Tag Archive - Proverbs

Book Review: The Faith of Barack Obama

August 25, 2008 in Book Reviews with 0 Comments

Faith_of_Barack_ObamaA few weeks ago, Michael Hyatt, the President and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, offered a free copy of the new book, The Faith of Barack Obama by Stephen Mansfield, (released August 7, 2008 ) to the first 100 (later extended to 200) bloggers who promised to read it and post a review of it on their blogs.

Of course, I jumped at the chance. (Note: This is my review of the book, not my opinion about Obama’s faith.)

It seems to me that Senator Obama is one of those people that you either love or hate. I find very few people (who actually know enough about him to hold an intelligent conversation) who are straddling the fence.

To some he is the face of the new America – the voice of reason, hope, and change that we have all been waiting for. To others, he is just another politician selling a cure-all tonic to whoever will show up at his traveling sales stand.

I know what I think about him, so I wasn’t sure what I expected to find in Mansfield’s book. But whatever it was that I expected, that’s sure not what I found.

Review

In six short chapters (the book is only about 150 pages, including the introduction) I was shown a side of the Senator that has not yet been seen by the public – not through his voting record, not through the primaries, and not yet in the 2008 presidential campaign. What I discovered was a man with a long, lonely journey in his past, who found a faith that today shapes everything he does – including his politics.

When Obama’s faith is mentioned, most “informed” Americans will immediately think of his former pastor, Jeremiah Wright, whose incendiary messages, statements, and actions have haunted Obama through his race to become America’s first black president. Little do they (or did I) know just how much Rev. Wright helped make Senator Obama into the man that he is – both the good and the bad.

I particularly enjoyed chapter five, “Four Faces of Faith,” where Mansfield compares and contrasts the four very different faiths (and their ramifications) represented by this year’s political heavyweights – Senators Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John McCain, and President George W. Bush.

I wish I could quote all of the sections of this book that I found significant, but there are far too many. I learned a great deal in this short book.

Conclusion

This is a book, not so much about Senator Obama’s politics, but about his heart. And as Solomon reminds us, “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Proverbs 4:23, New Living Translation)

The Faith of Barack Obama is an excellent exposé of who Senator Obama is and how he would govern if elected president, unless he is changed deep within his heart.

I believe this book is a must-read for anyone who has not yet decided who will win their vote this November 4th. And it is a must-read for anyone who claims to follow Christ in this age of American history.

Vision, Part 4

May 14, 2008 in Vision with 0 Comments

I’m laying out my vision for our church across several posts. There are eight pieces to it. This is number four:

I envision children learning the fundamental truths for a strong Christian faith in a way that they can never forget in order to intentionally live them.

“Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6

I have said several times, “I want to to make sure that our kids understand these truths so that if they decide to run off and be stupid, the Holy Spirit will have a lot of ammunition to haunt them and bring them back!”

Children don’t become godly men and women by accident. It takes a deliberate strategy by those adults around them to create the environment where it can happen. Of course, it’s the parents’ job to raise their kids, but I believe the church should lend strong support, giving parents tools to help them.

This is why we use the 252Basics curriculum in our Treehouse Kids program. Not only does it give us the tools to teach sound doctrine and Christ-like virtues in a way that’s fun and intriguing for children, it includes helps that parents can use throughout the week to reinforce the lessons learned on the weekend.

But the material is just like any other tool – it can be used well or not so well. In our case, using that tool is a team of men and women who love God and desperately want to see kids grow up to love him, too, and who work hard every week to help make that happen.

Good job, Treehouse Kids team! You’re making a difference today that will resound for generations to come.

Continue to Part 5

Vision, Part 2

May 13, 2008 in Vision with 0 Comments

I’m laying out my vision for our church across several posts. There are eight pieces to it. Here is the first one:

I envision families living without debt and changing their community by giving generously through the church and saving generously for the future.

“The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. … A generous person will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor.” Proverbs 22:7-9 

This one is especially close to me because I can’t remember anyone teaching me biblical financial principles in a systematic way. Now don’t get me wrong: My parents were clear that we give to God off the top and that we should save money for big items or vacation spending.

But nothing compares to the teaching that Saralynn’s sister introduced us to 4-5 years ago: Dave Ramsey and his Financial Peace University (FPU). This thirteen-week course covers everything from the basics of saving and budgeting to retirement, insurance, and buying only big, big bargains. And let’s not forget what made Dave famous: getting and staying out of debt.

Our family has come out of $55,000 in debt since our first time through FPU. For a long time, financially I was worth more dead than alive. How? I had a huge negative net worth (I owed more than I owned) and good life insurance.

Solomon said, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children” (Proverbs 13:22). That’s what I want to do. I want my children and their families to handle money so well that when I die, nobody needs it, and I can just give it away.

I want my retirement savings to be paying me more in retirement than I will get working, so that I can give it away to organizations and people so that it can multiply itself and God will be honored!

And I want the same for you. But you can’t do it while you’re paying off creditors and car loans. Get out of debt. Stay out of debt. Work for your pay, and pay for your purchases. Remember that it’s all God’s. Give to him off the top, and give more out of your surplus (which you’ll have when you’re not in debt).

Continue to Part 3

Is the "whole truth" always necessary?

October 29, 2007 in Other with 0 Comments

When a witness is sworn into court, they vow “to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” Understandably, in order to have a fair trial, the judge wants all witness to tell everything they know, as accurately as they can remember. But is this necessary in all situations?

In Jeremiah 38, King Zedekiah asks Jeremiah to do something that seems like a lie, and Jeremiah goes along with it. After a private conversation between the two of them:

Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, “Don’t tell anyone you told me this, or you will die! My officials may hear that I spoke to you, and they may say, ‘Tell us what you and the king were talking about. If you don’t tell us, we will kill you.’ If this happens, just tell them you begged me not to send you back to Jonathan’s dungeon, for fear you would die there.”

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the king’s officials came to Jeremiah and asked him why the king had called for him. But Jeremiah followed the king’s instructions, and they left without finding out the truth. No one had overheard the conversation between Jeremiah and the king. (38:24-27)

Frequently I have been asked by someone about a conversation I have had with another person. I’m sure you have as well. Of course, we don’t want to lie, but it’s not always everyone else’s business.

So if I tell only part of the conversation, like Jeremiah, and intentionally hold back the other part(s), is that the same as a half-truth, which many people call a lie? In other words, is it a sin?

Consider another Bible example. God had told Samuel to go to Bethlehem and anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be the next king of Israel. The current king, Saul, was upset with Samuel, and this would really set him off if he heard about it. Here’s the conversation between God and Samuel:

Now the LORD said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.”

But Samuel asked, “How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”

“Take a heifer with you,” the LORD replied, “and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the LORD. Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me.”

So Samuel did as the LORD instructed. (1 Samuel 16:1-4)

The situation is similar to Jeremiah’s. Samuel was to do a specific task, but because of the sensitive nature of the job, God told him to do it in a way that no one would know and to not let them in on the real reason for his arrival.

Again, was this an intentional deception, a lie, a sin? Well, it really can’t be if God told him to do it. James 1:13 reminds us that God never tempts anyone to sin. This was necessary under the circumstances, and Samuel did not hurt anyone in the process.

My conclusion: Deception for the purpose of leading someone wrong is sin. But wisdom dictates that we don’t tell everything we know. This includes gossip and bringing up past hurts as well as knowledge about confidential or sensitive situations. In reference to my previous post, good leaders [and followers] know when to keep information to themselves.

Wise people keep what they know to themselves, but fools can’t keep from showing how foolish they are. (Proverbs 12:23, NCV)

Men are God’s Methods

September 7, 2006 in Other with 0 Comments

“Men are God’s method”

Church Update
The rust protection is on the roof, and it’s already looking better! According to the last report, the new road is to be opened by mid- to late-September, bringing all sorts of traffic looking directly at our building. Pray that we use this exposure for God’s glory.

The Airport Authority has scheduled their next Public Hearing on the Airport Expansion Project for Wednesday, Sept 27 at 5:00p at Dickinson School.

Scriptural Thought of the Week

None of us likes to take on a project with no support. Even mavericks don’t like to go-it-alone on everything. God is looking for people who will fully give Him themselves so that He can more fully show Himself to them.

“The eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NASB) 

 


“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT) 

 


Quote of the Week

 

We are constantly on a stretch, if not on a strain, to devise new methods, new plans, new organizations to advance the Church and secure enlargement and efficiency for the Gospel. This trend of the day has a tendancy to lose sight of the man or sink the man in the plan or organization. God’s plan is to make much of the man, far more of him than of anything else. Men are God’s method. The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men.

Quoted from: E. M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer (London and Edinburgh: Marshall, Morgan & Scott, LTD, 1907), p. 9. ISBN: 0802467296

 

Until next time,

Dan’l

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