Have You Read A BOB Lately?

One of my fondest moments in my life came when I was about 10 years old. I was sick with... wait for it... bronchitis. (Yes, bronchitis has been with me for a long, long time!) Anyway, while tucked away in bed my mother opened my door and placed a stack of 8 or so BIG library books right next to me and said "Have fun reading!"  What?!?  Was she thinking I could read all those? She answered "Of course you can" and walked away.  As usual, mothers know best and she was right. I became a BIG reader and some of my favorite times were walking to the local town library by myself and staying there for a long time while looking through all the rows and rows of books. Even now I can almost remember the 'smell' of the building and can almost 'see' the faces of the librarians. See the picture above! 

I then went to college and took a course in Russian Literature and was obsessed with Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. I then moved on to British Literature and really found my stride: Austen, Dickens, Gaskell, the Bronte sisters, and George Eliot. My American favorites? Alcott, Steinbeck, Hawthorne, Wharton. 

When asked, though, I could never really articulate WHY I loved all these "Classics." I found myself relying on standard phrases like "Timeless Treasures" or "Of Universal Appeal."  What I didn't know, and couldn't know until I became a Christ-follower, is that good books embody themes of sin and suffering and (hopefully) redemption. While not overtly using words like 'sin' and 'depravity' and the 'human condition' our minds can be expanded to look at the grander perspective of life through characters who struggle as we do. In a word, there is 'meaning' behind the story.

There has been a revival in the last few years of encouraging Christians to engage with Classic Literature, aka BIG OLD BOOKS.  Click here for the most recent article of this kind by Josh Irby published just a few days ago. [By the way, the author uses War and Peace as an example of how to read a book for the 'bigger perspective.' If you intend to read War and Peace and don't want any spoilers, you can skip those paragraphs.] I recommend that you read his column and hear from someone else the virtues of enhancing your spiritual life by the reading of good classic literature. As the author states: "As we spend hours observing the life of another—be it Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment, or Churchill in the The Last Lion, or Pierre in War and Peace—we cannot help but reflect on our own life and the state of our souls."

Finally, Josh concludes his message with this statement: "So, read the Bible. No literature could ever take its place. Read great Christian books. We need to hear the voices of our brothers and sisters through the centuries. But also make time for great literature. Read Big Old Books and find your Christian life enriched."

Keep Open Every Possible Connection

When I was a young mom of just one child, I joined a "Mother's Group" at our local church in Connecticut where we were living at the time. One day the leader asked us to go around the circle and tell everyone how we came to be believers. One answer really stands out, from a young mom of just one child as well. She said that she had never not believed, since everyone in her immediate AND extended family were confessing evangelicals, without exception. Someone asked "Are you sure?" but she replied yes. All of us were amazed and praised God for His unusual working in this one family.  

I have never heard that same kind of testimony again. Every Christian I have ever met or become friends with seems to have their own stories of how one family member (or many) have strayed from the faith. And 'prodigals' are not always just young adults. There are parents, grandchildren, spouses, siblings, and even pastors within our family or faith circles that have, for various reasons, departed from the Lord and His Church. Oh to imagine the parable of the Prodigal Son realized for one of our loved ones!

I found an article recently about the prodigals in our lives written a couple of years ago by Russell Moore, an ethicist and preacher within the Southern Baptist Convention. The following excerpt is what caught my eye and compelled me to read further. His encouragement gives me great hope for all those that have wandered. Perhaps it will for all of you as well as you pray continually for your dear family members and friends who need to be brought back to the faith they once confessed. 

"When dealing with those wandering away from the faith, we must recognize that sometimes they’ll not start evaluating the deep questions of their lives until they find themselves in a situation where they don’t know what to do. We must be the sort of parents and grandparents and churches who have kept open every possible connection, so that our prodigals will know how to get back home, and know we’ll meet them at the road, already planning a homecoming party."

Please Click Here for the entirety of Russell Moore's essay. You won't be disappointed, and it might even bring you some joy as you consider God's mercy for so many of us former prodigals!

The Prayingest Prayer

As is often the case, I arose this morning determined to write on a specific topic, but what you will read below isn't it! Either I am led by the Holy Spirt OR I am just a very fickle person. 😆

I started to read a small book today entitled Pray Big: Learn to Pray Like an Apostle by Alistair Begg. So far I can testify that Chapter 1 was great. The focus is 'Prayer Is Dependent.'  SPOILER ALERT: Begg's main point is that we need to recognize our dependence upon God for ALL things:

"To pray is an admission and and an expression of dependence. A self-assured person is not going to pray prayers of petition; there's no need to pray if you think you have got it all covered. A self-righteous person is not going to pray prayers of confession; there's no need to pray if you think you're good enough to earn God's blessing. But the person who knows their heart before God - the person who knows the depth of their need of forgiveness and help from God - does what Paul does. They bow their knees (Ephesians 3:14)."

Begg then addresses the issue of praying on one's knees and concludes with this summary: 

"I'm not saying we must kneel. The posture of our hearts and not our bodies is the issue. Are we coming to God in dependence? Are we asking him to bless our work, to empower our service, to change our flaws, to forgive our sins? What matters is a dependent heart, not a particular posture, as one of my favorite poems makes hilariously clear:

"The proper way for a man to pray,"

Said Deacon Lemuel Keyes,

"And the only proper attitude,

Is down upon his knees."

"No, I should say the way to pray,"

Said Reverend Doctor Wise,

"Is standing straight, with outstretched arms,

With rapt and upturned eyes."

"Oh no, no, no," said Elder Snow.

"Such posture is too proud;

A man should pray with eyes fast closed

And head contritely bowed."

"It seems to me one's hand should be

Astutely clasped in front,

With both thumbs pointed toward the ground,"

Said Reverend Doctor Blunt.

"Last year I fell in Hodgkin's well

Head first," said Cyrus Brown,

"With both my heels a-sticken up,

And my head a-pointing down;

And I done prayed right there and then

Best prayer I ever said,

The prayingest prayer I ever prayed,

Standing on my head."   (Sam Walter Foss)

Begg's final comment: "The "prayingest" prayer - real prayer - is a prayer of a dependent person to a divine Person."

Are You Wearing Your Ps39 (or Jms3) Mask?

Candy's thoughts: I believe that months ago I introduced you to our good friend Bob Bjerkaas who is a pastor in California. He writes a terrific blog and this week it was devoted to Ps. 39 and James 3 which is very relevant to our Women's Bible Study classes at EPC. I just love his imagery of a Scriptural masks and I hope that I will remember this lesson even when COVID-19 is just a distant memory. 

Bob's thoughts: Among the many things that we will never forget about the year 2020 is the ubiquitous mask.  Masks are everywhere.  They are in the car on the dashboard or center console.  They are on the end table, the kitchen counter, and the hutch in the dining room.  They are on my dresser.  They are in a pile on top of the clothes dryer.  They are everywhere.

And they are uncomfortable.  They make your glasses fog up.  The straps chafe behind your ears.  All of this is particularly unfortunate because they are required to be out and about in public.  Going shopping?  Don’t forget your mask – you won’t be allowed into the store without it!  Going out to dinner – bring your mask.  Going to church – masks required.  And should you be so unfortunate as to forget to put your mask on, prepare for our oh-so-polite culture’s stare downs and passive aggressive commentary!

But one thing that I appreciate about masks is the way they have reminded me to be careful what comes out of my mouth.  In Psalm 39:1, David says, “I will guard my ways, that I might not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle.”

Much like the purpose of our 2020 masks, the purpose of David’s muzzle was very simple – to keep bad stuff from leaving his mouth.

Think about how many times the things that you have said have either caused or contributed to some of your worst difficulties.  How often have your words caused others unnecessary stress and pain?  Your tongue is described in the Bible as either being a “tree of life” or a weapon.   You bless people with your tongue but you also use it to curse them.  (James 3:10).  You, dear friend, need to put a mask on!

For the foreseeable future, you and I will need to put masks on whenever we go out into public.  And we will get nasty looks when we forget!  Up until this year I never knew what an N95 mask was – or why they were so important to our medical professionals and health service providers.  Do you as a Christian know how important the PS39 mask is?  As you minister to the people around you by what you say, will you be sure to wear it?  Will you, like David in Psalm 39, guard your ways – avoiding sin with your tongue by wearing a muzzle?

I think that there has been a shortage of PS39 masks this year.  This is especially important in your homes.  Be careful and intentional in the way that you speak to your spouse and kids.  And carry that diligence into your workplace and neighborhood as well!  Just think of how the virus of hurtful and useless words could be reduced if we all wore the PS39 mask!