tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26363876080926132312024-03-14T01:56:57.951-07:00Parker's Penséesparkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-17746576284191677202015-11-17T08:16:00.003-08:002015-11-18T01:53:25.944-08:00How you can #prayforparis<div class="MsoNormal">
I am overwhelmed by the support that we Parisians have
received over the past few days. My Facebook, Twitter, and email have been
filled with messages affirming that people are mourning with us and praying for
us. Thankfulness does not even begin to describe my sentiment. One of the
greatest things about being a Christian is being part of the Church global.
This universal Church has actively joined with us in bearing the burdens that
this past weekend has brought to Paris and it’s local churches.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have had many requests from people who want to help us and
pray for us, so I decided to write this blog post in an effort to write a well
thought-out response to that. My church is Emmanuel International Church (<a href="http://www.eicparis.org/">www.eicparis.org</a>). Feel free to learn a bit
about us there, and we could certainly use any help from anyone who would be
willing to give. For the purpose of this blog, however, I will try highlight
some prayer requests that would be common for all of the Christians living here
and the churches that they belong to.<o:p></o:p></div>
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First, pray that Christians (including the pastors, like
myself) will believe the gospel right now. I know this request may not seem
exciting, as this would have been my same prayer request for the church even before
the attacks. But this is the most important thing. Every witness that will be
given must come from gospel-centered reasoning. If Christians let themselves
forget the gospel for a little while, they will be tempted to respond with
hatred, judgment, and legalism rather than with humility before God concerning
their own sin. This is important not only for the sanctification of the
believers here but also for the witness they will have to a lost world. Only
when the gospel shows us the seriousness of our own sin can we be genuinely
empathetic for a world that includes terrorists. The world needs this empathy
now. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Second, pray that Christians will intentionally make
themselves available for tough conversations with non-believers. Hard questions
surround this event, and believers here must be ready to respond in a confident
humility. How could a good God let this happen? Is this event not proof that
the world would be better off without religion? What do I do with my fear and
hate? Aren’t all religions pretty much the same? These questions will need to
be responded to in all of the relationships that these believers have, and many
Christians feel inadequate to answer them. Yet the gospel addresses these
questions and makes sense of them. Pray that these Christians will be willing
to enter in these conversations and trust that the Holy Spirit will give them
the answers that they need.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Third, pray that our churches will be united. There is
nothing more ugly than a fighting church, and no better witness than a church
who loves each other. Let us love each other. Pray that whatever would divide
Christ’s body would be seen as secondary before our corporate repentance and
witness of the gospel.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fourth, pray that God will bring people to faith in Christ
through the church’s witness. Us Parisian Christians have been praying for
Paris for a long time, and the Lord has been moving. In recent years there has
been many new churches started by gospel-centered planters and the kingdom has
been growing here. While percentage-wise the number of evangelicals is still
small, there has been much growth, both in numbers and in reputation, since I
moved here 7 years ago. Pray that the Lord will use the past faithful witness
of the church in the lives of non-believers to call to mind the present need
and the answers that Christ gives.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fifth, pray that this event will bring more Christians to
intentionally move to Paris. We need more churches and church planters, but we
also need more Christian businessmen, teachers, engineers, accountants, and any
other types of workers to choose to live here for the sake of the gospel. More
churches could be started here if there were more Christians to fill them and
help them in service and in giving. Someone once asked me what I thought Paris
needs the most. I thought for a second, and I responded with just one word:
Christians. Why was that my response? Because Christ lives in Christians. Pray
that God sends us more.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Paris is sometimes called the city of lights. It
is a mover and shaker city in this world, and, as this situation has shown, the
world responds to things that happen in Paris. It is a very multicultural city
that includes many unreached people groups from all over the world. The French are
a very advanced civilization culturally, and this brings many people to Paris
as one of the cultural capitals of the world. The gospel taking root here would
impact the entire globe, and this makes Paris a very important battleground for
world mission. The opportunities for gospel-centered reflection are massive
right now. Please pray that the church will be ready for the task.</span><!--EndFragment-->parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-51736116356623048552015-11-13T17:24:00.000-08:002015-11-13T17:24:40.909-08:00#PrayforParis - A Reaction<div class="MsoNormal">
Normally I don’t like to react. I prefer to reflect. I am
going to rush through my reflection time and react this time. I am going to shoot
from the hip. Don’t worry though-my aim will be true.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We have reflected. Two thousand fifteen began with Charlie Hebdo.
Paris has already mourned this year. A hashtag of human empathy reigned supreme
at that time. #iamcharlie. We went through it together, despite the fact that
the target offended everyone. We celebrated free speech. We celebrated freedom
of the press. We grabbed hands and declared <span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">liberté, égalité, fraternité</span>. Paris went through it together.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yet One was left out of the mourning process by the
Parisians, and we need a new hashtag.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
#prayforparis<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not many like to pray anymore. Not many ever liked to pray.
Praying is hard for more reasons than one. It is an abandoning of
self-sufficiency. It is a declaration that empathy for the fallen and a
boasting in the human spirit is not enough. Prayer is about something bigger;
or rather, Someone bigger. Someone bigger is what we need right now. It is time
to admit it. We need God.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I know you don’t like hearing that. We never do. God is the
last place we want to go. Dumas wrote about it in his character Edmund Dantes.
The Count of Monte Cristo himself would only turn to God as a last resort.
Listen to Monsieur Dumas explain it to us:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #10131a; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">"enfin
il tomba du haut de son orgueil, il pria, non pas encore Dieu, mais les hommes;
Dieu est le dernier recours. Le malheureux, qui devrait commencer par le
Seigneur, n’en arrive a espérer en lui qu’après avoir épuisé toutes les autres
espérances."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #10131a; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">For
you English speakers, who jumped through that, let me explain the situation.
Only after he fell from the top of his pride to the very lowest place did our
hero turn to God. God was the last option for him, and he turned to God only
when he was down to his last hope. Parisians, we are in the cell with Dantes. After Charlie, we
turned to each other. We turned to men. It is now time to turn to God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #10131a; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">No
more seeking hope in men. No more blaming God for men’s evil. No more thinking
that you are sufficient for what you need. No more lack of thanksgiving for the
common grace that God is distributing. No more hope in kings and rulers. No
more belief in the general benevolence of mankind. These things have not been
successful. These things are not successful. These things will not be
successful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #10131a; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">Instead,
let the wicked man forsake his ways (and that means you and me, my Parisian
friends). Let us turn to the Lord, who is slow to anger and abounding in mercy.
The Lord who hears our cries and weeps for our pain. The Lord who understands
our suffering, because he willingly entered into it Himself. Jesus. This is where we must
turn. On</span><span lang="FR" style="color: #10131a; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;"> a épuisé toutes les autres espérances. </span><span style="color: #10131a; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">We have exhausted the
other sources of hope. There is only One left.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #10131a; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">And
there was always only One. This only makes us realize it. We should have
started with him. Now we are obliged. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #10131a; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">So
we must use a new hashtag.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #10131a; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;">#prayforparis</span><o:p></o:p></div>
parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-84869069458311452972015-01-12T07:41:00.000-08:002015-01-12T07:41:20.805-08:00Paris, Charlie, and the Lost Science of Theology<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">I like
school. I know I am weird. If I were to win the lottery and could spend time
any way I want, I would be a professional student and study all of my life. I
like education and being able to talk about deep topics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Living in
Paris, sometimes this frustrates me. On one hand, Paris is a student city where
most people are educated. Some of the best schools in the world in a variety of
different disciplines find their home in the city of lights. I enjoy
discussions with students about their studies: literature, philosophy, and
history are among my favorites. Yet for me it can be difficult to talk to the
average Parisian about my education.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">My area of
specialization is theology. I had a Religion degree from college and a Masters
of Divinity from seminary. I spent my time thinking about God. Yet when I bring
that up, the conversation often stops there- not because, as would be the case
in America, of an awkward avoidance of religion, but because it is a subject
that is not thought about any more. One person even asked me if I believed in
science at all after learning I studied theology! There is almost a total
ignorance of theological issues here. More often than not, the thoughts of the
people I meet have not moved past the question of whether God exists or not. As
one who believes the existence of God is self-evident, it is frustrating that
not many have contemplated what I consider to be a foundational question for
all people - What is God like?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Since this
question has not been pondered, it is quite normal to conclude that all
religions are the same. If the only theological question concerns whether God
exists or not, any worldview that responds with a “Oui” is seen as believing
the same thing. Judgments are made based on this erroneous thinking; judgments about
“religious” people and judgments about this abstract “God” that they worship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Enter
Muslim terrorists with guns. Let them collide with Charlie, a publication that
has no filter and seems to think that the things it says have no consequences.
One side will not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tolerate</i> slander to
their prophet; the other side will not <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tolerate</i>
their right to slander being threatened. Death. Outrage. Anger. Blame.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">And then I
find myself in the middle of it. I am a Christian who finds the things Charlie
says highly offensive, yet whose Christianity teaches him that Charlie has a
human right to say those things. I relate to the Muslim anger at slander, yet
my Christianity demands strong condemnation of the violent action taken on
behalf of their (or any) prophet. As a Western Evangelical Christian, either
side would judge me as being part of the other. I am either a blind secularist
or an intolerant radical.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">There is a
way to clear these matters up, but most won’t like it. It is our old, ancient
friend theology that will help us here. Forgive me if I try to tear down the
wall of comfort you have built to keep God out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">If you are
like me and believe that atheism is incapable of giving an accurate picture of
reality (it doesn’t even allow you to say what the terrorists did is wrong),
then it is time for us to grow out of our crèche and ask big boy questions.
What is God like? What did He think about the terrorist raid in Paris? Why did
He create me? Do I have a responsibility to Him?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Reflection
on these questions is long overdue in Paris. We can no longer hide behind an
affront of being a “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Catholique
non-practiquant.</i>” We must consider God again. And, in doing that, we must
consider this man named Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Now, if you
don’t mind, I will add a little Jesus theology to conclude. Jesus claimed to be
God. He was called Emmanuel by the angel, which means “God with us,” and this
is particularly important as we leave the Christmas season. What Jesus teaches
about God is very different than what the proud prophet Muhammed teaches. Jesus
chose and endured shame and taught Christians to take that same attitude. And,
not only did he endure shame, He endured much, much more. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">God took on
human flesh in Jesus. He was not one “…who is unable to sympathize with our
weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet
without sin. “ (Hebrews 4:15) This means that the God who exists did not simply
spin the world He created and laugh at its suffering. He is Emmanuel, the God
who suffered with us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">God, who
knew no hunger, became one who was hungry (Matthew 4:1-4), that we might have
the bread of life (John 6:35). God, who knew no thirst, became one who was
thirsty (John 19:28), that we might have Living Water (John 4:10). God, who
knew no loneliness, became one who was alone (Matthew 26:31), that we might
have community (Matthew 16:18). God, who knew no sin, was made “…<span style="color: #010f18;">to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus did not present a God
who needed his followers to kill in order to defend His honor. Jesus presents a
God who humbly took dishonor for the love of God and humanity. For me. For you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #010f18; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">If
that doesn’t appeal to you, reject Jesus. But make no mistake: He will one day
defend his name with justice and wrath, and He is mercifully delaying this
desiring all to come to repentance; desiring you to come to repentance. If
Jesus is right, both Charlie and the terrorists are both very, very wrong. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #010f18; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Regardless
of what you think about Jesus, Charlie, or the terrorists, one thing should be
very clear- these questions are important, as is Jesus’ answers to them. What
you believe about God (ie. Theology) is the most important thing about you. It
is time to grow up. It is time to ask mature questions. The world is at a
boiling point, and God demands decision.</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-65787902141394089942015-01-01T08:37:00.001-08:002015-01-01T08:37:34.088-08:002nd Annual "Books I Read" Awards, 2014 Edition<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">It is again
time for my book awards, and I am happy to say I have been able to keep up with
my book-a-week pace. I read 54 books this year; that is, if you count the
Bible. For the sake of my awards, the Bible will be left out, as it is in a
different category than all other books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Once again,
I want to reiterate my desire to read in a balanced way. I try not to read too
many books by one author or about one subject. I try to mix old and new,
fiction and non-fiction, Christian and non-Christian. Amongst my Christian
books, I try to read books from people with differing points of view, though as
I look at my list, I probably didn’t do enough of that. One explanation for
that, however, is the fact that I am in school and doing research, so that
affects some of the books I read. I must say that I have had to make tough
decisions regarding my favorite fiction books, as I have read some really good
ones this year. The most read author on this list is Veronica Roth, but that is
only because I had to read all three books to finish the story in the Divergent
series. Other than that, there were two books by D.A. Carson, C.S. Lewis, and
George Macdonald, and the rest were all different authors. One interesting
thing I noticed is that there was no Tim Keller book this year. I am a big fan
of his, and I read three of his books last year, including the book of the
year. That is the sort of thing that I try to do, although it was something I
just noticed. You'll find a list of all the books I read this year at the bottom, should you want to comment.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"> So, without further ado, here are the 2<sup>nd</sup> Annual
“Books I Read” Awards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Best
Scholarly<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">The
Jews and the World in the Fourth Gospel</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">, Lars Kierspel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Here
is a book that you will probably never read, nor would I recommend it unless
you are interested in the very narrow topic that this book addresses. I had to
read it for a class I was doing research for concerning the problem of supposed
anti-Semitism in the Gospel of John. I wasn’t very excited about the topic
myself until I began to dig into it a bit. I was assigned this book and I
devoured it. Lars Kierspel does an absolutely brilliant job of answering this
challenge, and I must say that I learned an awful lot about the Gospel of John
while breaking down this work. I know probably not many people will ever read
this book (maybe that is why it costs 80 dollars), but as one of the few who
did I want to give credit where it is due. Mr. Kierspel, Bravo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">2<sup>nd</sup>
place: Fallen: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Theology of Sin</i>,
Various Authors<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Honorable
Mention: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sex, Marriage, and Family Life
in John Calvin's Geneva</i>, John Witte<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Best
Re-Read<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">The
Problem of Pain, A Greif Observed</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">, C.S. Lewis</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">I put these
two books as winners because, in my opinion, they should be read together (and
in that order). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Problem of Pain</i>
is C.S. Lewis using his brilliant intellect and cool logic to tackle perhaps
the greatest philosophical challenge to Christianity, namely, the problem of
evil. How can a good and all-powerful God allow evil? He does a great job of
speaking to that issue, and he does so compassionately. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Grief Observed</i>, however, we see Lewis addressing the same theme
from the perspective of someone going through suffering-the death of his wife.
The book is brutally and refreshingly honest, and is the type of book that not
many people could write. I enjoyed reading it in light of his philosophical
perspectives. If you are confused about the problem of evil, read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Problem of Pain</i>. If you find
yourself going through hard times, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Grief Observed</i> is the book for you. If you want to be blessed, read them
both consecutively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">2<sup>nd</sup>
place: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Princess and the Goblin</i>,
George MacDonald<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Honorable
Mention: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Frankenstein</i>, Mary Shelley<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Best New
Christian Non-Fiction<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">One Way
Love</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">,
Tullian Tchividjian<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">This
was my first encounter with Tullian and I must say I was very impressed. This
is a book about Grace with a capital G. Human beings have a tendency to believe
and consequently live like their self-worth is bound to their performance. We
perform according to the rules and to the law. Then, when we fail (and we do), we
base our worth and our thoughts about how we relate to God on that basis. But,
as Tullian says, “Law apart from the Gospel can only crush; it cannot cure.” He
is not bashful, however, about preaching the cure found in the Gospel. “Grace
inspires what the Law demands. The Law prescribes good works, but only grace
can produce them.” Amen, Tullian.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">2<sup>nd</sup>
place: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Creature of the Word</i>, Matt
Chandler<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Honorable
Mention: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gospel: Recovering the Power
that Made Christianity Revolutionary</i>, J.D. Greear<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Best
Old Christian Non-Fiction<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">The
Bruised Reed</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">,
Richard Sibbes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">For
someone who is somewhat Reformed, I have been slow in getting into the
Puritans. That said, I found this work by Richard Sibbes to be a timeless
encouragement for Christians of every era. This book is based on a verse from
Isaiah 42, </span><span style="color: #262626; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">"A
bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will
bring forth justice for truth." I read this at a point in the year when I
was a little down, and this little book was just what I needed. “Let us not be
cruel to ourselves when Christ is thus gracious,” he said, and he was right.
This book was just what I needed, and if you find yourself struggling accepting
God’s grace, read.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #262626; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">2<sup>nd</sup>
place: </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Sermons on 1 & 2 Timothy and
Titus</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">,
John Calvin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Honorable
Mention: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Small and Large Catechism</i>,
Martin Luther<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Best
Fiction Book<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Water
For Elephants</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">,
Sara Gruen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">This
was a very difficult decision, and it came down to three books. I very nearly
made a three-way tie, with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Book Thief</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Beautiful and the Damned</i>
being the other two in the discussion. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Book Thief</i> was great writing, clever in execution, and heartbreakingly
tragic. The narrator in the book is Death, and Zusak causes you to fall in love
with all of the characters that try to stay alive during the reign of the Third
Reich. I can’t make a movie comparison for you, as I haven’t seen it yet. I can
say it has a tall order to live up to the book. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Beautiful and the Damned</i> was also brilliant, as I’m not sure
that Fitzgerald is not the best pure writer the English language has ever
produced not named Shakespeare. I loved getting into the life of the 1920’s New
England Jazz-Age culture, which is fascinating in and of itself. The book is
also a tragic portrayal of how money and debauchery can destroy people, a
message a Christian should be able to get behind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Saying
that, I went with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Water for Elephants</i>
for fiction book of the year. Sarah Gruen did a lot of research into the
travelling circus culture of the Great Depression era, and I jumped right into
it. I loved feeling part of the Benzini Brothers circus and riding the train
with the characters to then new cities. It is a good love story that is told
from a touching perspective. Most of all, though, I loved being a part of the
world she created. That is the main reason this one gets the nod over the other
two great books. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">I
did not give an overall book of the year, and I think the main reason is that
none stood out like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Center Church</i> did
last year. I read lots of good books but I couldn’t give one overarching award
for this group. Perhaps next year. Happy New Year everyone, and may 2015 be
filled with many good books.</span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Books Read:</div>
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<span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br /></span></div>
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<td colspan="3" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 274.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="275">
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Small and Large
Catechism, Martin Luther<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td colspan="3" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 274.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="275">
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hemingway's Paris: Our
Paris?, H.R. Stoneback<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td colspan="4" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 339.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="340">
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Eat With Joy: Redeeming
God's Gift of Food, Rachel Marie Stone<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 263.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="264">
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tortilla Flat, John
Steinbeck<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td colspan="3" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 274.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="275">
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How to Reach Secular
People, George Hunter<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Difficult Doctrine of
the Love of God, D.A. Carson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td colspan="6" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 469.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="470">
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Katharina Von Bora: A
Reformation Life, Rudolf Markwald and Marlynn Markwarld<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 263.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="264">
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">More Than Rubies, George
MacDonald<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
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<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Jews and the World in
the Fourth Gospel, Lars Kierspel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td colspan="3" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 274.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="275">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fallen: A Theology of
Sin, Various Authors<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 10;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 263.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="264">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Demons, Fyodor
Dostoyevsky<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
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</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 11;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 252.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="253">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Divergent, Veronica Roth<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
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</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 12;">
<td colspan="6" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 469.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="470">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gospel: Recovering the
Power that Made Christianity Revolutionary, J.D. Greear<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
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</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 13;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 263.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="264">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Black Beauty, Anna Sewell<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
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</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 14;">
<td colspan="3" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 274.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="275">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sermons on 1 & 2 Timothy
and Titus, John Calvin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
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</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 15;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 252.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="253">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Trial, Franz Kafka<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
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</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 16;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 263.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="264">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Let the Nations Be Glad,
John Piper<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
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</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 17;">
<td colspan="4" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 339.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="340">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Unfinished Agenda: An
Autobiography, Lesslie Newbigin<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
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</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 18;">
<td colspan="3" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 274.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="275">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Beautiful and the
Damned, F. Scott Fitzgerald<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 19;">
<td colspan="6" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 469.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="470">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit: Relationships, Role, and Relevance, By Bruce Ware<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
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</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 20;">
<td colspan="3" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 274.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="275">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Valley of Fear, Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 21;">
<td colspan="3" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 274.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="275">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A Glimpse of King Richard
III, Matthew Lewis<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 22;">
<td colspan="5" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 404.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="405">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sex, Marriage, and Family
Life in John Calvin's Geneva, John Witte<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 23;">
<td colspan="5" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 404.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="405">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Subversive Kingdom: Living
as Agents of Gospel Transformation, Ed Stetzer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 24;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 263.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="264">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Creature of the Word,
Matt Chandler<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 25;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 252.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="253">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Insurgent, Veronica Roth<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 26;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 263.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="264">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A Season to Remember,
Carson Tinker<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
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<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 27;">
<td colspan="3" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 274.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="275">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Ball and the Cross,
G.K. Chesterton<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 28;">
<td colspan="4" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 339.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="340">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Majesty of God in the
Old Testament, Walter Kaiser Jr.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 29;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 252.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="253">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Allegiant, Veronica Roth<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 30;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 263.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="264">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Bruised Reed, Richard
Sibbes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 31;">
<td colspan="3" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 274.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="275">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Humanness of John
Calvin, Richard Stauffer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 32;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 263.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="264">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One Way Love, Tullian
Tchividjian<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 33;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 263.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="264">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Prince and Betty,
P.G. Wodehouse<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 34;">
<td colspan="3" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 274.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="275">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Why Cities Matter,
Stephen Um and Justin Buzzard<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 35;">
<td colspan="3" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 274.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="275">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Problem of Pain, C.S.
Lewis (RR)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 36;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 263.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="264">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A Greif Observed, C.S.
Lewis (RR)</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 37;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 252.7pt;" valign="bottom" width="253">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">La Chute, Albert Camus<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 38;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 263.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="264">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Water For Elephants, Sara
Gruen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 39;">
<td colspan="3" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 274.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="275">The Princess and the Goblin, George MacDonald (RR)</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 40;">
<td colspan="4" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 339.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="340">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Church: The Gospel
Made Visible, Mark Dever<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 41;">
<td colspan="3" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 274.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="275">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Christ and Culture
Revisited, D.A. Carson</span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 42;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 263.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="264">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Does God Exist, by
William Lane Craig</div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 43;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 263.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="264">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Northanger Abbey, Jane
Austen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 44;">
<td colspan="6" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 469.9pt;" valign="bottom" width="470">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Storytelling God:
Seeing the Glory of Jesus in His Parables, Jared Wilson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">John Calvin: Pilgrim and
Pastor, Robert Godfrey<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
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</tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Barth, Eberhard Busch<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
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</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 47;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 263.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="264">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Frankenstein, Mary
Shelley (RR)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 65.0pt;" valign="bottom" width="65"></td>
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</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 48;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 263.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="264">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">All Things for Good,
Thomas Watson<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
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</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 49;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 263.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="264">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Book Thief, Markus
Zusak<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 11.1pt;" valign="bottom" width="11"></td>
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</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 50;">
<td colspan="2" nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 263.8pt;" valign="bottom" width="264">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Melt the Icebergs, James
Handyside<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
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</tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Attributes of God,
A.W. Pink<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
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</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
NIV Application Commentary, Philippians, Frank Thielman</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Bible, ESV</div>
parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-76814436588301186272014-09-17T07:42:00.000-07:002014-09-17T07:42:30.513-07:00Center Church, by Tim Keller: A Review<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What it’s about:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After doing mission work in Paris for three years and being
frustrated by the methods we were using, this is the city-strategy book I needed.
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Center Church </i>is not a how-to manual
for Christian ministry in cities but rather a guide to help the city pastor,
church planter, and missionary think through the issues important to their
specific context. Keller, as is customary for him, commends balance in all the
issues he discusses, urging ministry to stay in the center of the road and to
avoid ditches that can be found on either side. This book also can be seen as
an apologetic for the strategic importance of cities to global Christianity, a
cause that needs to be emphasized to evangelicals today.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Why this book is
important:<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are so many reasons why this book is important, and
I’ll try to highlight a few of them. First, this book seeks to place the gospel
at the center of all ministry. In order to do that, the gospel must be
biblically defined, and its implications must be applied in every area of our
ministries. The gospel is the death and resurrection of Jesus, and this message
makes people right with God when they trust it in faith. This must be
remembered in order to avoid a works-based righteousness that becomes the
default for people when the gospel is not preached. If the gospel is not
continually put before the people in preaching, in teaching, and in the vision
of the church, people will start believing that they relate to God based on
their performance and not his grace. The gospel is the seed by which all fruit
grows. To quote Keller, “Because the gospel is endlessly rich, it can handle
the burden of being the ‘main thing’ of a church.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With the gospel established as the lens by which all things
are viewed, Keller writes sections on gospel renewal, contextualization, city
vision, cultural engagement, missional community, integrative ministry, and
movement dynamics. Each of these sections has 3-5 chapters, and I found each to
be insightful. With there being so much to say, I’ll limit myself to comments
on three of my favorite sections.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The issue of contextualization is important for all
ministers, especially those doing ministry cross-culturally. Keller defines
contextualization like this: “…giving people <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the Bible’s answers</i>, which they may not at all want to hear, to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">questions about life</i> that people in
their particular time and place are asking, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">in
language and forms</i> they can comprehend, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">through appeals and arguments</i> with force they can feel, even if
they reject them.” The job of ministers is to communicate the gospel, and
therefore the minister must consider how best that message will be received by
those who hear. This issue, however, can become tricky in urban contexts, as
often the congregations are filled with multiple cultures (mine can have over
40 countries on an average Sunday). Keller’s section on contextualization is
helpful both in terms of understanding your own culture and helping you think
through how to bring the gospel to other cultures simultaneously in an
understandable way.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I mentioned earlier about how this book is important for
promoting ministry in cities. A section of four chapters is given to this end.
I served in Paris, and a few years ago I went back home to Alabama and spent a
lot of time speaking to churches and Christian schools about missions. I found
that, while many of these Great Commission Christians had partnerships with
missionaries and ministries, nearly every time these partnerships were with work
in rural areas. As Keller points out, the world is urbanizing quickly. Cities
attract the younger generation, assemble the nations in one area, and influence
the world in a way that rural areas don’t. While I do not want to discount
ministry in rural areas, there needs to be a bigger influx of missions to
cities in the 21<sup>st</sup> century. Keller’s arguments to this end need to
be considered, especially if you are a student who is trying to find out how to
give your life to the Lord. Perhaps God has called you to a secular vocation where
you will intentionally live in a city for the sake of the gospel.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A third section that I found especially helpful was on
Cultural Engagement. Christians throughout history have had many differing
views on how a Christian relates to a secular culture. This is a pertinent
issue for any church, especially one in a city. Keller presents a helpful
history of Christian thought on this topic and wisely encourages us to stay
balanced. As is the norm for this book, rather than telling us what to do or
think, he gives us the factors that we must consider in coming to a stance on
our practices in cultural engagement. In a previous blog post, I made reference
to one of these factors, namely, knowing the season of a culture concerning
where it stands in relation to the gospel. You can read that post here: <a href="http://parkerwindle.blogspot.fr/2012/11/is-europe-post-christian.html">http://parkerwindle.blogspot.fr/2012/11/is-europe-post-christian.html</a>
.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Criticisms:<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t have any serious criticisms with this book. I go
through Center Church with Interns who come to do mission work in Paris, and
often I don’t have time to go through the whole book with them. There aren’t
any chapters that I consider to be unimportant, so it becomes difficult for me
to make decisions on what to leave out.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As with any book, I have minor disagreements here and there,
but I don’t consider those worth mentioning. I will say that the book is
written from a western, American perspective. While I agree with Keller when he
says, “World cities are more connected to others around the world than they are
to their own nations,” we must still understand that there is a difference
between London and New York and Tokyo culturally. Keller is fighting the
tendency to emphasize the discontinuity between these cities rather than how
they are alike, and I believe this is much needed today. At the same time,
there will be times that the New York perspective that he comes from may not be
a perfect fit if you are serving in Beijing or Rome. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>What this book did
for me personally:<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After I finished seminary I began a short-term (3 years)
mission stint in Paris. My ministry was people group focused and was using a
strategy that had been developed (and been very successful) in rural China.
Exploding with seminary training and a desire to reach the nations for Christ,
I launched myself heart and soul into this work. It didn’t take long, however,
before I became strongly critical of our methodology in my mind. I was trying
to be a good follower and didn’t rebel against my leadership, but I must
confess that little about our approach made sense to me. We were people group
focused; yet most of the growing churches I saw were multicultural. We were
trying to start house churches, yet most of the different ethnic groups seemed
to have their own particular problems with having church in their homes. We had
a strong emphasis on evangelism; and while that is good, we emphasized it to
the point that we often neglected ministries that would impact the larger
culture as a whole. In short, my frustrations were by and large due to the fact
that we were approaching missions in Paris the same way missions is approached
in rural third-world situations. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I read Center Church, I found myself constantly
shouting a mental “YES!” Coming from his New York perspective, Keller was able
to identify many of the issues I was having in Paris and to help me to think
through it. We would all like to have a trump card methodology of missions that
will work in every culture and context in the world, but this does not exist.
Center Church does not attempt to provide a methodology for you; rather, it
wants to give you a framework for thinking through your cultural context, your
church, and biblical theology in order to help you determine how to faithfully
accomplish the great commission where you are.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After my mission stint, I came back to Paris to serve in a
local international church. I love every minute of serving here, yet the issues
in an urban multicultural church have not gotten any simpler. Serving the Lord
in a city church is exciting, rewarding, and complicated. Center Church has
been invaluable for me in thinking through ministry in the context where I am
called.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Conclusion</u></b>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When evangelicals talk about missions, often the first thing
that pops into our heads is unreached people groups and the cause of global
evangelism. This is not bad; however, I believe this can sometimes lead to an
extreme emphasis on doing missions in rural hard-to-reach areas to the neglect
of cities. True, cities are more expensive, complicated, and busy. But they are
also more multicultural, as many unreached people groups find their ways to
these major urban centers. They attract the young, and are therefore important
in reaching the next generation. They are more influential, as the cities seem
to dictate the direction that the culture of the whole country takes. They have
a higher concentration of the poor, giving the church a great opportunity to
bear witness through social justice. And, on top of all this, the world is
urbanizing quickly. This is the direction the world is going in. Christians
must take seriously the call of cities and provide a strong and faithful
witness there. Center Church is an important contribution to this cause.<o:p></o:p></div>
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parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-44104345107134476722013-12-31T06:12:00.002-08:002013-12-31T06:12:55.901-08:00The 2013 "Books I Read" Awards<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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At the beginning of 2013 I made a goal to try to discipline
myself to average reading one book a week. I averaged slightly higher than that,
reading 53 books this year. I have tried to read widely, as one must be
disciplined to keep educating oneself after finishing school. On top of that, I
am trying to avoid becoming a cookie-cutter of what I read, as often happens
with ministers. While I give lip service to that, I admittedly say that I have
a tendency to bias myself towards C.S. Lewis and Tim Keller. Nevertheless, I
did not read more than four books by any one author. I tried to include new
books and old books, fiction and non-fiction, classics and obscure, and Christian
and non-fiction, as well as books that it was time for me to re-read. I have
provided the list of books at the bottom and given awards out to some of my
favorites. What do these books win? Nothing but the pride of being mentioned.
Nevertheless, feel free to leave your comments and disagree with me, especially
my heretical opinions concerning Charles Dickens.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Best Fiction Book</u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Kite Runner</i>, Khaled
Hosseini</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This Category was a tough call, but in the end <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Kite Runner</i> just edged out <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Age of Innocence</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(where else other than this blog could those
two be in competition?). I really appreciated Wharton’s descriptions of this
era in New York society and the way she honored traditional marriage, but I
absolutely couldn’t put <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Kite Runner</i>
down. I could easily relate to the real and appropriate feelings of guilt that
the protagonist was plagued with and was touched about the way he found some relief
in being able to love. While certainly not a Christian book, there are many
places this could be bridged to the gospel. It is a great read.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
2<sup>nd</sup>
place: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Age of Innocence</i>, Edith
Wharton</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Honorable
mentions: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sanctuary</i>, William
Faulkner; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Alchemist</i>, Paulo Coelho</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u>Best Re-Read</u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Recalling the Hope of Glory</i>, Allen Ross</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
This is kind
of an odd category, but some books simply must be re-read. Given my love of
C.S. Lewis, many of the books that qualify for this award belong to him. This
fact, however, may have hurt his prospects of winning it, as it would be hard
to choose which one. Mere Christianity, for example, is one of my all-time
favorites and has probably influenced me more than any book other than the
Bible. I read it every year, and this year I read it in French (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Les Fondements du Christianisme</i>). It is
also a difficult category, as every book I would re-read I obviously liked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
That being
said, the award goes to Allen Ross’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Recalling
the Hope of Glory</i>. Ross is a professor at Beeson Divinity School, of which
I am an alumni. This was his textbook for his class on Worship Leadership. He
has a brilliant Old Testament mind and he leads the reader through all the
Bible has to say about worship. He makes difficult concepts concerning Israel’s
traditions very accessible and easy to apply to the modern worshipper. This
book is an absolute must read for the pastor who wants his congregation have a
deeper understanding of worship than whatever the new Chris Tomlin CD says
(with all due respect to Mr. Tomlin). Here is a little nugget from the book to
entice you to read it: “Holiness is not one of many descriptions of God; it is
the summary designation of all that God is and is known to be in contrast to
all creation.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
2<sup>nd</sup>
Place - Les Trois Mousquetaires, Alexandre Dumas (The Three Muskateers, read it
in French this time)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Honorable
Mention – The Screwtape Letters, CS Lewis; Notes Freom the Underground, Fyodor
Dostoevsky</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u>Best
Christian Nonfiction</u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Insanity of God</i>, by Nik Ripken</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I absolutely
loved this book. In fact, I loved it so much that I wrote a review of it, which
you can see here: <a href="http://parkerwindle.blogspot.fr/2013/08/the-insanity-of-god-by-nik-ripken-review.html">http://parkerwindle.blogspot.fr/2013/08/the-insanity-of-god-by-nik-ripken-review.html</a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>. In short, I loved the tough questions
it asks about suffering and persecution in the Christian life, as well as the
struggles of a missionary who wants to bring people to faith in Christ while
observing the dangers that this prospect would bring. Ripken is humble in his
questions and thorough in his attempts to answer them. I found this book
extremely edifying and would recommend it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
2<sup>nd</sup>
place: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mere Apologetics</i>, Alister
McGrath</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Honorable
Mention: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Preaching to a Post Everything
Word</i>, Zack Eswine; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Meaning of
Marriage</i>, Tim Keller; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bloodlines</i>,
John Piper</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u>Best
Scholarly </u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Age of Reform:1250-1550</i>, Steven
Ozment</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
If this
seems like a bizarre category, then know that I pretty much made it up so I
could say how much I liked this book. Steven Ozment, a professor at Harvard,
writes a terrific introduction to the study of the Reformation. He gives great
background on the Monastic and Scholastic movements which really help to
understand the mindsets of figures like Luther and Calvin when they hit the
scene. Ozment is also a good writer, and I enjoyed his work so much that I also
read his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When Father’s Ruled: Family Life
in Reformation Europe. </i>If you are interested in going deep into the
Reformation, this one is a must read.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
2<sup>nd</sup>
Place: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Christ and Culture</i>, H. Richard
Neibuhr</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Honorable
mention: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When Father’s Ruled: Family Life
in Reformation Europe,</i> Steven Ozment</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u>Biggest
Disappointment</u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Great Expectations</i>, Charles Dickens</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
This year I
made my second attempt to try to get through this one, and, though it was grueling
and sometimes excruciating, I finally made it. Put me in the camp with those
who don’t understand why Dickens is heralded as such a genius. Sure, there are
flashes of brilliance, but unfortunately those flashes are hidden within hundreds
of pages of boredom. The one book of his that I do love, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Tale of Two Cities</i>, I only really loved after I had finished it. While
I did enjoy the tension of the tragic misplaced love of Pip for Estella, I had
a hard time caring about the characters or the story as a whole. This is a
classic, and Dickens is widely renowned as a genius, so I am sure he will survive
my criticism here. Assuredly I will discipline myself to read another big
Dickens novel sometime (note I said <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">discipline
myself</i>), but I am not looking forward to it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
2<sup>nd</sup>
place: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Book of Acts</i>, Frank Stagg</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Honorable
Mention: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Anna Karenina</i>, Leo Tolstoy; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">God on Sex</i>, Danny Akin</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u>Book of
the Year</u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Center Church</i>, by Tim Keller</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
This book
stands way above and beyond any other book I read this year, and it is perhaps
the best book I have read since I have gotten out of school. If you are a
missionary and/or pastor in an urban setting, or need to be convinced of the
necessity of gospel witness to cities, this book is an absolute must read. A consistent
theme in the book is that the church/Christian ought to seek to stay balanced,
or in the center, regarding the different questions that surround urban
churches. The gospel ought to be </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 307.5pt;">
seed by which all ministry grows
out of and flame through which all theological convictions are purged. Keller,
as always, presents well-researched, scholarly material in ways that are
accessible to the average layman, and he provides insightful wisdom that comes
from years of experience. Refreshingly, he does not offer quick fixes or a step
by step program; rather, he provides questions by which we can evaluate how we
do things and what is appropriate for our contexts. The book is divided into 8
parts, which can be purchased separately on Kindle. I particularly enjoyed the
sections on contextualization and cultural engagement. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 307.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 307.5pt;">
2<sup>nd</sup> place: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Kite
Runner</i>, Khaled Hosseini</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 307.5pt;">
Honorable Mention: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Insanity
of God</i>, Nik Ripken;<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Age of Innocence</i>,
Edith Wharton</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 307.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 307.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 307.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 307.5pt;">
Book list:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 307.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 307.5pt;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Louis XIV, Makers of
History</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, John Abbot</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 8;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The Kite Runner</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Khaled Hosseini</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 9;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The Screwtape Letters</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, C.S. Lewis (reread)</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 10;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Recalling the Hope of
Glory</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Allen Ross (reread)</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 11;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Fahrenheit 451</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Ray Bradbury</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 12;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Wittgenstein in 90
Minutes</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Paul Strathern</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 13;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Heidegger in 90 Minutes</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Paul Strathern</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 14;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The Epistle to the
Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians, NICNT</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, by F.F. Bruce</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 15;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The Praise of Folly</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Erasmus</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 16;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Notes From the
Underground</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Dostoyevsky (reread)</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 17;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">When I don't Desire God</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, John Piper</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 18;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The Kreutxer Sonata</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Tolstoy</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 19;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The Book of Acts</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Frank Stagg</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 20;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Young, Restless, and
Reformed</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Collin Hansen</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 21;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">How Should I Live in This
World</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, RC Sproul</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 22;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The Empire of Austria:
Its Rise and Present Power</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, John S.C. Abbott</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 23;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The Freedom of
Self-Forgetfulness</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Tim Keller</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 24;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Selections From the Table
Talk of Martin Luther</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Martin Luther</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 25;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="FR" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Les
Trois Mousquetaires</span></i><span lang="FR" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">,
Alexandre Dumas (reread)</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 26;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Christ and Culture</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, H. Richard Neibuhr</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 27;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Letters to a Young Pastor</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Calvin Miller</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 28;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The Man with Two Left
Feet, and Other Stories</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, P.G. Wodehouse</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 29;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The Power of Suffering</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, John MacArther</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 30;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Sanctuary</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, William Faulkner</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 31;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Surprised By Joy</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, C.S. Lewis (reread)</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 32;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The Age of
Reform:1250-1550</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Steven Ozment</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 33;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The Insanity of God</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Nik Ripken</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 34;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The Story of the Amulet</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Edith Nesbit</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 35;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">God on Sex</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Danny Akin</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 36;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="FR" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Les
Fondements du Christianisme</span></i><span lang="FR" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">,
C.S. Lewis (reread)</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 37;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Bloodlines</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, John Piper</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 38;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Tess of the d'Urbervilles</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Thmas Hardy</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 39;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Worldviews in Conflict</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Ronald Nash (reread)</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 40;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The Happy Prince and
Other Tales</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Oscar Wilde</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 41;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The Age of Innocence</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Edith Wharton</span></div>
</td>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 42;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Wisdom and Wonder: Common
Grace in Science and Art</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Abraham Kuyper</span></div>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 43;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">A Streetcar Named Desire</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Tennessee Williams</span></div>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 44;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="FR" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">L'humanite
de Calvin</span></i><span lang="FR" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">,
Richard Stauffer</span></div>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 45;">
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Free Grace Broadcaster:
Babies</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, multiple authors</span></div>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 46;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Mere Apologetics</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Alister McGrath</span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 47;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">C is for Christmas</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Warren Wiersbe</span></div>
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</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 48;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Great Expectations</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Charles Dickens</span></div>
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</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 49;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Center Church</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Tim Keller</span></div>
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<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 50;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">When Father's Ruled:
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</tr>
<tr style="height: 15.0pt; mso-yfti-irow: 51;">
<td nowrap="" style="height: 15.0pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 468.9pt;" valign="top" width="625">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Preaching to a Post
Everything Word</span></i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">, Zack Eswine</span></div>
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<br />
<br />parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-59845983611382412272013-12-24T03:32:00.000-08:002013-12-24T03:32:18.917-08:00The Baby Who Plays with Nails<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0NVg-0pV9Uqy69iw5dt7oTwR-6tpEWPElxgEXKCO3kmPGg_zbxcckz6oMs3WTiClZHx1hjy3HRBXTk6hfPqINDsHHoom_KlsIj1nhg2cef5puYJ_MDSoizxXzjL4IqE-ICSpERADLsjoX/s1600/jesus+and+nail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0NVg-0pV9Uqy69iw5dt7oTwR-6tpEWPElxgEXKCO3kmPGg_zbxcckz6oMs3WTiClZHx1hjy3HRBXTk6hfPqINDsHHoom_KlsIj1nhg2cef5puYJ_MDSoizxXzjL4IqE-ICSpERADLsjoX/s320/jesus+and+nail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.5pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 3.75pt; text-indent: -28.5pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.5pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 3.75pt; text-indent: -28.5pt;">
<span style="color: black;">But
the LORD was pleased</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.5pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -28.5pt;">
<span style="color: black;"> To
crush Him, putting <i>Him</i> to grief;</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.5pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -28.5pt;">
<span style="color: black;"> If
He would render Himself <i>as</i> a guilt offering,</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.5pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -28.5pt;">
<span style="color: black;"> He
will see <i>His</i> offspring,</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.5pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -28.5pt;">
<span style="color: black;"> He
will prolong <i>His</i> days,</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 28.5pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: -28.5pt;">
<span style="color: black;"> And
the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Isaiah 53:10</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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There is a small sculpture in the Louvre that I love, though
it often goes unnoticed amidst the wealth of art that surrounds it. If you
enter one of my favorite rooms in the Denon section, you will pass by the famous
sculpture of Cupid and Psyche. Just before you get to Michelangelo’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Esclaves</i> you will pass this sculpture in
the photo above, <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">entitled,”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">L’Enfant
Jesus jouant avec un clou</i>,” (The infant Jesus playing with a nail), by
Paolo Bernini.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now, since it is Christmas season, I am immediately
drawn to Christ being shown as an infant. What is celebrated on Christmas day
is indeed the hope of all humanity. In the darkest of times, in the darkest of
places, we see that we have a God who is willing to lay aside glory and power
to become a man (a poor, infant child at that) in order that he might shine the
true light in the places where it must be shown.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Christmas is our hope. It is the advent of our Hero,
Heaven’s Champion. Yet, as I gaze into this sculpture, I realize that Christmas
can only be appropriately viewed with the shadow of Good Friday
lurking over the manger where Jesus lay. Jesus was born to suffer and to die.
Suffering is the purpose of Jesus’ incarnation, and you can see it on the face
of the baby in the sculpture. The innocent hands of that child would soon be
pierced by those same jagged, rusty nails.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Isn’t that the testimony we are sometimes forced to
give about our own lives? In the midst of all of our hopes, dreams, and joys is
driven a rusty nail of despair. As much as we want our lives to be fairy tales
with happy endings, most of the time our circumstances point us to difficulties
and sufferings. If we must content ourselves with what this world is offering
us, we submit to a bleak existence. The world does not teach hope.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet the baby that would take the nails was not
taught of this world. He knew the terrible cup he would drink and still spoke
of hope, peace, and joy. How could Christ preach the gospel he did?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The answer comes after death. It is Easter that
trumps Good Friday. It is the resurrection where his glory would be manifested.
It is the eternal that gives hope to the temporal. Jesus sent a very important
message to all those who would believe in his name, namely, that unspeakable
joy awaits the ones who make it through the perplexing sufferings that this
life holds. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We will be grateful for the many joys that we
receive from God this Christmas season, but we must also remember that the baby
would take the nail. This world is not a place that is friendly to transcendent
messages. Yet the baby that lay in the Christmas manger is nevertheless the invasion of God
into a hostile world. He comes wielding weapons of love, patience, wisdom and
kindness. The world fights back with wooden crosses and iron nails. And,
despite the rebellious hearts with which the world fought, its nails proved to
be His glory and our salvation. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Gloria in excelcis Deo</span></div>
<br /><br />
parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-54971559784199986602013-10-09T06:01:00.000-07:002013-10-09T06:01:12.721-07:00dev197 - Evening Chains<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Default","serif";">“Now
I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the
greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in <i>the
cause of</i> Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian
guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the
Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God
without fear.”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Default","serif";">Philippians
1:12-14</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Default","serif";">Verses
like the one above show me why I need to read the Bible daily. I don’t normally
wake up in the morning or go to bed at night thinking thoughts like Paul
expresses here. In the mornings I am usually trying to decide if I have
anything to look forward to that day, and in the evening I go to bed either
content or disappointed with how that day met my expectations. In both times,
my mind unconsciously goes to selfish things.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Default","serif";">But
what if I woke up one day with a certain set of expectations and found myself
going to bed in prison, having been put there only because of my faith? My
hopeful aspirations for the day would not have included chains around my
ankles, so I wonder about the state of my attitude upon finding myself in such
a predicament.</span> Given the status of my selfish desires for the day,
chains would be a very disappointing way to end it. Not only would I not have
done good work in my job, had coffee with a friend or found a date for the
weekend, I would have also found my liberties taken away. I would have seen
that day as a failure, and would have to resign myself to the fact that the
coming days would also fail to satisfy the desires I had for that day.</div>
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<br /></div>
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This is the case, of course, because I would have failed to
line up my desires with the will of God. The things I gravitate toward in the
morning must be derailed into a more gospel-driven set of hopes. For Paul, with
his relentless kingdom focus, was thrilled by the events of the day that led
him into prison. His chains did not represent unfulfilled hopes for his day;
they represented fulfilled hopes, as they served to advance the gospel.</div>
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You will not be able to rejoice in your sufferings if your
hopes do not center in the gospel. If your hopes are centered in preventing
your suffering and difficulties, then you will often find yourself going to bed
disappointed. Yet the glory of the gospel is that in Christ even suffering
cannot transform your hope to despair. In fact, the gospel teaches that quite
the opposite is true. Suffering leads to perseverance; perseverance, character;
and character, hope.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But this is not just any hope. It is a crucified hope. It is
a hope in seeing God’s glory manifested in the nations. It is a hope founded on
the resurrected Christ and being made right with God in Him. It is a hope that
despises the things I naturally gravitate towards upon the sounding of my
morning alarm clock. It is an eternal hope.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Perhaps we all go to bed with a certain kind of chains. Make
sure your chains are chains that were put there because of the gospel. If that
is the case, I think you will find it easy to go to bed rejoicing.</div>
parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-88420345909151522682013-10-04T06:35:00.000-07:002013-10-04T06:35:02.132-07:00Quelques Citations de C.S. Lewis<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
J’ai remarqué qu’il y avait très peu de citations de C.S.
Lewis en français sur internet. Personellement, C.S. Lewis m’a beaucoup
influencé et je crois que ses œvres seraient bénéfiques pour les ministères de
pasteurs français. J’ai donc decidé de présenter certaines citations de cet
auteur sur mon blog, et j’espère que ce sera utile pour les églises françaises.
<br />
<br />
Ces citations sont tirées du livre <i>Les Fondements du Christianisme</i> (Mere
Christianity), traduit par Aimé Viala. La traduction n’est pas aussi littérale que
je l’aurai souhaité, mais les principes des ses idées sont communiqués. Lorsque
que j’aurai<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>lu d’autres de ses œuvres en
français, j’ajouterai de nouvelles citations.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>C.S. Lewis Citations</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Le Fondements du Christianisme</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Si un individu demande à quoi sert une bonne conduite, que
vaut le réplique « afin que la société en bénéficie » ? Car s’efforcer de
rendre service à la société ou être altruiste (« société », après tout, désigne
les autres hommes), est une des composantes de la bonne conduite; cela reviens
à dire que la bonne conduite est la bonne conduite. Vous en auriez dit tout
autant si vous vous étiez bornés à déclarer : « Les hommes doivent être
altruistes. »</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mais essayer de savoir pourquoi les choses sont ce qu’elles
sont, s’il existe quelque chose de nature différente derrière ce que la science
observe, ce n’est plus une question scientifique. S’il y a quelque chose
derrière, elle nous restera toujours inconnue, ou elle se rélévera de manière différente.
Affirmer ou infirmer l’existence de cette chose n’appartient pas au domaine de
la science.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
En supposant que la science se perfectionne jusqu’à tout
appréhender dans l’immense univers, il est évident que les questions : Pourquoi
y-a-t-il un univers ? Pourquoi functionne-t-il com il le fait ? A-t-il un sens
? resteraient sans réponse.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Si vous avez fait fausse route, aller de l’avant ne vous
amènera pas plus près du but. Si vous êtes sur la mauvaise voie, il faut faire
demi-tour pour regagner la bonne route : dans ce cas, l’hommes qui fait
volte-face est celui qui progresse le plus vite.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Si Dieu s’incarne dans <i>la Loi Morale</i>, alors il n’est
pas tendre.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dieu reste le seul rèconfort mais aussi le terreur suprëme :
ce dont nous avons le plus besoin est justement ce dont nous voulons nous
cacher. C’est donc notre seul allié possible, quoique de plein gré nous soyons
devenus ses ennemis.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
En religion comme en la guerre ou tout autre domaine, la
quiétude est le seul chose que vous ne pouvez trouver en le cherchant. Si vous
rechercher la vérité, il se peut que pour finir vous trouviez la sérénité : si
vous recherchez la quiétude, vous ne trouverez ni la sérénité ni la vérité -
seulement les mièvreries et une réflection très optimiste, pour sombrer
finalement dans le désespoir.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Si vous êtes athée, votre opinion inéluctable est que toute
les religions du monde ne sont qu’erreur monumentale. Mais, comme chrétiens,
vous êtes libre de penser que toutes ces religions, mêmes les plus bizarres,
renferment au moins un amorce de vérité. Tant que j’étais athée, j’essayais de
me persuader que la majorité de la race humaine s’était toujours fourvoyée dans
la question qui lui importait le plus.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mais cette religion professe aussi qu’un grand nombre de
chose, dans le monde creé par Dieu, ont mal tourné et que Dieu lui-même insiste
fortement pour que nous les remettions en ordre.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
L’argument que j’ai retenais contre Dieu était que
l’unirvers parassait si cruel et si injuste ! Mais d’ou pouvait bien me venir
cette idée de juste et d’injuste ?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
l’athéisme se révélait trop simple. Si tout l’univers
n’avait aucune sens, nous n’aurions jamais découvert qu’il n’en avait aucune,
de même que si la lumiére n’existait pas dans l’univers et s’il n’y existait
aucune créature pourvue d’yeux, nous ne connaîtrions jamais la nuit. La nuit
n’aurait aucune sens.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rien ne sert de réclamer une religion simple. Après tout,
les choses réelles ne le sont pas.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
En fait, la réalité est habituellement ce que justement vous
n’auriez pas deviné. C’est une des raisons de ma croyance au christianisme.
C’est une religion qu’on n’aurait pu deviner. Si elle nous offrait le type
d’univers auquel nous nous attendons, j’éprouverais l’impression que nous en
sommes les créateurs. Mais en fait, elle n’a rien d’équivalent à ce que les
hommes auraient construit. On y trouve justement cette trame curiese que
possèdent les chose réelles.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Peut-être sommes nous enclins àdésavouer Dieu. Mais se
trouver en désaccord avec lui est difficile. Il est la source même de tout
notre pouvoir de raissonnement : nous ne pouvons avoir raison et lui tort, pas
plus qu’une rivière ne peut remonter plus haut que sa source. Quand nous
discutons avec Dieu, nous contestons la puisance même qui nous a donné la
faculté de raisonner.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dieu ne peut nous donner le bonheur et la paix si ce n’est
en lui, parce qu’ils n’existent pas en dehors de lui. Aucune autre solution
n’est valable.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Je voudrais empêcher quiconque de pronouncer cette phrase
vraiment insensée qu’on advance souvent au sujet de Jésus : « Je suis prèt
à voir en Jésus un éminent maître de morale, mais je récuse sa prétension
d’être Dieu. » C’est la chose à ne pas dire. Un homme qui ne serait qu’un homme
et qui tiendrait les propos qui tenait Jésus ne serait pas un grande professeur
de morale. Ce serait soit un fou -tel l’individu affirmant qu’il est un œuf
poché- soit le Démon d’enfers. il vous faut choisir : ou bien cet homme était
and reste le Fil de Dieu, ou bien il ne fut rien d’autre qu’un aliéne ou pire
encore. Vous pouvez l’enfermer comme fou, lui cracher au visage et le tuer
comme un démon ; ou, au contraite, vous jeter à ses pieds et l’appeler Seigneur
et Dieu. Mais ne vous laissez pas entraîner à favoriser ce nn-sens, à savoir
qu’il est un grand maître issu de l’humanité. Il ne nous a pas laissé cette
possibilité. Il n’a pas eu cette intention.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Un corps vivant n’est pas qui jamais ne se blesse, mais
celui qui, toute proportions gardée, se répare tout seul. De même, un chrétien
n’est pas un homme qui ne fait jamais le mal : il est plutôt un homme apte à se
repentir, à se relever et à tout recommencer après chaque faux-pas, parce que
le Christ habite en lui, le guérissant constamment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mais le chrétien est dans une situation différente. Il croit
plutôt que tout ce qu’il fait de bien émane de la vie du Christ demeurant en
lui. Il ne conçoit pas que Dieu nous aime parce que nous sommes bons, mais
qu’il nous rendra bons parce qu’il nous aime ; comme le toit d’une serre
n’attire pas le soleil parce qu’il est brillant, mais qu’il brille parce que le
soleil darde sur lui ses rayons.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
En vérité, les actions juste accomplies pour un motif
mauvaisne contribuent pas à développer la qualité interne ou le caractère
appelé « vertu » ; or c’est cette qualité ou ce caractère qui compte
réellement.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nous pourrions penser que Dieu demande simpliment
l’obéissance à un ensemble des règles, tandis qu’il veut, en fait, des individus
d’un type particulièr.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Les véritables grands maîtres de morale n’introduisent
jamais de nouvelles morales : ceux qui le font sont les charlatans et des
excentriques.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Il devrait y avoir des choses que nous aimerions faire et
auxquelles nous renonçons parce que la somme consacrée à nos buts charitables
en exclus la possibilité.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Quelquefois aussi notre orgueil freine notre charité : nous
sommes tenté de dépenser plus que nécessaire dans les aspects tape-à-l’œil de
la générosité (porboires, hospitalité) et moins que nous le devrions envers
ceux qui ont réellement besoin de notre aide.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lorsqu’un homme devient meilleur, il comprend de plus en
plus clairement le mal qui subsiste en lui. Mais si un homme devient pire, il
comprend de moins en moins sa propre perversité. Un homme modérément perverse
sait qu’il n’est pas très bon ; un homme complètement dévoyé pense qu’il est
parfait.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pour toutes joies, les constraintes s’avèrent nécessaires en
ce bas monde, car la prétention qu’s tout désir d’être sain et raisonnable,
aussi puissant soit-il, n’a aucune valeur. Chaque individu sain d’esprit et
civilisé doit diposer d’un ensemble de principes en fonction desquel il choisit
de rejeter certains de ses désirs pour en valoriser d’autres. Un homme peut
réagir ainsi selon ses principes chrétiens, ou des principes d’hygiène ; un
autre le fera d’après des principes sociologique. Il n’y a pas un conflit
véritable entre le christianisme et « la nature », mais bien entre les
principes chrétiens et nos pulsions naturelle. À moins que vous teniez à ruiner
votre vie, celles-ci doivent être contrôlées. Les principes chrétiens sont, de
l’avis général, plus strict que les autres, mais nous pensons que nous recevons
une aide divine pour leur obéir.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
la vertu même, celle qu’on désir acquérir, apporte la
lumière ; la laisser-aller fait naître le brouillard.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Naturellement, cesser d’être amoureux n’implique pas cesser
d’aimer. L’amour -distinct du fait d’ « être amoureux »n’est pas dans ce sens
simplement un sentiment. C’est une unité profonde, maintenue par la volunté et
délibérément renforcée par l’habitude, réconfortée (dans le sens chrétiens) par
le grace que les deux conjoints demande à Dieu et qu’ils recoivent.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fort longtemps, j’ai pensé que c’était là un distinguo
stupide qui couper les cheveux en quatre. Comment pouvait-on haïr ce qu’un homme
faisait sans haïr l’individu? Or, bien des année plus tard, il me vint à
l’esprit qu’il y avait un homme que j’avait traité ainsi toute ma vie, c’était
moi-même. Quel qu’ait pu être la dégoût de ma lâcheté, mon orgueil ou ma
cupidité, j’ai continué à m’aimer sans la moindre difficulté. En fait, la
raison même de ma haine pour certain de mes actes était justement que j’aimais
l’homme.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Voilà ce que entend la Bible par « aimer son enemi ». Lui
souhaiter du bien et non pas éprouver un semblant d’affection pour lui, ni
prétendre qu’il est sypathetique alors qu’il ne l’est pas.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
D’après des maïtres chrétiens, le vice essentiel, le mal
suprême est l’orgueil. Impudicité, colère, avidité, ivrognerie et tout le
reste, ne sont que morsures de puce en comparaison. C’est l’orgueil qeui fraye
la voie à tous les vices et transforma le diable en ce qu’il est. L’orgueil est
l’etat d’esprit totalement anti-Dieu.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Si je suis un orgueilleux, aussi longtemp qu’il y aura sur
cette terre un homme plus puissant, plus riche, ou plus intelligent que moi, il
sera mon rival et mon enemi.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Aussi longtemp que vous persistez dans votre orgueil, vous
ne pouvez connaïtre Dieu. Un orgueilleux abaisse toujours son regard sur les
choses et les êtres ; et, bien entendu, aussi longtemp que vous regardez vers
le bas, vous ne sauriez vour ce qui est au-dessus de vous.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Chaque fois que nous avons l’impression dans notre vie
religieuse d’étre bons, -et surtout meileur qu’un autre- nous devons être
convaincu d’être les marionnettes du diable, et non de Dieu. Le test véritable
de notre communion avec Dieu et de s’oublier complètement soi-même, ou de se
considérer comme un objet misérable et souillé ; il vaut mieux s’oubler
soi-même totalement.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Car l’orgueil est un cancer spirituel, il dévore la
possibilité même d’amour, de contentement et de simple bon sens.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Si vous recontrez un individu vraiment humble, n’imaginez
pas qu’il sera fait de cette humilité actuelle que l’on trouve dans le
genre onctueux, doucereux, répétant sans cesse, naturellement, qu’il n’est rien
de tout. Mais probablement vous apparaïtra-il de type jovial, intelligent,
prenant un plaisir réel à ce que vous lui racontez. Si vous ne l’aimez vraiment
pas, c’est que vous serez un peu envieux de ce qu’il jouisse sainement de la
vie, sans songer à son humilité personelle, ni à l’oubli se soi qui le ou la
caractéris.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ne vous tracassez pas de savoir si vous « aimez »votre
voisin ; agissez comme si vous l’aimiez. Dès là mise en practique de ce
primcipe, vous découvrirez ’un des grands secrets. Lorsque vous vous conduisez
comme si vous aimiez une personne, vous en arrivez bientôt à l’aimer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Plus vous êtes cruel, plus vous haïssez ; plus vous haïssez,
plus cruel vous devenez.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
En lisant l’Histoire, on découvre que les chrétiens ayant
exercé la plus grande influence dans leur temps pensaient le plus souvant au
monde à venir.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Et c’est depuis que les chrétiens ont, dans une large
mesure, cessé de penser à l’autre monde qu’ils sont devenu inefficaces dans
celui-ci. Aspirez au ciel et aussitôt la vision du monde vous assailerea : ne
pensez qu’à ce monde et vous n’aurez plus aucune vision du ciel et de la terre.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Le chrétien, pour sa part, raisonne ainsi : « La naissance
ne nous a pas dotés de désirs dont la satisfaction soit impossible. »</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Et si je découvre en moi un désir qu’au aucune expérience au
monde ne puisse satisfaire, l’explication plausible ne serait-elle pas que je
suis fait pour un autre monde?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Or la foi, dans le sens que j’utilise ici, est l’art de
s’accrocher aux certitudes que votre raison a acceptées une fois pour toutes,
en dépit de vos variations d’humeur. Car votre humeur changera, quel que soit
le point de vue qu’adopt votre raison.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nul individu ne sais à quel point il est mauvais jusqu’à ce
qu’il ait essayé très fort d’être bon.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Les doctrines ne sont pas Dieu, mais seulement une sorte de
carte établi d’après l’expérience de centaines des gens qui ont réellement eu un
contact avec lui. Tout les frémissements pieux ou les émotions spirituelle que
vous et moi sommes susceptibles d’éprouver sont bien élémentaire et confus,
comparés à ces expériences vécues. En outre, si vous désirez aller plus loin,
il vous faut utiliser une carte.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Si vous ne prêtez pas l’oreille à la théologie, cela
n’implique pas que vous n’avez pas l’idées personelles sur Dieu, mais que vous
en avez quantité de fausses, de vagues et de désuètes. En effet, maintes
notions sur Dieu, exhibées aujourd’hui comme des nouveautés, sont tout
bonnement celles que de vrais théologiens ont rejetées, voili des siècles. Dans
le monde moderne, il est tout aussi rétrograde de croire à la religion
populaire que de croire que la terre est plat.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Si le christianisme ne constitute qu’une nouvelle brassée
d’excellent conseils, il demeure alors sans importance.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
C’est précisément le but du christianisme. Ce monde est
l’atelier d’un grand sculpteur. Nous sommes les statues et la rumeur court que
certains parmi nous vont un jour prendre vie.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Quand le Christ mourut, il mourut pour vous
individuellement, comme si vous étiez seul au monde.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Une fois qu’un homme est uni à Dieu, comment pourrait-il ne
pas vivre à jamais ? Quand un homme est séparé de Dieu, que peut-il faire sinon
s’étioleret mourir ?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
L’expression « aurait-il pu » a-t-elle le moindre sens si on
l’appliqe à Dieu ?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Après les tout premier pas dans la vie chrétienne, nous
prennons conscience que tout ce qui doit être fait dans notre âme ne peut
l’être que par Dieu.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mais quand nous comparons les chrétiens en bloc avec les
non-chrétiens, nous ne pensons pas habituellement à des personnes que nous
connaissons, mais seulement à deux conceptions vagues inspiré de romans ou de
journaux</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Si la vertu vous est naturelle, méfiez-vous ! On attend
beaucoup de ceux qui beaucoup reçu. Si vous vous attribuez le mérite des dons
que Dieu vous accord par truchement de la nature, et si vous vous contentez
simplement d’ètre quelqu’un de bien, vous êtes encore un rebelle ; et tous ces
talents rendront votre chute plus terrible, votre corruption plus complexe,
votre mauvais example plus désastreux.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Un monde des gens charmant, satisfaits de leur propre
gentillesse, sans perspective d’avenir et se détournant de Dieu, aurait tout
aussi désespérément besoin du salut et pourrait même être plus difficile à
sauver qu’un monde misérable.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Si votre « moi » est votre unique intérêt vous ne trouverez
en fin de compte quehaine, solitude, désespoir, rage, ruine et déchéance. Mais
recherchez le Christ. Vous le trouverez, et, avec lui, tout le reste vous sera
donné par surcroît.</div>
parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-36906789453243973942013-09-17T07:34:00.001-07:002013-09-17T07:34:33.266-07:00Dev 196 - Version Française <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">Récemment J’ai eu
l’occasion de voyager en Suisse pour prendre part à rassemblement de jeunes
avec mon église. Je suis allé dans un petit village qui s’appelle Grindelwald,
situé très haut dans les Alpes. Pendant le trajet, quand le train montait dans
la montagne, je dormais et ne faisais pas attention au beau paysage qui
m’entourait. Je ne fus donc pas prêt pour le spectacle qui m’attendait lorsque
je suis descendu du wagon. Lorsque <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>j’ai
débarqué sur le quai j’ai eu le souffle coupé en apercevant la scène qui était
devant moi. Une énorme montagne s’élevait là devant moi dans toute sa gloire.
Il a fallu que je m’arrête un moment pour regarder cette splendeur et penser à Dieu.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">Il a fallu un
moment avant que je me ressaisisse. Finalement, j’ai dû continuer mon chemin jusqu’au
camp. J’ai marché environ cent mètres, sans lâcher la montagne du regard. À chaque
pas je voulais la regarder à nouveau.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">Pourtant, en
arrivant au camp, la vie a recommencé. J’ai dû trouver mon logement et
m’occuper des jeunes qui étaient avec moi. J’ai rencontré d’autres personne en
anticipant les amitiés qui se formeront lors de ces jours. J’ai aussi reçu mon
programme et révisé mes notes pour la semaine.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">La semaine a
passé. Les rendez-vous du matin suivis des études bibliques. Le repas du midi
et enfin les activités de l’après-midi. Le soir amenait le culte de louange, et
aussitôt après il était temps de dire «bonne nuit » à tous, il fallait se lever
pour tout recommencer. Ce fut une bonne semaine où on a vu beaucoup des fruits
spirituels.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">Un soir, après le
culte de louange, je suis rentré au camp tout seul. En réfléchissant à la
journée passée t comment Dieu travaillait dans les vies de chacun au camp puis
j’ai remarqué la montagne. Soudain, je me suis souvenu qu’il y avait une montagne,
car dans un sens je l’avais oubliée. J’ai été choqué quand j’ai réalisé que ce
qui m’avait enchanté il y a quelques jours je l’avais totalement effacé de mon
mémoire. Cette vision ne m’intéressait déjà plus.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">Malheureusement,
cela m’arrive parfois. J’oublie les choses qui sont bonnes et belles. Mais je
crois que c’est un problème qui existe dans la vie des hommes. Je suis rassuré
quand des chrétiens parlent de cette beauté qui nous evite, mais qui néanmoins
nous attire. Cette beauté nous émerveille, mais elle ne nous comble pas
complètement. Elle touche la partie éternelle de nos âmes sans nous rassasier.
Finalement, la seule chose que cette beauté puisse nous apporter, c’ est de
révéler les vrais désirs de nos cœurs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">Les hommes n’ont
pas été créés de telle manière qu’ils puissent être satisfaits par les
montagnes, malgré leur splendeur. Les choses créées ne peuvent seulement que
nous montrer nos désirs les plus profonds. Cela peut nous éveiller à ce qu’il y
a d’éternel en nous, et c’est là où nous pouvons trouver nos<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>espoirs. Les cieux nous racontent nos désirs.
Les cieux racontent la gloire de Dieu.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">Dieu nous a fait
de telle sorte que nous ne pouvons être rassasié qu’en lui seul. Dieu est la
seule Montagne qui ne cessera jamais de nous émerveiller. Il est une Montagne
inébranlable. Jésus est la plus haute beauté, et c’est seulement avec Lui que
notre soif de<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>beauté peut être nourrie.</span></div>
parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-38458374314247517152013-09-10T03:40:00.000-07:002013-09-10T06:17:23.359-07:00dev196 - Lasting Beauty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR77XgGB4YFRCj5noCzf8SAkkCLSCOEo2lzWV9Cxm4shyphenhyphenrIJxtfNUchEetUHqnnuDuCEpHpesvFkaQDZqqjETK6llaeMJzHV4bWTOTEtdT6SiLAqMTM9D9RI7EhDlPe3fnE_FVz-7EiHjC/s1600/grindelwald.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR77XgGB4YFRCj5noCzf8SAkkCLSCOEo2lzWV9Cxm4shyphenhyphenrIJxtfNUchEetUHqnnuDuCEpHpesvFkaQDZqqjETK6llaeMJzHV4bWTOTEtdT6SiLAqMTM9D9RI7EhDlPe3fnE_FVz-7EiHjC/s320/grindelwald.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Default","serif";">“He
has also set eternity in their heart…”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Default","serif";">Ecclesiastes
3:11b</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Default","serif";">Recently
I had the privilege of attending a youth camp in the small mountain village of Grindelwald,
Switzerland. I paid little attention to my surroundings as my train scaled this
scenic section of the Swiss Alps, so I wasn’t ready for the bombardment of
beauty that hit me when I stepped out of the car. As I descended onto the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">quai,</i> I lost my breath for a moment,
gazing at the mountain in all its regal glory. I had no choice but to stop for
a minute and allow my eyes to soak in the beauty that had turned my mind
heavenward.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Default","serif";">It
took me a few minutes to regain myself before continuing on my way. I walked a
few hundred meters to our camp, never actually escaping the mountain’s regard.
Every few steps I couldn’t help glancing at the majesty that was blessing me. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Default","serif";">Business
started, however, when I arrived at the camp. I had to find my room and make
sure the youth who were with me got settled</span><span style="font-family: "Default","serif";">. I started meeting the other youth and their leaders,
anticipating <span style="color: black;">the friendships I would form that week. I
got my schedule and reviewed through my teaching sessions.</span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Default","serif";">The
week passed as we progressed through the schedule. Early morning meetings
proceeded to Bible studies, lunch, and free time. Evening worship and church
devotions concluded the day, only to get up early the next morning to do it
again. It was a good camp where many spiritual seeds were sown.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Default","serif";">One
evening after worship I walked back alone. As I was thinking through the day
and what God was doing in my group, I spotted the mountain noticing me.
Suddenly, I remembered that there was a mountain there. I ashamedly admitted to
myself that I had forgotten the mountain. How had I gotten bored with the beauty
that had once captivated me?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Default","serif";">Unfortunately,
this happens to me often, though I think it is an experience that is common to
all people. I am comforted when I hear men like C.S. Lewis talk about this
eluding beauty; a beauty that draws us to itself, fills us with wonder, but
doesn’t quite content us; beauty that pricks the eternal part of our soul
without quite satisfying it; a beauty that, in the end, can do no more than point
us to our truest desires.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Default","serif";">Mankind
was not made in such a way that he could be satisfied by mountains, no matter
how majestic. Created things, at their very best, can only point us to our true
desire. These pricks can awaken the eternal part of us, and it is there where
are true longings can be discerned. The heavens do declare our desire to us.
The heavens declare the glory of God. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Default","serif";">God
has made us in such a way that our ultimate longings can only be found in him. He
is the only Mountain that will never cease to awe us, and he is a Mountain
unshakeable. Christ is our ultimate beauty, and only in Him can our craving for
beauty be satisfied.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Default","serif";">In
the meantime, while we await the coming of Beauty incarnate, God has given us
smaller beauties as appetizers. The mountain of Grindelwald is no slouch; he
does point to God very affectively. My breath was taken away by his gaze, and
his speech stirred in me the longing that it desired to awaken. It spoke of the
glory of God.</span></div>
parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-18639630879231757032013-09-03T02:59:00.000-07:002013-09-03T03:03:26.529-07:00Fauning Forgiveness<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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There once was an expert woodworking Faun named Nick who had
set his mind on a particularly challenging project. He had a special pride for
his tribe (for the Fauns in these parts were organized into tribes) and the
small village that they had built. He wanted to build a wooden model of the town
that could be put on display in the village archives. This was to be a
time-consuming project, as he planned on using very delicate wood for his very
detailed plans. </div>
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<br /></div>
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He was excited about the prospect of being able to offer
this gift to his fellow tribesfauns, who he looked upon as his family. He
sacrificed his other work to try to complete the model as soon as possible and
see his town honored. For weeks he toiled long hours, and, finally, he finished
the project after two months of nonstop work. The completed model was about a
square meter in size and had been carved down to the minutest details. No part
of the town had been left out. The benches along the river, the bell of the
local temple, and the blades from the windmill were all marvelously represented
with intricate carvings. It was the greatest work the woodcutter had ever
produced, and it made him happy that he could give it to the people he loved.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He desired to keep it secret until an official unveiling could
be arranged, but he couldn’t resist showing someone. He looked out of his
window and saw a young faun passing by. It was his nearest neighbor, Ian,
dribbling a ball as he walked down the road. He threw open the window and
called him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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“Hey Ian! Come inside for a minute and see my latest work!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ian, startled, lost his dribble at the unexpected voice, but
then recovered. He spun his ball on his finger and smiled at Nick. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You have a new work? I have been wondering what you have
been up to over there. Of course I would love to see it.” He turned up the path,
bouncing his ball as he approached Nick’s front door.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Be careful with that ball,” Nick said. “This particular
piece is very fragile.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It’s no problem. I’ll be careful.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nick couldn’t keep a grin off his face as Ian entered his
home. He had created what would be considered one of the finest pieces of
woodwork that any faun had ever produced and someone was about to see it. He
led Ian through the hall to his workshop where the model was on a table in the front
of the room covered by a cloth. </div>
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<br /></div>
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“I’m going to show you, but I want you to be quiet about it.
I want this model to be a gift for the town so that all of our village may be
proud of what we have built here. I’ll save it for just the right time to give
it to the archives.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“A model,” Ian smiled enthusiastically. “I feel honored to
get a sneak preview. Why do I get such a special privilege?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Because you were the one who was passing by,” Nick
chuckled.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Lucky me, I guess.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well, without further ado,” Nick said as he pulled the
covering off the model. “Voila!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
It was Nick’s absolute joy to watch the eyes of Ian take in
his model. Ian’s countenance lit up with wonder as he gazed upon the miniature
version of his town. His eyes first noticed the city hall standing in the
center, right next to the courthouse. He saw the market area and his favorite
park. He moved closer to inspect further.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“This is magnificent!” Ian said. “How did you manage to be
so detailed?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I took several walks around town, to be sure,” Nick said.
“Be careful, this piece is very fragile.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Ian was perusing through the neighborhoods of the model
searching for his own house. He got very excited when he found it, but
unfortunately this excitement was fatal to him. He jerked up in glee, but then
lost control of his ball. It flew up into the air, directly over the model. His
hands shot out, trying to snag the ball before it could fall and do damage.
This sudden surge, however, betrayed his balance, and he himself fell onto the
model and shattered it to bits.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A despair filled gasp escaped involuntarily from Nick’s
mouth. His eyes searched the broken remains, trying to find some part of his
piece that was salvageable. Ian had destroyed it completely, and his eyes
widely conveyed the knots that were turning in his stomach. The gaiety that had
existed in the room a few short moments before had turned into an oppressing
awkwardness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I-I am so sorry,” Ian mumbled, horrified by what he had
done. He wanted to say more, but all the words his mind suggested to him were
deemed inappropriate by his heart. Unfortunately, his heart was also telling
him that the silence that had infected the room was just as inappropriate. It
was one of those awful situations where nothing seemed right.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nick just stared in disbelief. Finally, his mouth hardened
into a stoic line. “Get out,” he said. Ian didn’t want to chat anymore. He grabbed
his ball and scurried out of the room.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nick, now alone in the room with his destroyed masterpiece,
was unable to process what had happened. He stood paralyzed in his thoughts,
trying to imagine that what had just occurred hadn’t actually come to pass. The
work, which would have made him a world renowned faun and would have offered
his tribe a degree of fame, was now shattered.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As he left the room and sat down to dinner by himself, he
reflected on what had happened. His stoicism finally gave way to emotion. His
food was untouched as his heart swung like a pendulum between sadness and
anger. One minute he was weeping over his lost piece of art, and the next his
blood was boiling over Ian’s clumsiness. Eventually, the last tear was cried
and he was left in his anger.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nick, however, was a faun who grew up respecting the great
faun teachings. He believed that the gods had left clear instructions about how
fauns ought to live their lives, and normally he sought to follow these
teachings strictly. In this instance, however, he found that he very much
wanted to disobey the teachings of the gods. It was written that fauns ought to
always forgive others. Nick did not want to forgive Ian. He anger was the only
thing he had to hold on to.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next morning, however, Nick woke up ashamed of how he
felt but still feeling most comfortable in his anger. To add to this shame, an
unexpected event happened. He heard a knock on his door, and upon opening it,
he saw Ian standing before him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“May I come in for a minute,” Ian asked, looking at the
doormat.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nick nodded silently and allowed Ian in. He showed him into
his den. “Can I offer you a tea?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“No, I will just be here for a minute. I don’t want to
burden you any more than I already have.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Alright. What’s this about?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Staring at Nick’s feet, he started, “When I got home last
night I was very sad. I realized how wrong what I did to you was. You had asked
me to be careful, and not only was I not careful, I was careless. I should’ve
never taken the ball in. You were honoring me and I disrespected you, and a
very sad thing happened. There is absolutely nothing I can do to make this
right. I can’t make you a new model or give you the honor you would have
received from the magnificent work you did. I can’t even afford to reimburse
you for the materials you used. You have every right to hate me forever. “</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ian paused for a few seconds. Nick, being still angry, did
not respond, but allowed the moments that passed to stay charged with tension.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ian began again. “I have a lot of shame in myself, and this
next part is difficult for me to ask. Part of me feels like I am wrong for even
asking, but I have no choice. I don’t want you to hate me. I don’t want our friendship
to be broken. And, since there is nothing I can do to make things right, I have
to ask for your forgiveness. I am so, so sorry for what happened. I wronged you
and I need your pardon."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nick looked at Ian. He was still mad, but very much
appreciated Ian’s humility and courage. On top of this, Nick knew the teachings
of the gods. He knew he had no choice but to forgive him if he was going to be
obedient to their teachings. He felt as if he had been backed in a corner. He couldn’t
deny his anger, but Ian had come to him humbly and confessed the wrongness of
what he had done. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I forgive you,” he mumbled, and a few moments of silence
passed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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“Of course I forgive you,” he restated, as if he was trying
to convince himself that he had done so. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
“We all make mistakes, and yours was a
big one. But I must forgive you, so I will.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A smile came over Ian’s face and he said, “You are truly a
gracious faun. It seems your character is as good as your woodworking skills.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ian got up, and, after exchanging in the customary
pleasantries, left.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nick stood at the door and watched him walk away. Under his
breath, he mumbled, “I forgive you, but I am not going to forget.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day Ian was in town at the market. He was reaching
for the two reddest tomatoes in the basket and was going to try to trade some
apples from his family’s orchard for them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Oh no you don’t!” a voice shouted as he grabbed the
tomatoes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Excuse me?” Ian questioned as he loosened his grip on the
tomato.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We will be conducting no more trades with you,” the vender faun
explained. “Nick told us what you did to his model. That would’ve brought many
new opportunities to our town and would have made Nick famous, and you
destroyed it! You should be thanking the heavens that Nick forgave you! He
didn’t forget though, and neither will we! It’s all your fault! From now on,
we’ll get our apples from elsewhere!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ian was hurt by this tirade and wondering how word could’ve
spread so fast. Yet he couldn’t argue with the justice of it. Sadly, he found
similar reactions to him everywhere he went in the market. He returned home that
day with only his apples, which is what his family had to content themselves
with for dinner.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day after Ian finished his work in the orchard he
got his ball and went to the park to play. Several of the fauns his age would
meet there to play sports together regularly, and there was always room for
more players. Ian was a particularly athletic faun and always one of the first
to be chosen. On top of this, he had the nicest ball to play with, so he was
always welcomed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This day, however, Ian met a different attitude when he
arrived at the park.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What do you think you are doing?” said one faun.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“He can’t be serious! As if we would let him play!” said
another.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You might as well go home,” added a third. “You are no
longer wanted in our games.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What?” responded Ian, confused. “What’s the problem? Did I
do something wrong?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Did you do something wrong?” said the first faun
sarcastically. “Nick came to our house yesterday and told us all about what you
did wrong. Good ‘ole Nick never hurt anyone and worked so hard for our village,
and you just wrecked everything!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s right!” another joined in. “I can’t believe he
forgave you! It’s a good thing he didn’t forget about it so he could tell us.
He may have forgiven you, but we will make you pay for what you did! You won’t
be playing with us anymore.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Look,” said another. “That’s the ball that messed up
everything! Get it!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another faun ran at Ian and seized the ball from his hands.
He then tossed the ball to another faun, who had a knife. He stabbed the ball
right in front of Ian’s face. “That’s what we think about what you did!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ian was distraught and ran all the way back home. While he
was sad, he couldn’t fault the fauns for feeling the way they did. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“At least Nick forgave me,” he thought.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next day Ian was walking through the town center where
he ran into Nick. He was in a conversation with the village chief.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well there is the little culprit now!” the chief said as he
was waving him to approach. “Nick was just telling me all about what you did.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ah,” Ian said, his shame-filled eyes pointed toward the
rocks on the ground. “He told you about that, did he?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And a good thing he did!” said the chief. “After all, he
forgave, so he can’t make you pay for your crimes. Now that he has told us,
however, we can make sure you get a just punishment for this!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nick then put his hand on Ian’s shoulder. “Just know, my
dear faun, that whatever happens, we can still be friends.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I am going to discuss this with the elders, and when we
reach a decision on the matter you will know.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ian kept his head down and went home. He knew that the
punishment he was going to receive would be severe. He had thought that when
Nick had forgiven him that he would not suffer for the wrong he had done. It
now appeared that he would face all the justice that was due to him. He
concluded that he did not actually know what the word forgiveness meant, as it
did not seem that Nick’s forgiveness actually meant anything at all. Despite
vowing to forgive, he was still spreading the word of his offense all over town
to make sure he paid for his clumsiness. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Later that evening Ian heard a great noise outside his
house. He exited the front door to see a mob of his own tribesfauns assembled
in his yard. They were carrying torches and had the town’s warriors with them.
Standing before them was the chief.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ian, the tribe has reached a decision concerning your
case.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So I wasn’t forgiven?” Ian responded.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Your deeds have been forgiven, but not forgotten. We find
ourselves remembering your sin and unable to live with it. As long as we are
remembering what you did, I am afraid you cannot live amongst us. We must ask
you to leave.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Then you should stop remembering my offense,” Ian said.
“Isn’t that what you are saying when you promise to forgive?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Certainly not!” the chief laughed. “If we stopped
remembering your offense then we wouldn’t be able to make you pay for it or have
cause to be angry. The fact is, Ian, that what you did really infuriates us,
and the only thing that we have in memory of our great work of art is our anger
towards you. We certainly don’t want to give that up. We would rather hold on
to our anger with the memory of your sin than you and a suppression of those
memories. Since this is the case, you can no longer stay here. We cannot be
friends. We cannot live together.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What then, does it mean that I have your forgiveness?” Ian
pleaded.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“It means we have said the words, ‘I forgive you,’ to you.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ian, dejected, looked at his former friends. They had
promised to remember his sins and be angry about them. Their torches and stern
faces told him he really had to leave, so he packed his things and left. He
left knowing he would never see his friends or his family again. The remembered
sin would always be a cancer in any relationship.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As he walked out of the town, he thought sarcastically:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well, at least they forgave me.”</div>
parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-61856140770525754472013-08-26T01:53:00.001-07:002013-08-26T01:54:12.538-07:00The Insanity of God, by Nik Ripken : A Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>What it’s about</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the story of Nik Ripken (a pseudonym) and his
family. It chronicles the story of his own walk with God and how it led him to
become a missionary in Somalia. After experiencing all the horrors that could
be imagined going to a place like that, he and his family were forced to leave.
Left with many questions about God, including whether God can and does work in such
darkness, he came home and decided to search for answers. He began to travel
all over the world, interviewing Christians who were being persecuted for their
faith. Significant portions of the book are dedicated to his experiences in
these countries, especially Russia and China.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Why this book is
important</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Insanity of God</i>
is a grown-up view of persecution. In a health-and-wealth gospel world,
sometimes I have difficulty finding a balance between an arrogant lack of faith
in the miraculous and a naïve belief that God will heal all diseases and fix
all situations miraculously according to the quality of one’s own faith. The
first is letting yourself be dragged in to the naturalistic assumptions that plague
the western world. The other is something my pastor aptly called “adolescent
Christianity,” which is unwillingness to let God be sovereign over evil and pain.
It is a failure to trust His wisdom for the way He chooses to act in this
world.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Insanity of God</i>
wages war on both errors. Concerning naturalism, there are clear accounts of
the miraculous things that God is doing all over this world. There are reports
of acts of healing, answers to prayer, and even testimonies of people being
raised from the dead. If God is indeed all-powerful, He is not bound by the
laws of the world He created. He can and does act in miraculous ways just as He
did in the book of Acts. This book does not put a skeptical slant on these
stories but allows a belief in a God who works wonders.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the other hand, there are clear accounts of persecution
and suffering. While miracles happen, they do not always happen. Sometimes God
has a reason for putting His people through very difficult circumstances, and
this book tells many stories of that as well. Never is the Chinese believer’s
imprisonment linked to a lack of faith because he is going through suffering.
Rather, the suffering is seen biblically; namely, as something that matures the
believer in character and brings hope.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I really appreciate this approach. In the middle of these
two extremes is a Biblical land where we can live, though we must live there
without all of our questions answered. Although clearly very intelligent, the
author writes with a humility and honesty to which I can easily relate to. God
doesn’t always answer all of our questions, and Ripken is honest with this fact.
In this honesty he finds believers from all over the world who speak truth into
his doubts and encourage him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While this
book does not give exhaustive answers to why suffering exists (which are
answers that only God knows), it does offer testimonies to reassure our faith.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Criticisms</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I read reviews, most of the negative critiques came from
people who did not have biblical worldviews. For example, one said that the
miracles discussed made the story seem fictional. This is nothing more than
naturalism and is foreign to biblical Christianity. Another was unhappy that
Ripken, while noble in his efforts to bring relief to suffering nations, missed
the boat in proclaiming Jesus the only hope for these situations. Again, this
is a criticism from one who is starting off with a different authority than
Ripken and myself, making it an easy criticisms to dismiss.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I will give one criticism, however, and then offer a
disclaimer for it. Much time was spent offering great stories from different
cultures, bringing to light interesting differences in their experiences with
persecution. I would have liked to have heard the author analyze the
differences in the ways the varying cultures were experiencing persecution. In
other words, questions like: “Why does suffering in this culture have this
affect, while in other cultures it does something different?” “What are the
differences and similarities between a top-down persecution (in which the
government persecutes people) and a bottom-up persecution (in which families
persecute their own family members when they convert)?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These questions are particularly pertinent for me. While I
was very encouraged hearing the stories from China and Russia, those are not
things that I personally experience. I serve in France where there is freedom
to practice religion, even if that does mean something different than it does
in America. The government is not going to throw me or people in my church in
jail. Bottom-up persecution does exist here, however, especially in the large
Muslim population. I find myself asking the difficult questions that
he was asking from time to time, and I would have liked to have heard more of
his perspective.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A lot of time was spent on Russia and China, but he never
came back to how those situations related to Somalia. Or rather, he never came
back to that from an analytical standpoint. He did revisit it in terms of
faith, which I appreciated and do not want to discount. He believes God can
work anywhere, and I agree with him. I do, however, still think there is value
in discussing these questions of how we observe God working in different
cultures. I would have liked to have seen more of that.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now for my disclaimer about my criticism. My criticism is
largely one of omission, but such an omission is understandable. The book is
fairly long as it is, and it no doubt could’ve been longer. The book seemed to
be focusing on strengthening the faith of those hearing these stories more than
it was about analyzing trends in the way God is working in the world. Perhaps what
I wanted was beyond the scope of the book. The author no doubt would have much
wisdom on this subject, however, and perhaps there will be a future project
with this in mind. I would personally love to have a coffee with him and
discuss these issues. He has worked hard to gain the perspective that he has,
and I hope he will continue to share his wisdom with us.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>What this book did
for me personally</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One issue that I was challenged with is the way I am to pray
for the persecuted church (which I do not do enough). Typically, I have been
encouraged to pray that these persecutions would stop and that liberty would
come to these countries. I was surprised to discover that the believers in
these stories (especially those in China) were not praying for their
persecution to stop. Rather, they were praying for their faith to be strengthened
so that they could endure the suffering. This takes a deeper trust in God’s
sovereignty and a strength of faith to believe even when being thrown in prison
and tortured. I greatly admired this and wondered if I could be that strong
myself in such a situation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a similar vein, I was impacted by the difference in
vitality of the church between the pre and post-Communist Russia. Those who
grew up in that persecution had memorized books of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bible</i> to be ready for the persecution. Bibles were not readily available,
and they surely would not have one if they went to prison. Their solution was
to memorize it. This changed with the newer generation of believers who grew up
in liberty. They could hardly name the books of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bible</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is a sad reality that I have also experienced in my own
life. It seems that if things are not going badly then I do not pray that often.
It is a particular challenge for believers who grow up with liberties of
worship (which we should be thankful for) not to take them for granted. We need
to use our freedom to become stronger disciples of Christ. We have Bibles
everywhere, hymnbooks in our pews, and iPhones that allow us unlimited numbers
of downloadable sermons. Why should it take threats of jail to get us to
memorize God’s Word and hide it in our hearts?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Conclusion</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is a book that should be read by believers. It will
both strengthen and challenge your faith. It does not water down the questions,
but neither does it leave us in doubt of the power and goodness of God. It
challenges the western church without bashing the western church. It provides
some great stories and lessons for us from believers all around the world. Take
advantage of this great book that would have been very difficult to write in
ages past.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one is a must read.</div>
parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-91294901389387562812013-06-24T03:57:00.001-07:002013-06-24T03:57:45.617-07:00dev195 - Evil Judges<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Default","serif";">“If you then,
being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will
your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!”</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Default","serif";">Matthew 7:11</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Default","serif";">It is clear God
knows how to give us gifts. The person who seeks to be grateful can easily see
all of the love surrounding him. I find it interesting, however, that in this
passage Jesus feels the need to present an argument concerning the ability of
the only all-powerful and all-knowing Being to be capable of good gift-giving.
It should be obvious to us, but he wants to be clear.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Default","serif";">Yet, in this
passage, there is one thing that Jesus does assume. The fact that<span style="color: red;"> </span>Jesus believes everyone is in agreement on comes in
the form of a little jab that he throws in to his listeners<span style="color: red;">-</span> namely, the fact that they are evil. God knows how
to give all this great stuff to you, and, by the way, you are evil.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Default","serif";">The opposite
argument, however, might be needed today. People probably would assume that God
gives gifts; in fact, sadly, many feel as if they are entitled to them. As C.S.
Lewis said, “We have put God in the dock for judgment, and it is we who judge.<span style="color: red;">”</span> If God hasn’t given us enough of what we assume is
our due, we get to announce our sentences upon him. The assumption has shifted.
Before, men thought God was just and the one who is able to judge. Now,
somehow, people have deemed themselves the ones with sufficient knowledge and
goodness to judge, and God the one who is be submitted before our verdicts.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Default","serif";">Before we hammer
down our gavels to silence the Lord of Creation in our courtroom, let us be
reminded of Jesus’s little jab. You are evil. Even if you had perfect knowledge
of all God is and does; even if you could comprehend all the mysteries of
reality; the fact that you are evil would still keep you from being able to
pronounce any justice before Him. Possession of the knowledge necessary to
judge is not sufficient; you would still bend your judgments to suit yourself.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Default","serif";">The world loves
the idea that man is basically good. If man is good, then I too can be good. If
I am good, then I don’t need to be accountable to anyone. I get to avoid the
dock and be the judge and jury. In my courtroom I can tell the voices that don’t
please me to be silent. I can be in complete control, as I have become the
authority. Yet the minute I become evil<span style="color: red;">,</span> I no
longer have this power. I am the one being judged. Someone is claiming a
command over me that assumes I am wrong. The declaration is that I am broken
and need to be fixed. And, if that is an accurate description of me, then I
give up my rights to be an authority. I am no longer a solution; I am a
problem.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Default","serif";">Jesus assumes
that we are a problem and he is the solution. In the face of this sad humanism
that the world is trying to hold on to, the fact remains that a plague of sin
has infiltrated everything it is to be human. It is in the news. It is in the
streets. It is in our hearts. Of all the historical Christian doctrines, none
is more obviously seen to be true in every culture throughout time and space
than the depravity of man, as it is perceived both outside of and inside of our
souls. It is so clear that Jesus felt no need to expound on this simple
descriptive of people: evil. Jesus cannot be listed amongst those who promote
humanism. Richard Neibuhr said, </span>“Only romantic fictionizing can
interpret the Jesus of the New Testament as one who believed in the goodness of
man.”</div>
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It is popular for people to run away from religious faith to
a stance on having “faith in oneself.” If this is the route you want to go, you
must realize that you are placing your faith in someone who is evil, and your
foundation is no more firm than one who places his confidence in a corrupt
government. You are not worthy of your trust, and I suspect that in most areas
of your life you assume that to be true. Christ is the One who is worthy of confidence,
and He thinks that you are valuable, loveable, redeemable and important. And
evil also, by the way.<span style="font-family: "Default","serif";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-42985306240387623972013-05-17T06:35:00.001-07:002013-05-17T06:35:41.689-07:00dev194 - Justice in lines at Versailles<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But Paul cried out with a loud voice,
saying, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!” And he called for lights
and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, and
after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Acts 16:28-30</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The lines at the Chateau de Versailles
are long, especially on a French holiday in a season known for tourism. Yet,
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hazards of extreme boredom and claustrophobia and suffer the long queue that
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unjustly skipping ahead of my friends who had been waiting patiently. They took
a spot they did not earn at the expense of their group. Similar situations have
happened with me. My first instinct is to react with anger, demanding my own
rights. It would have been completely within the bounds of justice to order
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Fortunately, my friend was not thinking
as I would have. His mind was filled with thoughts of the gospel, which had
taught him that he did not need to demand his own rights. God had already given
him better than he deserved. In view of God’s mercy, he smiled at the couple
and invited them to join his group in the line. They proceeded to have a
pleasant conversation which ended in glory being assigned to Jesus’ name and a
gift of a Gospel of John to their new friends. This incident could have justly
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line. Instead, grace given brought forth a new friend and a positive witness
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In Acts we see the same thing happening
with Paul and Silas. They were unjustly thrown into prison. God, the Lord of
the earth, caused the earth to tremble. The earthquake opened the doors of
their cell, seemingly offering them a red carpet to escape. Yet Paul and Silas
knew that God was after something bigger than personal justice being done for
his two missionaries. God was bringing about His kingdom in the world. Knowing
this, Paul and Silas stayed in the prison cell and prevented the suicide of
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is natural to want justice. Justice
is always right. Grace, however, offers a higher power than justice does. It is
by grace that salvation comes to sinners, as justice would demand our demise.
Therefore, having received grace, let us remind ourselves to be a people who
offers grace. Seek opportunities to avoid recognition of being wronged, but
rather proactively seek to forgive. It is God’s kindness, says Romans, that
leads us to repentance. Let that kindness work through us.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-1722366821530542792013-02-22T04:17:00.002-08:002013-02-22T04:17:50.783-08:00dev194 - BCS Championships and the Victory of Christ<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward <i>is</i>
with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. “I am the Alpha
and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Revelation 22:12-13</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A few weeks ago, the day of the BCS National
Championship game, I sat down to watch the re-run of the game between Alabama
and LSU. It was a hard fought game in which the good guys (the Crimson Tide)
pulled out a last minute victory on a heroic drive to win the game. I knew the
results of the game, so I sat calmly, waiting to watch the already known
pleasant outcome.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet that day was not completely stress free.
Although that game I was watching was already decided, I still had the
anticipation of the title game with Notre Dame looming over me. Although I was
confident in my team, the gravity of the game and the enduring uncertainty gave
me pause. I worried that the ball wouldn’t bounce our way and that an
unthinkable loss could occur. I had anxiety.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I was nervous about the game that was yet to be
decided, while I stayed completely unruffled about the already finished game I
was watching. While it only took me about five minutes of the championship to
know my team would prevail, there was some stress as long as the outcome was in
doubt. Watching a game is different when the outcome is known.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Christians are watching a different game than
non-Christians. For the unbeliever, a degree of stress and anxiety, although
inept at changing anything, is appropriate. There is no certain outcome. Only a
dark cloud awaits them in the future, and eyes are not strong enough to
penetrate into it to see what it contains. What might be divined about the
future can only be deduced from the gloom that we constantly see in our world.
This outcome can’t be known, but it must be concluded that it doesn’t look
good.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On the other hand, the believer is completely at
ease. The outcome of the gravest of games has been decided in our favor. Our
Champion has won the victors crown and now sits on the throne. He has declared
his people righteous and promised to conquer death. It is over. Done. Finished.
Complete. A total annihilation of the foe has been accomplished.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After a few minutes in the title game the outcome
had been decided. My team was going to win, and it was my joy to sit back and
watch them do it. How much greater, if we are living under a God who has given
us good promises and proven Himself able and willing to accomplish them, should
we watch him work in this world with jubilant expectation? Let us all participate
in the coming victory and continually celebrate in a manner worthy of a
heavenly Champion.</span></div>
parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-3143585331328348542013-01-02T05:21:00.001-08:002013-01-02T05:22:03.895-08:00dev 193 - The Law of the New Year<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<sup><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“</span></sup><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His
sight; for through the Law <i>comes</i> the knowledge of sin”</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Romans 3:20</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s New Years’ time again. Once again
we must face the dichotomy of reflecting on the past year while at the same
time anticipating what the next one will bring. I love the Christmas season,
but I must admit that New Years is not a holiday that I have ever particularly
cared for.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I have never liked the reflecting I had
to do over the year that I had just finished. I am always confronted by all the
things I vowed would be different when the year started, only to find myself
having failed to be what I had decided I ought to be. I make New Years’
resolutions, and I break them. It is never difficult for me to see the times where
my life had been less than faithful, seeming always to let external
circumstances dictate my emotions and my hopes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Time after time in 2012 I failed to be disciplined in my walk with God,
lacked compassion for those who need it, and neglected to love the Lord who
created and redeemed me. I am not who I should be, and another year passing
only gives me another occasion to be humbled before this disappointing truth.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet, when we look at the approaching
year, we are still drawn to our resolutions. We want to change. We hope our
lives will be better; that we will have a better character, and that we will be
respected by those around us. We make laws for ourselves that we think will get
us there, only to find that a year later we have broken them. This year, rather
than despair over the law I have broken and for not becoming what I should have
become, I will choose to allow the real purpose of law have its affect on me. I
will not become righteous by observing the law, either Moses’ law or the law
that I create. I am by nature a lawbreaker. Rather, through the law I will
become conscious of sin; and, consequently, my need for a Savior. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is the gospel that changes us, and New Year’s is
a holiday where we particularly need to reflect on this truth. Looking back on
our past years’ disappointments, we need the gospel to show us that God doesn’t
love us based on how well we performed. Our righteousness comes from Jesus and not
from keeping New Year’s resolutions, which is a good thing because you probably
won’t keep them. In the same way, our hopes from the upcoming year should not
be focused on making ourselves better people in our own strength but on how God
might be loved stronger and truer. The affections that come from a relationship
with our Creator are what need to be cultivated. Seek ye first the Kingdom of
God, and all the other stuff will work out just fine for you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You have been a sinner this past year, but do not
let this keep you from rejoicing. For, where sin abounds, grace abounds all the
more. You have been adopted into the family of God and bought with a price paid
by the Lord Himself. Nothing could take you from His hand, not in 2012 nor in
the year to come. </span></div>
parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-56447150475982706732012-11-30T06:21:00.003-08:002012-11-30T06:21:56.364-08:00dev 192 - Selfless Love
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“Greater love has no one than this, that one lay
down his life for his friends.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">John 15:13<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, uttered these
words in description of the command that was given. The command to his
followers was simple enough; love one another, as I have loved you. In this
Jesus was repeating a command that he had already taught, probably numerous
times, and he now uses the platform of his last night to bring this command
even more into the spotlight. Jesus wanted to make this clear: if you want to
follow him, you must love is a sacrificial way- in a way where the good of the
beloved is esteemed higher than personal good. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I understand what Jesus is teaching with my brain.
Furthermore, my intellect concludes that the logic behind love is flawless.
Love is the most important philosophy to build one’s life around. The only way
to overcome the corruption of selfishness and the scourge of our pride is to
get to the point where we consider others as more important than ourselves. I
have observed the contentment in those people who I consider to be champions of
loving others, who seem to never care about their own interests if they can be
laid aside to help someone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There have been moments where I too have experienced
this. The most blissful times in my life have been when I have totally
abandoned my wants and needs and found joy in bringing the wants and needs of
others to pass. Yet, even with this being the case, I find the command to love
an extremely difficult one to obey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It is on this battlefield that I find my old sinful
nature still rising to combat my life in Christ. It is essentially here where
the war for sanctification is fought. Your sin ought to be laid aside, not for
the sake of your pride or for any desire that you seek for yourself, but rather
out of love for God and for people. And your love, according to Jesus, should
be carried out even to the laying down of your life. This is the ideal. This is
why you are created <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">God has established this world on this law. Things
work right when love is the center of our philosophy and our actions. When love
is absent, chaos ensues. Do not be surprised if your heart hardens and shrivels
if you live your life only for yourself. You were not made to live that way.
Your heart was not built to operate correctly in such a drought. Your heart was
made to be given away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">George MacDonald said, ““It is by loving, and not by
being loved, that one can come nearest the soul of another; yea, that, where
two love, it is the loving of each other, that originates and perfects and
assures their blessedness. I knew that love gives to him that loveth, power
over any soul be loved, even if that soul know him not, bringing him inwardly
close to that spirit; a power that cannot be but for good; for in proportion as
selfishness intrudes, the love ceases, and the power which springs there from
dies. Yet all love will, one day, meet with its return.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It is a great joy, as we grow in Christ when we
realize that our love will not go unreturned. Yet the greater joy, for us, is
in the loving of God, for it is here where we become like God and participate
in a glorious relationship with Him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-19754078300653327102012-11-09T06:15:00.000-08:002012-11-09T06:15:38.113-08:00Is Europe Post-Christian?
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I understand the use of the word “post-Christian.” It is a
term that is used to refer to cultures which, although were once Christian, no
longer bare the fruit that comes with a belief in the gospel. It is generally
agreed upon that this term can be used to describe Europe and most (if not all)
of America.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Although I understand its use, and would even admit that it
is sometimes helpful, I do not like the word. It is useful insofar as we use it
to describe cultural movements, such as the values presented in the arts and
media or the way Christianity generally affects the presuppositions of a
society. Despite my dislike of the term, I will use it in this way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The problem with the word arises when we use it missionally
to refer to the spiritual nature of people. I have never met a “post-Christian”
person. All people, if divided into categories of how they relate to the
gospel, are either Christians, if they have believed the gospel, or they are
not Christians, if they have not believed it.<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> A post-Christian person would be someone
who has lost his salvation, or one who God let slip from his hand. This cannot
happen. </span>Amongst people who are not Christians, we may also put them into
two categories: those who have heard the gospel and rejected it and those who
have not heard the gospel and have never had the chance to make a decision. In
the case of Europe, it is my experience (from three years living in Paris) that
the vast majority of people have never heard the gospel and, consequently,
never had the chance to respond to it. These are the same people we are
unjustly describing as “post-Christian.”<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ll share an example with you. One day a couple of years
ago I was distributing Bibles outside of a prominent French university in
Paris. A French girl approached our table and asked us what we were doing. I
answered that we were giving away free Bibles and that she was welcome to have
one if she wanted. <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Her response was eye-opening to me. She said, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“La Bible de quoi?”</i> (The Bible of what?) <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Often, when a book is an authority on a subject, we will say that
the volume is “the Bible of” that particular field. While the French girl was
familiar with that expression, she had no idea what the actual Bible was. I
responded to her question by saying <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“la
Bible de Dieu.”</i> (the Bible of God) She smiled and said, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Ah, Ça m’interesse.”</i> (That interests
me) She took the Bible and walked off.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">While I am not trying to insinuate that most Europeans have never
heard of the Bible, I am making the point that most here, despite the fact that
their ancestors wrestled much with the gospel, have never had the chance to
wrestle with it themselves. While there are gospel-centered churches here, they
are a marginal percentage of the population and filled largely with
non-indigenous immigrant populations. While it might be fair to call the
culture in Europe “post-Christian,” the majority of the people of Europe are
“pre-Christian.” They have never heard that Jesus died on the cross for their
sins in order to make them right with God, and that this is accepted by faith.
Consequently, they have no mental category for salvation from sin or even the
idea that they need one. Without someone who is sent, they have no more access
to the gospel than anyone from a people group we label as “unreached.” They
have only what the scripture affirms they have, namely, a God-shaped hole that
needs to be filled and a guilt that comes from their sin.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For this reason I get frustrated when mission agencies talk of
“unreached” people groups. Normally Europe is neatly placed into the “reached”
category and labeled as “Post-Christian.” It is in this context that I despise
this term. It is both inaccurate in its description of the spiritual condition
of Europe and theologically wrong in its implications concerning conversion. It
also assumes pessimism about the potential for the gospel to again take root.
After all, why can’t Europe be thought of as pre-Christian? Why can we not
expect revival in France? Why can we expect God to do great things all over the
world and yet not expect Him to move in Germany? If God birthed the modern
mission movement in England, do we expect him to now to be done with her and
move on?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I want to propose a different way to think about this problem. In
Tim Keller’s book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Center Church</i>, he
proposes thinking of the church’s relationship to a culture in terms of four
seasons. Winter is described as the situation where the church is in a hostile
relationship to a pre-Christian culture. Spring is a season that sees church
growth, perhaps in spite of difficulties and persecutions placed by the
pre-Christian culture. Summer sees culture greatly impacted by the church, in
what Richard Niebuhr described as an “allied church.” Christians feel at home
in the culture during this season. Finally, in autumn, the church becomes
“increasingly marginalized” in a culture that has moved past Christian values.
(Keller, Tim. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Center Church</i>, 237-238)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Keller’s established these categories to help us think about the
Church’s relationship to culture. He suggests that, when approaching the way we
believe a church ought to relate to the culture, one ought to consider the
season that their culture finds itself in. I agree, and this has helped me
think about how to relate to what is going around me in the autumn of Europe. I
would like, however, to use this way of dividing cultures to think missionally.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If we look at the history of the church, we see that the West has
already seen the church progress through decline and corruption, only to see it
later reawaken with revival. While it is true that the current situation, with
the growing smallness of the world and easy access to information, presents new
challenges that have not been faced before, we nevertheless have reason to
anticipate revival. People still have a desire for God, and this hope still
lingers underneath the pride in our technology and the arrogance in our
“tolerance.” The church should present the gospel in a relevant way, paying
attention to the season, without descending into the despair that seems to be
prevalent in the minds of the way many think about missions in Europe.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What season, then, is Europe in? Keller identifies the churches in
the West as being generally in the autumn phase, “becoming increasingly marginalized
in a post-Christian culture and looking for new ways to both strengthen our
distinctiveness and reach out winsomely” (Keller, 238). Though I think some
consideration should be given to an argument that could be made for Europe
passing into the hostile winter season, I agree with him <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">culturally</i> speaking. Wisdom dictates that missionaries lead their
thoughts in this direction when it comes to the way they engage culture. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The problem arises, however, when mission organizations begin
their approach to Europe and their ideas of “unreached” people groups thinking
in this manner. If the culture is “post-Christian,” the culture has had their
chance. It was once summer there, and they willingly let it pass into the cold.
The leaves are falling from the tree, and it is their own fault. This culture
rejected the gospel, so let us go somewhere that has not heard it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thus many think. Yet, as in the case with the young French girl
who had never heard of the Bible, can we really conclude that she had rejected
the gospel because, years before she was born, her culture started gradually
making decisions to move away from Christ? This girl was just as lost and
clueless about eternal life as the remote tribes who have yet to have a
witness. Her culture is passing from autumn into winter, and has, therefore, not
seen substantial witness of Christ in a long time. While the culture is
post-Christian, it has been post-Christian for so long that the people cling to
pre-Christian ideas. The Christian ideals that are still held in the society
exist subconsciously; that is, they are ideas that have grown out of a
Christian worldview but are not recognized as such. They do not understand the
influence of the gospel, because they have never really heard the gospel
message. They do not know what kind of influence the gospel can have.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thus, my proposal is that we limit the term “post-Christian” to
our thoughts concerning how we relate to culture. If we use this term
missionally, we will paint an inaccurate picture of the people living in
“post-Christian cultures” and assume a pessimism concerning what we expect God
to do in these places. Similarly, I do not find the terms “reached” and
“unreached” very helpful. Only God knows when a group has been fully “reached.”
This is not for us to judge. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Do we expect great things from God? Can God work amongst people
who are products of a post-Christian culture? Absolutely. The gospel is the
power of God for salvation for all who believe, and it has the same power in
all cultures. Let us be a people who believe God can bring cultures from the dead
of winter to a new harvest of spring.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-32919246009754699472012-10-25T06:18:00.000-07:002012-10-25T06:18:00.249-07:00Huffed and Puffed Houses
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“According to the grace of God which was
given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is
building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man
can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones,
wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it
because it is <i>to be</i> revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test
the quality of each man’s work.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">1 Corinthians 3:10-14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“Little pig, little pig, let me in…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“Not by the hair of my chinny chin
chin…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I had an amusing first lesson with my
new youth group this Sunday. I used the story of the “Three Little Pigs” to try
and illustrate the above text, and our conversation about it was enlightening.
My group comes from many different nationalities, so different versions of the
story came out. In the French version, for example, the little pigs whose
houses were built of straw and sticks, and, consequently, blown down, were
actually eaten by the big bad wolf. In the much more humane American version
(and, perhaps, less realistic), the little pigs were blown by the huff-and-puff
of the wolf into the brick house of their wiser brother.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Regardless of the degree of barbeque
involved, the point of the story remains relevant and biblical. It is important
how you build. There is no foundation that can hold against the elements other
than Christ. Once on that foundation, however, one must decide how they construct
their house. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">You may choose to build houses of straw
or sticks. The first two pigs chose this route, as it took less time and
effort. There were plenty of these weaker materials lying all about. They could
throw some of them together and be lounging in their new living rooms in no
time. It was certainly the quickest way to get four walls and a roof.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet the big bad wolf was coming. The
easy and weak houses were not strong enough to stand when the adversity came
against them, and they fell. Perhaps you also chose the convenience of building
your house on straw and sticks. You neglected to get serious about God’s word.
You determined that you didn’t need to go to church in order to live a Christian
life. A vibrant prayer life is something you always said would happen
“someday.” Consequently, in the place of bricks, gold, silver, and precious
stones, you built your house with hay, wood, sticks, and straw. And perhaps,
like the poor little pigs, your house has been blown to the ground.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The fire reveals the purity of the work
and is capable of devouring the whole structure. Yet the foundation, if it is
laid on the strong rock of Christ and not on the sinking sand, will never give
way. If you are in a place today where you find nothing but that foundation; if
you are standing in the open air looking at the fallen rubble of what was once
your house of straw, then there is nothing left to do but rebuild. But be
careful how you build! Every day we must decide the quality of materials with
which we build our house. We must choose wisely, as there are always big bad
wolves just around the corner ready to test the quality of our work. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The third little pig had no reason to
fear the fangs of the wolf. The house he had built was ample protection…even in
the French version of the story. So as with the house built with God’s word.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The wolf huffed and puffed but he could not blow
down that brick house.<span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-13313162135202064182012-10-18T01:47:00.001-07:002012-10-18T01:48:48.290-07:00The Joy of the Bittersweet<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“<span style="color: black;">For God is my witness,
how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Philippians 1:8<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There is a great café in Paris that I’ll
visit as soon as possible upon my reentry in France. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Angelina’s</i> has the world’s best hot chocolate (that is a fact, not
an opinion). It is a strong and thick chocolate, and drinking it is like
sipping on a melted candy bar. It is very sweet, and one cannot drink too much
or they will get sick. There is just the right amount of bitter aftertaste at
the end that perfects the experience. It is, however, a bittersweet chocolate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I find the term “bittersweet”
interesting. This paradoxical word helps us to describe something that we feel
all too often. After every sweet gulp of life there lingers a small amount of
bitterness that keeps us longing for a perfection that we haven’t quite
grasped. The sweetness tempts us with hope, but it still remains a hope that
has not yet been perfectly fulfilled.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I am sitting in the Charlotte airport with
a bittersweet feeling. I am moving back to Paris, a city that I love and long
to see know Jesus. I got a great job at a church working with youth and am
thrilled with the opportunity to invest in young lives. I am about to renew old
friendships in France after being away for a year. I have so much to be
thankful for, and I am taking in all the sweetness of God’s provisions for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet even while enjoying these
provisions, there is still a small, bitter aftertaste that I must endure. I
have said many good-byes in the past few days. Some of the good-byes will be
for short times, and others for long times. It was bitter saying good-bye to
some friends that I don’t know when I’ll see again. It was bitter to walk out
of my sister’s house last night after hugging my niece and nephew. It was
bitter leaving my parents at the terminal as I proceeded through airport
security. All of those steps leading me away from my loved ones were heavy
steps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet the steps toward God’s call were
light. It is here, in this bittersweet life, where God has called us to perform
the good works that He has prepared for us. While it was difficult leaving, I
am thrilled to be following God down his narrow road. These mixed feelings, I
have learned, will always be a part of our present and momentary troubles. No
matter what continent I live on I will always be missing people I love. There
will always be bittersweet feelings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet bittersweet chocolate, as I hope I have
already established, tastes delicious; and just like the bittersweet chocolate,
this bittersweet feeling is good. It is a good thing that we long for one
another, as Paul did for the Philippian church that he had to take heavy steps
away from. The bitterness is only evidence of a deeper sweetness that waits
only to be reawakened according to God’s providential guidance. The longing
that we have for our loved ones is evidence that we have the treasure of
relationships. The bittersweet experience of being away from loved ones is much
better than the bitter experience of not having loved ones to miss. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I am blessed of God to have such an enormous weight
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bittersweetness</i> on my shoulders
right now. This “bittersweetness” would not be possible without all of the
great people that God has put in my path through the years. It is a great gift
to be able to say, with Paul, that I “long for all of you in Christ Jesus.” It
is a gift I treasure, and the bitterness only affirms its worth. While the bitterness may nevertheless be tough to swallow, it will only strengthen the sweetness of the moment when our longing is fulfilled. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span>All of these longings, of course, are only echoes of a deeper longing. God will fulfill that one as well.</div>
parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-17573741601532689892012-06-14T08:14:00.000-07:002012-06-14T08:15:02.126-07:00dev187 - Shootings and Depravity<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 3pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">"as it is written,</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 28.5pt; text-indent: -28.5pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-variant: small-caps;">'There is none righteous, not even one;"</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Romans 3:10</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In the past year there have been two significant
shootings in Europe. One took place in Norway and was accompanied by a bomb,
and the other in France at a Jewish school. I thought the response of the
people from these countries was interesting and I have a few thoughts.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In both cases the gut reaction was to declare the
criminal to be crazy. This reminded me of one of my favorite movies, the 1995
thriller <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seven</i>, in which a serial
killer undertakes a sequence of murders according to the seven deadly sins.
Throughout this movie, the two detectives (played by Morgan Freeman and Brad
Pitt) are having a continual conversation about the saneness of the killer. The
young, naïve Brad Pitt insists that the actions of this murderer come from his
mental problems, while the more experienced Morgan Freeman argues that his
actions come from the simple fact that he is sanely choosing to do evil things.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">At the end of the movie they meet the killer and discover
that he is closer to a genius than a madman. He has full charge of his
faculties and knows exactly what he is doing. The movie is a powerful message
about the depravity of man, as Brad Pitt’s character soon learns that he is
also capable of the sin that he had formally stood as judge over. In the end,
he was just as adept at murder as the serial killer.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Freeman’s character
understood human depravity from his years of police work. We have the
opportunity to understand it from God’s word. Romans 3:10-20 is an emphatic
statement about the true nature of humanity. It boldly affirms that no one is
righteous. This is not merely a theological doctrine but a terrifying and
ever-present reality. People are evil. This scares us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">And, because this
scares us, we want to imitate Brad Pitt’s character and write these killers off
as crazy. If they were less than human then we would not be capable of their
sin. We could continue to think of mankind as basically good and not have to
worry that we have weaknesses of our own. The frightening truth, however, is
that these killers do not represent an aberration from the norm. The same
weakness that dwells in them also abides in us. Mankind is not basically
good…and neither am I.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The European
killers ended up being remarkably similar to the killer in the movie <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Seven</i>. One had a far right-winged political
agenda, and the other was a militant Islamist. They knew what they were doing
and did it intentionally, much the same way we intentionally choose to hate our
brothers and rebel against God. These crimes shatter the humanism of our
postmodern world and force us to a higher ethic. We answer to God’s law, and we
will be judged by it. Perhaps God will have mercy on us murderers</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Seven</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
ends with a great line by Morgan Freeman’s character in which he quotes from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">For Whom the Bell Tolls</i>. He says, </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;">"Ernest Hemingway once wrote, ‘The world is a fine
place and worth fighting for.’ I agree with the second part." Indeed.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-23721535447131209542012-03-19T07:21:00.000-07:002012-03-19T07:21:56.194-07:00The Pooey Princess<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once upon a time there was a rejoicing kingdom. The rejoicing king of the rejoicing kingdom was rejoicing because he had just become the proud papa of a beautiful little girl whom he named Ananda, which is the word for joy in some other language he knew. He knew that this little princess brought hope to his, until then, heirless kingdom, as all that remained was to marry her to a prince, and his kingdom would be preserved. With such excitement running through the nation, the king threw a great banquet for the entire population under his rule.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The crowd for this banquet was enormous with each citizen thrilled to be a part of such a fantastic event. There were wide smiles and hearty laughs found in the souls of nearly each person present. However, there was one in their midst who had mischief on his mind. A mysterious magician from the mountains had snuck into the banquet in disguise with plans of disrupting the party by placing a curse upon the princess. He was hidden amongst the crowd, awaiting just the right moment to strike.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The king had been making his rounds and greeting his guests when he finally turned to go before the crowd to make a grand presentation of his newly born child. As the crowd hushed in eager expectation, the queen entered the room carrying the future sovereign. She handed Ananda to the King, and he held her in his arms so that the people might see her for themselves. The child was gorgeous, and there were ooh’s and ah’s to be heard all over the room as the people looked on with admiration. It was now, while everyone was thus enamored, that the magician made his move. He jumped upon a table and declared in a loud voice:</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">With my piercing words all your hopes will surely sink,</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">From this moment forward the sweet princess will stink.</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There will be no relief, from below or above,</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Until she encounters the pure bliss of true love.</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">With these words, the magician smiled, wisped his cape around his body, and disappeared into thin air.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A silence overtook the crowd as the shock of what had just happened had rendered them speechless. All eyes turned to the king as he held the princess to see if the magician’s curse would indeed cause her to smell. It immediately became evident that the curse was effective as the color of king’s face was changing from his normal pinkish hue to a more disturbing shade of light purple. He quickly moved toward the nurse to hand her off before he passed out from the overwhelming stench that was filling his nostrils. Yet, to his dismay, the nurse also had to retreat, as the foul odor had quickly permeated the room. The crowd was fleeing the chamber, and while the family initially tried to look after the tiny princess, they too had to leave. The King sat the baby on a cushioned chair and managed to escape the banquet room before the smell caused him to pass out. Less than a minute had passed since the magician had disappeared, yet the banquet hall had already been emptied of all life save the poor lonely princess who was lying helpless in the room.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As lonely as this scene appears for the princess, it would be wrong to conclude that her family did not care for her. The truth is quite the contrary; the reason they left her there was because they were afraid they would drop her if they passed out and passing out was a real danger. The smell was so malodorous and spread so quickly that within a few minutes it had overtaken everyone present. Upon leaving the banquet room, the king quickly sprang into action for the sake of his daughter. He caught his breath, put a clothespin on his nose and reentered the stench laden room to retrieve his daughter. He grabbed her, hurried her to her chamber, and managed to lay her in her crib just before the smell overtook him. Just as he laid her down in her bed, he passed out beside it. The servants then quickly came in and carried him out as the princess slept peacefully in her bed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When the king awoke, he quickly put a plan into action for the care of the princess. A greater number of servants were brought in, and a large number of clothespins and cotton balls were purchased. After much trial and error, the family learned that if they soaked the clothespins and cotton balls in perfume, they could stand the smell of the princess long enough to be in her presence for ten minutes at a time. The servants would then alternate shifts in order to take care of her needs, and the king and queen would also take their turns in order to make her feel loved. Nevertheless, the princess had many days of hardship in store for her.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There was little amusement for the child in her younger years, but she took comfort in wearing the family jewels. No riches were withheld from her. She wore all kinds of jewelry, set with diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. Her favorite piece was a rare red diamond necklace that had been in her family for generations that was worth a fortune. She loved the pretty jewelry in her family, and this brought her some sanctuary. Her jewels were the most important thing in her life. When friends and family had to leave her presence, her jewels stayed. They were the sad princess’s best friends.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The family tried everything to rid her of this jinx. She was washed thoroughly multiple times to no effect. The finest perfumes were brought in from all over the world, but none of them could overtake the smell of the curse. They even brought in priests to try to cleanse her spiritually, but this was all to no avail. They began to comprehend that there was only one way to cure her of the stench. They must address the problem on the magician’s terms-to rid her of the curse, she must encounter “the pure bliss of true love.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The family’s hopes about the princess finding a prince to marry her grew as the princess grew older. The servants took good care of her, and her physical beauty blossomed like a young rose that had just awakened to bless the dawn of a new spring. By her sixteenth birthday, she had developed into the most beautiful maiden in all the land. She had deep blue eyes that one would get lost in if he happened to make eye contact with her. She had flowing blond hair and a beautiful smile which, despite the difficulty that her curse had caused, communicated a joy that seemed to be worthy of her name. This was combined with the best attire that money could buy and, of course, the princess’s precious jewels.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is easier to be joyful when one is hopeful, and hopeful she was. While she understood she was cursed, she did not experience it the same way that others did. She did not actually smell herself, so she had failed to understand how difficult it was to be in her presence. She also looked in the mirror and saw how beautiful she was, so she was very optimistic about finding a young prince to bring true love to her and take her burden from her.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A great artist in the kingdom painted an exquisite portrait of her (which he could only do in ten minute intervals), and that portrait was sent to all the surrounding kingdoms with a message informing them that the stunning princess in the portrait was looking to marry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many eager young princes looked deep into the blue eyes that stared back at them from the portrait and decided to make a trip to meet the damsel in the painting with unprecedented beauty.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After the first month of the Ananda’s sixteenth birthday, the royal family entertained dozens of potential suitors. Yet time after time, the princes took one whiff of the odor that she was emitting and fled. There was even one prince, who being so enamored with her beauty, attempted for days to endure her presence. He tried the same tricks the servants did: the perfume, the clothespins, the cotton balls. However, he was never able to stand it for much longer than ten minutes. Once he hit the eleven minute mark before he passed out and had to be dragged out of her room. The young man understood that true love was needed to cure her, so he thought that perhaps if he kissed her then the curse would be lifted. Yet, to everyone’s disappointment, his kiss proved to be woefully impotent. Evidently, true love was not to be found in his kiss or in his efforts. Disappointed at being unable to conquer the curse, he left the kingdom.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ananda’s hope diminished with each failed suitor, and, as often happens when hope fades, her joy began to dwindle away. She sank into a deeper depression with each passing day as she began to ponder the idea of a future without love and dominated by the odor being emitted from her body. She now clearly saw her problem-she couldn’t cure the curse without love, but she couldn’t find love because of the curse.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Eventually the suitors stopped coming. Ananda would look out of her window during the day longing to see a caravan that would renew her hopes, but time and time again she would be disappointed. By the time of her seventeenth birthday she had lost all hope of finding true love.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is a very dangerous thing to lose hope. Human beings were created in such a way as to expect good things, and their hopes, once disappointed, simply search for new things to place their hope in. However, once the lists of hopes have been exhausted to the point where there is no longer positive expectation, terrible things happen. That human being begins to become less than human. The distinctive beauty that comes with having a soul begins to fade into something that can only be described as death. There is no greater danger for people than to be found in a hopeless state.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ananda was approaching this point. She saw no way of finding love and curing her curse, so she did something desperate. She decided to flee the castle. She waited until the middle of the night and disguised herself in rags and a hood. Under the rags in which she dressed herself, she hid her most prized possession around her neck, her red diamond necklace, which she wanted as a memento of her family and her former life. She fled the castle and soon found herself in an unfamiliar place, as she had never actually left the security of the castle. She followed the road and quickly found herself in the center of the town. She sat on a bench there and watched just as the sun was climbing into the sky out of the darkness.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">With the morning came people, and people have noses. Noses quickly recognize unpleasant odors, and it wasn’t long before Ananda was assumed to be a beggar and asked to leave the center of town. She proceeded further and further away from the town center with people continually asking her to go further away. Eventually she got to a very poor area of town where she found a bench. Exhausted from not having slept the night before, she laid down there without reflection and, in her depression, drifted off to sleep.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">She awoke several hours later and examined her surroundings. She was in a slum, and this was a strange experience for her. She had never before left the castle and its beautiful marble floors and painted ceilings. Yet here was a place that seemed to be falling apart. The small shelters she saw looked as if a strong gust of wind would blow them down. It seemed to her that the people who lived in this neighborhood had mistaken their street for a garbage dump, as litter littered the street. But it was on that trash filled road where the princess first experienced something that had had such an impact on her life to that point. She finally understood the concept of “stink.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That place smelled horrible. The odor was a complicated mix of sewage, sweat, and body odor. What she had not noticed before in her fatigue now hit her like a ton of bricks. The smell was filling her nostrils aggressively, and it made her faint. Yet, in experiencing the stench of that neighborhood, a new resolve was born in her. All of her life people had been fleeing her because of her smell. She would not flee. Determined to conquer what those close to her had not been able to conquer, she sat on that bench intending to savor every rank scent that the slums could muster. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hours passed. Then the hours turned into a day. Still another day passed. She sat there until she got tired, then she slept. After she slept, she awoke only to continue smelling. Lack of food and water eventually made her weak, but she was unwilling to take care of her own needs. She only wanted to smell in her solitude. The people of the neighborhood, however, had noticed her and had pity on her. They had discussed the strange girl on the bench in their homes, and eventually one lady decided to offer her some food.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Hey, dere,” she said. “My name’s Rakas, and I couldn’t help but noticin’ that you’ve been sittin’ dere for a long time. Is there somthun wrong wit’ ya?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“You can’t tell what’s wrong with me?” the princess replied.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Well, I ‘spect you oughta be mighty hungry and thirsty.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“No, not that. I mean that I stink. You haven’t noticed?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rakas approached her and took a whiff. “Whew! You do stink. But it ain’t no matter, we all stink honey. Far be it for me to be a judgin’ someone for that. It’s been a while since I’ve bathed myself. Besides, this neighborhood isn’t exactly known for smelling like flowers.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ananda smiled, feeling as if she had found a kindred spirit. Rakas then spoke again, “I can tell yer hungry. Why doncha come over and have lunch wit’ us?”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ananda replied that she would like that very much and followed Rakas to her home. The home was a dump, but Ananda was just happy to be somewhere with people who wouldn’t pass out in her presence. She was invited to sit at their table and a bowl of gruel was sat down in front of her.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ananda was very hungry, but she had never seen food that repulsed her as much as the bowl of gruel. She had only ever eaten the large, extravagant feasts that had been offered to her in the castle, so a meager bowl of gruel looked very unappealing. She began to think that these were some pretty poor hosts when this nasty looking substance was all that was offered.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Yer lucky that we got a little extri’ gruel today. I see the look in yer eye, but don’t protest. We’re happy to share it with ya.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After hearing this, Ananda felt a tidal wave of shame flood over her soul. She had never imagined that there were people in her kingdom who lived on such meager rations as this. She tasted the gruel and determined that this dish had earned its appellation. She realized how privileged she had been growing up in the castle and, for the first time, began to understand the responsibility that she had to help. She began to think of ways she could help this family and this neighborhood and discovered that she had enormous means to be able to improve their situation. What she didn’t notice, however, was that for the first time, she was thinking about other people’s misery rather than her own.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">She asked Rakas what the needs of her family were. She gave a long list, talking about the difficulty they had in keeping food on the table, the scarcity of good water, and a terrible virus that had been going through the neighborhood that her son had caught. They told her that their neighbor’s girl had recently died from the same virus that their son had, and they were all anxious that they wouldn’t be able to find enough money to provide for his medication.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ananda asked if others in the neighborhood had similar problems, and Rakas stated that most were worse off than they were. Ananda requested to be introduced to them, and she spent the rest of the day going into the other homes in the neighborhoods and learning about their situations. All her life she had been shielded from poverty, disease, and death, but one day in the slums helped her to understand the true condition of the kingdom. Every family didn’t live in comfort and luxury as she had, and, while she did have a curse, it was a curse that was so trivial that the people in the slums didn’t even notice. She wanted to do something for them, but how could she help?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As this thought passed through her conscience, she felt the cold of the necklace against her skin under her clothes. An immediate bolt of fear shrieked through her body as the knowledge of what ought to happen met her selfish desires in a terrible collision. Her beloved red diamond was worth far more than this entire neighborhood and would be more than enough to ensure that these children didn’t die of disease and that they would have an education. It would allow each family to have clean water and food on the table. It would completely change the lives of the residence of the slums. Yet, it would also mean her giving up the one comfort that had helped her through her miserable existence.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It would mean sacrifice. Sacrifice is one of those ideas that look beautiful from afar only to become more and more repulsive as it is approached personally. The great stories that grip us are those where we see someone make a costly ransom for the sake of a greater, holier good, yet we are far less gripped by the sacrificial opportunities with which we are continually presented. Ananda was here presented with one of those opportunities. The diamond that hung around her neck could save hundreds of people, yet this was the one thing she didn’t think she could give to them. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">No one could observe the battle raging in her heart. The poverty-stricken friends that she had just made had no idea who she was or that she was even capable of making such an offering. It was an average day at around 2 in the afternoon. Children were heard laughing as they played in the street. Mothers were hanging up laundry, and fathers were busy trying to find work. Normal life was happening all around Ananda, yet this was the most important moment of her young life. Would she give?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The thought of selling the necklace made her sick, but she quickly ran out of the slums into a wealthy area of town. She immediately went to a jeweler and presented him with the diamond. He was shocked to see such a fine stone and wondered who this girl could be. Yet he was fair and offered her the true value of the diamond which was far more than she had expected. She took the money before she could allow herself to be tempted to be selfish and immediately began her mission to turn around the neighborhood.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Over the next few weeks, the area formally called the slums needed a new name. The men of the neighborhood were immediately hired to clean up the quarter and earned fair wages to make it beautiful. A hospital was constructed and competent doctors were employed there full time. A school began in the community and proper teachers were hired. New industries were brought in, and many new jobs were readily available. Within a few months, the whole place was completely transformed.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yet the biggest transformation happened in the heart of Princess Ananda. She built a house in the neighborhood and decided to live amongst them. She was no longer sitting around depressed over what would happen to her; rather, she was actively concerning herself with what would happen to the people around her. She was obsessed with their good and spent very little time thinking about herself at all. Her beautiful smile was the trademark of the neighborhood, and it made the people believe in themselves again. Her goodwill was contagious. She longed to see the entire kingdom know the prosperity that this neighborhood was now experiencing. She had learned to live with less and never regretted her decision to leave the castle or to sell the diamond. She did, however, miss her family.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">While all of this was happening, the jeweler began to inquire of the origin of the massive red diamond that the strange girl had brought into his shop. As he followed the trail, he eventually came to realize that this diamond had come from the castle and the royal family. As you might imagine, the royal family had become quite frantic with the loss of their daughter. Months had passed, and they had been all over in search for her, yet no one had any information. The King and Queen had nearly lost hope when the jeweler arrived at the castle.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After seeing the necklace, the Sovereigns immediately knew that it must have come from Ananda. They went back with the jeweler to his shop and began to explore the surrounding districts to find news of their daughter. Eventually, they came to a particularly pretty area and were confused because it was a part of their kingdom that they did not remember. They walked inside a park that they had never seen before when they noticed a young lady with golden blond hair, and it was unmistakably their long loss daughter. They called out to her and ran to her, excited but expecting to be overwhelmed by the odor of the curse. Ananda saw her parents and ran to their embrace. To the astonishment of both sides, they realized that she no longer stunk. The curse had been broken! They jumped in joyous laughter and celebrated together before the question entered their minds. How had the curse been broken?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Who is the young man,” asked the king, “who brought true love to you? I assume you are married.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">“No,” said Ananda. “There has been no romance in my life at all. I have just been busy trying to help these people. You should’ve seen the state of this neighborhood when I arrived.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Suddenly at this moment, out of nowhere, the magician reappeared. He smiled at the party and then said:</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I can see you have learned from all your reeking</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">That the pure bliss of true love is not self-seeking</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Its value is not found in hug or embrace,</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Neither ugliness nor stench can thwart this grace.</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Love is the law by which all good things are bound,</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is no peace until its bounties are found.</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Search not your meaning in the things you receive,</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s in what you give that purpose is achieved.</span></div>parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-23518108496856492172012-01-12T11:41:00.001-08:002012-01-12T11:41:37.701-08:00dev186<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Default", "serif";">“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Default", "serif";">Ephesians 4:7</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Default", "serif";">America has a problem with materialism. I will not dispute that. It is tragic the way so many people measure their worth and contentment based on the things that they possess. While I think the popular Christian criticism of this problem is for the most part fair and the consequent shift towards increased giving towards missions and social justice an incredible and righteous alteration, I do think that the Christian fight against materialism has gone one step too far.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Default", "serif";">I do not like the fact that the way we traditionally celebrate Christmas is being thrown into the same materialist basket. I admit a bias. I come from a family that went all out for me for Christmas. I did not get an allowance growing up and my parents would not buy me random toys when we went out. There were two times of the year when I could get things to play with, a smaller portion for my birthday and an overwhelming abundance of gifts under the tree when I woke up on Christmas morning. I think that this had a positive impact on my life, though my experience as a child is different from my adult experience.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Default", "serif";">As a child I understood one thing much better than I understand it today, namely, how to receive a gift. As a child I was completely dependent on my parents, so I received things from them without ever thinking that I had to pay them back. I received presents and was truly grateful. This made me good at receiving. Yet as a child I had a different problem, namely, I had to be taught how to give. My natural selfishness made it difficult to give because I was me-first.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Default", "serif";">Now that I am grown up I find myself having the opposite problem, and I observe the same problem in many others. Adults also have a me-first mentality, only this leads them to be good givers and bad receivers. It is a lot of fun to pay for someone’s lunch, yet having my lunch paid for (which has happened quite often this Christmas season) makes me uncomfortable. I feel like I need to be square with everyone. I don’t want to depend on others and, consequently, I always feel the need to pay back people for a gift. This makes me a bad receiver of gifts and prevents me from being thankful.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Default", "serif";">Spending the last three years in France I saw what this attitude can do. People there are very suspicious of gifts and it is difficult to give something to someone without expecting something in return. Even their idea of Santa Claus involves earning your gifts by being good all year. There are no gifts just for the sake of giving. If one person gives one thing, the other must also give something of equal value in order to be in right relationship.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Default", "serif";">This idea is human arrogance. Before God we find ourselves in a position where a gift is offered and we have no means of offering anything close to reciprocal. Out salvation, our life purposes, our families, and each breath we breathe are gifts from the Lord that we receive and cannot pay back. Our dependence necessitates that we respond to these gifts, not with trying to be square with God in generosity, but in loving thankfulness and the humility that comes with it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Default", "serif";">To be specific about my gripe, I don’t like the upcoming popular Christian notion that giving gifts to families and friends ought to be replaced with giving to stop global poverty or that the gospel may go to the nations. Certainly I am for those things, but one should not have to compete with the other. I can give to those things without neglecting to give to my closest circles, and I am afraid of the consequences at what would happen to our society if we stopped exchanging gifts for Christmas. We need not only to be a people who give gifts, but also a people who <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">receive</i> them. The importance of the jacket I received from my parents this Christmas is not simply that I have another article of clothing (although I do and can certainly use it), but that I have received a gift from my parents. I was thankful. And while I also gave them a gift, there was never any feeling that my gift had to be equal to theirs. We exchanged gifts from each other and we experienced joy. I was happy to see my brother-in-law enjoying the slippers I got him and my sister playing the game I got her. They received their gifts well, and good receiving brings joy to the giver. To not receive gifts well is to rob the giver of joy. This is robbery to our friends and family, and ultimately robbery from God. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Default", "serif";">Let us not think that it is wrong to receive gifts. God gives to each person according to the measure of Christ’s gift, and let us not ask God to alter his gift according to what would make us more comfortable. Let us be children running to the tree on Christmas morning and respond in dependent gratitude.</span></div>parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2636387608092613231.post-5690717976029574652011-12-09T13:10:00.001-08:002011-12-09T13:10:34.701-08:00dev185<div style="margin: 0in 0in 3pt; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="color: black;">And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,</span></div><div style="margin: 3.75pt 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="color: black;"> “Glory to God in the highest,</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt 28.5pt; text-indent: -28.5pt;"><span style="color: black;"> And on earth peace among men </span><a href="about:blanksteplinkto1%200000035478"><sup><span style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="color: blue;">£</span></span></sup></a><span style="color: black;">with whom He is pleased.”</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Luke 2:13-14</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The other night I was introduced to a show called “Sing Off.” This is a reality show in which there is a contest between different <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a cappella</i> vocal groups, and each group in the contest is extremely talented both as vocalists and as entertainers. I thoroughly enjoyed the finals of this show, and was excited when they announced at the end that they would have a Christmas special with all the groups performing the next week.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Given my love for Christmas music and how impressed I was with the ability of the contestants, I was thrilled the other night when my family and I were browsing channels and saw that this Christmas special was on. I was looking forward to hearing their outstanding voices harmonize the great hymns of Christmas such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">O Holy Night</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Silent Night</i>, and my personal favorite, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hark the Herald Angels Sing</i>. Yet, to my dismay, I was let down song after song as the contestants continued to choose songs such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Santa Baby</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Let It Snow</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Santa Claus is Coming to Town</i>. I continued to watch each performance with the hopes of hearing one of these groups of gifted vocalists sing the name of my Savior, but I listened in vain.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">As I listened to their beautiful voices I felt an emptiness. There was no meaning in their songs. Sure, they sung of traditions that I enjoy each year, and I don’t have a problem with the tracks they sung in and of themselves, but they had taken Jesus out of their Christmas celebration. For the first time I felt the void of the way the world celebrates our holiday. There is no promised glory to God or peace among men. There are no promises at all. December is just another month like any month, with the exception of being able to look at wreaths and drink egg nog. Their remembrances do not lead them to redemption, and their songs do not proclaim hope.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">On that day, however, the shepherds experienced a far superior <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a cappella </i>choir. The Bible says,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“<span style="color: black;">suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host.” This word “host” would perhaps be better translated as armies, as the angels of God brought battle to the world on that Christmas evening. Yet they were not armed with swords or bows that night. Their sword was their song, and their arrows were their harmonies. The power of their chant destroyed the doubts of the shepherds and crushed all of their fears and despairs. There were no sour notes about materialism and empty traditions. Their melodies sung of the Most High and his intentions for the salvation of mankind.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This is one <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a cappella</i> choir that I wish I could’ve heard. I would have no doubt experienced an excellence beyond words in terms of musical quality and vocal performance, yet the value of this song lies beyond the way it is performed. This chorus’ power is in the message: God will be glorified and He will bring peace to this war plagued world. It starts with this good news of great joy that is for all people. Born unto you on that day was a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Joyful all ye nations rise,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Join the Triumph of the skies.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>parkerwindlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13283373082387999248noreply@blogger.com0