Reflections

Reflecting on life, living and other things

Apr

2020

Where Shepherds Meet

It’s been several years since it was last opportune for me to attend the Shepherds’ Conference, an annual event held at the Grace Community Church (pastor-teacher, John MacArthur) just outside of Los Angeles, but it happened again this year. A book that guided through the editing and production process for Shepherd Press, Seven Key Principles for Effective Ministry (subtitled Nurturing Thriving Churches in a Postmodern Culture) was selected for promotion and giveaway, and so the publisher was invited to attend and also make available other resources on offer.

At the last minute, my good friend Anthony Russo, also from Greenville SC, was able to attend, so we had a blast as we traveled, encouraged each other along the way, engaged with others, shared the gospel, and enjoyed the fine hospitality of the members and friends of Grace Community Church.

Being the year 2020, it seemed fitting that the conference theme picked up on the idea of having perfect (2020) vision–in a nutshell: Doctrinal Clarity for a Confused Generation. The mission statement provides a succinct generic introduction to the event:

The mission of the Shepherds’ Conference is to provide the opportunity for men in church leadership to be challenged in their commitment to biblical ministry and to find encouragement as together we seek to become more effective servants of our chief Shepherd.

Anthony and I enjoyed meeting with hundreds of men who minister not only in North America, but around the world. Enjoy viewing the dozen or so pictures below!

: Anthony, setting up

: Jim, setting up

: With Stuart Scott: the tall and the short!

: Paul Smith, all the way from England

: With Ben Ice; Ben has a fine ministry in California, as well as producing children’s curricula

: A lighter moment

: At the TMAI stand; I enjoyed doing a book of devotions last year for TMAI

: Scott Mehl, Shepherd Press author, signing his newly released book

: With Shannon Hurley and friends; Shannon has a strong ministry in Uganda

: The tent where the bookstore was located

: With oldtime friends, Anthony and Lorraine Gosling (Crossway)

: Dave Harrell, faithful pastor and author

: With new friends, Jim and Nancy Adams, Poiema Publications

: With Conrad Mbewe; we go way back to the early 1990s in Africa

Feb

2020

Rudolph W. Giuliani on Leadership

He faced the camera, his poise one of confidence, giving me, a viewer, a sense that he was in charge of the post-9/11 cleanup operation—and what an operation that was. That was my first impression of Mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York City as I watched my TV in Darlington, England. Subsequent views of the same man confirmed my impression that here was a man of competence, a leader, someone inspiring confidence in the stark face of deep trauma, a trauma that was felt by not only New Yorkers, but by people all round the world.

Fast forward nearly two decades: When I saw a secondhand book by Rudolph W. Giuliani in a thrift store in Greenville, I was tempted to buy it, but thought of the many other books at home clamoring for my attention. But I yielded and went back a week later and purchased a copy: Leadership

Written in three parts, the table of contents asserts several propositions about leadership, as below, which the author then engagingly develops in just under 400 pages.

1 September 11, 2001

2 First Things First

3 Prepare Relentlessly

4 Everyone’s Accountable, All of the Time

5 Surround Yourself with Great People

6 Reflect, Then Decide

7 Underpromise and Overdeliver

8 Develop and Communicate Strong Belief

9 Be Your Own Man

10 Loyalty: The Vital Virtue

11 Weddings Discretionary, Funerals Mandatory

12 Stand up to Bullies

13 Study. Read. Learn Independently

14 Organize Around a Purpose

15 Bribe Only Those Who Will Stay Bribed

16 Recovery

Giuliani’s childhood was shaped by strong Roman Catholic values, a love for history, an optimistic sense of what it is possible to achieve in this world, and, at times, being egged on to a good display of streetwise behaviors that helped him in his adult years to face down bullies and crooks.

The author’s can-do spirit breathes optimism through the book. At times, I found myself disagreeing with some of his faith values—I am protestant to the core—but I found myself loving his sincerity and zeal for faith as he knows it, and especially his commitment to a Judeo-Christian worldview and its outworking in the form of faith, family, and a good, solid work ethic—typical of a classical conservative. His treatment of the so-called squeegee men in NY is classic—Charge them for jaywalking, was his take on it. Nobody had thought of that!

At times a little self-congratulatory, Giuliani nevertheless charms the reader with his love for life, his love for doing the right thing, and for being a fighter to this end. And there is much in this book for ordinary people who are striving for excellence even within their own relatively minor circles. There is a feast in the chapter titles alone. I read this book over the course of a few months in bite sizes at occasional times of the month—in waiting rooms, waiting for a kettle to boil, and at other spare moments. The takeaways, for me, are largely in the propositions in the table of contents. There are many action points to be derived from these. I’ve seen too much blithering leadership in my circles—whether church, publishing, or charity work—over the years. Would that many leaders and prospective leaders would take on board some of Giuliani’s ideas and principles!

Featured image from www.biography.com/.image/t_share/MTQyODE5Nzc1NDczNTI2NTU2/rudy-giuliani-gettyimages-470786844_1600jpg.jpg

Jan

2020

“My Name Shall Be Great Among the Nations”

The quote is from Malachi 1:11, a declaration by the LORD (Jehovah) of Hosts–the God of the armies of heaven and earth. It’s a declaration of certainty and fact, not a wish or a whimper. It’s as certain as certain can be!

When I was approached late last year by a representative of The Master’s Academy International with a view to helping produce a book of daily readings, I was immediately excited and energized by the prospect. The ministry has numerous staff and graduates in far-flung parts of the world, and each with a conviction and burden to make Christ’s name great in the location in which he serves.

Enjoy reading and reflecting on the reading for January 10 from a brother serving in South Africa

January 10

Kind in Heart, Humble in Spirit

To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit
1 Peter 3:8

David Beakley: Christ Seminary | South Africa

Loving and caring for others is a difficult task. It is even worse when it is a command and the “others” don’t particularly care for your love. But when it is done out of joy, the world takes note. When Peter told his readers “to sum up” in this verse, he was summing up his instructions that were very pointed and directed toward fellow believers in submitting to bad governments, bad employers, and bad marital relationships. And, if that were not bad enough, Peter gave this call of submission to people who were already suffering and experiencing persecution for their faith! How is this possible?

South Africa is a very complex country, with a complex history that has been checkered with oppression, strife, and hypocrisy—largely in the name of the “state” church, which at the time was professing evangelical. In 1994, the government changed and the servant was now the master. Needless to say, there was a backlash against “White Christianity.” But, when a student-pastor from Christ Seminary understood these words from Peter, and saw a converted “enemy” from the previous regime, he went to meet his foe only to discover a brother. After they discovered and rejoiced in their “unity of mind,” they both preached together in a Township church to a full house.

The result was a testimony that resounded throughout the country. A secular and polarized culture was now hearing—and intrigued by—the gospel message of peace from two unlikely brothers.

How might you demonstrate loving submission, kindness of heart, and humility of spirit to those around you today?

Did you enjoy reading this excerpt? You may purchase the physical book on Amazon HERE or the Kindle version HERE.

Featured Image: A beautiful landscape panorama that has been used for the cover of the book.

Jan

2020

He To Rescue Me from Danger Interposed His Precious Blood

It’s a delight to share the labors of faithful authors. Roger Ellsworth is one such author, gifted with the ability to write seriously yet simply, and opening the Scriptures in a way that children as well as adults can understand. This guest post draws material from Roger’s Big Book of Coffee Cup Meditations, a book recently published, and available from bookstores or Amazon worldwide. More info HERE.

“He, to Rescue Me from Danger,
Interposed His Precious Blood”

From God’s Word, the Bible…

And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.
1 Peter 1:17-20

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood. . .
(Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Robert Robinson, 1758)

These words take us to the heart of Christ’s saving work on behalf of His people. It was a matter of Jesus interposing His blood! That act of interposition makes His blood precious to every believer.

More about that in a moment! First, let’s think about that word “danger.” Frightening word! When we hear the word “danger,” we tend to think of the people and the things that threaten our wellbeing and happiness in this world. There is no shortage of them.

There is, however, another type of danger which is much worse than any posed by this temporal realm. It is the danger of experiencing the wrath of God in eternity. People these days like to play down that danger, but no fair reading of the Bible will allow us to do so. All are agreed that the Old Testament places a heavy emphasis on the matter, but we must not think that the teaching of God’s wrath is confined there. The same teaching is evenly distributed throughout the New Testament. It is in the Gospels (Matt. 3:12; 7:13-14; 22:13-14; 23:33; 25:30,41,46; Mark 9:42-29; Luke 16:19-31; John 3:36), in the epistles of Paul (Rom. 1:18-19; 2:5; 3:5; 4:15; 12:19; Eph. 2:3; 5:6), and in the other epistles as well (Heb. 10:27; 12:25-29; James 5:9; 1 Peter 4:17-18; 2 Peter 2:4-9).

It is the dominant theme of the book of Revelation (Rev. 6:16-17; 11:18; 14:10,19; 15:1,7; 16:1,19; 19:15; 20:11-15; 21:8; 22:11,15).

And for those who blissfully say: “Just give me the loving God of John 3:16,” the wrath of God is powerfully present in the word “perish” which is mentioned in that very verse.

We will never understand Christianity until we realize that it is all about rescuing people from this danger! Jesus came to this world for the express purpose of dealing with that danger.

God is holy. He cannot merely ignore our sins as if they never happened. He has to pronounce a sentence on them and also has to carry out that sentence. What is His sentence on our sins? It is His wrath, which is eternal separation from Himself in hell.

The glory of Christianity is that Jesus on the cross took the wrath that we deserve for our sins. There He “interposed” or inserted His blood between the wrath of God and guilty sinners. The word “blood” means that He poured out His life in death. To say He interposed His blood is to say He interposed Himself. On the cross He took the position between the wrath of God and guilty sinners. The wrath fell on Him, and there is now no wrath left for all who repent of their sins and trust in Him. John 3:36 puts it perfectly: “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

But how could Jesus in the space of the six hours that He was on the cross (from 9:00 in the morning until 3:00 in the afternoon) receive an eternity’s worth of the wrath of God for all sinners who believe in Him? The answer lies in the special nature of Jesus. He was no ordinary man. He was the God-man, fully God, fully man at one and the same time. As God, He was an infinite person, and as an infinite person, He could receive in a finite length of time an infinite measure of wrath. In other words, Jesus as an infinite person could receive in a finite measure of time what we as finite people would receive in an infinite measure of time.

When we truly understand what Jesus did on the cross for sinners, we gladly respond to Robert Robinson’s phrase “precious blood” with a hearty “Yes!”

Jan

2020

Thinking About Ford v Ferrari

I am preparing this blog in consultation with my son, Matthew, aged sixteen years. He and I have prepared the text below, so some of the writing is entirely his. He and I saw the movie Ford v Ferrari late last year, and, because we found it thought provoking, I also took Sue to watch it a few weeks later. The movie is PG-13, largely as there is some fallen-world language.

It’s a sports action drama, a period setting from the early- to mid-1960s, the time I was growing up. It was fun to see how authentic the setting was—the style of cars, dress, décor, etc., though it did provoke discussion as to whether the Coca Cola bottles were quite authentic.

Characters and Plot

Based on the true story of Ford’s efforts to build a car that could rival Europe’s prime car, Ferrari, at the renowned twenty-four-hour, high-speed endurance race, the story line goes something like this:

Carroll Shelby is a former race-car driver who had to quit the sport because of a heart condition. Lee Iacocca, a member of the Ford Motor Company’s board of directors in charge of marketing, is challenged by Henry Ford (Junior) to find a way to appeal to an emerging youth demographic—baby boomers—who are attracted to more attractive, high-speed foreign cars. With Shelby, he thinks he has just the man for the job. Shelby decides to build a Ford car that will have capability to win the Le Mans race, and lobbies to have Ken Miles, an old friend, in the driver’s seat. Miles, a part-time racer, part-time auto-mechanic—a British man living in LA with his wife and son—is a hothead who is unwilling to help until the IRS come knocking. And then the need for finance propels him into the position.

After much corporate resistance, the Ford company reluctantly agrees to let Shelby and Miles apply their own ideas in a way that works, even if it does not conform to conventional company values. This climaxes in several thrillingly shot racing motor-racing sequences (the surround-sound effect in a cinema adds compellingly to the experience).

Well Produced

The movie would be entertaining but nowhere near as compelling if not for the strong character acting from Matt Damon and Christian Bale—and the good direction and cinematography that undergirds the production, courtesy the skills of people such as James Mangold. The witty, clever dialogue is the frosting on the cake, as my son insists!

A Key Quote

“There’s a point, seven thousand RPM, where everything fades. The machine becomes weightless, it just disappears. And all that’s left is a body moving through space and time. Seven thousand RPM, that’s where you meet it. It creeps up near you, and it asks you a question. The only question that really matters. Who are you?”

Thought Provoking

The movie elicited several thoughts:

This is a reminder of how the can-do American spirit can propel gifted people to excellence, notwithstanding several circumstantial challenges along the way.
Challenging the status quo—that is bucking the system—is sometimes the only way to get something done.
Life in this world is often fundamentally not fair! (And that is a profoundly biblical line of thought.) Without giving away anything in the movie, suffice it to say that not everyone is rewarded as he should be!
Facts can be as entertaining as fiction; the movie is well rooted in historical fact.

Matthew offered a parting summary: “A movie about American men doing manly, American things in the masculine America of the time.”

View the Trailer HERE: or below

Featured Image Credit: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ford_v_ferrari/pictures

Dec

2019

Thinking about Books

Earlier in the year, I was challenged on Facebook to write notes on books that I have read and enjoyed. Here are some of the notes:

Pilgrim’s Progress

My sister Margaret Jones asked me to share books that I have found significant. So I thought of my copy of The Pilgrim’s Progress and am thankful for being persuaded to purchase the cloth-bound copy as long ago as 1981! Did you know that PP is said to be the second-best-seller to the Bible?

The President, the Pope, and the Prime Minister

Continuing to engage with my sister, Margaret Jones, who asked me to share books I have found significant, I thought this time that I would reference John O’Sullivan’s “The Pope, The President, and the Prime Minister.” While there are some aspects and interpretations in the book I would not agree with, I very much enjoyed the way in which O’Sullivan wrote so engagingly about three figures who had a remarkable influence on the world in the 1980s onward.

Hard Call

As I continue this short journey of reflection on books I have appreciated over the years, as requested by my sister Margaret Jones, a leadership book by the late John McCain comes to mind, “Hard Call.” I first read it about ten or more years ago, perusing the chapters with enjoyment as I was flying from place to place in my sales and marketing job. McCain engagingly teases out lessons of leadership from a wide range of people and events! You can dip into any of the chapters without reference to the others.

A Body of Divinity

Continuing the thought of books that have made a strong impact on me, as requested by Margaret Jones, I am thinking right now of the remarkable writing of Thomas Watson, a puritan minister, who prepared, inter alia, “A Body of Divinity.” It proved to be my first puritan book purchase, and came from The Bible Centre in Pietermaritzburg in 1982.
Watson is incredibly readable. You can find something quote-worthy at random on any page. Here is one:
“The wisdom of God is seen in making the most desperate evils turn to the good of his children. As several poisonable ingredients, wisely tempered by the skill of the artist, make a sovereign medicine, so God makes the most deadly afflictions co-operate for the good of his children. He purifies them, and prepares them for heaven. 2 Cor 4: I7. These hard frosts hasten the spring flowers of glory.”
Pictured is a later edition; I am pleased to own the hard-cover edition with muted red tones!

The Forgotten Spurgeon

As I continue this occasional journey through books that have been seminal in my thinking (at the request of Margaret Jones), today’s reflection is on Iain H. Murray’s “The Forgotten Spurgeon.” I received my copy as a gift from a good friend in the early 1980s but I only read it a few years later. And when I did, it was most helpful, relative to some issues I was working through. In it, Iain Murray provides a brief bio of CHS, the so-called (and well-deserved name) of the prince of preachers, 18th century Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Thereafter, Murray traces three noteworthy issues CHS faced: baptismal regeneration, the free offer of the gospel, and the Downgrade Controversy, a battle he faced with fellow Baptists who were crumpling and crumbling under the effects of modern, liberal, Bible-denying criticism. Spurgeon’s oft-repeated saying, as I recall from memory, “Fellowship with known and vital error is participation in sin,” should be axiomatic in today’s church, but sadly is not so. There is much to learn and apply from this excellent work, and I commend it as the right medicine for many of the issues modern believers are facing.

Surprised by Joy

Continuing the meander through thoughts about books I have enjoyed over the years, as requested by Margaret Jones, the next one that comes to my mind is one by C.S. Lewis. I was a university student at the time, battling my way through a mountain of indiscriminately varied books in an English syllabus–many of them patently boring, others full of filth. Then, in a secondhand store, I came across Lewis’ little gem, “Surprised by Joy.” The title is derived from a Wordsworth sonnet and of course also has peculiar significance to C.S.L. personally. Tracing his early life and influences, the author, with grace and freshness of style, paints beautiful word pictures of the earlier parts of his life, and how even in his rebellion, he found himself finding God and grace. What an oasis this book was to me in the wilderness of everything else I was reading at the time!

Look out for more book reflections as we move into 2020!

Dec

2019

Some 2019 Projects in Review

The year has been one of steady focus on numerous editing, production, and publishing projects. Here, in no particular order of priority, are some insights into them…and this is by no means an exhaustive list!

Devotional Poems

IMMANUEL: Poems and Meditations on the Life of Jesus: This is the second in a series of Christmas books produced for EvangAlliance Publications, an 80 page full color cloth-bound book (with loose dust jacket), with beautiful poems and is truly a magnificent production. It is a companion to a book we worked on last year, INCARNATION Poems, also by poet Tom Worth. See more HERE.

The One Anothers of the New Testament

31 Ways to be a One Another Christian An email from Dr. Stuart Scott initiated this one. He and Andrew Jin had been working on a script that teased out the implications of what the New Testament has to say about “one another.” Would Shepherd Press be interested, he asked? Of course! The year was well progressed, and an ACBC deadline for launching the book was approaching with uncomfortable rapidity, so we accelerated the editing and production and were able to launch this excellent book in October. More info HERE.

365 Plus…

Daily Readings books have a special place in my heart. There are two that have been under my purview this year, both relatively late in the year.

The first is a compilation of the wonderful My Coffee Cup Meditations books by Roger Ellsworth and family. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to get all twelve of these volumes into one big book. And the name that came to mind was simply The Big Book of Coffee Cup Meditations. It is truly a magnificent book, cloth-bound, nearly 800 pages in length. Roger writes on the back cover as follows:

Early mornings are very predictable for lots and lots of Christians. Roll out of bed, turn on the coffee pot, pour a cup, settle into a favorite chair and enjoy what is called “the daily devotional.” This usually consists of reading a passage from the Bible and a selection from a daily readings book. It concludes with prayer.

Believers who follow this pattern can go through a good number of devotional readings as the years go by. So they are always looking for new material—something to go along with their Bible and their coffee.

Hoping that I could be helpful in supplying the need for more of these kinds of readings, I gathered up some articles I had written and put them in a book—A Dog and a Clock. The idea was to supply brothers and sisters in Christ with enough devotions to carry them through one month. That quickly led to another book—The Thumbs Up Man—to carry “devotion-doers” through another month—and so on.

You can guess what happened after three or four books came out. There are twelve months in the year. So why not provide enough books to cover a year? Well, off we went and out the books came until there were finally twelve! Since these books were designed to go with the Bible and a good cup of coffee, it seemed right to call them My Coffee-Cup Meditations. Here are all twelve books in one big volume—372 readings in total!

More information HERE.

A good friend and former colleague connected me with new friends in TMAI–The Masters Academy International–in California who were in the final stages of preparing a large devotional book with multiple authors for publication. Would I help guide it through the process? The timing was tight, but the outcome is a beautiful (nearly 400 page) book, Declaring His Glory among the Nations. An edition of this book is available on Amazon HERE.

Esther: For Such a Time as This

Colin Mercer labored faithfully in Greenville, SC, for about a decade. I got to know him and appreciate his preaching at Faith Free Presbyterian Church. Friends there, Charles and Verta Koelsch, worked tirelessly on Colin’s sermon notes to prepare a very useful book on God’s care and providence as seen in the Old Testament book of Esther–with the title For Such a Time as This: The Sovereignty and Goodness of God in the Book of Esther. The outcome is a beautifully produced book of 176 pages. An edition of this book is available on Amazon HERE.

Tennessee Author Friends

Reggie Weems is a good friend in ministry in Eastern Tennessee, and we just released an excellent introduction to C.S. Lewis. In his series of “Ten Things About…”, the new The Man Who Made Narnia is a welcome addition to a man whose influence is truly remarkable. Also in preparation for 2020 is Good, But not Safe. The first title is available on Amazon HERE.

Dave Harrell, also a pastor in Tennessee, wrote a very good book on pastoral leadership. It was my pleasure to guide this through the editing and publishing process at Shepherd Press early in 2019. Soon after this was complete, Dave reached out to me with the thought of how his ministry, Shepherds Fire, could publish mini-books. After conferring on some strategic options, we came up with the idea of “The Compact Expository Pulpit Commentary Series,” small books of around 88 pages, each one packing a powerful punch in terms of both content and application. You can read more about Dave and his ministry HERE and obtain his books on Amazon as follows:

God, Evil, and Suffering HERE

God’s Gracious Gift of Assurance HERE

Our Sin and the Savior HERE

South African Connections

Dr. Francois Carr is based in Pretoria, South Africa, and has a global ministry in calling people to Christ and a consecrated walk with Him. One of his earlier books, Lead Your Family in Worship, had gone out of print. Francois reached out to me with the question: How could this book be brought back into print? Well, we found a way! We did a couple of prototype runs and the book has a few tweaks to go, and we expect to launch the agreed final version early in 2020.

“It is an old but good saying that families which pray together stay together. This refreshingly up-to-date book on family worship is a valuable contribution to a much-neglected area of Christian practice. May God be pleased to bless its teaching to many.”–Rev. Maurice Roberts: Minister, Free Church of Scotland Continuing, Inverness, Scotland

The contents for Francois’ book are good for whetting the appetite:

Introduction
1: A Forgotten Command of God
2: Why is Family Worship Necessary? (A)
3: Why is Family Worship Necessary? (B)
4: Why Don’t Families Worship Together Anymore?
5: Common Excuses for Not Having Family Worship
6: How Do I Prepare Myself and My Family for Worship?
7: How Do We Worship as a Family?
8: What are the Foundations of Family Worship?
9: A Final Encouragement
Appendix 1: Where Do I Start?
Appendix 2: Suggested Format for Family Worship
Appendix 3: Suggesed Format for Family Worship
Appendix 4: An Example of Family Worship

The Man in the Gap Martin Holdt was my pastor for many years in South Africa. A good and godly man, the story of his life is more than worthy of being told. Friends Rex and Esta Jefferies in South Africa have labored hard to prepare a biography, and they and I have been exchanging files for a couple of years or more to get the text prepared for publication. We anticipate launching this book in the first quarter of 2020. Dr. Joel Beeke in the Foreword describes this as a “must-read” book!

Here are three fragments from Dr. Beeke’s Foreword

I love good biographies of godly men. They are so stimulating, convicting, edifying, moving, challenging, and alluring. This is one of those biographies. It is a “must read” book—one that is so true to a godly pastor who lived, by God’s grace, wholly for Christ and out of love for the souls of people.

Martin Holdt was one of the very best friends in Christ Jesus that I have ever had. He was also one of the most godly people I have ever known. When he died so suddenly in the last week of 2011, I grieved as if I had lost a brother—because I did. He was like an older brother to me.

Read this book prayerfully, meditatively, and slowly. I pray God that Martin Holdt’s life story will move you to follow him insofar as he followed Christ.

Sep

2018

My Coffee-Cup Meditations

It All Started with a Phone Call…

I was driving at the time. Roger Ellsworth had emailed me and shared the idea of publishing some short topical articles he had written over the years for local newspapers in towns where he had ministered. His thinking was that a book of thirty or so Bible-themed reflections might be worth publishing.

Roger & Sylvia Ellsworth

“Roger, I cannot talk for long as I am driving,” I recall telling him, “but I think the readings you emailed me are brilliant. I think we should pursue these for publication. Do you think you could write more than the thirty or so you have sent me to take a look at?”

“Well, sure I could,” came his answer, his modest tones a little muffled against the background noise of my old Volvo as I drove toward Bob Jones Academy to pick up my son at the end of his school day. “Are you thinking we could make a short series?” he inquired.

“Yes, that’s the idea,” I responded as I eased my car onto Rutherford Road. “And I think we need to find a way to give the books a catchy look and feel. It’s likely that there won’t be too much of a response just to a one-off or two-off book of devotions. I think we have to make the books connect and engage.”

A day or two later, Sue and I were discussing the idea further. “We need something that will connect with the culture,” she said insightfully. “Something like coffee; could you brand them with that kind of idea?”

Well, that’s how it all started. My Coffee-Cup Meditations. We found a way to get some really nice graphics, and Roger, careful and disciplined writer that he is, soon had many more topics lined up that he could write on.

We defined the series right at the start with a strong and clear mission:

My Coffee Cup Meditations are short, easy-to-read, Bible-based devotions to help you consider God’s greatness, the wonderful gospel of Jesus, and be better equipped for life here and hereafter.

I think the series is achieving this. We are not much more than a year on from when we started, and already there are nine books in print. The final three are presently in editorial preparation and expected to release in November this year!

There is a dedicated website (another of my projects) to tell you much more about this delightful series. Visit www.mycoffeecupmeditations.com for much more information!

Sep

2018

Favorites 3: Fun and Frivolity

Muppet-Struck!

Do you like the Muppets?

Enjoy this unusual rendering by Rowlf and Fozzie of “An English Country Garden” (strictly “Country Gardens”) (and with apologies to Percy Grainger)!

And now for more in the same spirit…

Who does not enjoy the British wit of Morecambe and Wise; this has to be one of the funniest comedy pieces ever!

Do you remember the Pink Panther films? My son recently pointed out to me that it is the 50th anniversary of the first ever film. He went to YouTube, and guess what he found? We love this clip. Enjoy…!

Sep

2018

Favorites 2: Devotion and Discipline

Noteworthy and Quoteworthy

“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
? Jim Elliot, Martyred missionary to the Auca Indians

“A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.”
? Francis Bacon, The Essays

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
? Thomas A. Edison

“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
? Winston Churchill, Never Give In!: The Best of Winston Churchill’s Speeches

“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.”
? Theodore Roosevelt

Asking Questions

“I keep six honest serving men:
They taught me all I knew:
Their names are What and Why and When
and How and Where and Who.”

? Rudyard Kipling (Image credit: Wikipedia)

Said the Robin to the Sparrow

Said the robin to the sparrow,
“I should really like to know,
Why these anxious human beings
Rush about and worry so.”
Said the sparrow to the robin,
“Friend I think that it must be,
That they have no Heavenly Father,
Such as cares for you and me.”

Where Shepherds Meet

Rudolph W. Giuliani on Leadership

“My Name Shall Be Great Among the Nations”

Kind in Heart, Humble in Spirit

From God’s Word, the Bible…

Thinking About Ford v Ferrari

Characters and Plot

Well Produced

A Key Quote

Thought Provoking

Thinking about Books

Pilgrim’s Progress

The President, the Pope, and the Prime Minister

Hard Call

A Body of Divinity

The Forgotten Spurgeon

Surprised by Joy

Some 2019 Projects in Review

Devotional Poems

The One Anothers of the New Testament

365 Plus…

Esther: For Such a Time as This

Tennessee Author Friends

South African Connections

It All Started with a Phone Call…

My Coffee Cup Meditations are short, easy-to-read, Bible-based devotions to help you consider God’s greatness, the wonderful gospel of Jesus, and be better equipped for life here and hereafter.

Muppet-Struck!

Noteworthy and Quoteworthy

Windows on My World

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