Cancer school of wisdom | Stray Thoughts

Some of the good reads found this week:

The Mercy of God When Formulas Fail, HT to the Story Warren. “There is certainly personal responsibility for every Christian; disciplines that must be present for growth to occur. Yet a problem arises when those disciplines become the formula for how we think God ought to respond. . . The problem with this formulaic faith is that it boils faith down to a sum of actions as the key to unlocking results. Yet the goal of faith is not that our desires might be fulfilled, but rather it is knowing Christ and the power of his resurrection, sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in death (Phil. 3:10). It is knowing Christ and making him known; experiencing more of him and becoming like him.”

4 Ways to Let Go of Perfectionism in Your Quiet Time. “I used to think my quiet time only ‘counted’ if it was done the right way—uninterrupted, organized, meaningful, and preferably with something underlined in matching ink. But more often than not, I walked away feeling like I didn’t have time to do it like that. The house offered me a different equation: clean it well and I could see the results. Order the mess and everything would feel right again. But my quiet time with God didn’t work that way. I often didn’t see immediate results. No visible proof I had done it ‘well.’ No checklist to confirm I had gotten it right.”

Being Filled with the Spirit. “Few ideas in the Christian life leave believers as confused as being filled with the Holy Spirit. Some picture a mystical event that lands on a lucky few. Others claim it is a technique to be mastered. The apostle Paul gives a simple command in Ephesians 5, and the answer turns out to be more practical than either picture. The people who are filled with the Spirit are the people who are spiritually active and alive.”

No, Not All Sin Is the Same in God’s Eyes. “Perhaps you have heard a well-intentioned believer say, ‘All sin is the same in God’s eyes.’ . . . But as with every spiritual sounding mantra that isn’t actually a verse, we must ask if it lines up with what Scripture teaches. A careful study of the Bible will show us that, contrary to what many believe, not all sin is the same in God’s eyes. And rather than being a discouragement, the truth ends up being more helpful, encouraging, and fair than we might at first realize.”

Shame vs. Conviction: What’s the Difference? “At first glance, the two may look like twins, and the sinking feeling each produces may leave you thinking they’re synonymous. Don’t fall into that trap. One leads to freedom, while the other will leave you shackled in dark despair.”

Is Jesus the Social Justice Champion of Progressives? HT to Challies. “Progressive Christians often present a truncated portrait of Jesus, highlighting the parts of his ministry that fit their emphasis on social reform. In their view, Jesus was a social justice warrior who stood in solidarity with the poor and marginalized, challenged unjust systems and structures of power, and called his followers to pursue love, inclusion, and liberation.”

What I’ve Learned in the Cancer School of Wisdom, HT to Challies. “Drawing from his own cancer ordeal, John Piper has urged many of us not to ‘waste our cancer’ but rather to redeem it for good. I’m trying to do that. By the grace of God and, I dare to hope, for the glory of God, I truly want to live well and then to die even better. God’s Word taught me—long before my diagnosis—to live life and walk wisely, as if on the edge of eternity, and to avoid complacency and presumption by keeping my mortality in mind.”

Some Marriage Advice: Just Shut Up, HT to Challies. This is good for all conversations! I especially liked the imagery about the furnace. “Did you know that you don’t actually have to say every thought that comes into your mind? You can actually take a thought, examine it, and throw it away. Our minds are fickle. We often think things that are mean, rude, unkind, and downright untrue. It is so important that before these thoughts make it out of our mouths that we sift it through the sieve of God’s word.”

How You Handle Criticism Is a Test of Your Humility. HT to Challies. “Your character will grow in direct proportion to your willingness to accept correction. It will also make you a better Bible student and a better Christian because frequently when you read the Bible, the words will be a form of criticism, and the Holy Spirit speaks through that criticism. If you are defensive and not open to criticism, you will not have a good walk with God.”

The Problem with So Much More: A Critique and Apology, by the Authors, HT to Challies. I have not finished reading this whole piece, so it’s unusual for me to share it yet. I had never heard of the book, So Much More: The Remarkable Influence of Visionary Daughters on the Kingdom of God by Anna and Elizabeth Botkin. But I had heard of their concept that young women should stay home under their father’s influence rather than go to college, get a job, or go on missions trips. Many years ago, before Facebook, before message boards, there were subscriber lists for different subjects. Communication was by email and everyone who was accepted to the list got every email from every other member, all on the topic of the group. This group was made up of Christian moms, and my kids were around 3-12 then. I knew I didn’t hold to all the practices of the group, but I felt there was enough we were agreed upon that we could have some good fellowship. One day I shared some blessing from my college years and was told they didn’t believe in young women going to college. I had never heard that before and was incredulous. I tried to share, in what I thought was a gracious way, how God used a Christian college in my life. I was removed from their list. I found out later a lot of their teaching came from Bill Gothard.

What amazes me hearing now about this book is that it was written “by two unknown teenagers with no theological training or life experience” and yet “became the manifesto of the burgeoning ‘Stay at Home Daughter’ movement.”

The authors now say “with better hermeneutics and a better understanding of church history and historic theology . . . [we] realized our entire case was exegetically hollow. And that the life we had given up so much to live, and worst of all had called others to live, was built on a theological house of cards.” They are not deconstructing their entire faith, but they realized they were wrong on this issue and explain why.

Inside a Gilded Age Mansion, HT to Challies. This 11 1/2 minute video by Architectural Digest shows details of the Elms, a Gilded Age Mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. Some of the architectural tricks are amazing.