Jeff Noble's Blog, page 57

Tozer on the inequality of all people

In The Set of the Sail is an article entitled The Bed of Procrustes by 20th century preacher and theologian AW Tozer (1897-1963). I’m going to quote from it at length. Keep in mind that Tozer wrote more than 50 years ago:

Legend tells of Procrustes, the Greek bandit, who forced his victims to lie on a certain bed. If they were shorter than the bed they were stretched to bed length; if too long they were lopped off to fit. Old Procrustes would have uniformity, regardless.

The idea of equality among all men is totally unrealistic, and any effort to make them all alike contradicts plain evidence, flies in the face of nature and interferes with human freedom.

Equality of opportunity should be granted to all; after that everyone is on his own. No institution can add to or take from the original human stuff the student brings to class with him. After years of observation I am forced to conclude that some persons simply cannot profit from their educational opportunities. Beyond providing them with a few items of information they might not otherwise acquire, a college course does them little good. Their years of enforced study leave them without improved tastes, without perspective and without wisdom. Some persons can gain a good education from life; others cannot manage to become educated by life plus long years in the best institutions of higher learning. Yet our educators continue to apply their Procrustean rules to each new generation, stretching and cutting till they achieve a uniformity Mother Nature obviously never intended.

In the field of religion things are no better. Within the holy precincts of the church Procrustes works on, cutting and tugging till everyone looks, thinks and acts like everyone else. To achieve this he must destroy our originality, make us afraid to be different and persuade us that conformity is synonymous with godliness and nonconformity a sin. And this he does with astonishing success.

Experience proves that uniformity almost always degenerates into mediocrity.

It is unfortunate that current Christianity appears to offer but two choices: dull, colorless orthodoxy or a liberalism which, in its effort to escape suffocation, has jumped overboard and drowned in the maelstrom of unbelief.

…orthodoxy is not synonymous with Procrustean uniformity… We can be orthodox without becoming mentally stultified. We can believe every tenet of the Christian creed and still leave our imagination free to roam at will through the broad worlds of nature and grace.

He’s not talking about man’s intrinsic worth but man’s aptitudes. I think he hit the nail on the head in identifying the realms of education and religion as being centers for the attempt to make us all alike. In today’s culture, I would add the liberal political motif as also seeking to enforce a slavish uniformity. Liberals preach tolerance with a stick. Those who disagree are not tolerated, and their viewpoints are attacked viciously, with no regard for rational dialogue or discourse.

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Observations from Mark

Where does one post quotes and thoughts too long for Twitter when one doesn’t want to donate content to Facebook? Some say Tumblr, but I’m going to try simply keeping this single post as a running record of observations about the Gospel of Mark, which I’m currently reading through.

I’m using two commentaries primarily as I read:

The Gospel According to Mark by James Edwards
Mark: Jesus, Servant and Savior by R. Kent Hughes

So, here’s what I’ll do: I’m going to post the most recent reflections and quotes below, by date. If any of you have better thoughts as to how to do this, I’m certainly open.

August 6

In Mark 6.51-52, we see Jesus climbing into a boat (from the water!) on the Sea of Galilee. The shocked disciples are recorded as being “astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.”

Edwards says:

“..faith is not an inevitable result of knowing about Jesus , or even being with Jesus. Faith is not something that happens automatically or evolves inevitably; it is a personal decision that must be made in the face of struggle and trepidation. Discipleship is more endangered by lack of faith and hardness of heart than by external dangers.”

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Where your needs are met

Where are you looking to have your needs met right now in life?

Think about that for a moment. The answer to that question may help you understand why you’re so disappointed, discouraged, empty and frustrated.

You see, when we project our expectation on others – whether our spouse, church or friends – to meet our needs of worth, affirmation, encouragement, identity, we will eventually be let down. And hard. The crash comes quick and is alarming to the psyche.

We don’t realize we’ve been leaning on paper walls to meet our needs in life, but when they fail, our thirsty hearts become ravenous deserts, seeking moisture from sources that cannot satisfy.

Where are you looking to have your needs in life met? It may be in hobbies or career, family or knowledge. Whatever it is, these things cannot fulfill you, nor were they designed to do so.

For the Christian, it’s a constant delusion that the good things of life – the things provided and given by God even – will satisfy us. We are blessed and gifted, but the pattern of God’s people is always to worship the gift and the life rather than the Giver of each.

When you find yourself disappointed, frustrated, feeling unappreciated and malcontent, imagine the Father whispering:

“Perhaps you’re expecting others to meet your needs rather than my Son.”

If we look to things and people to fulfill and affirm us, it will produce:

frustration
suspicion
bitterness
apathy
burnout
emptiness

(This is not an exhaustive list. It’s just a sample of what happens to a heart leaning in the wrong direction.)

People and things can never fulfill us. When we look to them for our..

peace
identity
encouragement
affirmation

.. we will be disappointed.

Consider this. When you are looking to others to encourage you or meet your needs, most of the time, they’re looking to you for the same things.

The self-consumed heart will drag you under into anxiety, unrest and anger at those who fail to fulfill you. And while you are waiting – in vain – for someone to appreciate you, you are missing the point.

God loves you. And He wants you to look only to Him to find your fulfillment and satisfaction. So it you’re on edge and depressed that you’re not being noticed, affirmed or appreciated, consider changing your gaze.

“…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12.2)

Quit looking to others and things that were not intended to meet all your needs. Your personal fears about what is happening around you are not founded in faith. Your false assumptions about others and their attitude toward you are choking your spirit.

Several years ago, Carolyn and I attended a marriage retreat where the speakers presented some of this same material. They urged us – when we were tempted to get frustrated with our spouse – to reflect on the real reason for our frustration. It wasn’t our spouse, but that we were looking to them as the source of our fulfillment. And we were urged to pray a prayer of confession in those moments of dawning realization that went like this:

 

“Father, I’m sorry. I was expecting _______ to meet my needs again. I know that only You can do that.”

Perhaps you’re there now. You’re in a place where your needs can’t be met. The reason? The sources you’re turning to were never designed to bring you peace.

Look to the Father. Confess your myopic heart.

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Happy 50th Anniversary!

We’re excited to celebrate with my mom and dad their 50th wedding anniversary on July 31! We are grateful for their example of fortitude, joy, and sustaining grace.

Of course, I’ve only known them the past 46 years. I’m sure they were a wreck for the first four years of their marriage…

Leave a comment to congratulate them.

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Nuff said: Trusting scripture, a Gospel without words, a Trader or a Christian?, Does Powerpoint help?, Be a people person, Selfies Anonymous

The necessity of trusting the scriptures

Ben Taylor wrote this entry back in January 2013, and it’s still a great, short read about why Christians must trust the Bible:

This is not an option for the Christian: We must believe that that God’s revelation is available to us now, in an essentially and sufficiently accurate form… We must believe that all that God requires us to know about him will by him be preserved and made available to his people in every age. He cannot be thwarted by conniving religious leaders or sloppy scribes who would attempt to distort his word. Nothing can sever Jesus, the Head, from His Body. Thus the Christian must affirm and believe a doctrine of the divine preservation of revelation (the inerrancy of scripture, as it is usually called).

Words and deeds

From Outreach Magazine’s article “Preach the Gospel, and Since It’s Necessary, Use Words”

Duane Litfin wrote Works and Words: Why You Can’t Preach the Gospel with Deeds in Christianity Today in May 2012. He uses a quote most often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi (“Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words”) as a launching point for saying that you simply can’t preach the biblical good news about Jesus without words.

It’s simply impossible to preach the gospel without words. The gospel is inherently verbal, and preaching the gospel is inherently verbal behavior.

I made a similar point in Preach the Gospel at all times… and use words!:

Service without proclamation of Jesus’ love does indeed meet needs, but a filled stomach without hope is a tragic paradox… if someone has to tell you to tell others about the joy and hope of your salvation, then most likely you’re not currently living in it.

Ed Stetzer also has an excellent entry about it.

What do you think? Can there be good news without words?

What is a trader?

This video by Brian Mosley of RightNow.org is well done, and I’d encourage you to watch it. The only thing I’d do different is dispense with the needless trader vocabulary and simply say Christian instead. We keep looking for words to give “Christian” more oomph and meaning. How about instead of looking for better words, we simply start living better lives, in love with Christ and obedient to His Word?

Do visual aids in speeches (like Powerpoint) increase retention?

This is an encouraging article for those of us who feel the pressure at times to spice up our presentations (for me, it’s sermons) with a presentation.

You have all heard the statistics – that listeners retain only 10% of what they hear, 20% of what they see, but more than 30% of what they see and hear, or something along those lines…  The problem is, the numbers are cooked… Name one significant speech in human history that ever relied on props.

I’m not against using Keynote or Powerpoint, but I use it sparingly. I feel that ultimately it’s a distraction and should only be used if needed to truly illustrate a point, not to simply reiterate a point. Too many speakers use presentations to allow active listeners to become passive readers.

Be a people person.

That could be the the summary Kathryn Mott’s 30 Simple Things You Don’t Realize You Do That Impress Everyone Around You. If you struggle making friends (or keeping them), consider some of these practical points. While some of you may think, “Doesn’t everyone get this?,” the answer to that is “No.”

Last but not least… Selfies Anonymous by Tripp & Tyler:

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Video: Do you understand the Middle East beef with Israel?

If you struggle to grasp why the Middle East rejects Israel with such venom, I’d encourage you to watch and share this video for perspective. It’s a helpful history lesson that begins – not with the biblical record – but in 1947.

After viewing it, it would be wise to digest the powerful article by Elliott Abrams entitled The Man Who Broke the Middle East. Consider this excerpt:

The Middle East that Obama inherited in 2009 was largely at peace, for the surge in Iraq had beaten down the al Qaeda-linked groups. U.S. relations with traditional allies in the Gulf, Jordan, Israel and Egypt were very good. Iran was contained, its Revolutionary Guard forces at home. Today, terrorism has metastasized in Syria and Iraq, Jordan is at risk, the humanitarian toll is staggering, terrorist groups are growing fast and relations with U.S. allies are strained.

The article above was written last month – before Israel was forced to launch a ground offensive against HAMAS due to its incessant firing of missiles into Israel, with many attempting to target nuclear power plants (and thus create a devastating Chernobyl effect on a wide swath of the Jewish state).

Hamas is storing rocket launchers, rockets and weapons in tunnels under Gaza. They’re also digging tunnels under Israel for terrorists to use to enter Israeli villages. (Source: Gaza War Update, Day 11)

We’re living in extremely tenuous times, with the Middle East on edge and a President that seems determined to fund-raise rather than secure our borders or support our allies.

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Review: The Selection.. and my inner middle school girl

I’ve never personally known a New York Times best-selling author. I’ve read a lot of their books though. Reading The Selection was a stretch for my genre preference.

I’ll be honest.

Knowing Kiera and being blessed in a multitude of ways by her family provoked me to read this book. Her son, Guyden, is one of my favorites at our church, always ready with a huge grin and hug. Her husband is an incredible musician and fellow tech geek, so, I thought I’d be reading the book to just support and encourage her. And Zuzu is cuter than Cindy Lou from Hooville. How could I not read the book?

I thought I’d be getting in touch with my inner middle school girl to even enjoy a tale like this that I’d never have read otherwise. Imagine my surprise three chapters in to discover I was thoroughly enjoying this story.

Her character development is believable and winsome. There was enough intrigue (rebels!) and mystery (post-apocalyptic!) to whet my genuine interest. I found myself smiling throughout, enjoying Kiera’s use of creativity in the character’s dialogues and just the way she strings together a phrase. As I turned the last page and even plunged hungrily into her “thanks” letter at the end of the book, I knew I’d be reading more.

So, bravo, Kiera! I’m not just a supporter. I’m a fan. Now, Adelyn’s bookshelf will be missing The Elite.

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Visiting Heaven… for real?

It’s been disconcerting to watch the religious media establishment uncritically bless and aid and abet the book Heaven Is for Real into becoming a runaway bestseller. It’s been made into a movie. Christians from all spectrums are reading and recommending it on social media. They may not have read Colossians, but they’re reading Todd Burpo’s account of his four year-old who died and came back from heaven. At least, in the famous words of renowned theologian Collin Raye, “That’s his story, and he’s sticking to it.”

If you’re making millions from it, wouldn’t you?

Christian leaders are finally sticking their heads above the fray long enough to say, “Hey, uh….” It’s a timid, almost apologetic interruption into the Christian media frenzy. Pastors who do speak up are immediately criticized as being judgmental, harsh and even envious.

That’s why I was proud of Pastor David Platt for his comments at The Church of Brook Hills Secret Church seminar recently:

In conjunction with his thoughts, he tweeted:

Leaders, point people to Jesus, not the latest fad book that the religious industrial complex wants you to consume.

Platt points out that Heaven Is for Real is only one of dozens of such “there and back again” books on the market. Due to the age of Burpo’s son, the story is cloaked in an endearing figure, but the truly endearing figure, the center point of heaven – namely Jesus Christ – is conspicuously absent. Platt is 35 years old.

Pastor John MacArthur is twice Platt’s age (75) and has written about how the stratospheric sales of the book actually reveal the public’s hunger for heaven.

…the current popularity of such books shows how hungry people are to hear about heaven. There is nothing inherently wrong with that, of course. In fact, it is a desire that can be harnessed for good, as long as we look to Scripture and let God’s Word inform our knowledge and shape our hopes. (From Heaven Is Real; Hallucinations Are Not)

MacArthur rightly points out:

There is simply no reason to believe anyone who claims to have gone to heaven and returned. John 3:13 says, “No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” And John 1:18 says, “No one has seen God at any time.” (From Are Visits to Heaven for Real?)

So who are we to believe? Burpo or the Bible?

Many will ask, “But how did the little boy know such strange facts that he couldn’t have known?”

Here are a few possible answers:

The same way that Neo manipulated the Matrix.
The same way that Obiwan told the Storm Troopers, “These are not the droids you’re looking for.”
The same way that Harry and Ron transformed into Crabb and Goyle.
The same way that Optimus Prime transforms into a semi.

Or it could be something a little more uncomfortable:

“But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.” (2 Corinthians 11:3-4 ESV)

In other words, it could be an intentional deception by an old enemy to make much of an experience rather than to make much of Jesus.

Here’s a question to close: Does the book/movie prompt joyful obedience to Jesus Christ in you?

My concern is that it doesn’t. I think it just makes people feel better for a moment. It’s a false assurance. It’s like 7/11 at 7/11 – free Slurpee day. Sugary sweet but with no lasting benefit.

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Marry that girl?

This song by Magic is awfully catchy. The message? A girl’s dad tells a guy who has asked to marry his daughter a resounding, “No.” The song’s chorus is “I’m gonna marry her anyway.”

It is toe-tapping, I’ll admit, but I prefer this dad’s musical response:

“You marry that girl? I’m gonna punch yo face.”

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Review: iPhone skin

I don’t normally do product reviews on the blog – other than books; however, as a long-time tech geek, when I come across a product that is genuinely fantastic, I just have to share the wealth. I’ve been using iPhone skins from bestskinsever.com (Best Skins Ever) for my last two iPhones, and they are absolutely true in their product description. They are the best skins ever.

Here’s why:

They last forever. I just replaced the one on my iPhone 5. The original one has been on the device since I bought it in September 2012. That’s almost two years for a phone skin! They are incredibly durable and have self-healing properties. The only reason I replaced the one I have is that I had it in a pocket with my car keys, and it got an actual cut in the film which did not heal.
They are invisible. I use the glossy skin; I had the matte version on my iPhone 4s but just didn’t like it that much.
I like the texture of the skin. It is just a tad “rubbery” which gives me needed traction on my iPhone’s screen.
Applying the skin is innovative and easy. It’s the only skin I know that you get it wet with a tad of dish soap to apply it. With it wet, you can slide it around the device’s screen until it’s perfect. Then you squeegee the bubbles or extra dampness out with a credit card. If you mess up, just peel it up, re-wet it, and do it again.

A few caveats:

I have only tried one of the full-bodied skins once – on my daughter’s iPhone 5c. It was a challenge. I don’t know if I got it too wet or what, but I had troubles with it sticking on the side and corners of the device. We did finally get it on, and it worked well, but it was an ordeal. I don’t know that I’d try another full bodied screen again.

An extra plus:

When I removed the original skin to replace it with the new one, it just peeled right up. The screen underneath was as pristine as the day I took the phone out of the box, and there was no stickiness whatsoever.

Highly recommended

If you’re looking for a skin for your device (they make them for all sorts), I can’t recommend bestskinsever.com to you enough.

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