Spirituality

Apr

2015

Spurgeon: Joseph Attacked by the Archers

Joseph Attacked by the Archers

“The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel).” Genesis 49:23,24

Not Quite As Much a Secret…

Watching This Spot

A month ago I recommended you watch this spot–this (Blog)spot–for further details on something that was a secret. It’s been engaging me intensively for the last few weeks, so my online presence has been quite diminished, at least in the blogosphere.

But the good news is this: I anticipate very soon to be able to open up the box completely, and to show you what is inside. In fact, for a box of this size, there is a lot for me to take out and show you. Inside it, there is a new way for you to think about how you may best use the kinds of resources that will enhance your understanding of the Bible, of God, and of His gracious works and ways. In fact, I think I’d rather take an extra week or two to get everything organized inside this box so as to be able to show it to you properly.

But, seeing as I am whetting your appetite a little in this post (and I am really excited about what I am working on!), let me at least spell out part of the mission statement of my new initiative:

[Name of Service] aims to promote and supply biblically based resources in higher-volume quantities at affordable prices, and to encourage people to read and live transformed lives to the glory of God.

Background

What are some of the convictions that undergird my initiative? I like to spell it out in the following terms:

(a) I am a Christian, persuaded of the Bible’s teaching, and aligned with the historic creeds and confessions such as the Westminster Standards;

(b) I am committed to a biblical ethos and model of publishing, and to the promotion and widespread use of Christ-honoring resources;

(c) I am persuaded of the place and value of reading, and to its ongoing usefulness for all faithful disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

(d) I have experience in editing, producing, publishing, marketing, and selling books, having operated discount mailorder businesses before, and having served for over ten years as director of publications and marketing for a UK-based publisher.

(e) In addition to commencing [Name of Service], I serve as a publishing consultant, operating a cluster of websites, including www.publisherpresentations.org, www.greatpublishing.org and www.greatwriting.org.

I’ll leave it at that. There is much more information coming your way soon!

Feb

2015

Secret for the Time Being!

Launch Pending

I am not going into details at present, but anticipate being able to update you with an interesting development in the next few weeks. For the time being, consider this as being classified information that I’ll let out of the box below when I am ready.

As the saying goes, watch this (Blog)Spot!

Feb

2015

Justification by Faith

Imputed Righteousness

Notes from a sermon by Colin Mercer, Sunday evening February 1st, 2015

I am thankful for a ministry that is faithful to the Word of God. Here are some notes, necessarily brief, that I jotted down as I listened to Pastor Colin Mercer preach from Romans 5:19. The whole sermon may be viewed below.

People are without strength; Christ saves such. People are under God’s wrath. It is only the mercy of God that keeps us out of hell. The psalmist is clear: God is angry with sinners every day. Well did Job ask a question such as this: “Is there any way for a man to be right with God?” Romans 5:19 is clear that we can be justified, but not by any merit of our own. Our righteousness is as filthy rags. Therefore, we need the righteousness of Another–the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. Jesus Christ Has a Perfect Righteousness

This is a personal righteousness on account of His obedience–all He has done, and all He has suffered. Hebrews 7:26, He is holy, harmless and undefiled, separate from sinners. His obedience is both active and passive. His righteousness has been acknowledged and accepted by the Father. God is pleased with what Christ has done. It is a satisfying righteousness.

It is His forever–an everlasting righteousness, one that abides with Him. Hence, Jeremiah could speak of the LORD our RIGHTEOUSNESS, Jehovah Tsidkenu.

2. The Perfect Righteousness of Christ Is Imputed to Sinners

God places our sins to His account; He punishes these sins in Him. See the Westminster Shorter Catechism on Justification*. It is counted as if that righteousness belongs to us. It is an act of God’s free grace. It would be fair for God to condemn us–but God…! It involves all of Christ’s righteousness–all of His merit, not just some of it–to our account if we are a believer. It is at once–it is an act, not a work (not “some now, some later”); not gradually. Horatius Bonar wrote of this. And it is received by faith alone (Romans 5:1). It cannot be taken from a believer. We are robed in His righteousness (Isaiah).

3. The Perfect Righteousness of Christ Secures Eternal Blessings for the Believer

All his sins are completely and forever pardoned. A quote from Richard Sibbes. God looks on us and sees the righteousness of Christ. We have the riches of His grace. We can rejoice in every trial, without fear, notwithstanding the Devil’s accusations or insinuations. I can face life and death without fear. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. We can come to the judgment seat in the all-sufficiency of Jesus.

* Q: What is justification?
A: Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.

The video below is made available courtesy of www.sermonaudio.com

Jan

2015

Do I or Don’t I?

I Do or I Don’t

It’s an engaging title. Its subtitle spells it out a little by way of amplification: “Cultivating a Godly Marriage in Today’s World.”

My part in the story goes back a year or two when I was first asked to make contact with a family counseling pastor. “You and he need to have a conversation,” Randy told me. “He’s very interested in the kinds of books you produce.” The “he” in “You and he” turned out to be a tall, fit-looking man whose eyes smiled from behind oval-shaped spectacles.

“You know, I’m writing a book,” he informed me. “It’s all about being a parent. I plan to call it ‘It’s Apparent … You’re a Parent!'” His enthusiasm was infectious and I could not help but ask him to tell me more. So, over breakfast one morning, he told me the whole story. “… well, I really do need someone to help me get this into print,” he concluded.

It was one of those serendipitous moments where opportunity and need met and shook hands. John has passion to communicate. He loves people, engaging with them, meeting them at their point of need, and guiding them in the counsel of Scripture. His friendly approach makes you warm to him and like him immediately. My instinct for publishing told me that within the sheaf of papers he handed me lay a treasure in need of some polishing and rearranging.

We jokingly spoke of how it is that an author can have a book in him that someone else has to help get out of him (consider the cartoon here!), much like the way a midwife helps in the delivery of a baby. It led to some banter between us in the ensuing months.

“Let me work on it a little for you,” I suggested. Some weeks later, I handed another sheaf of papers back to him. He loved it straight away. “I’d like it to be a hardback,” he informed me. “It should be quite small, about this size.” (He pointed to a book on his desk.) “I want it to have appeal, and to be as presentable to a man as it would be to a lady. Can you produce something like that?”

I like to think of myself as the kind of person who says, “Yes is the answer; now what is the question, please?” It took some careful planning, but some months later, John took delivery of several cases of “It’s Apparent … You’re a Parent!”

But That Is Only the First Part of the Story…

“My second book must somehow tie in with the first one; I’d like it to have the same kind of cover and to look as if it is in the same family.” That tied in exactly with what I had been thinking. And so began the second publishing adventure that John Lehman (pronounce it as Lay-Man) and I were to share.

Again we exchanged sheaves of paper; there were developments, corrections, some brainstorming, and lots of cover design sessions. It was fun from start to finish.

In one sense, John put the cart before the horse, as his second book is on engagement and marriage, whereas the first is on parenting. But, well, why not? One need is as great as the other.

I love the way John teases out so many practical aspects of engagement and marriage. And if that is not enough, he also presents several worksheet exercises. I guarantee you, these sheets are worth the price of the book alone (and if that’s not good enough for you, you can even access the sheets online for free, to save marking your copy of the book!)

John and Suzie Lehman

I’ll talk a lot more about this publication in future posts, but I’d also like to point you to a few links to let you see a little more of this book.

View a media sheet pertaining to this title here.
Read an excerpt here.
Take a look at the worksheet exercises here.

Jan

2015

His Robes for Mine

There’s a Hymn on My Radar

A hymn that has come onto my radar in recent months is titled “His Robes for Mine.” It articulates clearly the substitutionary work of the Lord Jesus Christ for others–a work that justifies sinners. It states forcefully the separation of Father and Son as the work of atonement was being effected on Calvary. Consider these words:

His robes for mine: O wonderful exchange!
Clothed in my sin, Christ suffered ‘neath God’s rage.
Draped in His righteousness, I’m justified.
In Christ I live, for in my place He died.

Chorus:
I cling to Christ, and marvel at the cost:
Jesus forsaken, God estranged from God.
Bought by such love, my life is not my own.
My praise – my all – shall be for Christ alone.

His robes for mine: what cause have I for dread?
God’s daunting Law Christ mastered in my stead.
Faultless I stand with righteous works not mine,
Saved by my Lord’s vicarious death and life.

His robes for mine: God’s justice is appeased.
Jesus is crushed, and thus the Father’s pleased.
Christ drank God’s wrath on sin, then cried “‘Tis done!”
Sin’s wage is paid; propitiation won.

His robes for mine: such anguish none can know.
Christ, God’s beloved, condemned as though His foe.
He, as though I, accursed and left alone;
I, as though He, embraced and welcomed home!

His Robes for Mine
Words: Chris Anderson
Music: Greg Habegger
Copyright 2007 ChurchWorksMedia.com
Used by permission (source)

Sheet music here

Enjoy and appreciate the BJU Chorale’s rendering:

Jan

2015

Trinitarian Doxologies

The Mystery of the Trinity

Minds much greater than mine have tried to probe the mystery of the being of God. We do well to grapple with the propositions of the great creeds, but ultimately reason must give way to worship.

The Creed of Athanasius

We worship one God in trinity,

and trinity in unity;

neither confusing the persons

nor dividing the nature of God.

For there is one person of the Father,

another of the Son,

and another of the Holy Spirit;

but the Godhead of the Father,

of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one –

the glory equal,

the majesty co-eternal;

what the Father is, so is the Son,

and so is the Holy Spirit.

And so we worship

I love the simple articulation of Isaac Watts:

To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Spirit, Three in One,
Be everlasting glory given,
By all on earth, and all in heaven!

The Trinity of His Sacred Persons

Majestic are the words recorded at the beginning of Spurgeon’s Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit sermons:

To the One God of Heaven and Earth

In The Trinity of His Sacred Persons,

Be all Honour and Glory,

World without end, Amen

To the Glorious Father, as the covenant God of Israel;

To the Gracious Son, the Redeemer of His people;

To the Holy Ghost, the Author of Sanctification;

Be everlasting praise for that Gospel of the Free Grace of God herein proclaimed unto men

(From the prologue of the Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit—Sermons preached by Charles Haddon Spurgeon)

A Trinitarian Hymn

Below are words of a hymn that I learned in my high school in Africa. To the tune Mannheim, it may be sung meditatively and in a worshipful way. Its words make an excellent prayer for us to pray as we tread the pathways of life to which God calls us:

1 Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us
O’er the world’s tempestuous sea;
Guard us, guide us, keep us, feed us,
For we have no help but Thee:
Yet possessing
Every blessing,
If our God our Father be.

2 Saviour, breathe forgiveness o’er us;
All our weakness Thou dost know;
Thou didst tread this earth before us;
Thou didst feel its keenest woe;
Lone and dreary,
Faint and weary,
Through the desert Thou didst go.

3 Spirit of our God, descending,
Fill our hearts with heavenly joy;
Love with every passion blending,
Pleasure that can never cloy:
Thus provided,
Pardoned, guided,
Nothing can our peace destroy.

James Edmeston, 1791-1867 (More information here)

Dec

2014

Calling and Career Quotations

Noteworthy Quotes

I’ve used the LinkedIn network for a while (you can see my profile here), and it offers some interesting features. At heart, I am a trawler, always on the lookout for new ideas and thoughts, so when an article that came my way on the LinkedIn network by Micha Kaufman caught my attention, I thought I would share some of the quotations he offers.

In the original there were fifty quotes, and they were focused on reinventing one’s career, but I have whittled them down to twenty-six and added a few headings to break up the text a little. Some are thought provoking; others are humorous; I believe you will enjoy them!

Postscript: There are a few other quotations on my website here.

When You Jump Off a Cliff…

You jump off a cliff and you assemble an airplane on the way down.–Reid Hoffman, Co-founder of LinkedIn

You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing and falling over.–Sir Richard Branson, Founder & Chairman of Virgin Group

It’s never too late to be what you might have been.–George Elliot, Author

One of the huge mistakes people make is that they try to force an interest on themselves. You don’t choose your passions; your passions choose you. –Jeff Bezos, Founder & CEO of Amazon

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. –Confucius, Philosopher

Lean and Mean

You don’t need to have a 100-person company to develop that idea. –Larry Page, Co-founder & CEO of Google

A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work. –Colin Powell, American Statesman, Retired Four-Star General

Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. –Michael Jordan, Five-time NBA MVP, Six-time NBA Champion

Chase the vision, not the money; the money will end up following you. –Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos

A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.–Albert Einstein, Theoretical Physicist

Would you do your job and not be paid for it? I would do this job, and take on a second job just to make ends meet if nobody paid me. That’s how you know you are doing the right thing. –Oprah, Media Proprietor, Talk Show Host, Actress

Power of Imagination

I suffer from the delusion that every product of my imagination is not only possible, but always on the cusp of becoming real. –Sean Parker, American Entrepreneur, Co-founder of Napster, First President of Facebook

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work. –Aristotle, Philosopher

You can get what you want or you can just get old.–Billy Joel, Singer-Songwriter

The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.–Chinese Proverb

I would rather die of passion than of boredom.–Vincent Van Gogh, Painter

Impossible or Inevitable?

So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.–Christopher Reeve, Actor, Activist

In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.–Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.–John Wooden, NCAA Basketball Coach

Many of life’s failures are experienced by people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.–Thomas Edison, Inventor

The only thing worse than starting something and failing… is not starting something.–Seth Godin, Entrepreneur, Author, Public Speaker

You Are Right!

Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.–Henry Ford, Founder of Ford Motor Company

Everything started as nothing.–Ben Weissenstein, Entrepreneur

Winners never quit and quitters never win.–Vince Lombardi, Super Bowl-Winning Coach

The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can.–Neil Gaiman, Novelist, Graphic Novelist, Screenwriter

Develop your own compass, and trust it. Take risks, dare to fail, remember the first person through the wall always gets hurt.–Aaron Sorkin, Screenwriter, Playwright

Men, for the sake of getting a living, forget to live.–Margaret Fuller, Women’s Rights Advocate, Journalist

Source of original list of fifty quotations here

Dec

2014

Handel’s Wonderful Messiah

Enjoying Handel’s Messiah

Yesterday evening, as a family we attended a special presentation, Selections from Messiah on the campus of Bob Jones University. The orchestration was first class, the choir spectacular, the music full, wholesome, and wonderfully uplifting, and the audience spirited and appreciative.

Handel’s remarkable capability to pack biblical truth into a musical genre that is both elegant and yet robust enough to carry the powerful message of God’s holiness, righteousness, love and grace is both amazing and soul stirring. I was struck again by the majesty and beauty of the form, as well as the sheer weight and power of the words of Scripture.

Below, I’d like to share the program notes from the evening’s performance. Compiled by Heather McNeely, they convey some lesser-known aspects of the background to the writing and form of The Messiah.

PROGRAM NOTES TO
BOB JONES UNIVERSITY DIVISION OF MUSIC

COMBINED CHOIRS AND ORCHESTRA
SELECTIONS FROM MESSIAH

Perhaps no other work from the Western classical music tradition enjoys the widespread appeal, influence and instant recognition as the oratorio Messiah by George Frideric Handel. In all, Handel composed a total of 29 oratorios and, Messiah is among the five he wrote to librettos supplied by Charles Jennens. Jennens was a Christian, and scholars believe he fashioned the libretto of Messiah with the intention of curbing the spread of deist philosophy that had become so prevalent during the early decades of the Enlightenment. Of particular concern to Jennens was the deists’ rejection of Christ’s divinity and by extension, the inerrancy of Scripture and man’s need of salvation. Thus, by titling the work Messiah and selecting Scripture from both the Old and the New Testaments of the Bible, Jennens asserts not only the deity of Christ but also the unity and inerrancy of the scriptural text, promoting a singular message the Gospel of salvation through Christ alone.

Jennens divided the libretto into three parts. Part One pairs Old Testament Scriptures prophesying salvation through a Redeemer with those from the New Testament proclaiming Christ’s birth as the fulfillment of that prophecy. The prophet Isaiah’s promise of comfort and hope in a Redeemer who will make the “crooked straight” and “the rough places plain” (Isaiah 40: 1 -5) thus opens the work. Handel scored this portion as a recitative and aria for tenor solo. While not slow, the recitative “Comfort, comfort ye my people,” is stately, declamatory, and confidently reassuring. By contrast, the aria which follows is upbeat and virtuosic, with several instances of delightful word painting such as the intricate, extended melisma on the word “exalted.” Part One concludes with the most narrative portion of the oratorio: the triumphant announcement of Christ’s birth in Luke 2. In setting the text, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth, good will toward men” from Luke 2:14, Handel masterfully alternated between two choirs, high and low voices, and homophonic and imitative textures.

Scriptures detailing the passion, death and resurrection of Christ occupy Part Two. Handel’s music to open this section is a simple yet weighty and incredibly emotional mezzo-soprano aria on the text from Isaiah 53:3: “He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” Part Three begins thankfully with a proclamation of the redemption of the world through a living Savior: “I know that my redeemer liveth” (Job 19:25). Handel’s setting of I Corinthians 15:52, “the trumpet shall sound,” further showcases the composer as a master of variety for here he pairs a dignified baritone solo with a glorious and virluosic trumpet solo. The work concludes with Scriptures describing the spread of the Gospel and finally with sections from Revelation 5 detailing the future reign of Christ: “Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.” In the original score, Handel’s grand “Hallelujah Chorus” closes Part Two, ending the section by announcing the resurrection but in contemporary performance practice, it is commonly placed at the end of the entire oratorio. Surely neither Handel nor Jennens would question the appropriateness of underlining the final “Amen” of Revelation 5:14 with an unambiguous “Hallelujah!”

Heather McNeely

(Heather is a member of the Department of Instrumental Studies, Division of Music, at Bob Jones University)

Image header from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/George_Frideric_Handel_by_Balthasar_Denner.jpg

Dec

2014

The Lights Are Turned On

An Annual Event We’ve Grown to Love

The first Friday of each December marks an event in Greenville, SC, that my family and I have grown to love. It was one of the first things we experienced after we moved into the area in 2010.

“You must get to see the turning on of the lights,” said our friend, Derek. “It’s a great celebration!” He was referring to a half-hour of singing of carols open-air on the campus of Bob Jones University.

It’s generally a week or so after Thanksgiving each year that it takes place. Organized as a special event to which everyone is welcome, regardless of their association or otherwise with the school, at the event members of the University Choir sing, a few soloists perform, and many of the old favorite Christmas carols are sung by the one or two thousand bystanders. Large overhead screens prompt the words (with some images to tie in with the theme of the songs), and amplified piano music helps the music along.

On the Twelve Days of Christmas

A favorite for our son, Matthew, is “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” This is always carefully managed, with various people-types in the audience assigned the different verses–such as the freshmen, seniors, juniors, the choir, men only and women only, andthose standing on the bridge or other locations each taking a part.

As well as there being a short address from the President of the University each year, there is always the turning on of the lights. There has been intensive preparation for this–there are 100,000 light bulbs clustered around the campus, involving 3,000 feet of garland–these are turned on at a point during the singing of “O Holy Night.” Especially prominent is a column of light that shines up from near a nativity scene at the campus main gate.

Joseph Attacked by the Archers

“The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel).” Genesis 49:23,24

Watching This Spot

Background

Launch Pending

Imputed Righteousness

Notes from a sermon by Colin Mercer, Sunday evening February 1st, 2015

1. Jesus Christ Has a Perfect Righteousness

2. The Perfect Righteousness of Christ Is Imputed to Sinners

3. The Perfect Righteousness of Christ Secures Eternal Blessings for the Believer

I Do or I Don’t

But That Is Only the First Part of the Story…

There’s a Hymn on My Radar

The Mystery of the Trinity

The Creed of Athanasius

And so we worship

The Trinity of His Sacred Persons

A Trinitarian Hymn

Noteworthy Quotes

When You Jump Off a Cliff…

Lean and Mean

Power of Imagination

Impossible or Inevitable?

You Are Right!

Enjoying Handel’s Messiah

PROGRAM NOTES TO BOB JONES UNIVERSITY DIVISION OF MUSIC

COMBINED CHOIRS AND ORCHESTRA SELECTIONS FROM MESSIAH

An Annual Event We’ve Grown to Love

On the Twelve Days of Christmas

Windows on My World

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PROGRAM NOTES TO
BOB JONES UNIVERSITY DIVISION OF MUSIC

COMBINED CHOIRS AND ORCHESTRA
SELECTIONS FROM MESSIAH