Lord, help us pray this prayer with earnest intent.
“Lord, here I hold within my trembling hand
This will of mine—a thing which seemeth small;
And only thou, O Christ, canst understand
How, when I yield thee this, I yield mine all.
It hath been wet with tears, and stained with sighs
Clenched in my grasp till beauty hath it none;
Now, from the footstool where it prostrate lies
Thy prayer ascendeth, Let thy will be done.”
From “The Hidden Life of Prayer,” by David MacIntyre.
This was one of my favorites a long time ago, and God has put it on repeat in my brain this last week, especially this little bit:
A 747 fell out of Heaven
Crashed through the roof of a 7-11
You're working on a slurpee
Things get hazy
Reach for a twinkie now you're pushing up daisies?
Do you know where you’re gonna go?
This morning, my soul is filled with joy. It is hard to put into words all the satisfaction and expectation and fullness and hunger that comes from a deep encounter with the Living God. Last week by brother’s family visited and God blessed us beyond description, starting with Quiet Waters on Thursday and Friday and concluding with an incredible Sunday Morning worship experience (facebook / YouTube) and an afternoon of prayer and encouragement.
Therefore, I have been worshipping this morning, at times with tears of joy. I put a Spotify worship playlist together, and I encourage you to take about 1/2 hour this week some time to turn it up and worship.
If you’ve never read Andrew Murray, you’re very much missing out! His material is all old (he died in 1917), but has stood the test of time, and usually sounds as if it were written for today. Of course, this is probably because his works are not about how to navigate the specifics of certain passing circumstances, but because he deals in the eternal nature and unchanging blessings of God.
Murray was an avid proponent of God himself, and surrender as a means of enjoying more of Him. He became acquainted with the Holy Spirit and pressed in, hungering and thirsting after God and teaching that every believer could know this same satisfaction, freedom, and joy. Thus far I’ve read two books by him, both highly worthy of your time (Humility and With Christ in the School of Prayer), but Absolute Surrender gets the nod today simply because I’m currently reading and greatly enjoying it!
Unfortunately, I am reading a borrowed copy, so I can’t lend it out, but you could try and bother Camille for her copy when I’m done with it…
If you are an e-Book reader, Murray’s works are old enough to be public domain, but not all are available yet. Absolute Surrender is available as a free audiobook. See available resources on Project Gutenberg.
In an era where it is reported that middle class Americans enjoy a higher standard of living than the kings of centuries ago, it is easy to fall into the trap that everything worth having should come easily, or cheaply, or freely. We want to be successful, wildly successful, and work only 2 hours a day. We want a good marriage, and also to watch hours of TV each day. We want to raise wonderful children, by sending them off to a public school where others will do the work of raising them.
We think we should be mature Christ-followers at the cost of an hour’s church gathering and a quick prayer before bedtime each night (when it’s not already too late, that is).
But character does not grow on it’s own. It is forged, forged in the midst of trial and hardship. Such character is indeed worth more than gold, but few value it enough to pay the required price. 1 Peter 1:6-7 (NIV) tells us, “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
Jesus taught of the kingdom of heaven that those who are wise would be like the merchant who discovered a priceless pearl and went out and “sold everything he had and bought it”
Isobel Kuhn sold all she had and found Christ in her sufferings. Every time I read In the Arena (I’m on my 3rd, maybe 4th reading), I am inspired and challenged and convicted to properly treasure God and find Him in radical obedience. I hope you will be similarly affected when you read In the Arena.
Derek Prince (1915-2003) was a pentecostal preacher whose teaching has challenged me to examine my own complacency in various areas of my life. This sermon of his on fasting recently motivated me to reconsider my own perspectives on this ancient spiritual discipline. I recommend that you watch it next time you’ve got a stretch in the car or waiting for something, and are tempted to waste that time on empty TikTok or YouTube amusement.
A note on Derek Prince: Derek Prince held to a few beliefs which I do not think are accurate (eg. he taught that all people baptized in the Holy Spirit would pray in tongues), but of course no teacher since Jesus has been infallible. Remember that those who pick a favorite teacher and assume that they are always right will eventually adopt an error. It is better to evaluate all teaching according to the Word of God by the Spirit of God, and toss out what is wrong or misleading, and cling to what is good. If you need help with that process, I and our elders would be more than happy to help you out!
There are those “Christians” who want to have comfortable lives and also want to be good people. These individuals often add a little bit of church into their lives, maybe some other religious things here and there. In fact and in deed, they remain the god of their own existence.
Others believe in Jesus Christ, and they want to be good christians. They work hard at Bible studies and church activities, and worry a lot about appearances. Often they are stuck with a nagging fear that they should do more, but that idea isn’t very appealing or enticing.
Finally, some Christians come into a relationship with God and taste and see that He is good. When they read the Bible, they wish they could be like a New Testament disciple and actually walk and talk with Jesus. They don’t want more religious stuff, they want more of God himself.
More is a helpful guide to what the last group desires, what the second group probably doesn’t yet know they are missing, and what the first group very well might resent.
As usual, I have a copy in my office to borrow—first come, first served. The Kindle version is only $0.99 at Amazon. I’m of the persuasion that a print copy is a worthy investment, because once you’re done reading it you’ll probably want to share it with a friend.
I heard somewhere that this was C.S. Lewis’ last published work, and his personal favorite. I have read it three times now (four? more? I lose count). I love it. It is a bit longer than his other fiction, but the payoff…oh the payoff is so worth it. This is one of those books that you grow more capable of appreciating as you grow more deeply in your walk with Jesus, as you grow in wisdom. It gets better every time I read it.
Here it is: 'Til We Have Faces
Unfortunately, I do not have a copy handy to borrow. Mine is in a box somewhere that is not yet unpacked. When I find it…I will probably read it again, and you will have to wait. (And you will have to swear to return it to me.). It’s worth asking to borrow though, because eventually I will share.
This week’s recommendation, of course, is 21 Days of Breakthrough Prayer by Jim Maxim! Our fellowship at Grace is going to spend the next 21 days in this book, praying on a different topic each day. The church ordered (and distributed!) 80 copies, and there is only one left. First one to claim it can take it home. Of course, you can also order a copy from the Amazon link above and get it soon if you subscribe to Amazon Prime. eBook copies are also available.
Today’s recommendation is cheap, and quick. It’s a song by Shane & Shane.
I don’t really like to start reading a book and not finish it. I’m trying to attain more freedom there, the freedom to not-finish a worthless book, but unfortunately I’m not having much success. Most books, if I start them, I will finish them, even if they’re not exceptional. Of course, Google says there are over 129 million published books in the world, so why would I waste valuable reading time on a lame book when I could spend it on a good one? I’m not getting any younger.
That said, there are also many books that I’ve read multiple times. The logic there is much easier: start a new book and you run the risk that it might not be any good. Re-read one that is tried-and-true, and you know that it will be worth it.
One of my recent re-reads is the 1997 “Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire” by Jim Cymbala. By now they claim to have sold over a million copies, so clearly I’m not the only one who thought it was good. If you’ve already read it, I can also recommend a sequel, “Fresh Power.” If you’ve read that one, he’s also written “Fresh Faith.” (I can’t recommend the last one as I haven’t read it…yet. But it’s on my desk, and if you ask politely I’ll let you borrow it).
As usual, I’ve got one copy of each in my office right now to borrow, and it is first come, first served.
This week is for those of you who don’t have time to read. Or perhaps those of you who don’t really enjoy reading that much (gasp!). Actually, I figured that I would try to post a YouTube video from time to time here that has been encouraging to me. Not only is it easier, but it’s free, and you don’t have to fight over my one copy in my office.
Today’s recommendation is a personal testimony by John Piper. The thing I most like about John Piper is the way in which his entire being lights up with joy when he is talking about God. Even if you don’t like how it starts, stick around until the end. I think you’ll be glad you did!
In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Paul encourages believers to “pray without ceasing.” This sounds good, but many of us find it hard to pray for even 15 minutes at a time! Surely he can’t be serious, right?
Of course, perhaps the problem lies in the fact that many of us are not taught to pray. We pick up things here and there by listening to other people, and our attitudes and practices for prayer are more haphazard than meaningfully developed. Ronald Dunn, in his Don’t Just Stand There…Pray Something offers great encouragement and instruction for developing your prayer life. It’s a fun read, and I’ve already devoured it twice.
The usual applies: I usually have a copy of this in my office if it’s not already lent out. If you want to borrow it, let me know!
Catch me any time of day and offer me a slice of pizza, and I’ll have a hard time saying no. It doesn’t matter if it’s Gino’s East or Totinos, grilled or oven-baked, hot and fresh or cold leftovers. I like the $2.75 Aldi frozen variety and the $20 Casey’s pie. Chicago-style, new-york style, delivered or take-and-bake, it’s all good.
If you ask me what Pizza I like, I’ll say “all of it.” Each variation on the theme has it’s own pleasures. In the morning, breakfast pizza is kind of an easy call…but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that my favorite pizza in the morning is cold leftover Black Olive Papa John’s. If I’m honest, I also have to acknowledge that not all pizza is actually good. Occasionally I find myself warning others to avoid a few specific pizzas! For instance, Aldi’s rising crust pizza is my most frequent go-to, but their four cheese variety is a major disappointment. Casey’s makes an excellent supreme, but my kids turn up their nose a bit at their cheese pizza.
Learning is a bit like Pizza. It’s good to pursue knowledge of God during a Sunday morning service, but variety in our learning is helpful as well. For me, that means personal devotional times, deep study (especially when preparing to preach), sermons from others, YouTube videos of varying types, and also books. Furthermore, just like pizza, much of what is out there on YouTube and in bookstores is good, but there are some misses as well, some bigger than others. How do you know?
I’m of the opinion that you should always read with a discerning attitude, knowing that even our favorite authors and teachers get it wrong from time to time, but even if we do so that doesn’t help with the fact that there are 10 million books out there (and 100 billion YouTube lessons) and you can’t process them all. Why waste time on bad books or sketchy teachings? Furthermore, what if you hear something and you’re just not sure about it. Where can you go to process those questions?
To help resolve some of those difficulties, I will be writing updates occasionally which I will be calling the Pastor’s Study. As I read and listen and learn, I will be posting book and video links as I digest these resources, along with recommendations or cautions. If you are a big reader or love to follow various different teachers online, you will hopefully benefit in a few ways:
First of all, you might find book recommendations that are helpful in your own pursuit of God. Secondly, you will know that if I have mentioned a book or teaching here that I have read it. Thus, if you decide to read it and end up with some questions, you can feel comfortable stopping by to talk it through with me. Finally, I hope that part of this process will help you develop a habit of learning with discernment—how to recognize and filter out mistaken ideas while grabbing a hold of helpful ones!
Please join me on this journey of learning, and if you ever read something that you find profoundly helpful, feel free to pass a link on to me!
In Christ,
Pastor Andy
PS. You didn’t think I’d let you go without a recommendation, did you? Not long ago a member of our church passed along a copy of Christians Get Depressed, Too by David Murray. I found it to be a pretty balanced and helpful read.
(Notice: If you want to borrow a resource I recommend, I’d be glad to lend you my copy if I have one. Just ask!)
