Against Nothingness

Nightmare by William Schwenk Gilbert When you're lying awake with a dismal headache,      and repose is taboo'd by anxiety, I conceive you may use any language you choose to      indulge in without impropriety; For your brain is on fire - the bedclothes conspire of      usual slumber to plunder you: First your counterpane goes and uncovers your toes,       and your sheet slips demurely from under you; Then the blanketing tickles - you feel like mixed       pickles, so terribly sharp is the pricking, And you're hot, and you're cross, and you tumble       and toss till there's nothing 'twixt you and the ticking. Then the bedclothes all creep to the ground in a heap,       and you pick 'em all up in a tangle; Next your pillow resigns and politely declines to       remain at its usual angle! Well, you get some repose in the form of ...

I read sermons regularly. I enjoy it and I fancy that it improves my own preaching, though I suppose I must leave that verdict with my congregants. Regardless, I have oft been instructed well by pastors past and wish, on this occasion, to pass on one such worthwhile specimen.  Here, then, I humbly present to thee, most esteemed reader of mine, a sermon. A sermon which comes at the conclusion of a series on heaven.  The Justice and the Joy of Heaven by John Donne Justice : As it is said of old cosmographers, that when they had said all that they knew of a country and yet much more was to be said, they said that the rest of those countries were possessed with giants or witches or spirits or wild beasts, so that they could pierce no farther into that country; so when we have traveled as far as we can with safety, that is, as far as ancient or modern expositors lead us in the discovery of these new heavens and new earth, yet we must say at last that it is a country i...

The First Psalm      The man in life wherever placed,           Hath happiness in store,      Who walks not in the wicked's way,           Nor learns their guilty lore.       Nor from the seat of scornful pride           Casts forth his eyes abroad,      But with humility and awe           Still walks before his God.       That man shall flourish like the trees,           Which by the streamlets grow;      The fruitful top is spread on high,           And firm the root below.      Be he who blossoms buds in guilt,           Shall to the ground be cast,      And, like the rootless stubble, tost           before the sweeping ...

McIntosh, Gary L. Arn, Charles. What Every Pastor Should Know: 101 Indispensable Rules of Thumb for Leading Your Church. Baker Books, 2013. What Every Pastor Should Know is just the reference book it sounds like. 101 rules of thumb divided into 15 sections covering such topics as evangelism, small groups, revitalization, and more. These rules of thumb, which McIntosh and Arn are very careful to offer with appropriate cautions in the introduction (all churches are different, these are just guidelines, etc.), are each given in four parts: the rule itself, a brief introduction, a longer explanation, and a set of practical suggestions.  Though the subtitle of this book indicates that the rules are about "leading" a church, it really should have read "growing" a church. This is not a criticism, merely a clarification. The rules offered here are very much a product of the church growth movement. Thus, the underlying assumption that leading church is really a...

Cole, Arnie. Ross, Michael. Tempted, Tested, True: A Proven Path to Overcoming Soul-Robbing Choices. Bethany House Publishing, 2013.    Tempted, Tested, True is a book about overcoming temptations. Combining biblical insight with testimonies and stories from multiple sources Cole and Ross explore temptation from a number of different angles. There is a chapter on the life-cycle of temptation, a chapter on men and on women, and topics such as addiction, worry, and confession. Following each chapter is a "nudge." The "nudge" is a set of activities and reading divided into 'tempted' (questions to help you see your own situation), 'tested' (methods of overcoming these temptations), and 'true' (help to "customize a realistic 'change plan' you can apply to your life" [22]). The goal of this book is good. And there is some good content, especially in the 'nudge' sections. Encouraging people to m...

Rios, Jeremy . Ordinary Prayer: Encountering God through our Everyday Needs . Jeremy Michael Rios, 2012.  Rios begins with two important truths:  1. The center of prayer is petition.  2.Petition is difficult.  From there he offers a  guide to, you guessed it, ordinary prayer. Petitionary prayer practiced daily over all of our needs, small to large, common and repeated or unique. His goal, his prayer, is that "as you read you will be led to put the book down and begin praying." What follows is a guide to understanding prayer, how to pray, how to understand God's answers, how to pray in groups, and more. And by guide I do not mean exhaustive step-by-step instruction manual. "Ordinary Prayer" and Rios, as the author, is more like a wilderness guide. He won't carry you up the mountain, but he will tell you which paths are fruitful, which rocks are firm, and point you to the views along the way. In other words Rios is not out to be prescriptive...

Solitude by Ella Wheeler Wilcox Laugh, and the world laughs with you,      Weep, and you weep alone; For the sad old earth must borrow its mirth,      But has trouble enough of its own. Sing, and the hills will answer;      Sigh, it is lost on the air; The echoes bound to a joyful sound,      But shrink from voicing care. Rejoice, and men will seek you;      Grieve, and they turn and go; They want full measure of all your pleasure,      But they do not need your woe. Be glad, and your friends are many;      Be sad, and you lose them all, - There are none to decline your nectared wine,      But alone you must drink life's gall. Feast, and your halls are crowded;      Fast, and the world goes by. Succeed and give, and it helps you live,      But no man can help you die. For there is room in ...