The Gospel Coalition

Steven Curtis Chapman’s new album is the first since the death of his little girl. This interview is great.

I’ve never been so thankful for the Psalms. I’m not sure I really even got the Psalms until I walked through this. Obviously the Psalms were a great comfort before walking through the valley, but all of a sudden, I’m just so thankful for God’s honesty to us, to allow us to look into the heart of a schizophrenic worshiper like David, because that’s what I’ve found myself to be. To go in the same breath, How long, O Lord. Where are you, God? Are you doing anything about this? Do you even hear me? to But I’ll trust you. Your love is better than life. I worship you. I praise you. How can you do that? But I have, and my family has.

Z answers the question, “How do you manage your life?” Yes, life with toddlers can only be described as “manageable” chaos.”

I think your feelings of “insanity” are somewhat relative (which isn’t to dismiss them). What feels insane right now might not in a few years as you grow into a different life stage and as you get more comfortable with the chaos, or learning what you can cut out to limit the chaos.

Dinesh D’Souza’s new book examining the evidence that there is life after death looks like a must-read. Life After Death: The Evidence.

This is one of the better attempts I’ve seen to promote fair trade. It focuses on the church as the solution.

The new building plan for First Baptist Church – Dallas is spectacular. I have conflicted feelings over this type of thing. Part of me loves big church buildings/cathedrals/sacred space, etc. Part of me recoils at seeing this much money go to a structure. Not making any judgments, just recording my initial (confused and conflicted) feelings about it.

Church leaders will face criticism from time to time. It’s inevitable. No matter how small or large your church, you will find people who offer their thoughts (whether you want to hear them or not).

There are three ways that we can react to criticism, two bad and one good:

1. Dig in.

Some pastors are convinced that they know the will of God so clearly that anyone who dares to disagree with them must be out of step with the Holy Spirit.

“I’m the spiritual leader” can easily foster an attitude that says, “They don’t know what they’re talking about.” The pastor digs in his heels and says, “Here I stand,” except he’s not Martin Luther, and the stakes are usually not very high.

There are definitely times when a leader should stand his ground and dig in his heels. But if your natural tendency is to dig in, you might actually be digging a hole for yourself.

2. Crumble.

Other leaders go to the opposite extreme. When faced with criticism, they try to please everyone.

People-pleasers get sucked into a cycle of always trying to put out fires. They are racing around trying to keep everyone happy. Their ability to set a vision is severely hindered by their primary commitment to keeping criticism at a bare minimum.

Unfortunately, those who crumble under criticism wind up attracting more of it. The critics don’t stop just because you do everything they want. You can never make everyone happy. Everyone wants you to be the strong, in-charge leader… until you make a decision they don’t like.

3. Discern.

The third way to handle criticism is to take it into consideration. You don’t immediately dig in. Nor do you quickly crumble. Why not? Because you’re not perfect. Humility requires you to recognize that you could be wrong, unwise or both.

Instead, look to see where the criticism is originating:

• Is this a reputable person in your church?
• Is this someone who has your best interests at heart?
• Does this person always criticize?

Discern what kind of spirit the criticism is being offered in. If the person is hyper-critical, then you take the criticism with a grain of salt. If the person is generally positive and encouraging, then you may want to give their critique more thought. Discerning the source of criticism will go a long way in determining whether you should dig in or give in.

Sometimes, the person is reputable, positive, and wants the best for the church, and yet you still don’t see eye to eye. It happens. Even good church members sometimes have a vision that conflicts with that of the pastor.

The way you treat that brother or sister in Christ will go a long way in leading to a peaceful resolution. Even if they are not on board with your decision, you may ask them, “Can you give us the freedom to try this, even if we fail? Will you support this if we do it?”

There are two things that should roll off the back of the church leader: constant criticism and effusive praise. Don’t let either one stick to you too long.

Tim Challies has set a goal of reading every book on the New York Times bestseller list over the next year. He’s launched a new blog called “Ten Million Words.” Why?

First, I love to read and this project gives me an opportunity to read a lot. That, as I see it, is a good thing. Second, it is a challenge and I like to face a good challenge. I expect this project to involve at least ten million words of reading-break that down and you’ll see that it comes to at least three books per week over the course of an entire year. Third, I am interested in the cultural and worldview implications of all of these books.

The newest version of Logos Bible Software has been released.

New Testament scholar, Michael Bird, responds to the recent Christianity Today article on evangelicals and Catholics.

…Suddenly the multiple-choice theology of Geneva or Rome seems highly simplistic doesn’t it? Wright’s critique of Reformed interpretation, overstated and full of generalization I often find it!, can only cause folk to go to Rome if they are caught in this Geneva or Rome dichotomy. In other words, if you ingrain into people that Geneva (or one suburb of Geneva) and Rome (= Trent) are the only two options, once they question some of their Reformed heritage, you haven’t left them with any other option.

John Piper asks the question: Do people willingly choose to go to hell?

I am grateful that so many readers took my brief, four-question survey last week. At the start of my fourth year blogging here at Kingdom People, I needed to get some input from those of you who read this blog consistently.

Because of your input, I’ve made a few decisions regarding the content here at Kingdom People.

1. Trevin’s Seven.

Many readers indicated their desire for more frequent links to other blogs. In the past, I have saved my links for Friday’s post called “In the Blogosphere.” As of this week, that feature will cease.

Instead, on Fridays, I will provide a list of seven links that deserve the most attention. We’ll be calling the feature “Trevin’s Seven.”

Throughout the week, I will be posting links to other articles that merit attention. I will usually label the ongoing posts “Worth a Look.”

2. Book Reviews

My book reviews continue to be one of the main reasons that readers frequent this blog. In the past, I have tried to write reviews of every book I read. The more I read, the harder it gets for me to give every book that much attention.

So… in the future, I will concentrate on one book review (maybe two) per week. For some of the other books I read, I will offer some notable quotes or paragraphs.

3. More Articles

If I can back off (a little) regarding book reviews, I can devote a little more time to writing articles and doing some cultural commentary. The reason I have focused on book reviews and interviews in the past is because I felt the blog was stronger if I continually pointed to other authors and other’s ideas. The results of the survey indicated that many readers want to hear from me more often. I’m honored by that request, and so I will try. If the blog’s content suffers as a result, we’ll go back to more book reviews!

Thanks again to those of you who read this blog daily. I am honored that you would consider this blog worthy of your time and attention, and I hope to be a good steward of your time in future service to our King.

Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father-

the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob;

the God who saved Moses from the Nile,who rescued your people from Pharaoh,who forgave Aaron for the golden calf, who delivered Jericho into the hands of Joshua;

the God who strengthened Samson and gave courage to Gideon and Jael, the wife of Heber;

the God who showed kindness to Ruth and made Ruth so kind;

the God who cast down Eli and raised up Samuel;

the God who rejected Saul and chose Jesse’s son;

the God who gave king David a heart like yours and gave Solomon wisdom when he prayed;

the God of Elijah’s guts, Elisha’s miracles, and Josiah’s faithfulness;

the God of Job’s patience, Isaiah’s predictions, and Jeremiah’s lamentations;

the God of Ecclesiastes’ questions and Psalm 23′s answers;

the God who sent the Israelites into Babylon and brought them back again;

the God who promised that the valley of dry bones would live and the glory would return to the temple;

the God who saved Daniel from the Lion’s den, the three men from the fiery furnace, and Gomer from herself;

the God of John the Baptist’s boldness, Paul’s brain, and Stephen’s angelic face;

the God of Mary, Elizabeth, Mary and Martha, and all the other godly women who loved Jesus;

the God of Peter, Andrew, James and John, and all the other men who messed things up at first, but followed Christ faithfully until the end;

the God of apostles and prophets, saints and martyrs;

the God of rebels and reformers, puritans and patriarchs;

the God of life and death, of giving and taking away;

the God of electing love and second chances-

Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever.

(HT – Kevin DeYoung)