Twain

Tony Reinke spurgeon

Said in a book review Sunday in The Washington Post:

Every memoirist is of course entitled to tell his or her story in whatever manner seems most appealing, but Twain chose one loaded with pitfalls. His was one of the most interesting and unpredictable minds this country has produced, but this discursive ramble through his life and mind proves nothing so much as that what interested him at any given moment is not necessarily of interest to anyone else. Reading the “Autobiography of Mark Twain” too often is like being trapped in a locked room with a garrulous old coot who loves the sound of his own voice and hasn’t the slightest inclination to turn it off.

Parenting

Tony Reinke John Chrysostom, Parenting

John Chrysostom (c. 347–407), On Vainglory and the Education of Children, 22:

Just as an artist who paints pictures and portraits exercises great care in his work, so each of you, mothers and fathers, must be attentive to these wonderful images [children]. Each day, a painter adds what is necessary to the picture. Sculptors do the same, removing excess stone and adding what is lacking. You should do the same: as makers of images, devote all your time to the task of fashioning wonderful images for God. Remove the excess; add what is lacking. Each day, examine the images closely. Cultivate the natural excellence that each one has, removing what is by nature inferior. Take care to root out first the thought of licentiousness, for sex is especially troublesome to young souls. Instead, before they encounter this temptation, teach them to be sober, vigilant, watchful in prayer, and to place everything that is said and done under the sign of the cross.

Build Great Sentences

Tony Reinke Writing

Until November 30, you can get a great deal on Brooks Landon’s lectures on writing, “Building Great Sentences: Exploring the Writer’s Craft.” The course is comprised of 12 hours of lectures. I purchased and watched the DVDs about a year ago (I plan to watch them all again later this winter). While the lectures can be dry at times, after watching them my writing certainly improved both in clarity and creativity. The lectures are available as audio recordings, but the visuals are helpful and recommended. The DVDs normally sell for $255 but for the next 10 days you can buy them for $70. And if you enter priority code 49458 you can get the DVDs for just $35! This is a great deal, and certainly worth a look from any serious writer, especially if you want to learn how to pen gracefully flowing cumulative sentences that roll on and on to the right, capturing the readers attention, then gently pulling them into the story, leading them deeper and deeper into the thick forest of your imaginative world that has been awakened by your newfound discovery of right-branching sentences and their power to compel and to inspire.

On Preachers and Preaching

Tony Reinke Preaching, Richard Baxter

From Richard Baxter, The Practical Works of The Rev. Richard Baxter, vol. 19, The Catechising of Families (London, 1830), pages 254–256 [HT: J.I. Packer, The Redemption and Restoration of Man in the Thought of Richard Baxter (Regent, 2003), pages 158­–159]:

Q. What must Christ’s ministers say and do for the world’s conversion?

A. Luke xiv, and Matt. xxii, tell you: they must tell men of the marriage-feast, the blessed provision of grace and glory by Christ, and, by evidence and urgency, compel them to come in. …

Q. 5. In what manner must Christ’s ministers preach all this?

A. 1. With the greatest gravity and holy reverence; because it is the message of God.

2. With the greatest plainness; because men are dull of understanding.

3. With the greatest proof and convincing evidence, to conquer prejudice, darkness, and unbelief.

4. With powerful winning motives, and urgent importunity, because of men’s disaffection and averseness. And O what powerful motives have we at hand, from self-love, from God, from Christ, from necessity, from heaven and hell!

5. With life and fervency, because of the unspeakable importance of the matter, and the deadness and hardness of men’s hearts.