Reading in 2016 (part two)

Yesterday I started to list the 16 books that impacted me in 2016. Today I follow with the second half. (Read part one here.)

9. Old Paths, New Power by Daniel Henderson. I received this book after a workshop with Henderson at the Moody Pastors Conference in May. Henderson's focus on Acts 6 as the basis for the church in its mission of prayer spoke volumes to me, and led me into a summer of reading on reveival in the books that follow (#10-13)

10. Lectures on Revivals by William Sprague. This 1832 classic includes a series of letters from famous 19th century church leaders on the subject of revival.

11-12. Pentecost Today? and Revival and Revivalism by Iain Murray. Murray's work on revival puts the focus on where it should be, the action of God and the Holy Spirit. He is scathing in his words about those who turn revival into a recipe to be followed.

13. History of the 1859 Ulster Revival. 7 volumes. I am still reading this history, but the story of how a small prayer group of two people affected a whole nation is awe-inspiring. The set does allow the voices of those who are skeptical of the revival to poke through, but it is for the most part a positive treatment. The stories can get repetitive, I will admit.


 Finally three books on various topics
14. Thoughts on Public Prayer by Samuel Miller. This book was written in 1849. I love to read 19th century books on ministry because of the awesome seriousness with which they take their office and their approach to the throne of God on behalf of a congregation. The book left me humbled in my own approach to public prayer.

15. I'll Praise My Maker by Erik Routley. A book on 18th century hymn writers in the Calvinist tradition, it makes the case that a great poet is not necessarily a great hymn writer. It's long discussion of William Cowper and John Newton are the highlights.

16. The Conservative Mind by Russell Kirk. Although I disagree with some of Kirk's statements about Edmund Burke, this book is a wonderful journey through the voices of English and American conservatism. It has caused me to seek out and read other volumes in the upcoming year by W.E.H. Lecky, Henry Sumner Maine and Irving Babbitt.

Reading in 2016 (Part one)

I am a voracious reader. I read for my work as a pastor, and read a lot in my spare time. Sitting with a book, a baroque composer and a single malt scotch is a perfect evening for me. So looking back at 2016 I had a very busy year reading both physical books and e-books on my Kindle. My final total was 177 separate volumes. I do not mean to say I read that much in depth. Some of the volumes only received a scanning read, which is a bit of a cheat I admit.

So with that much verbiage behind me, what books had the most impact on me in 2016. Below I list 16 volumes (or sets) that I will carry with me into 2017 and beyond.

1. Core Christianity by Michael Horton. Horton would be a favourite every year because he writes with an eye to the age in which we live. His focus on the core beliefs of Christianity keeps us away from the polemic fringes that get us distracted and take so much of our church energy in these difficult days.

2. Puritan Theology by Joel Beeke. This is a large volume dedicated to the systematic, biblical and practical theology of the Puritans from the late 16th to the early 18th century.

3. Ecclesiastes by Michael Eaton. This is a short commentary in the Tyndale series but opened up the book of Ecclesiastes for me in ways I never thought of before. (see my post Reading in Ecclesiastes).

My love of biography continued in 2016, and below are several of the lives that I enjoyed reading last year.

4. A Grief Sanctified by J.I. Packer. This includes Richard Baxter's memoir of his wife, and is a wonderful treatment of the Puritan pastoral response to death and grief.

5. J. I. Packer: An Evangelical Life by Leland Ryken. Packer is the grand old man of evangelicalism today, and Ryken shows him in his fights and battles from England to Canada and his fight for the traditional Christian faith.

6. J.C. Ryle: Prepared to Stand Alone by Iain Murray. Murray shares the life of Ryle, a nineteenth century Anglican bishop who stood by himself as the evangelical standard bearer of his day.

7. George Whitefield: The Life and Times of the Great Evangelist of the Eighteenth Century by Arnold Dallimore. This 2 volume set is by an obvious fan of Whitefield, and he seeks to correct the historic record on Whitefield. (Although admittedly at times he overcorrects that record.)

8. Ty Cobb: a terrible beauty by Charles Leerhsen. As a long time baseball fan I found this book on the life of the great hitter eye-opening, and it seeks to set the record straight on the real Ty Cobb, and not the caricature we often imagine.

(Continued tomorrow)

Reading in Ecclesiastes

My daily bible study these days is caught up in the reading the book of Ecclesiastes along with Eaton’s commentary in the Tyndale series. When one reads the book, the first impression is “So depressing.” Ecclesiastes is known for its pessimism about life and justice. And to read it in bits and pieces, that first impression is accurate.

But going deeper into the book, there is one foundational distinction that needs to be made. Life is pessimistic, to be sure …”under the sun.” And life under the sun is deliberately contrasted with life in God. The Preacher, in his writing of Ecclesiastes, makes it clear what sort of life we are to lead. Once we have the knowledge that God is master of all things, then everything we do is to done with joy and contentment.

Will bad things happen? Sure. Will sin go unpunished? Sure. Will the wicked prosper? Sure. But Ecclesiastes lets us know that these are not the permanent things of life. What those who believe in God are called to do is thank God for the gifts of food and drink, companionship and love, and live in the knowledge that God has got this.

I take it to heart that we are called to live joyful and contented lives. But that is difficult for us. I want to say that it is difficult in ministry these days. Dwindling congregations, dwindling influence, dwindling resources. Congregations that exist just for the sake of existing. A spiritual thirst that seeks not to be quenched. Prayers for revival and renewal going unanswered. Long days and longer nights wodering about the church of tomorrow. Needs to be met, but how? 

St. Paul, in Philippians, knew what it was to be in need. He was in prison, apart from the churches and mission he loved so much. He faced persecution and violence that are a far cry from the middle class church issues we face. But what does he write, 

“…I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” 

Philippians 4:11-13 ESV

And this is the message of Ecclesiastes to the one living in faith. Under the sun, everything fails. Greed…fails. Lust…fails. Power…fails. Health…fails. Each of these idols just tries to perpetuate itself. Always looking for more and greater things. I want more money. I want greater pleasure. I want to be skinnier. All of these ultimately lead nowhere except the grave, and you can’t take it with you. 

The Preacher in Ecclesiastes, as Paul in Philippians, says “Be content in what God has given you.” And when the pessimism and darkness comes, as it will, read and re-read what Paul writes in Phil 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

SDG

Rev.  Michael

The Example of Thomas Chalmers. From Unsaved to Saved…in the pastorate.

Thomas Chalmers was a brilliant man. He had studied mathematics at St. Andrew’s, and was ordained as a minister to the small village of Kilmany, with the intention of continuing his work as a professor at the university. As one biographer puts it, “He thought that a parish minister could do all that was necessary for his people, and have plenty of time over for quite other affairs.” His ministry consisted of moral lectures masquerading as sermons, and he had little regard for any sort of evangelical theology.  Then he took ill and found that his only hope rested in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thomas Chalmers

From that moment he embarked on a new life. He recovered from his illness. Then, his sermons changed. His priorities changed. He was focused on the work of God in Jesus Christ. He fought the moderates in his denomination which a fervour that eventually led to a split. In 1843, 450 ministers walked out of the General Assembly, leaving behind salaries and positions, and formed the Free Church of Scotland. They lost all their church property, yet by Chalmers death in 1847 had built 700 churches and 400 manses.

This is quite a legacy for a pastor who embarked on ministry as a diversion from his academic career. We may think that an unconverted pastor is a rarity. But history is filled with examples of those who are stirred to the heart in the midst of their ministry.

I am one such example. I tell the story of my movement to salvation in the testimony linked below. My knowledge of salvation was not a thunderbolt out of the blue. It was a gradual crumbling of the wall around my heart. It was a stunning realization that the books on my library shelf and the diplomas on my study wall meant nothing apart from the saving power of Christ’s blood.

I offered this testimony at Hartland Wesleyan Church in June. I discuss what it means to move from unsaved to saved in the pastorate, and what it means to be a saved pastor in a mainline denomination. 

Link to Testimony June 29

What I Believe

What follows is a statement of belief that I created when I applied to my current church in New Brunswick. I publish it in response to my dear colleague Richard Bott's question "What do you believe?"

Statement of Belief

My faith begins in the person of Jesus Christ. He is my Saviour, my Guide, my Master and my Lord. I believe he is the Son of God, and that his life on earth was for the benefit of humanity. I believe he was raised from the dead on the third day, thus providing the first fruits for those who would follow. But Jesus is more than a series of theological propositions. Through the Holy Spirit, he becomes real to each Christian. That has been my own personal experience. The reality of Jesus in my life is far greater than any words that I have spoken about him, or any description I have read about him. And being welcomed into that fellowship with Jesus by God is an integral part of our Christian journey.

I believe in Scripture as the Word of God. I recognize the human component within its pages, and that it contains various forms of literature. But within the narrative, the history, the metaphor and the poetry, God speaks in a real and propositional way to his people. I believe Scripture to be the guiding rule in both faith and life. The Bible does not contain truths...the Bible is truth.

It is these two foundations, Jesus Christ and Scripture, which lead to the basis of all my proclamation as a preacher of the Church: the cross of Jesus Christ. The cross encompasses the holiness of God, the sinfulness of humanity, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and the ultimate defeat of the enemies of God’s people. The cross is the lens that focuses all other aspects of my theology.

The church then becomes the group of believers who stand in the shadow of the cross, recognizing their sin, and knowing the power of the God who has saved them in Jesus Christ. The church is the body over which God rejoices and exults, and is thus guided by his Holy Spirit to achieve good works in the world around us.

These are the basic points of my belief system. My beliefs are those of the historic creeds of the faith, Apostles and Nicene, and are consistent with the revelation of God in Holy Scripture.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Strange Place for a Prayer Meeting (but not really)

We gathered in the school’s cafetorium. Pastors and members from seven area churches, Baptist, Wesleyan, Pentecostal, United, gathered for the third year in a row during Teacher Appreciation Week. Mid-week gatherings were cancelled. The crowd was mostly older, but filled with a sense of purpose. That purpose: to pray. Pray for the teachers, and staff at the local school. Pray for the students that use this building day after day. To pray for protection…for wisdom…for discernment…for guidance.

We opened by singing “Holy Spirit, you are welcome here.” And as the words of that song echoed in that space, the Holy Spirit was welcomed. As we prayed out loud our thanksgivings and praises, the Holy Spirit was there. As we gathered in small groups to pray for the staff, I sensed the overwhelming privilege we have to be able to approach a holy God, to seek his presence and seek his answer for us. To sit, eyes closed, hearing the muffled prayers, the interjected “Amens” and “Yes, Lords” was to know and recognize what God can do apart from our denominational label, apart from our theological distinctives. God was mighty in that room. We departed with a song of praise on our lips, and the love of the body of Christ in our hearts.

Holy Spirit, be welcome here, and everywhere.

I Cried over a Stupid Cat

She arrived at the manse in January 2005. She was the first one to jump out of a box that held several kittens born at a local construction company site. She was a tri-color domestic shorthair who bore a striking resemblance to my old cat, Rampage who had died in 2001. I named her Goodwin, after the 17th century Puritan writer Thomas Goodwin.

She became an important part of my life, and a constant source of amusement in illustrations for my children's stories every Sunday at church. She slept at the foot of my bed, and kept me company as I studied and prepared my weekly sermons. She was never a lap cat, but liked to be within viewing distance of wherever I was. When I got married, she didn't really like my wife at first. I would be trapped in bed between my wife and my cat, and really couldn't move that much at night. Goodwin grew to have some affection for my wife. (I really can't call it love!)

After 10 plus years, Goodwin had changed. She had lost a lot of weight, and was unsteady on her feet. I had come to the realization that she was suffering. So, after a lot of soul-searching, I made the decision to euthanize her. I cried that day. I cried after I made the appointment a few days later. I cried harder the night before, wondering about whether I made the right decision. I cried over a stupid cat.

I am acquainted with grief. I have sat with grieving families for 20 years, in all shapes and circumstances. But my own grief is always encased in a hard shell. So this past week, as I have grieved for my cat, Goodwin became a proxy for all of those people in my life I never got a chance to say goodbye to. For my brother-in-law who died after a sudden heart attack. My dad. My best friend. The mentor who stood with me at my ordination. As I looked into her cage and said goodbye for the last time, I cried. And felt at peace. For the first time in a long time.

So I thank Goodwin. For her years of dedication to me. For her constant companionship. For being such a good cat, right up to the end. RIP.