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Barnabas Piper's Blog, page 17

August 19, 2024

The Lifter of My Head

“But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head” (Psalm 3:3)

I remember reading some storybook when I was a kid and coming across the description of a character as having “a hangdog look about him.” I didn’t know precisely what that meant, but I knew what that meant. I could picture it: sad eyes, drooping features, head down like an old hound dog that’s been mistreated for far too long.

When I read Psalm 3:3, that description comes to mind–the downcast, drooping, weary posture of someone who is overwhelmed. We feel like that often in the face of life’s hardships. It’s too much for us.

Another memory from my youth comes to mind when I read this verse, that of all the pep talks I received after striking out or missing a tackle, or losing a game. They almost always included some version of “chin up, you’ll get it next time.” But that’s not what the psalmist is saying.

This is not a psalm calling for an attitude adjustment or a positive perspective. It is a promise for us in the middle of immense hardship. It isn’t a chipper reminder to “chin up.” It’s a declaration that God will lift our weary, worried, frightened heads.

And when he lifts them, what will we see? No longer will we stare at our own selves and the circumstances we can’t fix. Instead, we will see him, our shield and glory, the one fighting for us and defending us, and working on our behalf. When he lifts our heads, our countenance will change from hangdog to hopeful. And when he lifts our chins, we can set our faces in resolute faith.

I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe! 

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Published on August 19, 2024 04:36

August 16, 2024

3 Things I Like This Week – August 16

Each week (give or take one or two here and there) I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.

1. The Bear

In the streaming age there are more drama series being cranked out than anyone could possibly watch, and, in my estimation, most of them are crap artistically and morally. So when I find an exceptional one it feels like discovering a particular treasure. The Bear is just such a show. I suppose I should include the necessary evangelical caveats about profanity and whatnot, but honestly that should be expected in any show about the restaurant industry and especially any show that is set in Chicago. The thing that The Bear does so remarkably well is capture the breadth and depth of its characters–honorable, troubled, joyful, broken, driven, fearful, loving, embittered, and so forth. And it does so with a pitch perfect representation of place and culture, both the food industry and the city in which it is set. By doing this it tells a richer story of relationships, dreams, aspirations, failures, and successes than almost any series or movie I have seen. And on top of all this, the acting is wonderful right down the line.

 

2. Oscar Peterson’s Night Train

Oscar Peterson is my favorite Jazz musician and Night Train is my favorite of his albums. It features the full spectrum of his talents as he plays an array of songs. Since I am not steeped in the technicalities of music, I lack the verbiage to describe what Peterson does on this album. What I can say is that It is brilliant, and I can describe the feelings it evokes (which is really the point of good jazz). It is filled with joy communicated in a manner that is equally soothing and elated. It is marked by lament communicated with soul. It is rich and deep and light and full of light.

3. The Americano

Craft coffee shops and roasteries abound. Coffee snobs, er, connoisseurs love to offer tasting notes for their favorite single origin organic light roasts from that particular region of Madagascar. But there is really only one true test I trust to know if a coffee shop is any good: the quality of their Americano. The Americano leaves bad espresso nowhere to hide since it has only two ingredients, espresso and hot water. (It was named by the Italians in “honor” of the American G.I.s who couldn’t handle the full strength concentration of pure espresso.) If you are a coffee drinker who prefers cream and sugar and various flavors, this is not the beverage for you. It is dark, it is bitter, but when done right it carries all the richness of properly roasted and brewed espresso. It is the naked truth of coffee and it is wonderful.

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Published on August 16, 2024 07:31

August 15, 2024

August 14, 2024

Kindle Deals for August 14

Some Kindle deals worth your mind and money today:

The Mind of the Maker: The Expression of Faith through Creativity and Art by Dorothy Sayers – $2.99

The Church: The Gospel Made Visible by Mark Dever – $4.99

The Satisfied Soul: Showing the Supremacy of God in All of Life by John Piper – $4.99

Is the Bible Good for Women?: Seeking Clarity and Confidence Through a Jesus-Centered Understanding of Scripture by Wendy Alsup – $4.99

Dream Small: The Secret Power of the Ordinary Christian Life by Seth Lewis – $2.99

Exalting Jesus in 1 Corinthians by Daniel Akin & James Merritt – $4.99

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson – $4.99

The Redhead of Auschwitz: A True Story by Nechama Birnbaum – $6.99

The Few: The American “Knights of the Air” Who Risked Everything to Fight in the Battle of Britain by Alex Kershaw – $1.99

When Paris Went Dark: The City of Light Under German Occupation, 1940-1944 by Ronald Rosbottom – $1.99

MY BOOKS:

The Pastor’s Kid: What it’s Like and How to Help – $8.99

Help My Unbelief: Why doubt is not the enemy of faith – $8.99

The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every Part of Life – $4.99

Hoping for Happiness: Turning Life’s most elusive Feeling into Lasting Reality – $8.99

Belong: Loving Your Church by Reflecting Christ to One Another – $8.99

These links are Amazon affiliate links.

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Published on August 14, 2024 04:30

August 13, 2024

Kindle Deals for August 13

Some Kindle deals worth your mind and money today:

The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society by Henri Nouwen – $4.99

Morning and Evening – Updated Language by Charles Spurgeon – $2.99

Understanding Biblical Theology: A Comparison of Theory and Practice by Edward Klink III & Darian Lockett – $2.99

A Mind Awake: An Anthology of C. S. Lewis – $1.99

Don’t Follow Your Heart: Boldly Breaking the Ten Commandments of Self-Worship by Thaddeus Williams – $2.99

Heresy: A History of Defending the Truth by Alister McGrath – $2.99

The Truth and Beauty: How the Lives and Works of England’s Greatest Poets Point the Way to a Deeper Understanding of the Words of Jesus by Andrew Klavan – $3.99

The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb: Searching for Jesus’ Path of Power in a Church that Has Abandoned It by Jamin Goggin & Kyle Strobel – $1.99

The Age of AI: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity by Jason Thacker – $2.99

MY BOOKS:

The Pastor’s Kid: What it’s Like and How to Help – $8.99

Help My Unbelief: Why doubt is not the enemy of faith – $8.99

The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every Part of Life – $4.99

Hoping for Happiness: Turning Life’s most elusive Feeling into Lasting Reality – $8.99

Belong: Loving Your Church by Reflecting Christ to One Another – $8.99

These links are Amazon affiliate links.

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Published on August 13, 2024 04:30

August 12, 2024

Give Your Anger to God

“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ (Romans 12:19)”

Anger is the easiest strong emotion for many of us. It sits just under the surface. It wells up and overflows and explodes. It feels good to get angry. And maybe that should be a warning. Most of the best things in life don’t come easy. Most of our best traits aren’t instinctive and reactive but ones we mature into.

But some things are worthy of our anger. There is such a thing as righteous anger that burns at injustice, abuses of power, and the victimization of the powerless. The Bible tells us that God gets angry. He is never capricious. He is no hothead. He is a patient God, abounding in steadfast love, who abhors evil and desires good for his people. So he gets angry.

James tells us that “the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” This is why, even when we are right to be angry, it so often feels futile and fruitless. We don’t have the power or means to bring about justice. So we easily slide into bitterness and resort to revenge. We are easily eaten up by our anger or wield it maliciously.

But God’s anger is never ineffectual. His justice never fails. And no evil will escape his eye or his reach. So when Romans 12:19 says, “never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God,” it is not to inhibit us. It is not taking away our satisfaction. It is certainly not shrugging at justice. Rather it is a promise and a reminder: “leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’”

The wrath of God does bring about the righteousness of God, so we entrust our anger and our helplessness in the face of evil to him. We take God at his word that he will handle his business so we can be freed from the burden and temptation that anger brings. To trust God in this is neither passivity nor apathy. It is active faith, trusting in God’s goodness and power to bring about restoration and justice in the end.

I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe! 

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Published on August 12, 2024 04:28

August 9, 2024

3 Things I Like this Week – August 9

Each week (give or take one or two here and there) I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.

1. Band of Brothers

I cannot think of a better series or miniseries to have graced the small screen. Band of Brothers is one of the rare adaptations for screen that is notably better than the book (in this case, the exceptional book by historian Stephen Ambrose) because it captures the emotions, thoughts, and human relationships of war in a unique way. There are plenty war movies or shows that successfully tell stories of campaigns or heroism or focus on a particular leader. Band of Brothers does all that excellently, but almost in passing, as it tells the story of Easy Company from D-Day to Hitler’s lair (spoiler alert: the allies won).  It is deeply human in the full range of emotions and experiences. It captures friendship and brotherhood in a rare way. It shows how normal men become heroes and how reluctant heroes become great leaders. And it depicts the horrors of war without gratuity or reveling in violence and gore. This is one of those series that I revisit every few years and enjoy it more and in new ways each time.

 

2. Superheroes Can’t Save You by Todd Miles

It’s hard to write theology in a fresh, compelling way, especially that resonates with younger people who aren’t deeply interested in formal theology. Well, Todd Miles has managed to do it. Using classic comic book heroes he exemplifies and elucidates several classic Christological heresies. It is a brilliant bit of subterfuge, bringing in Batman, Superman, the Hulk, and more to show Jesus really is and especially who Jesus really isn’t. He writes clearly, personably, but not simplistically or in an elementary way. He is aiming at people who can think and engage deep ideas but are likely new to the study of theology. As someone who has studied some theology and who generally finds academic writing stilted, boring, opaque, and unhelpful I really appreciated this book. It would be great for personal study or for teaching/group study.

 

3. Leiper’s Fork Bourbon

I don’t consider myself a bourbon aficionado or snob. I don’t gravitate to the higher-proof-mule-kick-in-your-mouth stuff. But I do love a good, high quality bourbon. And Leiper’s Fork is one of my favorites. It is a Tennessee bourbon from a nice little town just outside Nashville. They started small a few years ago and they don’t source their whiskey but do the entire process themselves. And the results are [chef’s kiss]. If you like a smooth, slightly sweet, complex bourbon this one is for you. Even the label is beautiful. It is worth every penny.

 

 

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Published on August 09, 2024 06:38