Lutheran pastor, Johannes Brenz (1499–1570), writes in his Commentary on John:
It is not a true faith which is conceived from miracles and wonders or signs. For miracles are merely seals and witnesses. A seal certifies nothing new except what has already been committed to writing. In the same way, witnesses say nothing new, but they bear witness to things which have been heard or seen. Thus, miracles do not confer faith, and they do not take something uncertain and make it certain, but they confirm something that is already certain. They do not make believing persons out of unbelieving persons, but they confirm already believing persons in their faith.
This is why Jesus sometimes reproves people who ask him to do miracles or show them signs.
⍟ If you are looking for ways to improve your teaching, check out my little guide called Links for Improving Your Teaching. I added new links and revised it yesterday; so if you’ve seen it before and found it helpful, it’s worth another look.
Here are three thoughtful conversations about focus and distraction. They approach the subject from different angles; all are worth listening to.
I had some trouble getting the right links to share with you. Hopefully they will work. If not, search the web using the information below. You’ll be able to find them.
- How to Stop Hustling So You Can Achieve What Really Matters | Donald Miller interviewing Michael Hyatt on Building a StoryBrand
- Distracting Ourselves to Death | Michael Horton interviewing T. David Gordon on White Horse Inn
- Cal Newport Has an Answer for Digital Burnout | Ezra Klein interviewing Cal Newport on The Ezra Klein Show
⍟ Seth Godin’s Avacado Principles are ripe and ready to use. 🥑
⍟ Will and Lee brought down the house at the Tucson Folk Festival this afternoon! This is how they started the show. Check out youngmacdonaldband.com to see where they’re playing next.
According to the Post Office, there are 5,860 households within a half-mile of the church I pastor. If I introduced myself to 10 a week, it would take me more than 11 years to meet them all.
UPDATE: I’m not discouraged, just getting some perspective. I think these numbers lead to a lot of interesting questions.
⍟ What would be a great set of classic texts to read on the doctrine of the Trinity? Fred Sanders gives his answer in this annotated reading list.
When you understand what worship is, it’s easier to be active and truly present in worship.
Like learning the rules of baseball before you go to your first game, learning why we worship the way we do can help you better appreciate and participate in what’s going on. Conversely, not knowing can make the experience boring and even frustrating.
So if you want to be more present in worship, take some time to learn about worship.
There are some things on my Recommending Page you can read. And I preached a sermon last Sunday to get you going in the right direction. Give it listen.
Let me introduce you to a teenage Americana band that will knock your socks off, our good friends, Young MacDonald.
Will and Lee MacDonald are brothers who play gypsy jazz, bluegrass, and lots more on their violin and cello.
A couple days ago, they were staying up late answering questions and performing live on KXCI’s Locals Only. Listen to the show! You will not regret it. These boys are amazing.
This Sunday at Covenant, a young man we’ve been mentoring for a few months is going to profess his faith and be baptized. We’re so happy for him!
One of the things he says made a big difference for him in becoming a Christian was a book by Greg Koukl called the The Story of Reality: How the World Began, How It Ends, and Everything Important that Happens in Between, which he came across while working at a local library.
If you’re interested in learning more about Christianity you might want to read it for yourself. The Kindle version is on sale at Amazon right now. And, of course, you might find it in your local library too.
Sadly, many people would rather assume things about Christianity than take the time to learn how and why Christians see the world the way they do.
But if you are a curious person, I encourage you to take the time and learn more about the Christian faith. It might change the way you see things. It might even change your life.
Michael Kruger, author of Canon Revisited writes on his blog:
So, no one hid or suppressed these books. On the contrary, early Christians were quite open about the problems with these books and overtly stated why they should be rejected as part of the biblical canon.
Read the whole thing: What about the ‘Lost’ Books of the Bible?
The center of a clay tile mural handmade by Gail Roberts. You can see her amazing art all over Tucson.
⍟ According to this WaPo story, you should breathe through your nose.
Dog? at (32.7299, -114.6378)
⍟ I learned a little more tonight about how to make my website more accessible to people with visual impairments. This is a fun topic! Now my links are underlined (mostly), and I’m looking forward to making a few other changes.
Fred Sanders, professor of theology at Biola, on Twitter:
Clarity ensues. But as I’m paraphrasing their own arguments, I notice that their case is stronger than I remembered. And as I type in some short quotes, I notice that they are coming at the whole issue from a different set of animating questions and concerns than I am.
Quality scholarship often goes slower than you’d like, but the work is so much better.
John Muether, professor of church history and dean of libraries at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, writes in Tabletalk:
The stakes may be higher than we think. As distraction dulls our senses, it can lead even believers to indifference about heavenly matters. The book of Hebrews (which many commentators believe was originally a sermon) speaks powerfully to our digital age when it warns, “We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it” (Heb. 2:1).
There is a lot to lose and a lot to gain. Isaiah 55, from which this post is titled, calls our attention to this as well.