The Accidental Voyage

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The Accidental Voyage: Discovering Hymns of the Early Centuries
Douglas Bond
(P&R Publishing, 2005), pb., 257 pp.
Ages 8+

This is the fourth book in the Mr. Pipes series, and I have previously commented on our great enjoyment of the previous volumes. As suggested by the title, this book focuses on hymns form the early centuries of the church including well known hymns such as “All Creatures of Our God and King,” and “Be Thou My Vision” as well as many others which I did not know. As in the other books there is great discussion of theology, good hymns and music and examples of Mr. Pipes engagingly unbelievers with a winsome witness. These books are invaluable for introducing children to the value of good hymns and we recommend them heartily.

At one point in this journey Mr. Pipes, Drew and Annie visited a 13th century cathedral and were appalled to see it treated simply as a tourist attraction. The building reflected the awe and majesty of God, but the noisy people seemed ambivalent to this. In response Mr. Pipes says:

“when people stop believing, they stop worshipping; and when they stop worshipping, they come to the house of God only to see what man has done….  When we no longer come to his temple to render homage to him and to hear his voice, we then fill it with what we prefer- the chaos of our own voices” (89).

This is a good word for us today, when something similar too easily happens to our worship services.

This book did seem to us to be a bit less exciting than the previous ones, but it is well worth reading.

Whirlwind of a Week

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It has now been a week since the tornado came by our house and went on to hit Union University so severely. Most readers of this blog have probably already seen the coverage. If you are looking for information or are wanting to keep up the three key sites are:
Union’s homepage- http://www.uu.edu/
The Official Recovery site- http://www.uurecovery.com/
Tim Ellsworth’s Blog- http://www.timellsworth.com/Also Brian Denker recently took some great photos of the damage and he has a link to more photos. Here is one from Brian of the dorm room where my wife lived when we first met until we married 16 years ago this last week.

I personally have received many, many emails, calls from friends from many places expressing concern and prayers. The outpouring of support has been amazing and I have been very proud of the response of our students as they have been interviewed by various media outlets. I have already heard from various people about how the care of the community and the testimony of students has impacted lost family members, opening conversations with some who were previously closed to any discussion of the gospel. God is most certainly at work. He is advancing His kingdom and working things together for the God of His people.The doctrine of providence is especially important and helpful in times like this. It does not answer all our questions, but it gives us a basis for perseverance. We are not governed by chance. We are not at the mercy of the whims of uncontrolled events. All things are in God’s hands, and, therefore, there is hope and meaning.

Disasters in life are more common than people typically want to admit- really only we in the developed West have the convenience of being susceptible to thinking otherwise. In this tornado we did not meet an anomaly. Rather we saw a stark reminder of the reality of a fallen world. We must not say, “This was unusual. The rest of life will roll along just fine.” That is sometimes the answer of pop psychology, and it is hollow. Rather the scriptures would teach us to say, “This is the sort of thing that happens in a fallen world.” It is a reminder that all things are not yet as they should be. It is a reminder that we are fallen and in need of redemption. It should cause us to long for the day when all things will be made right, when the curse is removed. It should cause us to read with more empathetic appreciation Paul’s words in Romans 16:20- “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” Christian hope is not the flimsy idea that suffering will not usually come, but is the sturdy recognition of the inevitability of suffering in this life (2 Tim 3:12) coupled with the knowledge that God will eventually destroy evil and make all things right. It is this truth which has always inspired the saints (1 Cor 15:58; 1 Thess 4:13-18; 2 Tim 1;12).

Our God Reigns!

Memoirs of An Ordinary Pastor by D. A. Carson

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Memoirs of An Ordinary Pastor by D. A. Carson

This is probably the forthcoming book about which I am most excited. I deeply appreciate the ministry of Dr. Carson as I have studied in his classes, read his books and listened to his sermons. Some who have not heard him in person may not realize his heart for the ordinary pastor. This was a common theme I heard from him, particularly in his Advanced Greek Exegesis class. This may seem to have been an odd setting, but I think he was seeking to keep our feet on the ground lest we get too caught up in what we thought we knew.

Along the way I remember him referring to the labors of his father, his faithfulness in obscurity and suffering. Not too long ago, Dr. Carson gave a moving tribute to his father as an example of faithful, unknown pastors everywhere in the Forum section of the Southern Baptist Journal of Theology. (I have been unable to find this on the website. If someone has the link please send it along)

So, I am excited about now having a book length treatment of this subject from Dr. Carson. I have been able to read some of the book and have really appreciated it. This is sorely needed in our day of Christian celebrity worship. I encourage you to pick up a copy of this book when it comes out. May it inspire us (as Carson suggests in his preface) not to seek to be the next well known hero of the faith, but simply to be faithful. If God be pleased nothing else will matter.

Lewis and Clark, brief overview

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As Far as the Eye Can Reach: Lewis and Clark’s Westward Quest, Elizabeth Cody Kimmel
(Random House, 2003), pb., 128 pp.
Ages 8-12

This is another of the Landmark Books series. It is good, brief summary of the Lewis and Clark adventure. Some of these can be dull, but this one is well done. It is not as exciting as the historical fiction we have read which incorporates a fictional boy into the story, but it is told well. I feel like my boys have a good overview of this important part of history after reading this book.
Nathan, my 11 year old, read Seaman: The Dog Who Explored the West With Lewis and Clark, an account of Lewis and Clark focusing on Lewis’ dog Seaman. It is longer than this book and according to Nathan covered similar material but was more exciting.
We would recommend both books.

Back from Nepal

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I am back from Nepal and right into the flurry of the beginning of term with a backlog of things to post about.
Special thanks to those who prayed for me and this trip. It was a great trip and so much could be said about it. Various things cannot be commented on for security reasons and a basic overview was provided on the trip ‘plog’ at the website of Eagle Projects International, who organized the trip.
I had the opportunity to teach verse-by-verse through 2 Timothy, Titus, and Romans (which was interrupted by our need to leave early the last day) as well as a few other topics. I hope it was beneficial to the pastors, students and other leaders. After commenting on false teachers in Titus, one of the leaders told me this was an increasing problem in their area as more Jehovah’s Witness and Mormons come in from other countries. In the next session I took some more time to discuss dealing with false teachers pointing especially to Paul’s comments in 2 Timothy that Timothy knew from whom he had learned his doctrine (3:14). It is always important for people to receive teaching from trusted sources and when something “new” comes along to search the scriptures themselves and look to their pastors (whose life and ministry they have seen and verified) for discerning help.
I was impacted in numerous ways by my time with these brothers and sisters. It is always encouraging to me to see the body of Christ in other cultures- a visible reminder that God is indeed at work in every tribe and language. These people have little, suffer much, but have real power- power persevering in trials, being joyful with little, evidences of lives radically transformed, and evangelistic passion pushing back the kingdom of darkness. It was a privilege to ask them their stories and hear them- with no melodrama whatsoever- tell of how the gospel came to their family or village, how they were persecuted for believing and how grateful they are to have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Christ. I was humbled by watching these brothers and sisters.
There is much more to tell. In the coming days I will hope to do so.
(The two photos at the top are from one morning watching the sun rise over the Himalayas. It was spectacular)

Mission Trip to Nepal

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I leave in the morning for a mission trip to Nepal. I’ll be gone for about 10 days, and since I am not likely to have internet access I don’t expect to be posting.
I along with some others will be providing biblical and theological instruction for about 60 local pastors. These men will be travelling to our city from outlying areas. I am told that a number of them will travel for two weeks by foot and bus to get there. Many of these men have been imprisoned for their faith. They do not have much access to training, so they are eager. I expect, however, that I will learn even more from them- men who have labored in overseeing the flock and preaching the gospel in spite of persecution. Hopefully I can benefit them as I glean from their faithfulness.
You can read more about the trip here. This site will also provide updated information on the trip as often as possible. Click on ‘plogs’ on the left side and then choose “2008 Nepal.”

The Scarlet Pimpernel

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The Scarlet Pimpernel, Baroness Orczy
(1905; various reprints)
Ages 15+

As a boy I saw one of the movie versions of this book and loved it. I then saw the book recommended by some good sources so it was on my “to find” booklist from early on. I have eagerly awaited the time to read it to my boys. Since we have been discussing the French Revolution, the time was now. Early on in the book, however, I realized that this book was not one for reading to my boys just yet. There are great moments of high adventure but there is also a lot of more subtle psychological and emotional elements. I saw that significant stretches would be dull for them and I did not want to read long portions about a wife disdaining her husband, etc. However, the basic story is very compelling.

So, I continued reading the book on my own and then each night gave them a synopsis skipping portions they would not understand but relating the key story line of the adventure and intrigue. My boys loved it and are asking me to read some of the sequels. This manner of “reading” has been fun.

The story is about a daring Englishman who, with his band of loyal followers, risks his life to rescue French nobles from execution during the Reign of Terror. This Englishman refers to himself as the Scarlet Pimpernel and hides his real identity. Apparently this story laid the basis for the idea of mild mannered super heroes who disguise their identity in everyday society. Also though the wife initially disdains her husband we see her folly when she discovers that he is actually the brave and daring Scarlet Pimpernel and the public persona was only a disguise.

The story is a good read. You can find full text of all the stories in this series at Blakeney Manor..

Happy New Year

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Happy New Year.

I have been away for some time, but have several things waiting to post.
Let me start this year with a quote about the heart of ministry. My good friend Ron Sloan, who runs Refiner’s Fire bookshop in Louisville, gave me an old book on pastoral ministry over Christmas. The book is titled Ad Clerum: Advices to Young Preachers, and it is by Joseph Parker. The book does not contain any introductory matter, but it appears to be a collection of advice from different sources. The first chapter is excellent. This quote is one to keep before us:

“I deeply feel that without a spirit of reverent and contrite humiliation before God, and a constancy of loving and trustful desire towards the Saviour, no man is fit to have part or lot in the Christian ministry; when, therefore, I avail myself of satire or raillery, it will relate to the weakness or eccentricity of human usages, and never to the vital and solemn realities of the Divine vocation. Our place, as aspirants to the highest ministry, is at the Cross, where alone the oppression of our unworthiness is relieved by the completeness of Jesus Christ’s grace and truth. All this must be assumed; if we are wrong here, we shall be wrong everywhere; – the gift of prophecy and tongues, and the understanding of all mysteries, will be only temptations and snares, and our ministry will be as a plague in the church.” (1-2)

The book has been reprinted and is available at Amazon.com (an excerpt of chapter one can also be viewed from this Amazon listing).