Recommendations, Death, Biblical Studies, Leadership, Nature
John Beeson
This Week's Recommendations

  1. Relating to a narcissist: Ed Welch with a thoughtful and empathetic treatment of a growing concern, “Diagnostic labels have their benefits and liabilities. They can help you see certain behaviors. They can also blind you by leading you to believe that everything is a result of the diagnoses, which it is not. For the person who wears the label, the word can be meaningless or offensive. It will not help.”

  2. 6 kinds of hearers of God’s Word: Brian Najapfour pulls his list straight from scripture. For instance, “She knows that she has blemishes, but she is afraid to face them. Like someone who avoids the doctor for fear of a bad diagnosis, Mrs. Afraid resists the conviction of the Word. She does not want to be confronted with the cost of repentance.”

This Week's Recommendations
Wisdom, Education, Family, Parenting
John Beeson
Not Enough Wisdom

It was a cool February afternoon three years ago, our family piled in our aptly named Escape heading East on the I-8. We weave our way through Laguna Summit and the Cleveland National Forest, summiting the final miles of California and her Santa Ana Mountains on our way back to our home in the Sonoran Desert.

We just visited Concordia University, Irvine, a Lutheran school where our eldest, Camille, was offered a generous scholarship. Camille fell in love with Concordia’s professors, mission, and solid theological foundation on the trip. We rejoiced at her finding such a perfect fit for her. And we mourned her impending departure.

Not Enough Wisdom
Nature, Worship
John Beeson
Grateful Dust

Today I have the privilege of sharing a poem from my daughter, Camille. She is currently working at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and composed this poem as a praise to the Lord, my Rock (praise to the Lord, my Rock (YHWH Tsuri, see Ps. 18:2, for instance). Note also that ebneezers are stone monuments that memorialize the Lord’s help (see 1 Sam. 7:12, for instance). Finally, “ranan” means “to shout for joy” in Hebrew. -John

Grateful Dust
Recommendations, Culture, Marriage, Leadership, Relationships
John Beeson
This Week's Recommendations

  1. Jesus doesn’t use fake plants: Casey McCall writes, “I get the appeal of fake plants. We want the fruit without the work, the aesthetic without the need to provide care. In my house, we’ve killed our fair share of indoor plants by neglecting to provide water and sunlight. Nonetheless, I’d rather have no plants than fake ones.”

  2. Discipline, delight, and staying on the path: Glenna Marshall begins, “My husband and I took our kids on a hike not too long ago, and before we hit the trail, we warned both of our sons to stay on the path at all times. The woods were filled with poison ivy, and one of my sons is quite the explorer.

This Week's Recommendations
Christian Living, Prayer, Wisdom
John Beeson
Have You Given Me the Fountain, but Deny Me the ...

My co-lead pastor, Greg Lavine, and I lead discipleship groups that run concurrently through the school year. We take a group of men or women through a year of study that includes theological and spiritual formation. Currently we are in a stretch focused on the practice of prayer. In one of the weeks we use two books of compiled Puritan prayers: Valley of Vision and Piercing Heaven. The idea of utilizing Puritan prayers might sound as exciting as watching someone else fill out their tax returns, but I have found these books vibrant guides.

Have You Given Me the Fountain, but Deny Me the Stream?
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Consumers at the Mall

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Consumers at the Mall

Jamie Smith’s profound book, Desiring the Kingdom, lays out a captivating description of the shopping mall as seen through the eyes of a Martian. In doing so, Smith gives us new eyes to see the ways in which the mall speaks cultural truths.

Smith exposes three truths that the mall tells us about ourselves as consumers and I’ve added a fourth:

1)      “I’m broken, therefore I shop.” The mall latches onto our own sense of deficit and insecurity; it creates desires and offers fulfillment for those desires, whether it is a PS4 or a new wardrobe or a salty soft pretzel coupled with a tart and sweet lemonade.

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The Art of Neighboring by Jay Pathak

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The Art of Neighboring by Jay Pathak

A book on how to be a good neighbor? Seriously? What next? A book on how to pour a bowl of cereal?

But we need it. As simple and intuitive Jesus's simple command: "love your neighbor as yourself" seems, there is a huge gap between us agreeing with it and us living it out. That has certainly been the case for us. Of the eight places my wife and I have lived in our sixteen years of marriage, four of those locations we were flat out bad neighbors -- completely absent, and only two of those locations I can say we've been good neighbors.

This week's recommendations

This week's recommendations
  1. The Big Story: The Gospel Project is putting out some wonderful videos, here is one of them. 
  2. Making Married Sex Mutual: Dorothy Littel Greco provides wisdom in the midst of the swirl of dangerous cultural messages about women's sexuality. 
  3. This Momentary Marriage: Crossway is offering this excellent book by John Piper for free until tomorrow (2/17/17).
  4. Man of the People: The Reply All podcast team shares the stunning but true story of a charlatan who built a staggering empire on a surgery involving goat testicles.
  5. The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni: I review this simple but impactful book.

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We are Consumers

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We are Consumers

Like it or not, we are consumers. Just as a peasant in feudal 13th century Normandy was inextricably a farmer, so we, 21st century westerners, are inextricably consumers. That isn’t to say the 13th century farmer or the 21st century consumer is reduced to that identity, but it is undeniably a part of how the farmer or the consumer thinks, feels, believes, and acts.

That consumerism, then, profoundly shapes the way we view the world and our faith. We can’t help but view our faith with the eyes of consumerism. That might feel like an off-putting statement. I realize that consumerism is thrown around as a dirty word and our natural impulse is to distance ourselves from it.

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The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni

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The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni

You either love or hate Lencioni. I love him. But if you haven't read him, you need to. In his typical style, Lencioni tells a leadership fable over the first 2/3rds of this thin book and then lays out those principles in a more typical style over the last third of the book. I really appreciate his style. I put down my pen and just absorb the fable. For me, I find that I retain his concepts for much longer because of his style. He also never tries to do too much. In fact, he admits himself that this book is basic and almost painfully intuitive. Lencioni is not going to grip you with powerful sociological and psychological research. But he is always memorable and accessible.

And his insights in this book, even if not groundbreaking, are critically important. 

This week's recommendations

This week's recommendations
  1. False Teachers and Deadly Doctrines: Tim Challies with a helpful reflection on discerning false teaching.
  2. What Does It Mean to be a Judge? The Answer of Supreme Court Nominee Neil Gorsuch: I found it helpful to read Gorsuch in his own words. 
  3. A Timeline of Black Christianity Before the Civil War: A helpful big picture to reflect on during Black History Month.
  4. How to Motivate by Creating Meaning: David Burkus interviews Scott Mautz on his Radio Free Leader podcast. He reflects on the impact of purpose on our leadership. He says that we aren't motivated by promotion, pay or perks, but rather by a challenge and by the organization's culture.
  5. Soul Depths and Soul Heights by Octavius Winslow: I review an old Puritan book with surprising relevance and encouragement for us today.

Another blog? Why?

Another blog? Why?

Why does the world need another blog? I suppose for the same reason the world needs another church. Those of us who play very minor roles in God’s kingdom could step aside for those who are more gifted, who have larger platforms, and who devote more time to something like a blog than a run-of-the-mill associate pastor at a small large church in a small large town.

But just as we don’t encourage our people to flip on TBN on Sunday morning or put up a screen and run the best of John Piper and Tim Keller on our platform during our services, I have the audacity to believe that God has the purpose for even those small stones that build up his holy house (1 Pet 2:5). 

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Visual Theology

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Visual Theology

Challies and Byers introduce "Visual Theology" by saying, “we live in a visual culture, increasingly relying on infographics and other visuals to help us understand new and difficult concepts.” Challies and Byers are spot on with this need and the first thing that struck me about their book is how aesthetically pleasing its production was. I try to buy as many books as I can via Kindle today, but was glad in retrospect to be unable to purchase this book in that medium. The book is well designed and even the feel of the pages makes a reader happy.

Tracks to 5-3: Redirecting the Tracks of Orphans

Tracks to 5-3: Redirecting the Tracks of Orphans

15 years ago in Madison Street Jail, level 5, block 3 that God began readying my heart for foster care. I graduated from college with a degree in Biblical-Theological studies and got married weeks later. Knowing that pastoral ministry was God’s long-term call, I wanted to do something that would impact me and impact others, but outside of traditional vocational ministry. A billboard on the highway promoting the need for Detention Officers struck a chord and six months later I stood dressed head to foot in starched brown in a concrete box in downtown Phoenix that was Maricopa County’s Maximum Street Jail.

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The Cost of Dreams: La La Land Review

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The Cost of Dreams: La La Land Review

I confess, I enjoy musicals, and not just because they make my wife happy. From “Singing in the Rain” to “Moulin Rouge” musicals that are done well are often able to punch a unique emotional punch. La La Land is no exception. But beyond being a movie that is profoundly successful in landing an emotional punch, La La Land also manages to deftly challenge the contemporary uncontested truth that following one’s dreams leads to happiness.

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