Crying In The Wilderness

(The Best Books - no.7)

Subtitled Evangelism and Mission in Today's Culture, David Smith's collection of essays is short in length but long on profound and disturbing insight. It could be the most insightful 80 pages you'll ever read. Written at the end of the 20th century, it has lost none of its significance.

Getting creative things done...like sermons

I'm indebted to the guys at 99% again for some stimulating thinking on getting creative things done. In particular I found the advice about focussing on one or two creative projects per week helpful, thinking in my mind 'Aha, Sunday's sermons!'. Blocking-out dedicated, uninterrupted time for such work seems eminently sensible. And focussing on process, not goals sounds helpful, too.

You might want to think of combining this advice with other reflections (previously mentioned here), such as "After focusing intently on a project or problem, the brain needs to fully disengage and relax in order for a “Eureka!” moment to arise."

Obedience: Possible, Prescribed & Precious

Kevin DeYoung's article on obedience is being linked-to all around the blogosphere - and rightly so. It highlights the fallacy of thinking every act of Christian obedience is still 'a filthy rag' to God. Theologically satisfying and pastorally wise. Go read it!

So: what are you, saint or sinner?

A very helpful, pastoral ask by Michael Bird:

I often set my students this essay question: "What better describes the state of Christians: (a) Sinners saved by grace; or (b) Saints who sometimes sin?" You could say that both are true, but there are slightly different nuances to them. Is it our pre-gospel state that defines our identity and behavior, or our post-gospel state that defines our identity and behavior. I favor the latter. I am no longer who I was nor will I ever be that person again. He is dead, crucified, buried, and raised to new life. Yes, the old me steeped in sin tries to resurrect itself, and when it does I try my hardest to put it to death, for I know it pleases my Lord to do so.

preaching when you're dry

In a piece on Preaching Living Water When Your Well Has Run Dry (Part 2), Mark D. Roberts concludes with this:

Thus, ironically, we may be more effective channels of living water when we are spiritually dry than when we are spiritually hydrated. Admitting our thirst, we are ready for God's refreshment. Confessing our neediness, we are open to God's help. When we're dry, our illustrations may not be as polished, our prose not as poetic. But in our dependence upon the living water of the Spirit, we may actually be better able to offer this water to those who are thirsty.

Billy Graham chatting to Woody Allen

From some years back, clearly. But worth watching.

HT: Out Of Ur

on being creative (brian eno)

The difficulty of always feeling that you ought to be doing something is that you tend to undervalue the times when you’re apparently doing nothing, and those are very important times. It’s the equivalent of the dream time, in your daily life, times when things get sorted out and reshuffled. If you’re constantly awake work-wise you don’t allow that to happen. One of the reasons I have to take distinct breaks when I work is to allow the momentum of a particular direction to run down, so that another one can establish itself.

Brian Eno (via 99%)

On Time Management

Some helpful thoughts from Doug Wilson. Worth a gander and a ponder.

HT: Justin Taylor

It's really not about you

Foundations: The Theological Journal of Affinity

...is now available online - the current issue is made up of the papers from the Affinity Study Conference held in February on the doctrine of scripture.

Worth downloading. And reading.

Pastoral Listening

Pastoral listening requires unhurried leisure, even if it's only for five minutes. Leisure is a quality of spirit, not a quantity of time. Only in that ambiance of leisure do persons know they are listened to with absolute seriousness, treated with dignity and importance. Speaking to people does not have the same personal intensity as listening to them.

Eugene H Peterson, The Unbusy Pastor

Herman Dune: Strange Moosic

From Paris, so it says. Quirky. Intriguing. Playful and enjoyable, in a minor way.

And you can listen to it at The Guardian.

So: you don't want an iPad?

The reservoir of will and discipline

Researchers have suggested that "Choice, active response, self-regulation, and other volition may all draw on a common inner resource."


They conducted four experiments: "In Experiment 1, people who forced themselves to eat radishes instead of tempting chocolates subsequently quit faster on unsolvable puzzles than people who had not had to exert self-control over eating. In Experiment 2, making a meaningful personal choice to perform attitude-relevant behavior caused a similar decrement in persistence. In Experiment 3, suppressing emotion led to a subsequent drop in performance of solvable anagrams. In Experiment 4, an initial task requiring high self-regulation made people more passive (i.e., more prone to favor the passive-response option)."


They concluded that, "These results suggest that the self's capacity for active volition is limited and that a range of seemingly different, unrelated acts share a common resource."


Fascinating, methinks.


(HT: Tony Schwartz)

Free of Charge

(The Best Books - no.6)

Miroslav Volf has produced a great read here - stimulating, thoughtful and well-worthy of its accolade from Rowan Williams (but don't let that put you off......). He interacts a lot with Luther as he explores the notions of giving and forgiving and, for my money, gives a stunning account of life lived 'in Christ'.

Here Comes The Rain Again (Hall & Stewart)

ereaders: using and losing

Alan Jacobs makes some good points here.

Risen

A (fairly) new album by the Sovereign Grace Music folks is available for listening on Spotify.

Francis Chan on Hell

Did you know

that The Masked Badger is also posting a series of 'best books'? We've been twinned in our mid-life crisis lists of books, records etc (the mid-life crisis was his, not mine, just so we're clear on that).

Anyway, here's his latest.