Archive for December, 2005
Saturday night we took a look at what Jesus has to say about the blogosphere in Luke 6:43-45. Ok, I’ll admit: Jesus didn’t say anything about the blogosphere. But in linking our words to our hearts, he said everything we need to know about blogs, IM, and email. In fact, if we understand the words of these verses rightly, we could say: The online you is the real you. Scary thought? Read on…
We looked at two basic lessons from these verses:
- A tree is known by its fruit (verses 43 and 44)
- You are what you type (verse 45)
I have more I want to say about this topic than I could squeeze into one message. I’ll be posting some additional thoughts over the next few days. For now, I’ll leave you with this quotation from Thomas Watson’s book, The Godly Man’s Picture (it’s ok, ladies, it applies to women, too). Ask your parents what this sentence should mean for your and your online activities.
“A godly man will not go as far as he may, lest he go further than he should.â€
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Read Before You Watch
 Can I enourage you to read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe before you watch the movie? I have no doubt that the movie will be great, but Wardrobe is classic literature. No matter how good the movie is, you will be better served to have Lewis’ images in your head prior to seeing the movie.
 If you want help knowing how to read C.S. Lewis’ books for children as an adult, Leland Ryken’s article entitled “Reading the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with C.S. Lewis” on the Reformation 21 site is really helpful. Ryken provides three lessons from Lewis’ approach to reading childen’s lit as an adult:
The first lesson concerned how to read a children’s book as an adult reader, and the lesson is this: adult readers should not be condescending toward children’s literature… Paradoxically, adult readers of the book need to continue to read the book as children. The childhood responses and delights should not be suppressed.
A second principle that Lewis would wish us to apply to our reading of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is to value the story as a form of enlightened entertainment, and, as part of that, to value the artistry and technique of the book as a self-rewarding aesthetic experience. This lesson does not come easily to Christian readers, with their conviction, correct in itself, that The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is a Christian classic.
A third lesson that we can infer from Lewis’ literary criticism is that he would wish us to read his classic story about Aslan with an understanding and relish of its theological vision… The theological themes of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe are primarily three in number. (1) The most important theological fact about The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is its Christological focus. The figure of Aslan dominates our experience of the book, and Aslan, as every reader of the book knows, is representative of Christ… (2) A second overarching theological reality of the book is the fact of a great spiritual conflict between good and evil. This Bible forms a subtext for this thread in the story, too, because the story of cosmic conflict organizes the Bible from start to finish… (3) Thirdly, the book provides glimpses of the eschaton—the final end with its accompanying destruction of evil and the triumph of the good.
If you haven’t started reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, it’s not too late to start!
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Yesterday, Mark asked, “Are You Spiritual?”, a message from 1 Corinthians 2:6-16. He began by explaining that spirituality is in, and it is big, but it is not a return to orthodox Christianity. Sadly, about 2/3 of evangelical Christians believe that there is more than one path to God (there isn’t; see John 14:6).
Then Mark made two simple points:
- A spiritual person is wise. (2:6-9)
- A spiritual person has the Spirit (2:10-16)
Mark joined these two points into one profound statement: “A spiritual person is one who has received the gospel through the Spirit.”So, that should be our test for spirituality. Want to know if you’re Spiritual? Ask: Do I have the Spirit?
This quotation is outstanding:
“We never therefore move on from the cross of Christ–only to a more profound understanding of the cross.” David Prior, 1 Corinthians, p. 51.
Application questions for teens to ask their parents:
- In what ways do you think I am tempted to move on from or forget the cross of Christ?
- What is one thing I can do this week to remember the cross of Christ?
Parents, for further consideration:
- Look for ways to encourage your teen as they try to keep the gospel central.
- How can this passage provide content for your encouragement?
Categories: Monday Matters, five15 blog
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 As many of you know, the cinematic version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe comes out this Friday, December 9. I’ll be posting thoughts and comments over the next few days.
Here are some a la carte resoures if you are interested in learning more:
Visit the official Disney/Walden Media website.
Want to read The Chronicles of Narnia? Amazon has the whole set. Or pick them up at the church bookstore.
Mark recommended several books about Narnia this morning. Check out:
Justin Taylor reports what seems to be good news on his blog:
“An encouraging word via email from Tim Keller [pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in NYC] about the faithfulness and excellence of the forthcoming Narnia film:
“Kathy and I saw the full Narnia movie here in NYC almost two weeks ago. It was remarkably true to the book and exceeded our expectations. A great movie.”
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 Seniors, the New Attitude website is now up.
Check it out here: NewAttitude.org.
 Some of you have asked about how to get Save The Wheel stuff: shirts, stickers, etc. Shop online here.
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The results of our latest Sidebar Poll: Pumpkin Pie narrowly edges out the Turkey Sandwich.
What was your “Something Else”?
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I’ve put up a few posts about meditation. We often think of meditation as something we do in our morning quiet times, meditating on God’s word. But in his book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, author Donald Whitney points out that the great preacher George Whitefeld would review his day as he prepared for bed in the evening–in essence, meditating on his day–to consider his spiritual health. Here are some of them:
Have I,
- been fervent in prayer?
- used stated hours of prayer?
- after any pleasure, immediately given thanks?
- planned business for the day?
- been meek, cheerful, affable in everything I said or did?
- been proud, vain, unchaste, or enviable of others?
- thought or spoken unkindly of anyone?
- confessed all sins?
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If you liked Mr. Mullery’s two questions to help you meditate, you might like these other questions, provided by Donald Whitney in Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life.
Mr. Whitney provides these questions to help us meditate, and move our meditation from mere consideration to application and action. I’ve found them to be helpful:
“Does this text reveal something I should believe about God?”
“Does this text reveal something I should praise or thank or trust God for?”
“Does this text reveal something I should pray about for myself or others?”
“Does this text reveal something I should have a new attitude about?”
“Does this text reveal something I should make a decision about?”
“Does this text reveal something I should do for the sake of Christ, others, or myself?”
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December 1, 2005 10:44 pm
PARENTS, I trust you recognize the immediate application that parents can make from CJ’s message on Sunday, “The Transforming Effect of a Divine Perspective” on 1 Corinthians 1:1-9.
A couple diagnostic questions that CJ provided:
- Are you more aware of the prior activity of God in your children’s lives, or more aware of sinful patterns perceived deficiencies?
- Do you feel the “Lucy Effect” when it to parenting: (I can feel a criticism coming on).
- Do your kids leave your presence aware that God is at work in their life? (If you’re not sure, ask!)
CJ said something that I hope is provocative to all parents. He said, “People can tell if you have faith for them or are frustrated with them.” Your kids may be more discerning here than you intially realize. This is why the transforming effect of the divine perspective is so important.
Parents, I would like to recommend reviewing this message with an ear and an eye towards parenting. If this is a new concept, I would also recommend chapter 12 of CJ’s book, Humility: True Greatness. The chapter is entitled, “A Legacy of Greatness,” and is about the importance of humility in parenting. I’ll have some more thoughts from this chapter next week.
I want to leave you with this: while there is no “relational novocaine,” there is something far better: the divine perspective will leave you aware of God’s prior activity in your teens, so that you will be able to say with Paul about your teens:
“I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus…”
Categories: Thursday Thoughts For Parents, five15 blog
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Back in August, I posted about towns with funny names, like Peculiar, Missouri. I read in the latest issue of World Magazine that the residents of Clark, Texas changed the name of their town to Dish, Texas.
 The payoff? Free satellite television for everyone from the Dish Network. The vote to change the name was 12-0 in favor. That’s about 10 percent of the town’s population weighing in.
If there was a way we could change the name of Fairfax to get free something, what would it be? I suggest Mountain Dew, Virginia.
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Can I enourage you to read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe before you watch the movie? I have no doubt that the movie will be great, but Wardrobe is classic literature. No matter how good the movie is, you will be better served to have Lewis’ images in your head prior to seeing the movie.
If you want help knowing how to read C.S. Lewis’ books for children as an adult, Leland Ryken’s article entitled “Reading the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with C.S. Lewis” on the Reformation 21 site is really helpful. Ryken provides three lessons from Lewis’ approach to reading childen’s lit as an adult:
As many of you know, the cinematic version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe comes out this Friday, December 9. I’ll be posting thoughts and comments over the next few days.
Seniors, the New Attitude website is now up.
Some of you have asked about how to get Save The Wheel stuff: shirts, stickers, etc. Shop online here.
The payoff? Free satellite television for everyone from the Dish Network. The vote to change the name was 12-0 in favor. That’s about 10 percent of the town’s population weighing in.
