Barnabas Piper's Blog, page 62

He Reads Truth: Miracles of Land and Sea

I have the privilege of contributing to He Reads Truth, a website of whose purpose is “To help men become who we were made to be, by doing what we were made to do, by the power and provision that God has given us to do it, for the glory of Jesus Christ.” They do this by providing scripture reading plans accompanied by reflections that can be accessed for free online or purchased as print books. For those of you looking to engage scripture in a fresh way – either because you are dried up or have been away from it, these studies/plans will refresh your soul and engage your mind.

What follows is one of the pieces I wrote for the Miracles of Jesus plan. You can find the full plan HERE.

Luke 8:22-25; Mark 6:47-52; Matthew 17:24-27; Mark 11:12-14,20-25

“Wow, it’s like magic! He has powers!” said my daughter at the breakfast table, not long after I’d read her a story of Jesus performing a miracle. “No,” I explained. “Jesus doesn’t have powers. He has power. He rules over creation. Miracles aren’t magic; they reveal the true order of things.”

Jesus rules over nature as Lord and Master, as Creator and King. He sleeps in a boat in high seas because He has nothing to fear from the sea. It obeys His command and leaves His disciples in awe. All it takes is a word and the rowdy waters retreat to their proper place.

He walks on the very waves He calmed as if they are terra firma, and He does so as His disciples thrash at their oars trying to row through. While we might know this story, we ought not count ourselves as too familiar with it. How can we be familiar with something we have never seen or even been able to fully imagine? He walked on water. He broke the laws of nature. What is that about?

These natural laws to which we are bound do not apply to the One who created nature from nothing.

We see this again when Jesus could not find figs on a tree, so He withered it with a word. Was He being spiteful? Was He mad at the tree? No. When you read the story you see He was making a point to His disciples about believing.

Another time, when Jesus owed a tax, He sent Peter to go catch a fish. Its mouth held money enough to cover both their taxes. How did the coin get there? How did Jesus know? How did Peter pull just that one particular fish from the sea? (I’d ask why the fish ate a coin, but if you’ve ever been fishing with a Daredevle® lure, you know they bite shiny metal.) The answer is this: Nature—from weather to water to plants to beasts—is at the command of its Creator.

Through these miracle stories, three sentences guide us:

“Who then is this?”

“Have courage! It is I!”

“Have faith.”

We must reflect daily on who this Jesus is, the Man who sleeps through storms then calms them with a rebuke. We must take courage because His miracles reveal His nature. He is Lord. He is powerful. He rules. For this reason we can have faith and live in it.

Miracles were not acts of magic or a show of powers. They were moments of revelation of who Jesus is, so we can know the One in whom our faith rests.

New Happy Rant: Self Promotion, Writing Inspiration, and Writing Ego

In this episode of The Happy Rant Ted, Ronnie,, and Barnabas suss out the following:

Furtick showed up at the Stronger Men’s Conference
Jon Acuff’s advice to SELF PROMOTE SELF PROMOTE SELF PROMOTE
What inspires us to write?
The ego involved in being “a writer”

Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:

Order fresh roasted coffee from Lagares Roasters
Order your Happy Rant swag from Missional Wear (Use code RANT to get discounts on swag and/or shipping)

Please consider supporting the podcast financially as well. We have set up a Patreon page, and your donations help us cover production costs, do live events, and grow the podcast by trying some new things. Oh, and of course there are perks for those who commit to helps us such as free books and coffee!

To listen you can:

Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher.
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.

Episode #194

New Happy Rant: T4R Part 3 – Listener Q&A

In this historic episode of The Happy Rant Podcast Ronnie, Ted, and Barnabas are reunited LIVE and in person at a hipster church in East Louisville. That’s right, it’s TOGETHER FOR THE RANT. This is the third of three episodes so go back and listen to the first and second then enjoy this delightful interaction with listeners. In this episode they field questions on the following:

Seminary mascots
Homeschooled teens
Nicknames
Childhood TV shows
John Piper’s tweets
Swapping jobs
SO MUCH MORE

Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:

Order fresh roasted coffee from Lagares Roasters
Order your Happy Rant swag from Missional Wear (Use code RANT to get discounts on swag and/or shipping)

Please consider supporting the podcast financially as well. We have set up a Patreon page, and your donations help us cover production costs, do live events, and grow the podcast by trying some new things. Oh, and of course there are perks for those who commit to helps us such as free books and coffee!

To listen you can:

Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher.
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.

Episode #193

3 Things I Like This Week – April 26

Each week 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. David’s Sunflower Seeds

[image error]‘Tis the season for cracking bats, popping mits, and playing ball. And that means it’s the season for David’s sunflower seeds. No other brand will do. And of course only the salted ones are any good – you can keep your ranch or buffalo or whatever flavors. Those are for posers and tweens. There simply is nothing like packing one cheek full of seeds so you can methodically spew shells while the salt numbs your gums. They make work go faster and road trips shorter. They dull the pain of children’s soccer practices and games. They are great company on the back deck or while walking the dog. I only suggest not chewing them in bed.

2. Quote Books

[image error]I love collections of quotes. I’d rather read quotes from a book than a book review (take note, TGC). Among the most thumbed-through books on my shelf are the volumes I’ve collected of nothing but quotes. The Complete Guide to Christian Quotations, 1001 Smartest Things Ever Said, and various collections from particularly quotable people (Churchill, Spurgeon, Chesterton, etc.) are gold mines of wisdom and wit. As a writer they are invaluable and informative, as a reader they are enjoyable and enlighting, and as a tweeter they are rip for likes and RTs (it all matters, folks).

3. Manu Ginobli’s Ball Fakes

In a recent Happy Rant Sports Podcast episode I lauded Manu as my favorite old guy in the NBA. He is out there killing guys half his age. He can still throw down. He can still drop dimes. But it’s his wicked craftiness that makes him so awesome.

New Happy Rant: T4R Part 2: Stronger Men, Hunger Games Style

In this historic episode of The Happy Rant Podcast Ronnie, Ted, and Barnabas are reunited LIVE and in person at a hipster church in East Louisville. That’s right, it’s TOGETHER FOR THE RANT. This is the second of three episodes so go back and listen to the first and stay tuned for one more to come. In this episode they discuss:

Swag for Ted – lots and LOTS of swag for Ted
The Stronger Men’s Conference, Hunger Games style
Reformed Hunger Games

Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:

Order fresh roasted coffee from Lagares Roasters
Order your Happy Rant swag from Missional Wear (Use code RANT to get discounts on swag and/or shipping)

Please consider supporting the podcast financially as well. We have set up a Patreon page, and your donations help us cover production costs, do live events, and grow the podcast by trying some new things. Oh, and of course there are perks for those who commit to helps us such as free books and coffee!

To listen you can:

Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher.
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.

Episode #192

Happy Rant Sports #8 – The NFL Draft

In this episode of The Happy Rant Sports Podcast Ted and Barnabas prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft and answer the following questions:

Is Josh Allen a Ponzi scheme?
Does Josh Rosen’s Country Club Millennial-ness scare you??
Best player on your draft board
Favorite all-time draft picks from our favorite childhood teams

Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:

Order fresh roasted coffee from Lagares Roasters
Order your Happy Rant swag from Missional Wear (Use code RANT to get discounts on swag and/or shipping)

Please consider supporting the podcast financially as well. We have set up a Patreon page, and your donations help us cover production costs, do live events, and grow the podcast by trying some new things. Oh, and of course there are perks for those who commit to helps us such as free books and coffee!

To listen you can:

Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher.
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.

Episode #8

3 Things I Like This Week – April 19

Each week 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. A Jazz Portrait of Frank Sinatra

[image error]When you think of Sinatra you likely think of a velvet voice and a big band, and you probably smile too. Sinatra became a legend for a reason – such great music. I ran across this album a couple years ago and love it. It is the Oscar Peterson Trio playing Sinatra’s most famous songs in a classic jazz style. Adapting classic songs is hard, but when put in the hands of another all-time great it can be pretty spectacular.

2. The Spurgeon Journal

[image error]I am picky about journals and notebooks. I don’t like paper that bleeds through or paper that isn’t absorbent enough for good ink. I don’t like bindings that crack or that or won’t lay flat. This leather bound journal has none of those problems AND it features quotes from Spurgeon’s earliest sermons in the footer of every few pages. Even the cover design is an ode to Spurgeon, reminiscent of the marbled notebooks he composed his messages in. If you’re looking for a high quality journal style notebook replete with encouragement from one of history’s greatest preachers you just found it.

3. Every Randy Moss Long TD

Randy Moss is my all-time favorite Viking draft pick and one of my top 2 or 3 favorite Viking players. This video features every single one of his 40+ yard TDs. NINE MINUTES OF TDs – this is just insane.

He Reads Truth: How to Give

I have the privilege of contributing to He Reads Truth, a website of whose purpose is “To help men become who we were made to be, by doing what we were made to do, by the power and provision that God has given us to do it, for the glory of Jesus Christ.” They do this by providing scripture reading plans accompanied by reflections that can be accessed for free online or purchased as print books. For those of you looking to engage scripture in a fresh way – either because you are dried up or have been away from it, these studies/plans will refresh your soul and engage your mind.

What follows is one of the pieces I wrote for the Sermon on the Mount plan. You can find the full plan HERE.

Matthew 6:1-4, Proverbs 24:12, 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10, 1 John 2:28-29

In these days of social media ubiquity nothing is hidden. Our discretion and privacy have nearly vanished. People live in digital “glass houses,” and do so on purpose. Life is a performance to please our followers. This means that every good deed is advertised. When we donate to a GoFundMe page, it puts the dollar amount next to our name. When we give to someone in need, we humblebrag about being “so glad to be able to help.” We live to be praised.

But this is antithetical to how Jesus tells us to give. Don’t practice your righteousness for others to take note of, He says. Don’t use generosity as leverage to heap praise on yourself.

When we live to be praised, one of two things happens. We receive no praise and are hurt, or we receive the praise we sought and are left desiring even more. And this is our reward, Jesus says. For those who give publicly and practice good deeds for the eyes of mankind have received their reward: the vaporous, temporal praise of people.

Instead, Jesus points us to the heart of giving and generosity. He instructs us to not let our left hand know what our right hand is doing; to give in private. God will see and will reward us as He sees fit. The heart of giving is not praise from the recipient or from those who see the “good” deed; it is a heart of love. It is a heart marked by gratefulness for all that God has given us.

To give seeking praise is to not really give at all. It is to make a business transaction: I give and, in return, you praise me. Godly generosity, on the other hand, gives seeking nothing in return. It knows that God sees both our actions and the heart behind them. He takes note of those good deeds which are done in secret and is pleased by them. Not only is He pleased, He promises to reward them—whether in this life or in the next—and that reward will be so much richer than any adulation this world has to offer.

It is a difficult shift to go from doing good with the hope of receiving praise to, instead, doing good from a place of humility and love, confident that it pleases God. If we think more about the generosity God has shown us, we will find this easier. If we think more about the recipient of our generosity as an equal image bearer of God, it will help us. If we consider our ongoing need for generosity, both physically and spiritually, that will help too.

The heart of giving is not what we receive in return, but what we have already received from God. He sees. He knows. He is pleased and rewards. And no praise from our fellow man, be it online or in person, can compare to that eternal reward.

New Happy Rant: T4R Part 1: C-Listers List, Happy Rant 101, and Decadence

In this historic episode of The Happy Rant Podcast Ronnie, Ted, and Barnabas are reunited LIVE and in person at a hipster church in East Louisville. That’s right, it’s TOGETHER FOR THE RANT, and this is just the first of three episodes so stay tuned. They discuss:

Infamous C-Lister Jared C’s infamous list of infamous reformed people
Happy Rant 101 – a discussion of where our sign off came from, why Ronnie shortens words, and more
Listener trivia and general decadence

Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:

Order fresh roasted coffee from Lagares Roasters
Order your Happy Rant swag from Missional Wear (Use code RANT to get discounts on swag and/or shipping)

Please consider supporting the podcast financially as well. We have set up a Patreon page, and your donations help us cover production costs, do live events, and grow the podcast by trying some new things. Oh, and of course there are perks for those who commit to helps us such as free books and coffee!

To listen you can:

Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher.
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.

Episode #191

Happy Rant Sports #7 – NBA Awards, NBA Playoffs, and Baseball’s Unwritten Rules

In this episode of Happy Rant Sports Ted and Barnabas dig into the following scintillating sports topics:

NBA Awards (mostly made up fun ones Ted came up with)
NBA playoff predictions and what we’d like to see happen
Discussing baseball’s asinine unwritten rules

Be sure to visit HappyRantPodcast.com where you can:

Order fresh roasted coffee from Lagares Roasters
Order your Happy Rant swag from Missional Wear (Use code RANT to get discounts on swag and/or shipping)

Please consider supporting the podcast financially as well. We have set up a Patreon page, and your donations help us cover production costs, do live events, and grow the podcast by trying some new things. Oh, and of course there are perks for those who commit to helps us such as free books and coffee!

To listen you can:

Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Google Play
Listen on Stitcher.
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.

Episode #7