Need wisdom? Just ask

After James 1:5-8 

Tests and trials in our lives,

what we call the bad times,

happen, driving us to seek

wisdom to know what to do.

How do we gain the wisdom

we need? It’s simple.

 

Just ask.

 

Ask in faith, ask without

doubt; doubt has no place

in your life because

you’ve left it behind

in your old life,

you dead life.

 

Just ask.

 

Wisdom will be poured,

a fountain, a fire hose, 

a river, a downpour,

because that’s who he is. 

 

Just ask.

 

Photograph by Artem Maltsev via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

“Spikenard,” poem by Laurence Housman – D.S. Martin at Kingdom Poets.

 

The Bible isn’t a smartphone – T.M. Suffield at Nuakh.

 

“My Soul, Repeat His Praise,” hymn by Isaac Watts – Anthony Esolen at Word & Song.

 

Glorious Defeat – poem by Seth Lewis.

When the bad times come

After James 1:1-4 

When the bad times come,

and they will come, as night

follows day, don’t quake,

don’t t collapse, don’t withdraw

into yourself. Instead, consider

the joy of the bad times,

for they serve a purpose.

 

The bad times are a test,

a test of faith. Don’t be

surprise at the idea

of a test, because a test

serves to strengthen,

forcing us to use muscles

and resources previously

ignored or discounted.

 

The testing of bad times

produces steadfastness,

perfecting and completing

your faith. You will learn

that you lack nothing.

 

Photograph by Anthony Tran via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Sunday Readings

 

Preach Like a Poet – Stephen Witmer at Desiring God.

 

The Abuja Affirmation: A Global Definition of Anglican Identity – Adam Carrington at Mere Orthodoxy.

Exiles and sojourners

After I Peter 2:9-12

We are called out 

from the mire that

is the world, called

to know we are

sojourners in this land

of exile. This is our land,

the land we came from,

and this is not our land;

this land is not our home.

Yet we are called to love

here as priests and witnesses,

our conduct in exile above

reproach, sojourners whose

very existence encourages,

illustrates, threatens,

glorifies, challenges, angers,

beautifies, attracts, exemplifies.

Ours is a life of contradictions.

So be it.

 

Photograph by Joakim Nadell via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

Noah: Saint and Sinner – Mark Daniels.

 

The New Year’s Prayer Challenge – Robb Brunansky at The Cripplegate.

 

“The Bird in the Tree,” poem by Ruth Pitter – Malcolm Guite.

 

Before – poem by Aubrey Brady at Rabbit Room Poetry.

We are still at war

After I Peter 2:9-12

We are a priesthood, yes,

called and chosen to proclaim

and live in the light, but we

are still at war with the passions

of the flesh. The struggle

is common to all of us, so while

we struggle individually we 

also struggle collectively. But

we know we are to keep

ourselves free from the passions

which seem to tear at us

with the talons of a hawk. We

are to keep our conduct

honorable, so when we are

called evildoers, when we

are criticized and condemned

for what is right, our conduct

and deeds are plain to see

and speak of the one who

chose us. The war continues.

 

Photograph by the British Library via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Sunday Readings

 

Holy Bravery: How Christian Men Act Like Men – Greg Morse at Desiring God.

 

How Intellectuals Found God – Peter Savodnik at The Free Press.

Building his house

After I Peter 2:4-8 

The builder is constructing

his house, laid upon

the cornerstone, the foundation

upon which all settles, all

depends, all has meaning,

for without it, nothing lasts,

nothing survives. This house,

because the cornerstone is

living, is constructed with

living stones, stones rejected

and abused and derided

by the world, but placed

upon the foundation,

to build the house of God.

 

Photograph by Dakota Roos via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Sunday Readings

 

Solstice Poem – Angela Alaimo O’Donnell at Rabbit Room Poetry.

 

Sensing Magic and Mystery: Countdown – poem by Joy Lenton at Poetry Joy.

 

Be Still and Know – poem by Peter Venable at Society of Classical Poets.

 

O Oriens: A fifth Advent reflection with music – Malcom Guite.

 

A living stone

After I Peter 2:4-8

We come to him,

rejected by the world

but chosen and 

precious. He calls us

living stones,

memorials, signposts,

markers, temples,

a spiritual house,

a holy priesthood

offering spiritual

sacrifices, resting

upon the cornerstone

sacrificed for us.

Our lives become

an act of worship.

 

Photograph by Ardhy Sapanca via Unsplash. Used with permission.

There is a cost

After I Peter 1:13-21

To believe, and to follow,

may impart a cost.

To deny what the word

says is right may require

a cost. To answer the call

to be holy means you are

different, you will be

different, and the difference

becomes sharper, more

distinctive, separating you

even more as each day

passes. You are being 

prepared for something

far better, far greater,

far more beautiful than 

what the world has to offer, 

what the world is able 

to offer.

 

Photograph by Random Thinking via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Some Friday Readings

 

Mary’s Song – poem by Charles Causley at Kingdom Poets (D.S. Martin). 

 

Those Who Sing Songs in the Night – Tim Challies.

 

Advent I – poem by Andrew Peterson at The Rabbit Room. 

 

In Advent Stillness – poem by Jeffrey Essman at Society of Classical Poets. 

 

Silent Night – poem by Kelly Belmonte at Kell’s Scribbles.

How to walk

After Ephesians 5:1-21 

 

Walk with care, always;

walk with wisdom, always.

Walk with an eye 

to the clock, always,

for the time is short 

and the days are evil.

Put aside foolishness;

walk in the light.

Instead of wine, be

filled with the spirit,

singing

to each other in psalms

and hymns, and songs

of melody and harmony,

songs written in the light

residing now in your heart.

Give thanks always,

because there’s so much

to be thankful for. And

honor each other, submit

to each other, because

of who we are, because

of whom we revere.

 

Photograph by Andrew Gook via Unsplash. Used with permission.

People to avoid

After Ephesians 5:1-21 

It’s not only behaviors

to watch out for, it’s also

certain people, like

deceivers with their empty 

words. They’re everywhere 

you look, often disguised,

but they are darkness.

You were once with them

but no longer; the light

within you now dispels

the darkness. That’s

how you walk, as children

of the light, because that’s

who you are. Light illumines;

darkness hides. Light exposes

what darkness is. Once

exposed and illumined, 

darkness dies.

 

Photograph by Alekon pictures via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Behaviors to avoid

After Ephesians 5:1-21 

There’s a way to act, and

there’s a way to not act,

and while it’s not polite

to point out the bad stuff,

it must be done so we all

know what the bad stuff is.

like immorality (strictly

and loosely defined), like

all impurity (ditto), and

wanting everything you

see (another form of lust).

Don’t even talk about it.

Drop the foolishness and

the foolish talk and

the crude jokes, because

that’s what the culture 

does, and if we’re anything

we’re contra-cultural. 

This stuff gets you cut 

from the will. Instead:

give thanks.

 

Photograph by Engin Akyurt via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Instructions for the journey (2)

After Ephesians 5:1-21 

Children learn by seeing

and doing themselves what

they see their parents do.

That includes the good,

the bad, the ugly,

the beautiful. That’s

how they’re made, that’s

how they learn, that’s

how they grow. Likewise,

because you, too, are

a beloved child, be

an imitator of the one

who created you, the one

who loved you, the one

who was given up to be

an offering,

a sacrifice,

for you. In others,

walk in love.

 

Photograph by Mantas Hesthaven via Unsplash. Used with permission

Instructions for the journey

After Ephesians 4:17-32

They’re straightforward,

these instructions for

the journey underway:

 

Speak truth to your neighbor,

because you then speak

truth to yourself.

 

Be angry but don’t sin;

don’t let the sun set

on your anger.

 

Don’t let the thief

keep stealing; let him work

so he can share.

 

Stifle those corrupt words;

instead, build up and

encourage (imparting grace).

 

Don’t grieve the Spirit,

who sealed you (yes, you)

for redemption.

 

Put away: bitterness,

wrath, anger, clamor,

slender, malice.

 

Instead: be kind,

of tender heart, and 

forgive as you were

forgiven.

 

Photograph by Joel Drzycimski via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Old walk, new walk

After Ephesians 4:17-32

Old walk: futility of mind.

New walk: purpose, clarity.

 

Old walk: darkened understanding.

New walk: light in a dark place.

 

Old walk: alienated ignorance.

New walk: engaged relationship.

 

Old walk: callousness of heart.

New walk: compassionate education.

 

Old walk: sensuality and greed.

New walk: purity and charity.

 

Photograph by George Bakos via Unsplash. Used with permission.

Inside

After Ephesians 3:17-21

He’s inside, breathing

in the dwelling place,

and it leads to a rooting

and grounding, a rooting

in love, love nourishing

the comprehension,

the understanding (with

your brethren) of

what is the breadth,

what is the length,

what is the height,

what is the depth

of the love outpoured,

a love surpassing

knowledge and

intellect and power

and wealth and

possessions, a love

that leads to fullness

of the One.

Photograph by José Ignacio García Zajaczkowski via Unsplash. Used with permission.

The word: sanctify

After John 17:17

I considered the word:

sanctify. I considered

that it is a complex word,

deeply layered, so complex

that its simplicity is often

missed. To sanctify is:

to clean, to cleanse,

to wipe away the dirt,

erasing it. To sanctify is:

to separate, to set aside,

to partition from its context,

creating a new one. To sanctify is:

to purify, to make holy,

to establish a temple containing

truth: the word. The end

becomes the means

becomes the end.

Photograph by Emile Seguin via Unsplash. Used with permission.

“Gospel Wakefulness” by Jared Wilson

The heavy-hitters endorsing Gospel Wakefulness by Jared Wilson make an impressive list: Matt Chandler, Scotty Smith, Trevin Wax, Owen Strachan, Ed Stetzer, Pete Wilson, and more. The theme of this 2011 book is the need to focus – really focus – on the power and meaning of the gospel.

Gospel wakefulness, according to Wilson, is “treasuring Christ more greatly and savoring his power more sweetly.” He explores the idea in depth. He looks at how to comes from brokenness, how to renew affections, how it awakens worship, the freedom it brings, what the gospel-wakened chu8rch looks like, and related topics. 

Essentially, Wilson is describing the Biblical concept of sanctification, how Christians mature in their faith (or how they’re supposed to mature). There’s clearly a need for a book like this – the last 40 years of conservative, evangelical, and traditional Christianity have been heavily characterized by a focus on seekers. Unfortunately, that has also meant a reduction in focus on discipleship. And the church is paying a price for that.

Still, there’s something I find disquieting about the book. It’s similar to what I found disquieting about Bruce Wilkinson’s The Prayer of Jabez that took conservative Christianity by storm some 20 years ago. The Prayer of Jabez could easily – too easily – be read as the prosperity gospel. Gospel Wakefulness can easily be read as a kind of contemporary gnosticism, in spite of all the celebrity endorsements. 

I don’t think that’s Wilson’s intention. But the suggestion that there’s a higher level of gospel understanding and experience certainly could lead people in that direction. Some of us Christians have that gospel wakefulness, and some of us don’t. And having it implies a superiority of understanding, if nothing else.

You see the endorsements, you look at the author’s other books, and you want to be more positive. But I find this book troubling.

Jared Wilson

Wilson is the author of more than 10 books on the contemporary church and related topics, including Gospel Deeps: Reveling in the Excellencies of Jesus (2012), Romans: A 12-Week Study (2013), The Pastor’s Justification (2013), The Storytelling God: Seeing the Glory of Jesus in His Parables (2014), The Wonder Working God (2014), The Prodigal Church: A Gentle Manifesto Against the Status Quo (2015), The Story of Everything (2015), Your Jesus is Too Safe (2016), The Imperfect Disciple: Grace for People Who Can’t Get Their Act Together (2017), and Supernatural Power for Ordinary People (2018). He’s also published one novel, Otherworld (2013). 

Sanctification is an old term, and one that is well understood. A book about sanctification and discipleship doesn’t need a made-up title. 

Top photograph by Patrick Hendry via Unsplash. Used with permission.

"Surrender" by Michael Summers Jr.

Early on in this short but impactful book titled Surrender: A Christian’s Guide to Dependence, Michael Summers Jr. asks a question that applies far beyond the Christian readers he’s addressing. It’s a commonplace today for people to tell you to “follow your heart” or “follow your passion.” 

Summers asks, why is that such bad advice? 

“Simple,” he says. “My heart is not safe. If I follow my heart there is something inside that will only lead me (1) away from God’s purposes, (2) away from God’s pleasures, and (3) away from God’s wisdom.” 

In other words, our hearts are from being faithful guides. In fact, our hearts will lead us astray. It resonates with the well-known observation by G.K. Chesterton: “When men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing, they then become capable of believing in anything.” 

Summers argues for dependence – another word at serious odds with our culture’s enshrinement of individual rights. But it’s a very specific kind of dependence – the dependence that comes from surrender to God. It’s a command that sounds throughout the Old Testament and one that Jesus spoke in startling simple words: “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” 

Michael Summers Jr.

He describes surrender as an art, but it is not our artwork. It is something that “God is at work in the heart of a believer to perfect over a lifetime,” a process of conviction, confession, grief, and repentance. (Even Christians who are quick to judge their fellow believers and their churches, and that’s all of us, forget that we are not perfected but instead are in process.) And it’s a process that is ongoing and never reaching its goal in this life. 

Summers received a degree in Pastoral Studies from Northland International University and leads student ministry at Countryside Church in Overland Park, Kansas. 

Surrender is an excellent introduction to what the process of the Christian life actually is. It’s never easy; it’s fraught with challenges, battles, and obstacles. But it is wonderfully fulfilling. 

Top photograph by Steve Halama via Unsplash. Used with permission.