Psalm 74

We have to wonder why, if God has all this power, why doesn't he use it? To be honest, this is something I wonder all the time. It all comes down to another question: is he on my schedule, or am I on his?

To put it another way: am I part of his plan, or is he part of mine?

Review: WINESBURG, OHIO by Sherwood Anderson

This is a collection of short stories about a fictional Ohio town. It's neither especially good or especially bad. It's just average and forgettable.

The most I can say is that some of the stories had a bleak, desperate feel. I don't see any reason to recommend it.

Psalm 73

The psalmist recalls how he looked at the godless rich and how they never seemed to suffer and wondered if he had wasted his life following God. But then he saw the fate of the wicked and knew it was worth it.

Following God is always worth it.

Wrapping up the Lord's Prayer and answering the question of what's next

That's it for the Lord's Prayer. It seems too short to me, but that's because I'm used to it in the King James Version, where it's significantly longer.

Next I'm going to go through the Schleitheim Confession again, though I don't know whether I'll comment on it or just present it like it is.

Psalm 72

In this psalm, David doesn't just praise God. He wants everyone else to as well. This isn't because he's bossy or megalomaniacal, but because God deserves it.

Everyone's going to praise him anyway.

Review: FLATLAND by Edwin Abbott Abbott

This is an unusual book, to say that least. On one hand, it's a book of planar geometry, though an old-fashioned one. On the other, it's a fairly mediocre novel. When the two are put together, though, the result is very strange.

Rather than just describing figures of zero, one, and two dimensions, Abbott tries to imagine what life would be like under these conditions. It makes for an odd, entertaining like book, and I recommend it.

Psalm 71

If he's cared for you this long, it's not like he's going to stop now.

Many of the psalms, like this one, ask for God to deliver the psalmist from his enemies. Here, he also asks for deliverance, but also recalls how God has protected him from birth and prays not to be forsaken now.

Romans 13 and why it doesn't mean Christians should be in the army

I've never made a secret of the fact that I don't think Christians don't have any business killing other people. By far the most common objection I've heard to this belief that Romans 13 allows it. I have two counterarguments to that.

First, that's allowing those few verses to override the entire tenor of the New Testament, including the example of Jesus Christ himself. That's what cults do, and to elevate one part of the Bible as more important than the rest sets a dangerous precedent.

Second, that's not what it says anyway. Paul's epistle to the Romans was written to Christians in Rome, and is mostly in the second person. That is, it's as if he was talking to the Romans. At several points, however, he switches to the third person; he's talking about someone. He's not writing to Christians who bear the sword, but to Christians about people who bear the sword. That's a big difference.

An announcement

I have a new post up at The Bible Exchange, "Christians don't need legends ".

Psalm 70

Is Scripture always right?

Many of the psalm wish curses on those opposed to the psalmist or to God. Loving enemies would seem to call for an opposite reaction. I believe the Bible is always correct, but our understanding isn't.

Review: STEPS TO CHRIST by Ellen G. White

I remember having a copy of this when I was in the Navy. It was a very thin paperback -- I can still remember how it looked and felt -- and I carried it in the left chest pocket of my coveralls for several years and never got around to reading it.

When I found another copy a few months ago I decided to fix that. By then I knew a little more, including that Ellen G. White was the founder of the Seventh-Day Adventists, a group many Christians consider a cult.

I was a little leery about starting this, but just as the Book of Mormon contains no Mormonism, this book series to contain any Seveth-Day Advenism. Instead, it's a simple message of evangelism (though pretty old-fashioned because it was written in the 1800s) and as such I recommend it.

Psalm 69

Not the album, which I've never heard, but the actual psalm. It's really just a cry for help,from a man to the God he trusts. When he finds himself in trouble, when the whole world is against him, he knows where to turn.

He turns to God, who has never failed him.

Review: LIEUTENANT HORNBLOWER by CS Forster

This is the second of the 12-book Hornblower series. It's also the last one I plan on reading, due to an unfortunate coincidence.

The unfortunate coincidence was that I started this about the same time I finally decided to turn everything over to God, including the books I read. Since this series is set in the midst of war, it contradicts my beliefs totally. The whole thing made me so uncomfortable that I promised never to do that to myself again.

This is a well-written book, and I've always liked sea stories, but I can't in good conscience recommend this novel.

Psalm 68

According to this psalm, the land of Israel didn't just lie fallow while it waited for the Israelites. It wasn't just exploited by the Canaanites, either. 

It was being restored by God. 

And lead us not into temptation

This is a simple request that God's leading not cause us to be tempted to do wrong. The book of James tells us that God never tempts anyone, so looked at in light of that it's asking him to protect us from ourselves.

We get tempted. It would make no sense for God to make a rule and then try to get us to break it. That just shows a really wrong-headed view of God as a cosmic tyrant instead of a loving father.

Psalm 67

We see God's work partly so that others can see the light of God reflected in our faces and praise him. Everything he does is from his desire to love and be loved. The world should see his love in us and want it for themselves.

But why is the reality so different?

Review: THE SECRET OF THE STRENGTH by Peter Hoover

This is a history of the early Anabaptist movement in the 1500s, and a comparison with the Anabaptists of today.

Hoover writes well, and all the historical information is much easier to read than in Finger's A Contemporary Anabaptist Theology. I recommend it,

Psalm 66

This psalm is nothing but praise to God. He is the maker and sustainer of everything, and he chose Israel and did many miracles for it.

Someone you just have to say thanks.

Why do I think of myself as a Mennonite?

In my current state, I've a lot of time to read and to think. One thing I've thought a lot about is what I believe. Of all the denominations I've looked at at, the only one I've found that didn't read into Scripture were the Anabaptists (some of them, anyway).

In America, there are basically three kinds of Anabaptists. There are the Amish, who everyone has heard of. I couldn't be one of those because I like electricity too much. There are the Hutterites, who no one has ever heard of. I couldn't be one of those because I don't want to live on a farm in North Dakota. Everyone else, no matter how conservative or liberal -- no matter how closely they stick to Scripture -- is called a Mennonite.

There are about 40 million different flavors of Mennonites, and I haven't figured out where I fit just yet. As long as I can't move or talk, it doesn't much matter outside my head anyway. I just wanted to share what I was thinking a little.

Psalm 65

Since God is literally infinite, he should satisfy us, right?

Yes, but too often he doesn't. We think we need something, that God has forbidden what would make us really happy and really fulfilled because he doesn't really want the best for us. That's the same lie Eve believed in the Garden of Eden, and we've been believing it ever since.

Review: THE CREEDS OF CHRISTENDOM by Philip Schaff

This is a three-volume set consisting of every creed and confession of the Christian church translated and annotated by Philip Schaff. It is a tremendous resource, especially when you consider how cheap things are on the Kindle. 

The only disadvantage I could find was  that as an older Kindle book, it doesn't have a table of contents that is as useful as newer versions. The fact that that was the only thing I could find wrong should tell how good it is. I recommend it. 

Psalm 64

Even though people may try to hide, God will still find them. Even when they attack from ambush his arrows will always find them. Sometimes that's how God takes care of his people: by handling dangers they don't even know about.

That's looking out right there.

Review: TILL WE HAVE FACES by CS Lewis

This was CS Lewis' favorite of his books, and one of his last. It's a retelling of the myth of Eros and Psyche, told from the point of view of a sister of Psyche.

There has been a good deal of backlash against this book from Christians, mostly because it's a pagan myth by an ostensibly Christian author. Some have even taken this as proof that he wasn't really a Christian at all. The simple fact is that none of knows what was in Lewis' heart and mind when he wrote this, so we're not fit to judge his motives.

It's undeniably well-written, and though the story and its protagonist are emphatically not Christian, Lewis has earned my trust, and I recommend this book.

Psalm 63

How much do you want God?

In this psalm David says he wants God as much as he wants food and water. He values God up there with his bodily needs. How many of us do? I have to admit that I haven't, and there are many professing Christians who think he's completely irrelevant.

And forgive our trespasses, for we also forgive those indebted to us

This is a dangerous thing to pray. It admits that our being forgiven depends on our willingness to forgive others. It's more proof that God doesn't just want us when we die. He wants to change us now.

Psalm 62

Not only do we not need anything besides God, we shouldn't even want anything else. God is the end-all and be-all, and any need we have that can't be satisfied by him is one we shouldn't have anyway.

God +  nothing = everything.

Review: TITUS GROAN by Mervyn Peake

In many ways Peake was the anti-Tolkein. Where The Lord of the Rings tends to sprawl, Peake's Gormenghast Trilogy (he died a few paragraphs into the fourth and final book) is insular and claustrophobic. While Tolkein's work is full of beautiful people doing noble things, Peake's is full of ugly people doing questionable things. Tolkein built a monument to a better time that existed only in his own mind. Peake held up a baroque mirror to his own.

While both men had wordy styles but Peake turns his to humor in this book, making it more enjoyable to read. Given its overall bleak outlook, though, I don't recommend it.

Psalm 61

Protect me, God.

Once again the psalmist tells of his dependence upon God for defense. He might have been a mighty warrior, but he knew his life was in God's hands, as are all of ours.

Take a load off, man

The fact that one of the Ten Commandments is about rest tells me two important things. First, it tells me that God takes rest very seriously. It also tells me that people have always been so focused on getting stuff that they have to be told to take a day off. 

The fourth commandment says to honor God one day in every seven. And what does he demand of his people on that day? Not some special ritual. Not that we gather together to worship him. Not that we do anything at all, but that we rest. That we "do no work". This isn't something new that came in with the Law of Moses; it was based in the creation itself, on God's rest on the seventh day. Now, God didn't need to rest any more than he needed six days to create the universe. It was an illustration for his people, be they Hebrews in 1000BC or us.

People always want more, whether it's more money, more power, or more security. And they're willing to work for them. It turns into a deadly trap when we come to depend more on what we can get than on God. We get to the point that we're willing to disobey him to get a little more of whatever we're after. This temptation is so strong that a prohibition against it had to be included in the Decalogue. People weren't meant to work all the time. We're made to need rest, and because we won't take care of ourselves, God has to make us.

An announcement

I have a new post up at The Bible Exchange, "You knew I'd write about evolution sometime". www.biblexchange.com

Psalm 60

Nothing else matters if God isn't for you.

You might achieve worldly success. You might be acclaimed by everyone. You might even defeat all your enemies. But you'll have to do it on your own, and in the end it won't mean anything anyway.

Review: THE FIRST ALGERNON BLACKWOOD MEGAPACK by Algernon Blackwood

Some of these are ghost stories, and some aren't, but they're all built somehow on the supernatural. They are perhaps best described as "spooky"; Blackwood was very good at creating forbidding and moody atmospheres.

Unfortunately, he was less good at pacing. There's a fine line between drawing things out to create tension and just letting them drag on too long. Too often Blackwood falls on the wrong side of that line.

It may just be the difference between readers in the 19th century and the 21st, but I found much of Blackwood's work boring. I don't recommend it.

Psalm 59

When nothing else can be relied upon, God can. A fortress of stone may crumble, but when you make God your refuge he will never fall. No one can stand against him, and no one can wear him down.

A mighty fortress is our God.

Review THE NET BIBLE (NOTELESS) by Biblical Studies Prress

NET stands for New English Translation, but it also refers to the fact that this was the first translation of the Bible done completely openly on the internet, incorporating suggestions from the public into the text itself. In its print form the vast majority of most pages is taken up with translators' notes, and the whole thing is available free online. There are two Kindle versions, with notes and without. I'm reviewing the one without notes.

I chose this one for a few reasons. First, it's free, which probably had a bigger effect on my decision than I like to admit. Second, I wanted to read the translation without being influenced by the notes. Third, if I got the one with the notes it would take about 14 years to read.

The translation is fine, though it hasn't become my favorite or anything, and I found it easy to read and understand. I don't read Greek or Hebrew, but people much smarter than I have said that it is roughly equivalent to the NIV as a thought-for-thought translation.

I still prefer the ESV, but this is a solid English Bible at an unbeatable price. I recommend it.

Psalm 58

Human judges may be wicked and corrupt, but God can never be.

Judges may wield godlike power over their fellow men, but that's no guarantee they'll be just or fair. But God is always just and fair. Justice and fairness are part of his nature.

Give us each day our daily bread

God doesn't need to be reminded that that we need provision. We need to be reminded, though, that everything is ultimately comes from God. The present is where we all live and all that really exists for us. That's why we don't have a month's worth of food in our houses; we have a month of chances to ask God to provide for us.

Psalm 57

Even though we like to think it is it's not really about us. In this psalm David asks for God's help not only for his own sake but for God's as well. When God saves him, he promises, he'll give thanks and praise for it.

God doesn't need the praises of his people, but he sure does like them.

Review: A DREAMER'S TALES by Lord Dunsany

These are more weird and beautiful stories by Lord Dunsany. If you've read The Gods of Pegana, Time and the Gods, or Fifty-One Tales, you know what to expect, though they tend to be longer and more complex.

It's important to remember that fantasy as a genre didn't exist at the turn of the 20th century, when these stories were being written. Today, he would be pigeonholed as a fantasy writer, but back then he was just an author who started his career with some odd stories. I like them, so I recommend this 

Psalm 56

"If God is for us, then who can be against us?"

Paul said that in his letter to the Romans, but it's the message of this psalm as well. David didn't like being taken by his enemies, but he expected God to give him the victory, like he always had.

Eternal insecurity?

I spent years -- most of my Christian life -- as a Baptist, though I was never entirely comfortable as one, even when I was ordained as a Southern Baptist pastor. For one thing, Calvinism was resurgent in those years, so I constantly felt like I was defending myself from that. For another, I've always struggled with the doctrine of eternal security.

Also (and unfortunately) called "once saved always saved", it basically says that once you make a profession of faith, you'll go to Heaven no matter what. The trouble was that I couldn't find anyone in the New Testament who talked that way. If you can't apostasize, or leave the faith, then you have to wonder why there are so many warnings against it.

Not believing in eternal security doesn't mean I'm always insecure about the state of my soul. Why would I be? That would be like an obedient son being afraid of being disowned for no reason.

An announcement

I have a new post up at The Bible Exchange, "The difference between nihil obstat and imprimatur". www.bibleexchange.com

Psalm 55

The psalmist asks for God's help because every other hand is against him and God has never let him down.

When there is no one else, there is God. When there is nothing but hate around you, there is the love of God. When everyone is against you, God will be for you.

Review: HOLY BIBLE, KING JAMES VERSION read by Max McLean

I wouldn't dare review the content, so I'll just stick to the translation and the performance.

I firmly believe that reading the KJV -- and learning to understand the KJV -- makes you smarter. Unfortunately, that's because it's almost in a foreign language. It was old-fashioned (by design) when it first appeared in 1611, and it's nearly incomprehensible now.

There aren't a lot of Bible versions Max McLean hasn't recorded.  As always, he gives a confident, professional performance, made even more commanding by the translation.

Despite the claims made by its most ardent supporters and its historical importance, the KJV is no longer the best translation available. Despite the great performance, I don't recommend this.

Psalm 54

David could trust God to protect him because God had always done so in the past. David trusted God, because he had never been given a reason not to. And he never would be.

God never breaks his word, and never lets his people down.

Review: A TALE OF TWO CITIES by Charles Dickens

Dickens is another of those Great Authors I've never enjoyed, a fact which I blame entirely on our public education system. Being made to read Great Expectations when I was 13 only taught me to hate Dickens. I still haven't finished that book.

In fact, this is only the second Dickens book I've finished, and it was ... okay. The device of using one family to explore and compare London and Paris during the French Revolution is a good one, and both it and the rest of the book are done well. As with Shakespeare, though, I can't see why he's so highly thought of. I don't recommend it, but that's probably my fault.

Psalm 53

What do you call someone who denies the existence of God. A fool.

The Bible says no one does good, but we meet people all the time who claim to do good. The way to reconcile this is to realize that there are two different definitions at work. Our definition is relative; it means we're better than other people. God's definition is absolute. It means perfect.

Your kingdom come

By saying this, we're saying that we want God's will to be done. A kingdom is a king's domain, a place where his laws are followed. This clause just means that we want everyone to acknowledge and obey God.

Psalm 52

If doesn't do any good to claim to do anything on your own. None of us have ever taken a single breath under his own power, and God doesn't like blowhards any more than any of us do. According to this psalm we should just do what the song says.

Tell 'em God Almighty's gonna cut 'em down.

Review: MR MIDSHIPMAN HORNBLOWER by CS Forster

This is the first of the Hornblower novels, a series set in the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. For decades I liked stories of the sea, from long before my Navy days. When my lovely wife got a subscription to Audible, they were some of the books I wanted to listen to. 

Unfortunately, I started the series around the time I was really working through what I believed, and I found I couldn't enjoy it. Though it's very well-researched, -written, and -performed, it's still about one group of people for whom Christ died killing another, and I can't recommend it.

Psalm 51

God wants repentance, not sacrifice.

The sacrifices of the Old Testament were meant to be an outward display of an inward contrition, not a replacement for it. That's why David knew that God wanted not more sacrifices, but a broken heart.

Ten comics that should be available on the Kindle

I love comics, and these days I can read only on a Kindle (actually a donated iPad with a Kindle app). Here are ten comics  that I've tried to find on the Kindle but can't, in no particular order.

Asterix-- Except this one. I don't know of anything I'd rather read but can't.

Scurvy Dogs-- This is one of the funniest things I've ever read, especially in its collected form.

The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck -- Along with its Companion, both by Don Rosa.

Cromartie High School-- I'm not a fan of most manga, or Japanese comics, but this one's hilarious.

The Reign of the Supermen -- The story where Superman died and came back with a mullet.

Pogo -- I haven't read a lot of Pogo, but what I've read I've really liked.

Marvel/DC phonebooks -- Marvel and DC have put out huge books of old comics in b&w. 

Van Von Hunter-- Another manga, but by Americans this time, and about an inept monster hunter.

Prince Valiant-- I didn't like this much as a kid, but I've really come to appreciate it.

Spider-Man/Human Torch: I'm With Stupid -- A look at two characters and their weird friendship.

An announcement

I have a new essay, "This is what trusting God looks like", at The Bible Exchange. You've been warned. You can't unsee it.

Psalm 50

God is the judge, and he won't hide his glory. He won't even try.

I have a minor in Christian counseling, which may be the most useless thing I've ever pursued. In one lecture, part of this psalm was quoted (out of context) to show that God isn't like us and therefore would never judge us. That's the exact opposite of what this psalm says.

Review: THE CHILDREN OF HURIN by JRR Tolkein

This is one of the "lost works" that has been painstakingly recreated from Tolkein's notes by his son Christopher. It's also very formal and full of elvish names; this is hardcore Tolkein, and not the place a beginner should start.

I heard the audiobook, and the absolute best thing about it was Christopher Lee's reading. He's been both an actor and a major fan of Tolkein's since long before I was born, and his deep British voice is perfectly suited to this.

There isn't much better than Christopher Lee reading JRR Tolkein. As an audiobook at least, I recommend it. 

Psalm 49

Even with all the wealth and greatness in the world, man without God is no more than a beast. Everyone is going to die, and this psalm describes the state of a soul whose body has been destroyed but which is still stuck in Sheol.

Hope can only be found in God.

Review: A CONTEMPORARY ANABAPTIST THEOLOGY by Thomas N Finger

The first half of this book consists of a retelling of the the histories of the three major strands of Anabaptism: Swiss, South German-Austrian, and Dutch. It's also very boring.

The second half might be better, but I never made it that far. This is an extremely dull book, and I don't recommend it.

Psalm 48

Jerusalem shouldn't rejoice because of its fortifications. It should rejoice because God is there.

The last time I preached was about this same topic. Nothing else matters except knowing God and being known by him. Jerusalem wasn't protected by towers and fortresses. It was protected by God.

Father, hallowed be your name

The first thing I notice is that the KJV has a much longer Lord's Prayer than the ESV does. There seems to be a lot missing. We have to remember, though, that the King James Version isn't the standard all Bibles have to meet. The fact that we might be used to it doesn't make it right, and it's just as sinful to add to Scripture as it is to subtract from it.

The important thing to notice here is that this model prayer begins with an acknowledgment of God as father and a recognition of his holiness. God is not referred to as a slavedriver or taskmaster; he's a loving father, not a whip-cracking overseer. Now, I know some people had very bad fathers, or no fathers at all in their lives, and they don't particularly want one now. I understand that, but it overlooks the fact that God is a perfect father. He is never absent or abusive. He sets rules, but he loves unconditionally,

The Lord's Prayer also recognizes that God is holy. That's all "hallowed be your name" means. To hallow something means to hold it sacred, to treat it as more important than yourself. To say something like that is to say that God is so great that even his name is too important to misuse. It's an acknowledgment that God is big and we're small.

Psalm 47

Be happy, because God is God. We don't need another reason. The one who loves us and wants to spend eternity with us is the same one who sits on the throne of the universe.

Praise God!

Review: JONATHAN STRANGE AND MR NORRELL by Susanah Clarke

This book is set in the early 1800s, which offers Clarke two advantages, which she uses to great effect. First, it allows her to mimic the style of the time. That partly explains the book's length, and why parts of it read like Jane Austen.

The other is that it lets Clarke use the Napoleonic Wars as a background. They come to the foreground as a result of Strange's involvement in the Peninsular War, and both there and as a backdrop it works well.

The book is basically about the conflict between the careful, systematic, "scientific" Norrell, who wants to isolate and control magic, and the wilder, more traditional Strange. Around this antagonism is built a fascinating alternate history of England, and Clarke leaves a good bit untold.

This is a very well-written book, with enough action, character moments, and mystery to fill its prodigious page count. I recommend it.

Psalm 46

You don't have to worry when God's in charge.

He won't give you everything you want. He never said he would. But he did say he would give you everything you need. That includes protection. God's people never have to be afraid, because he will stand up for his people, and nothing gets past God.

A philosophy of work

No one in the Bible retired. Moses was 120 when he died, and worked up to that day. Joshua led the army of Israel when he was 80. The Apostle John was around 100 when he got his great Revelation. If those men never stopped working for God, who am I to quit?

No, I'm not equating myself to those men. I think they were much greater than I am. I also know, though, that the same God who empowered them empowers me, and I'm capable of much more than I've done.

Psalm 45

People notice when you obey God.

Unlike most psalms, this one focuses on a man rather than on God. After extolling a warrior's prowess and wisdom, the psalmist reveals the source of that prowess and wisdom: the warrior's devotion to God.

Review: THE WORD OF PROMISE AUDIO BIBLE (NKJV) by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

This is a dramatized recording of the whole Bible, with music, sound effects and a large cast of well-known actors. I shudder to think what it cost to produce.

It came out in the wake of The Passion of the Christ, and this is reflected primarily in two ways. The packaging looks a lot like the movie's, and Jim Caviezel is cast as Jesus. I don't want to seem like I'm attacking Caviezel, but he's not a good enough voice actor to have such an important role. He seems to have been cast mostly because he played that role in the movie.

In fact, the casting is the biggest problem here. In fact, many people seem to have been cast for name value alone. I'm not saying that anyone does a poor job; this is fantastically done. I am saying that a recording of the Bible shouldn't depend upon unconverted people. For that reason I don't recommend it.

Psalm 44

The psalmist wonders why God has forsaken him when he's done nothing wrong. Sometimes you just have to keep going and trust that God is there, he knows what's going on, and he's in control.

I know that from personal experience.

Review: THE INDIVIDUAL AND WORLD NEED by Eberhard Arnold

This isn't about the world's economic needs, like I would have guessed. Instead, it's about the world's need for Christ.

This is a very short book but it's all about missions, and more importantly how individual Christians can be involved in the mission of the church as something other than moneybags. We in the West should give, but that shouldn't be all we do.

In the end, Arnold's little book is both inspirational and practical. I recommend it.

Psalm 43

Why do we worry, if God has promised to be with us?

It's hard to trust something you can't see; sometimes it's hard to even believe it exists. But it does. God does, and he's promised to be a defense and a refuge for those who trust him. 

The Lord's Prayer

Next week I'll start breaking it down and looking at each phrase. First, though, here's the whole thing, from Luke 11.2-4:

Father, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread,

and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And lead us not into temptation.

Psalm 42

Just like yesterday's psalm, this one is praising God's constancy. Where the other one looked at the fickleness of human beings and the steadfastness of God, this one focuses on the fact that he always defends his people.

So why should our souls be troubled?

Review: CITY OF MAN by Michael Gersnor and Peter Wehner

This is a guide for how Christians should engage with secular government. Unfortunately, the authors' solution seems to be "more of the same". 

I was going to give a very long and detailed refutation of this argument but I'll keep it short and simple by just giving two reasons against it that should be sufficient:

1. The New Testament never tells us to take over a government, and never gives us an example of it to follow..

2. It never works anyway.

This is a more scholarly book than most I've seen on the subject, but ultimately it's no different. I don't recommend it.

Psalm 41

Everyone will fail you. But God never will.

Every person around you, even your best friend, is only one decision away from turning his back on you. But God has promised never to turn his back on the one who obeys him.

Welcome, and a little about me and the blog

If you're new here, I want to welcome you. If you're not, I want to welcome you back. I took about a month and a half off from this blog, but I'm back, which is better than the movie We're Back!, if only because it's shorter.

I'm 41 and I from Birmingham, Alabama. I have a beautiful wife and two gorgeous daughters and I'm so crazy in love with all of them it's not even funny. I also have both of my parents, two brothers and a sister, and about a thousand nieces, nephews, in-laws, and cousins. Foremost, though, I'm a Christian who tries to obey the New Testament explicitly. That means I'll offend you at some point, but it's never because I want to, or out of hatred.

The blog has settled into a schedule I try to keep. Mondays I write whatever I want. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays I post book reviews, though if I ever catch up that'll go back to just Fridays . Wednesdays are what I call New Believers' Days. I try to give a little bit of basic teaching on something I think Christians should know about. Saturdays are for catching up and working on other things, and Sundays I rest and don't try to do anything productive. And every weekday I read a chapter of the Bible and write about it. It's not a commentary, devotional, or summary; it's just what goes through my mind as I read.

If for some reason you want more, I also post something every Saturday morning on The Bible Exchange (www.bibleexchange.com) and I write humor at COBRASAURUS!!!!! (www.cobrasaurus.blogspot.com).

Oh, and in early 2013 I had a stroke and have been paralyzed from the eyeballs down since. I forgot to say something about that.

1000

This is my 1000th post on this blog. That's a milestone, no matter who you are.

God has been extremely gracious in allowing me to do this. I've tried to honor him and build up his kingdom with this blog, and hopefully I've done it. In the meantime, though, I'm tired.

I decided a while back to take a break when I reached a kilopost. So that's what I'm going to do. I'll continue to put something new up at The Bible Exchange every Saturday, and there are a few things I've been putting off that need attention, but I don't plan on updating this blog until May 2016.

Psalm 40

This is both a psalm of praise for what God's already done and a prayer that he'll keep doing it.

The first part of the psalm just tells about all the good that God has done. If he had been that good to David in the past, why wouldn't he trust him in the future?

Psalm 39

No book review today. You'll find out why tomorrow.

This is another imprecatory psalm, in which David asks God to help him while att the same time bringing down his enemies. David had done everything he could, but it wasn't enough.

Swords are useful, but only God can guarantee victory.

Psalm 38

Cry out to God, even when your enemies.

Who was David talking about in this psalm? We really don't know. But we do know this: if God is on your side nothing else matters. And if God is against you,then nothing else matters.

I was going to start the Lord's Prayer today, but never mind now

I'll explain why Friday.

Psalm 37

Unfortunately, many name it and claim it types have claimed the psalm, or part of it, as justification for their beliefs. "Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart" is not a license for greed.

If you delight in the Lord, then he will be the desire of your heart.

Review: THE HISTORY OF TOM JONES, A FOUNDLING by Henry Fieding

This was one of the first modern novels, I'm told. Unfortunately, this means it was written several hundred years ago, so it's both hard to read and dull.

The life of Tom Jones has many twists and turns, but it wasn't interesting. (Not the singer Tom Jones, although it's not unusual to confuse them.) I don't recommend this book.

Psalm 36

In this psalm we read "man and beast do you save". Does this mean that animals go to Heaven?

We have to be careful not to read the Old Testament through the understanding of the New. As far as we know, David just expected to go to Sheol like everyone else, and God's salvation was just physical.

Christ is a job description, not a name

Ever heard of Jesus H. Christ? I've heard it plenty of times, though no one has ever told me what the "H."stands for. The only thing they've all been sure of was that his last name was Christ. It wasn't.

If you want to be technical, in his earthly life he was probably known as Yeshua bar-Youssef: Jesus son of Joseph. There were no last names as such among the Jews of first-century Judea. So where did "Christ" come from? It comes from the Greek word christos, which is just a translation of the Hebrew word messiah, or "Anointed One". A Christ was a person anointed by God to save his people.

Jesus was not the son of Mr. and Mrs. Christ. He was the Saviior chosen by God.

An announcement

I have a new essay up at The Bible Exchange, "Belief has made me a skeptic".

Psalm 35

David asks God to defeat his enemies for him. A lot of people have a problem with this sort of imprecation, but it just shows that David brought everything to God.

Even the parts we don't like. 

Review: COMPLETE WORKS by Lewis Carroll

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and "The Hunting of the Snark" are ridiculously silly and have long been among my favorites. After finding a lot of Complete Works collections for very reasonable prices -- public domain books are free or nearly so on the Kindle -- the first one I read was by Lewis Carroll. I was eager to see what else he had written.

I shouldn't have bothered.

The late 1800s were a very sentimental time in England, and Carroll was more sentimental than most. He seems to have seen things, especially nature and children, as idealized. A lot of what he wrote was just glurge, a mixture of chicken noodle soup and sugar. The former is supposed to be good for you and the latter is supposed to taste good, but together they just sound disgusting. It's because of all the glurge that I don't recommend this.

Psalm 34

The most famous line from this psalm is, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." I've seen it on aprons, cookbooks, dishes, and anything else that could possibly be connected with food.

The only problem is that this psalm has nothing to do with food.

Review: GOD'S REVOLUTION by Eberhard Arnold

Arnold dressed, acted, and thought differently from other people, and his ideas on revolution were different as well. He cared nothing for political revolutions, but wanted people to revolt against the system of this world in favor of the Kingdom of God.

By beginning with what God wants to accomplish through the Church, Arnold is able to show what a truly godly revolution would look like. I recommend this book.

Psalm 33

Have you ever stopped to think that the God who pursues you is the same one who created the universe?

This psalm is a single paean to God's greatness. It is a litany of reasons for being in awe of him. It's a song of praise to a being who created galaxies with a word but troubles with the least concerns of his creatures.

The Ten Commandments redux and what comes next

Last week we finished going through the Ten Commandments. Here they are again,in a greatly simplified form.

No other gods.

No idols.

No blasphemy.

Keep the Sabbath holy.

Honor your parents.

No murder.

No sex with someone you're not married to.

No stealing.

No lying.

No coveting.

Next week I hope to start the Lord's Prayer.

Psalm 32

Have you ever had something unpleasant to do that you just kept putting off? The longer you went without doing it, the more it weighed on you. Sin is a lot like that. Confessing it and having it forgiven is like having a load taken off of your shoulders.

The next time it comes to mind you can just remember that you've already done that.

Review: ESV GLOBAL STUDY BIBLE by Crossway Books

The Bible sacred to me, and the English Standard Version is my favorite translation of it. I'm not reviewing the Bible itself, but rather the articles unique to this edition.

Many of these articles are general introductions to the different parts of Scripture, but some are more theological, and obviously written from a Refomed or Calvinist perspective. This isn't surprising, given Crossway's known institutional bias, but it is unfortunate. 

Crossway should be commended for publishing an outstanding Bible translation in specialty editions like this, but there are places to get the background information without the theological bias. As much as I want to, I can't recommend this book.

Psalm 31

You're never alone.

Even in the depths, David knew that God heard his prayers. It's no different now. No matter who you are, no matter where you are, God will be there when you turn to him.

A little about Locked-In Syndrome and the schedule

In January 2013 I suffered a very rare kind of stroke. This left me with the condition known as Locked-In Syndrome, which basically means that my mind and body are fine, but there's little to no connection between the two. Autonomic functions like breathing, circulation, and digestion are controlled by the brain stem, so they still work, I have almost no voluntary movement other than my eyes.

As for the schedule for this blog, it's settled down to this. Mondays I write about whatever I want. Right now I do book reviews on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. On Wednesdays I try to teach about the basics of the Christian faith, and I try to put an announcement here when I upload something to The Bible Exchange on Saturday mornings. And each weekday I comment on a chapter of the Bible.

An announcement

I have a new post, "100%", at The Bible Exchange (www.bibleexchange.com).

Psalm 30

You might be under the wrath of God now , but his wrath is momentary. His love lasts forever.

God may chasten you for a while, and that's fine. If we weren't his children, he wouldn't bother correcting us. But after the correction comes the love, and God's love is neverending.

Review: THE WOOD BEYOND THE WORLD by William Morris

This is one of those books that seems to have been foundational for an entire genre, but which is hardly ever read anymore. It was one of the first modern fantasy novels, predating the works of both Lord Dunsany and Arthur Machen.

At first it also seems to be unnecessarily archaic,which I just assumed was an affliction shared by Victorian writers, until I learned that he meant to write like that. The entire book was written in conscious imitation of an author from centuries before.

Whatever the reason for the style, there's no doubt that it makes things more difficult for the reader now. It takes some work, but it's worth it, and I recommend this book.

Psalm 29

How great is God? Even his voice can change the world.

This isn't a long psalm, but it's all about God's majesty and power, and David praises that majesty and power by praising one aspect of it, his voice. The voice of a king may change the course of a nation, but the voice of God brought the universe into being.

Review: THE BABY ECHOLALIA OF CHRISTENDOM

I know nothing of Wayne O'Connor except that he wrote a book that looked fairly interesting. And even that turned out to be wrong. 

The first problem is that O'Connor has misunderstood Christendom to be a synonym for Christianity. It's actually an old name for Europe, the "domain of Christ". Secondly, this book is in serious need of an editor. The fact that something is self-published doesn't mean it has to look or read like it.

There's nothing inherently wrong with the message of the book, but that message is unnecessarily hard to get to. I didn't even finish this book, and I don't recommend it.

Psalm 28

People reap what they sow.

That's very good for those who trust God, because they will never be left alone. It's very bad for those who trust in themselves, for exactly the same reason,

The tenth commandment

17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's."

-- Exodus 20.17, ESV

Again, it all comes back to trusting God. He's promised to give us what we need, but by wanting what someone else has, we're saying he won't.

Psalm 27

This is nothing but praise to God. While many psalms blend supplication and praise, this one is pure and unmixed, simple song of worship.

Sometimes you just have to be glad that God is God.