4 Tips on Reading Gooder

Mike Leake 3 Comments

It is always humorous to me to read through some of the reviews of a book on Amazon before posting my own.  There is inevitably that one guy or gal that has given the book a 1 star.  And it’s not because the book is a bomb it’s because the reader did not understand the book.  Granted, there may be times where the aforementioned describes myself.  It’s possible that I’ve just missed it myself.  (Either 5 starring a book that should be burned, or 1 starring a book that should be savored). 

So in order to help you (and myself) not 1-star books that deserve a little higher rank I am providing 5 tips on being a better reader.  Keep in mind these can also apply to being a better reader of blogs and shorter articles as well.

  1. Know the Author’s Audience.  Some Bible readers are confused that Paul and James seem to contradict one another.  Paul says essentially “We are saved by grace alone through faith alone”.  James basically says, “We are saved by works and not a faith that is alone”.  That really seems to be a contradiction.  That is until you consider their audience.  Paul is writing to those that are mostly legalists and trying to get to God through their own efforts.  James is writing to those that would be termed antinomians.  They “believe in Jesus” they have their get out of hell free card and now they can do whatever they want.  Different audiences require a different emphasis.  To force Paul to answer questions asked to James does a great disservice to both.  The same is true with books in our day.  Don’t make the author answer questions that he is not concerned with answering.
  2. Know the Author’s Purpose.  Every blog post, article, and book has a purpose (at least it should).  Your goal as a reader is to ask yourself, “Did the author accomplish his purpose”.  If he/she did then this is not a 1-star book.  You may disagree with it.  You may say that it is heresy.  But at least give an extra star for her accomplishing the tremendous feat of having a point and making it.  Do not force an author to say more than he or she intends to say.  If he’s writing about the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire don’t ask questions like, “yeah but what about Hitler?”  That’s not his point—don’t dock him because he didn’t answer a question you brought to the book. 
  3. Be Humble.  Every good book or article will challenge you.  If you are not humble enough to admit at the beginning that you do not know everything and that you also could be wrong, then you will get little out of challenging books.  Be humble.  Consider ideas, compare them to Scripture, and make adjustments to your own heart where necessary.
  4. Remember A Book is not THE Book.  There is only one inerrant and infallible word of God.  The books in your library are not infallible and inerrant.  Do not expect them to be.  They will not answer every question that you have—they were not meant to.  They will not sustain your soul—they cannot.  A good book will point you to the Author of the Book.  Rejoice when that happens.  But do not try to make a book bear the weight of being on an equal par with Scripture—it cannot. 

There are many more tips that can help you be a better reader.  These are just four that I think would help us to be better readers of blog articles and books and hopefully better reviewers and commenters.  For a book length treatment of this topic there are few better than Mortimer Adler’s How to Read a Book and the more recent Lit! by Tony Reinke. 

People You’ve Probably Never Heard of But Should: Charles Bridges

Mike Leake

Charles Bridges was born in 1794 to some guy with the last name Bridges and to a woman that he called mother.  He grew up to be an Anglican preacher, as well as a gifted writer and theologian.  He was ordained in 1817 and served the church of Old Newton, Suffolk from 1823 until 1849.  He then served churches in Dorset until he died in 1869. 

He was married to a woman named Harriet.  With her he had two sons (maybe more) and one of them became a physician. 

That’s all I’ve got.  I entangled myself in the world wide webs searching for all things Charles Bridges’ only to come up with these scant biographical blips.  Nearest that I can tell a guy named Ronald wrote a biography on him in 2004.  How he did this from one Wikipedia article is beyond me. 

Why You Should Know Him:

Charles Bridges has written two amazing works that greatly benefit the church.  His commentary on Proverbs was “worth its weight in gold” according to Spurgeon.  If you are curious it probably weighs about 2 pounds.  It is also available for free on the internets.  I have a hard copy of the book and my series on Proverbs for Christian Blogging is deeply indebted to Bridges’ work. 

The other amazing work (and I have to confess I know this second hand) is his book The Christian Ministry.  This is a book that I have had on my list for quite some time but because every edition that I could find of the book was apparently worth its weight in gold ($28.00 the cheapest I could find), I have yet to buy it and read it.  Thankfully the ninjas at Google have made the book available for free as well.  Yours truly is going to start reading through this one very soon. 

Bridges also wrote an Exposition of Psalm 119, a Memoir of Mary Jane Graham, a Manual for the Young, an Exposition of Ecclessiastes, Forty-Eight Scriptural Studies, and we also have some of his Correspondence.  Most of these can be found for free at Google and are well worth your time of at least browsing. 

Sample:

From his work on The Christian Ministry Bridges writes:

“It is faith that enlivens our work with perpetual cheerfulness. It commits every part of it to God, in the hope, that even mistakes shall be overruled for His glory; and thus relieves us from an oppressive anxiety, often attendant upon a deep sense of our responsibility.

The shortest way to peace will be found in casting ourselves upon God for daily pardon of deficiencies and supplies of grace, without looking too eagerly for present fruit. Hence our course of effort is unvarying, but more tranquil. It is peace—not slumber, rest in the work—not from it.

What I have read so far of Bridges in Proverbs and in the little I have read from The Christian Ministry is deeply encouraging, dripping with wisdom, and saturated with the savor of Christ. 

Further Reading:

These links are available from Bridges’ Wikipedia article

When Serpents Bite Your Granny

Mike Leake 1 Comment

Perhaps the most offensive claim of the gospel is that a hate-filled cannibalistic child molester finds the same redemption and has an equal status in the eyes of God as your dear old church lovin’, bake-sale havin’, baby burpin’ granny.  The truth that there is only one way to salvation for granny and the cannibal is equally comforting and offensive.  It’s offensive to the vestiges of self-righteousness in our own heart but it is a great comfort to those acquainted with the darkness of their own hearts. 

In the late 1700’s John Newton wrote a letter to a dejected pastor that was stricken with illness and despair.  This man felt that though he had preached to many and rejoiced in seeing their having found grace he was not sure that he himself could be pardoned.  Newton did what any good pastor does to those that are in despair—he preached to him the gospel.  His counsel here is especially rich:

When the brazen serpent was erected in the wilderness, to cure those who must otherwise have died, the benefit was not restrained to those who had been bitten by the fiery serpent but once or a few times.  The worst case amongst the people was relieved as soon and as certainly as the very slightest.  The remedy was universally proposed to every person.  The application was easy; it was only, look and live.  But if a man had spent all his time in measuring or counting his wounds, instead of looking to the ordinance of God, he might have died, though the means of life were within his view.  The sense of the evil of sin is given to quicken application to Christ, and not to discourage our approach.  The Scripture has concluded all under sin, and as such we are all condemned already.  But the Gospel proclaims a free pardon to everyone who, with the eye of his mind, looks for life to him who hung upon the cross.  (Letters of John Newton, 198, emphasis mine)

If you find yourself in despair over the greatness of your sin do not spend your time counting your wounds or licking them.  Turn your eyes away from your serpent bite and fix your eyes on the blood-drenched yet resurrection healed face of Jesus.  This is the remedy whether you find yourself a cookie makin’ granny or an openly shamed sinner. 

Proverbs for Christian Blogging: The Necessity of Fixed Eyes and Guarded Hearts

Mike Leake

It was my second concussion that was the most embarrassing.  It was a rainy Friday afternoon, when I finally had the opportunity to play football with the big boys.  (Of course, I’m not really sure that it was rainy—I was concussed, remember—but it sounds good anyways). 

Here I was 4’8, 12 years old, and finally playing football with my dad and his friends on lunch break.  Being the short kid all through elementary school (and even now in adult life) I know that I’m going to be underestimated until I prove myself.  In football I would never get a pass thrown my way until I could show my ninja skills by intercepting passes on defense. 

We had been playing for about 10-15 minutes and I still was getting very little action.  Then, it happened.  Nobody else must have been open.  The quarterback threw a pass my way.  I caught it and took off running like the wind (probably more of a minor breeze).  I was really gaining some yards, juking and spinning, and getting past all those older guys.  I was yards away from the touchdown, when all of a sudden I found myself at home on the couch. 

What happened you ask?  Did one of the big guys catch me?  Nope.  My foe was much more gangly and solid than any of my dads co-workers.  My demise came from a steadily rusting jungle gym.  (One of those things that is pictured off to the side).  I ran smack into that thing full speed.  It knocked me out and ruined my chance at stardom and my dad’s opportunity to eat his ham sandwich during lunch break. 

Here I learned what Proverbs taught years ago:

Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. (Proverbs 4:25 ESV)

In other words if you are too busy juking and spinning and looking behind at the guys chasing you, then you’ll miss the rock solid jungle gym that is getting ready to smack you in the face. 

Focused Blogging

I have found blogging to be similar to not running into a jungle gym.  There are a million things that can distract bloggers.  Tons of controversy.  Lots of books being written and ideas being tossed around.  Many solutions to perceived problems.  A myriad of interpretations of Scripture and application points being proffered.  It can be quite easy to get swept up in the ever changing world wide web. 

Faithful bloggers will have a consistent goal (one that is grounded in the unchanging gospel) and keep their eyes on that; otherwise you’ll just be tossed to and fro by the ever changing online climate.  For me I have made it my aim to “so live and so study and so serve and so preach and so write that Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen God, be the only boast of this generation”.  That’s a tweak of a John Piper quote in Don’t Waste Your Life. 

Guarding Your Heart

The means to “fixing your gaze” and “putting away crooked speech” (4:24) and “pondering the path of your feet” (4:26) is found in Proverbs 4:23.  “Keep your heart with vigilance for from it flow the springs of life.”  If my heart is not kept then it will be distracted.  I will begin chasing after the wind.  My writing will be for personal gain instead of for the majesty of Christ being proclaimed.  Therefore, I must consistently guard my heart.  If my heart can be distracted then my blogging will be distracted. 

Again I find Charles Bridges instructive:

The man of God must only have one standard…He must often put aside the Church, no less than the world, that he may listen more closely to the command—Walk before me.  He must discern and crush the first motions of corruption; guarding every avenue of sin—the senses—the memory—the imagination—the touch—the taste.  He must walk by the straight rule of the Gospel; else will he not only bring discomfort upon himself, but stumbling to the Church.  A single eye, steadily fixed upon the One Object, will make the path luminous.  (From Commentary on Proverbs, 55)

It is vital that we blog with a fixed eye and a guarded heart.