As the year is fast approaching to its final countdown, many avid bloggers (and readers) have shared their lists of top books of 2008 that they have read. Their appetite for good books (Challies led the pack by reading 80+ books this year!) is really an encouragement. I have been a bit slack this year, my excuse is I have to read lots of non-theological literature as well including leadership, management, and the like. Just for your interest, a recent Wall Street Journal article "Bush is a book lover" reported the number and range of books that President Bush has read in 2008; apparently he too likes to read.
I have compiled the list of the Christian books below for your perusal, just in case you are wondering what you want to read during summer (if you are in my part of the world). Click on the hyperlink to see their review or comments on each book listed:
Tim Challies
Don’t Stop Believing by Michael Wittmer
Crazy Love by Francis Chan
The Reason for God by Tim Keller
Christless Christianity by Michael Horton
Unpacking Forgiveness by Chris Brauns
Love or Die by Alexander Strauch
Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor by D.A. Carson
Honorable mentions: The Courage To Be Protestant, Do Hard Things, A Tale of Two Sons, Why We’re Not Emergent, He Is Not Silent, and Touching History.
Seth McBee
1. The reason for God, Tim Keller
2. Jesus: Made in America, Stephen J. Nichols
3. God is the Gospel, John Piper
4. Vintage Jesus, Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears
5. Why We're Not Emergent, Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck
6. A Tale of Two Sons, John MacArthur
7. Simple Church, Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger
8. The Law and Its Fulfillment, Thomas R. Schreiner
9. Death by Suburb, David Goetz
10. Game Day for the Glory of God, Stephen Altrogge
Dave Bish
1. You can change - Tim Chester.
2. Worship Matters - Bob Kauflin.
3. Alarm to the Unconverted Sinner - Joseph Alleine.
4. Miracles - C.S. Lewis.
5. Francis Schaeffer: An Authentic Life - Colin Duriez.
6. The Reason for God - Tim Keller.
7. The Kingdom and The Power - Peter Leithart.
8. Dominion and Dynasty - Stephen Dempster.
9. Death by Love - Mark Driscoll.
=10. Lectures to my students - CH Spurgeon.
=10. But is it real? - Amy Orr-Ewing.
Special mentions: Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament edited by D.A. Carson and G.K. Beale, On the Incarnation by Athanasisus
Dec 29, 2008
Dec 24, 2008
Why Christmas is Revolutionary
I am sure there are many other, but the following ten reasons popped up in my head (more precisely, jumped out of my heart) when I reflected why Christmas is revolutionary. Let me know if you want to add yours. Why is Christmas revolutionary?
1. Because Christmas is about God coming to the world in the form of a helpless babe, not a superhero we all wish to have so that we can project our needs to have a false sense of security.
2. Because Christmas is about a birth of a baby whose sole purpose in life is to die.
3. Because the details of Christmas took place exactly as foretold by the prophets hundred years prior. There's got to be something extraordinary about that birth.
4. Because at Christmas, the birth of baby Jesus that was witnessed by more than animals than human did separate the two era of history: B.C. and A.D.
5. Because Christmas is about God oddly choosing two poor, nervous, inexperienced teenagers to be the earthly parents of Jesus, and trusted them for the first critical few years of a child's life, mostly as a refugee family who kept running into life-threatening dangers.
6. Because, as lovely as our Christmas cards depict the nativity scene may be, it was really a bloody Christmas. The mass murder of two-year old infants around Jesus' birth cannot possibly be worse. Christ's solidarity with people in pain and anguish was obvious right from his birth.
7. Because Christmas is about God coming in flesh, about the spirit entering the physical, thus showing that God cares both with our spirit and our body, with our spiritual and bodily needs, both of which he experienced first hand as a human. "What an unthinkable fact", said the Western and Eastern religious philosophers.
8. Because Christmas gives a whole new paradigm. We always think that our problems come from outside and the solutions come from within. We become our own savior, that's why we always end up disappointed. Christmas says. "Stop thinking that way. Instead, think this way: Your problems come from within and the solution comes from outside, Christ Incarnate."
9. Because Christmas only becomes "a good tidings of great joy" (as the angel said to the shepherd) when we readily accept the profoundly self-transforming fact of Christ as Savior first as a soul-piercing sword, like Mary did.
10. Because Christmas is a news, not an advice, that needs individual responses. Responses which collectively will transform individuals, families, nations, and the whole world. It has been that way in the past 2,000 years, and it will continue to be so.
1. Because Christmas is about God coming to the world in the form of a helpless babe, not a superhero we all wish to have so that we can project our needs to have a false sense of security.
2. Because Christmas is about a birth of a baby whose sole purpose in life is to die.
3. Because the details of Christmas took place exactly as foretold by the prophets hundred years prior. There's got to be something extraordinary about that birth.
4. Because at Christmas, the birth of baby Jesus that was witnessed by more than animals than human did separate the two era of history: B.C. and A.D.
5. Because Christmas is about God oddly choosing two poor, nervous, inexperienced teenagers to be the earthly parents of Jesus, and trusted them for the first critical few years of a child's life, mostly as a refugee family who kept running into life-threatening dangers.
6. Because, as lovely as our Christmas cards depict the nativity scene may be, it was really a bloody Christmas. The mass murder of two-year old infants around Jesus' birth cannot possibly be worse. Christ's solidarity with people in pain and anguish was obvious right from his birth.
7. Because Christmas is about God coming in flesh, about the spirit entering the physical, thus showing that God cares both with our spirit and our body, with our spiritual and bodily needs, both of which he experienced first hand as a human. "What an unthinkable fact", said the Western and Eastern religious philosophers.
8. Because Christmas gives a whole new paradigm. We always think that our problems come from outside and the solutions come from within. We become our own savior, that's why we always end up disappointed. Christmas says. "Stop thinking that way. Instead, think this way: Your problems come from within and the solution comes from outside, Christ Incarnate."
9. Because Christmas only becomes "a good tidings of great joy" (as the angel said to the shepherd) when we readily accept the profoundly self-transforming fact of Christ as Savior first as a soul-piercing sword, like Mary did.
10. Because Christmas is a news, not an advice, that needs individual responses. Responses which collectively will transform individuals, families, nations, and the whole world. It has been that way in the past 2,000 years, and it will continue to be so.
Scripture Memory Re-Imagined
It was hard not to be touched by the following two clips of Ryan Ferguson reciting dramatically big chunks of the Bible (instead of just one verse). I was blessed when I watched them. See them for yourself, then read his testimony in an interview with Tim Challies. If there is one thing that comes across crystal clear from the interview, it's the fact that we can all try to memorize Scripture for obvious benefits. It is not a question of ability, it is the question of willingness. The interview is a poignant reminder for me of my slack in the discipline of scripture memory.
Ryan recites Psalm 22:
Ryan recites Hebrew 9 and 10
Ryan recites Psalm 22:
Ryan recites Hebrew 9 and 10
Dec 17, 2008
Hard Drive Crash
About a month ago my hard drive had a near death experience. Honestly, that's the last thing that one would expect from a Macbook. But it did happen to me. The tech experts had been trying to resuscitate the drive for days, all they managed to save was some 20% of the files, most of which were 'junk' files from the manufacturer which I don't need. Following some horrific clicking noise, it died on the operating table. I managed to take a shot of it so that I have something to remember it by. I only wrote this now as I had gone through the five stages of grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. I remember screaming in my head, "This can't be happening, not to me!" (denial), then the tech experts told me "It's real, man." Moving on the second stage, I blurted out mentally something to this effect: "NO! NO! How can this happen!" When I asked the tech doctor what had possibly happened, he asked me if I had travelled interstate or overseas with my laptop. When the answer was yes, he immediately said "Aha, what might have happened was when your Macbook went through the security machine, it was in a sleep mode, not completely turned off. That has been known to cause fatal damage to the drive." I cringed.
The main reason for my anger was twofold. First, the 2000++ photos of my family are completely gone. I didn't make any backup (...yes, I know it's unthinkable). Second, my three years worth of sermon scripts also completely vanished into thin air. More than 1,000 pages of sermon texts are gone! Sermon series on the seven deadly sins, Ephesians, Minor Prophets, Attributes of God, Sermon on the Mount, and others which were meant to be turned into books one day completely extinct!
I had gone through the bargaining stage as well, hoping that some of my sermons and photos are saved. It happened only to the photos, very few though. Thus, I was depressed for days, trying to lament over the 10-15 hours I spent each week preparing one sermon. I wouldn't have the energy to do it all over again. What's the point?
Finally, however, I am now in the Acceptance stage, and am learning to live with the reality of my loss. Here are few lessons, theological and technical, which I have learned from this invaluable experience (they are not arranged in any order):
1. Always ensure my laptop is off before going through security check at the airport; the best way to do it is to take the batt off.
2. Always back up the files (Leopard now has a time machine that does automatic back up to ext drive)
3. I value my files more these days now that I realize I can lose them anytime. The same goes to all other things or more important people in our lives.
4. In his providence, God allowed me to lose these important stuff to remind me to be relying on him and him alone. He gives and he takes.
5. Much more important than sermon texts is the extent to which I have lived those truths written there. What matters is not whether I do have a growing collection of sermon texts (eventually they will not be taken to the eternal realm). What matters is whether I live what I preach.
6. Past memories (in the form of photos) are important, and nice to have. But much more important is the here and now. To live and savor the moments I have with my wife and my kids.
7. Technology is great until it does not work (that includes Mac, too). Technology will cease to be. Never rely on it, or get addicted to it. If we make it our pseudo-lord, our source of happiness (with internet and all), it will fail us terribly.
Dec 13, 2008
What Christmas is All About
Charlie Brown Christmas is probably the most classic, accurate depiction of Christmas. Thankfully, it is aired every year in America (sadly not in Australia and other parts of the world), and has then become an integral part of the season in that part of the world. What is special about this clip is that the messenger is only a little kid, Linus, who pronounces a big message that strips bare all the Christmas trappings deeply seated in our culture and zeroes in on the crux of the matter: God Immanuel in Christ Jesus!
Scots' Church CBD Christmas Service
I will be speaking at the Scots' Church CBD Christmas Service this Wednesday 17 Dec. Every year for the last seventeen years I have reflected on the birth of Christ Jesus our Lord during Advent and Christmas, and often found myself praying for fresh insights from the Holy Spirit. The task was even more daunting as I started to do that since ten years ago not only as a believer pondering Christmas, but as speaker delivering a Christmas message. I felt moving from the 'consumer' to 'supplier' side is both a privilege and stressful thing to think about. There is a limit to what we can preach about the characters around Christmas: The shepherds, Mary, Joseph, the Innkeeper, the Kings, Herod, and the angels. Or the prophecy, the virgin birth, and so on. So this year here I am doing it again. But I am thankful for "the breadth and length and height and depth" of Christ's love (Ephesians 3:18) which never ceases to amaze me as I learn once again to be fed from it. So this year I have reflected on my perceptions of Christmas which have changed a few times over the last seventeen years. Hence, the title of the message: The Christmas I Never Knew.
Dec 12, 2008
Conferences in Auckland
I had been away in Auckland for eight days to attend and present papers at two back-to-back conferences: Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management and International Conference on Studying Leadership. It was great to hear and converse with well-known management scholars such as Anne Tsui, Amanda Sinclair, Neal Ashkanasy, Keith Grint, etc. who flocked these conferences as keynote speakers and presenters. Attended by hundreds of researchers from more than 50 countries, there is a myriad of presentations on various management topics. I presented a paper on leadership complexity (co-authored with my wife and a Phd student) and another one on strategy and culture (co-authored with a Phd student).
The highlight of the conference is the second conference dinner. The conference dinner was held at the Mudbrick Winery in the Waiheke Island, which takes a combination of forty-minute ferry and five-minute bus ride to get there from the Auckland Harbour. It's all worth it however. As the photos below show, the venue is set in a perfect surrounding. Nice meal, inspiring guest speaker, and interesting conversations around the table made the evening quite a memorable one. The conference convenors have done a superb job organizing the whole conference.
On the way to the vineyard, I sat on the bus next to Professor Keith Grint. We talked briefly on various things then I asked him out of curiosity the following question: "What's the secret of writing a best-selling book like yours?" He responded: "I don't know. I never write a book to be a best-selling one. I don't really care. I just write what I believe is important to be shared." What a great advice!
This blog has been left quite unattended for the duration of my trip, but I have had many things to reflect on during that same period that I thought I would be posting in the next few days. Do you have any interesting experience in the last 8-10 days? Please leave a comment if you do.
Below will you find a few shots I took from Auckland, Rotorua, and the Waiheke Island using my old 3.2 megapixel camera. No wonder the Lord of the Ring trilogy were taken in New Zealand!
Auckland city from the SkyTower
The view from Mudbrick Winery in Waiheke Island
Rotorua from above
The highlight of the conference is the second conference dinner. The conference dinner was held at the Mudbrick Winery in the Waiheke Island, which takes a combination of forty-minute ferry and five-minute bus ride to get there from the Auckland Harbour. It's all worth it however. As the photos below show, the venue is set in a perfect surrounding. Nice meal, inspiring guest speaker, and interesting conversations around the table made the evening quite a memorable one. The conference convenors have done a superb job organizing the whole conference.
On the way to the vineyard, I sat on the bus next to Professor Keith Grint. We talked briefly on various things then I asked him out of curiosity the following question: "What's the secret of writing a best-selling book like yours?" He responded: "I don't know. I never write a book to be a best-selling one. I don't really care. I just write what I believe is important to be shared." What a great advice!
This blog has been left quite unattended for the duration of my trip, but I have had many things to reflect on during that same period that I thought I would be posting in the next few days. Do you have any interesting experience in the last 8-10 days? Please leave a comment if you do.
Below will you find a few shots I took from Auckland, Rotorua, and the Waiheke Island using my old 3.2 megapixel camera. No wonder the Lord of the Ring trilogy were taken in New Zealand!
Auckland city from the SkyTower
The view from Mudbrick Winery in Waiheke Island
Rotorua from above
Dec 1, 2008
Fasting and Prayer Service
Today we didn't have our usual Indonesian evening service. Instead, we had a combined service for fasting and prayer organized by the Presbyterian Church Victoria, Church and Nation Committee. The church was nearly full with approximately 500 people from various Presbyterian churches in Victoria. Several Christian Members of Parliament were in attendance, so were key officers in the Presbyterian Church Victoria.
Several messages were highlighted in the service. Among the most important ones were the need for the church of Jesus Christ to be awaken from a long sleep while the nation is going further and further away from God's revealed truth in the Scripture. The other point was the urgency and importance for the church of Jesus Christ to teach and nurture each individual Christian to have an all-embracing Christian worldview which helps them to acutely aware that there is no area in this life that does not belong to Christ.
These two points are crucial in my opinion to be entertained in the church's agenda at all times lest we become to preoccupied with the internal business of the church that does not contribute to the advancement of the kingdom of God. As important as it may be to exhort the believers to be steep in doctrinal and devotional matters, the church must not neglect the third matter that is the cultural reformation mandated by God.
The service was punctuated often with prayers for the nation, community, government at all levels, politicians, and the church. Of particular concerns were the Abortion Law that was recently passed in Victoria (see my previous post on Abortion Law) and the the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Bill (ART) that was going to be passed in the next few weeks by the Victorian State Government. The latter puts the rights of an adult and their wish to conceive using modern technology called Assisted Reproductive Treatment. Under the bill, eligibility for Assisted Reproductive Treatment is no longer based on medical infertility; singleness or homosexuality are considered valid reasons for this treatment. This practically means that single people, gay men, lesbian woman, heterosexual de facto couples can choose to have a child. On the other hand, a child may end up having two mothers or two fathers legally recognised. In fact, this technology allows a surviving partner to conceive a child from a deceased spouse.
Sitting at the very back (which is somewhat a luxury for me as I always sit in front in typical Sundays) reading passages like Exodus 20 and Romans 13 and praying for the above issues, I cannot help thinking the grave importance of the Christian politicians and their roles in shaping and influencing such society-changing policies. We should pray for them more often, that they may see with the eyes of their hearts the glory, justice, mercy, love, holiness, and majesty of God so clearly that their decisions and actions are completely bound by them.
I do hope that as people humbled themselves before the Lord in prayers, there is a continued sense of awe for God that we carry within which slowly but steadily transforms the way we see things, set priorities, make decisions, and take actions, for the sake of Christ.
Several messages were highlighted in the service. Among the most important ones were the need for the church of Jesus Christ to be awaken from a long sleep while the nation is going further and further away from God's revealed truth in the Scripture. The other point was the urgency and importance for the church of Jesus Christ to teach and nurture each individual Christian to have an all-embracing Christian worldview which helps them to acutely aware that there is no area in this life that does not belong to Christ.
These two points are crucial in my opinion to be entertained in the church's agenda at all times lest we become to preoccupied with the internal business of the church that does not contribute to the advancement of the kingdom of God. As important as it may be to exhort the believers to be steep in doctrinal and devotional matters, the church must not neglect the third matter that is the cultural reformation mandated by God.
The service was punctuated often with prayers for the nation, community, government at all levels, politicians, and the church. Of particular concerns were the Abortion Law that was recently passed in Victoria (see my previous post on Abortion Law) and the the Assisted Reproductive Treatment Bill (ART) that was going to be passed in the next few weeks by the Victorian State Government. The latter puts the rights of an adult and their wish to conceive using modern technology called Assisted Reproductive Treatment. Under the bill, eligibility for Assisted Reproductive Treatment is no longer based on medical infertility; singleness or homosexuality are considered valid reasons for this treatment. This practically means that single people, gay men, lesbian woman, heterosexual de facto couples can choose to have a child. On the other hand, a child may end up having two mothers or two fathers legally recognised. In fact, this technology allows a surviving partner to conceive a child from a deceased spouse.
Sitting at the very back (which is somewhat a luxury for me as I always sit in front in typical Sundays) reading passages like Exodus 20 and Romans 13 and praying for the above issues, I cannot help thinking the grave importance of the Christian politicians and their roles in shaping and influencing such society-changing policies. We should pray for them more often, that they may see with the eyes of their hearts the glory, justice, mercy, love, holiness, and majesty of God so clearly that their decisions and actions are completely bound by them.
I do hope that as people humbled themselves before the Lord in prayers, there is a continued sense of awe for God that we carry within which slowly but steadily transforms the way we see things, set priorities, make decisions, and take actions, for the sake of Christ.
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