I love books, as anyone reading this blog knows. One source for books this year has been Cruciform Press. They publish one book a month, it is a fairly small but powerful book each time. I have a subscription so every book comes to me. This has worked out well because I’ve received a few that I wouldn’t have put in the time or effort to buy, but have found to be a worthy book to read, share, and revisit.

Tonight I picked up Innocent Blood by John Ensor. It is an interesting book in a lot of ways. If you want to learn more about why Leviticus and Deuteronomy actually have some parts worth reading, this is a good book. I have read both of those books more than once. Sometimes a skimming, sometimes a more dutiful reading. But what he has pulled out, the verses and the understanding of them, is new to me. And convicting.

The topic of the book is the need for Christians to have courage, faith in a powerful and almighty God, to stand up and defend the innocent, to defend them and prevent the shedding of innocent blood. That concept is not new to me. I still remember reading Oswald Chambers 2 years ago and getting a clearer understanding of why I should not confuse trying to insist on my own rights with the need to be willing and able to defend the rights of another. This book is a good continuation of that truth.

Of course, while talking about the need to defend the innocent, the primary issue this book raises is abortion. As the author points out, it is the primary issue of our day. In the past slavery and caring for the elderly were the issues that needed to be raised. Right now, in this world we live in, it is definitely abortion. And he has a very powerful chapter showing why anyone suffering from bloodguilt (be it abortion or some other heinous crime) needs the gospel in all it’s truth and grace and glory.

He also shows the difference between responding to innocent lives in danger by accident vs lives in danger of malicious evil. Responding to an accident is usually easy and instinctive. But helping someone being attacked or intentionally hurt requires us to put ourselves in danger, it interrupts our life, and it requires us to face the consequences.

During my EMBA class, one of the discussions we had one day was about the importance of helping someone. The issue posed by a classmate was someone heading to an important business meeting in India that had the potential to bring thousands of jobs and help thousands and thousands of Indians who would otherwise not have jobs or continue to live in poverty or die of starvation. Say that person came upon an accident and a man injured who needed help. Should he help that one man, missing the meeting and missing the opportunity to help all of those thousands of others?

I didn’t state my position very well, but I knew it was wrong to walk past that man. One concern is that if someone can walk by someone hurt by accident, they have lost a part of their humanity, and it will easier to walk past the next one. And even to sacrifice people for some better goal. The ends does not justify the means.

Anyway – consider a subscription to the Cruciform books. Consider how you can help defend innocents. Think about being prepared when your faith must become courage. And I’ll do the same.

I picked up a quick read this week. I had heard of Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher and put it on my list of “someday” reads. I finally decided this was the day. The book is short, a tad coarse, and very sad in a lot of ways. But she is also very funny and writes well and shares so much that you can relate to, remember seeing from the non-celebrity side, or that is just interesting to see in a life so unlike mine. I am not sure I really recommend the book, but I’m not sorry I read it.

She talks about her alcoholism, her drug addictions, and her bipolar issues. She also does a good job of talking about how the alcohol and drugs helped keep the bipolar symptoms under control. She wasn’t diagnosed until she managed to go dry and then got out of control.

On p 106 she talks about the AA meetings she has attended for 10 years and how finally at one of them someone said that you didn’t have to like meetings, you just had to go to them. What a revelation this was for her. She had always thought she should like everything, but now she was learning that she didn’t have to actually be comfortable all of the time. She could learn to experience some discomfort – which meant she could also exercise and write and be responsible.

She doesn’t do more deep digging right here in the book, but it is an interesting point that seems so obvious so some of us that I think we struggle to relate to people who don’t seem to see it this way. And I think we sometimes ‘get it’ in one area of our lives but not in another. Even when we ‘get it’, we don’t always live it out completely. We believe many things that we somehow don’t reconcile to all of our actions. This is one of the reasons believing God is so difficult. We do, right now, for this thing. But if something different comes along or our digestion is not right, we forget that we believe and trust God.

People seem to spend a lot of time trying to avoid being uncomfortable, or doing something unpleasant, being responsible. But usually all of that effort doesn’t really make us more comfortable. Whether it is drugs, alcohol, moping and refusing to participate in whatever is life at that moment (think teenager). There are always consequences to those actions or avoidance behaviors. And usually they are more uncomfortable than if we had just kept our head up, our integrity intact, and dealt with the original issue or task.

Sharing another article – if you drive on the highways at all you should read this.

The truck driver’s story.

Then check out this post from Paul Tripp about grace. I love how he reminds us again and again that it is all grace and being at the end of the rope can be a good thing when we turn it all over to God.

One more from Paul Tripp about forgiveness. The next study book for my Circle is Unpacking Forgiveness by Chris Brauns and the blog entries from Tripp lately on forgiveness are finding their way into my book so we can include them in the discussion.

Things are hopping around here.

We spent the first week of August in Mexico. Which means we spent the last week of July getting ready to go to Mexico. Many thanks to my mom for house- and cat-sitting! And thanks to Ryan Taylor for taking Mom to the NASCAR Museum. Then Aunt Elaine and Aunt Anne came to party keep Mom company part of that week.

Then last week was spent catching up – with laundry, with email, with meetings. And last week was interrupted by the sad news of my cousin’s death at 46, leaving a wife and 2 children.

This week is still running full tilt. I sang a solo Sunday. Then I had Circle of Grace at my house Monday night (love that group!). Last night I had a meeting with some women about reinvigorating the Women’s Ministries of our local church. This coming Saturday is the First Presbyterial Annual Meeting (where I become Vice President of First Presbyterial, and also get to invite all the women to come to HARP for next year’s Annual Meeting). In preparation for Saturday, I’ve done lots of updating to the WM website.

Plus I’m working on the ‘new year’ stuff for church since we change our year in September (this is the last year for that, next year we go back to the calendar year structure). I remembered that I am Historian for HARP this year so I have until Sept 15 to get our History written up and submitted.

Plus Sunday I run my part of the 2nd Ramblin Rose triathlon, so I’m trying to find time to run at least a little. Ah, but September (so far) looks blessedly empty of major events so maybe I’ll get to read something personal and spend time updating my blog, and all that kind of stuff.

Anyway – as part of the History work, I’m working my way through a year’s worth of bulletins and wanted to capture some of the notes I am finding in there.

Aug 22 on Job 1: “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God” Corrie ten Boom

Oct 10 on Luke 7:11-17  Jesus is the maker and master of circumstance (guest preacher Nathan McCall)

Feb 13 Galatians 4:1-7  1. Inheritance = eternal riches; 2. complete access to God; 3. loving discipline; 4. connection with others (a family, identify, responsibility); 5. liberty to offer imperfect obedience (too many things I don’t attempt because I can’t do it perfectly); 6. enjoy it

Feb 20, 2011 on Acts 2:42-47: church was characterized by 1. devotion to teaching of God’s word – make receiving of God’s word a priority.  2. fellowship – committed to rich relationships in the family of God. 3. people pray together. 4. worship. 5. witness.

July 3, 2011 2 Cor 12:1-10 God is interested in our perception – we rejoice in Christ but for now we suffer. These trials have come so faith may be proven genuine and we will praise. Suffering is God’s servant. Spiritual pride leads to being blind to the mercy of Christ. The thorn can stay in place because God’s grace is sufficient. Doesn’t reduce the pain but gives it meaning. What if he does not remove you from the slimy pit or the miry bog? He is still the rock under your feet. We should boast/delight in our weakness.

I’m using this post to capture some stuff I’ve come across lately.

This post from Desiring God by Jon Bloom is really a great discussion of how we should handle disappointment. It is wrong to feel disappointed because it is rooted in unbelief, doubting the promises of God. How convicting! If we examine it, odds are we are disappointed because we saw something that would feed our own glory (or our own ease and comfort) and we feel we are missing out on something now. Convicting!

Then this post by Kevin DeYoung about how we should feel about the doctrine of Hell. We should learn to love where the Bible stands. It isn’t ok to say we believe it because the Bible says it but we aren’t entirely comfortable with it. The law of the Lord should be our delight. Can I say that about Hell? About people I know and love who are not believers?

God is good and his ways are always right. It is a measure of our maturity that we not only affirm the truth of God’s word but rest in the goodness and rightness of it. Christians should have anguish in heart at the thought of eternal suffering, but we should also see the glory of God in the Bible’s teaching on eternal punishment.

Back to Desiring God for this wonderful post about motherhood. Treasure the calling!