"He who walks with the wise grows wise,
but a companion of fools suffers harm" (Proverbs 13:20).
Since I would like to be wise, I try to learn from wise people. Here is a list of some wise authors and some of their books:
Nancy Leigh DeMoss: Holiness: The Heart God Purifies
Tony Dungy: Quiet Strength, Uncommon
Bob Lepine: The Christian Husband
C.S. Lewis: Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce
John Piper: Desiring God, Don't Waste Your Life
Dennis and Barbara Rainey: The FamilyLife Marriage Bible (New King James Version), Two Hearts Praying as One, Moments Together for Couples
Haddon Robinson: Trusting the Shepherd, Decision Making by the Book
Harold Shank: Children Mean the World to God, Up Close and Personal: Embracing the Poor
Showing posts with label Haddon Robinson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Haddon Robinson. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
I'm Not That Important
"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register" (Luke 2:1-3).
Ezekiel and Elizabeth were an elderly couple living in Cana during the days of Caesar Augustus. Ezekiel suffered from severe arthritis, while Elizabeth dealt with glaucoma and a weak immune system. When the news came to them that they would be required to travel to Jerusalem, the home of Ezekiel's ancestors, for the census instituted by Caesar, the couple had questions.
How could they make such a long trip in their condition?
Didn't God know how difficult the trip would be for them?
Why would the Lord allow the pagan emperor to cause such problems in their lives?
Didn't God care about them?
Ezekiel and Elizabeth did not know what was going on behind the scenes in their lives. The Lord was working through a pagan emperor to position Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem so that Micah's prophecy about the Messiah being born in that small town would be fulfilled. They did not realize that something far more important than their inconvenience was at stake. They did not recognize that the salvation of many people was at stake. From their perspective, the universe revolved around themselves. They could not figure out the will of God in their situation.
I heard Haddon Robinson tell a similar fictional story nearly two months ago, and it made me think about my life. Like Ezekiel and Elizabeth, I'm not that important to the larger story of what God is doing in this world. Like them, I have my part to play. I am here to honor God in my thoughts, attitudes, and actions. I am here to faithfully love my Savior and those around me. I am here to share my faith and hope in Christ with others. I am here to serve with contentment and thankfulness.
But, the story does not revolve around me. I am not a central figure in the story. I am not likely to be mentioned in a book about Christian history. I may not even be mentioned in the footnotes of the history of my local church. I do not know how God is working most of the time. I do not know how he used the ice storm last week. I do not know how he is using the current economic crisis. I do not even know how he is using me most of the time. Most things in life are beyond my abilities to perceive accurately.
However, I have learned to trust the message of the Bible. God is good, and he is in control. I do not need to know everything about how he is working in this world. I do not need to play a central role in the program. I do not need to be the center of attention. I simply need to trust Christ, realize that he is the central figure in the story, do what God expects of me, and understand that I'm not that important.
Ezekiel and Elizabeth were an elderly couple living in Cana during the days of Caesar Augustus. Ezekiel suffered from severe arthritis, while Elizabeth dealt with glaucoma and a weak immune system. When the news came to them that they would be required to travel to Jerusalem, the home of Ezekiel's ancestors, for the census instituted by Caesar, the couple had questions.
How could they make such a long trip in their condition?
Didn't God know how difficult the trip would be for them?
Why would the Lord allow the pagan emperor to cause such problems in their lives?
Didn't God care about them?
Ezekiel and Elizabeth did not know what was going on behind the scenes in their lives. The Lord was working through a pagan emperor to position Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem so that Micah's prophecy about the Messiah being born in that small town would be fulfilled. They did not realize that something far more important than their inconvenience was at stake. They did not recognize that the salvation of many people was at stake. From their perspective, the universe revolved around themselves. They could not figure out the will of God in their situation.
I heard Haddon Robinson tell a similar fictional story nearly two months ago, and it made me think about my life. Like Ezekiel and Elizabeth, I'm not that important to the larger story of what God is doing in this world. Like them, I have my part to play. I am here to honor God in my thoughts, attitudes, and actions. I am here to faithfully love my Savior and those around me. I am here to share my faith and hope in Christ with others. I am here to serve with contentment and thankfulness.
But, the story does not revolve around me. I am not a central figure in the story. I am not likely to be mentioned in a book about Christian history. I may not even be mentioned in the footnotes of the history of my local church. I do not know how God is working most of the time. I do not know how he used the ice storm last week. I do not know how he is using the current economic crisis. I do not even know how he is using me most of the time. Most things in life are beyond my abilities to perceive accurately.
However, I have learned to trust the message of the Bible. God is good, and he is in control. I do not need to know everything about how he is working in this world. I do not need to play a central role in the program. I do not need to be the center of attention. I simply need to trust Christ, realize that he is the central figure in the story, do what God expects of me, and understand that I'm not that important.
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Favorite Radio Programs
I listen to a variety of radio programs on a regular basis. However, I try to listen every weekday to two outstanding programs: FamilyLife Today and Discover the Word.
FamilyLife Today features Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine. Most of the time, the two co-hosts interview experts on family issues. Sometimes they present a message from a marriage conference or a sermon from a church, but most of the time, they interview people. Topics include:
*communication in marriage
*disciplining children
*grandparenting
*adoption
*leaving a legacy
*sex
*education
*balancing work and family responsibilities
*roles of husbands and wives
*finances
*and many other life issues.
Even when the topics do not directly affect me, I have found the programs to be interesting and useful. Most (if not all) of us need a little good advice from time to time. FamilyLife Today provides consistently biblical advice every weekday. It can be heard in Tulsa at 9:00am every weekday on 970AM and 95.1FM. Information about podcasts and broadcast times and stations in other locations can be found at http://www.familylife.com.
Discover the Word is a 15-minute daily program. It has a unique format. Gordon Conwell Seminary president Haddon Robinson, Gordon Conwell Seminary professor Alice Matthews, and RBC Ministries president Mart De Haan sit around a table and interact as a small group engaged in a friendly and informative Bible study. Since everyone in the group is knowledgeable and brings different life experiences to the table, I have learned to see things in the Scriptures that I had overlooked in my personal studies. They can move through a passage slowly--I think it took 4 years to cover the 10 commandments--but they keep it interesting, and they cover a passage or topic from many different angles. You can't help but learn more about God, the Bible, and life as you listen to this program on a regular basis. Discover the Word can be heard weekdays at 10:00am on 970AM and at 10:30am on 95.1FM in Tulsa. Information about podcasts and broadcast times and stations in other locations can be found at http://www.discovertheword.org.
If you are not a regular listener, I hope you will give these programs a try. Thanks for reading!
FamilyLife Today features Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine. Most of the time, the two co-hosts interview experts on family issues. Sometimes they present a message from a marriage conference or a sermon from a church, but most of the time, they interview people. Topics include:
*communication in marriage
*disciplining children
*grandparenting
*adoption
*leaving a legacy
*sex
*education
*balancing work and family responsibilities
*roles of husbands and wives
*finances
*and many other life issues.
Even when the topics do not directly affect me, I have found the programs to be interesting and useful. Most (if not all) of us need a little good advice from time to time. FamilyLife Today provides consistently biblical advice every weekday. It can be heard in Tulsa at 9:00am every weekday on 970AM and 95.1FM. Information about podcasts and broadcast times and stations in other locations can be found at http://www.familylife.com.
Discover the Word is a 15-minute daily program. It has a unique format. Gordon Conwell Seminary president Haddon Robinson, Gordon Conwell Seminary professor Alice Matthews, and RBC Ministries president Mart De Haan sit around a table and interact as a small group engaged in a friendly and informative Bible study. Since everyone in the group is knowledgeable and brings different life experiences to the table, I have learned to see things in the Scriptures that I had overlooked in my personal studies. They can move through a passage slowly--I think it took 4 years to cover the 10 commandments--but they keep it interesting, and they cover a passage or topic from many different angles. You can't help but learn more about God, the Bible, and life as you listen to this program on a regular basis. Discover the Word can be heard weekdays at 10:00am on 970AM and at 10:30am on 95.1FM in Tulsa. Information about podcasts and broadcast times and stations in other locations can be found at http://www.discovertheword.org.
If you are not a regular listener, I hope you will give these programs a try. Thanks for reading!
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