Author: pastorjonathan

Christian,Husband, Dad, Pastor, Mentor, Volunteer.

And What Shall We Do? (Luke 3:14)

On By pastorjonathanIn DevotionalLeave a comment

The issue of repentance is tricky business.  There is more to repentance than intention.  There is action! When it was time to prepare the way of the Messiah.  When it was time to set things right.  John called people to repent.  Repent not just of having wrong intentions, but of doing wrong things.

You see that is where I struggle.  That is where I get confused.  I try and repent with my intentions, but leave off the action part. Repentance means turning over every misplaced stone in my life and putting it where it belongs. I often turn over the stone, but seldom do I work up the courage to place the stone where it belongs.  Repentance means doing the right thing, not just talking about the right thing.

Did you notice what repentance looked like when John spelled it out the people who were asking?  It was a matter of justice.  Repentance was a matter of treating your neighbor right, providing for those who had need, and being content with what you have. Speaking of being content…  Am I content?

To not be content is to want more.  To not be content is to covet (and last I checked, “do not covet” is still in the top 10 commandments).  Coveting is the enemy of loving my neighbor. I can’t love my neighbor and be coveting his stuff.  Even if I’m not coveting his stuff  I will love stuff so much that I won’t care about his condition.  After all isn’t coveting what would prompt a man who had two tunics not to share with the guy that didn’t have one (Lk. 3;11)?  It’s not wrong to have two tunics, but it is wrong to love your second tunic more than you love your brother. So repentance is action.  It’s giving me second tunic to my brother who is in need.

Father,

It all belongs to you.  Search my heart today.  Help me to see every stone that needs to be set right.  Give me the courage to set things right in my life.  People are more valuable to you than stuff.  I ask that stuff would never come in the way of me serving you.

Which the Lord has Made Know to us (Lk. 2:15)

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When I was younger I used to beg God to speak to me like he spoke to the prophets. At night I would lay in my bed long expecting a miraculous dream or vision.  I wanted to see a unique revelation of God.  I told him that if He would speak, I would listen.  Little did I know that He had been speaking all along.  In my heart I wasn’t longing for the voice of God… I was longing to be special.  My goal in hearing God speak wasn’t so I could obey Him or even make much of Him, it was so I could make much of me.


These days He does speak to me plenty and  plainly.  Before you go getting the straight jacket, please know that I’m talking about His Word, the Bible.  There really isn’t a mystery to what God is up to.  It has all been written down from several different divinely inspired human authors all confirming the same thing… Christ has lived among us, died for our sins, rose from the dead and will return to set all things right.  It’s a more complete message than what the shepherds heard in the field that night.

I often wonder, if I had been woken out of my sleep that night by a crew of shepherds running through town murmmering, “Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men,” would I have followed them to the manger? Whether Angels or Shepherds does it matter whose mouth we hear speaking the Word of God?  Is it not still His Word?  Are the expectations any less?

Father,

I pray that you would deliver my heart today from the kind of pride that seeks to manipulate how You would speak to me.  Forgive me for being like a child trying to trick his parents into getting what he wants. I beg that I would be obedient to the truth I do have from you.  I’m tired of trying to call all the shots.  Thank you for making yourself known to me.  Grow me in grace and the knowledge of You.  I really do want to walk with you today.

They Were Both Righteous Before God (Luke 1:6)

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“Here I am… use me!” I prayed in quiet desperation hoping that the God of the universe would hear my simple sentence prayer and know that my heart was to be used by Him.  But was that really my heart?  Was I really asking Him to use me or was I simply asking to use Him?  The more I reflect on the deceitfulness of my own heart the more I realized just how far from God my heart really was.  Like a child begging to be lifted up by his parent only to reach something formerly out of his grasp I was begging God to exalt me so that I could grab a hold of something cheap and tawdry like the approval of others.

Why do we chase such small things as money, power, recognition, etc. when the only one who really matters in never far away?  I used to read biographies of great men and women who had blazed a trail in history and ask God to make me like them.  I would read about their devotional habits and tied to hard to mimic them thinking that was the key to unleashing God’s power in my life… Oh how foolish I was.  They weren’t looking for God’s power in those early morning sessions, they were looking for God!

This is what it means to be righteous.  They were not looking past the Creator for his blessings, they were looking to their Creator as their blessing. That’s the secret!  It was there all along!  Those who are greatly used by God are often those who seek only to humbly obey Him and walk in righteousness.  They are not righteous for the sake of having others look at them (that’s what the Pharisee’s did).  They just honestly have looked for and trust God and somehow in the mix, these are the people God uses… the one’s whose greatest ambition is to simply please Him. And at the end of the day, isn’t that all he is really after? The full devotion of my heart (Then he can use me however he wants).

Hands Down the Best Fiction Book I have read in a long time… Instant Classic!

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The Charlatan’s Boy by Jonathan Rogers is by far the best fiction book I have read in a long time!  The book is about a the exploits of a young orphan named Grady and his charlatan father figure Floyd.   The story is told through Grady’s eyes as he travels the Cornwald frontier wandering from village to village with Floyd playing hoaxes and tricking people out of their money.

Grady is ugly, there is no doubt about it.  Floyd puts Grady’s ugliness to work for them as they travel the country side having Grady perform as a real live wild feechie, the world’s ugliest boy, and the assistant to a phrenologist.  Grady is filled with inner turmoil as he wonders about who he really is and where he came from.  He also struggles with the lies and scams that have come to define his life and set him apart from regular village folks who work hard to earn an honest days wage.  Then just as Grady’s thoughts are colliding Floyd sets about on a new scheme to revive the Great Feechie Scare.

I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag on this one, because it is a well written book and you deserve a chance to read it on your own.  In my opinion it has all the markings of a classic.  It is definitely the best fiction book I have read in a long time and the best fiction book I have ever read by a living author.  If you enjoy a good story every now and then, you will love this book.  The retail price of The Charlatan’s Boy: A Novel is $13.99 (Paperback), and is available around the web in places like Amazon.com for $11.19. I gave it five stars and would give it more if I could.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their Blogging for Books Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

“The Chase” By Jerry Bridges

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The Chase: Pursuing Holiness in Your Everyday Life by Jerry Bridges with Jay and Jen Howver is the student version of Jerry Bridges more popular book The Pursuit of Holiness.  The Chase is much shorter and many of the illustrations are formatted more for teens (example: playing video games, etc.).  And in most cases where the scriptures are referenced, the Message is quoted.

Overall I was a bit puzzled by the book.  Most teenagers I know who are wanting to dig into this type of study wouldn’t have a problem digging into the Pursuit of Holiness.  Beyond the cover art and title, the  chase isn’t reformatted enough to make it appeal to a broader young adult audience.

That being said, I still really like the book and wish a discussion guide had been posted in the back.  I can see a great value to leading a group of young adults through this book.  It still stands as a fantastic study on God’s holiness and our sanctification.  I highly recommend it to student pastors and college pastors all around as a fantastic study worth putting in the hands of some of your students who are seeking to grow in Christ.  The retail price is $9.99 (Paperback), and is available around the web in places like  Amazon.com . I gave it FOUR stars

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from NavPress as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A look at Philippians

On By pastorjonathanIn Video2 Comments

This is for all my life group peeps who are studying Philippians every other Friday night.  You may not be into hip-hop, but hopefully this song will encourage you.

“Secure Daughters, Confident Sons” by Glenn Stanton

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Secure Daughters, Confident Sons: How Parents Guide Their Children into Authentic Masculinity and Femininity by Glenn Stanton is a book about raising sons and daughters to be confident boys and girls.  Mr. Stanton argues extensively that men and women are equal, but different.  He bases his argument on Genesis 1:27 but he also makes a solid case for gender differences by utilizing information from various studies done across cultural lines.

Mr. Stanton does a great job of fleshing out the different functions that men and women take place in shaping society.  I was especially grateful for the careful way in which the author outlined examples of strong men and women who exude their masculinity and femininity.  He also does a fantastic job of expressing the influence that a mother and father have on a child’s life.

Overall the book was positive and seeks to be non-offensive.  Perhaps this is also its greatest pitfall.  While I praise Mr. Stanton for a book well written, I also wonder if more might be said about the differences between men and women and how we treat one another if he were not writing for such a broad audience.

I really appreciated this book and can see how it would be for a wise investment for parents regardless of how old their children are.   The retail price of Secure Daughters, Confident Sons is $14.99 (Paperback), and is available around the web in places like Amazon.com for $10.19. I gave it five stars.

If you are looking for more information about the equality, yet uniqueness of men and women check out the website for the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their Blogging for Books Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

“The Priest with Dirty Clothes” by R. C. Sproul

On By pastorjonathanIn books2 Comments

The Priest with Dirty Clothes by R. C. Sproul is a fantastic book for children.  I read it to my daughter the other night for the first time and was she instantly drawn into the story.  I continue to be a fan of R. C. Sproul’s short allegories.

The story of the priest with dirty clothes is based on Joshua the High Priest as referenced in Zechariah 3:1-5.  A priest appears  before the king, but his clothes are dirty so he is told to come back later with clean clothes.  The priest searches high and low for someone to help him clean the stains out of his clothes.   Soon he realizes that his only hope is to go to the Prince for clean clothes.  The Prince claims to have a great solution, but the priest has to trust the Prince.

The Priest with Dirty Clothes is an enjoyable allegory about our sin and Christ’s righteousness.  The discussion guide in the back of the book is a great way to make sure your kids have understood the story and it’s larger spiritual implications.  Overall I really enjoyed the Priest with the Dirty Clothes and highly recommend the book.  The retail price is $18.00 (hardcover), and the best price I found was at Reformation Trust for $14.40.  I gave it five stars.

Listed below are some other great books that I’ve come across and that we read over and over again at our house.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Reformation Trust Publishing (via a PDF file) through their Blog for a Free Book Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I have too many books, so I’m giving some Away

On By pastorjonathanIn books3 Comments

I have too many books!  So I’ve come up with a creative way to give away some of my books, reward those of you who stop by here from time to time (or just today), and get some of my blog posts out there. So here is the deal:

1. Pick a favorite blog article from this blog (I’ve listed a few of mine below, but you can pick yours)

2. Share a link to that article via Facebook, Twitter, your own blog, etc.

3. Let my know which post you shared and how by commenting on that post or this one. (example of a comment: I shared your “review of Generous Justice” on my Facebook Page.)

On Friday, February 25th, 2011 I’ll randomly select the winners. Right now I have at least 3 books to give away but I am scouring my shelves for more.  I’ll be giving books away according to how I rated them.  So if your name is drawn first you will get  a 4 or 5 star book in my opinion.  If your name is drawn last you might end up with a 2-3 star book (I won’t burden anyone with a 1 star book).  Obviously if more than 3 people enter,  not everyone will get a book.  If less than 3 enter you may get more than one book. There is no limit to how many times you can enter.  Just share a different blog post with each entry and place a separate comment on this blog so your entry gets counted properly.  If you have questions leave a comment and I’ll answer.  If you win, I’ll mail the books to you providing that you live in the continental United States or Canada.  (unless of course you live here in town, then we can make arrangements for me to drop them off).

Here are a few of my favorites from over the past year or two:

A Review of “Defiant Joy” by Kevin Belmonte

On By pastorjonathanIn books1 Comment

Defiant Joy: The Remarkable Life & Impact of G.K. Chesterton by Kevin Belmonte is something like a biography of G. K. Chesterton.  Though, it is like a biography, it is not a biography, it is more like a source book with lots of little paragraphs that bring the larger block quotes together.  In essence, this book is a tribute to all of those who have written about G. K. Chesterton and so it is a tribute to Chesterton, but it is not a significant biography in and of itself.

The promise of this book is the study of a great man, the downfall is that the author neither adds anything substantial to the conversation nor seems fit to even craft his own sentence about the man.  In short.  I’m not a fan.  I’m sure there are dozens of books about Chesterton that are worth reading.  Though this one quotes many of those, there is nothing of interest in Defiant Joy other than the topic it so miserably pursues.

That one should attempt to write about such a large literary figure with so little literary diligence is an egregious crime against the man about whom it was written.  The book seemed rushed with many of the same block quotes being used just pages apart. Reading this book made it seem more like a rough draft of a paper lengthened to meet a page quota than an actual print worthy book.

The retail price is $16.99 (paperback), and is available around the web in places like Amazon.com for $11.55.  I gave it two stars.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson as part of the BookSneeze program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”