Family, Parenting, Relationships, Religion, Wisdom
John Beeson
Your Soccer Coach Has a Plan for Your Life

“The coach says that he has the talent to play D-1 one day.” A friend’s son had just tried out for an elite club soccer team and they were weighing the decision. The travel club came with a hefty price tag and a commitment to regular out-of-town tournaments. They would say yes to the club. In a few years their son would burn out from playing soccer. But the impact on their family couldn’t be undone. They had built the patterns of their family in their kids’ early years around healthy spiritual rhythms, including regular church attendance. Club soccer changed those patterns.

Your Soccer Coach Has a Plan for Your Life
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
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How to Raise Kids Who Are Best Friends

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How to Raise Kids Who Are Best Friends

Do your kids like each other? Nothing like COVID-19 to test those limits, right?

Every parent wants their children to be friends. One of the best gifts of my childhood was my friendship with my sister. The gift of a playmate, of someone to walk through life’s ups and downs with you, is incalculable.

Over time I’ve realized that the gift of my friendship with my sister, Sarah, has paid enormous dividends in my life. It was that friendship that taught me how to navigate conflict, how to apologize and reconcile, how to comfort, and how to navigate long-distance friendship, and through changes and stresses in life. It’s not that I’ve navigated any of those things particularly well (in fact, even in the past year I can point to ways I’ve navigated several of those things particularly poorly!), but my relationship with Sarah has always been a touchstone of learning and growth.

Looking back on my friendship with Sarah, I realize that is where I learned to be a husband as well. Whatever ways I’ve been a good husband can be attributed to a foundation of friendship with my sister.

But how do you raise children who are friends? Many parents are exasperated by the constant bickering, the endless disputes and competition between siblings.

I thought it would be beneficial to get my kids’ perspective on it: a view from the trenches, as it were.

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Looking for Some Family Fun? Try These Board Games

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Looking for Some Family Fun? Try These Board Games

In these socially distanced days, I hope that you’re getting to enjoy some extra family time. I hope that you’re spending some of that time in the park or on walks.

One of our family’s favorite ways to spend time together is by playing games together. We have a particular fondness for off-the-beaten-path games. If you’ve worn out your family’s copies of Monopoly, Risk, Clue, Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble, Taboo, Cranium, and Catch Phrase, you might inject some new fun and laughter with these games.

7 Wonders

This is one of our very favorite games. In it, you get to lead one of the seven great cities of the ancient world. You build your city and erect your great architectural wonder: the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Hanging Gardens at Babylon, the Colossus at Rhodos, the Lighthouse at Alexandria, the Temple of Artemis, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, and the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus.

7 Wonders is dynamic and there are many ways to win the game. It’s also probably the most complicated game on this list, but because it’s such a great strategic game, it never gets old.

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This Week's Recommendations

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This Week's Recommendations

1. Like Lovers, Parted by War: Rebecca McLaughlin compares the departure of an American soldier in WWII to the socially distanced church. She concludes, “While we’re forced to be apart, let’s long for the day when we come together again. Let’s long like Steve Vlaskamp longed for his wife, and like Captain Harville longed for his family. Let’s set our sights on the soon-to-come day when we’ll be back in church once more. And in this time of short-term deprivation, let’s long for the long-term: when we’ll gather from every tribe and tongue and nation to worship Jesus as one body together (Revelation 7:9), when the Lamb will be on his throne, and final peacetime will – at last – have come.”

2. Banning Plastic Bags Isn't Going to Save the Planet: Bjorn Lomborg with a controversial opinion about why this slogan doesn't deal with the actual issue.

3. How the Virus Got Out: This is stunning work by the New York Times that visually depicts the spread of COVID-19 from one seafood market in Wuhan to every corner of the globe. You need a NYT account, but can get one for free right now.

4. How Porn Kills Healthy Sexual Relationships: Tim Barnett begins, "Neuroscience is clear: porn affects your brain. But it does more than that. It also affects your heart. That is, it changes how we relate to other people... For instance, husbands who regularly use pornography have trouble connecting sexually with their wife."

5. 5 Signs Your Character is Slowly Imploding: Carey Niewhof shares that we need to be aware of the gap between our public and private life, "Character rarely implodes suddenly. Instead, there’s almost always a slow erosion until eventually your character implodes. Consequently, wise leaders keep an eye on any gaps between what they say publicly and how they live privately."

6. There Once Was a Farmer: Are you struggling with discouragement? This post by Christ Thomas is one of the best pieces of writing I've read in a while, and profound.

7. The Deep Sea: This interactive page is fabulous! You're going to love it.

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When All You Have is Facebook: Why Social Media Should be Part of our Response to COVID-19

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When All You Have is Facebook: Why Social Media Should be Part of our Response to COVID-19

Social media has received plenty of negative attention over the past several years. More than a few of my friends have sworn off Facebook and Twitter. They are not without reason. Beyond draining time and productivity, it’s well documented that social media has been linked to depression.

There have been more than a few times I’ve considered deleting my Facebook and Twitter accounts. In the end, I’ve decided that in a social media age, I shouldn’t stay on these platforms: it’s my responsibility as a pastor to connect with those in my care where they are (I wrote more about that here).

Now, more than ever this is true.

Church, I encourage you to engage online.

In this new world of social distancing and (in some locations) shelter-in-place, there are more reasons than ever to utilize social media. Here are four:

  1. Others are using social media more than ever.

    Anecdotally, our church social media engagement has been through the roof in the past week. Our page views are up over 280%, our post reach is up over 570% and our post engagement is up over 840%. My hunch is that many churches are experiencing the same uptick in engagement.

  2. Most are feeling the loss of relationships.

    With schools closed and many businesses closed or having their employees working remotely, we don’t have nearly the amount of social interaction we had just a couple of weeks ago.

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Two Immersive Books to Prepare for Easter

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Two Immersive Books to Prepare for Easter

Tired of Netflix yet? With Easter approaching and (perhaps) some extra reading time on your hands, I have two books I would love to recommend to you. Both books are historic-fiction and both approach the story of Jesus through the eyes of a Roman character. If historic-fiction is your cup of tea, I think you’ll really enjoy them both.

The Advocate by Randy Singer

Randy Singer, a lawyer by trade, imaginatively steps into the sandals of Theophilus in his historic-fiction The Advocate. Theophilus is the man (or perhaps group of people) who Luke writes Luke and Acts to. Luke begins his account this way, “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus…” Acts begins similarly, “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach…”

Randy Singer imagines that Theophilus was a Roman advocate, tutored in Rome by the Roman philosopher Seneca who then takes his first post under Pontius Pilate where he stands behind Pilate during the trial of Jesus of Nazareth.

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This Week's Recommendations

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This Week's Recommendations

Here are some of the most helpful resources that I’ve found on COVID-19 (the coronavirus). I hope they are helpful for you as well.

1. Should Christians Be Anxious About the Coronavirus? Wise counsel from Todd Wagner, who says, “Follow the example of those who’ve acted faithfully in the past. In 19th-century England, when thousands were dying of cholera, Charles Spurgeon visited homes to care for people. The church of Jesus in Wuhan China, the virus’s epicenter, is faithfully leading even today.”

2. Love in the Time of Coronavirus: Andy Crouch with a lengthy and nuanced article regarding how to lead well through this pandemic.

3. Spurgeon and the Cholera Outbreak of 1854: Geoff Cheng shares the story of how Charles Spurgeon responded in the midst of a cholera outbreak. He shares that Spurgeon reflected that, “If there ever be a time when the mind is sensitive, it is when death is abroad. I recollect, when first I came to London, how anxiously people listened to the gospel, for the cholera was raging terribly. There was little scoffing then.”

4. When the Deadly Outbreak Comes: Counsel from Martin Luther: Andrew Davis shares the story of Martin Luther’s ministry in the middle of an epidemic, “In August 1527, the plague had struck Luther’s city of Wittenberg, and many of Luther’s fellow citizens ran for their lives. Luther’s prince, Elector John, ordered Luther to leave immediately to save his own life, but Luther chose to stay to minister to those stricken.”

5. CS Lewis on the Coronavirus: 72 years ago CS Lewis responded to the atom bomb. His words ring true today in the midst of this crisis.

6. What is a Pandemic? A brief survey of the six pandemics of the past hundred years.

Run Toward the Fire: a Response to COVID-19

Run Toward the Fire: a Response to COVID-19

How do you quantify fear? How do you measure anxiety?

None of us knows what lies ahead of us with the COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation. When scientists’ predictions range from tens of thousands to 10 million deaths worldwide,[i] you realize that it is impossible to gauge what the impact will be.

That uncertainty is fuel for fear; it fans the anxieties of our hearts.

Fear Not

But, dear Christian, we are not called to fear. We are not called to anxiety.

“[W]hich of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” Jesus asks in Matthew 6:27. We know Jesus is right, but how do we stop the cycle of anxiety in our hearts?

John reminds us that “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). Where do we find the answer to anxiety? In love. God’s love, to be specific.

“Fear not,” God says to us, “for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God” (Isaiah 41:10). God doesn’t promise us that our circumstances will change. He promises himself. In the midst of crises he’s still God and he’s still with us. What more could we ask for? In Hebrews we are reminded again of this beautiful promise, “[W]e can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6).

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This Week's Recommendations

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This Week's Recommendations

1. Entitlement is Poisoning the Church: Noe Garcia with a timely observation, "There is an attitude that slowly creeps in and begins to create an underlying culture of everyone wanting it their way or wanting special treatment because of who they are and what they have done for the church. It’s the attitude of privilege and prestige that goes against the very essence of James 2."

2. State of Health Report Shows Growing Despair Among American Men: This is concerning. Alexandre Tanzi from Bloomberg reports that not only is male life expectancy decreasing, but that the reasons for that decrease are concerning, "The decline in life expectancy is occurring in part due to deaths from despair. From 2007 to 2017, the mortality rate from drug overdoses increased 82%, to 21.7 deaths from 11.9 per 100,000. Over the same 10-year period, suicide rates increased 24%, to 14.0 deaths from 11.3 per 100,000 resident population."

3. How Do I Know If I Have Been Predestined to be Saved? I hear this question often. Jesse Johnson answers it well. He begins with this simple statement, and then expands, "How does a person know if they have been predestined by God for heaven? The shortest answer to the question is also the best: Do you love Jesus? If so, then you have been predestined."

4. 10 Things You Should Know About Demons and Satan: Graham Cole with a concise theology of demons. His tenth is that "We may have a blind spot: ...many western Christians may have an espoused theology affirming angels and demons, but in practice have an operational theology that lives as though God and ourselves were the only intelligences."

5. Who is Under Your Roof: New research shows dramatic changes in the living situation of the average 26 year old. More and more cross-generational homes are becoming the norm.

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Can We Trust the New Testament Documents?

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Can We Trust the New Testament Documents?

The last two weeks we have considered whether it might be plausible to trust the Bible audacious claim, that it is the word of God.

The final response to the challenge is to address the reliability of the manuscripts. Can we trust that the Bible we have in our hands resembles the original writings of the disciples? Is it true as Bart Ehrman said that there are 400,000 errors in the early biblical manuscripts?

Let’s respond to this important challenge.

Let me provide some explanation: the Bible was written by hand and then sent to the intended recipients via the Roman mail system. Let’s take the gospel of Luke, since we’ve previously read from the beginning of his gospel. Luke wrote out his account of Jesus’ life and then sent it to a man named Theophilus. Theophilus then read the gospel and was likely so amazed that he decided to have a scribe make copies of the letter to send to his friends so he could share the story with them. Copies of those manuscripts were made and then copies of those copies and so on and so forth. We don’t have in our possession any of the original manuscripts of the New Testament. We don’t have the first gospel that Luke wrote. But what we do have are many of the copies of a copy of the original.

How in the world can we trust the documents we have, then?

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This Week's Recommendations

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This Week's Recommendations

1. 1 in 3 Teens Say They're Religiously Unaffiliated: Aaron Earls reports on findings about teens and religion. One of the interesting notes is that, "Among those who dropped out between the ages of 18 and 22, only 31% say they now attend church regularly."

2. A Tale of Two Failures: My friend Jeff Johnson with a reflection on true engineering failures and why they ought to make us rethink the "fail fast" motto adopted by many in the business world.

3. 12 Things I'd Tell My 25 Year-Old Self About Life and Leadership: Such a great list by Carey Niewhof. He begins with an invitation to trust and submit to the Bible: "For almost my entire life, I have believed that the Word of God is just that – the Word of God. I always landed on the side that trusts the authority of scripture. But I would read certain passages and say to myself “Come on….really?” I thought I knew better."

4. How is Your Prayer Life? Crossway asked that question to Americans and got a helpful glimpse into the average American's prayer life.

5. Interactive Fireflies: This is a fun and interactive explanation of how fireflies can synchronize.

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