Friendship and my mediocrity

A few friends and I are working through a book called 'Going the Distance: How to stay fit for a lifetime of Ministry'. I'm enjoying it far more than I expected. I recommend it for people in Christian ministry as a valuable guide; but also for anyone out there who'd like to know what ministry is like for most pastors.

There're lots of good chapters on stress, anger, family, sex, depression and self care. But last night I read the chapter on Friendship. We all need good friends. Sincere friends. Honest friends.

Here's an excerpt:

If I am rebuked by a good friend, it doesn't mean I'm useless, a failure or unappreciated. If a loving fellow Christian is thoughtful and caring enough to rebuke me, my self-esteem ought not to be destroyed. My self-esteem is based on my relationship with God through Christ, not my performance. Though my faithfulness and my friends' acceptance will help me feel good and value myself, I should not be totally tied to their affirmation. Indeed, their thoughtful rebuke will be a sign to me of God's love (in sending them) and of their commitment to me and my growth. Had they not said anything, they would only be committed to my mediocrity or my folly.

Don't Settle for Your Mediocre Preaching

Here's a great post from Paul Tripp about preaching - especially preparation.

My favourite line is this:
Ministry mediocrity in any form is always an issue of the heart.






I also find his moustache quite impressive.

Is the Universe a closed system?

Mondays are my day off. It's hard to relax after the surge of adrenalin involved on any given Sunday. (Dr Arch Hart, a ministry shrink, reckons its the worst possible day to schedule off.)

But with our two eldest boys at school now, Sarah and I make the most of it. Although the places change (so too the service and quality of food), some things are the same: caffeine, good company, a corner near the sun, mediterranean breakfast, the buzz of people..... and some combination of The Monthly, The Spectator, The Week, Women's Weekly, Quadrant, Quarterly Essay and 'Super-food Ideas'. I'll let you guess who chooses what. Jesse invariably sleeps through. Or sits up and smiles at the world.

Today I found a good piece in Quadrant which asks the question 'Is the universe a closed system?' I've never heard of the author, Dr Peter Barclay. But he does a brief survey of some big hitters who think about such things.... Hawking, Dawkins, CS Lewis, GK Chesterton, Kant, Baillie (no relation), St Paul, Sir Edward Clarke, Davies and David Bentley Hart.

It's excellent. And so accessible even I could understand it. On the question of whether God exists outside the universe, he closes with a nice quote from some British Astrophysicist, Sir Arthur Eddington:

In the case of our human friends we take their existence for granted, not caring whether it is proven or not. Our relationship is such that we could read real philosophical arguments designed to prove the non-existence of each other and perhaps even be convinced by them—and then laugh together over so odd a conclusion. I think that it is something of the same kind of security we should seek in our relationship with God. The most flawless proof of the existence of God is no substitute for it; and when we have that relationship the most convincing disproof is turned harmlessly aside. If I may say it with reverence, the soul and God laugh together over so odd a conclusion.

I like. You can read more here.

10 favourite sayings of my Dad

1. She's as cold as charity.
2. You are cruisin' for a bruisin'.
3. You never know your luck in a big city.
4. Son, that stinks so bad it could fair dinkum kill a brown dog.
5. I had to laugh...
6. My son, to thine own self be true.
7. He doesn't know whether he's comin' or goin'.
8. He's a flawed genius.
9. Be careful son - always remember that b*llsh*t baffles brains.
10. I love you.  

What are some others?

5 memorable things a boy of mine has done this week

1) Giggling for the first time.
2) Listening to the car ad on TV that finishes with "Love that car" but retorting "No! Love God!"
3) Running in the School districts sprinting competition.
4) Announcing to the family at dinner time "When I grow up I want to be an Olympic swimmer, diver and liftweighter."
5) Randomly explaining one evening that "Mrs Borza was a really good teacher. She always gave us lots of work to do."

A boy and his Dad

I'm reading 'Danny the Champion of the World' to my sons at bedtime. Recommended by a friend.

My boys love Roald Dahl's gear. They love how each chapter ends on a cliffhanger. They love the story about a boy and his Dad. It's got a lot to say about fatherhood, and there's nothing like being a father to your sons by reading them a story on fatherhood, to make you think about your own. 

Amidst the narrative are lots of powerful little insights that Dahl drops in like raisins.
Like this raisin, that my mate Al noticed.

But here's one that opened my boys eyes up wide tonight. Dropped as it was in the middle of the scariest scene of the story so far... where Danny really does ponder the possibility that his Dad is lying alone in Hazell's forest, bleeding out from gunshot wounds. He's weighing up the idea of driving the old Austin motor vehicle to go find his Dad. His Dad, who's never left Danny alone like this before. It's 2:30am.  He's never driven outside the yard. He's never been out of first gear. He's just 9 years old.

"I will not pretend I wasn't petrified. I was. But mixed in with the awful fear was a glorious feeling of excitement. Most of the really exciting things we do in our lives scare us to death. They wouldn't be exciting if they didn't."