Recent Reads

I'd like to recommend some books I've read in the past several months--mostly by keeping a book in my purse and staying up much later than I ought to.  I usually do a recap of books read in the previous year, but I've already mentioned some other books here and here.  I'll spare you the novels I've read.  That leaves the following list, in chronological order of my reading them, with most recent first (you'll see that my memory deteriorates with length of time):

The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman.  I just finished this one a few days ago, and Logan and I took the quiz on the website; as I suspected, our love languages are just about opposite of each other!  This is an excellent book for married couples seeking to communicate lifelong commitment to each other.  While the "in-love experience" lasts two years at most, happy marriages are made when spouses learn to speak the primary love language of their significant other, creating an atmosphere of security, self-worth and fulfillment.  The love languages are words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service and physical touch.  While receiving love in your primary language fills your "love tank," receiving the opposite of your love language (i.e. insults for a "words of affirmation" person, isolation for a "quality time" person, etc.) is devastating.  The vast majority of couples do not naturally speak their mate's primary love language, so a choice is made to reach beyond your comfort level and fumble around with a foreign tongue until proficiency grows.  This is an investment with a high return!  Dr. Chapman also includes a good chapter on learning the love languages of your children.  For some children, its receiving the ball and glove that matters, for another it is tossing the ball in the backyard that matters, for another, its verbal affirmation of their sporting ability, etc.    

The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller (Newsweek named him= the "C.S. Lewis of today"--a tremendous honor!).  Keller explains the meaning behind Jesus' parable of The Prodigal Son, what he says ought to be called The Two Lost Sons or The Prodigal God.  In short, the parable demonstrates how "God extends prodigal grace toward both the irreligious and the moralistic."  Logan's cousin Vandy gave us this book when we visited him in Philly on our way North last month, and I read it aloud to Logan in the car.  Beautifully explains God's heart and the true spirit of Christianity--it's not about religion, it's all about relationship with our Loving Father.  I would give this book to everyone if I could!    

Heroine of Haarlem - This is from the series, "Heroes of the Faith," and is a biography of Corrie Ten Boom that I found at my in-laws' house while we were in NC.  I love to read biographies of missionaries and zealots for Christ.  The entire Ten Boom family boldly opposed the Nazi regime by hiding Jews, and paid the ultimate price when they were imprisoned and sent to concentration camps.  Several of her family members died in the horrific conditions, and by God's grace Corrie persevered and began a rehabilitation ministry to former Nazi party members after the war, and a prolific preaching and writing ministry.  Her primary message was of forgiveness.  Very inspiring story!

Surviving in an Angry World by Charles Stanley.  I thought Dr. Stanley covered the topic of anger thoroughly and with understanding.  I usually don't like to listen to Dr. Stanley preach because he interjects, "Listen!" so frequently that it is jarring.  My personal pet peeve!  But this book was exceptionally good.  My favorite chapter was on raising children to have Godly character.  Very helpful.  The subtitle of the book is "Finding Your Way to Personal Peace," and that is what the book is about.      

Man of Vision by Marilee Pierce-Dunker, the daughter of Rev. Bob Pierce.  This is a biography of her father, an incredible visionary who founded two ministries that have literally touched the lives of millions of impoverished children throughout the world: World Vision and Samaritan's Purse.  It was an inspiring read, to see how God used an imperfect person to accomplish great things for the Kingdom.  Everyone felt strongly about Rev. Pierce--either positively or negatively.  Although the Pierce family became fractured with conflict, God granted healing and restoration before Rev. Pierce's death.  My favorite Bob Pierce quote is, "Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God."

Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman.  As I was reading this, I developed diarrhea-of-the-mouth to all of my mom-friends.  I couldn't stop talking about what I was learning!  The book counters many of our American assumptions in raising kids with the findings of recent scientific studies, primarily neurological.  Each chapter focuses on a different topic, like The Myth of Praise, Lying, Gifted Child Testing, etc.  Follow the link to a very interesting website with corresponding articles and videos.  I loved this book!  Very interesting.

C.T. Studd by Norman Grubb.  This biography begins in England, where C.T. grew up in the lap of luxury in a very wealthy family.  As a young man he was the best cricketer in the country, which made him something of a rock star.  Leaving this all behind for the mission field, he lived under the starkest conditions possible, fully dependent on God to provide for all his needs, first in China, then India, and finally in Africa.  He married a fiery Salvation Army missionary, and they had four daughters.  When they married, he received his inheritance and handed it over to his wife, who cheerfully wrote checks to ministers and missions organizations, giving it all away.  Meanwhile, they were living as much like the impoverished nationals they were serving as possible, trusting solely on God's provision and care.  What a zealot!!!  The excerpts from his personal writings were incredibly inspiring.  I was riveted by this biography.

And finally, here is a link to an excerpt from a book that I want to read by Tim Keller with his wife, Kathy Keller, entitled The Meaning of Marriage.  The excerpt is called, "You never marry the right person."  Looks good!

Catching Up

We're not quite into the "dead" of winter yet, but the last two weeks have been starkly quiet compared to the hectic and fabulous holiday season.  The kids have mellowed out and have acted very tired...much like myself.  Today we're enjoying our first real snow storm and I'm secretly wishing for more than the 1-3 inches forecasted.  It would be nice to be able to send the boys out to sled everyday!  

A week ago today, we had a very special visit from my dear friend Caty and her mother, "Mrs. Mac."  Caty was my music-major-bosom-buddy at Gordon College, and it has been over five years since we last saw each other.  We used to sing duets together and spend our "practices" rolling with laughter.  Caty is half a year away from having a Masters degree in Linguistics and will be a missionary.  And Mrs. Mac is the most godly, sweet woman!  It was an honor to spend the day with these dear friends.   

Also last week, Abigail had her 15 month check-up.  For the last six months, she hasn't really grown a whole lot, but she's starting to be quite skinny.  She used to be way off the charts for height and in the 90ish percentile for weight, but now she's down to the 53rd for weight.  She's still breast-feeding and eats solid food like a bird.  

Last year, I entered some pictures into a contest to be included in a book entitled, "A Year in the Life of the Boothbay Region."  A couple of pictures of the boys made it in!  

So that's the news.  It may take another couple of weeks to accumulate enough news for another post. :)

My Utmost for His Highest

My roommate in college, Charis, introduced me to Oswald Chamber's excellent devotional, My Utmost for His Highest. It is not a "Meet God in Two Minutes" type of devotional...it makes you think and needs to be digested slowly. It is not designed to make you feel better, but to make you a better disciple. I just found an online version, and would like to highly recommend this to my Christian friends and family! http://utmost.org/

Here is today's devotional:

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith . . . —Jude 20

There was nothing of the nature of impulsive or thoughtless action about our Lord, but only a calm strength that never got into a panic. Most of us develop our Christianity along the lines of our own nature, not along the lines of God’s nature. Impulsiveness is a trait of the natural life, and our Lord always ignores it, because it hinders the development of the life of a disciple. Watch how the Spirit of God gives a sense of restraint to impulsiveness, suddenly bringing us a feeling of self-conscious foolishness, which makes us instantly want to vindicate ourselves. Impulsiveness is all right in a child, but is disastrous in a man or woman—an impulsive adult is always a spoiled person. Impulsiveness needs to be trained into intuition through discipline.

Discipleship is built entirely on the supernatural grace of God. Walking on water is easy to someone with impulsive boldness, but walking on dry land as a disciple of Jesus Christ is something altogether different. Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus, but he “followed Him at a distance” on dry land (Mark 14:54). We do not need the grace of God to withstand crises—human nature and pride are sufficient for us to face the stress and strain magnificently. But it does require the supernatural grace of God to live twenty-four hours of every day as a saint, going through drudgery, and living an ordinary, unnoticed, and ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus. It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God—but we do not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people—and this is not learned in five minutes.

This Momentary Marriage

I've started reading a book that you can download for free online, "This Momentary Marriage" by John Piper. Usually I would wait until I've read something through to the end before sharing, but this is too good to wait!

To download the book, go to: http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/online-books/this-momentary-marriage

"Most foundationally, marriage is the doing of God. And ultimately, marriage is the display of God. It displays the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his people to the world in a way that no other event or institution does. Marriage, therefore, is not mainly about being in love. It’s mainly about telling the truth with our lives. And staying married is not about staying in love. It is about keeping covenant and putting the glory of Christ’s covenant-keeping love on display."--John Piper

How I Changed My Mind About...

...Women in Ministry

I was preoccupied this past winter with a controversial train of thought...at least it is in the conservative Evangelical world that I inhabit. You can ask Logan or my cleaning buddy Bree just how much this was on my mind! I've debated whether or not to share this here on the blog, and decided I would like to point out some excellent resources and document my train of thought for my own record.

First of all, it is important for me and others to acknowledge that our understanding is limited. As we dig into God's word and grow in our relationship with Him, our understanding grows and we continually learn new things about God's Truth. Our perspectives are also shaped by our unique influences and experiences, and we often do not see how our culture, upbringing, religion, etc. have led us to certain conclusions. As Mark Twain said, it's not what a man doesn't know that's the problem. It's what he thinks he knows that is in fact not true. So I offer these thoughts in humility; this is what I have come to believe about women in ministry, but I may be mistaken, just as those who disagree with me may be mistaken. The important thing is that we eagerly seek God's heart in the matter.

My winter journey began with a Bible study. In January, our "Beth Moore groupies" started her series called, "The Inheritance." You can listen to this series and many more for free online!

In a nutshell, this 9-part series talks about what exactly we have inherited as co-heirs with Christ when we were adopted as sons and daughters by God. According to Beth, our inheritance includes God's Presence, People, and Property - a sphere of influence to build God's Kingdom. The borders of this property includes Intimacy with God, Our Pasts, Our Experiences, and Our Spiritual Gifts. We must take ownership of each bit of our property for God's glory, or else the Enemy will walk on it. Obviously, that barely encapsulates 9 hours of teaching. "The Inheritance" got me SO excited about being an "heiress", and eager to "claim" my inheritance by fulfilling my calling. Which got me thinking quite a bit about my calling...

...when I saw the former Dean of Chapel from Gordon College post a link on Facebook to a book he was recommending:

I ordered the book and read it within days of receiving it (a remarkable feat for a mother of three little ones!). In this book, "Well-known Evangelical leaders---individuals and couples, males and females from a broad range of denominational affiliation and ethnic diversity---share their surprising journeys from a more or less restrictive view to an open inclusive view that recognizes a full shared partnership of leadership in the home and in the church based on gifts not gender." I was familiar with many of the 27 authors, so it was wonderful to read their personal testimonies on this topic.

I highly recommend this book. It got me thinking about how my chapter would read, which is a good exercise for anyone--to examine how you have reached your conclusion on this topic. My abbreviated chapter would go like this: I have loved the Lord and the Church for as long as I can remember. A hierarchical view of authority in the Church had always made sense to me. I believed that Paul's teaching very clearly gives men "headship" in the church and home. I never questioned that or had any doubts about that being God's orderly design. My dad was a pastor and I always deeply admired his ministry in the Conservative Baptist denomination. I am very grateful that my father gave me self-confidence, first by giving me a strong name: Ruth Elizabeth (two women who inspired me as a child), and then by believing in me.

As a young woman in college, I had very little idea about what to do with myself when I grew up. I majored in Music because I have musical abilities and I knew I could use music in church ministry. The most exciting classes for me, however, were my Bible and Missions classes and my Music in Worship class. I felt I had found my calling with my Worship class, and I decided to go to seminary after college. I very clearly saw myself as investing in my future volunteer work, not as preparing for a "career" in ministry.

The question of women in leadership was a hot topic among fellow seminarians, and it had become a question in my mind, but not a burning one. By this time, I had been mentored by two female seminary students, had sat under the teaching of numerous female scholars, had experienced years of leadership in student ministries in college, had taught the college Sunday School class at church, and had been the adult mentor/leader of a Christian ministry on a secular campus. This ministry in particular was very exciting and fulfilling to me. I was beginning to take note of strong women in the Bible and question the conservative position on women in ministry, but it was not a crucial issue in my life.

Just as suddenly as seminary was done, I was a new mother and had an overwhelming existence as a housewife always working part-time jobs on the side and busy volunteering my "extra" time to our local church's music and children's programs. While I see being a wife and mother as a sacred calling that gives me much joy and fulfillment, there has still been that nagging question in the back of my mind all along, "What am I going to do with myself when I grow up?" As I get older, I am learning more about my particular spiritual giftings and calling. I do not feel that being a mother is the end-all of my calling, just as being a husband and father is not the end-all of Logan's calling. The harvest is great, but the workers are few. God has work for all of us to do!

There have been a few specific times since seminary that the question of women in leadership has come up for me, but I wont share the details here. At one point, I wrote to my college mentors and was sent this excellent article called "Correcting Caricatures," written by the president of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary when Logan and I were there, and who is a respected authority on the Old Testament. A must read!

So that brings us up to this past winter. After I read, "How I Changed My Mind," I borrowed this book from my Aunt Linda:

J. Lee Grady gives an impassioned plea to the Church to release women in ministry. As a Southern Baptist pastor and journalist, and the father of four daughters, Grady's approach is fiery. He battles age-old discrimination against women and offers interpretations to "difficult passages" that counter the hierarchical view, as well as story after story of women in history who God has used very powerfully in ministry. These examples were striking to me. It began to be very clear to me that either there are thousands of exceptions to "the rule," or there is no rule at all!

For conservative Evangelicals, there is a tendency to see an Egalitarian viewpoint as stemming from Feminism, which is a movement that has been fueled by hatred towards men. They see Egalitarianism as an attack on God's designed order for the Church and home. Women who pursue public ministry are seen as inappropriately trying to seize control or power, and those who offer a differing interpretation of Paul's teaching on women are said to be rewriting Scripture to fit their agenda. I have become very sensitive about resistance to women in ministry, mostly because I have seen how wounding this resistance is to well-meaning women who only want to serve the Lord with their God-given giftings. Their motivation is not hatred, anger, or power. It is love for God and his Church. A couple years ago, I was listening to a preacher on the radio say that he had many friends who believed in women pastors, and he was open minded about their viewpoint. They could do it their way, but he was going to do it God's way! I can assure that the Egalitarians who wrote "How I Changed My Mind," "Ten Lies," and "Correcting Caricatures" are also trying to do things God's way. I hearken back to every one's need for humility! It is frustrating to be misunderstood and unfairly characterized by one's brothers and sisters in Christ.

I was sharing some of my thoughts on women in ministry with "Tammy from Texas" last month, and she recommended that I read, "Why Not Women?" So I did! It opens with an important point. You can have sound logic that is untrue because it is based on a false premise. When a single verse of Scripture is singled out and then we presuppose the author's intent and build a superstructure of belief on that foundation, it can all sound very logical but may not be true.
This was a fascinating book co-written by Loren Cunningham, who founded YWAM with his wife and has the rare distinction of having ministered in every country in the world and of releasing hundreds of thousands into ministry, and by David Joel Hamilton, a scholar of ancient languages and cultures who has studied this issue comprehensively and in-depth--his thesis on this subject cites over 400 sources! It was quite remarkable to read Hamilton's analysis on Jesus' and Paul's teaching on women in regards to how the ancient vs. modern reader would understand it. The technical aspects of the grammar, syntax, etc. are clearly explained so that you come away with the understanding that Paul never intended for a hierarchy of authority in the Church or for women to be excluded from public ministry, even the pastorate.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE read this book! Especially if you find yourself on the other side of the debate from myself. It is important to test the Scriptures and see if what you believe is correct, and we need help to do so as 'modern' readers.

So here I am, at the end of this mental journey, with conclusions that place me squarely in the Egalitarian camp. I understand that this is not an issue on most people's minds...but I passionately believe that it is a critical issue and I hope that I have helped you in some way with your own personal journey toward understanding God's heart in this issue.

Real Moms...Real Jesus

I heard a few minutes of Jill Savage on the radio yesterday talking about her new book, Real Moms...Real Jesus. She was talking about how she went back to the Gospels to read about Jesus' life as though she were reading his biography, and something new stuck out to her: He could identify with her life as a mother! He lived surrounded by people, just as moms live surrounded by little ones following her around. I can get so tired of hearing the word, "Mommy!" I just hear it way too much! Jesus had people reaching out to touch him all the time, just as moms never have any personal space but nearly always have little ones cuddling, clinging, nursing...not to mention her husband with the gleam in his eye at bedtime! Jesus was always being given urgent requests that needed immediate attention (Jesus, we need wine! Jesus, can you heal my daughter? etc.), just as moms are always fielding last minute requests. Savage wrote the book to share how Jesus, unlike any other man, can fully understand what a mother's life is like, and to share some of "his strategies" for coping. I am very curious to read this book!

This reminded me of a book I read as a newlywed. It was by Gary Thomas and was called A Sacred Marriage. It talked about how God designed marriage to make you holy, not happy. I vaguely remembe Thomas saying that those who never marry have the freedom to walk with Jesus while married people have the opportunity to become like Jesus (or something along those lines). The dynamics of a healthy family life demand that you put others before yourself. It just doesn't work with a "me first" mentality! When everyone is submitting to others, meeting their needs with love and honor, then the family functions at its best.

Just some interesting things I've been thinking about today. :)

The Unoffendable Heart

My friend Tammy just sent a link to an excellent article today, entitled Unoffendable. It is by Francis Frangipane. On his website, there is also a collection of his quotes that are well worth a read. Tammy says all Christians would benefit from reading FF's books, "Holiness, Truth and the Presence of God," and "The Three Battlegrounds." Thank you for the good tips, Tammy!

I promise more updates are coming. I spent last night assembling a new shelf for the playroom. First things first! :)

Catching Up

It's been a couple weeks since I last posted on the blog, so I'll be catching up this evening. When I went to pick the boys up after house cleaning this morning, my dad offered to keep them for a sleep over, so I have suddenly found myself with all sorts of time! I am also excited about this coming Saturday. Logan is taking the boys down to MA for the day and I have big plans to sort through the toy room downstairs (our former guest room turned toy dump). I cannot even begin to tell you how depressing my house has been this winter. I cannot keep on top of the housework with three young'uns under foot, and our downstairs is an absolute mess since we moved the guest bed into the boys' room and moved Logan's office downstairs, and since we've had two birthdays and Christmas to double our already large supply of toys. With the coffee shop opening soon and summer guests on the calendar, I've been anxious to return things to order down there. I'm also browing craigslist looking for a new guest bed. Anyone have an extra bed for sale?

I thought I had lost my camera, but it occured to me this afternoon where it was and I am eager to post the highlights from the past two weeks. For now, I will share this exciting picture: That's my blog! I had two hard-covered books made at http://www.blog2print.com/! I am desperately behind on my photo albums (at least three years!), so I googled 'how to print your blog' and found this website. You can have up to 1500 pictures per book, so I had one made of my posts from 2006-2009, and one of 2010. I plan to have a book printed each year now. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am with the quality of these books! I am going to cherish these for the rest of my life. So many wonderful memories here.

That's it for now. I should probably do my housework before I spend any more time on the computer! Talk to you later.

Advent

This year for Advent, we're reading through The Jesus Storybook Bible with the boys. We love how the author has weaved the stories of the Bible into a cohesive story of God's love for his children and his plan to rescue them from the broken world. It is written very well and the illustrations are riveting for the boys. We read a new chapter every night, after a short quiz to make sure they're remembering the previous chapters and are following the build-up to Christ's birth. The boys enjoy our Advent celebrations and it is very meaningful for Logan and me as well. This simple book is reminding me in a profound way of God's great love for us, that he would send his only Son to suffer and die for our sakes, adopting us into his family and giving us an incredible inheritance.

Advent also has me thinking of God's great plan of redemption. How God is working to redeem his creation to its former perfection, and man's broken relationship to him. What peace it brings to know that God is working to mend everything that is not what it should be. In each painful situation in our lives, we can trust him to restore things - without our help, without our input or control. We can let go and trust him to work things out for the good of those who love him. We can trust that when bad things do happen, in the greater scheme of things, God has only allowed them for our good and for his purposes which are perfect. We cannot understand what God has in store for us when bad things happen, just as Joseph could not have pictured himself as a prince of Egypt when his brothers threw him in the well and then sold him into slavery. They meant it for evil, but God meant it for good, to save his people from a terrible famine and protect Christ's geneology. As we celebrate Christ's birth on Christmas morning, we can also celebrate God's great plan of redemption, that he loves us and is working on our behalf. Praise his holy name!

Beth Moore's "So Long, Insecurity"

I wanted to put a plug in for a great book, Beth Moore's So Long, Insecurity. Beth has ministered a great deal to me over the past year or more through DVD teachings I've watched with my mom, Aunt Linda, Nana and friend Leslyn. I credit her teaching with much healing in my life, reconciling a recently painful period of time. I'm a huge fan and highly recommend all things Beth Moore!

Here is an excerpt from pages 332-334:

When you feel that familiar panic begin to rise in your heart like a river coursing its banks and your soul begins to roll with aother round of "What will I do if...?" what would happen if you were willing to hear the voice of God whisper these inaudible words?

Child, you are asking the wrong question. Here's the one that would assuage your fears: What will God do if...?

Here's a smattering of answers to that mighty good question. I, the Maker of heaven and earth, will:

perfect everything that concerns you (Psalm 138:8, KJV).

work all thigs together for your good (Romans 8:28).

contend with those who contend with you (Isaiah 49:25).

fight this battle for you (2 Chronicles 20:15).

equip you with divine power (2 Corithians 10:4).

delight to show you mercy (Micah 7:18).

meet all your needs according to My glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

give you grace that is perfectly sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9).

be your power in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9)

do immeasurably more than all you could ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within you (Ephesians 3:20)

There is so much I don't know. So much I'm uncertain of. So much that makes me wonder. But sister, I'm certain of this. I promise you, based on the authority of God Himself and centuries of witnesses to His faithfulness, if you will place your trust in Him, He will always--I said always--make sure that in the end you will look upon your foes in triumph. No illness, loss, rejection, or betrayal will ever get the last word. You will stand to your feet stronger than ever. And oh, may yo0ur unseen enemy regret the day he set the crosshairs of his weapon upon your forehead.

Bonhoeffer's "The Cost of Discipleship"

Our Bible Study has been reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book, "The Cost of Discipleship". We've been working on it for nearly three months now, and all along I've been meaning to post some reflections on the blog for my own benefit as I mull over the book and process all that I am learning. The book examines Christ's expectations of us as genuine followers. The first sentence of the book says, "Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our church. We are fighting today for costly grace." Unlike cheap grace that "justifies the sin without justifying the sinner," and is "the surest road to damnation," costly grace "bids a man come and die." Die to self, to the world, to anything that hinders you from follwing Christ. If you have something in your life that is contrary to Christ's will, you are not following Christ. Sandwiched in the middle of the book, Bonhoeffer works through his interpretation of Christ's "Sermon on the Mount", thoroughly describing the cost he demanded from his disciples, to surrender their entire lives and only look to him and to his will.

Obviously, this is a heavy, sobering and convicting read! I cannot even begin to summarize the book and do it justice. To know Bonhoeffer is to further appreciate the book: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietrich_Bonhoeffer. I highly recommend that you read this book again and again and again!

Here are a couple quotes from our study last night. The first describes the "narrow way" that Christ has called his disciples to walk, and the second describes the "false prophets" that find their way into our churches, stirring up confusion and driving many away from the right way. This reminds me of my post on well-intentioned dragons, http://perrysnutthouse.blogspot.com/2009/04/well-intentioned-dragons.html.

From Chapter 19, "The Great Divide"
--The Narrow Way
"The path of discipleship is narrow, and it is fatally easy to miss one's way and stray from the path, even after years of discipleship. And it is hard to find. On either side of the narrow path deep chasms yawn. To be called to a life of extraordinary quality, to live up to it, and yet to be unconscious of it is indeed a narrow way. To confess and testify to the truth as it is in Jesus, and at the same time to love the enemies of that truth, his enemies and ours, and to love them with the infinite love of Jesus Christ, is indeed a narrow way. To believe the promise of Jesus that his followers shall possess the earth, and preferring to incur injustice rather than to do wrong ourselves, is indeed a narrow way. To see the weakness and wrong in others, and at the same time refrain from judging them; to deliver the gospel message without casting pearls before swine, is indeed a narrow way. The way is unutterably hard, and at every moment we are in danger of straying from it. If we regard this way as one we follow in obedience to an external command, if we are afraid of ourselves all the time, it is indeed an impossible way. But if we behold Jesus Christ going on before step by step, we shall not go astray. But if we worry about the dangers that beset us, if we gaze at the road instead of at him who goes before, we are already straying from the path. For he is himself the way, the narrow way and the strait gate. He, and he alone, is our journey's end. When we know that, we are able to proceed along the narrow way through the strait gate of the cross, and on to eternal life, and the very narrowness of the road will increase our certainty. The way which the Son of God trod on earth, and the way which we too must tread as citizens of two worlds on the razor edge between this world and the kingdom of heaven, could hardly be a braod way. The narrow way is bound to be right."

--False Prophets
"...The disciples of Jesus must not fondly imagine that they can simply run away from the world and huddle together in a little band. False prophets will rise up among them, and amid the ensuing confusion they will feel more isolated than ever. There is someone standing by my side, who looks just like a member of the Church. He is a prophet and a preacher. He looks like a Christian, he talks and acts like one. But dark powers are mysteriously at work; it was these who sent him into our midst. Inwardly he is a ravening wolf: his words are lies and his works are full of deceit. He knows only too well how to keep his secret dark and go ahead with his work. It is not faith in Jesus Christ which made him one of us, but the devil. Maybe he hopes his intellectual ability or his success as a prophet will bring him power and influence, money and fame. His ambitions are set on the world, not on Jesus Christ. Knowing that Christians are credulous people, he conceals his dark purpose beneath the cloak of Christian piety, hoping that his innocuous disguise will avert detection. He knows that Christians are forbidden to judge, and he will remind them of it at the appropriate time. After all, other men's hearts are always a closed book. Thus he succeeds in seducing many from the right way. He may even be unconscious himself of what he is doing. The devil can give him every encouragement and at the same time keep him in the dark about his own motives."

Well-Intentioned Dragons

This is the intro to a fantastic book, "Well-Intentioned Dragons". I highly recommend the book to anyone involved in a church, as a tool to understand the dynamics of the congregation. I think I'm OK posting this, it is only 3 pages of the book, and my blog is blocked from search engines...let me know if you think I ought to take it down! After you read the intro, you might just want to head over to Amazon and order yourself a copy. :)

_________________________________________________________

"Well-Intentioned Dragons: Ministering to Problem People in the Church" by Marshall Shelley; 1985, Christianity Today, Inc.

Introduction: Church or Lair?

Dragons, of course, are fictional beasts--monstrous reptiles with lion's claws, a serpent's tail, bat wings, and scaly skin. They exist only in the imagnation.

But there are dragons of a different sort, decidedly real. In most cases, though not always, they do not intend to be sinister; in fact, they're usually quite friendly. But their charm belies their power to destroy.

Within the church, they are often sincere, well-meaning saints, but they leave ulcers, strained relationships, and hard feelings in their wake. They don't consider themselves difficult people. They don't sit up nights thinking of ways to be nasty. Often they are pillars of the community--talented, strong personalities, deservingly respected--but for some reason, they undermine the ministry of the church. They are not naturally rebellious or pathological; they are loyal church members, convinced they're serving God, but they wind up doing more harm than good.

They can drive pastors crazy...or out of the church.

Some dragons are openly critical. They are the ones who accuse you of being (pick one) too spiritual, not spiritual enough, too dominant, too laid back, too narrow, too loose, too structured, too disorganized, or ulterior in your motives.

These criticisms are painful beause they are largely unanswerable. How can you defend yourself and maintain a spirit of peace? How can you possibly prove the purity of your motives? Dragons make it hard to disagree without being disagreeable.

Relationships are both the professional and personal priority for pastors--getting along with people is an essential element of any ministry--and when relationships are vandalized by critical dragons, many pastors feel like failures. Politicians are satisfied with 51 percent of the constituency behind them; pastors, however, feel the pain when one vocal member becomes an opponent.

Sightings of these dragons are all too common. As one veteran pastor says, "Anyone who's been in ministry more than an hour and a half knows the wrath of a dragon." Or, as Harry Ironside described it, "Wherever there's light, there's bugs."

Research by LEADERSHIP journal, a professional quarterly for church leaders, indicates 80 percent of the pastors who read the publication need help with difficult people in the congregation. And yet, many pastors enter the ministry totally unprepared for these attacks.

One pastor of a rural church considered an older deacon his closest friend in the congregation. The deacon, a farmer, generously shared produce from his garden and insisted on keeping the young pastor's battered Ford filled with gas from the tank behind the barn. The deacon also happened to be the church's biggest giver, providing more than 30 percent of the total budget.

One day the pastor, moonlighting as a school bus driver, had to discipline an unruly student. "I went strictly by the book," he recalls. He dropped off the boy at home and told him to tell his parents the bus would not be stopping for him the next day. He reported the incident to the school superintendent and thought the matter was closed.

But the next day, the deacon, a friend of the boy's father, told the pastor he had overstepped his authority and completely mishandled the situation. "I think it's time you looked for another church," he said. "Your ministry here is over."

Even though the school board backed the pastor, within six months the pastor was forced to resign because of the influence of that deacon.

"I was shocked," the pastor says. "I felt betrayed and isolated. I was innocent, and yet this incident cost me my job. I wondered why I had been singled out for such abuse. I was totally unprepared for this.

"In seminary I learned how to discuss infra- and supralapsarianism, and yet in thirty years of mnistry, I've never had to use that knowledge. But I've encountered lots of unreasonably angry people, and I was never even warned they'd be out there."

By now he has learned that in ministry, criticism "comes with the territory"--some of it deserved, some of it unfair, all of it devastating for an individual who loves people and wants to minister to them.

This is a book about ministering while under attack. It was prepared after interviews with dozens of pastors who candidly described the difficult people they have faced. It is not a psychological study of problem people nor is it an exhaustive catalog of the difficult individuals pastors will encounter. Instead it is a book based on the accounts of veterans of the dragon wars. The lessons offered are lessons of experience. They may or may not apply in other situations, but they at least provide a glimpse of the potential conflicts. Perhaps the wisdom of battle-tested veterans will prevent others from walking unaware into an ambush.

Though winged, fire-brething dragons may be fictional, the stories you are about to read are not. Only the names, locations, and identifying details have been changed to protect present ministries. These are real-life stories of pastors who have succeeded, some who have failed, and all of whom have learned valuable lessons about continuing to minister amid the church's well-intentioned dragons.

2008's Most Helpful Book List

I thought I'd list some of the books (other than the Bible, a given of course!) I've turned to for help and inspiration this year:

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, by Marc Weissbluth. The tired mother's "Bible"! No herecy intended...:)

Child Behavior, by Ilg, Ames and Baker. This is the manual from the Gesell Institute of Human Development. Yes, I have a two year old. Yes, it is helpful to understand child behavior and be reminded that stages come to an END! :) I just enjoy studying human development anyway.

I am America (and So Can You!), by Stephen Colbert. Definitely not for everyone! "The Colbert Report" is one of my absolute favorite tv shows though, and this book is hilarious!!!

Safe People, by Drs. Cloud and Townsend (the authors of the also-very-good-book Boundaries). All-time most helpful and amazing book of the year!!! I would buy this book for every single friend and family member if I had the resources to do so.

Firestorm: Preventing and Overcoming Church Conflicts, by Ron Susek. Made a very confusing and painful ordeal more understandable.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers. A priceless book, given to me in college by my dear roomie Charis. Has a devotional for every day of the year, a very meaty, insightful devotional! Not one of those "Meet God in Two Minutes Flat" devos. Never gets old, has a new lesson every day that always reveals a blindspot in my life, and always provokes on-going thought about the lesson.

There were other books, but those are the most notable and the ones I would recommend the most fervently (maybe not I am America...:). I also enjoy reading Newsweek every week and my friends' blogs! :) For the most part, though, I'm turning illiterate since I finished school. Very pathetic.

So, what are your recommendations for 2009?