More Good Books From 2013

Yesterday, I posted my first ever "Top Books of the Year" list here at Hot Orthodoxy.

There were a bunch of other books that I enjoyed and learned from, gave a goodly number of stars for at Amazon and GoodReads, and also recommend to others that I didn't short list to the tip top.

I commend these to you, as well:


Reflections of a Small Town Pastor: Engaging in God's Mission in Smaller Places by Lee J. Smith

I have read other books about small town and rural ministry, but it had been awhile, and this book was refreshing and affirming of what I do every week. Smith clearly loves the “town and country” church and desires for pastoral ministries to flourish in those settings.

Reflections would be the first book I would now give to a young seminarian who is thinking about going to a rural or small town church or who has just received their first call to one.

[Read my review at the Next Step Resources blog.]



The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Butterfield

Rosaria Butterfield was a leftist lesbian university professor with a disdain for Christianity. Then she was shown Christian love by a couple who became her true friends, and eventually she came to Christ and found her true identity in Him. Now, she is a pastors' wife and has written out her story in this book.

The Secret Thoughts was one of the most engaging, encouraging, and interesting things I read this last year as I wrote about hope for holy sexuality.

[Her testimony was featured in Christianity Today.]

Bridging the Diversity Gap: Leading Toward God's Multi-Ethnic Kingdom by Alvin Sanders

This is a great introduction and guide to leading organizational change towards a Christ-centered multi-ethnicity. EFCA leader Alvin Sanders promotes an "inside out, top down, and all in" philosophy. I especially appreciated how Sanders showed the biblical/theological underpinnings of the goal and also didn't sugar-coat the obstacles to achieving success. Full of sobering realism with no "silver-bullets," yet hopeful for real progress.

[Read my very short review here.]


Finding God in the Dark: Faith, Disappointment, and the Struggle to Believe
by Ted Kluck and Ronnie Martin

These two authors open up their lives and share their stories of deep life disappointments. They also share how they sinfully responded to their disappointments and then what God taught them through it all.

One of the authors, Ronnie Martin, has recently become an EFCA church planter in our district and a new friend. He's also the author of the popular article "Hey Worship Leader, Are You a Theological Lightweight?" at The Gospel Coalition.

Me, Myself, and Bob: A True Story About Dreams, God, and Talking Vegetables by Phil Vischer

I thought this might be fun read. I'm a fan of Veggie-Tales (who isn't?) and this promised the backstory of both it and its creator. I grabbed it out of the church library one Sunday afternoon....and didn't put it down until I'd read all 274 pages.

I had known that Vischer had kind of burned out, but I didn't realize how bad it had gotten and why.  He does a great job of telling his own story in both the highest highs and the lowest lows and also some of the lessons that God taught him through it all.

And he's constantly funny (still is, I follow him on Twitter). Me, Myself, and Bob may not be the best book ever, but it was just what I needed that day.

One of the best things about what happened in and to Phil Vischer was that he ended up creating What's in the Bible? which is better than Veggie-Tales, by far.

Read More

My Top Books of 2013

I've never before published a list of  "top books of the year."

I normally post the full list of books that read in a certain year, but I've never tried to narrow down my list to a select group of favorites.

But this year, I have been experienced how encouraging it can be to included in a list like this (Thanks, Challies, DeYoung, Valenti, and Welch for listing Resisting Gossip in yours!), so I decided to give it a try. It wasn't easy, but I did it.

I looked over the list of the hundredish books I've finished reading this year (most were not published in 2013), and picked the top books beside the Bible:

- That had the most personal impact on me, my thinking, my heart.
- That I was the most consistently enthusiastic about.
- That I kept coming back to again and again.
- That I couldn't help recommending to others (and recommend without reservations and significant caveats).

And here were my top 5 for 2013:

5. Bound Together: How We Are Tied to Others in Good and Bad Choices
by Chris Brauns

This is now my "go to" book for a brief and practical explanation of the doctrines of original sin and union with Christ. Bound Together is a great introduction to those big ideas and also brings them together in eye-opening ways.

I didn't get all of my questions answered about how solidarity works (especially in tension with a healthy individuality), but I'm more convinced than ever of the truth of solidarity and more thankful than ever, as well, because "the rope of the gospel is stronger than the rope of original sin."

[Read my short review here.]


4. Sexual Sanity for Men: Re-Creating Your Mind in a Crazy Culture by David White 

No one should need convincing that, here in North America, we live in a culture that has gone insane over sex. Our day is characterized by so much confusion, so much heart-ache, so much access and addiction to unholy and unhealthy choices—Internet pornography, fornication, same-sex attraction, adultery, sexual fantasy, masturbation. Men are in the thick of this battle, and often losing. Men are isolated, pinned down under heavy crossfire, and do not know where to turn.

David White of Harvest USA has done Christian men a great service by writing Sexual Sanity for Men. The topic is sexual brokenness, the goal is holy sexuality, and the author offers gospel-centered hope. White presents himself, not just as a guide but, as a fellow-traveler on this road. He shares glimpses of his own story as both a sinner and a sufferer which lends credibility and encouragement to his message. The chief strength of Sexual Sanity for Men is how the author applies high-octane, gospel-centered theology to the tortuous problem of sexual temptation. Men need high-octane theology, and they need hope that King Jesus will help His men deal with their problem.

[Read my full review at the Biblical Counseling Coalition.]

3. Risen: 50 Reasons Why the Resurrection Changed Everything by Steven Mathewson

Steven Mathewson has done a marvelous job of crafting 50 bite-sized meditations on the resurrection that are both theological and applicational at the same time. It's perfect for reading between Resurrection Sunday (Easter) and Holy Spirit Sunday (Pentecost).

Mathewson masterfully takes readers on a treasure hunt through the New Testament to find out how the apostles connected the doctrine of the resurrection to other points of doctrine and then to our lives.

On one level, I knew most of the things he said, but I had never thought as deeply or as interconnectedly about them on the level that Risen takes you, especially all at one time.

[Read my short review here.]

2. One Bible, Many Versions: Are All Translations Created Equal? by Dave Brunn

This book should be required reading in every seminary and the first book read when "translation wars" erupt in local churches.

Brunn makes a clear, compelling, and winsome case for a multiplicity of versions being a complementary blessing to the church and the world.

He also convincingly demonstrates that the versions who have literal ideals are not nearly as consistent at their translation philosophy as one might think--and that that is a good thing! He shows that there is more to an excellent translation than literalness, and all great translations evidence that. Our strong English translations actually have much more in common than they have differences.

[Read my short review here.]

1. A Better December: Proverbs to Brighten Christmas by Steven Estes

In this little gift-sized book, Pastor Estes has taken the wisdom of Solomon in all of its brevity and sagacity and applied it directly to the blessings and perils of the holiday season.

It is inspirational without being sentimental, warm and winsome without being sappy or fluffy. A Better December is full of deep, practical, biblical content presented in an imaginative, often wryly humorous, and engaging style.

The best thing about A Better December is how Estes brilliantly smiths his words. There aren’t that many, but each and every word is carefully chosen for maximum rhetorical effect, making it a delightful read. Estes doesn’t just teach from the Proverbs, he writes like the Proverbs–concise, precise, incisive. It’s a pleasure to read out loud, and it’s impossible to not be moved.
                                                                                             
Sarah Bland-Halulko has generously sprinkled her whimsical hand-drawn illustrations throughout the book, adding to the magical quality of the writing.

I highly recommend A Better December for just about any Christian reader and even folks who are not yet followers of Christ. As the book progresses, there is a narrative movement from Solomon to Jesus and the gospel is clearly and beautifully presented in an unique and disarming way.

I’m so glad I read it. This December was has been much better because I did.

[Read my full review at the Biblical Counseling Coalition or my interview with Steve Estes.]

Read More

[Matt's Messages] "Angels We Have Heard on High"

“Angels We Have Heard on High”
December 22, 2013
Luke 2:13-14  

Put yourself in their shoes.

Huddled in the cold, damp, dark night in the Bethlehem countryside, you are a shepherd.  You are the “low-man” on the “totem-pole” of society.  You have a rough, rotten job that earns no respect, and you...smell like sheep!

But tonight, tonight everything in your little world is going to change. Suddenly {BAM!}, an amazing extraterrestrial being appears before you!  It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before.  And a shimmering blaze of gleaming light radiates around you.

You are scared out of your wits!  Your knees buckle together, and you almost cry like a baby you are so terrified!

And then, then this being–this messenger from God...speaks to you...with words in your own language.  He/she/it/whatever announces that the world has just been invaded by the Son of God Himself.  In the next town over, a Savior has been born that is the promised Messiah and the Lord of all the Earth.

You stand there and you receive this information with your eyes wide open and your mouth hanging down to your chest and your mind reeling with this news.  You are almost beside yourself with wonder and astonishment.

And then...then it gets even more amazing!

Luke chapter 2, verse 13: “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’”

That fearsome being was no longer alone.  All of sudden, there is a whole army of them!

Your heart almost stops at the powerful sight before you–an entire army of unbelievable beings resplendent with brilliance.

And then your ears begin to ring with the sound of their song filling the night air.

Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o’er the plains.
And the mountains in reply echo back their joyous strains.

When I learned that both Anita & Amy Jo and Cody had picked out “Angels We Have Heard on High” as a song for today, I decided to look at Luke 2:13-14 to see what those angels sang about and see if it wasn’t what we needed to hear today.  I think it was.

What do angels sound like when they sing?

What does a regiment of angels sound like when they sing?

What does a legion of angels sound like when they sing?

What in the world does an army of angels sound like when they raise their voices together in mighty praise?

I don’t know...but I can’t wait to find out!

And even more important than the sight or the sound is the significance of what they are saying:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

The angels broke forth in a magnificent song explaining what the birth of Jesus Christ was all about.

The angels’ song was about the meaning–the significance–of Christmas.

It’s not about toys or gifts or Santa or stockings or trees or shopping or supper or cookies or wrapping or presents or even family!  It’s not even about the angels who were so amazing to the shepherds that night.

According to the angels’ song, Christmas is fundamentally about two things: glory and peace.

Glory and peace.

The angel we have heard on high sing about glory and peace.

Luke chapter 2, verse 14: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

The angels’ song proclaimed that the birth of this baby boy in Bethlehem brought (#1) glory to God in heaven–the highest place in all the universe.

As they say in Latin, “Gloria In Excelsis Deo.”  Glory to God in the highest.

I have a question for you this morning: What is glory?

Kids, at the dinner table today, ask your parents to define glory for you in terms that you can understand.

What is glory?

Glory is a hard word to define.

Glory is easier to describe than to define.

It’s one of those words that you-know-it-when-you-see-it.

But how do you define it?

Here’s one way: It’s the beautiful greatness of God.

And saying, “glory to God” is announcing, proclaiming, declaring that God is amazingly great.

The Old Testament Hebrew word for glory is “Kavod.”

And it literally meant, “heavy.”

Like we say, “heavy, man.”

That’s awesome.

Rulers in the ancient world were the best fed. And the best fed got what? Heavy, right?

So, if you were great. Then you were great.

You had weight if you were great.

Kavod!

One of the things I like to pray for my kids is that Jesus would be BIG in their life.

I think that gets across this idea.

I pray that Jesus would be BIG in your life.

Or we could use the word “credit.”

We love the credits at the end of movie now.

Who gets the credit?

Who gets the BIGGEST credit?

Glory is credit.

To glory in something is to exult it so that it is BIG in your heart.

We see people glory when they enjoy a great football game or whatever you like.

They jump up and down, they yell, they sing, they raise their arms.  They do a little dance.

They glory. Something is big in their heart.

Glory, praise, magnification be to God in the highest.

The angels knew that something GLORIOUS, something tremendously great had happened on that first Christmas night.

And it took a whole army of angels to say it like it needed said.

Glory to God in the Highest!

Very often, you and I make the mistake of thinking that Christmas was all about us.  (And it was about us as we shall see in a second.)  But first and always foremost, we must recognize that everything exists for God’s glory–no less Christmas.

Christmas is all about the glory of God.

‒ Christmas was the supreme revelation of God to humankind.
‒ Christmas was God speaking to Man in the only language He really understands: the language of flesh and bones and blood.
‒ Christmas was God’s passion for His glory breaking into this dark world to invade it with the Kingdom of His beloved Son.
‒ Christmas was about God sending an atoning sacrifice for sins so that both God’s mercy and justice would be magnified in the salvation of sinners.
‒ Christmas was and always will be first and foremost about GOD.

Angels we have heard on high sing: “Glory to God in the highest!”

Let me challenge you, this year, to make your Christmas all about the glory of God.

Make this year:

- a Christmas of worship
- a Christmas of praise
- a Christmas of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with others
- a Christmas of giving in Jesus’ name to people who can’t give back to you
- a Christmas of focus on a close life-changing relationship with Christ
- a Christmas of glory to God in the highest!

AND...(secondly) the angels we have heard on high sang about PEACE.

Luke 2:14: “and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

The angels’ song proclaimed that Christmas was also about peace.

The Prince of Peace had been born in Bethlehem.

You need to know that peace (in the Bible) is more than just the absence of conflict.

Peace in the Bible is a wholeness, a wellness, a rightness in relationships.  The Hebrew word is “Shalom.”

Peace is not just “I’m not mad at him.”  Peace is “He and I are right with one another.  We are reconciled.  We are together.  Everything is okay between us.”

And Jesus was born to bring that kind of peace.

To whom?  V.14 “Peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

I used to think that Jesus brings peace to all men.  But the NIV renders this verse perfectly, I think: “Peace to men on whom God’s favor rests.”

That means that Jesus brings peace to those:

- Whom God has chosen.
- Peace to the children of God.
- Peace to those who have exercised faith in Jesus Christ.

The saying is right: “No Jesus, No Peace.  Know Jesus, Know Peace.”

The angels Hear the Angels Sing: “On earth peace to men on whom [God’s] favor rests.”

Jesus brings (essentially) three kinds of peace.

The first is the foremost: Peace with God. [slide #5]

If you are not a trusting follower of Jesus Christ this morning, you are at war with God.  Let me say that again.  If you are not a trusting follower of Jesus Christ this morning, you are at war with God.

You may say that you don’t feel hate towards God.  But the Bible reveals the true nature of our hearts.  It says that those who reject the Son of God reject God the Father, as well.  You are His enemy.

And if you are at war with God, you are going to lose.

John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him.”

But Hear the song of these angels!  Peace is now possible between you and God.  The baby born in Bethlehem was born to die as a ransom for our sinful rebellion.

1 Peter 3:18:  “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”

Come to Christ this morning. Lay down your weapons and surrender to the Prince of Peace.

Maybe your heart has been prepared for this morning. This is your morning of decision.  This is the day that Christ becomes King in your life.

Decide now to trust Him.  Tell Him that you are sorry that you’ve sinned against Him and now want to belong to Him.  And He will not reject you.  He will receive you with open arms and bring you peace.

Romans 5:1 says those who are Christians now have “peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Is that you?  Become a trusting follower of Jesus Christ today.

The second kind of peace Jesus brings is peace with others. [slide #6]

This world is full of conflict.  Just watch the evening news and you’ll see that.  But Jesus’ birth brought powerful resources into this world to bring peace between sinful human beings.

Jesus has made it possible, so we need, by faith, to make it actual.

Are you living at peace with others this Christmas?

So often, it boils down to forgiveness.

Christmas is about being forgiven.  And being forgiven unleashes an amazing power within us to forgive others.

Is there someone you are in conflict with this Christmas? Make it right with them.

As much as it depends upon you, take advantage of Jesus’ peace and take Jesus’ peace to them.

The third kind of peace Jesus brings to those on whom God’s favor rests is inner peace.

Inner peace is basically the absence of fear.

If you are right with God, what place does fear have in your heart?

‒ If God is for you, who can be against you?
‒ If God is your helper, what can man do to you?
‒ If God is at peace with you, what is worth worrying about?

The angel’s sweetly singing over the plains say that peace with God can be yours in Christ.  And if you have that then you have nothing to fear.

1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

What are you afraid of?

Cast it upon the One the angels sang about on the first Christmas morning.

“Glory to God in the highest [live for God’s glory this Christmas] and on earth peace [...with God, with others, without fear...peace] to men on whom [God’s] favor rests.”

Read More

Deb Welch Reviews "Resisting Gossip"

Deb Welch has named Resisting Gossip to her top 20 books of 2013 and double starred it as part of her top 10 at her blog All Things New.

Deb has also posted a strongly encouraging review on GoodReads.

She notes some of the reasons why teaching on gossip has gotten a bad rap in our day and ends with a comparison of Resisting Gossip to Paul Miller's A Praying Life. In the middle, Deb shares her evaluation of the book and how it influenced her:

Into the void, steps Matt Mitchell with his thoroughly biblical handling, pastoral care, and positively convicting message. This is the kind of book that when one finishes reading, it is impossible to be the same again. The beginning part of the book helped me to grow in my understanding of my own sinful heart, putting aside my self-justification and rationalization. But alongside that positively convicting heart surgery, Matt's approach is truly to move toward walking in light and truth -- not for us to dwell in the spirit of condemnation. This book has completely changed my perspective on how I view, speak about and write about other believers, and the church.

Thanks, Deb! I'm so glad to hear that you found it biblical, helpful, and encouraging.

Read More

Black Eyed Susan (Dead)

Poor Susan with the black eyes, for she is dead.

Read More

"A Gallery of Gossips" in the Journal of Biblical Counseling

The latest issue of The Journal of Biblical Counseling (27:3) is now available.

It includes an article adapted from chapter 3 of Resisting Gossip entitled "A Gallery of Gossips." [Preview, Purchase]

In his lead-off editorial "Changing Seasons," David Powlison writes:

As I refect on our table of contents for this issue, I am struck by how many ways the brokenness of the human condition afects daily life. We gossip, we feel anxious because of unrealistic expectations, we are perfectionistic, we struggle with wayward
sexuality, we do not understand our own motives.

I am equally struck by God's provision for us. His proverbs offer accessible practical help. The words of God in Genesis teach us how our written words can have the power to bless others. God lays bare the tendency of the human heart to worship idols so that he might give grace to restore us to himself. God-given, practical wisdom helps us to think well about complex pastoral questions.

Let me introduce these articles to you.

We begin with "A Gallery of Gossips" by Matt Mitchell. We’ve all been guilty of talking about others. Stories about other people titillate us, tempting us to pass the story on to the next person. Mitchell helpfully identifies five common types of gossips. He explores the potential motivations of each, and pinpoints how the gospel of Christ provides an escape from the temptation to gossip. Come at this article humbly, as you just may see yourself in one (or more!) of these types of gossips.

I'm excited to dig into the other articles. As usual, the JBC looks to be a treasure trove.

***

Being in the JBC is a check off on the "bucket list" for me as I've had an aspiration to a contributor for about as long as I've known about it's existence (more than a dozen years). It's a joy to be listed in the table of contents today. Thanks to David Powlison, Kim Monroe, Lauren Whitman for including and working with me. And thanks to Dave Almack, Tracey Lewis-Giggets and the team at CLC for giving permission for this material to be used in the JBC.

Read More

365 Straight Days of Blogging

Today marks my 365th day of uninterrupted blogging here at Hot Orthodoxy.

I still have a couple of weeks to go to do a full year in 2013, a goal I set out early this year, but I have posted a least one (hopefully valuable) thing each day now for the last 365. I expect that my frequency will go back down a bit in 2014--I don't want to continue to be the slave of the blog or the calendar--but I hope to keep saying things that are worthwhile to readers.

Thank you, dear friends, for joining me here this last year to think more deeply about connections between head, heart, and life for a follower of Christ.

Read More

Mark Lauterbach's TGC Review of "Resisting Gossip"

Veteran pastor Mark Lauterbach has reviewed Resisting Gossip at the Gospel Coalition book review site.

Mark was one of my critical readers who initially helped develop the manuscript. He didn't give very many points of evaluation back then, but the ones he did were extremely valuable. For example, Mark suggested that you can't "gossip-proof a church" (my original title for the bonus chapter for church leaders) which led me to change that section to the much more realistic goal (though hard enough!) of cultivating "gossip resistant" churches.

In his TGC review, Mark begins with how the book struck him personally as a "needed surprise," then evaluates it as a tool for gospel-centered discipleship and as an "ounce of prevention:"

Resisting Gossip is also useful for pastors, as an ounce of prevention, in equipping their flocks to preserve unity. The unity of the Spirit is a precious thing, for by it we display the reality of Christ. The unity of the Spirit is also a fragile thing, however. Gossip kills unity. It creates suspicions, diminishes trust, and questions motives. It frays the fabric of unity, and does so invisibly at first. But when conflict goes public, the prejudice and judgments of the heart created and fed by gossip will add fuel to the fires. The fabric will tear.

He goes on to suggest 3 areas for further exploration that he says Resisting Gossip addresses in principle but still need a much wider discussion of particular implications and applications. I thoroughly agree!

Mark's conclusion:

Gossip is not a small issue. Loose lips have sunk ships, ruined reputations, and destroyed the unity of local congregations. Protecting each other’s good name is a mark of Christ’s love, and giving diligence to preserve the unity he created means killing gossip. This book will be helpful in pursuing these things.

Thanks, Mark. I certainly hope so!

Read the whole thing.

Read More

"Resisting Gossip" in the Top 20 Book Reviews at the Biblical Counseling Coalition

Cool!

Resisting Gossip is among the 20 most read book reviews at the Biblical Counseling Coalition in 2013.

Thanks to Todd Hardin for his review (the first public review!) and to the BCC staff, including executive director Bob Kelleman for publishing the interview.

(It was fun to see that two reviews that I wrote also made the list.: Grieving with Hope and Sexual Sanity for Men.)

Read More