What happens when I arrive 12 minutes late for a meeting? Today one colleague claimed control of my office whiteboard:
For the record, I prefer Dutch people over caffeine. If I was forced to choose between Bavinck and Starbucks I’d give up Starbucks. But Dutch people against Mr. T? Hmm. I’d say that’s too close to call. Although Mr. T wins easily over spelunking (cave exploration).
What comes to mind when I mention God’s “glory”?
The reference to God’s “glory” may cause some of us to run to a dictionary. It’s not the easiest term to comprehend. For others we may think of “glory” along the lines of something more trivial like the phrase “glory, hallelujah,” a filler phrase, a cliché dried of all meaning and spiritual value.
However we speak of glory, Scripture prohibits us from speaking of God’s glory in impersonal terms. It is not that.
To fully understand glory will require that we see it with our own eyes. This was the request of Moses on that quaking mountain of fire and smoke. Moses asked of the Lord, “Please show me your glory.” And the Lord complied. But notice the response: “I will make all my goodness pass before you” (Ex. 33:18-19).
How often do we think of God’s glory as a synonym for God’s goodness?
Jonathan Edwards wrote: “The glory of the Lord in Scripture seems to signify the excellent brightness and fullness of God, and especially as spread abroad, diffused and as it were enlarged, or, in one word, the excellency of God flowing forth.” (Misc. 1082)
The glory of God, in other words, is the fountain or sun in which all our eternal enjoyments originate. Edwards would go on to say that glory is the source for all eternal blessing, a synonym for the waters of life and pleasures forever. And central to all of Edwards’s theology is an understanding that the shining forth of God’s glory is a fundamental purpose behind the act of creation.
We could go on in many directions. But the simple point is that Exodus 33 convicts me of my low view of God’s glory. God’s glory is His means to communicate to us His goodness. Banish the unaffected and impersonal thoughts of God’s glory. His glory is my goodness.
What?! Free hymns? Yep, and if that headline doesn’t clasp your collar and shake a little excitement into your browsing experience, I don’t know what will. The album is by Page CXVI who somehow mixed classic hymns and indie rock and this album was the result. No, the album is not for everyone. But for a limited time the entire album is free. Good stuff. [Hats off to our friend JT]
Page CXVI / “Hymns” album
1. Come Thou Fount
2. In Christ Alone
3. Joy
4. My Jesus I Love Thee
5. Nothing But The Blood
6. Solid Rock
7. When I Survey The Wonderful Cross
I appreciate your patience with the blog slowdown. There are periods of time when work and family prohibit much of a time investment here. But you’re okay with that, you recently said. So thanks!
But I do have two updates:
This morning in the studio I recorded an interview with Margaret Elizabeth Kostenberger, the author of the new book Jesus and the Feminists: Who Do They Say That He Is?, published by Crossway. The audio should be posted in the near future on CJ’s blog. I’ve titled the recording “Jesus, Feminism, and the Local Church.” Mrs. Kostenberger is an interesting woman (to say the least) and offered several helpful insights in the interview.
Also, I have kicked around the idea of a new series of blog posts. I’ll announce the new series here (hopefully very soon).
Happy Friday!
Tony
For the month of March, Crossway is granting free access to the ESV Study Bible online. Kick the tires here (free login required).
My favorite feature is the concluding “article” in the back of the Bible, so buried that is has probably been discovered only by me and a handful of people who got lost while trying to find the maps. I’m talking about the History of Salvation in the Old Testament. No student of the Old Testament should be without this list!
At my son’s school each week the class celebrates one of the students with what is called “all about me” week. It’s a fun idea and a great opportunity for kids in the class to share their interests and get acquainted with one another over the course of the year. It also provides an opportunity for parents to encourage their child by writing a letter about what they most appreciate in their child. This letter is read by the teacher to the class.
This week was dedicated to my son, it was a “all about Jonathan” week. The following letter I wrote was read to the class yesterday is here posted for any family and friends who are interested. This is a letter about my precious boy, my firstborn son, my baseball buddy, Jonathan:
February 26, 2009
Hello, 2nd grade class.
This is Mr. Reinke, Jonathan’s dad. So, this week is “all about Jonathan” week, and you want me to share things I appreciate about my son. Hmm, let me see.
As you know, Jonathan loves baseball. At home he likes to flip through black and white photographs of old baseball players like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, and Cy Young. Jonathan collects baseball cards, too. His binder of baseball cards is completely full (and weighs about 20 pounds). He likes to learn about baseball and has read several long chapter books about the game and some of its greatest players.
Speaking of baseball, Jonathan and I attend as many Major League baseball games as possible, especially when our favorite team, the Boston Red Sox, travels to Baltimore. Jonathan loves to arrive early at Camden Yards, snaking his way through the crowd with his baseball glove on his hand, seeking to find a good place in the front row of the center field bleachers—which provides a good view of the players swinging at batting practice, and the best chance of catching a ball. A few times Jonathan has come close to catching a warm-up home run ball. Mostly, it’s just fun to watch one of Jonathan’s favorite power hitters on the Boston Red Sox—“Big Papi” David Ortiz—smack practice pitches into orbit, baseballs that that rocket into the air and over our heads and deep into the bleachers.
And Jonathan is a skilled baseball player himself. When he pitches his fastball, the catcher’s mitt pops loudly. Maybe he will grow up to be a pitcher. He can hit the ball hard, too, but not quite as far as Big Papi. But he is the power hitter on his little league team. I call him “Little Papi.”
Jonathan also loves to be out in nature, to be buried deep in the woods—so deep you cannot see anything but trees, rocks, and the sky. I once watched Jonathan hike up the slippery rock face of Cunningham Falls with a walking stick and a heavy backpack. It was quite a feat. And he really loves to hike along the Billy Goat Trail along the Potomac river in Great Falls National Park. I have a picture of Jonathan standing on a huge bolder with his hand over his eyes, shielding the sun from his face, and looking off into the distance. What the picture does not show is that the large boulder was close to the edge of a tall rock-faced cliff edge that dropped straight down about 100 feet into the river. Like a cougar, finding his way through the woods comes naturally to Jonathan. I appreciate this about him.
Speaking of animals, Jonathan likes to wrestle me in the living room. In the past I could take him down to the carpet for an easy pin, but over the past two years Jonathan has become much more of a challenge—now able to outsmart my tactics a bit, and strong enough to break loose from my pins. Eventually I can always win, but I doubt my winning streak will last too much longer.
I admit this next thing is a bit random. Jonathan’s favorite drink from Starbucks is white hot chocolate. When we are not playing or watching baseball, wrestling, or hiking, Jonathan and I bring 20 books with us to Starbucks and we will spread those books out on one of those little round tables, drink our drinks, and read for a couple hours. Not as exciting as standing on the edge of a cliff, but I really appreciate this about my son.
But as much as I appreciate all these things about my son, I most appreciate Jonathan’s love of Jesus. A long time ago, in a clothing store at a mall, Jonathan was playing with a little boy whose parents were also shopping. I overheard him say to this boy, “But toys will not make you happy. Only Jesus makes you happy.” Jonathan is willing to tell other boys and girls about Jesus because he loves Jesus himself.
Jonathan is always willing and eager to pray to God for his friends. Jonathan is quick to pray for you—his classmates and teacher. He prays for his classmates at night when we gather as a family, and he prays each morning for Miss D as we drive in to school. I love this about my son.
I could go on with things I appreciate about Jonathan.
We love him.
Sincerely,
Mr. Reinke
Tony Reinke 