Saturday, January 13, 2024

Rightly Treasuring the Right Treasures

My word for the year 2024 requires a little explanation. Treasure; first the verb, then the noun, and so on.

Jesus tells us to “lay up treasures in heaven, not on earth.” A perplexing command. Is he talking about a different kind of thing that is a treasure in heaven vs. a treasure on earth? Or is he talking about a different way of laying or storing up these treasures?

I sense that the command is first about rightly treasuring things before it is about the kind of things. Paul says to Timothy:

“As for the rich in this present age…they are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

They are to do good. To be generous. Thus! Storing up treasure. So that! They may take hold of life. Four verbs – doing, being, storing, taking hold – ultimately leading to two nouns – treasure and life. These verbs, or imperatives in Scripture, and others, are what it means to rightly treasure, I think.

In this life, the doing is what leads to the having, making the way of treasuring the emphasis over the kind of treasures, it seems. Perhaps even the right way of treasuring brings continuity between the things or treasures of earth and the things that will also be in heaven (i.e. “the glory and honor of the nations” – Revelation 21:26), but the wrong kind of treasuring creates discontinuity and brings wrath and fury (Romans 2:6-8). So, the right kind of doing leads to the right kind of having and to the right things to have.

The goodness of God, in whom we were created for good works (Ephesians 2), blesses us with good things (James 1:17), which we are to rightly treasure and not take for granted or squander (Matthew 25 and the parable of the talents). The kingdom of heaven is said to be like a treasure hidden in a field, which we are to cover up, and then we are to sell everything we own and buy the field, presumably so that we will “have” the treasure. We are called to do so that we can have.

Ultimately, God blesses us with Himself, in Jesus, our greatest possible treasure (Philippians 3), who created us to rightly treasure the right treasures (starting with Himself, but through Him “all things” - 1 Corinthians 3:22). The preexistent and incarnate noun created us for a verb, which leads us to the noun, and so on, through this life and all eternity.

Monday, May 2, 2022

Thinking About Your Reading

Reading books is one of my favorite things to do. After reading hundreds of books in my lifetime, I have realized it is possible and good to read for the sake of others. By sharing about our reading, we can tangibly love our neighbor. To this end, wisdom and discernment in reading is very important. What should you read? How should you read?

Charles Spurgeon once said, “Visit many good books, but live in the Bible.” That is my philosophy as well. Reading outside the Bible is pointless and harmful if you are not first savoring Holy Scripture. With this assumption in mind, my focus here will be to help cultivate discernment reading outside the Bible, which I think is often neglected.

The best biblical foundation I know of for this cultivation comes from Paul in Philippians: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

What should you read? In short, books. Yes, feel free to read articles and other things, but if you must choose, for the sake of your mind and soul, choose books. The importance of reading books can be argued from a contemporary and an ancient perspective. Allen Mendenhall, in an article in The Public Discourse, makes the contemporary argument when he says, “We should stay away from the news lest we fall prey to its mania, foolishness, and stupidity. We should read books – difficult books – and be challenged to improve ourselves rather than settle for easy answers.” I can say from personal experience that it is worth the effort to follow this advice. Charles Spurgeon most effectively makes the ancient argument, looking to Paul in 2 Timothy 4 and his plea to “Bring the books!”. Spurgeon says, “He is inspired, yet he wants books! He has been preaching at least for thirty years, and yet he wants books! He had seen the Lord, and yet he wants books!”

Tony Reinke makes the claim that because we are illuminated by the Holy Spirit in the gospel, and because Scripture is now illuminated to us, “we now perceive all of God’s truth, goodness, and beauty – whether in the blazing sun of inspired Word of God, the moonlight of creation, or the starlight of great books. Our entire reading experience is ‘lit’ by God’s illuminating presence.” How cool is that?!

What kind of books should you read? First, old ones. C.S. Lewis said, “We all need the book that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our period.” We need most the voices that have endured cultural shifts, politically or philosophically. Second, I think we should read non-Christian books, specifically history and literature. This is not to say that books from a non-Christian perspective should come before or replace those from a Christian perspective. By no means! But, once the Bible is the central source of truth in our lives, we can benefit from multiple sources of goodness and beauty outside the Bible. And we should! God has granted common grace to others so that we can. To defend this practically, we can say that to treat a disease you need a doctor, not a Bible teacher. To build a bridge, you need an engineer, not a Bible teacher.

In many controversial topics of our day, it is hard to know what perspective is the most helpful. We cannot read everything. On the road of the Christian life, there are different lanes of thought on various topics, and there are ditches, and the most important thing is to continue on the road. I have found it helpful to not only avoid ditches of extreme thought, but also avoid the “middle” if that leads to inaction. I try to not judge who I think may be in a ditch, but instead address the log in my eye first, and in the end seek the lane of stability (Proverb 4:25-27). This has helped me build common ground with others while proceeding forward.

A helpful example of this is the topic of biblical racial justice. One ditch would be to say that racial injustice is the only problem. The other ditch would be to say that racial injustice is not a problem. The lane of stability would be to say that racial injustice is a problem but not the only problem. The best books to read then are those that seek this lane. Allow me to give one example. Dr. Carl Ellis in 1983 wrote a book called Free at Last? The Gospel in African American Experience. In it, he explains the biblical, historical, theological, and philosophical dynamics of the quest for freedom and dignity of African-American people, and argues that the path to restore freedom and dignity is not through revolution or redistribution, but through a commitment to what he calls a “transcendent reference point” - the God of the Bible and the story of redemption - which has been embodied in the historic Black church. I highly recommend this book!

How do you read? Allow me to offer a few tips. First, read completely. It is better for your mental digestion to read a full meal, or in healthy sized chunks (article, chapter, etc.), rather than bits and pieces. Second, read virtuously. Karen Swallow Prior says, “There is something in the very form of reading that tends towards virtue.” For example, reading requires patience. Third, read conversationally. Interact with the ideas presented critically as part of the “great conversation” that has taken place among poets, historians, and philosophers for centuries. Join a book club! Finally, read constantly. Instead of filling unexpected downtime scrolling your phone, use it to read an entire article, or even a chapter of a pocket-sized book. This kind of reading will cultivate discernment that will prepare you to love others in unique and lasting ways. 

Sunday, March 21, 2021

Most Personally Influential Books Read in 40 Years


For my 40th birthday, among other things, my wonderful and thoughtful wife had me choose the 15 books (I love books) that I would most readily recommend and that were the most personally influential to me. Then she had me describe them in brief, cryptic, intriguing ways, and we gave friends and family who we celebrated my birthday with the opportunity to take home the book of their choice among these 15. They were to choose based on the descriptions alone (and guess if they so desired). I thought my blog would be a good place to include all the descriptions of these books, because they were and are more influential and forming to my life than I probably even realize. In order as pictured above from left to right:


The link from this life to the life to come!



An enduring exhortation to remember true north in the context of the most controversial issue of our time.



An apologetic of the Christian faith that you can't refuse, and it talks about sex.



A transforming and supernatural story that starts with brutal death.



Honest and humorous reflections in light of each of our impending demise.



An answer to one of the most perplexing and seemingly hopeless questions to ever be posed, related to our earthly efforts and our every waking moment.



A compelling account of the priority and possibilities of uncommon and authentic friendship through the joyful hardships of life.



One fantasy story to rule them all!



A theological masterpiece likening true spirituality to the most pleasurable experience imaginable.



A story of espionage, shifting alliances, and brinkmanship that is so cool it can spark a lifetime desire for reading.



A guide to how to follow the most important command from the most important book about the most important person.



A demonstration of wit sure to woo you towards the only logical explanation for the meaning of the universe.



A triumphant celebration of the implications of the pivotal event of human history.



A survey of the reality of things in a broken world so devastating you can't look away.



An historical fictional narrative tracing the journeys and sufferings of a murderer turned influencer who set the foundation for a message of hope to reach the ends of the earth.

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

Kobe, Race, Work, Eternity



I felt weird on Monday morning. The kind of weird when you go to the dentist, and as they hook you up on laughing gas (that’s another story), they ask you if you’d like the channel on the TV changed away from The Today Show (my dentist is actually pretty cool), and you say yes, to ESPN. “It’s a somber day in the sports world,” I lament, referencing the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and 7 others, who if I have time I will mention again before this is over. As the appointment goes on, the hygienist references the TV memorial I am watching on Kobe, as well as the conditions of my teeth and gums (which is another story), almost interchangeably, to the point I am not sure if she is referencing the accident with Kobe or the condition of my teeth. “That’s so eerie,” she says. That kind of weird.

Well anyway, I had some things to say. Four things in fact. Whether they are naturally connected is not guaranteed. As my mind cleared from the gas (I am partly being facetious, as it doesn’t disorient you like that), I felt like they were. Ultimately, I am going to put that burden on you, the reader. Either they are connected, or they aren’t. If they are, I hope that is inspiring and helpful on some level. If they aren’t, I don’t think that makes each irrelevant on its own.

KOBE

First, Kobe. It is no exaggeration to say that his passing is one of the most, if not the most, wide-reaching losses of a pop culture figure of my lifetime. That is to say, the grieving process for those of us who never met him, is complicated. I can only imagine the complexity, depth, and pain of the grieving process for family and friends who knew him well. Similarly, I can only imagine the complexity, depth, and pain of the grieving process for anyone who loses someone “too soon”. Death is horrible. The deepest parts of our being rage against it, because it is unnatural. It is the “human portion”, as theologians would say, but that does not mean it is a portion we chose or that we like or, and thankfully, it is not our ultimate portion. But I am getting ahead of myself.

The death of Kobe Bryant makes me want to follow sports more closely. As a Christian, whose identity is in Christ, and whose priority is first and foremost about glorifying God and serving others, I know that sports can be an idol and an unhelpful distraction to a godly, or virtuous life. However, sports are also a blessing from God and a lot of fun. I am more of a college basketball fan than an NBA fan, but all of this makes me want to know Kobe better, as a basketball player, and a person (even at risk of discovering the blemishes), and the game he loved. That might mean watching and following more sports than I have in the last few years. I think that is ok. I think there are layers in athletics, and athletes especially, that are unexplored from a Christian worldview perspective. I think there are observations to be made and rejoicing to be had in the nature of the games we watch and the players we love, that could yet glorify God more and love and serve others better. His sudden passing has left that legacy for me.

Basketball, specifically, and Kobe Bryant’s career as one of the best players in history, has a lot to ponder within it. Here we have issues of God’s design and creativity and emotion and work ethic and joy and disappointment and stewardship and courage and endurance and much much more. Basketball is the context for real Christian life application. That is awesome! Whether or not Kobe saw it that way (I hope he did!), is not really my point. I can watch memorials on Kobe and weep with those who weep and celebrate that his impact and legacy, even if not “Christian”, was very meaningful and will endure for the common good.

RACE

Second, race. Bear with me. I will be brief and leave a can of worms open on the table for maybe another time. People of color, specifically African-Americans, experience emotion differently than me, a white man, so I have been told and now consider truth. That is, when a person of color is, say, killed in a violent police shooting (commence opening of the can), whereas my instinct might be to ask about the facts of the case, to know what “actually happened”, a person of color might immediately experience emotion and loss, even if they didn’t know personally the individual killed, and even if the “facts of the case” end up contradicting what was originally reported. This makes total sense when you think about it. A person who has been stopped by police for no reason and felt unsafe as a result, will experience emotion differently than me - who has never even been looked at suspiciously - at the news of a black kid who was wrongly shot and killed in an altercation. I would not feel a communal connection to someone who has had this experience and it ended up very badly, but someone else who has will feel a connection, more so if their overall cultural experience is the same. This does not mean I am heartless, just different. And differences are important.

Similarly, when a black man who also happened to be one of the greatest basketball players in history and who was a role model for millions, maybe especially for young black boys who dream of playing basketball professionally despite their humble circumstances, tragically dies in a helicopter accident, it hurts for those young black boys uniquely. Or, even more tragically (and hitting close to home as the father of a brown-skinned girl), when a teenage black girl, who by all accounts was on her way to her own stardom and who I’m sure was already an example of the potential and possibilities for young girls across the country, even more so young girls of color, is also killed on the way to a Sunday game, there is a hurt for people who saw in her something I did not. Namely, shared culture and experience. This is of course true no matter the ethnicity and culture. The point here is that the “African-American” community has a unique way of grieving in these circumstances, in large part because of an unjust history, and even though I may not share it, I want to try to understand. At the very least I want to acknowledge that there is a difference and the different experience and grieving process is important. I think Kobe’s death has further reinforced this desire for empathy and commitment to lament well in my life. I hope that makes sense and gives you something to think about.

WORK

Third, work. My favorite topic! When I say “work”, I mean biblical labor, or toil, and what I mean by that is: God-driven effort for the lasting good of others. That is my own definition, and it has taken me more than a decade to condense it to that, so every word has purpose and meaning. This is kind of my heartbeat, so I have a lot I could say, but for the purpose of this post I had said I have only four things to say, and this is only of them, so I will try to say only one thing about it. I have been intrigued hearing about Kobe’s work ethic as people remember him; the “Mamba Mentality”, which if I understand it correctly, means a determination to precision, discipline, and endurance that was a formula to lasting success, on the court and off. I have heard many say he was tirelessly dedicated to “perfecting his craft”, and that he did. Craft is one of my favorite words. I think it can be rightly used to describe the kind of work or labor I am talking about, and the kind the Bible talks about. What I want to say about it here is that if Kobe’s legacy, at least in part, is to work tirelessly to perfect your craft, whatever that is for us, and to do so with endurance, skill, and precision, I think that is an enormous legacy. For basketball players or factory workers or homemakers or moms or dads or friends. I don’t have time here to combat the criticisms that such a legacy for the Christian is insufficient and secular at best, or idolatry at worst. Or that basketball doesn’t have the same significance as other professions or service to others. Or that Kobe had other issues so his legacy, even in wholesome areas, is tainted.

More and more I’ve felt that conservative Christians, like me, can become too worried about progressive or secular or imperfect thinking and examples that we miss the forest for the trees. In the case of Kobe, excellence in his work is a beautiful example for us as we work in our own callings, no matter the source of his desire for excellence (whether self-driven, or God-driven, back to my original definition of work). I know, and I sincerely hope Kobe knew before the end, that the source is God, whether we believe it or not. All our effort is God-driven, whether it is raw talent or physical discipline or mental stamina, God is the source because he is the creator. Don’t you see? Kobe demonstrated what we should as well. There is a Christian version of the mamba mentality and it is the meaning of our life: “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (the Apostle Paul in the First Epistle to the Corinthians). God, through common grace at the very least, has used and I think will continue to use the legacy of Kobe Bryant to help me (and you!) work heartily onto the Lord, for the lasting good of others. The fact that I will apply additional biblical truth to that to be faithful to Scripture, honoring to my Lord, and loving to others, takes nothing away from Kobe’s legacy for me.

ETERNITY

Finally, eternity. In light of such a seemingly random and sudden tragedy, there have rightly been many reminders and exhortations to “measure our days”, “hug someone you love”, or “don’t take for granted the fragility of life”. Allow me to add a few:

“For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.” – Ecclesiastes 9:12

What is one reason evil exists? Because we don’t have a biblical understanding of time, that is, of eternity. The evil time is because us sinful people live this life as if it is all there is, which is bound to lead to selfishness and likewise disaster. I don’t mean to apply this directly to the helicopter crash. I mean to point out the obvious truth of history that we are sinners and sin leads to disaster.

“For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.” – Psalm 90:5-6

In eternity, this tragedy, and hundreds of others we didn’t hear about on the news over the weekend, will be swept away as with a flood. That is not to say they won’t matter and are rendered insignificant; far from it! But they will be gone. That should be immensely encouraging. No more tears in that day.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” – John 14:1-2

I’ll close coming back to the others lost in that helicopter crash. John, Keri, and Alyssa Altobelli. Christian Mauser. Sarah and Payton Chester. Ara Zobayan. My goodness how my heart breaks for those left behind who loved these people so, and my heart longs for them to know the mysterious reality of how to grieve with hope.

The thing about eternity is that the very reality of it, for me at least, takes the burden away from explaining or understand events in this “evil time”. For some, thinking about the lack of time and a state lasting into infinity is terrifying. Not for me. It redeems all that has been lost. In Christ, and with Christ, our best days are always in front of us. 

In the meantime, how long O Lord? How long will shocking loss create unfathomable relational separation from loved ones? How long will a family of 5 experience the crushing loss of father, mother, and daughter/sister in a single moment? How long, will a family of 6 experience the tearing loss father/husband and daughter/sister in the same moment? How long will our culture experience the loss of those who at least tried to represent the best of your creation in their work and skill? Thank you, Lord Jesus, that no matter how long, that you are not slow in fulfilling your promise, as some count slowness, but are patient, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. Even still, come quickly! Bring to fruition the inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, and give us the diligence to be found without spot or blemish, and at peace.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Time to Pay Attention




Time is flying!

Let me back up. I started this post with a cliché, and a nonsensical one at that. I am sorry. I can do better. Time is not an object, and therefore cannot “fly”. It would make more sense if I said, “this computer is flying.” That would make more sense not because this computer is currently capable of levitating, but because in our imaginations we could picture a computer literally fluttering through the air. On its own, you see. Pigs flying makes perfect sense. Not because pigs fly but because pigs most certainly could fly if someone fashioned some fancy technology alongside their pathetic little tails. But time is not an object. To say time is flying would be like saying “physics is flying”. Um, no. Physics is a concept, a way to explain the universe. It and time are certainly doing a lot of things, whether real or imagined (think time travel). But not flying, and such a sentence is not even coherent.  

But my goodness, I digress. What I am trying to get you thinking about is the fascinating concept that we know of as time. It is my word for the year. What time is it? I have been attempting to answer that question for myself this year, not with an arbitrary accounting for where and when we are in the universe, but with a focus, courage, and humility to live in the moment and love, serve, think, and act in such a way that might, God willing, bring more hope and more Jesus to bear in our crazy world. As the “teacher” says in Ecclesiastes, “for everything there is a season, and a time for every manner under heaven.” If time is not an infinite concept – that is to say, if it was “created” by one who is not subject to its limitations – but is still a concept within our reality, than the way we think about it and act according to it is very important. And quite challenging. We say things like “time is flying by” or “where did the time go?”, and the angelic beings of heaven look at us as if we have two heads. As it happens, it is they who may themselves have two(or more) heads, but that is neither here nor there. They are right to think us crazy for such comments. Somewhere amid ignoring time, wasting time, “maximizing” time, and obsessing over time is the godly Christian life.

The Bible says, “make the best use of the time, for the days are evil.” That is true and helpful on one level, yet on its own it is out of context and a bit strange. Time cannot be “used” if it does not ultimately exist. The entire context in this passage in Ephesians 5 says, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” Seems to me that “look carefully how you walk”, and “do not be foolish”, and “understand what the will of the Lord is”, are more practical and actionable imperatives than “make the best use of the time”. I could spend a mortal life trying to figure out what that is supposed to mean and, in the process, forget to watch my step and fall headlong into a puddle like some fool, thinking in God’s sovereignty that is what was meant to happen. Pity that would be.

Rather, so far this year I have discovered two main components of what I think is a start to a biblical understanding and application of time. I learn the most when I read, and in this case, I am partly regurgitating a combination of ideas from multiple books that until now were mashed painfully together within my head. Not literally, you see. I am using reading as a metaphor for eating, and the brain functioning as the stomach wait now that I try to explain it I realize the regurgitating verb ruins the entire metaphor in a somewhat graphic way. Sorry for the run-on sentence.  

This post is about the first of these two components: pay attention.

In the book of Jeremiah chapter 6 and verse 16 it says, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it; and find rest for your souls.’

In his book Recapturing the Wonder, Mike Cosper says about this verse, “It’s a call to stillness – to stand rather than continue our aimless wandering, to resist the momentum of our chaotic world and look, think, consider where we’re going and why. Hannah Arendt once wrote that we need to ‘think what we’re doing,’ saying that the problem of our modern age is thoughtlessness. We live busy lives, and our thoughtlessness allows us to continue to be carried along in the currents of an unreflective culture.”

Stop. Look. Think. This is what it means to pay attention. The result is rest for your soul!

STOP

What I see from this verse in Jeremiah is simply to stop; during a walk, driving a car, typing an email, even having a conversation (though be conscious of social cues). In order to pay attention to something or someone there must be a break for thought and reflection. Sleep is an unconscious break. We need periodic conscious breaks.

Stop scrolling. For just a bloody second. What are some things you have just seen? Does it make you sad, confused, excited, anxious, jealous? Marinate on that a bit. I check my email more times a day than I pray. That is wretched sin and in repentance I resolve to stop and change with the Lord’s help.

Stop working. For just a minute. How is it going? Are you working on the right things? Do you need help? Do you need a drink of water for goodness sake? Often I get frustrated at work when I have to go to the bathroom or when it is lunchtime, because I can’t “afford” to take a break and dread restarting what I was doing. I am hopelessly depraved and need Jesus to help me stop.

Stop multi-tasking. Matt Perman says, “Multi-tasking seems like a way to save time but actually costs more time and is, in fact, impossible. It is inefficient because it makes both tasks take longer.” I find myself creating distractions that aren’t necessary or important, and I can do so at the expense of ignoring quality time with my wife or daughter or co-workers. Do I really have to pick up that toy on the floor that I falsely perceive as a trip hazard on the way to getting the remote to change the channel, and in the process miss an adorable smile and giggle from my daughter? No. Do I really have to fill up my cup at the water cooler at the same time I am loading the Keurig and at the same time I am washing my coffee mug from the day before, and in the process not have the mental capacity to say hi to my co-worker who comes in the breakroom to get an apple from the refrigerator? No. I need to stop and pay attention.

Stop worrying. As Newt Scamander says, all worrying does is make you suffer twice. My wife graciously helped me see this year that I stress out about things that aren’t even a big deal. And with things that are, what is the point? We are born into trouble; worrying doesn’t change that!

LOOK

Why is it that when people say “don’t look now, but…” we always look? Yet when someone says “look at that…” we often act like we are looking but really aren’t? What is wrong with us?

Do you know that none of us were saved by Jesus who didn’t stop and look to Him? If we never saw Jesus by looking to Him we never received his saving grace. How could we have? Isaiah 45:22 (KJV) says, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” The famous Charles Spurgeon heard and obeyed this verse and was saved. He once said, “I looked and I looked until I almost looked my eyes away.”

Look at the created order. Cosper, referring to God’s answer to Job and his friends during Job’s suffering, says, “God doesn’t respond to Job’s misery with explanations or dismissive comments. Instead, he calls Job’s attention to the confusing wonder of the world we live in. He leads Job from the mystery of his suffering to the mysteries of creation, from puzzle to puzzle, from wonder to wonder. And as Chesterton puts it, ‘The secret of God is a bright and not a sad one.’ In the skipping of mountain goats, the thunder of snow, and the crashing of oceans, there’s a wink and smile, a God who is joyful and even playful in the midst of the madness. While we may not be able to comprehend it, there is – at least to God – sensibility and an order. The universe is a Cosmos after all, and Chesterton tells us its maker has a smile and a sense of humor, even as he reminds us of our smallness in its midst. He calls our attention from the midst of sorrows to the broader world where sorrows are one mystery among many.”

Look at the people around you. What are they thinking? What are their longings? How can you pray for or help them? Don’t just people watch but look at them. Don’t stare but look purposefully.

Look includes listening well. I was recently introduced to the concept of agile listening, and it was a breakthrough. True listening is not just trying harder and harder to hear and understand what someone is saying. It is strengthening new muscles to listen in different and more effective ways. Like reading, or writing, or typing, or grocery shopping, or really anything else – it is working smarter rather than harder. It is not doing the same thing multiple times or with more effort each time expecting it to improve but doing it differently so that it will improve. Robert Greenleaf, who is known for coining the term “servant leadership”, or at least making it popular in our era, once said that good listening means that “the automatic response to any problem is to listen first.” He goes on to quote St. Francis who famously prayed, “Grant that I may not seek so much to be understood as to understand.” Look by listening like that. I am writing to myself here.

Again I say, look to Him. A friend said this simple phrase to me recently as an encouragement and for accountability. It is so powerful and effective! Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall SEE God! Look to Him who can save and give eternal rest for your soul. Look to Him who is saving you and can keep you and present you blameless and with great joy to the Father who is mighty to be praised. Look!

THINK

In college during fraternity pledgeship I was forced in an “instruction session” (intentionally vague for legal reasons) to mimic The Thinking Man because I was so quiet. Thankfully I was clothed, unlike the famous sculpture. Bear with me as I digress again and attempt to make a point.

I thought for a while that my quietness was a bad thing and even something to be embarrassed by. Now I believe God has blessed me in such a way that an important part of the Christian life comes naturally to me. That is, thinking. That is, intentional reflection on the realities and events of life, using the Bible to frame and inform my thoughts (as opposed to using my thoughts to inform the Bible). Yes, it is true, I overthink often and there are serious downsides to this tendency (I’m working on it). Yet, I am thankful to be gifted in such a way by my Lord to have something to offer here, specifically as it involves a biblical perspective of time and the value of paying attention in the form of thinking. Here are some things I have learned:

Think purely. I used to think the biblical command to “take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ” meant only to dismiss impure thoughts and replace them with pure thoughts. It does mean that, kind of. It does mean to end up with pure thoughts. But I have found it doesn’t mean to simply remove the impure or irrelevant thoughts; it means to evaluate them, and understand them, and challenge them, and ultimately channel them towards something wholesome and pure. Thought issues are heart issues, and the biblical and gospel solution is not behavior modification but deep soul work. Think purely by taking your thoughts captive and channeling them towards obedience after careful examination.

Think clearly. Thinking takes time. I promise you have it. If you don’t spend time in thought, your mind will feel like a pillowcase of Halloween candy or a bag of dead leaves in Autumn. Overstuffed, no organization, no rhyme or reason, only confusion. The human brain, and the human soul, is not meant to consume temporal information and experience like it is collecting coins or stamps, never to be used again. It is meant to reflect on information and experience in an orderly way and connect dots, experience emotion, and serve others in constructive ways. An unclear mind is like a fancy computer system that cannot run queries or output reports; just a mess of information that makes no sense and that no one has access to anyway. Be thoughtful, that is “full of thoughts”, but take the time to translate those thoughts into something clear and useful. This will not happen automatically. Trust me! Why do you think I am writing this post?? Reference the brain regurgitating metaphor.

Think creativity. The ability to imagine is such a gift. I am going to be honest; if you have trouble or don’t enjoy the likes of Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, or other fantasy type stories (to use modern examples), I might gently challenge your healthy use of your God-given imagination. These types of stories, speaking from personal experience, unleash the imagination in a way that facilitates beautiful and constructive thought, which ultimately makes the true story of redemptive history revealed in the Bible and fulfilled in Jesus marvelous. I will rely on my British literary companions (and Tim Keller) here. They have so much to say on this matter, and it is GOLD.

Tolkien: "For creative Fantasy is founded upon the hard recognition that things are so in the world as appears under the sun; on a recognition of fact, but a slavery to it. So upon logic was founded the nonsense that displays itself in the tales and rhymes of Lewis Carroll. If men really could not distinguish between frogs and men, fairy-stories about frog-kings would not have arisen."

Chesterton: “Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.”

Lewis: "I think it is possible that by confining your child to blameless stories of child life in which nothing at all alarming even happens, you would fail to banish the terrors and would succeed in banishing all that can ennoble them or make them endurable. For in the fairy tales, side by side with the terrible figures, we find the immemorial comforters and protectors, the radiant ones...It would be nice if no little boy in bed, hearing, or thinking the hears a sound, were ever at all frightened. But if he is going to be frightened, I think it better that he should think of giants and dragons than merely of burglars. And I think St. George, or any bright champion in armor, is a better comfort than the idea of the police."

Keller: "We love stories about victory snatched from the jaws of defeat. Or sacrificial heroism that brings life out of certain death. And we pay money to watch those kinds of movies, and we pay money to read about those stories...and modern people say life is not like that. But Tolkien points out that these are deep human longings. For some reason human beings in our day and time want the kind of stories that are very well told, that evoke secondary belief, that catch you up in them, that tell you that good will triumph over evil, that there is a supernatural world, that you're not stuck in time, that there is love without parting, that there is a way of escaping death; why would people still feel this way?...People know at the fact level that we're all going to die, that we will lose loved ones, or they will lose us. But underneath, all human beings feel that there shouldn't be death. Good should triumph over evil. This is how reality ought to be. This is why the stories that are popular are like fairy tales."

Think actively. Thinking should always lead to action of some kind, whether to pray, to apologize, to express love or praise, to serve, or just to continue in daily life with more joy in the Lord. The mind shouldn’t “wander”, unless it wanders towards something that is helpful to someone or glorifies God. I am lousy at this. A major sin area I am working on specifically in my marriage is passiveness in conversation and sanctification. God is calling me to and helping me be assertive. I need my thoughts to become words – of affirmation, of unguarded emotional processing – and actions, to serve others rather than settle in the false comfort of my own mind. That comfort is actually danger land.

Think purposefully. Limit daydreaming. Good thinking confirms and reveals the promises of God in Scripture fulfilled in Jesus. The Bible says we are being transformed by the renewing of our minds – purposeful thought. It also says we are being transferred from one degree of glory to another. Our thoughts, as part of our life, are taking us somewhere. Part of sanctification is growth in the “knowledge of the Lord”. It is progressive – albeit with valleys – but ultimately increasing. Let your thinking be part of that process, with the help of the Spirit.

Stop. Look. Think. Pay attention. But then what? The next post is about the second component relating to discerning the time: cultivate virtue.