Holy Week

The Shelf Life

Serious reading and classical methodologies: such things hardly represent the kind of wiz-bang razzle-dazzle doohickeries that excite the educational reformers, social planners, religious leaders, and political prognosticators these days. But then, who asked them anyway? They're the ones who got us into the current designer disaster of cultural disintegration and disarray--where all the profundities of a civilized moral order have become so much rubbish. So, how do we go about developing the habits of lifetime learning--reading, studying, and resisting the tyranny of the urgent--that we need in order to do the things we are called to do and to be the things we are called to be?

1. Read. “A broad interest in books usually means a broad interest in life.” Lyman Abbott
2. Read Deeply. “ Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. Richard Steele
3. Read Out of Your Time. “I hate to read new books. Contemporary writers may generally be divided into two classes—one’s friends or one’s foes. Of the first we are compelled to think too well, and of the last we are disposed to think too ill, to receive much genuine pleasure from the perusal, or to judge fairly of the merits of either.” William Hazlitt
4. Read Classically. “A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say.” Italo Calvino
5. Read Above Your Head. “You may perhaps be brought to acknowledge that it is very well worthwhile to be tormented for two or three years of one’s life, for the sake of being able to read all the rest of it.” Jane Austen
6. Read According to Plan. “It is a good plan to have a book with you in all places and at all times.” Oliver Wendell Holmes
7. Just Read: The Medium Is Nearly as Vital as Message. “If you cannot read all your books, at any rate handle, or as it were, fondle them.” Winston Churchill
8. Read All Along the Footnote Trail. “If a book is worth reading, it is worth buying.” John Ruskin
9. Read with an Eye to Leaving a Legacy. “A little library, growing every year, is an honorable part of a man’s history.” Henry Ward Beecher
10. Read with All Joy in the Journey. “When I get a little money, I buy books; and if there is any left, I buy food and clothes.” Desiderius Erasmus
11. Read Constantly (at least daily). “In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.” Mortimer Adler

"You can find all the new ideas in the old books; only there you will find them balanced, kept in their place, and sometimes contradicted and overcome by other and better ideas. The great writers did not neglect a fad because they had not thought of it, but because they had thought of it and of all the answers to it as well." G.K. Chesterton

“The oldest books are still only just out to those who have not yet read them.” Samuel Butler

A Busy Ministry

http://kingsmeadow.com

http://parishpres.org

http://grantian.blogspot.com

http://eleventary.blogspot.com

http://ppgi.blogspot.com

http://parishlife.blogspot.com

http://deruns.blogspot.com

http://www.ms-academy.org

http://csmedes.org

http://www.franklinclassical.com

http://newcollegefranklin.org

Favorite Indonesian Foods

1.     Satay

2.     Nasi Goreng

3.     Char Siew Wonton

4.     Popiah

5.     Roti prata

6.     Goreng Pisang

7.     Kalamansi Limes

8.     Rojak

9.     Ayam Penyet

10.  Sambal Belachan

11.  Nasi Lemak

Schaeffer 100 Conference

On the Nightstand

It seems I'm always reading several books at once. I read some for my work--so, for instance right now I'm reading "The American Colonial Mind and the Classical Tradition" by Richard Gummere and "Sailing the Wine Dark Sea" by Thomas Cahill. At the same time, I am working through Derek Kidner's "Genesis" and Victor Hamilton's "The Book of Genesis."
I am almost finished with Walter Isaacson's "Steve Jobs," which I got for Christmas. But, I couldn't help getting started on Rick Marschall's "Bully: The Life and Times of Theodore Roosevelt," also a Christmas gift.

My friend Mike Milton's new book, "Songs in the Night," came in the mail just a few days before Christmas--I started it the minute I opened the package. Likewise, I began reading the new N.T. Wright translation, "The Kingdom New Testament," right after I brought it home.
I try to read everything Douglas Wilson writes--which is a feat in and of itself. I always learn so much about writing--besides whatever it is that he happens to be writing about. But with his "Wordsmithy," a book of advice to writers, I am getting a double-dose.

After slogging through Umberto Eco's very dark "The Prague Cemetery," I thought I probably needed something really edifying to read next. So, I am re-reading Ian MacLaren's "St. Jude's."

And, for my devotions, I am slowly savoring the third volume of "Daily Scripture Readings" by Thomas Chalmers. So rich.

Next up: I gave copies of Niall Ferguson's book, "Civilization: The West and the Rest," to three different people for Christmas, but I didn't keep a copy for myself. So this week, by hook or by crook, I'm going to get over to Parnassus for that--and while I'm in that part of town, I'll also step into Logos to re-supply and re-provision.

Christmas Favs

1. "On Christmas" by G.K. Chesterton

2. "Christmas Stories" by Charles Dickens

3. "On the Incarnation" by Athanasius

4. "Nativity Hymns" by Isaac Watts

5. "The Birth of the Savior" by C.H. Spurgeon

6. "No Holly for Miss Quinn" by Miss Read

7. "Corrie's Christmas Memories" by Corrie Ten Boom

8. "The Fourth Wise Man" by Henry van Dyke

9. "Shepherds Abiding" by Jan Karon

10. "A New England Christmas" Henry Wadswoth Longfellow

11. "The Invention of Lefse" by Larry Woiwode

Christmas Wish List

1. “Civilization” by Niall Ferguson

2. “The Kingdom New Testament” by N.T. Wright

3. "Bully" by Rick Marschall

4. “Death of Kings” by Bernard Cornwell 

5. "Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson

6. “Holidays in Heck” by P.J. O’Rourke

7. "Thomas Manton" by Derek Cooper

8. “Songs in the Night" by Mike Milton

9. “King Rat” by China Mieville

10. "Columbus and the Quest for Jerusalem" by Carol Delaney

11. “Justification” by N.T. Wright

Favorite Quotes on Prayer

1. "Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work." Oswald Chambers.

2. “What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer" E.M. Bounds

3. "Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers." J. Sidlow Baxter

4. "Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still." E.M. Bounds

5. "Satan trembles when he sees the weakest Christian on his knees." William Cowper

6. “The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying.  He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.” Samuel Chadwick

 7. “I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.”  Charles Spurgeon

8. “To make intercession for men is the most powerful and practical way in which we can express our love for them." John Calvin

9. "If you want that splendid power in prayer, you must remain in loving, living, lasting, conscious, practical, abiding union with the Lord Jesus Christ." C. H. Spurgeon

10. "The word of God is the food by which prayer is nourished and made strong." E. M. Bounds

11. "Prayer should be the breath of our breathing, the thought of our thinking, the soul of our feeling, the life of our living, the sound of our hearing, and the growth of our growing.  Prayer is length without end, width without bounds, height without top, and depth without bottom; illimitable in its breadth, exhaustless in height, fathomless in depths, and infinite in extension.  Oh, for determined men and women who will rise early and really burn for God.  Oh for a faith that will sweep into heaven with the early dawning of morning and have ships from a shoreless sea loaded in the soul's harbor ere the ordinary laborer has knocked the dew from the scythe or the lackluster has turned from his pallet of straw to spread nature's treasures of fruit before the early buyers.  Oh, for such.” Homer W. Hodge

Favorite Martin Luther Quotes

1. “Hier stehe ich; Here I stand; I can do no other. God help me. Amen!”

2. “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every part of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, then I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Him. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all battlefields besides is merely flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point”

3. “I am more afraid of my own heart than of the Pope and all his cardinals. I have within me the great Pope: Self. I more fear what is within me than anything that might come from without.”

4. “Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.”

5. “For where God built a church, there the Devil would also build a chapel.”

6. “I am afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the heart of the youth.”

7. “Music is the art of the prophets and the gift of God.”

8. “Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.”

9. “You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say.”

10. “There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.”

11. “Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.”

Paul Johnson Books Since 2003

1. The Vanished Landscape

2. Washington

3. Creators

4. Heroes

5. Churchill

6. Humorists

7. Jesus

8. New Journeys into Chaos

9. Civil War in America

10. Brief Lives

11. Socrates

What to Remember When Reading the Bible

1. Remember the one, central story: the whole Bible is about just one thing. The pattern of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration runs throughout the Old and New Testaments.

2. Remember that the Bible is its own best commentary. The Word interprets itself; Scripture explains Scripture.

3. Remember to read individual passages in their context—textual, literary, symbolic, historical, cultural, grammatical, and theological.

4. Remember that all Biblical revelation is intended to reveal. Always look for the most obvious literary sense of a text.

5. Remember that all Scripture is inspired and superintended by the Holy Spirit. So, every little detail matters.

6. Remember that Scripture has only one meaning but multiple applications—so, it is important to distinguish between indicatives and imperatives.

7. Remember that we read translations of the Bible. All languages have strengths, weaknesses, and peculiarities—and moving from Greek and Hebrew to one of our modern languages (such as 21st century American English) will always require some additional scrutiny and study.

8. Remember that we must always interpret experience in light of Scripture and history in light of revelation; not the other way around.

9. Remember that the New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New.

10. Remember that “there is nothing new under the sun.” So, beware of innovative or novel interpretations of Scripture. Steer clear of new “discoveries” in Biblical revelation. We have a rich legacy of wisdom passed down to us from throughout church history so we should consult good commentaries whenever possible--and look to the “old paths” more often than not.

11. Remember that we should always read Scripture prayerfully, submitting to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

My Picks for Most Significant Archeological Discoveries

1. The Rosetta Stone

2. The Dead Sea Scrolls

3. Assurbanipal’s Library at Nineveh

4. Robinson’s Arch in Jerusalem

5. Kibbutz Ginnosar Boat

6. The Ebla Library

7. The City of Troy

8. Caesarea Maritima

9. Sodom and Gomorrah

10. The City of Pompeii

11. King Tut’s Tomb

My Favorite Street Foods

1. Bratwurst in Leipzig
2. Frites in Antwerp
3. Coffee in Bogota
4. Falafel in Jerusalem
5. Pain au Raisin in Paris
6. Lamb Kebab in Amman
7. Satay in Jakarta
8. Wienwurst in Vienna
9. Nathan's Coney in Brooklyn
10. Stroopwafel in Amsterdam
11. Haggis in Edinburgh

Essential John Stott Books

1. Your Mind Matters
2. Basic Christianity
3. Christian Counterculturalism
4. The Cross of Christ
5. The Living Church
6. The Message of Romans
7. Standing Firm in Truth
8. I Believe in Preaching
9. Culture and the Bible
10. Christian Mission in the Modern World
11. The Preacher's Portrait

Summer Reading, So Far

1. “The Greater Journey,” David McCollough
2. “The Righteous Shall Live by Faith: Romans,” R.C. Sproul
3. “Magic,” G.K. Chesterton
4. “The Mighty Weakness of John Knox,” Douglas Bond
5. “Portrait of a Spy,” Daniel Silva
5. “Poke the Box,” Seth Godin
7. “Reformed Dogmatics in One-Volume,” Herman Bavinck
8. “The Lives of Robert and James Haldane,” Alexander Haldane
9. “Enchantment,” Guy Kawasaki
10. “The Fort,” Bernard Cornwell
11. “An Ocean Full of Angels,” Peter Kreeft

Romans 12:21

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Why I Go to ACCS Every Year

1. Encouragement, encouragement, encouragement.
2. Book buying extravaganza.
3. Catching up with dear friends from all over the world.
4. Book buying extravaganza.
5. Practical help for teaching better, smarter, and more enjoyably.
6. Book buying extravaganza.
7. Refocusing our discipling vision.
8. Book buying extravaganza.
9. Borrowing great ideas from the best of the best.
10. Hearing Douglas Wilson wax eloquent.
11. Oh yes, and book buying extravaganza.

Where We'll Go in England

1. Brighton’s Medieval Lanes
2. Nash’s Royal Pavilions
3. All Hallow’s Barking at the Tower
4. Vespers at Bunhill Fields
5. Churchill's Chartwell
6. The Hever Castle Gardens
7. Southwark Cathedral
8. Poet’s Corner at Westminster
9. Ely Cathedral
10. Evensong at King's College
11. St. James Piccadilly

Where We'll Shop in England

1. Hatchard’s Bookstore
2. Stanford’s Maps
3. Waterstone’s Books
4. George Trumper’s
5. G. David Bookshop
6. Fortnum and Mason
7. Covent Garden
8. Regent’s Street
9. Cecil Court
10. High Street Lewes Books
11. W.H. Smith’s Stationers