My Favorite Books from 2010

It might have been better if I had written this article two or three weeks ago, in time for your Christmas shopping this year, but sometimes post-Christmas shopping can be a blessing too. For one reason, you might have some Christmas money and/or gift cards to use, and secondly, there are sometimes a number of excellent bargains available after the holidays. So, let me suggest some books that I read in 2010 that I would heartily recommend to you:

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy – Eric Metaxas. I think I’m prepared to assert that this is the best biography I have ever read. It’s long (542 pages), but is so well-written that the story unfolds like a good novel, seamlessly going back and forth between Bonhoeffer’s life as a Christian, a pastor, a theologian, a writer, a courageous prophet willing to speak out against evil, a conspirator against Adolf Hitler in World War II, and as a martyr who valiantly gave his life in the confident peace of knowing that he would be with Christ upon his death.

Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture – Adam McHugh. I know nothing about this author, but because I consider myself more of an introvert, I decided to pick this up — and I’m glad I did. If you have ever felt like you might not have as much to offer the church because you’re more shy or reserved, you will be encouraged by this book. McHugh does a good job of affirming the strengths of introverts (who are typically compassionate, loyal, good listeners, calm under pressure), while also warning them against the negative tendencies of their personalities.

Uprooting Anger: Biblical Help for a Common Problem – Robert Jones. This book does an excellent job of applying the Gospel directly to the problem of anger. For instance, the person who is constantly angry with himself for past sins and mistakes is a person who has failed to believe that God’s anger at that sin has already been sufficiently poured out on Christ. So, the person finds himself “groping for self-atonement through penance and mental self-laceration.” (p. 133). The book is filled with other insightful observations that will be helpful to anyone struggling with anger at oneself, others or God.

The Making of an Atheist: How Immorality Leads to Unbelief – James Spiegel. Most of you are probably familiar with this book, since Dr. Spiegel taught a Sunday School class on this topic earlier in the year here at New Life. If you missed the class, make sure you don’t miss the book. It is a careful examination of the Bible’s claim that unbelief is not primarily an intellectual problem, but is rather “moral
rebellion cloaked in academic regalia.”

Why Johnny Can’t Preach: The Media Have Shaped the Messengers – T. David Gordon. This book probably has more appeal to those who teach, preach or communicate on a regular basis. Gordon believes that “profound shifts in dominant media” have led to a “profound decline in preaching.” He says people today are “aliterate” – that is, they can read, but do not read, which leads to an inability
to write, and which further leads to an inability to preach.

It is Biblical to get books, my friends! “Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction and understanding.” (Prov. 23:23).

Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus

Well here it is Dec. 19 and 2010 is quickly drawing to a close. As predicted by my parents and numerous adults after graduating college the years really do seem to fly. Working with the youth helps to keep me on an academic schedule of sorts, but even then it is easy for months to pass quickly and significant dates to come and go without much notice. For the past couple years, while Christmas has been an enjoyable time, I haven’t really felt the warmth or excitement I have in years past.

As a means of combating this lack of Christmas Spirit, as well as seeking personal edification, I have been reading Nancy Guthrie’s book Come Thou Long-Expected Jesus. This is a 139-page collection of excerpts from various writings or messages related to the incarnation of Christ as celebrated at Christmas. There are twenty-two readings from various pastors, writers, and church fathers such as George Whitefield, Martin Luther, John Piper, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, John Calvin, Tim Keller, and many others. Each excerpt is 5-10 pages long, so it makes for a perfect way to begin each day. And if you start reading them on the December 3^rd as I did, you will reach the final reading on Christmas day.

I cannot express how blessed I have been by my time spent reading and reflecting on these excerpts. What a blessing it is to have such a rich history of leaders in our faith so passionate about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and so diligent in poring over the scriptures in search of the truth of His character and nature and how we are to respond. Each day I have grown closer in my walk with Christ and deeper in my understanding of who He is and what He has done for me.

One of my favorite readings so far is called “The Gifts of Christmas” by Tim Keller. He begins by unpacking the narrative in Luke 1:39-45 where Elizabeth says to Mary “blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Keller begins by explaining how significant the word “blessed” was in that culture. Today we use the word to mean inspired but in the Hebrew and Greek scriptures the word meant to bring back to full shalom or full functioning, in other words to radically transform your life. He goes on to describe how the incarnation of Christ truly blesses our lives. In the incarnation we receive vulnerability for intimacy, comfort for suffering, passion for justice, and power over prejudice. Christmas reminds us that we serve a God who is willing to humble Himself and become a fragile, breakable human being all for the sake of being intimate with us. This same God stares deep into a fuller and darker understanding of humanity than what typically fuels our fallen superficial prejudices, and yet He is willing to give Himself as a sacrifice for us.

If we truly grasp the weight of what we celebrate at Christmastime we cannot help but be blessed by the gift of Christ! If you are struggling with “feeling” the Christmas spirit this year grab a copy of this book and take some time to enrich your understanding of what we are celebrating. I pray that it will enrich your worship and understanding of Christ this season as it has enriched mine.

Reading Through the Bible in Two Years Starting January 1, 2011

As a Christian you need to know exactly what the Bible says. Many Christians have not read through the Bible and really don’t know what the Pastor says is correct—and many pastors say incorrect things. Pastor Bob and Pastor Brian are extremely careful to be accurate. This does not mean you have to know the Bible to be a Christian. Many good Christians are not very familiar with the Bible and many poor Christians are familiar with the Bible.

New Life has a schedule to read through the Bible in 2 years. It does not go straight through the Bible, but goes back and forth from the Old Testament to the New Testament so that you do not get bogged down in the Old Testament. The daily reading only takes 15-20 minutes, so if you miss a few days, you can catch up. The schedule starts Jan. 1, 2011 and is available in the magazine racks in the foyer. I would encourage those that are interested to make this a project for the next two years, even though you may have read the Bible several times before. You learn something new each time you read the Bible. Encourage your friends to do the same. This does not mean you should forgo other Bible study groups.

Unless you have a Bible you are completely satisfied with, I would suggest that you get an NIV study Bible. It contains specific notes, many maps and other diagrams that help you understand the Bible.

The Old and New Testaments are closely related and the New Testament cannot be fully understood without knowledge of the Old Testament. The Old Testament was written over a period of 2,500 years by many different prophets who predicted the coming of Christ as the Son of God and that He was willing to sacrifice his life for our sins that we might have eternal life.

Annual Congregational Meeting Jan. 24th

Please mark your calendars for Monday night, Jan. 24, at 7 pm, when we will gather for our annual congregational meeting. Everyone is welcome to attend, and it is especially important for New Life members to be present.

One of the most important events to take place at the annual meeting is the presentation of the proposed 2011 budget. The budget team has already met and has submitted a proposal to the session. The session has reviewed and approved this budget, which will be presented at the meeting for your review and so you can offer your input for the session’s consideration.

The annual meeting is also the time when you, the congregation, will elect new officers. This year, we have one candidate standing for election – Bob Darby will be on the ballot for the office of deacon. Bob was nominated for this office earlier this year, and has been taking the officer training class throughout this year. The session has interviewed Bob and has approved him to stand for election.

As a Presbyterian church, New Life is governed by men who serve in the offices of elder and deacon. However, an individual needs approval of the congregation through nomination and election, in order to assume the role of deacon or elder. A majority vote is needed to elect a person to office. Officers serve three-year terms, and must take at least a one-year break after serving two consecutive terms.

Speaking of terms, Mark Bergman has been serving faithfully and fruitfully as deacon for the last six years, which means his second term is up at the end of this year. Mark is therefore required by the PCA’s Book of Church Order (BCO) to step aside from office at least for the year 2011. Assuming that Bob Darby is elected, that would keep the number of deacons at five (other deacons are Larry Harting, Paul Nagelkirk, Mark Parkison, and Randy Thompson).

There are no new elder candidates this year from the congregation. However, there will be a vote at the annual meeting on whether to move Pastor Brian from assistant pastor to associate pastor. According to our BCO, an assistant pastor is called to a church by the session, while an associate pastor is called by the congregation (ch.22). Pastor Brian was called by the session as an assistant pastor,
a position which officially began in September 2009. Brian is a teaching elder (TE) in our presbytery, but cannot serve as an official member of New Life’s session until the congregation elects him to serve as an associate pastor. In order for this to happen, we will need a majority vote from the congregation. Assuming Brian is elected to move from assistant to associate, that will give us five members of our session: Scott Jordan, Wendell Conner, Tony Guinn, Brian and myself.

The annual meeting also gives us time to review the work of our ministry teams from the past year, and to hear about their plans for the coming year. Rather than having oral reports from each of the teams, however, you will receive a packet of reports from each team for your perusal. Those packets should be available to you by Jan. 9, so you have time to consider them before the meeting.

So, those are the plans for the meeting. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me or one of the elders, and please do all you can to make sure you join us on Jan. 24.

No First Service Offered over Christmas Break

We are anticipating a smaller turnout over Christmas Break, therefore the session at New Life has decided to cancel the first service for Dec. 26 and Jan. 2. Adult Sunday School will also be cancelled during those two Sundays. Therefore our schedule will be the following:

9:30-10:45am—Worship Service & Children & Youth Sunday School

11am-12:15pm—Worship Service and Children’s Church

Advent, the Incarnation, and New CABS Class

It may be hard to believe, but 2010 is drawing to a close!  That means that Christmas and the season of Advent is upon us.  You might find it interesting that Advent has not always focused on the birth of Christ. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the celebration of Advent began sometime after the 4^th century as a preparation for Epiphany, which has reference not to Christ’s birth but to the later visit of the wise men.

In the 6^th century, Gregory the Great began to associate Advent with the coming of Christ, but even then the particular emphasis was on anticipating his second coming rather than celebrating his first. By the Middle Ages, the observance of Advent in the church included the commemoration of his birth, which receives the primary (if not exclusive) emphasis in most North American churches today.

Of course, it should be readily acknowledged that there is no Scriptural command to set aside a day to celebrate the birth of Jesus (indeed, since the time of the Reformation some men and women have actually opposed it). On top
of that, it is doubtful as to whether the exact date of Christ’s birth can ever be marked with certainty.

Still, these facts notwithstanding, devoted attention to Jesus’ birth has Scriptural warrant. Two of the four Gospels give considerable attention to his birth, and the amazing reality of the incarnation in which the eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, took upon himself a human body and lived on earth, is a common subject in the Bible (John 1:14; Phil. 2:5-8; Heb. 4:15; I Tim. 3:16).

Indeed, we see in Jesus’ birth the fulfillment of God’s purpose to dwell among his people – first characterized in Eden, then severed by the Fall but provisionally restored in Israel’s tabernacle and temple – and ultimately realized in Jesus, our Immanuel.  Furthermore, reflecting upon Jesus’ birth leads us to contemplate the purpose of the incarnation, which was for the Son of Man to “give his life as a ransom” (Mat. 20:28) and “to redeem those who were under the law” (Gal. 4:5).

It is hardly overstating the case to say that comprehending the person and work of Christ is at the heart of recognizing God’s purpose in redemptive history and appreciating our own salvation.  For this reason, the next course being offered by the Center for Advanced Biblical Studies (C.A.B.S.) is a class on the person and work of Christ (often referred to as Christology). The class is set to begin in early February with tentative plans to cover such topics as: the Bible’s teaching on the deity of Christ; the virgin birth; the nature of the incarnation; understanding the relationship between the two natures of Christ (fully God and fully human); the formulations of the early church councils dealing with the person and work of Christ; the theory of kenosis (Jesus “emptying himself” in Phil. 2:7); the modern quest for the “historical Jesus”; the work of Christ as prophet, priest, and king; and various theories on the meaning and nature of atonement.

More details concerning the class will be forthcoming.  A course syllabus will also be available soon on Center for Advanced Biblical Studies website at cabstudies.com (special thanks to Eric Clark for getting the site up and running).  Please consider taking the class and make use of this season of advent to consider how great is the mystery of godliness: he appeared in a body to save sinners like you and me.  Praise be to God for the gift of Jesus!

Children’s Christian Ed. Spotlight

“At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, ‘Ask for whatever you want me to give you.’ Solomon answered, ‘…LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.’” ~(1 Kings 3:5,7–9)

I’ll be honest — I cannot recall many specific lessons from back when I was an elementary student in Sunday School. For that matter, I can’t even recall many specific lessons from elementary school in general. I do, however, recall the principles of what was being taught, and more importantly, I remember the excitement of learning something new. I vividly remember learning about King Solomon in my Sunday School class in 5^th grade, and I remember how exciting it was to see how the Lord blessed Solomon in his pursuit of wisdom and discernment.

As Christians, we have the immense responsibility of imparting to our children a desire for wisdom and a zeal for truth. God has placed our children in His covenant community and has entrusted them to our guidance and care, and in response to that charge, He has raised up godly men and women to teach them.

This is a serious calling and a serious responsibility; however, it is one that is easily overlooked. It is very easy to forget about Sunday School or neglect the importance of providing our children with a time where they can learn and grow alongside other children their age. Karleen Wittman and Sandy Neal, our 1^st–3^rd grade Sunday School teachers, recently asked their students to write a brief report about what they were learning in class. Karleen asked if it would be possible to publish some of these reports in Lifeline as a way to highlight Sunday School and what our children are learning. With this in mind, it is my pleasure to present what will hopefully be the first of many Children’s Christian Ed. Spotlights featured in the Lifeline:

Aaron Perkins’ Report on Daniel Chapter 1

“Young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace were said to be from the royal family. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were from Judah it says. The chief official tested Daniel/Belteshazzar, Hananiah/Shadrach, Mishael/Meshach, and Azariah/Abednego by giving vegetables for ten days, and his servants got the royal food. God gave the four men knowledge and understanding and learning. Daniel could then understand visions and dreams of all kinds.”

George Bernard Shaw once said “What we want is to see the child in pursuit of knowledge, and not knowledge in pursuit of the child.” We are so blessed at New Life to have so many godly men and women who give so much of their time, energy, and prayers to encouraging and challenging our children to pursue the wisdom and understanding that can only come from the Lord.

Please support these ministries by encouraging your children to attend Sunday School, Children’s Church, and AWANA; as well as encouraging the many volunteers that make these ministries possible.

In HIM,

~Adam

Christmas Eve Service: Dec. 24, 6:30pm

Please join us for our special candlelight Christmas Eve Service on Dec. 24 at 6:30pm as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.

♫ Fa la la la la ♫

The Events Committee would like to invite the congregation to go caroling on Wednesday, Dec. 22. Everyone is to meet at the church at 6pm. This year we will be caroling at the homes of our Kids Hope families. Besides your singing voice, please bring some cookies to share once we return to the church after the caroling. The Events Committee will provide the hot chocolate. We hope everyone will join us in spreading the “joyous Good News that is for all people!”

Gloves and Socks Needed at the Bread Basket

Every year the Bread Basket puts together Christmas items to give to the people who come there. This year we are asking for donations of new, warm men’s and women’s gloves and socks to furnish 100 adult gift packages, and 15 children’s size for the children. These items will be packaged with some other Christmas things and a Gospel card and Christmas prayer at our Christmas dinner Dec. 18. Donations of gloves and socks will be collected in the large bin labeled Bread Basket in the foyer from now until Dec. 12. Thank you so much for helping us celebrate and share the Gospel at the Bread Basket!

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