Humble Orthodoxy, a Review

Humble Orthodoxy, by Joshua Harris, is a concise booklet.  It has only four chapters, spanning just 60 pages*.   However, with those 60 pages, Harris writes about a message absolutely relevant to Christians today, and that’s one concerning love.

Humble Orthodoxy is a follow-up book to Harris’ Dug Down Deep (reviewed here).  It’s practical and to the point.  In Chapter One, “Your Attitude Matters,” Harris lays the groundwork for why this book is important.  Too often, Christians are either too humble or too orthodox, and each camp is plagued with problems.  Harris writes,

“Christians need to have a strong commitment to sound doctrine.  We need to be courageous in our stand for biblical truth.  But we also need to be gracious in our words and interaction with other people.” (p. 3,4)

Harris takes no credit for the term humble orthodoxy, but his teaching on the topic is nevertheless powerful.  It’s refreshing that’s he’s candid, for he, too, has much room for improvement.

This book packs a punch.  My copy is filled with underlines and stars.  The message is humbling (intentional pun!) and challenging.  Harris makes his point, and at least to me, it’s one that I am trying hard to infiltrate in my life.  Pride is insidious.  It’s toxic.  It’s detrimental to the gospel and it’s keeping millions of people in sin.  I don’t want my life ruled by pride or by my own personal truths/agendas, and Joshua Harris’ Humble Orthodoxy is an excellent resource to help combat that.

I highly recommend Harris’ little book, Humble Orthodoxy.  It offers a message that each and every Christian needs to hear.  A message on humility is not a fun message, nor is one on orthodoxy, but they are messages that are still important.  I pray that God works in my heart to make it more aligned with His truth.  I want to have genuine love and compassion for each person I encounter in my life.  I want to also hold fast to the Truth that God has revealed.   

* There’s an additional study guide section in the back.

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FTC Thingy: This book was delivered on the wings of a three-winged Pegasus, festooned with spring rolls and lucky Vegas dice.  It also was delivered free of charge in exchange for my honest (to goodness) review.  I was not obligated to review this book positively, nor was I obligated to feed the Pegasus my last Oreo cookie, either, though I did manage to do both.

Go and Do, a Review

Go and Do, written by attorney and director of the Global Justice Program Jay Milbrandt, is an ambitious book with a simple goal in mind, to get the Reader to get up, go out, and actually do something to change the world. (Ambitious, see?) Through real life stories Milbrandt himself experienced, written with passion and potency, Go and Do is a challenging and thought-provoking book.

Go and Do is part memoir and part rally call. Milbrandt's sincerity shines on every page, and it's easy to see that his heart lies in helping others. He's very candid about his life and his plans, opening the book with a story from his college years. He reveals how his goals were to basically graduate and get into a high-profile law firm and make the big bucks. Instead, after he found himself overseas and looking into the faces of children of the red light district in a Thai city, his plans took a sudden and unexpected shift.

Jay Milbrandt, to use one of his terms, "came alive." He found that actively participating in helping out those in need was something that he enjoyed. Doing it actually made him feel alive, and he realized that this was what he wanted to be doing with his life. Yes he had a law degree, and that could be used for justice and aid, but what he found even more useful was simply being present. Time and time again he saw that his presence, just playing with kids or listening to their stories, made more of an impact than any gifts.

Soon Jay founded the Global Justice Program at Pepperdine University and set out to get students into a "go and do" lifestyle. This book is largely a collection of how going and doing affect people, both the ones going and the ones being visited. The stories are fascinating and inspiring, but the depravity of the world is also terribly eye opening. It's wonderful to know that there are people--many, many people--that are willing to go and do and help out, whether it's traveling to a faraway land or going to a homeless shelter just down the street.

Milbrandt has a true passion for helping others, and his book instills that mindset in the reader. His heart lies overseas, but he respects that other's may be in their own towns and communities. His main argument is to find whatever makes you come alive, whatever you're passionate about, and get involved. Does human trafficking stir something deep in your soul? Is water quality an issue you're interested in? Do the hungry of Uganda twist your gut a different kind of way? Whatever it is, just get involved in it and live life with a purpose of helping out people. No one is more special than anyone else and everyone is able to help.

Go and Do is an interesting book that I very much enjoyed. It's further solidifying the feeling in my soul to get more active in helping out others. I'm not entirely sure yet where my heart lies, but I do know that I need to be doing so much more. I am incredibly fortunate and blessed beyond my wildest imaginings. I help where and when I can, but I squander a lot, too. Books like Milbrandt's Go and Do and Stearns' Hole in Our Gospel stir my heart and make me want to be a better person. More than that, they make me realize that it's really quite simple to do, to change the world. And what loftier goals can a person have?

""Go and do" is not a zero-sum game. We don't have to hang our lives on one anchor in order to go and do. We certainly need individuals who are willing to make huge sacrifices to serve. I, however, don't find it realistic for the majority of us. It's more realistic to envision a properly tensioned life system." - Pg. 111

"A lifestyle is not a series of random acts, but a strategic, long-term relationship with kindness. It's intentional." - Pg. 50

"...you are meant to change the world by changing yourselves." - Pg. 203

FTC Thingy: I received this book free of cost from Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an honest and open review. I was not required to write a positive review. Also, no cookies were exchanged, if you're wondering.

The Hole in Our Gospel, a Review+

Please read this review.  Do not discard it simply because you are unfamiliar with the book or with the message it might have.  If you're reading this sentence, then please read this review.  A life literally depends on it.  Thank you.

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The words "life changing" are pretty much cliched now, their meaning no longer to be taken at face value. Perhaps that's endemic of our American tendencies to abuse hyperbole? But when I think back on Richard Stearns' oh-so-relevant book The Hole in Our Gospel, those two overused words immediately rise to the top. 

"If Jesus was willing to die for this troubled planet, maybe I need to care about it too." (Pg. 2)

Richard Stearns is the president of World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization with the goals of "working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of God." I've had a relationship with World Vision for five years now through the child sponsorship program. (I liked how 86% of donations went directly to the mission.) Stearns has served at this post for fourteen years now. Prior to that he lived a life of luxury, working as the CEO for luxury kitchen company Lenox, making six-figures and achieving the "American Dream," overcoming his relatively poor childhood and finding success through hard work and perseverance. 

The Hole in Our Gospel is part autobiographical, part field guide to get involved and help change the world. Stearns writes candidly of his struggle to uproot and take on the new position at World Vision. He admitted several times that he had no interest in doing anything like that, that he was comfortable with his life and was satisfied. But what really shines is Stearns' passion to motivate others--people like you and me--to get involved in the world, to plug in and help those who are so desperately in need of assistance. His appeal is from a Christ-like attitude, but I suspect that even non-believers support Stearns opinions.

"If we are to be part of this coming kingdom, God expects our lives--our churches and faith communities too--to be characterized by these authentic signs of our own transformations: compassion, mercy, justice, and love--demonstrated tangibly." (Pg. 57)

There is so much that I could talk about from this book that I don't know where to begin.  On one hand I fear that I would cheapen the experience of reading the book, as Stearns takes twenty-six chapters to expound the various issues raised.  My single weblog post would be nothing.  On the other hand I so want to share this book with you.  I made so many highlights and underlines that my book looks rather abused, and picking out what to share was not the easiest task.  Additionally, removing a quote from its context loses some meaning.

The Hole in Our Gospel was published in 2009.  As such, the statistics are slightly out of date, but still very close to true, I'd wager.  I'm thankful Stearns includes a comprehensive index for footnotes, giving sources to the statistics he shares.  Many times I would flip to the back to see where the data came from.  Unfortunately, most of the statistics are punches to the gut.  Just think, 3.6 billion people, 55% of the world's population, live on less than $2 per day. Americans, approximately 4.5% of the world's people, live on $105 per day.  I'm blinded to how much I actually have, how much I actually waste.  It's sickening.

• "More than 26,500 children died yesterday of preventable causes related to their poverty, and it will happen again today and tomorrow and the day after that." (Pg. 107)
• "It is estimated that a child dies every five seconds from hunger-related causes." (Pg. 135)
• "A child dies every fifteen seconds of a waterborne disease." (Pg. 138)
• "93% of the world's people don't own a car" (Pg. 216)

I don't know about you, but reading stuff like that is truly devastating.  Stearns presents a lot of this information in a chapter titled "One Hundred Crashing Jetliners."  In short, if one hundred jetliners crashed today, killing 26,500 people, imagine the chaos that would ensue.  People would be in pure pandemonium, afraid to fly and fervent in fixing the problem.  Stearns then asks the question why 26,500 kids can (and do) die every day and receive little to no media coverage, no public outrage, no government interference.  His conclusion, 

"If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that we simply have less empathy for people of other cultures living in faraway countries than we do for Americans." (Pg. 107)

That hurts.  A few pages later, at the end of the chapter, I wrote in my margin "is my sadness enough to drive me to do something about this?"  I'm wrestling with that thought right now.  How can I live with myself knowing how much I'm doing to combat this kind of thing?

"Here is the bottom line: if we are aware of the suffering of our distant neighbors--and we are--if we have access to these neighbors, either personally or through aid organizations and charities--and we do--and if we have the ability to make a difference through programs and technologies that work--which is also the case--then we should no more turn our backs on these neighbors of ours than the priest and the Levite should have walked by the bleeding man." (Pg. 104)

The beauty and uplifting news of The Hole in Our Gospel is that there is hope, that the problems of the world are not insurmountable.  It's easy to see the massive problem that exists, and thinking of it as one large mountain makes the task impossible.  Stearns argument, though, is that the world changes through each individual.  We're not called to change the world, but to love our neighbors.  Jesus invested in people to institute His church and the Kingdom; we, his followers, should do likewise.  With this mindset, changing a person in order to change the world, things become more manageable.

"Christ is an all-or-nothing proposition, and one way or another, every one of us has already made a choice about Him. We have either committed our lives to Him whole-heartedly, or we have not." (Pg. 83)

"This has always been a problem with God's people; we tend to drift away from God's bold vision, replacing it with a safer, tamer version of our own." (Pg. 183)

Richard Stearns book is powerful.  The Hole in Our Gospel sheds light on global issues of suffering that I was not even aware existed.  I once was oblivious, but now I'm enlightened.  Now there is something burning within me that's longing to do something, longing to take a stand against the status quo and the American Dream, to rise from my stupor and my good life and actually make a difference.  I began mapping out my next step, thinking of ways to spread awareness and also do a little good.  (You can see the current plan here if you're interested.)  I won't change the world, no, but to the ones I do help, I will change their's.  And you can too.

"If you think you are too small to make a difference, try spending the night in a closed room with a mosquito." -African proverb (Pg. 250)

Zeniths

I'm twenty-six.  I'm celebrating my five year anniversary in just a few days (Cinco de Mayo) by taking a much needed vacation to Asheville, North Carolina, where I hope to enjoy some rest and some fun times with Keisha and Avonlea.  Keisha and I visited Asheville for our honeymoon, and it only seems fitting to return now.

I'm not much on sentimentality, at least for most things.  I prefer to live in the Now and look ahead to the Later.  The Past is an ever fading whisper that lives only in the mind and hearts of us all.  Holding onto childhood trinkets and slips of paper seems mostly pointless to me.  But now that Avonlea is here, I'm finding that there are some things that I want to keep.  Why?  I can't say for certain.  Perhaps it's to help her understand a part of the Story that is her life.

Today is the last day of the A to Z challenge.  I've pretty much winged most of these posts off the cuff, with little foresight and no real plan of action.  For today I've decided to list (in no order) some of the zeniths of my life, some of those times I can look back and see myself on the top of the mountain, so to speak.  To be honest, it's harder than it sounds.  I've lived a blessed and happy life.  I consider much of my life to be in the upper elevations of the mountains.  Anyway, below are three major highlights.

1.  My salvation from sin and hell by Jesus happened when I was eleven.  I didn't know exactly what that meant and how to apply that to my life for several more years, but it was then when the Spirit first called to me and I responded in earnest.

2.  Keisha married me.  The wedding was a blur and the church was packed.  We had several friends and family come in, some even foregoing the Kentucky Derby (which was on 5/5/07) to celebrate our nuptials.  I played hangman with my groomsmen in a Sunday School room while waiting for the event to start.  We asked one of the pastors to present the Gospel during our wedding, as we knew that this was one of the only times several people in attendance would step inside a church.  I had a Darth Vaders shaped and colored groom's cake, though I didn't get to come in to the "Imperial March" as I'd hoped.  Five years later and I'm more in love now than I was then.

3.  Avonlea Brynn Stewart came into this world in a rush of emergency due to Keisha's soaring blood pressure and loss of fluid.  We went to a regular check-up and two hours later I was in scrubs and brain addled.  I remember it all very clearly.  I paced back-and-forth outside the operating room, staring at myself in the small mirror, heart pounding, my breath fogging my glasses beneath the hospital scrubs I had on.  I was rushed inside, where I took Keisha's hand in mind and waited.  Soon a baby cried and Daddy followed suit.  I had a daughter.

I could talk about the euphoria that follows a challenging game of tennis that I happen to win.  I could bring up the day I graduated college with my engineering degree.  There are so many more things in my life that are high points that I'm stunned thinking about them.  I'm incredibly blessed.  Likewise, there are plenty of vales and caverns between the peaks, things that have grieved me to no end, and I'm just as stunned thinking about those.

I'm twenty-six years old and I am the person I am today because of the zeniths and voids I've lived through.  I like to think of my life as a slow rising slope, ever-moving upward and to greater heights.  There are interruptions and downslopes, some severe, but they are not enough to sway the line downward.  By myself I would definitely be approaching uncharted depths, but thankfully I am not by myself.  No, I have the constant presence of the Spirit within me, guiding me.  I have the loving arms of a wife to encourage and help me whenever I need her.  I have the undeniable and unconditional love of a daughter that sees me as her Daddy.  I have friends and family that are united by something stronger than blood.  I have a community that challenges and inspires me.  I'm zenith living, and I praise God because of His manifold blessings on me.  Even when I cannot understand how He's working in certain situations, I know that He is, and that's good enough for me.

Worship 703

Friday night will be our second WORSHIP night.  The first one, WORSHIP 803*, was back in February.  It started with an idea to intentionally worship God as best we could.  Our single goal was to glorify God because He alone is worthy to be praised.  There was no plan, just enter the sanctuary with shoes off and hearts opened.  We had a small setlist, but we wanted the freedom of going where we felt led, too.

This time around our theme is ENOUGH.  We've got about ten songs prepped for the night, focusing on God's provision and general awesomeness being enough for us.  Honestly, if I have the love of God in my life, what more do I need?  And how wonderful is it that He chooses to bless me with so much more?!  Our goal is the same, to just praise God.  For some, that's in silence, arms down, head low.  Others may lift their hands and sing loudly the songs we've selected.

For me, I'll be leading with guitar and offering my words and talents up to Him.  It's nothing I ever thought that I would be doing, but I'm convinced that God gives people talents and skills for a reason, and I choose to honor Him with my amateur skills.  I long to worship the Creator with everything I've got inside of me.  Like that John Mark McMillan song, "I wanna love You when the blood of my veins don't know how to call out Your name, I want to love You when the birds don't hang around."  I don't want a conditional love, but I want an all-consuming and life-changing love to pour out of me.

And I want that for others, too.  I want all of us Sons & Daughters** to genuinely, honestly, humbly worship the Lord.  I can't wrap my head around the concept of why God desires our worship, but He does, and I'm not going to be one to hold back.  (As if I could.)  One of my all time favorite songs that describes my heart is "Yearn," by Shane & Shane***.  Pretty much every time I listen to that song my heart implodes and my soul says Amen.  Check out the acoustic video below if you're unfamiliar with this song.

Lord I want to yearn for You, I want to burn with passion over You, and only You.  Lord, I want to yearn.

It is my prayer that WORSHIP 703 glorifies God.  I pray that our songs and voices create a pleasing aroma to God, and that we are poured out for Him.  Soli Deo Gloria!

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*The first event was on a Saturday night at 8:03pm, which is why it was named so.  This event is on a Friday night and starting at 7:03pm.

** Up until very recently this phrase has been absent from my vernacular.  I have always used "Brothers & Sisters in Christ" when referring to the Church family, but I'm trying to switch up my thought processes on this one and start thinking of myself (and others) as Sons & Daughters of the King (John 1:12).

*** I could do a big, long post about Shane & Shane.  Awesome voices and unreal guitar playing make beautiful music.  Their newest singe, "Liberty," has this phenomenal Middle Eastern vibe to it that has you tapping your foot and reaching for your guitar.  Check it out!  "Where the Spirit of the Lord is now there is liberty!"

Unusual Unity

When people are united for a common cause, the results are amazing.  Whether it's a team of scientists all passionate about eradicating a virus or a youth group determined to provide food at a homeless shelter, a united team is a thing of beauty.

God is infinitely beyond my comprehension, but I understand Him to be both United and Individual.  There is the Father aspect, the Son aspect, and the Spirit, hence the Three-in-One God.  Likewise, Jesus the Son established and built the Church, His Bride, as a single united entity.  To complicate it, though, the church is also the individual people that make up the Bride.  And whenever people are included, things get messy.

Disunity is a problem.  In the home, when a husband and wife are not on the same page, the family suffers.  At a job, if one manager wants one thing and another something else, there is confusion and a lack of output.  In the church, when one member puts their individual wants above another's, there is strife.

What does the solution look like?  Simply, we must all aspire to be more selfless.  This rings true in all circumstances.  If a husband selflessly sacrifices his choice in love for his wife's, the family grows stronger.  When the managers meet a compromise, there is efficiency.  When the church member adopts the lifestyle of Jesus, the gospel is spread.

Too often we view selflessness as failure.  We tend to think that a life of sacrifice is horrible, that we're entitled to certain things just because.  In this situation, I think of one of my favorite passages in the bible, Philippians 2:3-11. (Emphasis is mine.)

[3] Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. [4] Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. [5] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, [6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. [8] And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [9] Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, [10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

If anyone had a right to entitlement and to be selfish, it was Jesus, the Innocent Lamb of God.  Instead, out of love He chose to empty Himself of His God-form and become Man, where He then went on to suffer an unimaginably horrible death.  Jesus did all of this so that we could have eternal life in heaven and be united with the Trinity in glory.  He did not do it to glorify Himself.  No, He did it to give glory to the Father.

That's how unity works.  It's supernatural.  It's awesome.  It's something that I'm trying to live out in my life, and it's something I long to see within the church.

God and Gifts

The infinite creator of the universe loves me.  At the start of everything, before He spoke light and time into existence, He knew me.  He knew the kind of person that I would be, the kinds of thoughts I would think, the kinds of words I would say, the kinds of sins I would commit, the kinds of pride I would exhibit.  He knew all about me, all about us, and yet He still loved me, He still loved us.

How much?  God loved us enough to fully become Man in the form of a man named Jesus.  Jesus, the only Son of the Father, loved me.  He lived a perfect and spotless life because He knew that sin had to be defeated and that the Father's judgment and condemnation had to be completed.  Why?  Because we had sinned by disobeying His single command, to not eat of the Tree.  We were all subsequently cursed, and we still are, but we're no longer obligated to live under that curse.

Jesus, being God in flesh, lived for around 33 years before being murdered/executed.  In all His time here on earth He never once sinned.  He never once stopped loving His fellow men.  He never once stopped loving me.  He knew exactly what was required to fulfill God's justice, and He freely gave of Himself so that we could have eternal life.  He knew that we would be unable to live perfectly and that we would be consumed by God's wrath and found wanting.  He knew that the only way to avoid that was to sacrifice Himself and appease the sin debt that was required.

So He did.  He lived a holy life by loving God with His whole heart, soul, body, and strength.  What's more, He loved His neighbor nearly as much, to the point that He would lay down His life for them.  Then came the cross, the terrible pain of crucifixion and asphyxiation and nails and thorns.  Then came the emotional turmoil of imminent death.  He knew what was coming, that the Father would remove His Presence from the Son.  They had been in a holy communion of Three since before time began, never separated, and yet the Father would have to turn His back on His only Son because of the sin that Jesus was taking on.

And He did.  And darkness fell.  And the veil tore from the top downward.

Jesus was placed into a tomb, a large stone was rolled in front of it, and a guard of Roman soldiers was put there to make sure nothing mischievous happened.  Man, however, could not stop what was coming.  On Sunday something not mischievous but rather magical happened.  Jesus defeated hell and the grave.  He arose, resurrected, putting down death and walking again on earth.

He was seen by many.  He lived among men for forty more days and then He ascended--literally--up to heaven.  He said He was leaving so that something better would come.  He gave us the Spirit, God, to dwell within us.  All we had to do was trust Him, Jesus, and follow His commands.  What were they?  To love God with our whole hearts, souls, bodies, and minds and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Salvation is simple.  Salvation is complex.  Salvation is the greatest gift Man has ever received, and it is the greatest gift I have ever been given.  Greater than Keisha's love for me.  Greater than Avonlea.  Greater than anything I can imagine.  God loves me.  He loves me.  He loves me.  And He loves you, too.

Merry Christmas.  Happy Easter.  God's gift is free for the taking.

(If you'd like to talk about any of this, feel free to send me an email if you'd like.  I'd love to discuss what God has done in my life with you.)

Wrestling With: Alcohol & Liberty

Used to be I was a teetotaller.  Alcohol was bad.  I knew how it affected people, how it enslaved people, how it buried itself deep into the hearts of the weak and addicted and never let go.  In my eyes, having a drink of alcohol was having a one-way ticket to hell.  This extended up through my first year or two of college, my Formative Years, as I like to call them.  These were the years when I decided to "work out my own salvation" (Philippians 2:12) and dig into my faith.

What I found was shocking.  Jesus died to give us freedom from this world, from sin, from shame, from the Law of Moses, and from every thing that binds us down.  Jesus, who had the ultimate freedom of being God, gave up all of His freedoms and became Man.  Not only that, but He completely emptied His Godhood (Philippians 2:7) and became the most humble man to have ever lived.  If Jesus had any freedoms, He gave them up so that sin would be conquered when He rose from the grave.  And He did all of that for you and me.

Paul wrote extensively on this freedom that Jesus died for.  In both the first letter to the Corinthians and in the letter to the Romans, he addressed the issue of eating food and consuming drinks offered to idols (see 1 Cor. 10:23-33 and Romans 14).  These two chapters are still relevant today, especially in regards to a Christians freedom to indulge in alcohol.  Complicating the issue is that Jesus' very first miracle was turning water into wine (John 2:1-12), and that wine was declared "good."  If the Son was there in the beginning and all of creation was made through Him, then I imagine that the wine made at the wedding was indeed very good.  Another complication is God commanding the Israelites in Deuteronomy 14 about their agricultural tithes, especially verses 24-27:

[24] And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, when the LORD your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which the LORD your God chooses, to set his name there, [25] then you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in your hand and go to the place that the LORD your God chooses [26] and spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household. [27] And you shall not neglect the Levite who is within your towns, for he has no portion or inheritance with you.  (Deuteronomy 14:24-27 ESV--emphasis mine)

Some translations refer to "strong drink" as "beer," as this is likely what is meant.  So here we have plenty of verses pointing to the fact that alcohol isn't implicitly bad, and in fact, Paul says that "all things are lawful" there in 1 Corinthians.  He goes on to point out that one should not offend someone by refusing the wine or the food or whatever, as this could damage the witness.

To my knowledge, the only negatives concerning alcohol in the Scriptures all revolve around one thing: drunkenness.  Drunkenness is mentioned specifically as a work of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21), which is constantly against the desires of the Spirit.  There are also several Proverbs concerning drunkenness, none of which are positive (see Proverbs 23, for example).

How am I to interpret this?  I have to say, when my bible study leader opened this can of worms as a college freshman, I was completely against him.  I just didn't get how anyone could be so silly.  But once I read the scriptures for myself and thought through them, it was obvious to see the truth.  Nevertheless, just because I could agree that alcohol in and of itself was not sinful, I refrained from drinking.

All of that changed when my best friend struck a deal with me.  He had been drinking for a while (illegally), and I had just turned 21.  He said that he would go to church with me if I would go have a drink with him.  I thought of Jesus hanging out with the prostitutes, tax collectors, and other ruffians.  These were the people He ministered to (in addition to the poor and needy).  I said sure, and he went to church with me for the next few months.  Seemed like a fair trade.  He heard the gospel of Jesus.

My one drink had no real affect on me.  Over the next few years, I may have drank a handful of times.  To me, alcohol was just a waste of money, a luxury I couldn't afford.  Still, the fact that I was a Christian and that I would drink was a witnessing tool that I could use.  Never once did I drink too much, never once have I been drunk, and never will I.  One must be self-aware and spiritually mature in order to imbibe, I decided, and I am blessed enough to be both, though neither were easy to attain.

And then last year I was voted to become a deacon of my current church body.  One of the questions asked during my trials pertained to alcohol.  I based my answers all on scripture.  I was thence trounced and assaulted for my immaturity and ultimately denied the position*.  That shook my faith more than a bit.  I've been in church my entire life and to be told that my faith was immature and weak was a punch to the gut.  I spent the last year reading and studying even more so than normal, and you know what, my opinions haven't changed much at all.  If I'm reading my bible correctly, then everything I've mentioned above is still true in my heart.

I was asked last Sunday again about becoming a deacon.  I accepted, and now I'm preparing myself for another interrogation.  Even though my biblical understanding has not changed, I can say that I no longer am a drinker, either.  Not even on occasion.  Why?  And how did I come to this conclusion?

• We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. (Romans 15:1)
• For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  (Galatians 5:13-14)
• Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.  (Romans 14:13)

I think about how Jesus lived, about what motivated Him.  He loved people unconditionally.  He was a servant.  He denied Himself in all, ultimately giving His life away.  He commanded us to love and serve and take up our own crosses.  If Jesus was willing and did give up his freedoms, then I can give up one for a people I love, too.  Because even though I think I am in control, I cannot control what other people perceive, and I don't want to inadvertently cause anyone to stumble.  I must be above reproach.  I also don't want my daughter to be exposed to it, and putting alcohol out of my house (save for cooking bourbon, which is simply delicious in a chocolate pecan pie) is just a step in the right direction.  Am I really losing anything by refusing myself?  No, and I fully believe that in Heaven that I will get to enjoy the wines of the Father's vineyards.  Until then, or at least until the Spirit reveals something differently in the Word and in my heart, I am relinquishing this liberty of my own volition.  To God alone be the glory.

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*To be fair, this wasn't the only issue, though this was the biggest.  The other one concerned tithing, which again, I gave my understanding of biblical answers and principles.  This issue has changed slightly since last year.

Resolution for Men, a Review

The Resolution for Men is not the kind of book that I would normally read.  In fact, I think I've only read one book like it before, John Eldredge's Wild at Heart, and that as a single lad in college.  Now, with nearly five years of marriage under my belt, and almost a year of being a father, books like Resolution seem more appropriate.  Resolution, written by brothers Stephen & Alex Kendrick, is an accompanying resource book for last year's Courageous, a quasi-companion to Fireproof.

Point blank, I've seen neither of these movies, though from what I hear, they're "wonderful."  Personally, I just don't see the appeal.  I get that Christian movies are clean and wholesome and powerful and filled with a message, but generally the acting and budgets are not comparable to a Hollywood powerhouse.  Now I'm not knocking these movies, and I'm glad that they exist.  No, what I have problems with is the fact that the movie is labeled as a "Christian" movie, relegating it into a genre that's typically laughed at and ignored.  Anyone who's read this blog very long knows that I dislike labels and genres, whether it's for film or books or music or whatever.  If you want to reach a larger audience then remove the genre classification.  Until then, we'll remain a splintered people, separated by race, religion, and many other things.

With that said, Resolution is a non-fictional book about what it means to be a Man.  To be a good husband.  To be a good dad.  Or, from the Introduction,

This book is an unapologetic call for men to live courageously for their faith and their families.  It is designed to strategically challenge you to become the man God created you to be. (page1)

Continuing my confession, I would very likely never have read Resolution on my own.  It's just not my norm.  As it so happened, my Wednesday morning D-group (which we affectionately call "Coffee Talk") decided to read this book together.  What's more, we decided that after we finished that we would pledge the "Resolution" the book provides, affirming our intentions publicly and in the presence of others.  This Resolution is the focus of the book, as it precedes and concludes the text.  Each of the fifteen chapters point to the twelve points made in the "Resolution", and all build upon one another as expected.

To make things even more difficult, I literally started reading the book a day or two before my dad died.  Because of the book's content, my mind had been thinking about him a lot at the time.  Thinking about how he was never there for us and how little he was involved in my life.  The book speaks of being a chain-breaker in your family, and I had a clear goal in mind for my life of how not to be.  Reading the book was cementing the way to that goal.  Then he died, and all the difficult parts about fatherhood were suddenly clearer and made more of an impact.

I came into Resolution with no real expectations, what I found was a book containing a lot of great information about being a Man of God.  I like to read with ink pens and highlighters at my disposal, and this book shows it.  Many of the pages are scribbled with notes or underlines, things I found particularly insightful or applicable.  Consider (and I apologize for the quote-dump here),

*All sin in us reveals that God is not as holy to us as He should be. (p89)

*[And] the more maturity a man has, the more responsibility God can trust him with. (p62)

*If you want to get to the core of who people really are, get them to start talking about their dad. (p14)

*God's Word commands husbands and fathers to lovingly lead their homes. As men, we are to walk in honor and integrity and fully embrace our responsibilities as shepherds over our families. We are called to model a loving, Christlike example for our wives and children... Therefore--because this is God's calling--it's no mystery that a godless culture would mock and constantly undermine fatherhood, attacking and inverting what God designs and values. (p13)

*Strong relationships and marriages don't happen because people never hurt each other. They happen because the people involved keep on forgiving. (p172)

*Being a Christian once meant faithfully and boldly representing Christ, even when it came at great risk, even when it meant being unpopular. But too many men today have redefined being Christlike to mean "nice and quiet." (p137)

This is just a smattering of things I marked.  For you see, Resolution offered much more than I was expecting.  Not only did the authors give theory behind things they recommended, but they went beyond that by offering practical things to do.  I appreciate reading a book with suggestions for how to apply to my life.  Too often, it seems, that these books only offer us reasons why we need to do things a certain way but not how to go about it.  

I've already mentioned the "Resolution" at the front and back of the book, but it's worth mentioning again.  I think the desire of the authors is to get men to recommit themselves to seeking a lifestyle that's reflective of biblical manhood.  The Resolution is a solemn compact that should not be entered into half-hearted.  I imagine that there are some who have qualms about making that type of commitment and instead just gloss over that part of the book, but as for me, it's something I'm going to do.  The Resolution is composed of great points that not only will make us better men, but will draw us closer to God.

Stephen & Alex Kendrick's Resolution for Men is not a perfect book.  There are plenty of instances that I completely disagreed with, where I felt that they were being too legalistic or too dogmatic, but these were uncommon.  At times I also felt like they were repetitive in their message, but this could be that they just wanted to make sure that their message was heard.  Even so, these brothers are to be applauded for the book they've produced.  It's poignant and much needed in modern day America.  If you're wondering what it takes to be a better husband, a better father, and a better Man in general, then let me suggest checking out  The Resolution for Men.

[Note: Just in case you're curious, there's also a Resolution for Women out there.  I can't attest to its content, but if it's like this one, then I do recommend it, too.]

Wrestling With: Reverence & Respect

Recently I was part of a frustrating exchange.  An elderly man in our church expressed his disappointment in seeing someone wear a hat inside the sanctuary.  What's more, the culprit was a minister.  (No, this wasn't at my church, but was at another church in a video we were watching.)  The elderly man proclaimed that there's not any reverence anymore, no respect of the pulpit or of the church or anything.  He acknowledged that yes, the church is not the building, but even so, it should be respected*.  To complicate the matter, two other people joined in and supported him.

Through it all I felt a growing sense of unease.  How can people think that the clothes they wear are an indication of their heart and its relationship to Almighty God?  We all know that "clothes don't make the man."  That's been around forever.  Eventually I was asked my opinion, and I said that I disagreed with them and that I saw no problem with it.  I went on to say that God doesn't care what we wear as long as it's modest and not causing someone else to sin or laced with profanity.  He looks at our hearts.  Our respect/reverence of Him has nothing to do with what we're wearing in church.

Growing up in rural Kentucky, my home church had a dress code.  For males, blue jeans or pants were to be worn at all times; females had to wear skirts or dresses.  Shorts were never allowed.  This was how I grew up, and how I thought for much of my life.  I never bothered to ask why.  It was one of those "that's just how it is" things.  Along those lines, American history shows plenty of examples of men taking their hats off before entering buildings, opening doors for women, and being generally "respectful."  Culture defined respect, and like any good Baptist, this turned into a tradition, albeit lacking any biblical support.

I was given some stern looks and questioned about my opinions.  The problem with America, I was told, is that we've progressively compromised our stands and allowed liberal theology to overtake us.  I can agree to some extent with that, but not in full.  Too often people hold to the "God is an unchanging God" mentality, that He's "the same yesterday, today, and forever" and that means that we should be the same, too.  The problem with that is that it limits how you worship God, who creates a new day every morning, who's crafted a world filled with beauty and impossible splendor.  The world is changing, just as God knew it would, and holding on to pointless traditions are inefficient at best, and downright wrong at worse.

The bride that Jesus died for is built on the Word of God, not traditions.  Traditions can teach, and there is wisdom found in them, but they are not God's Word.  Whenever the two butt heads, I'm going to choose the bible every time.  It bugs me when people say "I believe that..." or something similar.  What we believe has no matter when compared with what God says.  The bible speaks plenty on respect and honoring God.

• The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. -- Proverbs 1:7
• The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  -- Psalm 111:10
• Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory, honor, and power... -- Revelation 4:11
• Honor your father and mother. -- Exodus 20:12

The bible teaches in being reverent to God.  The bible teaches that I should live out my life in fear of Him, and that that fear is healthy and humbling.  The bible teaches us that as we fear Him then He blesses us.  Jesus taught us that people should respect one another and love one another and that our respect and love toward one another is reflective of His love to us.  The bible does not teach that wearing a hat in church is disrespectful or wrong.  That means that we can serve and worship God in a three-piece suit as easily as we can in gym shorts and sandals.

It seems to me that the Generic American Church of Denominations has a mixed bag when it comes to things like this.  We have our traditions and our practices, things that are obviously American and rooted in our grandparents and great-grandparents days, or all the way back to the Pilgrims even.  We hold fast to these things, convincing ourselves that they are right and God-breathed.  On the same hand, we cling to biblical cultures and practices when it's convenient, eager to apply verses out of context.  This double standard is frustrating and foolish.  It brings to mind James' words 1:8, "A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways."  Man cannot be double-minded or else we're called a hypocrite.  The same goes for the church.

I just wish people would wake up and realize this.  I'm just as guilty as anyone else, blinded by my own opinions and biased to my own thinking.  But I'm honestly trying to base my opinions on the bible, not on traditions or culture or some pastor or the latest book or anything else.  God's Word is the only source of truth that we have.  The rest is just empty words.  Now I'm not saying that we should just throw out the way that we do things, but I am saying that we should think about the way that we do things.  Are we scriptural in our practices?  And even deeper, even if we don't say anything, are we silently judging somebody else because they're doing something out of the norm or worse, something we disagree with?  I'm wrestling with being as biblical as I can in my life.  I hope you are, too.

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*Why?  Why are buildings worthy of respect?  God no longer dwells in a tabernacle or temple.  He sent His Spirit to us, which dwells in our hearts.  So again, why treat the building as something holy?

Murder-Suicide

I'm moved beyond words and coherent thought.  I wonder how someone can be so selfish?  So delusional?  How does saying "I'm sorry for all the hurt I've caused" lead to causing more hurt?  How can a man take a hatchet to his two sons, ages 5 and 7, and hit their throat, causing them unimaginable pain and suffering?  How can he then explode/burn his house down, killing himself and his kids from carbon monoxide poisoning?  And why does the picture have to be of a happy looking family?  It literally sickens me.

I've never saw the appeal of suicide.  But what's even more baffling is when suicide leads first to murder and then the checking out early.  Is there some great failure as a people that leads to the taking of one's life?  Is there an offense that finally cracks the shell of a person's heart?  Have we, by and large, been too aloof, too absent, and too selfish that we miss all the signs?

Oh God how it hurts me thinking of those boys.  Their confused minds as their father grabbed them, pulled them in, and wounded them.  I can only imagine how their hearts broke at the betrayal of the man that birthed them.  And the man.  What led up to that moment?  Was he slighted at work?  Was he abused?  Was he bullied as a child?  Was his heart simply filled with brackish blood?  Surely this was not his ideal.

These types of news stories have a profound impact on me.  They make me want to pull Keisha in close, squeeze her tight, and tell her just how much I love her.  They make me want to pick up Avonlea and kiss her until she scratches my face off with tiny baby nails.  Not only do this, but they bring into focus how important it is that I be the kind of father I'm supposed to be, to be the kind of man I'm supposed to be, and to be the kind of Jesus follower I'm supposed to be.  Am I invested in people?  Do I notice when something is going wrong in someone's life?  Do I truly, honestly care about Jonathan the Starbucks cashier on Wednesday mornings?  Or what about William the Franey's clerk?  I care enough to know their names, but would I be able to see it in their eyes if something was wrong?  Would I miss them if they stopped showing up?  What about you all, other bloggers that I know only through the Web.  Would I be able to infer something was wrong in your lives?  Would I be able to offer any support?  Would I miss you if you no longer commented/posted?

In the midst of life's maelstrom, especially this week's tumultuous seas, my heart is at peace, but it's tenuous. It's the kind of peace that's rooted in eternal joy, not immediate happiness.  It's the kind of peace that if fraught with burdens and sorrow, for the pain in others overwhelms so.  It's a peace like David's, who called out to God in the Psalms time and time again for deliverance and rescue.  While my personal pain and angst may be relatively shallow, there's a world that's filled with anguish.  I want to do my part to lessen it.  Pray for that family tonight.  They definitely need it.  And if there's anything I can pray for you about, just let me know.  I'll do it.

Current Updates & Link Love

(Because I haven't put a picture of Avonlea up here in a while.)

• Keisha is blogging now.  She's chronicling motherhood and Avonlea.
• I bought my PE CERM12 manual the other day.  Truly defines what a tome is.  According to Amazon, it weighs 6.7 lbs and is 1552 pages.  I'd guess closer to 10 lbs and 1600 pages.  I'm already dreading the studying it's going to take to pass that darned test in October.
• Oddly enough, this does not count as a book purchase for my 2012 Manifesto, as it's not really a book to read, per se, but a book for work.  Kind of.
• February is here and I'm making headway with my TBR.  I've been doing a lot of comic book reading, but also quite a bit of STAR WARS novella work, too.  All have been quick, fluffy reads.  I should probably break that up for when I start The Brothers Karamazov, but I doubt that'll happen.
• Anyone else use freegal through the library or Noisetrade?  I've been getting a lot of top-quality, free songs of late.
• I was asked to play guitar for a little concert at a coffee shop this Saturday night.  Makes me a little nervy playing in public like that.  I said sure, cause I just like setting challenges for myself and rising up and above mediocrity.  Being out of my comfort zone is getting easier and easier in some areas...
• Last Saturday we had a most amazing night of worship.  A few weeks ago we were talking about things to do to become a more biblical church*.  Worship is a lifestyle, and praising God should not be confined to only Sunday mornings.  So we created WORSHIP 8:03.  Our goal was to create an environment solely dedicated to worshiping God however you wanted.  My part was playing guitar and helping lead worship on stage.  We had 30-40 show up.  There was an open communion.  I think it's safe to say that there was a general spirit of unity and worship among us there.  I know I loved it, just praising my Creator and Savior, thanking Him for His love and mercy.  It was much needed.  In fact, we're already planning our next one for March.
• I was contacted about having one of my reviews used for promotional purposes.  I said yes, and if it goes any farther, I'm sure I'll put it up here.  Until then, I'll just stay hush-hush about which book.
• Omelets are without a doubt the best breakfast food.  Thankfully, Art of Manliness has put up a new article on how to make better omelets.  (Sometimes mine are great, sometimes they look like a cat threw up in a skillet.)  This is a companion to their most excellent "How to Make Better Eggs" post from a few months back.
• I finished reading my chronological bible reading plan yesterday.  Took eleven months.  Here's the new one I'm starting tomorrow.
• Much more going on, but I'll just keep all that quiet for now.

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*Yes, I realize that "church" in this sense goes directly against my principles.  Nevertheless, it's another example of an English word that has multiple meanings and falls apart under minor scrutiny.  In general, whenever I mean the "church" as the bride of Christ and a unified, global body, I prefer to write "Church."  Whenever I mean a localized, unified body, I again prefer "Church."  When I mean the building where the Church goes to, this I refer to as "church."  

By the Side of the Pale-Faced Moon

I've found myself unable to sleep much these last few days.  Is it myopia?  Dystopia?  Is it the paean and the clanging, and the tolling, throbbing, clangor of the bells bells bells bells bells?  Maybe yes.  Maybe not.  Maybe porridge, sickly hot.  Maybe sweat and beats and wrinkled sheets beneath my bed bed bed bed bed.

Hours crawl.  Bioluminescent monsters stomp around in the living room, just out of mind, not out of sight.  I cannot remember my dreams.  I can remember my disappointments.  And so I found myself awake and asea during the witching hour, garbed in synthetics and clothing born of labor, not love.  Indeed, the only thing born of love was the toboggan* atop my barren head, wrought by the fingers of the girl I love.  I found myself in the hinterlands, staring up at the sky, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Quadrantids.  Alas, it was not to be.

Coffee consumed, and even its typical bitterness was as honey, though it frothed rabid for unknown reasons.  I think on my goals for the year, for myself, for my family.  Keisha and I have been steadily scaling down things for several months now, and our goal is to get even more simplistic**.  It began when I decided to save money and cancel our satellite back in the summer of 2010.  We traded a crazy bill for a cheap Netflix plan.  And yet, after sixteen months of digital streaming, I've found myself more attracted to PBS and basic television, and those only on occasion.  Sure, there are plenty of great shows available at my desires (Buffy!), but I'm loth to spend so much time in front of a monitor.  A recent survey found that the average American spent 2.7 hrs/day watching tv, which equates to about six-weeks of non-stop, 24-hr viewing.  And that's just tv alone.  I dread thinking of computer usage...

So we both came to the conclusion that we're going to get rid of Netflix at Stewartland.  By our reckoning, any movies/shows that we really want to see, we'll be able to get them from either the library or Redbox.  In conjunction, we've scrapped much of our DVD shelves.  Next up comes the bookshelves, I think.  Because, I wonder, why hang on to these things?  I'm not nostalgic.  I'm not materialistic.  So why keep them?

I would love to get to a point in my life where I have few things that I simply "have" to have.  I remember reading this article about a family that limited itself on how many items each person could have.  Seems like it was around a hundred or so, which included everything from socks to toothbrushes to kitchen gadgets.  If you wanted something new, something else had to go.  Part of me really likes this idea.  This was one of the reasons why we limited the amounts of gifts Avonlea got for Christmas.  From us, there were three, and we tried to convey this to the rest of the family, too.  We don't want her to grow up overindulged and spoiled***.

Maybe it's that I'm getting older, though my dissatisfaction has been growing for a while now.  I turn twenty-six next weekend.  I wonder what I'm doing with my life.  How am I making a difference, not only in my community around me, but in my family, too.  Why am I content to spend so much time at home, with my nose in a book?  Thank God that I only average about four hours per week with the PS3.  I thank God that I don't have a smartphone.  I'm tired of the sham of politics.  I'm tired of the bickering in the church.  I'm tired of the apathy of bosses.  I'm tired of suburbia.  I'm tired of the passivity of America.  I want to be different.  I serve a Jesus that was different, that was hated, that lived a radical-but-simple life.  And I want to be more like Him.

It's a sort of Runic rhyme, really, to the tintinnabulation of the bells bells bells bells bells.  I am forever thankful that I've been blessed with a house to keep me warm, a closet full of clothes, and five pairs of shoes.  I have a job, while many do not.  I have a car.  Two, actually.  I'm healthy.  I could be much worse.  I could be much much worse off.  Am I stuck in idealistic youth?  No, I think not.  Am I held back by fear and trepidation and idleness?  That remains to be seen.  Here's to hoping 2012 is different.

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* An apparent colloquialism of the Appalachia region.  By toboggan, I mean a knit cap.  I grew up calling these things toboggans, and didn't realize the discrepancy between the words until I was in college.  I love Kentucky.

** I'm hesitant to use this buzz-word, but it best describes my ambitions.

*** Okay, we want to spoil her with love, not materials.  I trust I make sense.

I'm Sworn to Secrecy

Since I keep a journal here on Rememorandom, I've got something very important to ramble on about.

Recall, earlier this year I was selected by the church body to become a deacon.  I was humbled and after prayerful consideration, I accepted.  The next step was to be tested, so to speak.  Had to go to to a room filled with the current deacons and be questioned about my faith, doctrinal issues, those sorts of things.  I wasn't expecting the interrogation I got, especially not the vitriol I received.  After the whole fiasco, I was found to be lacking the spiritual maturity they required and was rejected.  (To be fair, 8/12 of the men voted in my favor, though this majority did not meet the qualifications set in the church's bylaws.)

To be honest, I was hurt and angry.  I was judgmental.  I was disappointed.  I was grieved.  In my mind, I was more qualified to be a deacon than several of the men sitting in that room.  I desired to impact the world, to impact the church, to love on people, to help, to go, to serve.  These were the things that I didn't see the deacons doing.  How dare they deny me?  I contented myself saying that you didn't have to be a deacon to serve and that God was in control.

I've spent the last six months growing in leaps and bounds in my faith.  My reliance on God has increased tenfold.  My devotion to reading and studying the Word has grown exponentially.  I've changed in my opinions on the dividing topics, growing even more firm in my beliefs about them.  I'm convinced that the bible speaks very clearly and that their opinions are based on more than just the bible.  But through all of my growth I've also layered myself in cynicism.  My ability to trust has wavered.  My faith in my local church has waned to non-existent.  My righteous anger has simmered.

The sad thing is that this is so uncharacteristic of me that it's not funny.  I'm an extremely happy optimist.  I believe in the goodness of people to a point well past logic and reason.  I'm not naive, I'm too much a Realist for that, but I'm hopeful.  And yet, over these last few months, I've changed my outlook, and I hate it.  I'm disappointed with myself and my scorn.  I realize that I'm wanting people to be held to a higher standard when I myself am regressing.  I'm expecting maturity from a group of people that have had very little rearing. Many are on the milk still, so to speak, and my expectations from them are unrealistic.

So I've resolved myself to do better.  To think kinder.  To love more.  To pour myself out until I'm drained dry.  If I'm wanting change, then let it be seen in me.

Flash forward to last night.  Skipping all the details, I was selected to serve on the pastor search committee, and last night was my first meeting.  (My church has been without a senior pastor for a long time now and tension is very high within the church.  Perhaps this is part of the reason why there have been so many problems.)  I received a packet of information, and among it was a sheet detailing the qualifications for its members.  I inwardly chuckled at the first two: must be spiritually mature and must be respected by the church to be competent and responsible.

The irony of being qualified to select the next pastor for the church and yet being unqualified to be a deacon of said church is more than a little amusing.

So what's the point?  The point is that I'm learning to rely on God more, to look to Him more, and to trust in Him.  On the PSC I am bound to confidentiality, something that I intend on taking very seriously.  Already after one meeting there are things that I would love to talk about and get off my shoulders, but I can't.  To ramifications could be tremendous.  Instead, I'll pray and look for guidance.  And I also ask, dear Readers, that you hold me and my church up whenever it crosses your mind.  I've a feeling that things are gonna be tough, but I've no doubts that God will reign supremely over everything.

Have a merry Christmas, everyone.

Dug Down Deep, a Review

This isn't a book on systematic theology proper. It's more like a mixtape of biblical truth that I've found personally significant. Dug Down Deep is my reveling in theology in my own simple way--not too polished, sometimes awkward, less than scholarly, hopefully gracious and faithful. Even thought these are deep truths, I don't pretend to be swimming in the deep end of the pool. I'm splashing in the shallow end. But if my splashing can inspire you to dive in, I will have succeeded.

In 1997, Joshua Harris broke into the scene with his book on dating, appropriately titled I Kissed Dating Goodbye.  I'd heard of it, but never had a desire to read it, nor anything else by this author.  As I saw it, he was one of those Christian authors that wrote on one and only one subject matter, and it just happened to be one I was uninterested in.  However, back in September I requested a copy of Harris' book on systematic theology called Dug Down Deep, primarily because of the book's style.  Harris chose to tackle the subjects through transparent memoirs (as opposed to exhaustive biblical analysis), and I thought his journey sounded interesting.

In some ways, this book could have been written by Donald Miller (author of Blue Like Jazz, Searching for God Knows What, and several other books), as the tone of the author was very reminiscent.  Harris begins Dug Down Deep with a thought-provoking question: what are you building your life on?  He then goes on to talk about Jesus' parable in Matthew 7, comparing the man who built his house on the sand with the man who built his house on the more solid foundation: rock.  Harris argues that building on the rock takes work, it takes some digging, but in the end, after the wind and the rain and the storms, the house remains standing.  He explains,

In the past I thought the point was simply that being a Christian is better than not being a Christian. And I suppose on a very rudimentary level, that is what it means. But I never thought about the specifics of what digging down to the rock represents.

This was the impetus for the book.  He grew up in the church and found himself lacking any biblical depth.  He was familiar with theology, doctrine, orthodoxy, and the like, but at the same time, they meant very little to him.  They were just old sounding words that old people used.  For the remainder of the Dug Down Deep, Harris opens up with humbling honesty, explaining how he came to understand certain elements of theology.  Some of the essays included are about the Father, the Son, the Spirit, the Word, sanctification, justification, the church, orthodoxy, and a few others.  And if you're anything like me, some of those words sound boring (i.e., orthodoxy), but Harris points out (reasonably) that they shouldn't, and he explains why.

Knowledge doesn't have to be dry and lifeless. And when you think about it, exactly what is our alternative? Ignorance? Falsehood? We're either building our lives on the reality of what God is truly like and what he's about, or we're basing our lives on our own imagination and misconceptions. We're all theologians. The question is whether what we know about God is true.

When I finished Dug Down Deep, I had several passages highlighted and underlined.  The chapter on sanctification is definitely worth the read, as I found it thoroughly fascinating and incredibly awe-inspiring.  Another recommended chapter is the last one, where Harris writes on humble orthodoxy, bringing home the point  of how crucial it is to remain humble in our lives.  This is something I think many of us should read and take to heart, as pride is ever so subtle and we must be on guard.  These are just two of the eleven chapters presented in the book, and all are well thought out and stimulating.

Dug Down Deep is a very accessible book.  It offers deep thoughts and unfathomable truths about God and His character, but Harris attempts to explain them as clearly as he can.  I think the book would be a great tool for new believers, but I think the impact would be even stronger with those who've walked with God for a while, especially the ones that have grown frustrated with their fellow believers or their own faith.  Really, the book is relative even to those outside of the fold, those that have questions about life's journey and the roads we travel on.  Overall, I really enjoyed Joshua Harris' Dug Down Deep.  Maybe it's where I'm at in life, but Dug Down Deep resonated with me.  I found it encouraging and refreshing, and I think it's a book that many people could read and  get something out of it.

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FTC Thingy: This book was provided to me free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  I received no goods other than the ebook, and had I been offered any other goods (like, say, chocolate chip cookies) I would have been tempted to take the bribe.  Nevertheless, I wasn't offered, nor did I ask.  As such, the opinion expressed in this review is entirely my own and has in no way been affected by my lack of receiving free, home-baked chocolate goodies.