Every week I interact with teenagers. It’s more rewarding (and challenging) than I anticipate, every time. I tell whoever will listen that the greatest danger facing our youth is being swept away in a sea of triviality . There are endless waves of nonsense competing for their attention, and we must teach them to know a few things so well they are gripped (or anchored) by them. By God. By the Gospel. By God-centered and others-directed love which compels us to give our lives away (2 Cor. 5:9-21). I contend that adults are essentially junior high students, past the changing-everything-stage,...

There are a number of "churchy" ways to try to change one’s self. Like church attendance, volunteering, etc. — but these are often not rooted in the one key thing: desiring to know God and serve Him as King. In general, there may be three Gospel-distorting approaches to change: Proving ourselves to God Proving ourselves to others Proving ourselves to ourselves These are not in keeping with our new identity in Jesus. I’ve been continually challenged to move past this nonsense as I slowly read How People Change by Timothy Lane and Paul David Tripp, as well as look forward...

John Dyer has a great post worth a read over at Don’t Eat the Fruit: Being Conformed into the Avatar of Christ: Social Networks & Identify Formation A snippet: I believe that any tool, whether we use it for good or bad, right or wrong, truthfully or untruthfully, shapes the way we look at the world. Just as a photographer sees the world in pictures and a stockbroker sees the world in business transactions, we all see the world through whatever we use most. A wise man once said, “We become what we behold.” His conclusion: So, come, be my friend on facebook, twitter, and the rest [links...

Don’t have much time to invest writing these days, but do keep a journal and write thoughts (more often type them, or hand-write in my illegible lower case scratches that inevitably make it difficult for others to read; a short-hand of sorts). Along the same lines, I haven’t had much time to read in recent months. At least not at the book-a-week clip I enjoyed before. Always dabbling in a few books, and trying to keep up on a few blogs. Here’s what I’m reading right now: SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Happy tensions: a few of my reads (print + web)", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2009/04/03/happy-tensions-a-few-of-my-fav-reads/"...

Dutch likes to "sort" our books — meaning he enjoys moving them all around, on different shelves, under and on top of objects, and "reading" them from time to time in his spare time. Yesterday he put four books in my book bag, thinking I needed to meditate on the Gospel. He selected one paperback each from four great authors: Andrew Murray, H.A. Ironside, D.L. Moody, and J.I. Packer. Thanks son, your exhortation is heeded! (The yellow duct tape hold together my DIY laptop case.) SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "A few good books from a good son", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/10/28/a-few-good-books-from-a-good-son/"...

I seem to always be reading a handful of books at once. Here’s the latest: Total Church: A Radical Reshaping Around Gospel and Community by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan When I Don’t Desire God: How to Fight for Joy by John Piper Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards Leading from the Second Chair by Mike Bonem and Roger Patterson Always reflecting on and praying through the pages of The Valley of Vision Reading for seminary: Ephesians at least three times a week (love that epistle!) Biblical Preaching: The Development...

The ever-challenging Jared Wilson wrote a recent piece on "Five Ways to Feel Scripture ." A little clip: "We like to keep Scripture short and manageable, and that’s understandable. It’s certainly more convenient that way. But we will not be mastered by Scripture if we don’t occasionally allow it to overwhelm us, intimidate us, and force us to wrestle with it." Read the whole thing … SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Feeling God’s Words", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/09/28/feeling-gods-words/" });

Tim Chester, co-author of Total Church, was interviewed over on the Desiring God blog. Check it out. Good stuff.  I’ve been reading the book and am challenged on a number of levels. My soul and mind resonate with the subtitle: “A radical reshaping around Gospel and community.”  A helpful quote from Chester: One of our catchphrases is “ordinary people living ordinary life with gospel intentionality.” It means doing the chores, having meals, watching sports, and so on with an intention to talk about Jesus, to pastor one another with the gospel, and to share that gospel with...

We are all a prone to have small visions for life. But you have to admit that bacon is pretty amazing… Read A Quest for More: Living for Something Bigger Than You by Paul David Tripp SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Hmm … bacon", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/09/07/hmm-bacon/" });

This week we had week two of our class, Enjoying the Bible for All Its Worth (see note on the first week, on erasing biblical aliteracy ). The three-week crash-course is meant to only whet one’s appetite for devouring God’s Word, so we can enjoy HIM for all He’s worth! A number of the attendees asked for a list of helps — how can I understand the Bible better? (If you are like me, you feel so far behind!) I had a stack with me and showed them a few of my most trusted ones. Here’s the list and a comment on each. Some are for beginning and intermediate readers, others...