January 31, 2004
This is the first of my chapter by chapter posts on John Piper's book Desiring God. Chapter 1 is entitled "The Happiness of God," and its premise is that God is God-centered and that He is completely satisfied in Himself:
The ultimate ground of Christian Hedonism is the fact that God is uppermost in his own affections:
The chief end of God is to glorify God and enjoy himself forever.
And so Desiring God gets off to a quick, jarring start. God is uppermost in his own affections? Piper correctly points out that we tend to think, or assume, that we are uppermost in God's affections. We often attempt to explain God's purposes with ourselves at the center.
Piper begins to explain his theory by discussing God's sovereignty, quoting Psalm 115:3, which says that "Our God is in the heavens, He does whatever He pleases." I can't imagine a Christian who would deny Piper's assertion that God has the right, power, and wisdom to do whatever He wants. The conclusion he draws from this is interesting, but it should have been obvious: If God can do anything He wants, and His purposes cannot be frustrated, He must be the happiest of all beings. Just the thought of a happy God is a bit different for me, after having spent a couple years in the Pentecostal/Charismatic tradition, where God is alternately presented as a cosmic ATM and a harsh judge waiting for the chance to take back your salvation and toss you out the back door into outer darkness. I love that Piper hangs all of Christian Hedonism on this foundation -- we can't expect to find joy in a joyless God, but since God is full of joy, He is a reliable source of joy for us.
Piper goes on to tackle the difficult question of evil in the world, and what place it has in God's plan. Far from being a God frustrated with a world full of evil gone wild, he states that God uses the evil of this world to fulfill His greater purposes. Referencing Job, Jeremiah, and the story of the crucifixion, Piper shows that "the evil Satan causes is only by the permission of God." As a further explanation, Piper describes two different lenses through which God views evil in the world. In the narrow view lens, he says, God sees sin as abhorrent and He is saddened by its damaging effects. In the wide view lens, through which God sees all of redemptive history, God sees sin and evil as tools by which to bring about His ultimate purposes. This is one of the most intriguing attempts to explain "the problem of evil" from a sovereignty-oriented perspective, and it seems to make a lot of sense.
In the latter half of the chapter, Piper discusses God's happiness in Himself, using the example of how God is well pleased in His Son Jesus, who is the exact image of His glory. Thinking of God's God-centeredness in relation to the Trinity was helpful to me in getting my head around the concept. Creation is an overflow of this happiness; it reflects God's glory and brings Him further happiness.
Finally, Piper discusses God's seeking of our praises. He quotes C.S. Lewis's discovery of why God wants us to praise -- not to fill some need within Himself, but because praise is the natural completion of our enjoyment of anything. Lewis correctly points out that the world is full of people praising all the things that they enjoy. If we find pleasure in God, that pleasure is made complete by praising Him. What a revelation of the many Psalms that exhort us to sing praises to God! It makes perfect sense, and I look forward to my own enjoyment of God to overflow in many constant praises.
"Oh Lord open my lips, and my mouth with shew forth your praise."This chapter is full of big concepts, and honestly reading it through a second time was a great help. Seeing God as perfectly happy within Himself, and seeing that happiness as a foundation for finding our happiness in Him was truly a revelation, and I look forward to seeing how the rest of the book builds on this foundation.
January 27, 2004
Saturday morning I watched the new VH1 show "Bands Reunited." I'd seen plenty of commercials advertising it, and wasn't that interested. Fortunately for me, there was nothing else on that morning, because the show is good. The episode I watched was the reunion of the band Berlin, famous for the song "Take My Breath Away" from the Top Gun soundtrack.
I was amazed at how easily I was sucked into this story -- considering I had only a passing familiarity with the band. But this story, of people who had long since left the music industry behind, who hadn't seen each other in over a decade, and how they were coerced back together for one last show was mesmerizing. Berlin apparently didn't have the smoothest of breakups, so seeing the reunion and the forgiveness of the old wounds was pretty cool as well. Finally, I have to admit, they sounded pretty good in their concert given only a couple of days to rehearse after not playing together in over 10 years. The band members seemed to be savoring every second of the concert. It was, for everyone involved, a blissful trip back in time. Consider me hooked.
January 26, 2004
Over the course of ten weeks, our small group at Rock Creek is studying and discussing John Piper's book Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. We're taking it a chapter a week, and what I plan to do alongside that study and discussion is to post my thoughts on each chapter here on the weblog. As always, I welcome a good discussion and look forward to the possibility that my usually silent blog readers and I can have some engaging discussions about the book. My goal is to have my thoughts on each chapter posted by Wednesday afternoon of each week.
If you don't own the book and are interested in reading it (for free!), John Piper is offering the full text online.
January 23, 2004
For those of you who don't know, Genia and I got married the day after my 20th birthday. She was 22 at the time, so we would definitely fall into the category of "people who got married young." We often get met with questions as to why we wanted to get "tied down" so young or why we didn't wait until finishing college. The cultural norm, even within the church, seems to put education, status, and money above marriage these days. Genia and I bucked the trend, as did my younger brother Joel. So I like to defend the notion of getting married at a young age when I can.
Right now there's a good discussion going at the Boar's Head Tavern about young marriage, which came about as one member asked for advice on how to counsel an 18 year old friend who just got engaged. There are a couple great articles on the subject that offer well-reasoned defenses of getting married young.
First, this post by fellow blogger The Dane argues in favor of young marriage from a solid Biblical perspective. His essay is thoroughly centered on Christ, with whom all things are possible. He reminds us that the scriptures teach "it is better to marry than to burn." The church at large believes Paul when he says "it is better to marry than to burn." The problem is that they have added "but it is better still to sign a True Love Waits pledge card, and wait... an unnaturally long time, until you're older, more educated, and wealthier."" The Dane also readily handles the question of immaturity:
That is one of the beauties of the marriage of believers: God will work between the two who are one and mold them further toward the image of his Son. Is not his grace sufficient for all things?Another excellent essay, from Orthodox writer Frederica Mathewes-Green, relates the subject of young marriage to the problems of teen pregnancy and the expectation of immaturity that our culture has placed on teens. I was pleased to see her calling for us to raise our expectations of an age group that has gone in a couple of generations from working hard and raising families to mooching off of their parents and partying in Cancun as they "find themselves" and "enjoy their youth." Mathewes-Green's essay also challenges natural families and church families to surround young couples with support, both practical and spiritual, another factor that made it easier for young couples to marry in times past.
Overall, I think there are a good number of reasons to support young people who wish to get married, and to challenge the perspectives of those young people who feel they should wait until they have acheived the cultural definition of success before getting married.
January 22, 2004
January 20, 2004
Bailey definitely loves bath time. She outgrew the sink in about two weeks, so now she has a little seat we put her in inside the bathtub. As soon as she hits the warm water, she gets so peaceful. And once bathtime is over, she loves to be dried with the blow dryer. Something about the sound seems to calm her down. We even turn it on and just let it go when it's time to put her in her bassinet to sleep. Now Genia has relinquished it from the bathroom to a permanent place on Bailey's changing table. Whatever works, right?
Below are two more bath time photos.
Ever since the end of the Elevation Tour two years ago, I've been eagerly awaiting a new U2 album. Bono especially, and the Edge to a lesser degree, have been talking up their new material for almost that entire time. There have been rumors and more rumors. And then yesterday the sky cracked with the sound of "some authentic, honest-to-goodness scoops" courtesy of U2 Log. This is some of the best info the public has heard in a long time -- including working song titles and song descriptions (for example, "Jahweh," which was described by their source as one of their greatest songs ever) and confirmation of May 2004 as the time of release. U2 fans, take heart! We will hear Edge's guitar again, and soon!
January 16, 2004
January 10, 2004
Some of you know that I have a friend, Michial, in a band called The Shots of Perspective. Those of you who are really astute know that I designed their website and the liner notes for their first album. Well... I'm happy to say that Michial has asked me to do the liner notes for their next album, the recording of which is nearly complete. Also cool is that I helped him choose the album title, which will be Nothing Personal. It's a phrase from one of the lyrics, but it of course "works on several levels" as Michial put it. So, aside from congratulating myself, I posted this to say go check out their website and listen to a couple of their tracks (specifically "Let It Be an End") on garageband.com.
January 9, 2004
The faith of a little child is an amazing, and inspiring thing to behold:
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Luke steeple his fingers and bow his head for a split second. Surprised, I said, ''Sweetheart, what are you doing?'' He wouldn't tell me, but a few minutes later, he did it again. I said, ''You don't have to tell me, but if you want to, I'm listening.'' Finally he confessed, ''I was saying a little prayer for Daddy.''I was really surprised to see an article like this, written by a self-described athiest, in the New York Times. Maybe God has chosen to draw this woman to Himself through the faith He has given her child. It would be really interesting to talk to her a year from now and see what might have changed.
''That's wonderful, Luke,'' I murmured, abashed that we, or our modern world, somehow made him embarrassed to pray for his father in his own home. It was as if that mustard seed of faith had found its way into our son and now he was revealing that he could move mountains. Not in a church or as we gazed at the stars, but while we channel-surfed. I was envious of him.
I can't wait for the day when I see that kind of faith in my daughter Bailey. Of course, Genia and I will always teach her our beliefs about God, and we believe God will honor that and give her the gift of faith, so it shouldn't surprise us, but it will be a welcome and celebrated time in our lives.
January 8, 2004
Happy Anniversary to my beautiful wife Genia. Thanks for four wonderful years.
January 7, 2004
Ahem.
So I turn 24 years old today. I don't generally make a big deal out of my birthday, and this year is no different. I don't feel old, either, despite my being a new father, which is a pretty adult thing to be.
I am struck by the thought that another entire year has passed, and I made exactly zero progress towards my only major goal: becoming a minister. At the beginning of the year, all signs pointed to me returning to college and working to finish my bachelor's degree. By the spring, however, we knew Genia was pregnant and so my plans were on hold yet again. The year has absolutely flown by and, looking back, it was all running to stand still. And now at the beginning of 2004, and my twenty-fifth year of life, I feel like it will be yet another year of the same. Will I ever get anywhere?
The Good
Fatherhood. Without a doubt, nothing can top the joy of seeing my daughter born, and holding her for the first time. Fatherhood is amazing, and truly life-changing. You forget to eat dinner. A full night's sleep becomes a fond memory and a dream for the future. You see, smell, and touch a lot of poo. It breaks your heart when you can't comfort the fervent cries of your own flesh and blood. You can't wait to see her crawling, walking, and talking, but you know you'll miss having such a tiny creature to hold in your arms or sleep on your chest.
Rock Creek Fellowship. Have you ever heard the phrase "church family?" It started to really mean something to us this year, at this church. Our pastor is a great man with a caring heart for the people of his church, and our small group has been such a blessing. We love fellowshipping and learning with them each week.
The U2 Pilgrimage. In October, my brother Joel and I made the trek to Cleveland, Ohio, to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They have a three floor exhibit of U2, and it was amazing. For a couple of huge U2 fanatics like us, it was well worth the drive. On the way back, we got to see my high school friend Raman in Cincy, which was cool. It was also neat because Joel and I hadn't really done anything like that together before. Thumbs up for brotherly bonding and all that jazz.
The Bad
Jobs and Money. 2003 was pretty rough in these departments. When we moved to Chattanooga in February, it took Genia almost two full months to find a job. And when she did, it paid only 2/3 of what she was making in Atlanta. Like all good American 20somethings, we have car payments, student loans, and credit cards, so that was pretty hard on the old budget. Then in October, I was laid off from my job when my department was shut down. Another big hit to the wallet.
A Little of Both
College Plans. We moved to Chattanooga so that I could go back to college at Covenant. Given my less than stellar GPA from my previous college credits, I was excited and proud when I was admitted to Covenant. It became bittersweet when I declined to enroll because I realized I couldn't start school and have a baby in the middle of the semester. Now, I feel like I'm just floating along again. I keep saying I might start back in Fall 2004, but I just don't know if our finances or our schedules will really permit that. I feel like I'm gonna be 40 by the time I finish college and seminary.
Esplodere Web Design. I officially launched this business in March with my partner and good friend Andy Coleman. It was a really exciting day when I got our first paying client. The truth is, though, that I'm no salesman or marketer and our success hasn't been nearly what we hoped -- or expected -- it would be.
The Favorites
Film. My favorite film of 2003 is Return of the King by a good margin. Some other favorites included Mystic River, Pirates of the Caribbean, and X-Men 2. It may have been released in 2002, but I rented Adaptation and thought it was really good as well.
Music. Some of my favorite songs from 2003 include "The Man Comes Around" and "Hurt" by Johnny Cash, "Open Apology" by Far Star, "Abilene" by Damien Jurado, "We're All in Love" by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and "There Goes the Fear" by Doves. I didn't buy too many albums that I can recall, but I love Ohio by Over the Rhine. I picked up two great music DVDs -- Coldplay Live 2003 and U2 Go Home (Live from Slane Castle).
Books. I bought fewer books than albums, it seems. I read Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis for the first time, and loved it. I also read his novel The Magician's Nephew to Bailey -- what a great story. I also started (and am still working on) Rumors of Another World by Philip Yancey and Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. 2004's book list better be longer than this!
January 4, 2004
I'm trying to ease my way back into blogging, so this post is basically just a link...
If you're a LOTR fan, take a few minutes to read Image and Faith by Ben Domenech, in which he discusses "the significant, clear, yet graceful images of a greater faith" in The Lord of the Rings. He identifies Gandalf as an image of the Holy Spirit, Aragorn as an image of the Kingship of God, and Frodo as an image of the Lamb of God.
Starting the new year off right, here is a new gallery of Bailey photos. There are one or two in there featuring Genia and I, but we know you all just want to see the baby. Enjoy!