Barnabas Piper's Blog, page 42
March 24, 2020
New Happy Rant: Threats to the Yoda King, Who has Extra Time, and Church from A Distance
In this episode of The Happy Rant Ted, Ronnie, and Barnabas suss out the following topics:
The cancellation of conferences, even T4G
When everyone is Yoda tweeting nobody is yoda tweeting
Managing all this extra time on our hands . . . wait, who has extra time?
Doing church when we can’t see people in person
Ted gets on Marco Polo (no it’s not a dating site)
Swimming with moms
Ted’s creative energy and finding a routine
Sponsors
[image error]Check out Our Good Crisis: Overcoming Moral Chaos with the Beatitudes by Jonathan K. Dodson from IVP. Dodson examines each of the Beatitudes in the context of the new morality that buffets our society today, presenting a compelling portrait of the truly good life, both personal and social. Jesus’ vision of the good is stunning: heaven meets earth, mercy triumphs over judgment, peace transcends outrage, grace upends self-righteousness. Here is an account, not of dos and don’ts, but of genuine moral flourishing.
Thank you to our sponsor for this week’s episode: Dwell Bible App. Dwell is a Bible listening app that we love! If you are looking for a convenient, fresh way of spending more time in God’s word Dwell is ideal. Go to https://dwellapp.io/happyrant to get 33% off your subscription. It comes out to about $20 for the entire year.
Order Your Coffee
WE ARE COFFEE MOGULS AGAIN. We’ve joined forces with Redbud Coffee, based out of Auburn IL, to bring you deliciously roasted and beautifully packaged coffee. Check out their variety of roasts and be sure to use the code HappyRant at checkout to get a 10% discount off your purchase.
Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:
Order your Redbud coffee
Connect with Ted, Ronnie, or Barnabas to speak for your church, organization, or event
Support the podcast through our Patreon page . This helps us cover production and hosting costs so we can keep this thing rolling
To listen you can:
Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher
Listen via just about any podcast app/streaming service out there
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.
Episode #289
March 17, 2020
New Happy Rant Sports: Coronavirus is Stealing Our Joy
In this episode of The Happy Rant Sports podcast Ted and Barnabas bemoan what Coronavirus has done to sports.
The most 20th century end of society imaginable with hot takes and a total lack of unity
The NBA is done, baseball is done, March Madness is done – all sports are canceled
Why this sucks and why we love sports so much, especially when life is hard
Will this unify or divide us?
Blaming everyone for everything
Taking away the things we love to do with our kids
Save us, CFL!
Sponsors
[image error]WE ARE COFFEE MOGULS AGAIN. We’ve joined forces with Redbud Coffee, based out of Auburn IL, to bring you deliciously roasted and beautifully packaged coffee. Check out their variety of roasts and be sure to use the code HappyRant at checkout to get a 10% discount off your purchase.
Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:
Order your Redbud coffee
Connect with Ted, Ronnie, or Barnabas to speak for your church, organization, or event
Support the podcast through our Patreon page . This helps us cover production and hosting costs so we can keep this thing rolling
To listen you can:
Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher
Listen via just about any podcast app/streaming service out there
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.
Episode #37
March 12, 2020
New Happy Rant: Coronavirus, Bad Speaking Venues, a Humor Quarantine
In this episode of The Happy Rant Ted, Ronnie, and Barnabas suss out the following topics:
Midtown Live is coming up
Coronavirus is ruining everything including communion and breakout sessions
The worst speaking venues we’ve ever done
D.A. Carson on campus and a discussion of his musical taste
We miss hate mail, like *real* posted hate mail
Being in humor quarantine
Sponsors
[image error]Check out Our Good Crisis: Overcoming Moral Chaos with the Beatitudes by Jonathan K. Dodson from IVP. Dodson examines each of the Beatitudes in the context of the new morality that buffets our society today, presenting a compelling portrait of the truly good life, both personal and social. Jesus’ vision of the good is stunning: heaven meets earth, mercy triumphs over judgment, peace transcends outrage, grace upends self-righteousness. Here is an account, not of dos and don’ts, but of genuine moral flourishing.
WE ARE COFFEE MOGULS AGAIN. We’ve joined forces with Redbud Coffee, based out of Auburn IL, to bring you deliciously roasted and beautifully packaged coffee. Check out their variety of roasts and be sure to use the code HappyRant at checkout to get a 10% discount off your purchase.
Thank you to our sponsor for this week’s episode: Dwell Bible App. Dwell is a Bible listening app that we love! If you are looking for a convenient, fresh way of spending more time in God’s word Dwell is ideal. Go to https://dwellapp.io/happyrant to get 33% off your subscription. It comes out to about $20 for the entire year!
LIVE AT MIDTOWN
Our next Live recording event is coming up! On the day after Easter and the day before T4G we’ll hold it at a brand new, exceptionally cool location. Get your tickets now!
APRIL 13, 2020
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT
Sojourn Church Midtown
1207 South Shelby Street
Louisville, KY 40203
Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:
Order your Redbud coffee
Connect with Ted, Ronnie, or Barnabas to speak for your church, organization, or event
Support the podcast through our Patreon page . This helps us cover production and hosting costs so we can keep this thing rolling
To listen you can:
Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher
Listen via just about any podcast app/streaming service out there
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.
Episode #288
March 10, 2020
Normal Doubt and the Nature of God
From its very first words scripture sets up a relationship between God and man that shows his infinity and our limitations. He is the creator, we are the created. He existed before time began and we exist within time. He is eternal and we have a life span. He always has been and we came into existence at a specific time and our bodies will pass away at a specific time. He created everything from nothing and we are part of that, spoken into existence with words.
To understand God and to understand our own doubts it is vital that we grasp this relationship. We tend to go through life with the assumption that we can learn, discover, and comprehend anything if we truly want to. We see ourselves as the masters of our domain with the world at our fingertips. We have technology and science and cultural advancements on our side. We build lives of ease and efficiency with the aim of security and comfort. And we rarely, if ever, consider our limitations or God’s lack of them.
Genesis one reminds us of reality. God was, is, and will be forever. God spoke all things into existence that do exist. God created our very ability to learn, create, think, solve, build, and make. Despite all our hustle and efforts and self-trust we are finite and will reach the end of our abilities. We will max out our understanding. In short, we live within a defined time frame and a limited capacity for understanding. We are not infinite; God is.
READ: Genesis 3
Genesis three is where everything breaks. Adam and Eve choose to pursue being gods rather than trusting the infinite creator God. They want God’s knowledge for themselves. They want his deity, his infinity, so they break his explicit command. In doing so they introduce sin to the world and they doom themselves and every person to follow to death. In one bittersweet bite of fruit the world went from paradise to graveyard.
The consequence for their sin is a curse. It is not a spell or a fairy tale curse that can be broken by a kiss or a quest. It isn’t limited to a person or place. It is pervasive, touching every person everywhere for every moment of all time. The curse taints every aspect of life: relational, physical, spiritual, emotional, intellectual.
This means that every thought we have, every discovery we make, every advancement in society, every invention – they’re all flawed. They’re all incomplete. And it means that our view of ourselves is broken too.
We too want to be like Adam and Eve. We want knowledge like God. We want to be the god of our own lives, and we often don’t even realize these sinful impulses. One of the major effects of the fall and the curse is blindness. We simply cannot see what is true and real as true and real. We love things we shouldn’t, believe things we shouldn’t, and are skeptical of things that are true and good.
When we consider God’s perfect holiness, the curse becomes that much bleaker. Before we were limited in our understanding of God by being finite. Now we are sinful, blind, self-worshiping, and finite. We are further removed, in our natures, from true understanding of God than ever.
We’ve seen two significant realities that shape how we see and understand God. First, God is infinite and we are finite. Second, God is perfect, and we are sinful. It seems obvious, then, that we would struggle to understand God. With our limitations and weaknesses and His infinity and holiness we are bound to reach the borders of our understanding. We simply do not have the capacity to fully understand an infinite God.
Where Doubt Comes From
Now we are at the core of where doubt comes from. Doubt, in its most basic form, is when we say “I don’t know.” It is simply being unsure. It is when we do not understand so we struggle with confidence. For finite sinful people like us, of course we will experience doubts about God.
He is infinite and holy, and that means he is constantly thinking and doing things at a level beyond our comprehension. At every moment God is sustaining the entire universe, knowing every thought, weaving every life, and working His perfect plan for all creation. He never stops. We cannot possibly comprehend even a minuscule fraction of God’s perfect knowledge and wisdom.
As you reflect on these truths something should begin to stir in your mind: doubt is not necessarily a sin. We are sinners. We think wrong thoughts about God all the time. We rebel against and reject God just like Adam and Eve. But our doubts are not necessarily sinful.
To doubt is human. It is natural. It is a direct result of being who we are – finite creatures seeking to understand things beyond ourselves. It is inevitable that we will doubt. It is inevitable that we will question and wonder and be unsure.
Scripture is full of people with questions and doubts. Gideon asked God for a sign because he was afraid (Judges 6). Hannah pled with God for a son with the kind of pain and emotion that only comes from fear and doubt (1 Samuel 1). Job lost everything and wondered aloud why such a thing would happen. The Psalms overflow with prayers asking where God is, when he will return, has he forgotten his people, and more. The prophets lament and mourn and wonder when God will rescue. Thomas did not know how to believe in Jesus’ resurrection until he saw him in the flesh (John 20).
To doubt is human. It is how we respond when we doubt that determines whether it is a sin. You can doubt in a way that draws you closer to faith in God or you can doubt in a way that undermines and dissolves your faith. We will study this further in coming sessions.
QUESTIONS:
What does Genesis 1 tell us about the relationship between God and people and how we should think about God?
Think about your own life and relationship with God. What does it mean for you that God is infinitely good, wise, and powerful?
What does the story of the fall have to do with doubt? Where do you see doubt in this passage?
Think about the curse that God institutes in Genesis 3 and how it touches every single aspect of life? What does this mean for how we relate to other people? How we work? How we view ourselves?
How does the curse affect our ability to understand and see God for who He is? How does it shape how we view ourselves in relationship to him?
Why are we so uncomfortable admitting “I don’t know” when it comes to God?
Since doubting is human and normal, what is it that separates sinful doubt from the kind that actually builds our faith? What kind of response to doubt should we have in order to strengthen our faith in God?
[image error]This is an excerpt from my small group study titled Help My Unbelief: Why Doubt is Not the Enemy of Faith. Learn more about the study, additional resources, and how you can use it with your group at lifeway.com/helpmyunbelief.
[image error]For more on the subject of faith and doubt check out my book Help My Unbelief: Why Doubt is Not the Enemy of Faith .
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
March 6, 2020
New Happy Rant: Christian Cynicism, The Irishman, and Pellets of Recognition
In this episode of The Happy Rant Ted and Ronnie suss out some very pressing topics such as:
The Liturgists and the coolness of mocking Christian culture
Isn’t Christianity supposed to be uncool?
Are we as cynical as those we are poking at?
Which criticism leads to rebellion?
How do we have pointed conversations while also leaving room for genuine questions?
Link between politics and progressive Christianity
Seeking pellets of recognition
The deep love of old white curmudgeons
#ForTheChurchill
Sponsors
[image error]WE ARE COFFEE MOGULS AGAIN. We’ve joined forces with Redbud Coffee, based out of Auburn IL, to bring you deliciously roasted and beautifully packaged coffee. Check out their variety of roasts and be sure to use the code HappyRant at checkout to get a 10% discount off your purchase.
Thank you to our sponsor for this week’s episode: Dwell Bible App. Dwell is a Bible listening app that we love! If you are looking for a convenient, fresh way of spending more time in God’s word Dwell is ideal. Go to https://dwellapp.io/happyrant to get 33% off your subscription. It comes out to about $20 for the entire year!
LIVE AT MIDTOWN
Our next Live recording event is coming up! On the day after Easter and the day before T4G we’ll hold it at a brand new, exceptionally cool location. Get your tickets now!
APRIL 13, 2020
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT
Sojourn Church Midtown
1207 South Shelby Street
Louisville, KY 40203
Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:
Order your Redbud coffee
Connect with Ted, Ronnie, or Barnabas to speak for your church, organization, or event
Support the podcast through our Patreon page . This helps us cover production and hosting costs so we can keep this thing rolling
To listen you can:
Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher
Listen via just about any podcast app/streaming service out there
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.
Episode #287
March 4, 2020
How Jesus Helps Doubters
One of the most consistent mistakes we make when we’re doubting is to assume we know how God should respond. We think we know what we need, what would help us most. (We tend to think this way whether we are doubting or not.) When we have this attitude we approach God more like He is a waiter ready to take our order than like He is omniscient and omnipotent and we should cast ourselves on His mercy.
In Mark 9, the father of a demon possessed boy comes to Jesus with a specific request but also with a faith. He does not act as if he knows what is best but rather postures himself as dependent. This is the stance of faith, and it is vital for us to recognize it because otherwise Jesus’s response to our doubts might be undesirable us.
Jesus will always meet our needs and will always respond to a humble request for help, like what the father did. But Jesus will not always give us exactly what we ask for or what we think is best. In the case of this story He did, because to cast out the demon was to overcome evil and to show that He was worthy of faith. Often, though, showing He is worthy of our faith does not look like fulfilling our specific desires. Often Jesus knows a better way to meet our needs even if it doesn’t appear better to us.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 says:
7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Paul describes a hardship, given by God, that he specifically asked to be removed. Paul was in pain and a place of difficulty, so naturally he assumed the best thing for him would be to have the thorn removed. God knew better. The pain had a purpose and His power would be perfected in Paul by carrying him through it rather than removing it. God perfecting His power means, in part, letting it be seen in strengthened faith and increased perseverance. Paul was drawn closer to Jesus, was more dependent on Him, and grew in humility and faith through God answering his prayer in a way he did not ask for.
The same is true for us. The question, then, is whether we are willing to accept this.
In the very first session we saw that God is infinite and perfect. His wisdom is too wonderful for us, beyond us. At a conceptual level that sounds wonderful and worthy of our trust. In the midst of doubts and trials it is a reality that is much harder to find peace in sometimes. It often means that the answers or relief we want isn’t forthcoming because God knows a better way (the best way) we cannot see.
This is when we remember Hebrews 11:1–Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen–and find assurance in things hoped for and conviction in those things we cannot see. That is, we have faith. Faith clings to the truth that God is doing what we need, what is best, what will bring us through regardless if we can see how He is doing so. Faith trusts that His power is perfected in our weakness and that it is for our good.
Jesus always meets the needs of those who trust in Him whether it is in an obvious, victorious way like He did in Mark 9 or in an opaque, mysterious way like Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 12. Will we trust? Will we cling to every truth we know about Jesus as forgiver, redeemer, savior, and sender of the Holy Spirit who is our helper? We will we be people of faith who believe even when we do not see?
His power is perfected in our weakness. His answer to “Help my unbelief” is always a resounding “YES.” And His way of doing this is always perfect and for our best.
QUESTIONS:
Why do we so easily assume that we know the best way to resolve our struggles? How does this assumption mesh with having genuine faith?
How does dependence better position us to receive God’s answers to our prayers?
It is easy to give mental assent to “Jesus knows better” but what does it look like to really trust in that truth when we are in the midst of doubts?
We usually want to God to show His power by fixing our problems or answering our questions outright. How do you process the statement that God’s “power is perfected in weakness”?
What is the difference between “blind faith” and having assurance and confidence when we cannot see clearly what God is doing?
[image error]This is an excerpt from my small group study titled Help My Unbelief: Why Doubt is Not the Enemy of Faith. Learn more about the study, additional resources, and how you can use it with your group at lifeway.com/helpmyunbelief.
Image by Lorraine Cormier from Pixabay
February 27, 2020
New Happy Rant Sports: Nondescript Teams, Tom Brady, and Sports Personas
In this episode of the Happy Rant Sports Episode Ted and Barnabas suss out the following sports topics:
The most nondescript franchises
The Tom Brady sweepstakes
The alpha dynamic in the clubhouse
One franchise guys
The sports personas of the three Happy Rant hosts
Sponsors
[image error]WE ARE COFFEE MOGULS AGAIN. We’ve joined forces with Redbud Coffee, based out of Auburn IL, to bring you deliciously roasted and beautifully packaged coffee. Check out their variety of roasts and be sure to use the code HappyRant at checkout to get a 10% discount off your purchase.
LIVE AT MIDTOWN
Our next Live recording event is coming up! On the day after Easter and the day before T4G we’ll hold it at a brand new, exceptionally cool location. Get your tickets now!
APRIL 13, 2020
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT
Sojourn Church Midtown
1207 South Shelby Street
Louisville, KY 40203
Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:
Order your Redbud coffee
Connect with Ted, Ronnie, or Barnabas to speak for your church, organization, or event
Support the podcast through our Patreon page . This helps us cover production and hosting costs so we can keep this thing rolling
To listen you can:
Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher
Listen via just about any podcast app/streaming service out there
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.
Episode #36
February 26, 2020
New Happy Rant: The Manliest Man, Not Funny Enough, and Francis Chan’s Career Arc
In this episode of The Happy Rant Ted, Ronnie, and Barnabas suss out the following:
Ronnie’s brush with Beth Moore fame
The manliest man on the internet
Claiming the manhood corner
Language and confusion about how to even discuss manhood
Are we funny enough?
Francis Chan, transubstantiation, transcendental meditation, and whatnot
That Francis Chan career arc
Sponsors
[image error]WE ARE COFFEE MOGULS AGAIN. We’ve joined forces with Redbud Coffee, based out of Auburn IL, to bring you deliciously roasted and beautifully packaged coffee. Check out their variety of roasts and be sure to use the code HappyRant at checkout to get a 10% discount off your purchase.
Thank you to our sponsor for this week’s episode: Dwell Bible App. Dwell is a Bible listening app that we love! If you are looking for a convenient, fresh way of spending more time in God’s word Dwell is ideal. Go to https://dwellapp.io/happyrant to get 33% off your subscription. It comes out to about $20 for the entire year!
LIVE AT MIDTOWN
Our next Live recording event is coming up! On the day after Easter and the day before T4G we’ll hold it at a brand new, exceptionally cool location. Get your tickets now!
APRIL 13, 2020
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT
Sojourn Church Midtown
1207 South Shelby Street
Louisville, KY 40203
Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:
Order your Redbud coffee
Connect with Ted, Ronnie, or Barnabas to speak for your church, organization, or event
Support the podcast through our Patreon page . This helps us cover production and hosting costs so we can keep this thing rolling
To listen you can:
Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher
Listen via just about any podcast app/streaming service out there
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.
Episode #286
February 18, 2020
New Happy Rant: The Oscars, Axe Throwing, and Crazy Speeches
In this episode of The Happy Rant Ted, Ronnie, and Barnabas suss out, well, a bunch of random stuff:
Depressing movies with Trogges
The Oscars in all their self-indulgence
Gender debates and defending John Piper
The popularity of Axe Throwing and Escape Rooms
Crazy acceptance speeches
Craft coffee, Hydroflasks, and cooking shows
Sponsors
[image error]WE ARE COFFEE MOGULS AGAIN. We’ve joined forces with Redbud Coffee, based out of Auburn IL, to bring you deliciously roasted and beautifully packaged coffee. Check out their variety of roasts and be sure to use the code HappyRant at checkout to get a 10% discount off your purchase.
Thank you to our sponsor for this week’s episode: Dwell Bible App. Dwell is a Bible listening app that we love! If you are looking for a convenient, fresh way of spending more time in God’s word Dwell is ideal. Go to https://dwellapp.io/happyrant to get 33% off your subscription. It comes out to about $20 for the entire year!
LIVE AT MIDTOWN
Our next Live recording event is coming up! On the day after Easter and the day before T4G we’ll hold it at a brand new, exceptionally cool location. Get your tickets now!
APRIL 13, 2020
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM EDT
Sojourn Church Midtown
1207 South Shelby Street
Louisville, KY 40203
Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:
Order your Redbud coffee
Connect with Ted, Ronnie, or Barnabas to speak for your church, organization, or event
Support the podcast through our Patreon page . This helps us cover production and hosting costs so we can keep this thing rolling
To listen you can:
Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher
Listen via just about any podcast app/streaming service out there
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.
Episode #285
February 17, 2020
New Group Study on Faith and Doubt
[image error]Earlier this month my new 6-session small group study titled Help My Unbelief: Why Doubt is Not the Enemy of Faith released from LifeWay. It is built out from my book by the same title and is aimed at classes and small groups. I developed it (with much help from great editors, designers, and videographers) with the hope that it would help those struggling with crippling doubt and would shake others from apathy by raising questions they need to face. My hope is that it will encourage people whose faith is fragile and exhausted and that it will bolster those whose faith is solid. If you are looking for a study to go through with a small group, discipleship group, or class this could work for you.
[image error]It includes the following.
Leader Kit with videos (12-15 minutes of teaching apiece) and session previews as well as a copy of the paperback edition of Help My Unbelief
Six small-group sessions with discussion questions and guides for the leader
Personal study opportunities for ongoing spiritual growth to be used throughout the weeks between small group gtherings
Digital options, including eBooks and group-use video bundles or individual teaching videos for rent or purchase
Order Your Copy:
Lifeway.com
Christianbook.com
Amazon
