In the meantime

The Swans are not Silent  is a series of biographies by John Piper, written with the purpose of reminding us of faithful heroes of the faith who have gone before us so that we might learn from them.  Each book is a compilation of three biographical sketches; each book also has a specific theme that is highlighted throughout the individual biographies.  As Piper shares in the Preface to Contending for Our All, "I am deeply thankful to God that the swans are not silent, and that the list of faith-inspiring heroes in Hebrews 11 did not end with the New Testament. God has worked through the lives of countless saints of whom we should say, 'Though they died, they still speak' (cf. Hebrews 11:4)." (page 9) I recently read three books from this series: The Legacy of Sovereign Joy,   Contending for Our All, and Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ (books one, four, and five, respectively.) The undeniably devotional-like quality of these books was an incredib...

  The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in our Post-Christian World, by Rosaria Butterfield . (Crossway, 2018) I just finished reading this book and it is an excellent read, giving me much to mull over (which is why I’m writing this -- to help me process it all!) This book has drastically redefined my view of hospitality. This book is not what you might expect of a book on hospitality: there are no snippets of practical tips for making your time with your guests stress-free. Neither is there an appendix of tried and true recipes. This book is not a scholarly essay on Scripture’s usage of “hospitality“ and “the Gospel.” Instead, Butterfield compellingly weaves poignant personal examples throughout her book to delineate an earnest plea for the Body of Christ to practice radically ordinary hospitality. Butterfield defines radically ordinary hospitality as the manner of “using your Christian home in a daily way that seeks to make stran...

Some of you may be wondering why I can’t seem to get off this subject.  Let me tell you why miscarriage comes up every so often: The dynamics of a miscarriage and every other kind of infant loss mark you in a way like very few things in life do.  It was a real baby, made in God's image, no matter how small, no matter how undeveloped.  There is an unexplainable emotional connection, particularly for the mom.  Many times the grieving is a private affair, with few people even aware of what has happened. And those are just a few of the most obvious dynamics that make infant loss so hard.... For me, this has been a season of silent sorrow unlike anything else I’ve experienced. It has only been very recently that I’m finally beginning to feel like I’m no longer incredibly vulnerable and a bundle of emotions.  I think I am slowly starting to move on. It has also been a season of growth that wouldn’t have happened except...

This world isn’t the way it was originally created to be. In the beginning, it was perfect—exactly how God designed it to be.  But then the Fall happened and Adam blessed us with the curse of sin.  We now live in a sin-cursed world, with every aspect of our lives marked by the effects of sin in some way or another. “… for we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now…”        Because of sin, life is full of groaning: Pain, sadness, tears, disappointments, sickness, death…the list of very real groaning due to sin could go on.  And when pain and sadness, suffering and tears, sickness and death make their way into our lives in big ways, it is easy to get bogged down with these things because it is what we see and feel and experience and live.  They are our life.  These groanings--these horrible consequences due to sin's curse--...

(Again, am finally getting around to posting what has been a draft in my draft files for quite some time!)  Just admit it: Life is about expectations.  We all have them, whether they are good or bad. We have expectations of ourselves and expectations of others.  There are certain expectations of events and businesses. Our employers have expectations of us, their employees.  The list could go on. Some expectations we don’t even realize we have.  That is, until they aren’t met. When this happens, something else happens.  And sometimes, that something else is not always a good thing. (In other words, we sin because of it.) I was rudely reminded of this recently when I discovered that plans I had for some Christmas projects were not working out like I was expecting them to.  Add to that the general expectation of what “Celebrating Christmas” is supposed to look, feel, sound, and even taste like, and  Christmas this year just hasn’t been ...

At times I don't know how to adequately express myself.  Sincere longing, yearning, and seeking hard after the Lord often get stifled by my circumstances. This song, based on Psalm 84, has been a recent reminder of what I desire to be a reality in my life right now.  How sweet the place where You dwell, O Lord,  My soul longs and faints for You My heart sings out a loud song of joy  For I have known the living God. I want to be where You are, O Lord I want to be where You are, O Lord I'd rather have just one day with You Than be anywhere else There's no good thing that You will withhold From those who live to follow You  I'd rather be Your servant, O God Than have the riches of this world Those who follow You go from strength to strength Those who trust in You are filled with joy. (c) Stephen Altrogge, 2008, Sovereign Grace Praise