Justin Taylor's Blog, page 181

70% Off Tim Keller’s New Book on Work and Vocation

Tim Keller’s new book is entitled Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God’s Work, and Westminster Books is offering a 70% off discount for one week.

Here is the closing paragraph of the introduction—which you can read online for free—Keller sets forth a brief overview of where he is going in this book:

In order to work in this way— to get the consolation and freedom that Tolkien received from his Christian faith for his work— you need to know the Bible’s answers to three questions:

Why do you want to work? (That is, why do we need to work in order to lead a fulfilled life?)
Why is it so hard to work? (That is, why is it so often fruitless, pointless, and difficult?)
How can we overcome the difficulties and find satisfaction in our work through the gospel?

The rest of this book will seek to answer those three questions in its three sections, respectively.

 

God’s Answer to “How Should I Live with Disability?”

Krista Horning, author of Just the Way I Am: God’s Good Design in Disability, is a trophy of God’s grace. I thank God that he made her just the way she is. And I praise God that someday he will not leave her as she is but will transform her and make her whole, perfectly reflecting the image of his Son.

Krista recently gave a testimony of God’s faithfulness to her through his Word. I would encourage you to watch it. If you have kids, it’d be great to watch this with them as well, listening to an outstanding model of applying God’s Word and hiding it in your heart.

Here’s how she begins:

For me, disability is the deep is the deep hurt and shame that says, “I’m not accepted.” Disability says ugly things to me. It tells me I’m alone. I’m different. I’m worthless. I’m weak. It tells me my life is hopeless.

Disability lies to me. And sometimes it’s easy to believe. Sometimes I don’t want to live with disability. Sometimes I don’t want to be who God made me to be.

So how do I live with disability? Where do I turn? . . . God tells the truth. So I keep listening to him. He opens the eyes of my heart and I believe. I trust him and his words. God says beautiful things to me. Listen.

HT: @Bloom_Jon

See also Michael Beates, Disability and the Gospel: How God Uses Our Brokenness to Display His Grace, Greg Lucas, Wrestling with an Angel: A Story of Love, Disability and the Lessons of Grace, and Why, O God? Suffering and Disability in the Bible and the Church, ed. Larry Waters and Roy Zuck.

All in One Little Lifetime: All Gone with the Wind

Journalist Malcom Muggeridge, writing in 1980:

We look back upon history and what do we see?

Empires rising and falling, revolutions and counterrevolutions, wealth accumulating and and then disbursed, one nation dominant and then another. Shakespeare speaks of the “rise and fall of great ones that ebb and flow with the moon.”

In one lifetime I have seen my own  countrymen ruling over a quarter of the world, the great majority of them convinced, in the words of what is still a favorite song, that “God who’s made them mighty would make them mightier yet.”

I’ve heard a crazed, cracked Austrian proclaim to the world the establishment of a German Reich that would last for a thousand years; an Italian clown announce he would restart the calendar to begin with his own assumption of power; a murderous Georgian brigand in the Kremlin acclaimed by the intellectual elite of the western world as wiser than Solomon, more enlightened than Asoka, more humane than Marcus Aurelius.

I’ve seen America wealthier and in terms of military weaponry more powerful than all the rest of the world put together, so that Americans, had they so wished, could have outdone an Alexander or a Julius Caesar in the range and scale of their conquests.

All in one little lifetime. All gone with the wind.

England now part of an island off the coast of Europe and threatened with dismemberment and even bankruptcy.

Hitler and Mussolini dead and remembered only in infamy.

Stalin a forbidden name in the regime he helped to found and dominate for some three decades.

America haunted by fears of running out of the precious fluid that keeps the motorways roaring and the smog settling, with troubled memories of a disastrous campaign in Vietnam and of the great victories of the Don Quixotes of the media when they charged the windmills of Watergate. All in one lifetime, all in one lifetime, all gone. Gone with the wind.

—Malcom Muggeridge, “But Not of Christ,” Seeing Through the Eye: Malcolm Muggeridge on Faith, ed. Cecil Kuhne (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2005), 29-30.

When Ravi Zacharias quotes a version of these memorable words from Muggeridge, he often adds his own appropriate postscript:

Behind the debris of these solemn supermen, and self-styled imperial diplomatists, there stands the gigantic figure of one, because of whom, by whom, in whom and through whom alone, mankind may still have peace: The person of Jesus Christ. I present him as the way, the truth, and the life.

It Takes a Thousand People to Create a Pencil

Milton Friedman used to give an example of “The Power of the Pencil” as an illustration of the wonder of the free market—namely, that one person alone could not create the pencils we have, but a thousand people labor and cooperate together to produce a pencil that we can purchase for a a trifling sum.

The video below tells the story well. For those who have eyes to see, it’s also an amazing testimony, I think, to divine providence and as our work as image bearers in reflecting his creativity (even if unwittingly) and having appropriate dominion over creation.

Oliver Twist: Focus On The Family Radio Theatre

Focus on the Family’s Radio Theatre’s edition of Charles Dickens’ classic story, Oliver Twist, is now available (5 CDs). Our family has begun listening to it and enjoying it. Here’s a preview:

Below the fold are the other audio dramas in the series.

The Chronicles of Narnia

Between the lamppost and Cair Paravel on the eastern sea lies Narnia, a mystical land where animals hold the power of speech . . . woodland creatures conspire with men . . . dark forces, bent on conquest, gather at the world’s rim to wage war against the realm’s rightful king . . . and the great lion Aslan is the only hope. Into this enchanted world comes a group of unlikely travelers. These ordinary boys and girls, when faced with peril, learn extraordinary lessons in courage, self-sacrifice, friendship, and honor.

These classic stories have enchanted millions around the world. Radio Theatre brings them to life in this dramatized audio production. Recorded in London with an all-star cast of England’s brightest talent from the stage and screen, an original orchestral score, and cinema-quality digital sound design, this innovative recording provides hours of entertainment for the entire family. The Chronicles of Narnia includes The Magician’s Nephew; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; The Horse and His Boy; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; and The Last Battle.

Note: there are 19 CDs and this includes all seven books. I’d recommend getting this one, which is about 1/3 the price of this one. I think the only difference is that with the latter, each audiobook is in its own hard plastic case, whereas with the former they are just in paper CD pockets.

The Hiding Place

The Hiding Place is the story of two spinster daughters, Corrie and Betsie, unlikely heroes who became the center of a major underground operation to hide Jewish refugees from the occupying Germans. Even when betrayed and sent away to the dreaded Ravensbruck concentration camp, they manage to create another Hiding Place for those around them. This innovative audio drama closely follows the account of Corrie Ten Boom and features a moving musical score.

3 CDs

Les Misérables

The story that has thrilled millions comes to life in a brand new way in Focus on the Family Radio Theatre’s Les Miserables. This audio drama beautifully portrays the redeeming power of forgiveness through the story of Jean Valjean, an embittered convict whose life is changed by a single act of kindness. Recorded in London with some of England’s finest actors, it will mesmerize adults and families alike.

3 CDs

At Home in Mitford

Combining the stellar script-adaptation skills of award-winning writer Paul McCusker with the best-selling novel by Jan Karon, Radio Theatre’s At Home in Mitford will leave listeners longing for more. Set in the charming village of Mitford, this book will delight listeners as it draws them into the life of Father Tim, an Episcopal rector who finds himself running on empty and longing for change. His bachelor existence is changed and enriched by a lovable cast of characters, including a stray dog, a lonely boy, and a comely neighbor.

6 CDs

Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom

With faith comes a price. What are you willing to pay? That’s the question explored in Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom. Chronicling the life of German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, this provocative Peabody award-winning dramatization shares the story of one man’s battle against the evils of Nazism, a decadent culture, and compromising church—something that’s not so foreign to society today. Challenging and compelling, it’s entertainment with a message!

3 CDs

At the Back of the North Wind

In this Radio Theatre audio drama adaptation of George MacDonald’s classic story, a beautiful woman known as the North Wind blows through a small village in Victorian London, and everyday lives are mysteriously enveloped by a power and a glory. Along the way, she visits a poor stable boy named Diamond and takes him with her on her journeys. At the Back of the North Wind explores the place of death in our lives, social injustice, and our deep need for love and forgiveness.

C. S. Lewis, author of the classic Chronicles of Narnia series, said of MacDonald, “What he does best is fantasy—fantasy that hovers between the allegorical and the mythopoeic. And this, in my opinion, he does better than any man. MacDonald is the greatest genius of this kind whom I know.”

2 CDs

Father Gilbert Mysteries: Collector’s Edition

When Louis Gilbert turned in his detective badge to become an Anglican priest, he thought his days of solving difficult mysteries were over. Now, as the vicar of an ancient church in a small English village, Gilbert finds himself as the center of one strange mystery after another. And he brings to each one his unique combination of streetwise smarts and spiritual intuition.

All nine Father Gilbert Mysteries are offered in this special 10-CD collection, providing over 10 hours of audio entertainment.

(Note: Due to themes and scenes of mature nature, these audio drams are recommended for listeners age 15 and older.)

Silas Marner

Edward Woodward . . . and Jenny Agutter are just two of the experienced cast that lends its talents to this enchanting audio-play adaptation of the famous story by George Eliot. Betrayed by his best friend and maliciously accused of being a thief, Silas Marner loses everything—his fiancee, his friends, his reputation, and—worst of all—his faith in God and his fellow man. When a beautiful, golden-haired child enters his life—a girl he loves as if she were his own daughter—his life is amazingly changed for the better.

2 CDs

Anne of Green Gables

This captivating new radio drama production based on the beloved book by Lucy M. Montgomery allows listeners to personally experience the world and characters presented in Anne of Green Gables in a whole new way! Anne of Green Gables is the story of a little girl’s feisty spirit and strong determination that win over the hearts of the people of Avonlea, the love and commitment of family, and a poor orphan growing up into a distinguished young woman.

3 CDs

Amazing Grace

The Radio Theatre production of Amazing Grace provides a prequel view to events featured in Amazing Grace, the movie. It offers listeners a more in-depth and personal story of each of the main characters—William Wilberforce (an evangelical Christian politician), John Newton (author of “Amazing Grace”), and Olaudah Equiano (slave turned quaker merchant)—three men instrumental in overthrowing the slave trade. The original Radio Theatre drama will bring out the essential spiritual elements in each story and show how the efforts of each man turned the tide of public opinion.

6 CDs

Note: Amazon doesn’t seem to be carrying this one right now. CBD says they can ship it by the end of June.

Ben Hur

An unforgettable account of betrayal, revenge, redemption, Focus on the Family Radio Theatre’s production of Ben-Hur tells the tale of a nobleman who fell from Roman favor and was sentenced to live as a slave—all at the hands of his childhood friend, Messala. Once nearly brothers, any hope of reconciliation is dashed after Messala is seriously injured during a vicious chariot race won by the vindictive Ben-Hur. But what makes this adaptation of Lew Wallace’s best-selling story unforgettable is the changed man Ben-Hur becomes after seeing Christ on the cross. Recorded in London with film-style sound, this action-packed production shares that compassion is the true path to redemption.”

2 CDs

A Christmas Carol

Experience Charles Dickens’s beloved story of Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and the ghosts of Christmases past, present, and future in a 90-minute full-cast drama production. Since 1996, Focus on the Family Radio Theatre has produced innovative audio entertainment for families and individuals. These dramas feature cinema-quality sound design and original music scores.

2 CDs; 90 minutes

 

The Screwtape Letters

In his enduringly popular masterpiece The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis re-imagines Hell as a gruesome bureaucracy. With spiritual insight and wry wit, Lewis suggests that demons, laboring in a vast enterprise, have horribly recognizable human attributes: competition, greed, and totalitarian punishment. Avoiding their own painful torture as well as a desire to dominate are what drive demons to torment their “patients.”

The style and unique dark humor of The Screwtape Letters are retained in this full-cast dramatization, as is the original setting of London during World War II. The story is carried by the senior demon Screwtape played magnificently by award-winning actor Andy Serkis (“Gollum” in Lord of the Rings) as he shares correspondence to his apprentice demon Wormwood. All 31 letters lead into dramatic scenes, set in either Hell or the real world with humans—aka “the patient,” as the demons say—along with his circle of friends and family. This Radio Theatre release also stars Geoffrey Palmer (Tomorrow Never Dies), Laura Michelle Kelly (Sweeney Todd), Eileen Page (The Secret Garden), and other world-class actors.

Includes 10 new songs inspired by the classic book, four behind-the-scenes video documentary featurettes, and a 5.1 surround sound mix. Four CDs, approx. 4 hours total.

Here’s a “behind the scenes” video:

The Legend of Squanto

Discover the incredible story of one of American history’s least known, yet most compelling, figures as it unfolds in The Legend of Squanto. This Focus on the Family radio theatre drama is more than just a tale about an honest man who triumphed over tragedy. It is also a tribute to honor, integrity, and the God-given ability to look beyond the color of one’s skin . . . and into the heart.

2 CDs

You can preview the entire audiobook below:

Billy Budd, Sailor

Listeners will be captivated by this moving tale of good versus evil through the life of winsome young sailor Billy Budd. Aboard a 1700s British warship, virtuous Billy is unfairly accused of treason by the villainous Master of Arms—a cold-blooded superior officer intent on Billy’s destruction. Adapted from Herman Melville’s famous novel and presented by Focus on the Family’s Peabody Award-winning Radio Theatre team, Billy Budd will remind listeners of another man, perfectly just, who suffered and died a criminal’s death.

1 CD

The Secret Garden

One of the best-loved stories of all time, The Secret Garden is presented in high-quality and entertaining Radio Theatre drama. This classic tale, enriched with Biblical values, reflects themes such as helping others and believing in people. Mary, a young orphaned girl, meets her bedridden cousin, Colin. She discovers an enchanting secret place, separate from the outside world. It is in this place that Colin and Mary learn lessons about overcoming obstacles. By putting their faith in God and others, their lives are forever altered. This story will captivate audiences of all ages.

2 CDs

The Life of Jesus

In first century Palestine, the physician Luke is on a mission to save the life of his friend Paul. His task: chronicling the life of a carpenter’s son from Nazareth named Jesus. Luke searches for firsthand witnesses to the miracles and controversies surrounding the man they call “the Christ.” Luke’s travels take him through violent roads, and he encounters his own miracles along the way. Be an eyewitness to Luke’s quest for the truth in this Radio Theatre production featuring England’s finest actors and cinema-quality sound design.

9 CDs

Little Women

Combining the stellar script adaptation skills of award-winning writers Paul McCusker and Philip Glassborrow with the beloved novel by Louisa May Alcott, Radio Theatre’s Little Women will captivate listeners with its poignant story and top-notch cast. Through trial, illness, poverty, disappointment, and sacrifice, four sisters place family above all else, reinforcing the qualities of honesty, contentment, and joy.

Note: We’ve enjoyed this one as a family; it is currently out of print, but I’ve included it in case you want to get a used copy.

6 Tips on How to Deliver a Conference Paper

With the Evangelical Theological Society starting tomorrow morning, it’s time to link again to Fred Sanders’s commonsensical sagacious piece offering “a few tips about how to present a paper.” He writes, “I have heard, and I have delivered, some bad presentations, and have learned from trial and error. But I’ve also seen some great presentations, and have tried to name and describe what I saw, in hopes of seeing more of that kind of thing.”

Below are his six encouragements, along with a couple of excerpts of his explanations:

1. Write the kind of paper you wish somebody would give. .

2. Read, but read well.

The conference paper is its own weird genre of public speaking. There’s a sweet spot of perfect delivery, and it involves following your script (thus guaranteeing that you’re not up there just, you know, saying stuff). But it also includes some eye contact, the ability to speak long phrases without looking down, and to make a few gestures now and then. Take the script you’re going to read from, and mark it up for oral delivery. Underline words you want to emphasize; gather natural groups of words together in parentheses so you can say them as a unit; and choose a couple of places per page to slow down on purpose (you’re almost certainly talking too fast for too long at a stretch). Finally, plan some spontaneity. That is, if you’ve got a short narrative or illustrative bit that doesn’t require such precious scripting, plan to deliver that section without teleprompter. But don’t go too long that way. An academic audience usually wants some symbolic assurance that you wrote this all down very carefully in advance, and that you’re not just, you know, saying stuff (JYKSS).

3. Keep to your time.

Unless you’ve got a lot of experience reading papers, and just know you can stick the landing, you should do a read-through with a stopwatch to practice your timing. And if you have to cut a big section, cut it in such a way that you don’t have to say, “I cut a big section here.” Even if you’ve written a massive study, you should respect your audience by producing a new, derivative work of art: a conference paper. It’s a parergon, a by-work, a thing you cared enough to make for this audience.

4. Q&A Is Your Friend.

Leave the recommended time for questions and answers, and don’t dread it. If you’re nervous, you’ll have a tendency to think that questions are signs of failure, and you’ll attempt to fix questions by shooting them down prematurely. One temptation is to swat them all aside with “this paper only studied one tiny part of the problem; I have no idea how it applies to your question, sorry, anybody else? No, okay then.” Here’s one strategy for handling Q&A: gather up about a half dozen things you wanted to say in the paper, but didn’t. When somebody asks a question, no matter what the question is, find a way to connect it to one of those points you wanted to say anyway. I swear this works. You’ve probably seen politicians do it poorly (“Your tough question reminds me of my slick talking point which I will now robotically repeat.”), but I’ve seen great communicators like Os Guinness rock the mic this way (“That’s a great question. There are three things involved in the answer. First…”), to everybody’s benefit.

5. Use the internets to distribute full copies.

6. Try out new ideas.

You can read the whole thing here.

Livestreamed Talks on Caring for Creation

Zondervan Academic will be livestreaming the plenary sessions from this year’s Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting in Milwaukee. The theme is “Caring for Creation.”

You can see the speakers, their topics, and their times below. All times are Central.

Wednesday

1:50-2:40 PM

E. Calvin Beisner, “Creation Care and Godly Dominion: The Search for a Genuinely Biblical Earth Stewardship”

7:30-8:20 PM

Russell Moore, “Heaven and Nature Sing: How Evangelical Theology Can Inform the Task of Environmental Protection, and Vice-Versa”

Thursday

1:50 PM-2:40 PM

Richard Bauckham, “Reading the Bible in the Context of the Ecological Threats of our Time”

Friday

9:10 AM-10:00 AM

Douglas Moo, “Biblical Theology and Creation Care”

10:10 AM-11:40 AM

Panel Discussion: Beisner, Moore, Bauckhaum, Moo

John Owen’s Final Words

On August 22, 1683, at his home in Ealing (a suburb west of London), the great theologian John Owen dictated his last surviving letter to his longtime friend, Charles Fleetwood:

I am going to him whom my soul hath loved, or rather hath love me with an everlasting love; which is the whole ground of all my consolation.

The passage is very irksome and wearisome through strong pain of various sorts which are all issued in an intermitting fever.

All things were provided to carry me to London today attending to the advice of my physician, but we were all disappointed by my utter disability to understand the journey.

I am leaving the ship of the church in a storm, but while the great Pilot is in it the loss of a poore under-rower will be inconsiderable.

Live and pray and hope and waite patiently and doe not despair; the promise stands invincible that he will never leave thee nor forsake thee.

Two days later William Payne, a friend who was overseeing the printing of his latest book, The Glory of Christ, paid him a visit. Payne assured Owen that plans were proceeding well for the publication.

Owen responded:

I am glad to hear it; but O brother Payne! The long wished-for day is come at last, in which I shall see the glory in another manner than I have ever done, or was capable of doing in the world.

These were Owen’s last recorded words. He died that day, August 24, 1683—St. Bartholomew’s Day—exactly twenty years after the Great Ejection of the Puritans. He was 67 years old.

To Hell with the Devil and His Destructive Lies

John Piper:

But the hard truth is that most Christians don’t pray very much. They pray at meals—unless they’re still stuck in the adolescent stage of calling good habits legalism. They whisper prayers before tough meetings. They say something brief as they crawl into bed. But very few set aside set times to pray alone—and fewer still think it is worth it to meet with others to pray. And we wonder why our faith is weak. And our hope is feeble. And our passion for Christ is small.

The Duty of Prayer

And meanwhile the devil is whispering all over this room: “The pastor is getting legalistic now. He’s starting to use guilt now. He’s getting out the law now.” To which I say, “To hell with the devil and all of his destructive lies. Be free!” Is it true that intentional, regular, disciplined, earnest, Christ-dependent, God-glorifying, joyful prayer is a duty? Do I go to pray with many of you on Tuesday at 6:30 a.m., and Wednesday at 5:45 p.m., and Friday at 6:30 a.m., and Saturday at 4:45 p.m., and Sunday at 8:15 a.m. out of duty? Is it a discipline?

You can call it that. It’s a duty the way it’s the duty of a scuba diver to put on his air tank before he goes underwater. It’s a duty the way pilots listen to air traffic controllers. It’s a duty the way soldiers in combat clean their rifles and load their guns. It’s a duty the way hungry people eat food. It’s a duty the way thirsty people drink water. It’s a duty the way a deaf man puts in his hearing aid. It’s a duty the way a diabetic takes his insulin. It’s a duty the way Pooh Bear looks for honey. It’s a duty the way pirates look for gold.

Means of Grace: Gift of God

I hate the devil, and the way he is killing some of you by persuading you it is legalistic to be as regular in your prayers as you are in your eating and sleeping and Internet use. Do you not see what a sucker he his making out of you? He is laughing up his sleeve at how easy it is to deceive Christians about the importance of prayer.

God has given us means of grace. If we do not use them to their fullest advantage, our complaints against him will not stick. If we don’t eat, we starve. If we don’t drink, we get dehydrated. If we don’t exercise a muscle, it atrophies. If we don’t breathe, we suffocate. And just as there are physical means of life, there are spiritual means of grace.

A Defining Moment in Becoming a Man

Crawford Loritts, from the foreword to Dennis Rainey’s book, Stepping Up: A Call to Courageous Manhood (Family Life, 2011):

When I was twelve years old, I experienced a “defining moment.”  Don’t get me wrong; it wasn’t some uncommon extraordinary experience.  It wasn’t a brush with death.  I hadn’t contracted some debilitating disease.  Neither had I been traumatized by some predator.  It was what my father did and what my mother stopped doing that marked me deeply for the rest of my life.  And it happened in less than five minutes.

It all had to do with painting.  The family who rented a property my parents owned moved out, and there was some “fixing up” and painting that needed to be done before the new tenets moved in.  My father thought this would be a great project for the entire family to tackle, so on a Saturday morning, my dad, my mother, my two older sisters, and yours truly reported for duty.  Mom and my sisters were working on the first floor, and my job was to help Pop paint on the second floor.  And that was the problem.  I never did like to paint.  I didn’t then, and I don’t now.So I had to somehow figure out a way to be free of what I thought was an unnecessary burden.  My “ace in the hole” was my mother.  Mom was always more sympathetic to her precious little boy than Dad was, and I knew that if I pressed the right buttons, she would rescue her one and only son from spending his Saturday doing something he didn’t want to do.  So under the guise of having to use the bathroom, I went downstairs and began to complain to Mom.While I was in the middle of convincing my mother that I needed to take off and play with my friends, Pop showed up.  As I write these words, I am vividly remembering and reliving that momen.My mother said to my father, “Crawford, CW (my childhood nickname) is only twelve years old, and he doesn’t need to be here with us all day.  He needs to be enjoying himself with his friends.”Then my father said, “Sylvia, I got this.  That boy one day is going to be somebody’s husband and somebody’s father.  There are going to be people depending on him.  He has got to learn how to do what he has to do and not what he wants to do.”To my mother’s credit, she looked at me and then at my father, nodded in agreement, and turned away.  Pop then turned to me and said, “You take yourself upstairs and paint until I tell you to stop.”

And I did.

Even at twelve years old, I knew that something important had just happened.  It wasn’t that I had just lost a little skirmish, and this time I wasn’t going to get my way.  The words “somebody’s husband . . . somebody’s father” and “He has got to learn how to do what he has to do and not what he wants to do” kept replaying in my mind.  Of course I wasn’t fully aware of the weight of what had happened.  In fact, it would be years before I fully appreciated the significance of that Saturday morning.  But I did have the sense that what just happened was a gamed changer.

My mother knew that in order for her boy to become a man, the most important man in his life needed to shape him.  Pop knew that in order for his son to provide leadership and stability to those who would count on him one day, “CW” needed to embrace core lessons in manhood, obligation, and responsibility.

A transition took place that day, and I’m so glad it did.  In a very real sense, it was what some would call a “rite of passage.”  My dad knew that in order for me not to become a fifty-year-old adolescent, I needed to make some intentional steps toward manhood.  I can’t tell you how grateful I am to God for the gift of Pop’s courage, and that he wasn’t passive when it came to my development.

Some years back when I heard my good friend Dennis Rainey give a talk that formed the outline of this book, not only did it bring to mind that Saturday morning almost fifty years ago, but it resonated deeply within me.

The message that Dennis unpacks in this compelling book is core and critical to the direction of our families, our church, and our nation.  Perhaps you think that statement is a bit overblown.  I can assure you that it isn’t.  As a pastor, I witness daily the void and dysfunction caused by men who don’t really know who and what a man is.  They’re not to blame.  When men do not step up to embrace the seasons of their lives, it damages hope for those who are following and limits the impact of these men will have during their moment in history.

All of us need help in this journey toward authentic, intentional manhood.  Thank you, Dennis, for giving us such a powerful, engaging resource that helps us and inspired us to keep moving with courage toward being the men that we can be and that indeed God has called us to be.

Stepping Up also has a new video series now available. Watch Loritts share about “Lessons on Courage from My Father” at the end of session one: