Update #1
Sabbatical
In reading JC Ryle earlier this week, I came across this nugget: "Self-conceit and the love of the praise of men will often help us to preach and speak and write and make us a great noise in the world. Nothing but great grace will enable us to be content to do nothing and to sit still and wait." Seemed like a good word for starting a sabbatical. While I don't intend "to do nothing," I do long for the great grace that enables contentment in these weeks. Please pray for me to that end.
My one self-appointed assignment this week was to read Kelly Kapic's You're Only Human, and it proved another good word for me right now. The subtitle is "How You're Limits Reflect God's Design and Why That's Good News." I think the chapter titles are helpful as well:
- Have I Done Enough? Facing Our Finitude
- Does God Love ME? Crucified but I Still Live
- Are the Limits of My Body Bad? Praise God for Mary
- Why Does Physical Touch Matter? Images, Trauma, and Embodies Worship
- Is Identity Purely Self-Generated? Understanding the Self in Context
- Have We Understood Humility? Joyful Realism
- Do I Have Enough Time? Clocks, Anxiety, and Presence
- Why Doesn't God Just Instantly Change Me? Process, Humanity, and the Spirit's Work
- Do I Need to be Part of the Church? Loving the Whole Body
- How Do We Faithfully Live within Our Finitude? Rhythm, Vulnerability, Gratitude, and Rest"
Kapic is a professor at Covenant College, but the book didn't strike me as academic (though I may not be the best judge of that). Always seeking to be practical, he writes from a theological perspective and often works through particular passages of Scripture helpfully, while incorporating perspectives from other disciplines--historical, sociological, psychological, and philosophical. I found these insightful and profitable. He puts his finger on a number of current cultural matters to help Christians identify areas wherein we may be conformed to this world. Then he moves to how we need to renew our minds so that we can be transformed. Mostly this renewal of mind is centered on a theology of creation and human finitude (our creatureliness). This is clearly born out of years of his own meditation and research and study. I'm very thankful to be able to benefit from his work and thought.
I tried to consider who might benefit from reading this book. First, I thought of a fifty-something pastor on sabbatical. Then I thought of anyone working through any of those matters addressed in the chapter titles. I think Kapic really does these issues justice. I also thought about parents trying to raise kids, especially teenagers, in the middle of these cultural pressures. And that brought me to those teenagers and young adults themselves, growing up in our world where we have to fight to think biblically. Especially chapter five on identity is important for parents and young people. Really good stuff.
If anyone else happened to try to read along with me this week, I welcome your impressions as well. Please feel free to respond to this email, but probably not to "respond to all." I'm happy to give more of my own thoughts as well, and a couple of personal applications I'm still working out. For the sake of space (and your time), I'll stop here, though, with this book review.
This coming week my plan is to jump into Michael Reeves'
Authentic Ministry.
Constantly on my mind this week is...
Jesus, I am resting, resting
in the joy of what thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
of thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon thee,
as thy beauty fills my soul,
for by thy transforming power,
thou hast made me whole.
I guess that's another way you can be praying for me on this sabbatical, or maybe that we can all be praying for each other.
By His Grace & For His Glory,
Jeff Tague
