Bookaholic

I thought I was bad. I love books. I can't pass the bargain bins at the grocery store when they're full of books. I go straight to the bookshelves at the secondhand store; I do the same at garage sales. I truly love books.

I love all kinds of books. Poetry, of course. Geography, French, Latin, Biology - all kinds of school books. Dictionaries, Encyclopaediae, Atlases, Thesauri - all kinds of Reference books. Fiction, whether children's or adults', as long as they are well-written with a satisfying conclusion.

Above all, I love theology books. Christian literature of all kinds; counselling, expositions, commentaries... things written by pilgrims, by Church Fathers, by historians. I love them all.

Once in a while, I feel a twinge of guilt about my passion for books. After all, I've spent a lot of money over the years accumulating a substantial library. Could the money have been better used to feed the poor or send missionaries to China? I worry about that, from time to time.

And then I see this: Six video tours of the hallowed libraries of contemporary pastors and theologians. My library pales in comparison to those of Ligon Duncan, Albert Mohler, Mark Dever, C.J. Mahaney, John MacArthur, and R.C. Sprou. I'm just a simple, homeschooling mom and granny. My library doesn't have to look like theirs.

What I really loved about the various libraries was the stacks of things to do - whether in a pile or on a shelf, these men have plenty of future projects awaiting. They take joy in their studies, and they love their books, even the old, first-edition, dusty ones that are freshened up by coffee beans. News flash: coffee beans keep old books smelling fresh and clean!

If you get the chance, click on the link and listen to these men talk about their libraries. If you're a bookaholic like me, you'll be glad you did.

War of Words

This is the best book I have ever read on the struggle we have in communication, and I've read plenty. I am often quick to speak, and I find myself regretting the words that come out of my mouth. I know my tongue can be a dreadful thing, used to cut like a sword or flatten like a pancake those who are messing up my world. I have memorized many a verse that addresses the tongue, but it's still a struggle for me to not let ANY unwholesome talk come out of my mouth.

That's why Paul Tripp's book is such a godsend. He doesn't beat his readers up with rules, "Do not gossip", "Do not lie", "Do not speak unkindly"... etc. He sets the stage at the beginning, before the first words were spoken by man in the garden of Eden. He reminds us that the Creator who SPOKE the universe into existence is the Great Speaker.

Paul writes,

"The wonder, the significance, the glory of human communication has its roots in his glory and in his decision to talk with us and allow us to talk with him and others. . . Words belong to God, but he has lent them to us so that we might know him and be used by him."

Words do not belong to us. Every word we speak should reflect God's glory. Our words belong to Him.

When the Serpent entered the garden and spoke to Eve, the war of words began. For the first time, a lie was spoken. For the first time, too, people spoke against each other. For the first time, words of accusation were spoken against God.

Life is War. There's a battlefield in our homes, in the workplace, in the church, in the community. There's a dramatic conflict between the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms and the people of God. There are things we need to understand about this war.

Understand God is Sovereign. He rules, unchallenged, over the universe.

No one has taught God, no one give him advice, no one can legitimately question him, and no one can stand in the way of his will. He sits on the throne of the universe, and he alone rules.

He rules over all things for the church.

He controls the universe so that his redemptive purpose for us and his redemptive promises to us will be fulfilled.

If we understand that the God who loves us - who called us by His grace and for His own glory, who is in control of every aspect of our lives and will without a doubt keep every promise He has made - if we understand that this God orders every moment of our lives, how will it change the way we speak with one another?

He rules over the specific details of our lives. Don't like the car you drive? Don't like your home, your job, your finances? God designed it perfectly for you. Does your talk express envy towards those who have what you long for? Are you missing the fact that God is active in every moment of our lives? Are you forgetting that He brings all things into our lives for our redemptive good?

He rules over every aspect of our salvation. We are utterly dependent on Him. Apart from His grace, there is no hope for us. We owe a debt we cannot pay. And the greatest gift of all is clearly stated in John 3:16. He gave His only begotten Son.

The bottom line of biblical communication, the first and highest goal of all of our talk: that our words would reflect an attitude of worship that recognizes our utter dependency on God for salvation. - p. 76

He rules over circumstances for our sanctification. He's at work in each and every situation, conforming us to the image of His Son. He doesn't just save us and leave us... He works in us (We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. Eph. 2:10).

When we complain about the problems and pressures in our lives, we are essentially grumbling in the face of God. We are complaining that we have been chosen by his love and grace, and that he is putting us in situations designed to make us his holy people! - p.77

Remember, God sends trials into our lives for His good purposes. We're to count them all joy. We're to trust Him in the storms of life, knowing that He will never leave us, nor forsake us, and that He is always in control. We must remember the presence of a Sovereign God, and the truth of His sanctifying control over our circumstances.

He rules over relationships for my sanctification. The people in our lives are not there by accident. That woman who is very needy, that man who is overly friendly, that obnoxious neighbour... all of them are instruments in the Hand of God. Stop treating people as irritants and obstacles, and see them for who they are - special, created beings, placed in your life for a reason. What does God want you to learn from them? How does God want you to minister to them?

He rules over all things for His glory.

He's not at work to provide us with happiness or wealth, or to give us a positive self-image. He is working to make us lights that shine in darkness, so that people would see our good works and give him glory. - p. 82

In light of this, every word we speak should bring God the glory He deserves, and should bring redemptive good into the lives of the people God has placed around us. This high calling for our words - worship and redemption - is why there's a war of words. The Enemy wants us to speak our of our own will, to speak for our own glory. He wants us to speak out of selfish hearts committed to what seems best for us.

But we're called to be different. We're called to be a peculiar people.

We are called to speak out of a thankful heart of submission to God, in every circumstance and situation. The battle starts in the heart. Paul Tripp explains this...

The Holocaust

In our studies of History, we don't gloss over the nasty parts. As a family, we read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and that includes some terrible stories of treachery, war, betrayal and torture. The worst (and best, for it purchased our Redemption) is the story of the Passion of Christ.

We've studied Christian history, and that includes the early Christians who were burned at stakes, torn apart by lions, crucified upside down, and so on.

All through the ages people have done unspeakable things to other human beings.

Why study that?

Well, first of all, it's reality. Secondly, it shows the pervasiveness of the sin nature. It demonstrates that power corrupts, and that this world is a world that needs to be rescued. It shows us that there is nothing new under the sun. When we read of wars and rumours of wars, of corruption and genocide even in this modern era, we are forced to see that nothing much has changed in the heart of man.

My children have watched plenty of war movies with their dad. They've read about Hitler and the Holocaust. It's somewhat simple to remove themselves from those who imprisoned and tortured millions of people, because we aren't like that.

Or are we?

The question has been raised by a book and movie, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. We watched it recently, and concluded that it is a valuable movie. A quick search online brought up a Study Guide which we plan to use with our children.

I don't want to spoil the movie for those of you who haven't watched it. Let me say that it doesn't gloss over the nasty parts. What it does do very well is demonstrate clearly that life went on for ordinary Germans while ordinary Jews were being herded into cattle cars, imprisoned in camps, forced to labour for the Third Reich, then ultimately sent to their death in a gas chamber.

Ordinary Germans did not know. They didn't really want to know.

In my opinion, it is imperative that we know what is going on in the world today. Let's not gloss over the fact that although the number of abortions in North America fell in 2008, it rose in Spain, in the UK, in...(the list goes on...). Let's not forget that just a few years ago there was genocide in Rwanda and more recently in Sudan Christians were being targeted. In India and China people are persecuted for their beliefs.

What are we to do? Let's not bury our head in the sand and refuse to think about these tragedies. Instead, we need to remember that no matter how the nations rage, God is still in control. We have hope that He will "shake the nations" and restore this earth to its former glory. Eventually, we will have peace.


Psalm 2:1
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?


Psalm 46:6
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.

Haggai 2:5 My Spirit remains in your midst.Fear not. 6 For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. 7 And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts. 9 The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, says the Lord of hosts. And in this place I will give peace, declares the Lord of hosts.’”

Heather Kendall - Understanding the Big Picture in the Bible

The first workshop I attended at the OCHEC Conference was regarding the book, A Tale of Two Kingdoms, by Heather Kendall.  I'd been browsing through the Vendor Hall, and picked up the book, then noticed a recommendation by Dr. G.A. Adams, the late principal of Toronto Baptist Seminary.  I figured if Dr. Adams recommended the book, it must be worth checking out.

Rev. David Daniels wrote in ChristianWeek, 

The late Geoff Adams, who served many years as principal of the Toronto Baptist Seminary, saw Kendall's book as a “great tool” for Bible students and readers, noting that it “traces the unfolding history of salvation described in the Holy Scriptures as it presents the antagonism between the Kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of Satan.”

He describes Kendall's book as “lucid and interesting” and written in a “non-technical manner.” Each of the 16 chapters concludes with several “Points to Ponder” making it an excellent choice for small groups, Sunday School classes or personal Bible study. A “Timeline of Key People and Events” and an extensive bibliography for those desiring further study rounds out this engaging treatment of the biblical story.

We chatted with Heather Kendall for a few moments, and she mentioned she was about to do a workshop on the book.  So off we traipsed, following the author, to hear what she had to say.

She began by talking about the importance of understanding the Big Picture in the Bible.  Would our homeschooled teens stand firm when they get out in the world, or would they succumb to peer pressure?  Statistics demonstrate that the majority of Christian youth leave the faith when they leave home.  Heather's desire is to help families teach the truth - the Big Picture - to their children.

God's truth is progressive in nature, and the chronological order is important.  The New Testament explains the Old Testament, and all Scripture is written by God to reveal Himself to us.    An example Heather gave of the difference between the Old and New Testament was in the understanding of the temple.  In the OT, the temple was a physical place that people gathered in to worship the Lord God.  In the NT, the temple is spiritual - believers are the temple of God.

Why Know the Big Picture?

1.  God always tells the truth and always keeps His promises.  In spite of opposition of Satan, demons and unbelievers, you can count on God to get you through to the end.  As we read the Bible and see how God dealt with people, we learn that He is faithful and true, and we learn to not react in bitterness when things go "wrong", but to patiently wait for the end of the trial.

2.  Keep from error.  When you understand the Big Picture, you don't take verses out of context, or form doctrines from small portions of Scripture.  An example Heather gave was that of David, who said in Psalm 51:11, "Do not cast me from your presence."  Some would make the claim that David feared losing his salvation, but that is NOT the case.  Read 2 Samuel 23:5 

“For does not my house stand so with God?  For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and secure. For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?

and Isaiah 55:3.  

Incline your ear, and come to me;  hear, that your soul may live;  and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,  my steadfast, sure love for j David.

God promised to make an everlasting covenant with David.  There is no fear of loss here.

3.  Urgency for Evangelism.  Understanding the Big Picture, that the entire Bible has one theme -that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life- makes us want to share this good news with everyone.  They are lost in the darkness of Satan's kingdom, but there is hope through the sacrifice of the Son of God!  People need to know this.

I brought the book home and am using it as a read-aloud with the kids.  So far, so good.  The one thing I have noticed is that Heather sometimes inserts personal anecdotes to illustrate points she is trying to make.  Some of these are not, in my opinion, pertinent to the discussion.  I'm sure she was trying to make the reading more personal and enjoyable, but in my opinion they would have been better left out.