Midweek Meditation: Third Century Wisdom (Tertullian)

On Making a Living
"The usual complaint is, 'I have no other way to make a living.' The harsh reply can be, 'Do you have to live?'"

On Marriage
“How beautiful, the marriage of two Christians, two who are one in home, one in desire, one in the way of life they follow, one in the religion they practice. Nothing divides them either in flesh or in spirit.

They pray together, they worship together, they fast together; instructing one another, encouraging one another, strengthening one another. Side by side they visit God’s church and partake God’s banquet, side by side they face difficulties and persecution, share their consolations.

They have no secrets from one another, they never shun each other’s company; they never bring sorrow to each other’s hearts. Seeing this Christ rejoices. To such as these He gives His peace. Where there are two together, there also He is present.”

On the Creator Behind the Creation
"The world was made up of all kinds of good things, and gives sufficient indication of the great good in store for the one for whom all these was provided."

The Church
"The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church."

On Truth
"You can't undo anything you've already done, but you can face up to it. You can tell the truth. You can seek forgiveness. And then let God do the rest."

BookPastor >> "Lead Vertically" (Craig Johnson)

This review was first published on March 15th, 2016 at Panorama of a Book Saint.

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TITLE: Lead Vertically: Inspire People to Volunteer and Build Great Teams that Last
AUTHOR: Craig Johnson
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2010, (224 pages).

Dream big. Walk tall. Lead vertical. In an inspiring book on how to lead teams, author Craig Johnson brings together his wealth of knowledge and experience about what it means to lead with inspiration. Just like the verse in Ps 61:2, where David prayed to the LORD to lead him to the rock that is higher, Johnson believes that vertical leading is about letting God help us take the ministry to a higher level in God's perspective. Leading vertically is looking up to God to lead from God's perspective, and leading people toward God in the hope that they too can do the same.

Vertical leadership begins with God. It is not just about recognizing the best people but also the best in people. It is cultivating the childlikeness in each person and to impact that person positively even as that person seems to be deep in their trenches. There is a strong belief that God is doing something amazing in the person's life. This means not just planting but knowing how to plant. One inspires others by being a model of hope, building on dreams, and learning constructive criticism that builds up instead of tearing down. It is remembering that the goal for all its importance must always be secondary. The person(s) concerned must be primary.

Video: The Story of You (A DNA Journey)

In a world of extremism and discriminations based on race and ethnicity, people often forget how they are more related than they think. In this video, 67 people were first asked about who they like and who they dislike. Subsequently, they were invited to take a DNA journey to discover who they are. Watch how their personal opinions of other races crumble when they see the results of their DNA journey.




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Midweek Meditation: Second Century Wisdom (Polycarp)

Polycarp (AD 69-155)

Refusal to Deny Christ
"For eighty-six years have I been Christ's servant, and he has done me no wrong, and how can I blaspheme my King who saved me?"

"Leave me as I am, the one who gives me strength to endure the fire will also give me strength to stay quite still on the pyre, even without the precaution of your nails."

On Idolatry
"If anyone does not refrain from the love of money, he will be defiled by idolatry and so be judged as if he were one of the heathen."

"Beware of greed and remain pure and just. Restrain yourself from every vice. He who cannot restrain himself, how will he be able to teach others restraint?"

On Prayer
"Keep looking forward in prayer, and persevering in fasting; beseeching in supplications the all-seeing God to lead us away from temptation."

If you are interested in an article about the martyrdom of Polycarp, click here.

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BookPastor >> "Flourishing" (Miroslav Volf)

This review was first published on March 2nd, 2016 at Panorama of a Book Saint.

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TITLE: Flourishing: Why We Need Religion in a Globalized World
AUTHOR: Miroslav Volf
PUBLISHER: New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2016, (304 pages).

Religions and globalizations have been around for a long time. Both have interacted and have influenced each other. In turn, they have affected all areas of our lives in varying degrees. The purpose of this book is to examine this relationship and offer reasons for faith in this increasingly complex world. The religions included in this book are primarily Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. For globalization, the author leads us through the various revolutions and the history of globalization. Coming from a background that was overwhelmingly Catholic and Orthodox, with a Muslim minority, the author is keenly aware of the complex relationships among the religions and the way globalization has impacted them. More importantly, the globalization model that we know in our time, is but a "moment in the grand arc of history" between creation and the new creation. He contrasts that with the two coming of Christ. The first is how Christ came into the world and dwelt among us. The second is a future-bound coming of Christ. In this light, Volf is particularly aware of opinions that are humanistic and non-religious, especially those that are calling for the abolition of religion altogether. Addressing this, in order for the world to flourish way further down the future road, religions are part of the solution and not part of the problem. This is Volf's conviction, and the book's chapters all argue in favour of this. For true flourishing, we have to deal with the age old commandment of God, to love God and to love our neighbour. While he offers a Christian perspective, he also argues that the other religions have more reasons to support his proposal. Using six formal and common features of world religions, he paints a vision of a future where religious thought can contribute to the flourishing of the world. Some key pointers are:

Midweek Meditation: Second Century Wisdom (Justin Martyr)

Christian Apologist (AD 100-165)

On Sunday Worship
"We hold this gathering on Sunday, since this is the first day on which God, by making a transformation of darkness and chaos, made the universe, and on the same day Jesus Christ our Saviour rose from the dead."

"Plain singing is not childish, but only the singing with lifeless organs, with dancing, and cymbals, etc. Whence the use of such instruments, and other things fit for children, is laid aside and plain singing only retained."

On Conquering the Flesh
"To yield and give way to our passions is the lowest slavery, even as to rule over them is the only liberty."

On Being Peacemakers
"We used to hate and destroy one another and refused to associate with people of another race or country. Now, because of Christ, we live together with such people and pray for our enemies."

"We who formerly hated and murdered one another now live together and share the same table. We pray for our enemies and try to win those who hate us."

On the Different Sides of Atheism
"Thus we are called atheists. And we admit that in respect of such supposed gods we are atheists; but not in regard to the most true God, the Father of righteousness."

"We are not atheists, for we worship the Creator of the Universe with the word of prayer and thanksgiving."

On the Tongue
"By examining the tongue of a patient, physicians find out the diseases of the body, and philosophers the diseases of the mind."

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BookPastor >> "Effective Generational Ministry" (Elisabeth A. Nesbit Sbanotto and Craig L. Blomberg)

This review was first published at Panorama of a Book Saint on Feb 29th, 2016.

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TITLE: Effective Generational Ministry: Biblical and Practical Insights for Transforming Church Communities
AUTHOR: Elisabeth A. Nesbit Sbanotto and Craig L. Blomberg
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2016, (282 pages).

How do you build community among the three largest generations in this day and age? What are the cultural and generational differences among them? How do we navigate the complexities and varying expectations across the different generations? To what extent do we allow cultural contexts influence our ministry in churches? In the words of the authors, how can we do effective generational ministry? In a book that strings together various ideas from sociological, spiritual, anthropological, ecclesiological, and other fields of study, Sbanotto and Blomberg have put together years of research and experience to give three key generations some understanding of themselves and of one another. First off, they define the three groups as follows:

1. Baby Boomers: Born 1946 - 1964
2. Generation Xers: Born 1965 - 1981
3. Millennials: Born 1982 - 2001