Christmas, Theology, Advent, Church, Hospitality
John Beeson
The Faithfulness of God of the Manger

Recently we had someone over and as the night came to a close Angel warmly offered, “Let’s do this again soon!” I wilted as I processed just how many things were on our calendar in the coming month. Just like Angel did, I wanted to be with them again and soon, but her invitation made me flinch.

 

My wife Angel and I are very different people. Angel brings light and life everywhere. People are drawn to her, and she is drawn to people. One of the many things I love about Angel is how she gets caught up in a moment with people. In that space, it’s not unusual that she shares hopes with those we are with of spending more time together. And she means it: there is no doubt of her genuineness.

The Faithfulness of God of the Manger
Advent, Christmas, Theology
John Beeson
A Humble God?

“I don’t compare myself with anybody, but nobody is better.” Michael Jordan

“They say the sky’s the limit, but I think my potential is beyond it.” Jay-Z

“I won’t be happy until I’m as famous as God” Madonna

“I won’t be a rock star. I will be a legend.” Freddie Mercury

“We’re more popular than Jesus now.” John Lennon

We tend to expect that greatest among us are also some of the most arrogant. And why wouldn’t they be? For many who make it to the top of their field, we can see how that arrogance can be a driving force for their greatness.

A Humble God?
Christmas, Forgiveness, Theology
John Beeson
The Just and the Justifier

God became flesh.

Let that sink in. Christianity asserts that God—sovereign, immutable, omnipotent, other—the eternal God who has no beginning and end—became a human being.

 Because many of us have had exposure to Christianity from our early years, it is easy to miss how massive the theological implications of the incarnation are. The incarnation lays the groundwork for a God who chooses to participate in his creation. The incarnation denies the existence of an abstract and distant God, unmuddied by his handiwork.

The Just and the Justifier
Advent, Christmas, Theology
John Beeson
The Theology of the Manger

“God did not, as the Bible says, create man in his own image; on the contrary, man created God in his own image.” Ludwig Feuerbach dropped this theological bombshell three years before Friedrich Nietzsche’s birth. Feuerbach, a name forgotten by most, but who influenced Nietzsche, wrote these words in his book, The Essence of Christianity (1841). He argued that human beings project their own attributes and desires onto an imagined deity, creating God in their own image. This for Feuerbach, is the essence of Christianity (and indeed all religions), the deification of our human ideals. “What man wishes to be, he makes his God… God is the outward projection of a man’s inward nature.”

The Theology of the Manger
Death, Gratitude, Prayer, Suffering
John Beeson
Go To a Funeral

We Westerners avoid death.

 

When was the last time you walked through a cemetery? When was the last funeral you went to? Our churches no longer have cemeteries, those who are older head to retirement communities and then to head to long-term care or assisted care facilities. The number of funerals held in churches has diminished. Death has become professionalized, antisepticised, and remote.

Go To a Funeral

The Lord of the Rings

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If Only I Had More Time...

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If Only I Had More Time...

Today I hand the reins over to Josh Barella. Josh is a friend and our Worship Director at New Life. Every Sunday morning, I wake up to a devotion that Josh sends to the worship team to prepare them for the day. Here is a recent devotion Josh shared.

My wife Lauren and I are fond of the niche science fiction film In Time, starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried.  Set in a future Ohio, the currency is time, and it’s also everyone’s life force.  Once born, you age until your 25th birthday, and that’s when “your clock” starts and you have one year to live.

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What I Read in 2020 (and What You Might Want to Read in 2021)

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What I Read in 2020 (and What You Might Want to Read in 2021)

In 2019 I read 101 books, which was a personal high for me, at least since I’ve been keeping track. I expected to tail off that number in 2020. And then COVID-19 struck. With fewer social gatherings than ever and more quiet nights at home, my reading actually increased. A new high-water mark for books resulted: 115.

2020 was also a year that provided plenty of internal reasons to need the companion of books. I read loads from other pastors and leaders on how they were navigating leading through COVID (given the immediacy of the issue, most of that was by way of blogs, not books). The fracturing of the nation over issues of race and racism had me diving deep on that topic. I’m still processing much of that, but I do plan on sharing more about what I’m learning about race and racism on my blog in the future.

2020 also saw the publication of my first book (co-authored with Benjamin Vrbicek), giving me a new appreciation for the labor of love every author has in bringing a book into the world. Thank you to those who read Blogging for God’s Glory in a Clickbait World. I’m grateful you let Benjamin and I spend several hours with you.

Let me start with my three favorite books of 2020.

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New Year's Eve Recommendations

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New Year's Eve Recommendations

1. Mental Health Declines Among Americans, Except Weekly Churchgoers: Fascinating study by Gallup that Aaron Earls explains. He says that, “Those describing their mental health as excellent has been between 42% and 51% since 2001. In 2020, that fell to 34%.”

2. Are We Experiencing Another Reformation? George Barna says that based on a new survey, “’American Christians are undergoing a post-Christian Reformation,’ says Dr. George Barna, Director of Research at the CRC. Unlike the Protestant Reformation was to return to the foundational teachings of the Bible, this modern movement is one where Americans are redefining biblical beliefs according to secular values.”

3. Should Christians Use the Enneagram? This is a well-balanced article by Tyler Zach, who shares some fascinating history of the Enneagram and concludes, “After decades of the church deploying reason-based apologetics, the door is wide open for us to use a self-awareness tool like the Enneagram to connect hearts and minds within a culture that has split itself.”

4. Pornhub Removes Majority of Videos: Fantastic news as the anti-trafficking ministry Exodus Cry has taken on the pornography giant. A recent expose by the New York Times revealed that, “Videos of assault involving underage girls, rape, and other exploitative content continue to be posted and reposted on the user-generated porn site, and the company is not doing enough to stop it.”

5. A Friend Who Sticks Closer Than… a Hobbit? Carissa Jones with a wonderful post on friendship and hobbits. She concludes, “We need those friends in our lives. Those who will carry us to the throne room when we are too weak and weary to take ourselves. We need to be those friends as well, sharing others' burdens when we can and lifting them up when we cannot. And when we've reached the end of our earthly journeys, may we look at our friends and proclaim, ‘I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things.’”

6. The Gentle Tug of Spiritual Disciplines: Craig Thompson reflects on how the tug of spiritual disciplines is different than the tug of his dog, “Toby makes sure that he is the center of my attention when he needs something. The Lord tends to call to us in small whispers. Listen carefully. Your spiritual disciplines may never demand your attention. But they do promise rest and communion with the Lord if you will just slow down.”

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This Week's Recommendations

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This Week's Recommendations

1. The World as 100 Christians: Fascinating breakdown of what global Christianity looks like today. The researchers report that, "A typical Christian today is a non-white woman living in the global South, with lower-than-average levels of societal safety and proper health care. This represents a vastly different typical Christian than that of 100 years ago, who was likely a white, affluent European."

2. The Economics of All-You-Can-Eat Buffets: How do all-you-can-eat buffets make money? What happens when someone tries to trick the system? It’s particularly interesting to read this during COVID-19. I wonder if buffets will ever come back?

3. What if Tolkien Lived in Middle Earth Too? I’m re-reading The Lord of the Rings right now, so I particularly enjoyed this analogy of the Trinity.

4. The 100 Most Spoken Languages: Loads of fascinating information in this infographic.

5. The National Parks Illustrated Based on Their Worst Review: This is pretty funny. "There are bugs...and they will bite you on your face." Ha!

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