A WHOLE MAN

Next week will be the final week for our June (and a portion of July) Book Club book and I wanted to be sure that everyone has time to grab a copy of the book we will be reading for the month July. Before I introduce it to you, please allow me to provide you with a quote from the first chapter and take some time to meditate on it. Fasting is not a “no” to the goodness of food or the generosity of God in providing it. Rather, it is a way of saying, from time to time, that having more of the Giver surpasses having the gift… Food is good. But God is better. Normally we meet God in his good gifts and turn every enjoyment into worship with thanksgiving. But from time to time we need to test ourselves to see if we have begun to love his gifts in place of God. (45) In July, we will be examining a spiritual discipline that many are confused about and most neglect, Fasting. In A Hunger for God: Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer, John Piper will provide a Christ-centered approach to ...

3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” 4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.  Nehemiah 1:3-4  The book of Nehemiah continues the historical narrative that is found in Ezra as we read the people of God completing their construction of the walls of Jerusalem. In the Hebrew Bible, Ezra and Nehemiah were put together as a single book and encouraged the Jewish community to continue to trust God and to remain faithful to Him by being obedient to His laws. In these historical narratives, the people of God have not heard, seen or had wonders performed in their midst. In fact, quite the opposite was true as they faced many trials and struggles while they were rebuilding Jerusalem. In Nehemiah, we find essentially a memoir by Nehem...

This week we continue our online Book Club book and as always if you ever have any questions or suggestions for books, movies or topic discussions, please send me an e-mail at overflowblog@outlook.com. Recommended Reading: Chapters 10-11 (Pages 221-272) Total page count excluding chapter bibliographies: ~43 pages Key Quotes: Chapter 10: "To really help people grow and change, we must help them get to the deepest disorders. Humans do not just have personality disorders, they have worship disorders." (230) "…if false worship is the problem, then true worship is the solution." (235) "Because of what I believe about the Fall and how it has impacted our bodies, and because brain research is a relatively new and developing field of science, I am confident there are yet to be discovered diseases that are influencing behavior and the inner person. To say they are influencing is not to say they are causing behavior, though." (238, authors emphasis) Chapter 11: ...

8 Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.  3 John 8  In John’s second letter, we learned how the limitations for Christian Hospitality are reached at the point in affirming those who teach false doctrines that, heresy, which would lead people away from the truth of the Gospel. In John’s third letter, we see what a proper view of it looks like. For sure we do not welcome people into our homes for our own sakes, to show them how beautiful it is or to show off our collections, but rather hospitality ought to be extended for the sake of the other person. In the highest sense, our hospitality is used for God’s glory and for the good of others. It is deeply sad when we read articles, such as one found in Christianity Today which highlight the opposite. In that article, we read the following: “I am presently completing the second year of a three-year survey on the hospitality or lack of it in churches. To date, of the 195 ch...

And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.” Ezra 3:11 The book of Ezra in Hebrew Bibles was actually combined with the book of Nehemiah and continues the story left off in Chronicles. An interesting note to about this continuation is that the very last two verses of Chronicles, 36:22-23, are the exact same verses that we find in the very first three verses of Ezra, 1:1-3a. In fact, where Chronicles seems to end in an incomplete sentence, “let him go up”, Ezra finishes with “to up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem.” But more than just continuing the story we read in Chronicles, Ezra reminds us that God is sovereign. For example, in verse 1 we find that God is the one who had “stirred up the spirit of Cyrus” to have the temple be rebuilt. God is also the one who “stirred to go up” the people return to...

This week we continue our online Book Club book and as always if you ever have any questions or suggestions for books, movies or topic discussions, please send me an e-mail at overflowblog@outlook.com. Recommended Reading: Chapters 7-9 (Pages 175-220) Total page count excluding chapter bibliographies: ~40 pages Key Quotes: Chapter 7: "In a 'good world' we would expect good things to happen if the environment was left to itself…In a dualistic world, we would expect both good and bad things to happen simultaneously and with equal frequency." (176) "If the world were perfect, the outcomes would be perfect; control would be unnecessary…In a sinful world, 'protection' from sin must be afforded. Attempts at protection constitute control." (182) Chapter 8: "Cause and effect is the foundation of the scientific method. If certain causes did not produce certain effects, then a rational study of the universe would be impossible." (189) ...

10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.  2 John 10-11  All Christians are very familiar with the greatest commandments found in the Scripture; that is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matt 22:34-40). Christians also understand that this means more than just preaching the Gospel and being friendly to others, but is an act of worship to God. Given that, it seems odd that John would give a command in his letter to not receive or greet a person who comes with false teachings. Is there any way that we can reconcile this passage with the great command to love? Is this passage prescriptive for just that specific point in history, but not one that should be practiced today? Reconciling this passage with the love command is easily handled when we remember the context for this passage. Th...

The LORD spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention. 2 Chronicles 33:10 This past week, Monica and I have been on the road traveling in the North East quite a bit. We are celebrating our 3rd anniversary, along with a couple other special occasions, and have driven over 1,000 miles in 5 days with many more miles to go. It has been great seeing all of the wonders of God's creation while spending a lot of great quality time with my wife. Being on the road and visiting a lot of sights, there have been plenty of signs along the trip warning us of ice, bears, falling rocks, and slow moving buggies. It would be very foolish of us to ignore the warnings since they are meant to ensure that we enjoy whatever activity we are engaged in and in a safe manner. In Second Chronicles 33, we read of the reign of King Manasseh. He is a wicked king who has a very interesting account because 1) his reign is the longest of any king in Israel or Judah, 2) he is considered to be one...

This week we continue our online Book Club book and as always if you ever have any questions or suggestions for books, movies or topic discussions, please send me an e-mail at overflowblog@outlook.com . Recommended Reading: Chapters 4-6 (Pages 101-172) Total page count excluding chapter bibliographies: ~62 pages Key Quotes: Chapter 4: "Genesis 3 is the story that tells you how you came to be so unable to read the story being told…If you have ever wondered why there are so many varying -- and opposed-- interpretations of Genesis 3, I would like to suggest to you that Genesis 3 is not the problem. It is the explanation." (103) "Man is incurvatus in se - curved inward into himself. We are unable so see accurately beyond ourselves, to really see either God or His world. All we see is ourselves; our view is selfish in every sense." (110) Chapter 5: "Every individual is a part of the 'mass of sin' or 'mass of damnation' in Adam until cut off and u...

Little children, keep yourselves from idols.  1 John 5:21  If I were to ask you to quote from memory one verse of Scripture from 1 John, you probably would not have much difficulty doing so. Perhaps your mind immediately jumped to 1 John 1:9, where we read the beautiful words of God’s forgiveness for those who come to Him in repentance. Or maybe you recalled the warning from the apostle John to avoid the things of this world: “the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life” (2:16). Or that we are not to hate our brother (3:15), to test the spirits (4:1), or even that “God is love” (4:8). But if you were asked to quote a verse from Second or Third John, would you have any of those treasures also stored in your heart? I want to encourage you as we go through the letters of John that we do not hastily overlook the second two just because they are succinct or because much of the content is found in the first letter. If anything, allow them to teach y...

“if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land”  2 Chronicles 7:14  Monica and I love going on dates and, for the most part, they are great and we are able to really enjoy our adventures! However, there are occasions when the date does not go as planned and leaves us a bit disappointed. For example, despite having attended numerous Hot Air Balloon festivals, we have yet to see a balloon lift off of the ground. Sadly, we have only ever seen two balloons inflate, but then immediately deflated due to “high winds”. As you can imagine, those dates were very… deflating. Our date begins with great joy and excitement for what is to come, but ends with a tinge of disappointment. The book of Second Chronicles can feel a bit like that. Originally part of First Chronicles, Second Chronicles continues to “chronicle” the history of Dav...

This week we begin the very first online Book Club book and I hope that you are just as excited as I am. If you are wondering what it is that I am talking about, check out this introductory article: Read Me . If you are wondering how it is that I came to choose this book well it's very simple, I just chose the next book in my list of books to read (currently sitting at ~20 books). I am super excited for those who will be reading along in the present or the future, please feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me at overflowblog@outlook.com . Recommended Reading: Introduction- Chapter 3 (up to page 100) Total page count excluding chapter bibliographies: ~70 pages Key Quotes:  Introduction: "What would change when you reinterpret the opening chapters of Genesis? In a word: everything" (pg. 13) Chapter 1: "False teachers are those who twist the Scripture to their own destruction…This should spur us on to take another serious look at the text and to make sure ...

5 This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you  Titus 1:5  In this final article in our series on the Pastoral Epistles, we are going to touch on the non-negotiable truths about church leadership or government. Unfortunately, many times the church structure follows the design of man; however, God has spoken clearly through His word about what He desires His church to look like and we would do well to follow His design. We will consider two specific offices in the church, the pastor and the deacon. In both letters to Timothy and in Paul’s letter to Titus, we find instructions on the qualifications of a pastor/bishop/overseer/elder. This does not imply that man has usurped control over the church from God. Truly the church is ruled by Christ, but God has ordained it to be led by the elders. While we most often think of God’s word being challenged on matters of social justice, sexuali...