Category: books and films and articles

Our True Size

I’m just reposting this quote because it is such a beautiful reflection of the cross as we prepare for Semana Santa. I love how he says, “all of us have inflated views of ourselves, especially in self-righteousness, until we have visited a place called Calvary.” If I’m finding myself in an inflated place, maybe I should see about a visit to Calvary once again.

So good to remember the words of the saints who have gone before!

“Every time we look at the cross Christ seems to say to us, ‘I am here because of you.  It is your sin I am bearing, your curse I am suffering, your debt I am paying, your death I am dying.’  Nothing in history or in the universe cuts us down to size like the cross.  All of us have inflated views of ourselves, especially in self-righteousness, until we have visited a place called Calvary.  It is there, at the foot of the cross, that we shrink to our true size.”   John R. W. Stott The Message of Galatians (London, 1968), page 179.

(HT: Ray Ortlund)

via Our True Size.

Posted on by Caroline 0

Click on THIS

Today seemed like a good day to come across random (but extremely useful) information. I can’t help but share it with you!

  • Here is a very good article that showed up in the Wall Street Journal titled, “Where Have the Good Men Gone?” I could write endless posts about this and all the irony I find subtly peeking out from behind the words. Really? Women are asking this question after fighting so hard to have incredibly lower expectations for the opposite sex? With the popularity of Knocked Up and Sex and the City, are we really surprised?
  • This video is a clip from the film “Expelled” with Ben Stein. I wrote about this film when I first found it, but I like this clip for how it reveals the confusion we face today in the academic arena.
  • This article reminds me of the good old days at Hope College with Professor Herrick and the Rhetoric class I loved so much! Here, Tim Challies writes a short history of communication and directs our thoughts to critically examining the development of sending, receiving, and storing messages through language.
  • I like to hold a book in my hand. I’m sorry for those who have tried to convince me to go the way of the digital… you will always fail. This author had a, let’s just say, “come to pages” moment where she realized how flipping a page is an experience. Go ahead and read it, all you haters of the old fashioned book. 🙂
  • This article from freakonomics is too good to pass up. If any high-brow coast dweller ever questioned the intelligence of those living in the breadbasket, this is proof positive we can hold our own…. well, in Kansas…. in 1895, that is. This is an 8th grade test. See how well you do!
  • I was baptized as a baby in the Lutheran church, but in 2nd grade my family moved to the Evangelical Free denomination and by 20 I wanted to make my own decision to be baptized. So, I was baptized twice. Some denominations won’t even perform the second baptism. For these reasons and others, I am glad to read do a little research. I want to know where I stand so I will be able to make informed decisions about what I believe about baptism. Here is a great article I found over at The Gospel Coalition blog called, “Should We Baptize Small Children? Yes”

I am so, so very tired right now. It’s one of those tired feelings that I should have shaken hours ago by BEING in BED. So, with that I’ll sign off tonight!

let LOVE fly like cRazY

Posted on by Caroline 0

Links for your Saturday

Here is a smattering of things I’ve been collecting recently and wanting to share. Thoughts on discernment, illustrated fiction, and philosophy. I hope your Saturday is of the MOST beautiful variety!

This book is more than interesting to me. Has anyone else heard about it?

This media guide looks like something every family should have in their home.

This article by Andree Seu is just the right amount of uncomfortable in its discussion of Song of Solomon and our hesitancy to embrace it.

The unfortunate demise of the young mind, as illustrated by this comic.

This clip from D.A. Carson on the intolerance of post-modern tolerance is exactly the words I wish I could articulate.

This is a video clip from Fox News interview with Tim Keller talking about his new book King’s Cross. How encouraging to see someone speak so clearly on the indisputable Gospel – manifest in the life of Christ.

This is a book called Intentional Parenting, about family discipleship, that looks REAL good!

“The Church in a post-feminist world” … doesn’t the title just make you want to read it??

I LOVE this video!

This is a random mind buster that will stretch your mind, if you can figure it out! 🙂

Posted on by Caroline 6

pride is a big, fat thief

Sunday, I posted the song by Thad Cockrell called, “Pride won’t get us where we’re going” and I love this line,

When I lose my vision, will you lend me your eyes… to see exactly where I need to be.

It must be something… this pride. I want to make cute jokes about it, but the reality is it’s ugly. I’ve been thinking a lot about all the ways pride is like a thief. Without regard to the damage, pride steals our friendships, our families, our minds, and our affections… and then destroys everything completely.

This is an idea that’s been making a tortured trek around the hamster wheel in my brain recently. Maybe it was learning Sunday night that the brother of one of the Micah boys (and only sibling) was stabbed and killed, or maybe it was the re-introduction to one of my favorite soul-destroying films “Dancer in the Dark” or maybe it was a handful of conversations about the downward spiral of affluent youth worldwide… I’m sure of this:

the tragedies don’t stop.

I’m always trying to make some sense of things and so could I just process what has seemed to settle in my gut? I’ll take that as a yes. Bear with me… these ideas are not completely formulated.

On whatever end (or middle) of the socio-economic spectrum we find ourselves, I am starting to think what makes a person most desperate is certainly the same. We all know the feelings of humility, shame, and fear.

Unfortunately, the most ready weapon is itself destructive: pride. As John Piper‘s sermon was still marinading today in my mind, I thought about the two different groups who found themselves stuck in unbelief in John 7:1-24.

  • Jesus’ own brothers asked Him to go up to a party and present Himself in all His glory, with pomp and circumstance. They wanted a parade – someone they could walk behind and maybe stand a bit in the shadow of His glory. What they didn’t believe was that He was bigger than an entrance at a party or the praise of men.
  • The Jews didn’t believe in Him because His presence indicted them. Their lives were brought to account in His presence. Every righteous act felt less right in the presence of One who could do no wrong.

Both, Piper said, were blinded by pride (and, as a result, unbelief). I guess I’m just wondering how many sins we can really trace back to the root of pride.

  • I think of a recent conversation with students about 12-year-old pop singers with near-adult material with eyes ‘innocently’ set on a crash course toward success.
  • I think of the young girls here who are married at 12 years old to 20 or 30somethings who have very little understanding of love.
  • I think of the constant worry involved in “future plans,” lest a student or adult choose a less comfortable path.
  • I think of the person who is completely unaware of the layers of life surrounding him because he is so deeply involved in what he will do next.

Well, folks, we’ve plumb lost our vision. And I seriously think we’re seeing the results of our unbelief. We are proud – so proud – that we want Jesus around for His fame and VIP pass, but we don’t believe His presence can save us. We are proud – too proud – to admit that His deferring way of pointing to the glory of God is to us a lifeline, not a noose.

Instead, we’ve chained ourselves to the world’s ugliest attractions in hopes that we will find both significance and righteousness. God help us!

Pride is a dirty, devious thing. I suppose that’s better reason than any to

let LOVE fly like cRaZy

Posted on by Caroline 2

December stands for ANTICIPATION

I love December. Even though it’s not snowy cold here, the flip of the calendar and the ushering in of advent has a sparkle all its own. I love that December means (if we weren’t before) we’ve all got our gaze fixed ahead in anticipation for something great… something beautiful and lovely and joyous is going to happen.

I just love it.  And maybe that’s why my bedroom floor can’t seem to stay clean. It might be a stretch, but I’m going to say it’s because I am looking ahead to times of joyful gatherings and love-drenched celebrations.

this is just a landscape shot of my floor - covered in crafts!

As long as I’m talking about making things and giving them away, I know you’ve all been anticipating the Honduran Horizon newsletter! So, I have good news – HERE IT IS. You can either view it right here or go to the Honduran Horizon tab at the top of this page to view all the newsletters.

Here are a few other recommendations:

  • Get some free Christmas music from Amazon right here.
  • Check out this little piece from Tim Keller on politics and faith, which I always seem to be tangled up in confusion over.
  • I continue to chew on questions of art/beauty/church/gospel and how they are intertwined – this article about a church in Chicago set off a crazy comment fire (for which I received endless inboxes) and resulted in this follow up article. Both are worthy of a read and if you are really ambitious, look at the comments!
  • In regards to the above discussion on art and faith, Makoto Fujimura is becoming someone I would really love to meet.
  • Just to throw in a twist and show I’m totally young and hip and youtube-savvy, check out this crazy video of a girl after she gets her wisdom teeth pulled… pretty funny – especially the RAP (my favorite part!).

Well, I just ate some unbelievable green beans and now I’m on to my main course: popcorn. It’s a whole grain, you know. It’s popcorn, crafts, and filling gift boxes for AFE. Wait… is that my beeping car I hear? Humph. We’ll find out in the morning!

let LOVE fly like cRaZy

Posted on by Caroline 0

the Gospel, the Law, and doing good

I’ve just got two links for you today, folks. I am going to need every wink of rest I can get tonight. Maybe my mom was right… too much coffee!!

The first is an interview with Tullian Tchividjian about the Gospel and the Law.

The second is a video preview for a documentary film “Cool it” with Bjorn Lomborg.

I won’t add my two cents for once in my life. What do you think?

Posted on by Caroline 0

beautiful things

Makoto Fujimura at FFM 2009
Image by jystewart via Flickr

So many beautiful things have happened today and it’s not even 8:45 am!

Here are the two link-related ones:

First, I discovered this last night and I could watch it a million times. Art+Truth=BEAUTIFUL. Here is a description from the Crossway website about this amazing project:

Makoto Fujimura, one of the century’s most highly regarded artists, has illuminated the Four Holy Gospels. Fujimura is known for his use of traditional Japanese Nihonga techniques and his passion for reconnecting Christian faith with fine art. This will mark the first time in nearly 400 years that an illuminated book of the four Gospels has been undertaken by a single artist.

Check it out HERE! Watch the video here!

Second, this morning I read Andrée Seu’s article on weakness and I’m tempted to let out a hearty AMEN right here in my office chair. We make so many excuses for ourselves and then try to justify our whimsies and failures with Scripture. It’s like we’ve resigned to the idea that “we are sinners, so of course we’re going to be weak and fail.” I could say so much more on this, but Andrée says it so well!

Here’s her last paragraph:

It is time to stop re-infecting ourselves with bad theology. If someone wants to keep repeating that we Christians are “weak,” please let him always clarify the statement with the adjectives “physically” or “psychologically.” Say that we are tired, and weary, and perplexed. But let’s lose the morbid and counterproductive self-image of the Christian as “Sinner” and (morally) “weak.” Paul gives instructions for self-image, as he does for other areas of Christian life: “You also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ” (Romans 6:11).

Hope you are encouraged today by these two beautiful things!

let LOVE fly like cRaZy

Posted on by Caroline 2

lovely links

I’m about ready to call it a night. If you read my last post, you might be surprised to know that the disaster on my bedroom floor has not resolved itself. In fact, it has somehow worsened.

I don’t mind.

I just want to leave you some encouragement tonight by way of some links. I hope this Sunday evening finds you tucked inside a well-worn love.

Sara Groves has started the “season of giving” early with her live Christmas CD, recorded at a women’s prison in Illinois. You can download the whole CD of goodness from her website.

Part of the reason for the creative mess on my floor is this idea I got from my roommate: art journaling and altered books. I know it’s probably been around the craft block several times and I’m new on this street, but I LOVE this idea. I will be working on some versions for Christmas presents, even though I am finding they take a LOT of work!

This last link is one I plan to muse on more later. I love the Gospel Coalition, as you might know, but especially the recent talk of art and its place in the church. I’m kind of chewing on some of the same questions and these insights are so helpful as I dig deep to know what is the heart of God in this. Here is the article, titled, “Art For, From, and Facing the Church.”

Hope you start your Monday off

letting LOVE fly like cRaZy

Posted on by Caroline 0