The Swans are Not Silent

In March I had the pleasure of reading three books that belonged to the series titled "The Swans are Not Silent" written by John Piper.  These books actually started as lectures given at the Desiring God conferences starting in the year 2000 I believe.  Each book deals with the lives of three real people and how their lives proclaimed the Gospel, even through immense difficulty.

The three books are titled:

The Legacy of Sovereign Joy: God's Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustine, Luther & Calvin

The Hidden Smile of God: The Fruit of Affliction in the Lives of John Bunyan, William Cowper, and David Brainerd

The Roots of Endurance: Invincible Perseverance in the Lives of John Newton, Charles Simeon and William Wilberforce

All three of these books are wonderful reads as Piper weaves their incredible stories together in a way that make you feel like you were there as a silent observer.  The second book of the series is a powerful look into the reality of suffering, especially in the form of depression that was so evident in William Cowper's life.  I would encourage everyone to pick up these books and add them to your library as they are all pretty easy reads.

More Book Reviews

Once again, these reviews will be short and sweet until I'm finally caught up to my current reading list so please bear with me.

Book #8 The Reformed Pastor by Richard Baxter

This is another book in the Puritan Paperbacks series that gave me a few ninja slaps to the face.  Richard Baxter was one of the most well-rounded pastors making sure to not only preach and teach effectively but care for his flock of people he was entrusted with.  This book was going to be a speech he gave at what we would call a 'Pastor's Conference' of his day.  He ended up becoming ill so he wrote his speech out which eventually turned into this book.  The three main sections are divided up into 1)Let me slap you around a little bit and tell you how lazy and unproductive you are at your calling 2)Let me slap you around a little bit and tell you how you should take seriously your calling 3)How to be effective at your calling.  I really did love this book.  Baxter takes seriously the calling of Pastors and gives an effective message no young pastor should go without hearing.  

Book #9 Death By Love by Mark Driscoll

Each chapter of this book is written in the form of a letter from Pastor Mark to a person who is facing the real situations of life be it relationship discord, abuse, pornography, anger and more.  Through each situation Driscoll beautifully points to Jesus and highlights the work of Christ such as justification, propitiation and the like.  One of the most meaningful chapters in the entire book is the chapter he writes to his youngest son.  This book is very moving on an emotional level dealing with these weighty situations as well as very deep mentally helping the believer build a firm foundation that deals with these subjects.

Book #10 Out of Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis

This is the first book written out of the three in the Science Fiction series of Lewis.  After reading the Narnia series numerous times I expected something along the same lines but was surprised to find this book quite a bit more meaty than expected.  The influence of Tolkien is seen in the incredible description of the planet and of its inhabitants.  Although the first half of the book seemed a little too descriptive for me (why I'm not a big fan of fiction, I want to get to the point!) the last half picked up the story a bit more and left me diving in to the 2nd book.

Book #11 Who Made God (100 Questions...) by Norman Geisler and Ravi Zacharias

If you're looking for a deep and almost academic approach to some of the heavy questions when it comes to faith and theology this is a good book to have at your disposal.  The book is actually written by numerous authors who each take a chapter and deal with some of the difficult questions people bring up on their faith journey.  Geisler and Zacharias do a nice job putting all of the info together and laying out the book in a way that doesn't get to stuffy or heady.  

Book #12 Greatness: Reagan, Churchill & the Making of Extraordinary Leaders by Steven F. Hayward

As a lover of almost anything to do with history, this was one of my favorite books I read in this first quarter of the year.  Hayward writes with a easy to read style that keeps you longing to turn the next page.  In this book he attempts to put the lives of Ronald Reagan and Winston Churchill on display and discoveries numerous similarities in their leadership style.  As a rather enormous fan of Churchill, I knew this book was unlikely to disappoint.  Hayward starts out with both of these men's childhood experiences through their education and entry into politics, even discussing the somewhat similar situations each faced with WWII and the Cold War as well as economic situations for both countries.  What I found to be most eye opening was the economic situation Reagan found himself dealing with has numerous similarities to that of our current reality.  

Book Review Update

I've been terribly unfaithful at not only keeping my book reviews up to date but at even attempting to blog faithfully about anything.  For this I apologize and hope to keep as a discipline this useful tool.  In this blog I'm going to quickly let you know of a few books I've read over the past few months and maybe add a few comments as to catch up on my reviews:

Book #3 The Lamb & the Fuhrer by Ravi Zacharias

Book #4 The Lotus & the Cross by Ravi Zacharias

I have put these books together since they are a part of small collection of books Ravi uses to discuss various religious topics through the use of made up conversations between historical/religious figures and present day people.  A very interesting, down to earth way to communicate theological and gospel truths.  These books are very short (around 100 pages) and easy reads.

Book #5 John Calvin: His Life and Influence by Robert Reymond

Book #6 The Acceptable Sacrifice by John Bunyan

This book is part of the Puritan Classics series and is full of beautiful gems.  Bunyan uses Psalm 51: 17 as his principle text; "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite hear, O God, thou wilt not despise."  He urges the reader to seek after a broken heart that through this we are truly able to grow in our depth and love for God.  He offers the signs of a broken heart as well as why the heart must truly be broken and finishes with how to keep a broken heart.  Here are a few lines that I will take with me:

"The heart, as it is by nature hard, stupid, and impenetrable, so it remains, and so will remain, until God, as was said, bruiseth it with his hammer, and melts it with his fire."

"Therefore, I say, a broken heart is of great esteem with God; for it - and I will add, so long as it retains its tenderness - covets non but God, and the things of his Holy Spirit; sin is an abomination to it."

Book #7 Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson

This book is Batterson's latest although by the time I finished this he in turn is sending his latest book off to his publisher for final critique which is a good thing for Mark writes with a clean and easy approach on inspiring subjects.  This book derives its title from the name the Celtic Christians gave to the Holy Spirit calling Him the Wild Goose.  Mark takes this theme and is off to the races compelling us to not cage in the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to a cage of expectation but to open our minds and hearts to all that God has in store for the adventure of our lives.  Mark's writing style is easy to read since he weaves personal story so well with creative thought on a certain idea.  My main take away from this book is that when I start assuming things for my life and ministry is most likely the moment I begin to stifle all that God has in store for me.  I should never assume things when my faith and hope is in Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit and when I rest on this foundation my life will be full of broken assumptions and impractical thoughts carried on to fruition.

More to come later...

Book #2

Book Title: "Humility: True Greatness"

Author: C.J. Mahaney

Pages: 174

In keeping with my C.J. Mahaney fix I plunged into his second book on the topic of 'humility'.  You can tell that any man who would attempt to write a book on this subject is either seriously mental or on a very incredible journey.  I'm glad C.J. is of the latter and this book is a great insight into the heart and mind of a man who is not claiming to be a great example of humility yet is striving to reshape our thoughts on what this subject is all about.

Mahaney starts off by pointing to a plethora of scriptures revealing the heart of God in that He desires those people who are humble in heart and will humble themselves before Him.  C.J. then speaks about the opposite of humility which of course is pride and how the two have no standing together in any place.  The main idea of this book is that "pride is the greatest enemy and humility the greatest friend."

A good definition of pride: "Pride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him.  Pride takes innumerable forms but has only one end: self-glorification.  That's the motive and ultimate purpose of pride - to rob God of legitimate glory and to pursue self-glorification, contending for supremacy with Him."  

I also liked how C.J. pointed out on pg. 43 that Jesus does not categorically criticize or forbid the desire or ambition to be great.  Instead, He clearly redirects that ambition, redefines it, and purifies it: "But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all (Mark 10:43-44).  

Mahaney continues to point to the cross of Christ to keep us humble reminding us that we perform no greater sacrifice than the one who has humblest Himself to the lowest form and now is greater than all because of it, Jesus Christ.  The best we can do is follow in this example which should keep us humble in our pursuit of greatness which is to serve all.  C.J. continues to tell the reader how to make this happen both daily, weekly and throughout the different seasons that life may bring.  

Overall, another great gem by an author who spills his passion for Christ over every page of his work.  On to the next book Mr. Mahaney!

2009 Reading Goal

I am not one to get fanatical with new year resolutions but I do think the end of one year and the beginning of another is a good time to review your past body of work and make goals for the next season of life that you are coming into.  I happen to be ultra-competitive and if I can make my goals in a competitive nature I usually have a much higher completion rate.  Therefore, in 2009 I gave myself the daunting goal of reading 100 books by the end of the year.  A few courageous friends have fueled the competitive fires by both joining me in seeing who can read the most books by year's end as well as by telling me that reading 100 books in a year is near impossible.  

So far, I am two books down so as part of my accountability I will write a short book review upon completion of each book read this year.  Here is the book #1:

Book Title: "The Cross Centered Life"

Author: C.J. Mahaney

Pages: 89

I find that it is always good to take baby steps when beginning new projects so I have decided to start my "Journey to 100 books in 09" by reading a short one.  Actually, I've always wanted to read C.J. Mahaney's books and since this is his first one it naturally should be read before the others.  Overall thoughts are that this book is a very good quick read that can serve as a great reminder for all Christian believers to re-focus on the main thing, that being the centrality of the cross in our lives and actions.  C.J. states, "The cross was the centerpiece of Paul's (apostle) theology.  It wasn't merely one of Paul's messages; it was the message."  This book serves as really a restatement of the obvious.  That without the cross this is all for not.  The cross is our cornerstone.  I also enjoy how this book touches on the work of the cross in our justification and sanctification.  It does a good job of explaining what both are very quickly yet for any one to understand.  In summary, "justification is an act.   It is not a work, or a series of acts.  It is not progressive.  The weakest believer and the strongest saint are alike equally justified.  Justification admits no degrees.  A man is either wholly justified or wholly condemned in the sight of God.  Sanctification is a process.  You will be more sanctified as you continue in grace-motivated obedience."  He also gives some great insight into how we should keep the cross as the center of our lives.  

Overall, a great first book, not only for me as my first book of the year but also from a great author.  Looking forward to more of Mahaney's books.

Christmas Concerts

Now that I'm beginning to find my mind functioning in working capacity again I thought I should get back to the blog I have so easily forsaken.  A few weeks ago our Concert Series had a first in that we performed back to back concerts of the same program.  Overall, it was two fabulous concerts with very good attendance at both.  The weather began to turn cold and snow began falling which might have turned away a few people but definitely added to the ambience.  Our orchestra played with passion and clarity and the choir sang with a beautiful depth and richness that displayed its sweeping strides of upward progression.  

I would like to take a moment and thank a few key people who made the event an overall success. First, our audio team did a fantastic job as usual in that not only were they effective in mixing almost 50 individual channels of live sound but they had their hands full in tackling our first multi-track recording project.  Thanks Brent, Nick, Kerry and Steve for all your valuable input and long hours of preparation and production.  I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do with the recording and our continued process of refining and experimenting!

Our video team was also on top of the ball doing a great job with the lyric projection for both concerts.  Thanks Bryan, Iain, Sarrah and Tim for all your efforts in making a wonderful event!

The evenings featured some wonderful soloists who were given very short notice due to my last minute attention to these major details.  Thank you Talia, Alyson, Stephanie and Amanda for your wonderful vocal solos.  You all hit it out of the ball park!  Also, Chip Schooler played beautifully as usual in a haunting arrangement of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" for piano, cello solo and choir.  

I will find it hard to find someone who puts in more hours and is relied upon as much from week to week as our pianist, Linnea Wines is.  She has been instrumental to the choir for a number of years and I must pay enormous tribute to her faithful participation to our endeavors.  Thank you so much!!!

To the Choir & Orchestra:  What a marvelous performance you gave to this community!  You were faithful in our mission in that you encouraged hearts, inspired minds and provided much needed hope to the souls of so many of our community friends.  I hope you feel a grand sense of accomplishment from these two wonderful concerts.  Thank you for all the hours of rehearsals and outside practice that went into making these such a success!  

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a splendid New Year!  I so thoroughly enjoy this relationship we are in.  Upon reflection it is almost like that of an arranged marriage.  I was chosen by leadership to enter into the artistic marriage with you.  And although we are very young into this relationship I hope that you've enjoyed our time together as much as I have.  Even though we may have a difference of opinion from time to time, these moments pail in comparison to the joy and the wonderful memories we are creating.  I hope you know how much I love each and every one of you as my greatest desire is to continue our mission  as we age ever so graciously together.

Choir Rehearsal 11/3/08

In my hope to be more consistent in blogging I've decided to make it a habit to write some quick thoughts after our weekly choir rehearsal. I'm reading a great book called "The Robert Shaw Reader" which is about a conducting hero of mine, Robert Shaw. He used to write his world famous choirs letters after specific rehearsals when he thought they needed a strong kick in the pants or some extra encouragement on the great job they were doing. I believe this is one of his greatest legacies and in trying to offer what little insight I might have here goes the same.

To My Favorite Choir on Earth,

I begin this letter (blog) by expressing my gratitude to you. It must take a lot to put up with my eccentric behavior and absolute craziness during rehearsals. I hope you know that every ounce of it comes from my absolute and deepest desire to make true music happen. It is my humble opinion that true music happens to infrequently. Sure, notes are sung (some better than others) and lyrics expressed but that isn't making music. Anyone can learn to sing a few notes on a page. Music is made when we passionately pursue what the composer was wrestling with. When we enter into his struggle between text and notes and phrasing and all of the rest of the beauty that makes great music. Granted, some of the music we sing was created with little struggle, but we must pursue all of it with the same passion and fight whether it's penned by Brahms or Clydesdale.
I believe that we are beginning to make this change. We are beginning to take on the fight together. Tonight it seemed as if we all wanted the same thing - to create great music. We must continue to care about correct cut-offs, to pursue dynamics within the dynamics and most importantly to listen to not only the people around you but the entire choir to create that unified sound that we are all striving for. I hope that when you have those "ah-ha" moments of glorious music making they inspire you on to create more. Music isn't born out of repetitive rehearsals and a lack-luster approach. It's created when artists pursue it with reckless abandon. I want to inspire you to believe in your talent and trust your gifting. My goal is to inspire each of you to exhude confidence in yourself so that we can attack notes and phrases together instead of the opposite, which is waiting for the person sitting next to you to lead. This makes for sloppiness and we are not a sloppy choir. We must be a choir that ferociously hunts for each musical entrance and extends each note of length until we unanimously cut it off with the precision of a brain surgeon. Tonight we pursued these things. We might not have captured each one but at least we were hunting. I'm looking forward to continuing our pursuit next week.