The Power of Story

Posted on February 23, 2015 by Dana Dill

dadreading1Not only are stories fun, entertaining, engaging, and all around enjoyable, but they also are a powerful means of shaping our character and the way we see ourselves. Stories have the power, in the power of the Spirit,  to change who someone becomes and how they act. In an excellent article titled, Reading as Parenting, The Christian Pundit elaborates on this very point.

Reading to our children shapes character.

Do you remember a storybook from your childhood? Think for a moment about how that story has shaped the way that you see life. Consciously or not, what we read as children forms our character by extolling the good and courageous and kind and exposing the evil and selfish. We have a comparatively limited time to teach our children, and help shape their thinking. Reading good stories out loud to them helps this.

Human beings are oriented towards stories, both telling and listening, and a good story can stick for life. It does not stick without shaping the mind that holds it. And it is sometimes a powerful tool for helping children see themselves. When a kid is being selfish and grumpy, you can say, “Remember Charlotte’s Web? Well, you’re sounding like Templeton, honey.” This is what Nathan did to David after his adultery, right? Told him a story to help him see his own sin? Sometimes the moral effect of a story is so deep that it changes how we think about our lives, and the effect is too broad to state. Putting quality stories into our children’s heads is a fundamental part of shaping character.

Stories not only entertain and engage, but they shape the very minds that are entertained and engaged by them. I highly recommend the entire article which can be found here.

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The Saturday Post(s)

Posted on February 21, 2015 by Dana Dill

Saturday Post

What Happens When the Attorney General Sues a 70 Old for Her Beliefs. The actions of the AG is sickening and infuriating. The response of the woman is amazing. “If you haven’t been following Barronelle Stutzman’s case in Washington State, you need to be. She is the florist being sued by the state attorney general for refusing to participate in a gay wedding. The attorney general is trying to compel her to ignore her Christian faith and to participate in gay weddings. If she refuses, he is threatening the full coercive power of the state to force her to do it. She stands to lose everything—her home, her savings, her business, her livelihood—if she does not comply.”

A Study of Hebrews. The very intelligent and gospel-centered men at the White Horse Inn podcast take on the book of Hebrews. This is not to be missed.

How Can the Church Embrace Members Who Struggle With Same-Sex Attraction. An increasingly important question for the church to answer in such a time as this. “A lot of wisdom from Sam Allberry, Rosaria Butterfield, Jackie Hill-Perry, and Christopher Yuan, hosted by Radical…”

Your Dog is Not a Human. Stop Treating Them Like One. Some dog experts/lovers talk about how treating your dog like a human is bad for your dog. I gladly add that it’s silly and embarrassing too, but that was for free.

Reading as Parenting. “When we think about parenting, the word “books” probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But reading to our children is a fundamental aspect of parenting little people, though we rarely talk about it in the context of raising children.”

23 Things That Love Is. Some goodies from the Mustache Man: “Here’s a gospel-centered reminder about how to love. But, you don’t have to be romantically in love to find this list practical. Every healthy relationship requires love and sacrifice, so if you’re a parent, child, sibling, neighbor, pastor, or co-worker, this list is for you.”

The Early Church & the Deity of Christ. Lots of folks will say the idea of Jesus being God is a later development in Christianity that really got traction because of Constantine and his hooligans (circa 325AD). However, here is a great list of quotes from early church fathers (churchmen who lived from 50AD-280AD) about their firm belief in the Deity of Jesus Christ.

Three Truths for the Tired Mama. I am have an increasing affection for mothers and admiration for the hard, thankless, and selfless work they give themselves to. Here is a little encouragement for the tired mamas out there. Please don’t stop. Your work is indispensable.

Will You Go Out With Me? Part Two of a helpful and concise series on dating. This piece focuses on how to think about and work out a break up. See part one here.

If All the Bible Translations Had a Dinner Party. Some seminary-like, dorky fun.

Why Ya’ll Need to Stop Telling Me to Stop Drinking Coffee. Boom.

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What “Following Jesus” Means

Posted on February 18, 2015 by Dana Dill

Screen Shot 2022-03-18 at 6.51.14 AMA few years ago I was having coffee with a student and he asked a thoughtful question:

“I think I know, but I have a hard time explaining it: what does it mean to follow Jesus?”

I know what he meant when he said, “I think I know, but I have a hard time explaining…” There are countless things I feel I know, but can’t always describe them if asked. For this student, that thing was following Jesus.

But, I don’t think his question is his alone. Though Christians follow Jesus, that doesn’t mean they’re equally able to spell it out. It’s a question worth pondering.

To that end, here are five answers I see from Holy Scripture.

Trusting Jesus as the Savior

Acts 4:12 says, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” When it comes to our need for salvation, those who follow Jesus trust in Jesus alone (as opposed to their works or other mediators) for salvation from sin, death, and eternal judgment. We don’t trust in our good works, our religious works, our heritage, our history, or our associations to save us. When it comes to salvation from hell and unto God, we followers of Jesus have put all our chips on Him alone. For us, it’s all Jesus or nothing.

Learning from Jesus as the Teacher

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29). Followers of Jesus see Him as The Instructor. When Jesus saves someone He simultaneously enrolls them into His school. Yes, Jesus has gifted His church with gifted shepherds and teachers to build up His body (Ephesians 4:11-12), but, even then, those shepherds and teachers are a means through which He teaches His people. It is teachings we learn, His promises we hope in, His correction we heed, and His Word we hide in our hearts. Christ is the Christian’s Educator.

Valuing Jesus as the Treasure

Following Jesus means valuing Him above all. Jesus taught that it must be this way. When the rich, young ruler asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life, Jesus cut straight to the bottom line, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21). Essentially, Jesus is telling the young ruler, “If you want eternal life, value me above everything else in your life.” To follow Jesus is to see Him alone as the Treasure of our life. This is why followers of Jesus can gladly sing, “Take the world, but give me Jesus.” For the Christian having Jesus is the joy of heaven. We want Him more than His stuff.

Obeying Jesus as the Master

Following Jesus means giving Jesus in throne of your heart. It means that He is now the Boss of your life. He calls the shots. He chooses the direction. He makes the decisions. It is His job to lead us in everything and ours to obey in everything. Followers of Jesus do just that, follow Jesus. He is the Leader and we are not. Why such obedience? Simple. Love. We obey what we love the most. Jesus made that very clear, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 15:1). Because the Christian loves and values Jesus above all, they gladly and joyfully obey Him in all. He is Master and we His happy slaves (1 Corinthians 7:22).

Sharing Jesus as the Gospel

“My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus–the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God” (Acts 20:24). What is the good news? Well, “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Christians who trust Christ as the Savior, learn from Him as the Teacher, value Him as the Treasure, and follow Him as the Master spend their lives sharing Him as the Good News for all! By becoming Man (John 1:14), substituting for Man in life and on the cross (1 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24), rising again to new life for Man from the grave (1 Corinthians 15:4), Jesus now stands as Lord of all (Psalm 2), offering Himself as Savior to any who would believe (John 3:16). Those who follow Jesus, make it their life’s work to share this good news with others so others may come to see Jesus as the Good News.

There are probably more things to say or definitely better ways of saying it, but this is my humble offering for your knowledge and joy.

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The Worst Judgment

Posted on February 17, 2015 by Dana Dill

JudgmentWhat is one of the worst things God can do in judgment?

Fire from heaven (Genesis 19)?

Having the earth swallow you (Number 16:28-35)?

Sending bears to eat you (2 Kings 2:23-25)?

Falling out of a window and having your corpse eaten by wild dogs (2 Kings 9:30-37)?

Being drowned alive (Genesis 7:24)?

Although all of those are judgments to fear and avoid at all costs, none of them are so great as this: having God’s Word obscured or taken away.

Martin Luther said it well:

I have lived to see the greatest plague on earth – the condemning of God’s Word, a fearful thing, surpassing all other plagues in the world; for thereupon most surely follow all manner of punishment, eternal and corporal. Did I desire for a man all bitter plagues and curses, I would wish him the condemning of God’s Word,for he would then have them all at once come upon him, both inward and outward misfortunes. The condemning of God’s Word is the forerunner of God’s punishments; as the examples witness in the times of Lot, of Noah, and of our Saviour. (Table Talk on Scripture, XXXI).

Of all the things God can do to Man in judgment, few are as fierce as taking away His Word. With it, we have life and hope. Without it, we perish in despair. May His Word be cherished, learned, obeyed, and honored in our churches.

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The Saturday Post(s)

Posted on February 14, 2015 by Dana Dill

Saturday PostThis will be a bit short today. I have sermon preparation to do for tomorrow!

I Will Never Cast Out. I promise you won’t regret reading this short paragraph.

12 Questions to Ask When Watching a Movie. One theologian (John Frame) offers twelve things he thinks about when viewing a film. Very good thoughts to keep in mind.

Brian Williams & Grace. “One day you and I may need grace extended to us, just as Brian Williams needs it extended to him.”

God Likes You. Needed reminder. “God not only loves you but he “likes” you – his heart overflows with affection for you because of Christ in you.”

The Most Glorious Cure. “No one plans to be a widow at twenty-three. Tomorrow I will preach at the funeral of Elliott Preston Orr, a young man from our congregation who died of cancer last Friday.”

Present Spray. How to keep your friends present and off their phones.

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There is No Savior Like Jesus

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Dana Dill

jesus-at-the-crossIn an excellent article titled, “The Importance of Hell,” Tim Keller explains how the doctrine of hell reveals the love of Christ like nothing else does.

Tim Keller:

Fairly often I meet people who say, “I have a personal relationship with a loving God, and yet I don’t believe in Jesus Christ at all.” Why, I ask? “My God is too loving to pour out infinite suffering on anyone for sin.” But this shows a deep misunderstanding of both God and the cross. On the cross, God HIMSELF, incarnated as Jesus, took the punishment. He didn’t visit it on a third party, however willing.

So the question becomes: what did it cost your kind of god to love us and embrace us? What did he endure in order to receive us? Where did this god agonize, cry out, and where were his nails and thorns? The only answer is: “I don’t think that was necessary.” But then ironically, in our effort to make God more loving, we have made him less loving. His love, in the end, needed to take no action. It was sentimentality, not love at all. The worship of a god like this will be at most impersonal, cognitive, and ethical. There will be no joyful self-abandonment, no humble boldness, no constant sense of wonder. We could not sing to him “love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.” Only through the cross could our separation from God be removed, and we will spend all eternity loving and praising God for what he has done (Rev 5:9-14.)

And if Jesus did not experience hell itself for us, then we ourselves are devalued. In Isaiah, we are told, “The results of his suffering he shall see, and shall be satisfied” (Isaiah 53:11). This is a stupendous thought. Jesus suffered infinitely more than any human soul in eternal hell, yet he looks at us and says, “It was worth it.” What could make us feel more loved and valued than that? The Savior presented in the gospel waded through hell itself rather than lose us, and no other savior ever depicted has loved us at such a cost.

What did your god do to save you? What is the measure of your god’s love for you? Truly, there is no savior like Jesus.

Read the whole piece here.

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The Beliefs of Non-Believers

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Dana Dill

4818598_f260The title to this post may be a bit misleading. I am not using the term “non-believer” for those who don’t trust in Jesus Christ, but for those who don’t trust, believe, or subscribe to any kind of faith, religion, or creed. I am talking about the creedless. I am talking about those who say they don’t believe in anything.

However, it is an interesting and important point to note that even those who adamantly reject any kind of creed (a statement of belief) still possess a creed of their own. They just don’t publish or proclaim it explicitly. “Life is not possible without some form of creed. Creeds are inevitable. Whether you are religious or not, everyone has a creed.”

In their book Rooted, Cannata and Reitano cite a poem called “Creed” written by Steve Turner. In this poem, Turner insightfully captures the creed of the creedless. This is what the non-believers of our day believe.

We believe in marxfreudanddarwin
We believe everything is ok
as long as you don’t hurt anyone,
to the best of your knowledge.
We believe everything’s getting better,
despite evidence to the contrary.
The evidence must be investigated.
You can prove anything with evidence.
We believe that all religions are basically the same.
They all believe in love and goodness.
They only differ in matters of
Creation, sin, heaven, hell, God and salvation.
We believe that man is essentially good.
It’s only his behavior that lets him down.
This is the fault of society.
Society is the fault of conditions.
Conditions are the fault of society.
We believe that each man must find the truth that is right for him.
We believe there is no absolute truth,
except the truth that there is no absolute truth.
We believe in the rejection of creed,
and the flowering of individual thought.

This is the creed of the creedless. The beliefs of the non-believing. The absolute truths of those who reject all absolute truth. The emperor is naked, but no one seems to want to admit it.

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5 Signs of Spiritual Maturity

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Dana Dill

Spiritualk-Maturity-425x200What does it look like to be a mature Christian? To have graduated from the elementary school, middle school, high school, and college of the Christian life? What does it look like to be all grown up in your faith and love?

Of the many things one could point to, I appreciated Clint Archer’s list as a good start.

Mature believers possess these 5 indicators…

An Appetite for Meat. “It’s good to enjoy the milk of the gospel with every meal. But some Christians pride themselves on focusing only on the gospel, snubbing the offer of deeper doctrines. The love of doctrine may need to be acquired over time but it will always be there in a mature believer.”

An Imperviousness to Personal Offence. “Mature believers don’t take personal offence easily. They understand that when someone sins against them there are bigger issues at stake than their personal rights; e.g. God’s glory, the attacker’s relationship with God, etc.”

A Conscience Informed by Scripture, not Opinions. “When you are first saved it is natural to have a pendulum swing aversion to anything associated with your former way of life. That can be healthy. But as you mature you will settle into a more balanced view of liberty. If Jesus says something is ok then you won’t get upset when some Christians take him up on enjoying that freedom.”

A Sense of Humble Surprise when used by God in Ministry. “God uses sinners to do his work for a good reason: there is no one else from which to choose. Some sinners are used mightily. A mature believer will always feel humbled by his effectiveness in God’s ministry. Often though, the same privilege will inflate an immature believer’s ego.”

Tendency to give Credit for Spiritual Growth to God, not People. “Experienced race horse owners have respect for a good jockey, trainer, and veterinarian; but everyone understands the main factor in a win is the horse. We respect good preachers, writers, commentators, and spiritual mentors; but hopefully we recognize the real muscle behind any winning ministry they do.”

These were snippets from the piece, I encourage you to read the whole article here. Make sure to keep your eye on the blog Archer contributes to (The Cripplegate); it’s a goodie.

 

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How a Christian Lives

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Dana Dill

Martin%20LutherHow does a Christian live?

Martin Luther:

A Christian man does not live in himself, but in Christ and in his neighbor, or else is no Christian: (he is) in Christ by faith (and is) in his neighbor by love. By faith he is carried upwards above himself to God, and by love he sinks back below himself to his neighbor, still always-abiding in God and His love. (Taken from Luther’s treatise, Concerning Christian Liberty).

In Christ by faith and in our neighbors by love.  We live by holding a faith that carries us upward to enjoy our Lord and having love we are carried downward to love our neighbors. Loving God and loving neighbor.

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The Saturday Post(s)

Posted on January 31, 2015 by Dana Dill

Saturday Post

Why Does God Love Us? A short piece that clarifies a needed point. “To rightly answer the question we first must ask whom we mean by ‘us.’”

Toddlers & Picky Eating. I guess with my little one on the way, articles like this intrigue me a bit more. “Toddlers are an interesting bunch. They have their own plans about what they want to do and when they want to do it. And they will pick their attitude while they are doing it, thank you very much! So, what do you do when you have a toddler who’s a picky eater?”

Missed Motherhood. “Susan Shapiro’s article at The New York Times is as sad as anything I’ve read in a long time. She is the quintessential modern woman, having pursued a career and a life in the city through her childbearing years…After entering her forties in a more secure situation, she decided to try and get pregnant only to find that she couldn’t. She had always said that she didn’t want the life of her mother, who begin having children at a very young age and who defied feminist expectation by becoming a stay-at-home mom. Shapiro now thinks very differently about her mother’s decisions and her own.”

All Paths Lead to God. “There are many ways up the mountain, but only one will result in life instead of destruction…”

But God. “’But God.’ These two words are overflowing with gospel. For sinners like you and me who were lost and completely unable to save ourselves from our dead-set rebellion against God, there may not be two more hopeful words that we could utter.”

Two Years to No Lies. “Two years ago I took a vow to never tell a lie. Here is what happened…”

Unnoticed Marks of Grace. Important to remember that among the more emphasized marks of grace (bible reading, fellowship, etc.), “There are also some other marks of godliness, growth in godliness, or ‘evidences of grace’ that often go unnoticed and are sometimes quite neglected.”

When to Overlook a Fault: 12 Questions. “Here are some questions to ask to help us decide if we are to cover or overlook an offense….”

Benefits of Membership. A good word from a pastor. “Far too many are willing to shack-up with a church—they want to attend, they want to listen to the sermons, they want to receive financial assistance, they want the option to stay home on some Sundays—they want all of the benefits but none of the commitment or responsibility.”

Marshawn Lynch’s Press Conference With Skittles. “In a ‘press conference’ leading up to the big game, Marshawn Lynch agrees to take some questions from Skittles. Despite being famous for his reticence around the press, he is quite forthcoming here…”

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