Barnabas Piper's Blog, page 78
March 3, 2017
Interview with Crosswalk on The Curious Christian
I recorded a short interview with Crosswalk.com on my new book, The Curious Christian. In it we talk about where the idea of curiosity came from for a book, why we need curiosity to go deeper in truth and understanding of God, and how curiosity makes us better image bearers of God. I also share a few things I am curious about right now and am enjoying.
March 2, 2017
New Happy Rant – The Curious Christian (A Bonus Episode)
In a departure from the norm, this episode is not all three hosts ranting about whatever they dang well please. Instead you will get to hear a free chapter from Barnabas Piper’s new book, The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every Part of Life. Barnabas did the reading himself, and while he’s no Jon Hamm or Morgan Freeman he did ok.
Christian Audio, who produced the audiobook, has partnered with us to make this available for your listening enjoyment AND to give a special offer. Through the end of March if you can get The Curious Christian audiobook for 50% off through ChristianAudio.com. Just use the code HAPPYRANT at checkout and you will be spending less (under $7) than you would to get full at Chick fil A.
To listen you can:
Subscribe in iTunes.
Listen on Stitcher.
Leave us a rating in iTunes (it only takes 1 click and it really helps us).
Listen using the player below.
BONUS EPISODE
March 1, 2017
Why I Wrote The Curious Christian
My third book, The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every Part of Life releases today. I think it is the book I am most proud of (and relieved to be done with) because it was the most challenging to write. The challenge stemmed both from the season of life during which I wrote it as well as the content itself. Curiosity is a nebulous thing to which most of us don’t give much focused, concrete thought. For that reason it is something we lack and don;t even realize we lack.
Most of us just aren’t very curious about very many things, and the results are striking . . . if you are curious enough to look for them.
A lack of curiosity undermines our spiritual lives and faith. Without it we decided that we know enough of God without over considering his magnificent infinity and the endless opportunity to discover more of Him
A lack of curiosity beaks down relationships with friends, co-workers, and loved ones. It leads to selfishness, thoughtlessness, disinterest, distance, and even abandonment
A lack of curiosity is a huge reason we have such political division in our country. We fall to ask honest, humble questions and to listen. We create a partisan rigidity that refuses to see and explore the complexity of many issues and work through them to a common good.
A lack of curiosity contributes hugely to the racial tensions in America. We are afraid of different and even more afraid of discomfort. We see only through the narrow sense of our cultural upbringing and refuse to consider seeing how another has experienced life. And so we judge from a disinterested distance or form false biases.
A lack of curiosity is why we get bored so easily and find so little enjoyment in good things. We always need a new thing instead of wringing all the good out of the thing we have. We are moving so fast that every enjoyment is like a taste test instead of a thing we savor.
A lack of curiosity is why we know so little about so many things and people and peoples. And so we live small lives defined by our day to day and waking hours.
The flip side of all this is that curiosity – the intentional pursuit of truth and desire to see God’s workmanship – gives life and hope and richness to all those parts of life. It is the means by which we can be better and fuller image-bearers of God and see that image in others. And it is how we can discover so many opportunities for enjoyment and joy and wonder and fun in the world around us.
That is why I wrote The Curious Christian. I hope to give readers a taste of wonder, a desire for more, and permission to be curious in whatever unique way God has designed them. I hope to help people see that curiosity is a virtue and a discipline, but more than that it is an ingredient to the best sort of life we can lead – the life that reflects God and see’s all that He is doing around us.
To learn more about the book you can visit CuriousChristianBook.com. There is even a short curiosity evaluation to help you see just how curious you actually are.
Order Your Copy
February 27, 2017
NEW HAPPY RANT: Only The Better Stuff and Some Days Are Bad Days
In this episode of The Happy Rant podcast Ted, Ronnie, and Barnabas try something a little different with, um, indeterminate results. In honor of Stephen Altrogge’s latest podcast they set out to do an episode of “only the better stuff” exceot that Ted’s bad day gets in the way. In the end they discuss the following.
Creative funks
NBA Trade Deadline and NFL Draft
Live music
Books we like
Starting conversations with prominent theologians
NBA sports writing
Memory foam mattresses
We mentioned in a previous episode that Happy Rant Coffee is coming soon. We are near to finalizing those details, and here is a little proof. More income to come soon!
As usual we are immensely grateful to Resonate Recordings for doing all our mastering and editing. They make three audio hacks listenable. If you are looking for podcasting services head to ResonateRecordings.com and see what they offer.
To listen you can:
Subscribe in iTunes.
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 #130
February 24, 2017
Curiosity, Crossing Cultures, and Breaking Down Barriers
The natural result of curiosity building in our lives is that we take relationships, work, and ministry and point them outward. Or rather it is the supernatural result because God is not a mono-cultural God. He is not the god of the suburbs, the soccer moms, yuppies, the hipsters, the yupsters (hipster + yuppie), or the yuccies (young urban creative, as found particularly in places like East Nashville or Greenpoint, Brooklyn) alone. We see God through our lens, out culture, our language, our past experience. We shape Him in our mind by our story and try our best to fit Him to our world. But He made the world and is fit to nowhere. Curiosity shows us this. It turns us insular-side out.
I write this from the perspective of a middle class, white thirty-something male. Culturally speaking, I live a cakewalk. I have all the racial and gender advantages America has to offer. (If you do not believe there are racial and gender advantages for white males I would simply encourage you get more curious. Read widely. Listen closely to minorities. Be humble enough to absorb.) I am at an age, by the world’s standards, old enough to be respected, but young enough to not be culturally obsolete. This means I function from a position of power as part of the majority, for the majority culture always has power. Majority doesn’t mean numerically larger; it refers to the culture that is dominant and defines the values and expectations of society. I have the privilege to never have to think about other cultures. After all, my way is the “right” way.
This is equally the most comfortable place to be and the most awful. By no choice of my own, I was born into and with little enough effort I have achieved a place where I can spend every day thinking nothing of how others live, think, survive, and navigate culture. They navigate around me, not me around them. It is a place of passive superiority that soaks deep into the soul. How easy. How terrible.
This is not what God intended. One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. And it won’t be a segregated service with one group having their preferred music style. Heaven will be fully integrated with no culture dominating any other. So what can we do to move that way now?
Get curious.
Just as curiosity turns us to the well being of others in personal relationships it does the same culturally. Of course, this is best accomplished in relationship. Curiosity is the bridge between neighbors of different races because it is built on genuine interest and honest questions. It seeks to know the other person with no agenda or ulterior motive. Curiosity allows us to humbly admit ignorance of another’s way of life, perspective, or experiences and then humbly listen when they share. Curiosity assumes the veracity and validity of another’s pain or joy even if it doesn’t understand precisely because it doesn’t understand.
We can apply curiosity to outside study as well, to the macro level of culture. When we ask questions of neighbors or co-workers we hear one person’s perspective. When we read books and articles, when we look at the history of a people group, when we begin observing the scope of a culture we see where their individual experience fits. We see them as a blade of grass in a larger field. This kind of interest is of equal importance to personal conversation because it provides context to cultural clashes (The rising tension and cries of outrage after Trayvon Martin’s murder, the riots in Ferguson or Baltimore after the deaths of Michael Brown and Freddie Gray, the controversy over the Black Lives Matter movement, and more) – where they came from, what led to them, how they impact people. Without curiosity we will judge those of other cultures. With curiosity we seek to understand and then empathize.
We need relational, micro curiosity and macro curiosity to cross cultures well. It will be a life-long effort for the same reason that curiosity in relationship is – the endless rich depths of cultures reflect the endless rich depths of the individuals who form them. We will learn to respond to differences not as threats, our default position on the unknown, but as new aspects of something God made and we can learn to appreciate and love. We can learn to trust and we can gain trust. Curiosity born out of a desire to understand the creator of all nations and cultures will come to see those peoples and cultures as He does.
This is an excerpt from my forthcoming book, The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every Part of Life, that is due to be released in early 2017.
If you would like to explore further and take a short (FREE) evaluation of your own curiosity visit CuriousChristianBook.com.
February 20, 2017
New Happy Rant: The Grammys, Chance the Rapper, and Why Christians Love Hip Hop
In this week’s Happy Rant Podcast Ted, Ronnie, and Barnabas riff on the following:
Thoughts on the Grammys and how they stack up to other awards shows
Why the Grammys are actually fun
Chance the Rapper’s Christian (??) performance
Why white evangelicals all claim rap and love it so much now
Since we don’t have a real sponsor in this episode Barnabas takes the chance to highlight his forthcoming book, The Curious Christian: How Discovering Wonder Enriches Every part of Life. Visit CuriousChristianBook.com to to take a fun little evaluation to see what kind of a curious person you are.
As usual we are immensely grateful to Resonate Recordings for doing all our mastering and editing. They make three audio hacks listenable. If you are looking for podcasting services head to ResonateRecordings.com and see what they offer.
To listen you can:
Subscribe in iTunes.
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 #129
February 17, 2017
5 Podcasts You Should Be Listening To
I’ve done two previous posts about podcasts I enjoy (here and here) and you should be listening to. I stand by all of those, but one of the best things about podcasts is the ever-increasing number of amazing ones. Here are 5 more you might enjoy and should definitely try.
CultivatedMike Cosper hosts this interview podcast, but it is not the kind of interview driven by the host. The guest is the feature and Cosper excels at letting guests shine. It is highly edited and produced so there is no meandering or wasted words. The podcast focuses on work and Creativity and vocation as Christians by highlighting the individual stories and efforts of the various guests. From tone to content to production this podcast is the money and is a new favorite of mine.
Crime TownIt’s like Serial except without all the navel-gazing, first person host intrusions, and moral vagueness. So I guess it’s not like Serial at all. Instead it is like a really good-natured documentary of organized crime in the 70s and 80s in Providence, RI. Little did I know that that was a mob hub for decades, and the story of corruption and politics and intrigue is amazing. The best parts of the podcast are the interviews they get with former mobsters who speak with such nostalgia and frankness it sucks the listener right in. This is a brilliant podcast.
How I built ThisI learn leadership and business principles best by absorbing them from others who do them well and synthesizing ideas. That is what this podcast offers. It is, very simply, the stories of how many of the world’s most successful business ventures began as told by the founders. It is an interview, but only to tee up the story. It is not about principles. It is about how businesses started, but there is so much to glean from each entrepreneur and owner.
The Moment with Brian KoppelmanKoppelman is a screenwriter, director and producer of both films and TV shows, and in this podcast he talks with other creative people – actors, authors, musicians, etc. – about their creative lives. It is so fun and insightful to sit in on a conversation between tow creative, driven people to hear how they overcame challenges, what their processes are, and what they’ve learned. Anyone who is doing anything creative would benefit from this podcast and likely find it lots of fun too.
The Way I heard It with Mike RoweMike Rowe is best known for his TV show Dirty Jobs where he highlights the stories and efforts of largely overlooked folks. He kind of does the same thing in this podcast. Each episode Rowe tells one short biographical story of someone who has accomplished something significant. Usually it is a story of overcoming challenges or overcoming something. And the listener doesn’t know who the person is until the reveal at the end. It’s an interesting format with cool, brief stories. I prefer to let a few of these pile up and then listen to all of them in a row since they are bite-sized.
February 7, 2017
A Caveat About Caveats (OR – Why Writing on The Internet is A Pain)
I have a point to make, a clear concise point aimed at a particular audience. I intend to write it in a pointed manner aimed at certain readers. I will be incisive and cut to the chase.
That said, I have a quick caveat. Some of my readers will take issue with my point so let me address the thing I did not intend to address. It isn’t the point and I don’t have thoughts about that non-point right now. And that is not what this piece is about. There, that is out of the way.
Of course, on the other hand, other readers will disagree that my point is true, so let me seek to deflect those arguments as well. Instead of letting my insights stand on their own two feet and persuade or challenge readers it is best for me to distractedly tack swings at opposing view points.
And before I get started let me acknowledge that I am in a unique position to make this point and some readers will see that as disqualifying. So let me explain why I am qualified. Also, naturally I must give some background as to why I care about this punchy, pointed piece I have yet to actually get to. So yes, I may not be “of the masses,” but I do care because of my unique background and perspective and general ability to write.
I also just realized that some of what I address in this piece, once I get to actually addressing it, might be uncomfortable or offensive to some readers. Let me assure them that I do not condone or necessarily approve of such content. That said, I do think offensive – or “gritty” – content has a place in certain kinds of pieces, so let me suss that out briefly as well. Ok, we are ready to move on now.
But first let me just say that I remembered another angle I could have taken on this point. Here is the summation of that perspective and also why I chose not to write this pointed, sharp take in that way. See, this is a quick jab, a hard and fast take aimed a particular target. So naturally I could not address the other perspective I just addressed.
Now, on to my article . . . right after I explain that there are numerous writers who have addressed this very issue from varying perspectives and with differing levels of clarity and accuracy. I would like to thank their influence and contributions to my unique perspective and, again, to explain why I should also be speaking into this issue.
For my readers, As I begin, I’d like to thank you and to give a subtle address as to how you should read what I am about to write. I suspect you are a particular, bright kind of people. So please give this a gracious reading and see what I imply between the lines of my crisp, clean, direct writing.
With all that said I am ready to address the thing I came to address.
But first, let me say . . .
February 6, 2017
NEW HAPPY RANT: Signing Books and Celebrity Man Crushes
In this episode of The Happy Rant Ted and Barnabas (sans world traveler Ronnie) discuss the following.
Signing copies of our books at bookstores and leaving them on the shelf
Signing other people’s books
Celebrity man crushes in movies, music, and sports
Postulation about Ronnie’s celebrity man crushes
We’d like to thank Tyndale House and NavPress for sponsoring the podcast as well. Be sure to check out their two brand new releases.
Killing Us Softly: Re-Made in the Upside-Down Image of God by Efrem Smith
Efrem Smith helps us see that Christian discipleship is a counterintuitive life. In a world turned upside down by sin, God carefully and lovingly strips us of worldly values and turns us right-side up as good citizens and ambassadors of his Kingdom.
Meals From Mars: A Parable of Prejudice and Providence by Ben Sciacca
When talking about race, it helps to have something specific to talk about?a story we can all wrap our heads around. In Meals from Mars, Ben Sciacca provides that story: two men from different worlds forced by circumstance to see and hear and consider one another. It is a novel that demonstrates the social challenges and relational potential for racial reconciliation.
As usual we are immensely grateful to Resonate Recordings for doing all our mastering and editing. They make three audio hacks listenable. If you are looking for podcasting services head to ResonateRecordings.com and see what they offer.
To listen you can:
Subscribe in iTunes.
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 #126
Overcoming Questions of Faith – Brentwood Academy [audio]
I spoke at Brentwood Academy’s chapel last week. It was part of their spiritual emphasis week, and each day they were bringing in someone to share their story of coming to a genuine faith in Christ. I had the privilege of sharing about my journey growing up in the church to doubts and questions to a real, deep faith.
Here is the audio of that message. You can skip to 3:10 to get to the message and skip the preliminaries.
Brentwood Academy – January 2017 (Use this link if the audio player does not work.)
