thrilled to see it again in The Boy and the Ocean. Among our favorite spreads is the one that follows, where the boy sleeps “with the sound of the ocean in his ears”:

the-boy-and-the-ocean-spread

We love great art and Fluharty’s paintings alone make this book worth having in your family’s collection.

The story, like I said, is sweet—but that’s all it is. Where the book falls short, unsurprisingly, is giving a real sense how special, how deep, how unending God’s love really is.

While Lucado does a nice job with the “God’s love is deep like the ocean,” he doesn’t take the opportunity to say “and this is how God has shown us how deep his love truly is.” What you get is a half-truth in the book—one that parents are going to want to make sure they complete with their kids both during storytime and in the day-to-day.

In the end, there are a lot worse books you could get for your kids than The Boy and the Ocean. A gospel-driven book, this is not; but it is an opening to a gospel conversation with your kids. And if that’s what Lucado set out to do, then he’s succeeded admirably. If not, then I guess that says something else, doesn’t it?

Title: The Boy and the Ocean
Author: Max Lucado (illustrated by T. Lively Fluharty)
Publisher: Crossway (2013)

In Book Reviews
 permalink

Links I like

Aaron Armstrong —  April 19, 2013 — Leave a comment

How Loud Should Our Church Music Be?

Jordan Richmond:

If you have any semblance of modern, band-driven worship, I guarantee you’ve had complaints about volume. I had a guy who would stick toilet paper in his ears every week and obnoxiously pace the foyer during the music set.

Conventional wisdom tells us that more volume equals more energy. After all people don’t want to hear themselves sing right?

So what’s the perfect volume?

Get Defending Your Faith for $5 at Ligonier.org

R.C. Sproul’s 32-part teaching series, Defending Your Faith, is available as an audio and video download in today’s $5 Friday sale at Ligonier.org. Also on sale:

  • God in Our Midst by Daniel Hyde (hardcover)
  • The Last Days According to Jesus teaching series by R.C. Sproul (DVD)
  • The Westminster Directory of Public Worship by various authors (paperback)

$5 Friday ends tonight at 11:59:59 Eastern.

Why Pastors Quit

Jason Helopoulos:

Statistics regarding pastors are not encouraging. The Francis Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership Development reports that 35-40% of ministers last less than 5 years in the ministry. Many statistics show that 60-80% of those who enter the ministry will no longer be laboring in the ministry 10 years later. Whether these statistics are right or not, it is clear that there are struggles with persevering in the ministry. I would suggest that the reasons below are the greatest struggles to perseverance in the ministry (though you are welcome to add others in the comments). As we consider each, I want to offer a little encouragement to young pastors and aspiring seminarians.

Why I Object to Screen Preaching

Christopher Ash:

Is it okay for a preacher to speak to a Christian gathering via a screen? Or is it important that he be physically present with them? In an earlier article I suggested in passing that “it matters for the preacher to be physically present to preach in the assembly of the church.” That remark prompted both a comment that numerous churches (including several led by TGC Council Members) now function as multi-site gatherings in which the pastor preaches from a screen, and a request that I write another piece exploring this question more deeply. So here goes. Let me say at the start that I want to stand by what I said. But I want to nuance it.

What can we do to reduce the risk of suicide?

Adrian Warnock:

One of the most important ways we can reduce the incidence of suicide is become more willing to talk about mental illness. If people are identified early, before their illnesses get so severe, they may respond to treatment and this whole post might be unnecessary in their case.

In Links
 permalink

We are called to be a missionary church

Aaron Armstrong —  April 18, 2013 — Leave a comment

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”—Acts 1:8

Emily and I came to faith around the same time a number of voices were loudly calling for a drastic shift in missions focus—an end to what some viewed as a form of “American colonialism.” While called for a greater (and necessary) emphasis on reaching the lost here at home, others seemed to slowly lose any impetus to share the gospel altogether. What happened?

I wonder if it’s that they lost sight of the Great Commission. They lost the mission of the church—and when that happened, they ceased to be the church altogether.

This is one of the many things I loved about TGC’s Missions Pre-Conference—it’s strong emphasis on making a concerted effort to making disciples of all nations. It’s a vision we need to recapture, a point R.C. Sproul makes well in a story he shares in his commentary on Acts:

acts-sproul

I had lunch with an extraordinary man who ministers in the Sudan. As we were eating, he showed me a picture of his family, and in it the children were carrying guns. When I asked him about that, he explained that they carry guns when they go to church because the church had been bombed ten times by Muslims. This man is on the front line of mission work every day. That is what we need—to be in touch with people like that. We are to live by this same Great Commission. It is our responsibility to make sure that Christ’s kingdom is being witnessed to throughout the world. We are called to be a missionary church.

R.C. Sproul, Acts (Crossway, 2010—Westminster Books | Amazon | Ligonier)

“We are called to be a missionary church,” Sproul says. Locally and globally, we are to be intentional about the spread of the gospel, hunting for those whom God has called to salvation and trusting in the God who is sovereign over the whole endeavour to bring it to completion.

And then, when the gospel is proclaimed throughout the whole world, the end will come (Matt 24:14).

In Christian Living
 permalink

Links I like

Aaron Armstrong —  April 18, 2013 — Leave a comment

Save on Paul Tripp’s new book at WTS Books

sex-money-tripp

Westminster Books is offering a great deal on Paul Tripp’s latest, Sex and Money. The hardcover is on sale for $9.00 (a 61 percent savings over the cover price) and get the eBook edition from Crossway for $1.99—it’s like getting two editions for the price of one.

WTS also has a number of other terrific Crossway titles:

These savings end April 20th so act now.

How NOT to grow spiritually

Dan Darling:

So how do we grow? What are the tools God uses? That question could fill up a year’s worth of blog posts. It certainly has motivated the writing of many books, sermons, etc. But maybe a better question is this: what are some ways to ensure that we DON’T grow spiritually? I’ve got five ways to ensure that you, as a Christian, do NOT grow spiritually.

The Humble Pope

Tim Challies:

What is humility? Humility, in the words of Wayne Mack, “consists in an attitude wherein we recognize our own insignificance and unworthiness before God and attribute to Him the supreme honor, praise, prerogatives, rights, privileges, worship, devotion, authority, submission, and obedience that He alone deserves. It also involves a natural, habitual tendency to think and behave in a manner that appropriately expresses this attitude.” Mack gets straight to the heart of humility when he shows that it is expressed before God before it is expressed before man. Humility before others must grow out of humility before God. If we are fundamentally proud before God, we simply cannot be humble before man.

Like any of us, Pope Francis can only be humble—truly humble—if he first attributes to God “the supreme honor, praise, prerogatives, rights, privileges, worship, devotion, authority, submission, and obedience that He alone deserves.” Yet Roman Catholic doctrine, and especially doctrine related to the papacy, steals from the honor, rights, prerogatives and authority of Jesus Christ and attributes them instead to the Pope. By definition and by Catholic dogma, Francis is no humble Pope.

How Sovereign Is God?

Justin Taylor, citing Charles Spurgeon:

I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes—

that every particle of spray that dashes against the steamboat has its orbit, as well as the sun in the heavens—

that the chaff from the hand of the winnower is steered as the stars in their courses.

The creeping of an aphid over the rosebud is as much fixed as the march of the devastating pestilence—

the fall of sere leaves from a poplar is as fully ordained as the tumbling of an avalanche.

Get The Heroic Boldness of Martin Luther free today from Ligonier

Today marks the day in 1521 when Martin Luther declared:

“Unless I am convinced by Scripture or by clear reasoning that I am in error – for popes and councils have often erred and contradicted themselves – I cannot recant, for I am subject to the Scriptures I have quoted; my conscience is captive to the Word of God. It is unsafe and dangerous to do anything against ones conscience. Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. So help me God. Amen.”

To commemorate the day, Ligonier Ministries is offering the eBook edition of Dr. Steven Lawson’s newly released book, The Heroic Boldness of Martin Luther, for free:

9 things you should know about women’s body image issues

Joe Carter:

Body image is the mental representation we create of what we think we look like; it may or may not bear a close relation to how others actually see us. Here are nine things you should know about female body image issues.

In Links
 permalink

Are we both “old” and “new” at the same time?

Aaron Armstrong —  April 17, 2013 — Leave a comment

holding-bible-lr

It’s one of the perennial problems of the Christian life:

I’m supposed to be a new person, but I don’t really feel like it. My struggles are still there. I keep sinning even when I don’t want to—am I doing something wrong?

This is a problem I’ve dealt with for pretty much my entire life as a Christian, and I don’t expect to stop having days when I go to bed thinking, “man, I really blew it today…” (Not that I want to do this, mind you; I just expect it.)

What’s the deal with this tension that we’re dealing with—one Paul arguably describes in Romans 7:19-20:

For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

and again in Galatians 5:17:

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

Some look at the struggle as being not unlike that of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a view Anthony Hoekema describes when he writes:

At times the old self is in control, but at other times the new self is in the saddle; the struggle of life, according to this view is the struggle between these two aspects of the believer’s being. (Saved by Grace, 209)

While appealing, this “internal dualism”—where there are two persons at war with one another in the same person—doesn’t quite give us the best view of our ongoing struggle with sin.

Hoekema points out that Paul describes the “old self” as being definitively put to death on the cross—and in sanctification, we are progressively becoming more and more our “new selves.” Therefore, the believer who is easily discouraged by the continued persistence of sin (or the return of behaviors you thought you’d long since put to death), need not lose heart

A believer deeply conscious of his or her shortcomings does not need to say, Because I am still a sinner I cannot consider myself a new person. Rather, he or she should say, I am a new person, but I still have a lot of growing to do. (Saved by Grace, 213)

Do not  be discouraged, Christian. The old self has indeed been put to death. We may have a lot of growing to do, but the new has surely come. Rejoice and do not lose heart.

In Theology
 permalink

Links I like

Aaron Armstrong —  April 17, 2013 — 2 Comments

I Am Not Abraham’s Mistake

Derek Rishmawy:

As frustrating and awkward as being an Arab high-schooler in post-9/11 America could be at times—given garden-variety prejudices, fears, and ignorance—none of those slurs frustrated me so much as what some of my well-meaning, evangelical brothers and sisters ignorantly implied: that my entire ethnic heritage was an unfortunate mistake—Abraham’s mistake to be exact.

Get to Church Early

Joe Thorn:

I could relax a bit. I know it. And of course there are times when nothing can be done about it. We are all late some of the time.

But many churches (including the one I pastor) go through periods of time where people begin showing up to services late. It becomes a thing. It doesn’t sound like a big deal, and of course this isn’t the sort of thing that brings fire from heaven or church discipline. But being late can have a genuinely negative impact in more ways than one.

Weakness Is the Way

Check out the trailer for J.I. Packer’s upcoming book, Weakness Is the Way: Life with Christ Our Strength:

Why You Should Read Narnia in Publication Order

Trevin Wax:

As one who has read The Chronicles of Narnia multiple times, I have strong opinions on how they should be read.

Date of Composition? Only if you’re a Lewis scholar interested in the development of his thought.

Chronological Order? Please disregard the Harper interpretation of Lewis’ views. That statement is up for debate.

In C. S. Lewis – A Life, Alister McGrath summarizes the reasons you should stick with the publication order. I agree, and this is the way we introduced the books to our kids.

The shadow of secularization and the new dawn of the church.

Micah Fries:

I think the church should approach the future with some level of brevity. We should be aware of the challenges that are ahead of us, but we should not run in fear. The future can be bright, for all the reasons I laid out, and even more. Most of all, the future is bright because God is good, he is still sovereign and he loves his bride, the church. And this is a great thing!

In Links
 permalink

On bombs and Boston

Aaron Armstrong —  April 16, 2013 — 5 Comments

8245325

Yesterday afternoon two bombs went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Dozens were injured and at least three people were killed—including an eight-year-old boy.

When we learned of the event at work, we were shocked. Two of my co-workers were in Boston just a few days prior to this event. One co-worker had a family member running in the Boston Marathon that day.

For a moment there was silence.

Sometimes that’s the best response to tragedy.

When the silence ends, it’s tempting to start asking questions:

Who did this? How do we respond? What should we do now?

As of this writing, no one has claimed responsibility for the bombing. Someone may eventually claim responsibility. Some may try to use the event as an opportunity to push a particular agenda.

That includes Christians who like to say things like “This is God’s judgment on America’s sin.”

If there’s any “agenda” for Christians to put forward, maybe it’s this:

There will be a day when eight-year-olds won’t die in explosions. There will be a day when people won’t set off bombs in America or any nation in the world.

There will be a day when we don’t have to wonder “why”—and a day when all our tears will be wiped away.

But today’s not that day.

Today we still live in a world where evil exists; where sin runs rampant and people die.

Christian, don’t offer answers right now. Weep with those who weep. Mourn with those who mourn.

But don’t forget the promise of the one who wipes away every tear from every eye and has promised, “Surely, I am coming soon!”

And whenever we are confronted with evil like the events in Boston, our prayer should be the same as the Apostle John’s:

Come, Lord Jesus.

In Christian Living
 permalink

Links I like

Aaron Armstrong —  April 16, 2013 — Leave a comment

Love and the Inhumanity of Same-Sex Marriage

Jonathan Leeman:

Whether or not same sex marriage is a political fait accompli, I don’t know. What concerns me in the present hour is the temptation among Christians to go with the flow. The assumption is that the nation no longer shares our morality, and that we must not impose our views on others and blur the line between church and state. Besides, we don’t want to let any political cantankerousness get in the way of sharing the gospel, right? So we might as well throw in our lot. So the thinking goes.

How hard Christians should actively fight against same-sex marriage is a matter for wisdom. But that we must not support it, I would like to persuade you, is a matter of biblical principle.

Mike Leake:

One of the greatest joys (and at times pains) of working with teenagers is whenever students with unbelieving parents come to know Jesus. After only a short time of becoming followers of Jesus, these dear students begin aching for the lostness of their parents. And so they share the gospel with them.

And it gets really ugly.

The problem with “mental illness”

David Murray:

I wish there was a word or phrase to cover the mental and emotional disorders (e.g. depression, anxiety, schizophrenia) that result from both personal sin (for which we are responsible), and personal suffering (for which we are not – or not wholly –  responsible).

Bigger Than the Box

Aimee Byrd:

Sometimes we may think that we are the only ones that “get it.” Or, maybe those in our small circle or coalition. Rarely do we think the older generations have the insight that we have developed.

We can easily begin thinking this way when it comes to the biblical understanding of sexuality. This weekend I went to a small conference in Burtonsville, MD. Some of the women in our presbytery have been communicating about supporting one another in the women’s ministries in our churches. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to hear Susan Hunt speak about biblical womanhood–generation to generation.

Susan Hunt is a 73-year-old woman who gets it.

18 things you should never say to a woman

Ben Reed:

When God brings you through pain and suffering and confusion, you’re marked forever. You’re not the same person. You don’t process life the same. You don’tgrieve the same. You don’t celebrate the same. You don’t see other people the same way.

Experiencing a miscarriage has caused me to treat women, and couples, differently. I’m more cautious when talking with them about children. I think before I speak about pregnancy. I don’t bring up the idea of children with couples that don’t have any, unless they bring it up first. There are certain questions I don’t ask and statements I don’t make. There are jokes that I refuse to say, or laugh at. Ever.

In Links
 permalink

How will you respond to the Gosnell trial?

Aaron Armstrong —  April 15, 2013 — 1 Comment

gosnell-kermit

This past week, Christians and pro-life advocates took to social media to compel the mainstream media to cover the Kermit Gosnell trial, an abortionist on trial for eight counts of murder, including seven babies who he allegedly killed after their birth.

Joe Carter shares nine things you need to know over at TGC and Trevin Wax shares eight reasons he believes for the cause of the media blackout, so I don’t want to retread that ground.

The case is dark; it’s another evidence of the evil running rampant within the human heart. 

There is no avoiding this fact. Despite what pro-choice advocates say about abortion, it’s evil, plain and simple. We can’t overlook this and Christians dare not. The Bible is too clear on the dignity of human life (beginning with Genesis 1:26-27) and God demonstrates great care for the defenseless and marginalized.

There are few as defenseless as babies, especially those in the womb.

Christians are right to be outraged when it comes to our culture’s flippant attitude toward children in general and abortion in specific. Here in Canada, we currently have no legal restrictions on abortion (it’s regulated by the Canada Health Act). The history of abortion law in Canada is long, complicated—and frankly there are no easy answers for how to properly restrict or allow access (depending on your perspective).

In other words, the situation is pretty much the same as in America.

So what is it about media silence surrounding the Gosnell case that has Christians in particular up in arms? It’s not just that it confronts us once again with the horror of abortion, which it does that quite well.

The Gosnell trial proves the Bible’s testimony true—and our culture desperately wants to ignore it.

The Bible is emphatic that the human heart—our will and desire—is bent toward evil. We’re told our thoughts are only evil continually (Gen. 6:5; 8:20). We deceive ourselves continually (Jer. 17:9), calling evil “good” and good “evil” (to which God says “Woe to those who do” in Isa. 5:20).

The testimony of Romans 1 is true:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.… they exchanged the truth about God for a lie… (Rom. 1:18, 25)

But how can Christians faithfully respond? Here are three ways:

1. Be charitable.

There’s part of us that wants to paint pro-choice advocates as being like Gosnell. Don’t do that. Remember, while some do so by virtue of our culture’s radical individualism, many supporters of abortion are moved to do so out of a sense of compassion for women in very difficult circumstances. It’s why the arguments against restricting abortion typically invoke rape victims and call back to the days of backroom abortions. Simply, they’re advocating for the compassionate option within their own worldview.

2. Know your facts.

Christians need to know the facts surrounding abortion in North America (or wherever we live). Do your research. Read good books (two I recommend are Innocent Blood and Stand for Life, both by John Ensor). As much as you’re able, know what you’re standing up against—and what you’re standing up for. And while you’re at it, remind people that children are not a burden.

3. Speak the truth in love.

Defend human dignity and human life, make it clear that abortion is a heinous evil—but remember, your best arguments aren’t going to win the day. The only thing that will truly change a person’s heart is the Holy Spirit bringing life from death through the proclaimed gospel of Jesus Christ.

Though the sin is great, it’s not so great the gospel can’t overcome it. On the cross, Jesus pays the penalty for the sin of abortion—and in His grace, both the abortionist and the patient can be made new in Christ. Both can be redeemed. Both can be reconciled and restored. Though the consequences remain, the stain of sin will be removed.

Our mission—regardless of our zeal for the cause—is to serve as ambassadors of Christ; to plead with the lost to be reconciled to Christ. 

The Gosnell trial may help further the ministry of reconciliation—will you seize the opportunity?

In Christian Living
 permalink

Links I like

Aaron Armstrong —  April 15, 2013 — 1 Comment

Sisters, we are not muzzled

Lisa Spence:

I wrote a post recently at my personal blog where I announced I was more than my motherhood. In that post I mentioned the seeming prevalence of women in current evangelical discussion both as subject and object: we discuss, we’re being discussed. I quickly admit that my observation is just that: merely my observation and certainly not an official survey of the whole of the internet landscape concerning women. But, in the course of that same observation, I read much about women and their voice, more specifically the lack thereof.…

There have been so many women through the course of my journey who faithfully served me as they served the Lord. I am part of their legacy and their voices ring loud in my life and my heart. They had no large platform, no pulpit, no book or blog or speaking circuit. Most of what they taught me was not in some sort of official capacity but fleshed out in real life, one on one, their speaking the truth with love and conviction. They loved me and they loved Jesus and they were not silent. Their voices were strong and sure as they spoke grace and hope and joy to whomever and wherever the Lord granted opportunity.

‘Who Are You Sleeping With?’

Derek Rishmawy:

Now, I happened to be one of the lucky few to ask Keller a question after the session (at a distance…on a microphone) and seeing as how he’s probably the most astute cultural observer I know of working the pastorate today (aside from our own staff here at CaPC), I stumblingly asked him if he could identify a couple of the major obstacles for our current culture when it comes to the seeing revival or spiritual renewal in the church, especially with respect to repentance.

Drawing on his experience in urban, culture-shaping Manhattan, Keller responded that one of the biggest obstacles to repentance for revival in the Church is the basic fact that almost all singles outside the Church and a majority inside the Church are sleeping with each other. In other words, good old-fashioned fornication.

WPost reporter explains her personal Gosnell blackout

Mollie Hemingway:

Then I decided, since tmatt has me reading the Washington Post every day, to look at how the paper’s health policy reporter was covering Gosnell. I have critiqued many of her stories on the Susan G. Komen Foundation (she wrote quite a bit about that) and the Sandra Fluke controversy (she wrote quite a bit about that) and the Todd Akin controversy (you know where this is going). In fact, a site search for that reporter — who is named Sarah Kliff — and stories Akin and Fluke and Komen — yields more than 80 hits. Guess how many stories she’s done on this abortionist’s mass murder trial.

Did you guess zero? You’d be right.

Piper on Regrets and Retirement

Collin Hansen:

Shortly after John Piper concluded his 33-year pastorate at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, FakeJohnPiper tweeted his week one retirement to-do list: “Catch up on ‘Little House on the Prairie’ reruns. Arc Leviticus. See if Savers is hiring. Write three books.”

During The Gospel Coalition 2013 National Conference earlier this week, I asked the real John Piper what’s left for week two of retirement. But we also discussed what he won’t miss about being a pastor. He explained what young Christians who look up to him for his writing and conference speaking need to know about the day-to-day pastoral care that shaped this broader influence. He also shared why he regrets so much about his time at Bethlehem.

Logos March Madness Sale ends today

Today’s the last day to save up to 75% on Logos editions of titles by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, D.A. Carson and more.

How Can an Infinite Hell Be Just When Our Sins Are Finite?

R.C. Sproul Jr:

The wisdom of this question, I would argue, is that it gets at the real horror of hell. A lake of fire is a frightening thought indeed. The greater dread, however, is the duration of hell, that it never ends. This, I suspect, is what tempts some to try to tweak the church’s historic view on hell, including everyone from John Stott to Rob Bell. Is it possible to posit a truly terrifying, painful hell that only lasts a time? Can we affirm the just judgment of God, and still hope that it will one day come to an end?

In Links
 permalink