Jeff Noble's Blog, page 18

Everything could change.. what COVID-19 has done for us

I walked into Starbucks on Monday to grab my usual tall Pike Place in a “here” mug. I was a bit bleary after having gotten up for a 6:00 a.m. meeting that didn’t happen. I stopped on the sidewalk, looking into the brightly-lit coffee shop. It was empty. Of furniture. I could see the workers behind the counter, busy filling to-go orders for the drive thru, but a sign on the door informed me that due to COVID-19, they were only open for take out orders.

Monday evening I sat in a movie theater by myself watching Upward. I suspected it would be my last movie for a while (I love movies), and I wanted to use my Regal Unlimited Pass once more time. Sure enough, on Tuesday morning, Regal announced they were shutting their doors during the virus crisis.

Oh, how things change in only a week.

Within just a few days, our country went from business-as-usual with a distant awareness of the coronavirus impacting China and some cruise ships to colleges, then primary schools, then restaurants being closed. It seemed we hit a tipping point, and while everyone was fighting for toilet paper (do people poop more because of social distancing?), everything changed.

Our church held its first online worship service this past Sunday, and we are planning on doing it again this Sunday. And probably the next. Our church staff (with everyone else) has been learning how to lead online meetings with Zoom.

Fear motivates

With President Trump insisting on no gathering larger than 10 and the Governor of Virginia saying he will use police to enforce that, things are not only fearful these days, but people are manic. In an op-ed, Judge Andrew Napolitano said, “Throughout history, free people have been willing to accept the devil’s bargain of trading liberty for safety when they are fearful.”

In my message Sunday, I shared how Peter was motivated by fear when he quit hanging out with the Gentiles in Antioch (Galatians 2:11-14). Paul had to confront him on how his behavior compromised his beliefs. We know that fear is more contagious than COVID-19. It has led people to do selfish things throughout humanity and also caused them to miss the best as a result of decisions made in the context of fear.

What fear does:

It shrinks faith.
It isolates.
It corrupts.
It doubts.
It grows.

Faith confounds

It doesn’t make sense to most when a person demonstrates faith in the unseen. When someone voices cheery optimism in the face of dark trial, it confuses and bewilders. When I woke this morning, for whatever reason, the words of Psalms 118:24 were ringing in my head:

“This is the day the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

My “brain” objected and said, “THIS day? THIS day?!!!! No Starbucks, no movies, no ability to gather with friends in groups. Fear everywhere. A ravaging disease. Death threatening. Travel halted. Economic ruin. Political finger-pointing. THIS day????” And yet, my faith whispered to me, “Yes, Jeff. THIS day. This is the day the Lord has made… will YOU rejoice and be glad in it?”

That’s confounding. What are we placing our faith in these days? What perspective do we have? The Lord is not ignorant to what is going on. It hasn’t caught Him off guard. So what does our fear say about where our faith is placed?

People have a tremendous amount of faith in COVID-19. They can’t physically see it or feel it, but its impact is without question. They hear stories of lives impacted and its spread. They are drastically changing their lives, often in uncomfortable ways, to align with what COVID-19 is asking of us.

Now…wouldn’t it be amazing if we could say.

People have a tremendous amount of faith in Jesus. They can’t physically see Him or hear Him but His impact is without question. People are hearing stories of lives impacted by Jesus, and how the gospel is spreading. They are drastically changing their lives, often in uncomfortable ways, to align with what Jesus is asking of us.

Viral crisis or faith opportunity

Our world remains in COVID-19 crisis today. Some areas are hard hit (China and Italy), while others are responding drastically to inhibit the virus’ spread. Fear runs rampant.

For those who place their faith in Jesus, we are called to see things from a different perspective. We are called to prayer, to resolute compassion. In an article about how Christians have responded to plagues during the Roman Empire, Eric Metaxas said,

“Nearly eighteen centuries after the Plague of Cyprian, Christianity still prompts people to run towards the plague when virtually everyone else is running away.”

This sobering reminder of who we are as followers of Jesus, who Himself willingly faced suffering, is challenging to modern disciples. We should not be stupid about rushing to risk, but we should be sacrificial. This calls for great discernment and wisdom in these days.

These days of worth rejoicing in. We have unprecedented opportunity to rethink, to reassess.. everything. Families are sequestered together. Parents are embracing homeschooling. Workaholics are in forced detox. Things are slower, lines non-existent (except at the toilet paper aisle) and  life is.. profoundly different.

Let’s not miss these surreal changes as unique gifts and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. It’s like a Global Reset Button.

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How the coronavirus could reshape the university system

The NCAA announced today that March Madness games will be played without spectators in lieu of the coronavirus having been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization this week. As universities and schools begin closing in an almost domino-like fashion, the hype, hysteria and fear-mongering by the media and political parties is in overdrive.

I live in Blacksburg – home to Virginia Tech – the state’s largest four-year public university. They announced today that they would be closing the campus for another week (it’s spring break) and having online classes for the rest of the semester. Students will be allowed back onto campus (dorms and dining halls will reopen), but all events having more than 100 people will be canceled.

Here’s a few thoughts on how the coronavirus could reshape the university system:

Students and parents should be asking tough questions about whether they should ask for partial refunds. A lot of what attracts a student to a university is the place and the student body. Watching classes on a video monitor removes the “special,” and so consumers have a right to a partial refund.
Online classes help us think differently about education across the board. Suddenly, the idea of one excellent college algebra video curriculum has more plausibility. Why pay 1000s of college algebra teachers across the nation? Why not just produce “The Best College Algebra Course Ever” and charge a fee for it as Netflix might charge.
Not having classes on campus for an extended time causes people to think differently about the entire university system. Are sports as attractive when you can’t attend a game? Will fans remain as loyal watching on TV? What if someone can’t access a game on their cable or streaming service?
Many universities require freshmen to live on campus. But upperclassmen live in town in apartments. In some university’s attempts to stave off the coronavirus, it will not prevent college students from returning to their college towns (after all, most of them signed leases) and with no classes to go to… what will be the result? Will towns become quieter as collegians studiously park themselves in front of their laptops, viewing lectures?

Tribute: Dr. W.O. Vaught

[image error] I wrote the following for a part of our Tributes Series on our church blog and wanted to reproduce it here:

My family began attending Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas when I started junior high. They were drawn to IBC by the preaching of Dr. W. O. Vaught. I was extremely active and involved in the youth group there and loved the games, fun, camps and Bible studies with my peers, but it was Dr. Vaught’s preaching that was used by God to cultivate within me a love for scripture.

I didn’t know it at the time, but solid, line-by-line expository preaching was (and is rare) in American evangelicalism. I like how Tim Keller defines  it:

“Expository preaching grounds the message in the text so that all the sermon’s points are the points in the text, and it majors in the texts’s major ideas. It aligns the interpretation of the text with the doctrinal truths of the rest of the Bible (being sensitive to systematic theology). And it always situates the passage within the Bible’s narrative, showing how Christ is the final fulfillment of the text’s theme (being sensitive to biblical theology).” (Tim Keller – Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Skepticism)

Dr. Vaught would take a year or more to preach through a book of the Bible on Sunday mornings, and he’d preach through another book of the Bible on Sunday evenings and yet another at Wednesday night Bible study (following the traditional mid-week Baptist meal). The folks at IBC feasted on food and scripture through Dr. Vaught’s careful, loving, joyful and Christ-centered preaching/teaching.

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Dr. W. O. Vaught (1911-1989)

I was too young to be “friends” with my pastor. However, I remember how he would make an appearance at summer youth camps or retreats, stopping by long enough to solidify our belief that he was our pastor too.

38 years of faithful preaching

IBC had a “tape ministry” in those days, and Dr. Vaught’s sermons were sent through the mail via cassette tape literally around the world. He began pastoring there in 1945 and continued until he retired in 1983. He preached faithfully from God’s Word and embraced expository preaching near the second half of his ministry. He  grew in his conviction that expository preaching was the way to ensure that, like Paul, he “did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” (Acts 20:27) He navigated some of his generation’s thorny theological issues and then had to deal with political realities as Governor Bill Clinton joined the church.

Bill Clinton’s pastor

Vaught may be known more infamously as being Bill Clinton’s pastor. I remember then Governor Clinton singing in the choir (Hillary never attended with him; she went to a Methodist church across town), and on a few occasions, the Governor would play his saxophone to accompany worship. It’s a bit surreal.

In his Billy Graham’s autobiography, Just As I Am, Graham shared that in 1989 (the year Dr. Vaught passed away) when Clinton was Governor, that Graham came to  Little Rock for a crusade. Clinton asked Graham to meet with him and Dr. Vaught. Though Vaught was under 100 pounds and was near death, he preached to Graham and Clinton from his bed for 30-40 minutes (p. 652). Dr. Vaught was excoriated by other churches at times for not excommunicating/practicing church discipline on Clinton for his renown sexual antics. I am not privy to Vaught’s reasonings, but he remained a counselor to Clinton until his death in 1989. (Wouldn’t you like to know the content of that sermon!?)

Finding expository preaching (and Dr. Vaught’s influence) at college

When I went to college in 1986, I soon joined Third Street Baptist Church in Arkadelphia. Gary Turner was the pastor, and he preached nearly identically to Dr. Vaught – line by line expositional preaching. Little did I know until after I joined that Dr. Vaught had taken Gary as a teachable young minister and encouraged him to embrace expository preaching.

A tribute

So as a young boy, I sat under the faithful exposition of scripture every week. As a young man in college, I sat under the faithful exposition of scripture every week. I didn’t know any difference. It became how I taught scripture. God’s Word truly was a lamp for my life, and I grew up experiencing it taught in a way that demonstrated that every single part of the Bible was powerful, relevant, true, and reliable. God grew me up spiritually through the teaching of His Word under Dr. Vaught’s Christ-centered scriptural passion.

I am deeply grateful to the simple, faithful, weekly commitment to preaching God’s Word to his congregation by Dr. W.O. Vaught. He was never “flashy” and never sought to be “relevant.” He simply wanted to preach scripture faithfully. My verdict is that he did. And I am truly, eternally grateful.

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Why I bought and sold an Apple Watch in 24 hours

My last post was about digital downsizing and learning to wear a watch again. In that post, I shared that I thought I’d settled on a Samsung Galaxy Watch. After wearing it for three days, I ended up buying an Apple Watch. I wore it and in disgust sold it the next day. This post is about why the Apple Watch is the worst Apple product ever. Or something like that.

In my last post, I shared these thoughts about the Galaxy Watch:

I am struggling with whether I want to keep it. Here’s why:
It’s more expensive than the Apple Watch Series 3 I was looking at.
I feel like I”m having to find workarounds and force it to place nicely/sync with my iPhone. People who don’t use Apple products across the board don’t understand that Apple fans are just used to things “working.” A lot of times with Apple products, the way you want to swipe or navigate is already built in. It’s like thinking, “I wish it would…” and then happily discovering that the functionality is already there. Apple products just make sense.
It’s a bit boxy. I find myself having to pull my sleeve down over the watch a lot.
The battery doesn’t last more than a full day.
I do like being able to make and receive calls from the watch.
I love being able to glance at my watch without pulling my phone out of my pocket for… time (imagine that), weather, to see who’s calling and even check my steps (a weird new thing that I now do but never did before).
I don’t like that you have to turn off iMessage to have texts sent to the watch (and I could never get that to work even so). However, that’s probably a good thing. I don’t want to be distracted by all the notifications (and I even have them turned off on my iPhone).

After three days with the Galaxy Watch, I began to wonder if I was struggling with why it wasn’t an Apple Watch. I wanted easier integration with my iPhone. I was trying to make the watch jump through hoops for my iPhone that it just wasn’t designed to do. That unsettling realization led me to say, “I need to try an Apple Watch.”

My family has tried the Apple Watch before.

My whole family has owned Apple Watches. And now none do. Sam, Adelyn and Carolyn have all had one. One by one, however, they each got rid of theirs.

“I didn’t like being so connected, and I didn’t like the way it looked.” (Carolyn, techno-savvy wife)
“I didn’t like being connected and seeing everything.” (Adelyn, college junior)

(No, they didn’t collaborate on their response!)

I tried one of theirs for an hour or so a couple of years ago and vowed to never own one. I ate my words last Thursday. I found one on Facebook Marketplace and became the skeptical owner of an Apple Watch series 3.

Now remember, my goal at the beginning of my watch search was to find a watch I could easily download music to and take on my runs (using a running app to record). I didn’t want to be bumped and nudged and to be constantly available to people through my watch. I did discover with the Galaxy Watch and Apple Watch the benefit of glancing to see who was calling, but even that I turned off after a while. I don’t need to know or be available all the time. I am old enough to remember the simply beauty of being unavailable (and of having to stop on a road trip to use a pay phone).

Here’s my own conclusions:

It plays well with the iPhone. And that’s the nicest thing I can say about it.
I hated how it looked like a miniature digital screen on my wrist.
I hated how it displayed the icons into this miniature pinwheel of circular disorder. HATED. I know I would have gotten used to where the icons/apps were that I needed, but I HATED having to look deeply at a tiny screen to find the app I wanted and carefully tap right on the correct icon. You have to give the watch your full attention – if even for a few seconds. But that takes away the “glance” benefit of a wearable in my book. That was the whole point for me – spending less time in my phone. I want glance and usefulness not distraction and focused activity on my wrist.
I hated how un-customizable it was. I’ve gotten used to that with the iPhone, but after using the Samsung and having the ability to swipe between screens quickly, add shortcuts, and customize the smallest details of a watch face, I found the Apple Watch to be just.. clunky.
You cannot delete apps off the Apple Watch that Apple installs.
Text messages continued coming to my Apple Watch. Even when you turn all notifications off, they keep coming. You don’t get bumped or dinged about them, but they still show up on your watch, whether you want them there or not. That’s irritating. That includes ALL texts – even the texts you get from your bank with a six-digit number to verify your identity. I don’t want added distractions on my watch.
You get two screens to look at with the Apple Watch – the time and the vomitous swirl of tiny icons. That’s it. I found it unintuitive to have to swipe over to the apps I would most use, and then open an app to just glance at something. Compare that to the experience on the Galaxy Watch:

The Apple Watch is… ugly. It just is. Round watches trump square digital readouts every time.
The Galaxy Watch has a dial around the outside that is just.. wonderfully useful for quick navigation.
The Apple Watch is just as big as the Galaxy Watch as far as thickness. Yes, I know the series 5 is thinner, but one concern I had about the Samsung was its thickness. When I realized the Apple Watch was just as thick, it actually surprised me.

What I gave up by selling my Apple Watch

The only thing the Galaxy Watch won’t do is receive texts. That’s because of the iMessage exclusivity of Apple. And actually, it’s nice not to have it on my watch.

Sam (recent college grad) finally chimed in on when he had an Apple Watch just before I hit publish:

“In an age of instant gratification and the pressure to be connected to everything all at once, I found that it induced a mental state of constant worry and connection to the virtual world rather than what was right in front of me. It pushed for problems, regardless of urgency, to be solved ASAP, often leading to poor outcomes. I decided to settle with a smart watch with the same basic benefits, like heart rate, workout tracking, etc. but got rid of the meaningless and constant barrage of notifications.”

I texted back and said, “Did you come up with the first one???”

He responded with, “That’s how I would answer that if someone from a magazine asked me. But my simple answer is: it’s too much and we don’t need more of that crap.”

Extra: Health benefits

One thing I have surprised myself by enjoying – the health awareness. Both watches (and I think most smart watches these days) nudge/bump and electrocute you if you sit for too long. In their effort to keep you active and healthy, there’s innumerable things you can do – measure your heart rate, your EKG, your steps, your calories burned during exercise and even the length of your nose hairs.

That was one of the main goals I had in beginning to use a watch – to track my runs and leave my phone in the car so that I’m not available. Mission accomplished.

These watches will also notify you when you’ve been blogging too long…

*Ding*

Time for a “torso twist.” Watch you later.

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Digital downsizing and learning to “watch” again

Digital downsizing

Several years ago I made myself follow a “digital life experience” in order to wean myself off of the dings, bells and whistles of constant availability on my iPhone. I got a dumb phone and used it for two months. It was a wonderful reality check. You can read more of what I learned from the DLE here.

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IPhone SE (4 inch screen on left) compared to iPhone 8 (4.7 inch screen on right)

If you follow my digital (nerd) adventures here, you will also know that I passionately HATE the new iPhones. I’ve had every iteration of an iPhone since its launch in 1997, but I refuse to do FaceID. It’s not that I haven’t tried. I have. Twice.

I upgraded to an iPhone X when they came out. Then I took it back. (Reasons here). I want a home button. When my son upgraded his phone lately, I experimented for a few days with his iphone x, hoping that my initial distaste had passed and that I’d experienced digital maturity. I haven’t. I sold it.

More recently, I’ve been trying to ween myself again from the constant texts, dings, notifications and social media of the iPhone. I began by curtailing my Instagram activity. Then I deleted it from my phone. Then I began forcing myself to treat my phone as a – shock – phone. I wanted to identify basic functions that I really needed and not use it as a magic box in my pocket all the time.

I identified that I want:

a decent camera (I don’t need portrait mode and such).
email
calendar
web
Twitter (my preferred social media)

Once I did that, I began evaluating my iPhone 8 and decided to go smaller. There is absolutely no need for a large slab of shaped glass in my pocket all the time. I detest the “bigger is better” in the phone world.

So I scouted and bought an iPhone SE, refurbished, on Amazon for $100. And that’s what I’ve been using for two weeks. I love the smaller size, and it does what I need it to do.

I believe there’s a very real market still out there for small smart phones. Apple is supposedly going to unveil a new iPhone SE in March 2020, but everything I’ve heard indicates a form factor similar to the iPhone 8.

The phone company that begins to go small again and help us move away from overuse and provide the basic functions needed (we all consider a good camera a necessity at this point) will capture an untapped market. The rebirth of Palm phones is an attempt to do this, but reviews show their attempt to be rather buggy.

Learning to watch again

After I made the jump to the iPhone SE, I began to wonder about another adjustment. What would it mean to use a watch and leave my phone in my pocket, reducing screen time even more?

I haven’t worn a watch for over 10 years. When the first iPhone came out, my watch went into a drawer, and it’s been there ever since. So I began studying available watches. Here was what I wanted:

– a watch I could track my runs on (and thus leave my phone in the car and be totally free while running)

– a watch that I could download music to (for my run)

– attractive

Now some of you may be shocked by this, but I did NOT want the Apple Watch. Everyone in my family has had an Apple Watch. They have all gotten rid of their Apple Watches now. They were quirky nice but not life essentials. I did not want an Apple Watch because I was trying to AVOID the constant availability. I just wanted a watch that would do the two things mentioned above.

So I bought three watches to try:

a Samsung Galaxy Active2
a Garmin Vivoaction 4S Music
a Samsung Galaxy watch

[image error]After playing with them, I discarded the Active2 because if I was going to choose it, I may as well have chosen an Apple Watch. It’s essential the same thing – a digital box on your arm. I discarded the Garmin (even though everyone I know has Garmin watches and LOVES them) because I found the interface clunky and the screen incomparable compared to the Samsung devices. I found that I actually was intrigued by the Galaxy Watch.

I’ve been wearing it for a few days now, and I’ve put it through some hoops. I have downloaded music to it and used it on runs. I had to switch from Runkeeper to MapMyRun in order to track my runs (I’ve used Runkeeper for 5 years!). So the two main things I wanted a watch for have been accomplished.

Here’s my other observations:

I don’t really like wearing a watch. I’m really trying to get used to it.
I like how it tracks my heart rate, stress level and even has a place to enter how many cups of coffee I drink in a day. Though I don’t know what that’s for, I am competing against myself and trying to break the previous day’s record.
It’s attractive.
I like the spinning dial on the watch which allows you to advance between screens. You can also swipe, but the spinning dial is really satisfying. It reminds of the original iPod’s track wheel.

And yet…

I am struggling with whether I want to keep it. Here’s why:
It’s more expensive than the Apple Watch Series 3 I was looking at.
I feel like I”m having to find workarounds and force it to place nicely/sync with my iPhone. People who don’t use Apple products across the board don’t understand that Apple fans are just used to things “working.” A lot of times with Apple products, the way you want to swipe or navigate is already built in. It’s like thinking, “I wish it would…” and then happily discovering that the functionality is already there. Apple products just make sense.
It’s a bit boxy. I find myself having to pull my sleeve down over the watch a lot.
The battery doesn’t last more than a full day.
I do like being able to make and receive calls from the watch.
I love being able to glance at my watch without pulling my phone out of my pocket for… time (imagine that), weather, to see who’s calling and even check my steps (a weird new thing that I now do but never did before).
I don’t like that you have to turn off iMessage to have texts sent to the watch (and I could never get that to work even so). However, that’s probably a good thing. I don’t want to be distracted by all the notifications (and I even have them turned off on my iPhone).

So that’s my current digital life experiment and conundrum. I am still learning and processing. My goal really is to simplify and reduce screen time overall. I hope this at least makes you think about your own phone usage and perhaps nudge you to consider needed functions instead of being overloaded and overwhelmed with availability and functionality.

Related

Why I’m moving from a smart phone to a dumb phone – May 30, 2013
Why I am not responding to your texts – June 3, 2013
Going iPhone-less: more thoughts – June 22, 2013
Advantages to a dumb phone and thoughts on going back to an iPhone – July 26, 2013
Hello.. can you hear me now? (back to the iPhone) – August 8, 2013

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Top Books I Read in 2019

I use Goodreads to help me keep track of my reading, leave brief reviews and get book recommendations. It’s really a fantasist resource.

I set a low goal of reading 25 books this past year after reading 38 in 2018. I wanted to be realistic in light of this past year of highs and lows. And yet… I just kept reading and reading. By the end of 2019, I had read 43 books! I hope you’ll consider some of my recommendations for your next book. If you need a soulmate, a book can make a good companion. It’s not perfect, but it will occupy you in the quietness of your day/night.

Here’s the pretty graphic from Goodreads, but keep scrolling for my top 10 books.

Here’s my top 10 books I read, with 10 being the best:

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

I’d heard a bit about the crazy fall of famed female CEO Elizabeth Holmes. She bilked investors and misled the press, politicians and the world as she created a company worth billions on nothing but lies. This story of how she did it is simply disturbing for all the unanswered questions.
1453: The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West by Roger Crowley

I am enamored by the Byzantine Empire and its final days. Having been to Istanbul twice now (and hoping to go back), I devoured this historical account of the final days of the famed city’s home to Christianity.
[image error] Openness Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity and Union with Christ by Rosaria Butterfield

Her writing style is wonderful. She is masterful with word choice. This book follows up on how she left lesbianism, trusted Jesus as her Savior and began to embrace the teachings of scripture. “My feelings fell with the fall,” she said, and this book unpacks the war between feelings and truth. It ends with a powerful chapter about Christian hospitality. See my full review here.
[image error] What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done by Mark Perman

Our church began reading this book together last year. It’s fantastic. It’s a gospel-centered approach to productivity with the significant caveat that Christian productivity is intended not only to organize your life but to bless others and glorify God. Filled with biblical truth and practical help, you won’t regret reading this one and putting principles into practice.
Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther by Roland H. Bainton

I read (and hated) Eric Metaxas’ biography on Martin Luther. Luther’s life was too big to not find a better book about him. This oldie but goodie (1955) was a captivating read.
John Adams by David McCollough

My dad had insisted I read this book on America’s second President for years. I kept putting it off. He was right. It’s fascinating and left me wanting to read more. How do you follow George Washington? In addition, his battles with the press for fairness and how slanted their reporting/writing was against Adams was a stunning echo of today’s media war with President Trump.
Ecclesiastes: Why Everything Matters by Philip Ryken

I know. You’re thinking, “Of course a preacher would list a Bible commentary as a top book…” But honest, it’s wonderful. Ecclesiastes is a book I’ve read but have not meditated deeply on. Ryken’s analysis and teaching about the book made me want to take it very slowly and read it and the corresponding verses in Ecclesiastes in a devotional fashion. It’s an excellent book for skeptics and for seekers. It helps you see that this biblical book that repeats “all is vanity” several times really doesn’t “airbrush” life. Instead, it points to the importance of trusting God in the middle of life’s unanswered questions and unfulfilled longings.
The Frozen Hours: A Novel of the Korean War by Jeff Shaara

This was another recommendation from my dad. I’d never read anything on the Korean War, and Shaara’s book was both fascinating and horrifying. I had no idea what our soldiers went through in Korea and how questionable General MacArthur’s leadership actually was.
[image error]CSB Christ Chronological by Holman Bible Publishers

Essentially this book is simply the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I saw it advertised in christianbook.com. It is amazing. It lays out the gospels side by side, colored by book, in chronological order. I used it devotionally from January-June. I can’t recommend enough how beneficial it was to read the gospels in a parallel fashion like this. See my full review.
The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath by Mark Buchanan. “I found my reading slowing down as I realized this was a book for me. I nurtured by soul on this book and its reminders from scripture. I didn’t want to plow through it and began taking each chapter as a moment of restful awakening.” I said that in my review of this book. This encouragement to savor Sabbath in your life is my top book I read in 2019, and I hope you make it one of your reads in 2020!

I’d really love to hear in the comments about books you read in 2020 that you might recommend. Also, if you decide to read one that I recommend, please let me know!

Honorable Mention

[image error] All That’s Good: Recovering the Lost Art of Discernment by Hannah Anderson. I loved her first book Humble Roots , so I was eager to read this. It is good. I was not disappointed. Her introductory chapters (1-3) were fantastic. Then she unpacks each part of Philippians 4:8-9. That’s when the book bogged down a bit. However, there are great nuggets throughout. Her chapter on “what is commendable” is fantastic and has powerful application to our modern information-overloaded culture, especially as we relate to social media. See my full review here.
The Reckoning by John Grisham. I don’t know that I’ve read a book by Grisham that has disappointed though I’ve stayed away from his non legal-thrillers books. This book tells the tale of vet who murders a preacher in cold blood (eek) and doesn’t reveal the “why” until the end of the book.

Here are some series that I read:

[image error] 2 books in C.S. Harris’ series about Sebastian St. Cyr, an unlikely detective in the 1800s: Why Mermaids Sing (#3) and Where Serpents Sleep (#4).
I finished reading the Harry Potter series with the last book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Like John Grisham, I enjoy Brad Meltzer’s fiction so much. This year I read The House of Secrets and The Escape Artist.
In Michael Scott’s (not the boss of The Office) series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel I read The Alchemyst (#1), The Magician (#2), and  The Sorceress (#3).
I read the second book in the Mitch Rapp series by Vince Flynn, Kill Shot .

Books I Stopped Reading:

The Mountains Are Calling: Making the Climb for a Clearer View of God and Ourselves  by Jarrett Stephens. This book is by a graduate of my alma mater OBU, but it just didn’t meet expectations. The premise of how God works and speaks from the mountains in scripture (Moriah, Sinai, Carmel, etc.) was interesting. I started with high hopes and then .. it just felt relatively .. mild to me. I can’t describe it any other way. It was just “ok.” There are too many great books waiting to be read to spend more time pushing myself through an “ok” book.

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Top Posts of 2019

It’s time for the traditional look back at the posts that I wrote last year. Here are the 10 most trafficked, with #10 being the most-read of 2019 of last year’s posts here on the blog.

[image error] Discipleship Story: Phillip Slaughter (July 22)

I asked several friends from different ministry seasons to send me their thoughts on being discipled or discipleship. I was thankful for all of their responses. You can read the series here. Phillip is the pastor at First Baptist Church in Mansfield, Arkansas, and his post was deeply encouraging.

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Image Credit: International Business Times

Calling a Facebook foul (June 1)

I had noticed that my metrics from Facebook were significantly decreased. As I began to do research, I found that a LOT of people were disturbed by Facebook’s selective algorithms. A study by Western Journal determined that Facebook’s algorithm change disproportionately impacted conservative sites. This post was about suggestions on combatting this social media censorship.
[image error]More reasons people leave the church (July 23)

I began this series way back in 2004, examining different reasons that people leave their church. This post examined another reason: “People sometimes leave their church today because they can’t say “no” well. Unfortunately, their “yes” may consign them to a service sentence. It’s all for good purposes, but their service over time eclipses their joy and enthusiasm.” Read the whole series here.
Nuff Said: Tulsi Gabbard’s takedown of HRC, the ideal length of every social media post, the danger of expectations, the myth of dying Christianity, and Bad Lip Reading by Joe Biden (October 19)

My “Nuff Said” series is a brief commentary on a few articles that have captured my attention around the web.
[image error]Guest Post: The Difficulty of Being a Pastor by Phillip Slaughter (January 22)

I need to ask Phillip to write more! His posts gather a lot of traffic (he’s a great writer!). He shared this post on Facebook about the struggles of serving as a pastor, and after reading it, I asked him for permission to share it.
Pastor Church Staff Appreciation Month (October 4)

With October being dubbed Pastor Appreciation Month by Christendom (or Hallmark), I wanted to highlight the importance of a church’s staff team. This post examines eight ideas for expressing genuine appreciation for your church staff.
[image error]Make much of Jesus (June 12)

I began a study of the gospels in January using the the Christ Chronological Bible. I finished in June. This post reminded me once again of the joyful privilege of knowing Jesus. “He is the most important relationship in my life. He is Peace, Redeemer, Hope, Wonder, Friend, Truth, Guide, Counsel, Director, and More. He is Beyond, Other, Faithful, and Love. He is Awesome, Fearful, Creator and Joy simultaneously. He is Power and Quiet, Clear and Veiled, Holy and Near.” #MakeMuchOfJesus
[image error]The danger of “the” (June 23)

I was also teaching through the book of Genesis in 2019 (and 2018). One of the things I’d become aware of is that our English translations use capital LORD to indicate when it was translating the covenantal name of God Yahweh. However, all translations use “the LORD.” And yet, the article “the” is not in the Hebrew. This entry looks at how that simple omission may hinder our awareness of the intimacy of Yahweh.
[image error]Why do Christian women struggle with friendships? (August 10)

Yes. I wrote a post about Christian women’s friendships (or their struggle having them). I was nervous writing and posting, and the post received some deep comments. “My observation is that women have trouble making friends. Especially Christian women. It can’t be just me that has observed this.”  I offered five observations and asked ladies to respond.
[image error]The Christian sniper (January 5)

This was the most trafficked post in 2019. It’s political. So feel free to avoid if you hate politics. “I have been most disturbed by Christian leaders responses (or lack thereof) to President Trump. I have been shocked and watched disbelieving from the sidelines as a parade of celebrity evangelicals have lambasted Trump. In addition, I’ve chafed silently over the spiritual shaming these leaders have given to the church at large.” This continues to be relevant as I hear more Christian leaders (most recently a Christianity Today editorial) snipe at the President in the absence of urging us to pray for the President.

Which would you vote for as the best post of 2019?

I’d love to hear from you. You can also peruse the archives here to identify another post that you enjoyed and enter it in the poll below. I’d love to hear any comments about the posts as well!



What was your favorite post of 2017?

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Book Review: “The Rest of God”

This book was recommended to me, and it’s truly one to savor – not just because of its message but also because of the author’s ability to weave words. I appreciate creative, insightful and playful writing. The author achieves all of these and as a result, the book is enjoyable to simply read. His points both delight and require digestion.

[image error] The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath by Mark Buchanan

This was undoubtedly one of the best books that I read in 2019 – or all time for that matter. I had no idea who Buchanan was, but I found myself wanting to sit down over coffee with him before I’d finished.

In fact, I also found my reading slowing down as I realized this was a book for me. I nurtured by soul on this book and its reminders from scripture. I didn’t want to plow through it and began taking each chapter as a moment of restful awakening. I also read Matt Perman’s What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done this year, and these two books have affirmed my life patterns and also re-minded me of the eternal and significant in viewing my life as a gift from Jesus to be given to the world, beginning with those closest to me.

One last word before I jump into review: biblical. This book is grounded and runs deep in the scriptures. When I said earlier that Buchanan is a great wordsmith, I wasn’t implying this is an “easy” read. It’s certainly delightful and easy to read because he’s a great communicator. But this is no Christian self-help book absent of scriptural support and substance. You’ll be taken deep into biblical truths – all the way from circumcision (yes! in a book on Sabbath!) to Revelation.

How do you review a great book?

I underline and make notes and use symbols in my book margins, and as I thumbed through The Rest of God after finishing it, I realized that it may be easier to share what I didn’t underline rather than what I did.

Even the table of contents draws you in. Let me share with you how he’s structured the book. His overall thought is that in today’s fast-paced culture and family-intensive activity, you’ll have to stop doing some things.

Introduction: Starting to Stop

Then there are scattered chapters on stopping – Stopping to:

Think anew
Find what’s missing
See God’s bigness
Number our day’s aright
Remove the taskmaskers
Legalism
Find a center
Just to waste time
Become whole
Taste the kingdom
Hear God
Pick up the pieces
Glimpse forever

Pay attention

In his chapter on The Rest of Time: Stopping to Number Our Days Aright, Buchanan says that Sabbath allows us room to be purposeful with our lives again. To notice. When our faces are filled with screens and noise and distraction, we cannot pay attention to the little things and interruptions that are beautiful opportunities.

As an aside, I wonder after seeing students walk across the college campus these days with their faces buried in their smart phones if our culture would ever birth a Good Samaritan? We miss people on the side of the road because we’re too busy liking, posting, reading, and gramming.

“Paying attention means we make room for surprise. We become hospitable to interruption… a conviction in our bones is that God is Lord of our days and years, and that His purposes and His presence often come disguised as detours, messes, defeats.

I came to you naked, Jesus says. I came to you thirsty.

“When, Lord?” we ask, startled.

When He wore the disguise of an interruption.”

The beauty and purposefulness behind playfulness

When I finished the chapter on Play: Stopping Just to Waste Time, I had to stop and think more. I grew up in a Christian home and attended Southern Baptist churches all my life. Unfortunately, in my young Christian days, I did not view Sabbath as something to be enjoyed but as something to be observed.

I’ve written before (in Sunday nights in the 70s) about how Sabbath as a child seemed to designed to rob me from joy as Sunday night church competed with The Wonderful World of Disney.  This chapter on play was such a boon and balm. I have habits/routines of exercise, rest, play and solitude. There are times when I’m doing any of these that I fight the guilt monster that whispers, “You should be doing _____.” It could be returning emails, prepping sermons, scheduling a meeting, etc. It doesn’t matter. Something. The author’s point is don’t do things that are useful on Sabbath. Step away from the altar of utility that you’ve built and simply taste life. Enjoy. Play. We are more familiar with the idea of Sabbath as don’t do anything. Especially if you enjoy it (because God just wants you to “rest”). But the rest God desires is a rest from work – what we do to be useful.

Wrapping up

This book is intended to either restore or bequeath sabbath to you. It will show you that you are designed to enjoy the Sabbath and that God made a day of rest on purpose – for us. It’s not a day to relished as a “day off.” Rather, when you recover Sabbath in your life, you will find yourself re-learning how to enjoy and revel in Him.

“The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27)

I like how Buchanan closes his epilogue: “It’s a day that God intended to fuss over us, not we over it.”

P.S. If you’re a reader, follow me on GoodReads.
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Book Review: “Shameless: A Sexual Reformation”

I saw a poster in a local Starbucks earlier this year saying that there would be a reading group on this book. After reading that this book intended to respond to “the caustic, fear-riddled and religiously inspired messages about sex that have fed our shame,” I thought I should read and provide an alternative viewpoint to the reading group.

Alas, my schedule and busyness precluded my participation. I recently finished the book and would offer a few thoughts:

[image error] Shameless: A Sexual Reformation by Nadia Bolz-Weber

First, the author has clearly been hurt both by the church and in family and marriage. Second, this book from a former pastor is abhorrently absent of scripture to justify or explain her views. I was prepared to critique or respond to her misinterpretation of biblical teaching, but there’s so little reference to it in this book, that it was unnecessary.

Second, everything sexual seems to be fair game, according to this pastor (she was still serving as a pastor when she wrote the book). As long as its not with children or that it doesn’t hurt someone seems to be her only parameters?

Unfortunately, she deems things “holy” that welcome full self-expression. She doesn’t seem to grasp that holiness means something other than being our ideal self. True biblical holiness is rooted in God’s character and is something given by God through Christ, not something attained by us in our pursuit of personal happiness in our sexual identity.

Third, her book is simply a collection of stories. While she’s a GREAT writer, it lacks substance. Each chapter seems to advocate a rejection of biblical orthodoxy simply because of how someone has “felt” or the experiences they have had. She consistently points to her own past experiences and has nothing good to say about church, youth groups, the purity movement or abstinence before marriage (she claims it’s repressive and scientifically harmful).

The book jacket says she’s a former pastor. The book itself was written when she was a pastor. I don’t know the details, but in the end, she says she’s tired of being labeled a sinner and a heretic. We are all the former and saved by Jesus’ grace. We don’t have to be the latter. This profanity-laced, angry book lashes out at the church and orthodox teachings about sexuality and love and restraint. In the end, it adds nothing to a wholesome dialogue nor a helpful path forward with those whom we disagree on this issue.

I can’t recommend it to anyone, even though her writing is riveting. My overall assessment is that she has drifted far afield of God’s design for our sexuality as revealed in scripture and has attempted to forge a way based solely on self-fulfillment, embracing vast changes to traditional understandings of sexual activity and identity. It’s not so much “Shame-less” as it should be shameful to wantonly thumb her nose at Christian ethics, morality and the beauty of sexuality within God’s design and desire.

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3rd Annual Christmas Tree Toss

I prefer to keep the Christmas decorations up as long as possible after Christmas. Imagine my dismay when I returned from running errands on December 26 to discover my fam had undecorated the house in my absence! #toosoon However… for your viewing enjoyment, here is the annual Christmas tree toss off our back deck, followed by an inspirational message from the Polar Express.

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