Category: Annotations

  • Annotations, February 2023

    Annotations, February 2023

    No Flippancy, No Superiority, No Presumption

    Because life inevitably becomes serious for all of us at some point. Those big things Larkin mentions—marriage, birth, and death as well as illness and loss and injury—will come knocking. A church that exists primarily for the self-help of its congregation is not setting itself up to deal with the weightier matters those members will face. If we keep it light all of the time, it is hard to turn up the dial at a moment’s notice.

    Toby Coffman, A Serious House on Serious Earth

    Where we lived in the US, my wife and I had often marveled that most (if not all) the churches in our city had replaced cemeteries with parking lots. The recontextualization of the church building, even on its own property, has a remarkable effect on how it is perceived by the congregation and the community in general.

    On one hand, the weight of mortality is lost on those who enter the doors. Additionally, we also miss out on the imminent reminder of the resurrection to come, which we will share with the church of our forebears.

    God Knows Where the Battle Is

    We finished up our tea and walked back out to the gravel lot, where were met again by the first mustachioed official. He now learned who I was, and as he walked us into the main building to see the judge, he dropped back to walk beside me.

    “If we work together, I bet we can change her mind,” he told me under his breath. “She’s not as set on divorce as she appears. I can tell.”

    A. W. Workman, How a Christian Marriage Was Saved by a Wise Guerilla Leader

    This is not only a good story, it is a small reminder of the ten thousand ways that the Lord is at work in a single event perceived largely and generally as a misfortune. For example, we had to “delay” Christmas morning with our family twice. The day we were finally able to celebrate, there was a thick snowfall, a rare event in our city. We were given the gift of a White Christmas!

    Art as Incarnation

    In addition to cultural objects, traditional clothes worn by the people in the illustrations bring the stories closer to the local viewer. But perhaps most appealing are the people themselves: their familiar facial features and expressions, which mirror a whole range of different emotions they are experiencing.

    Teija Greed, Communicating Bible Stories the Siberian Way

    There is a lot of good discussion material in this article, but the short takeaway is that contextualization is inevitable. We should guide the process with fidelity to Scripture, but also celebrate the “ownership” of the biblical narrative by the receptor culture.

    He Has Not Come to Call the Righteous

    Whatever you gotta say about Russell Wilson as a QB, this is a pretty joyful moment, worshiping the Lord with these inmates.

  • Annotations, January 2023

    Annotations, January 2023

    Look on My Works

    Who among us in the West has not at times believed the myth of our society’s unceasing progress and influence? It’s only human to believe that the way things are is the way they are going to be – certainly for our lifetimes, if not for much longer. But a shockwave through society’s systems can function much like a personal health scare. It can awaken us to our own transience. Our lives are like a vapor (James 4:14). So are our civilizations.

    Like Ozymandius, all the great boasts of this world will one day end up the equivalent of a monument buried in sand, abandoned and forgotten. Remembering our transience fosters humility.

    A.W. Workman, When the City of Man Creaks

    Like the author of this article, I’ve made the same connection to the boasts of Ozymandias and our own self-confidence. The crumbling of mountains, ice sheets, and civilizations begins with the slow erosion of the pillars that support it. We may not even notice at first. And then comes the collapse. That is why we are looking for the city with foundations.

    Deeper Than a Newsletter Can Go

    God and God alone has kept us focused on him and moving forward despite the hardships around us. We have struggled physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We have been discouraged, angry and exhausted. But we know that God is with us, and we are clinging to that truth.

    What Your Missionaries Mean When They Say…

    Yeah, this feels real. Especially the part about kids. It’s not that newsletters try to be deceptive, nor that you need to read between the lines. Rather, it’s the nature of the medium. The update has to be brief, broad and general. But of course, as with all of us, there is so much more going on beneath the surface.

    The Attitude of a Text Critic

    Since God has not seen fit to give us procedures for determining which of two or more different readings in the manu­scripts represents the autographs, He apparently intends us to use the intelligence, common sense and Scriptural guidance available, which He has given to us. Sound principles must be developed.

    Pierpont: Requisites and Basics for Textual Criticism of the Greek New Testament

    A great starting place to understand why textual criticism is needed for the study of the New Testament. The most interesting highlight, I think, is that his first point is the character of the text (that there are evident differences), followed by the character of the text critic, who should be a student that has reverence for the Holy Word, and has no interest in novelty or game playing.

    Take Your Time in the Text

    Everything these days is about productivity and speed. Maybe someone needs to tell pastors, “It’s okay to slow down. Linger over words and phrases. Spend some unhurried time studying your passage in the original language.” You’re not neglecting your responsibility when you’re working hard to prepare meaningful, excellent sermons from the original languages. You might even find that your confidence in the pulpit soars when your sermon is the fruit of your own rigorous exegesis.

    Matt Emadi, On Keeping Your Greek and Hebrew in Ministry

    I’ve found in my own studies that this is true. We move quickly because of obligation and expedience, not because it benefits the end product of understanding the text. For our own souls, and for the souls of the hearers, it is worth our time to linger.

  • Annotations — June 18, 2021

    Annotations — June 18, 2021

    featured image source

    Happy Juneteenth!

    Juneteenth and the Great Commission

    A well researched, celebratory, and globally-focused essay from Christianity Today. When God ends a season of drought, he begins a season of harvest.

    Parenting in the Digital Age

    A great little article containing simple steps for managing your digital devices. Helpful whether you’ve got kids or not. Keeping our phones away from the night stand seems obvious, but the way they lazily drift towards our bedside is probably an indication of their addictive power.

    How Do We Pray in Accordance with God’s Will? 

    Costi Hinn shares a raw story about how he learned the meaning of Psalm 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” I find that praying the Psalms is an incredible way to reorient the way we think about our own prayer lives.

    The First Church Discipline in 1,000 Years

    An incredible story about pursuing Biblical faithfulness while also trying to navigate the seemingly infinite complexities of cross-cultural church planting.

    A Good Way to Go Deeper in a Conversation

    Whether with a Christian or a Non-Christian, whether someone you agree with or with whom you disagree, this is a good strategy for going deeper in understanding who that person is and what they value.

  • Annotations — June 11, 2021

    Annotations — June 11, 2021

    One of the Earliest (and Clearest) Summaries of Early Christian Beliefs

    I have consistently discovered that, despite the tantalizing conspiracies offered up in forms like the Da Vinci Code, the history of the Christian faith provides a more boring (and consequently a more reliable) grounding for belief in Christ as Lord.

    ‘The Weight of Glory’ Turns 80

    Besides the Bible, this is the one of the few books I think that should be required reading for all Christians. There are sentences in that lecture that still sing whenever I read them.

    Hear Anything Lately About the Wrath of God? The Silence Is Deafening

    Having just preached a message covering the story of Exodus 1–19, I feel a keen awareness regarding the interlocked biblical themes of judgment and deliverance. And it is generally true that, because of a pastor’s desire to comfort (and more often than not to be well liked among his flock) grace receives far more attention than wrath.

    Bible Translation and the Incarnation

    One of the reasons why my family has chosen to become involved in Bible translation. It is a beautiful picture of God’s gracious self-revelation and self-communication.

    Bluey

    It took me a long time before I was willing to let my kids watch this show without me. It’s received well-deserved praise from all over the place It’s left me and my wife in tears on multiple occasions, from laughing as well as from its more tender moments.

  • Annotations — June 4, 2021

    A Victory Already Won

    One practical application that comes from understanding the gospel as, fundamentally, the proclamation of good news.

    God’s Hand of Blessing

    The story of a young woman in West Timor (in Indonesia) who takes up the task of Bible translation. An encouraging example of how God uses small people to accomplish big things.

    Pornography and Resisting the Power of Temptation

    John Piper gives a very helpful word picture that helps to clarify the language we use in the fight against sexual temptation.

    Some Lengthy Thoughts on Women Leadership

    A long post by Alastair Roberts about women leaders in the Bible. The most fascinating part of the discussion is about the nature of the priests and the priesthood.

    Lean Toward the Radical

    Part of our own family’s mission is “Risk for his cause”, and so this post resonated strongly with me. How a husband balances the tensions of family and mission in his own heart.