Stuck in the Present

Pooping Elephants

The Battle for Hell

Ecclesiastes, Songs of Songs (Holman Old Testament Commentary, Vol. 14)

The Last Men's Book You'll Ever Need

Good Christians, Good Husbands?

WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? HAS ITS LIMITS!

1 Reply

It is easy to proclaim the “goodness of God” when circumstances are generally pleasant, and suffering is minimal. It is much more challenging to believe that God is truly committed to our well-being when acute suffering, the kind that is not going away anytime soon, abruptly enters our life.

Like C.S. Lewis after losing his wife Joy to cancer, we may feel that God is absent. And it can be an absence that mocks our trust in a God who is supposed to care. Many Christians don’t like to acknowledge the silence of God, but Lewis provides the candid and raw reflections of a person who suffers not only the loss of a spouse, but also wonders whether God is now AWOL:

When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him…you will be—or so it feels—welcomed with open arms. But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that silence.

God could change our circumstances. At the very least, He could tone down the intensity of our suffering. But many times He doesn’t, and so we are left with a bewildering list of questions, nagging doubts, and the temptation to abandon our confidence in God altogether.

Learning to trust God in the midst of intense suffering is a process which usually contains many twists and turns. That certainly was the case for C.S. Lewis who wrote two books on the subject of suffering. The first one, The Problem of Pain, sought to address some of the typical questions about suffering. Rather predictably, Lewis underscored things like human freedom. The Problem of Pain has some helpful insights, but it is what I like to call a “rather neat and tidy book.” Suffering is presented in such a way that the reader is invited to conclude, “Oh yes, I see, this suffering of mine makes sense after all.” Lewis was a bachelor when he wrote The Problem of Pain.

On the other end of the spectrum is A Grief Observed. It is like reading the dark and desperate reflections of a friend’s private journal. This second book on suffering was written as Lewis tried to “make sense” of his wife’s death. The ache Lewis felt was too raw for neat and tidy, philosophical truths, no matter how true they happened to be.

Suffering has many causes. Furthermore, everyone processes their suffering differently. Different Christians tend to emphasize different things about God, so what it means to trust God during times of suffering is no simple matter.

The idea of imitating Jesus to ascertain the right choice in any given situation is a popular one. Various iterations of it have appeared throughout the church, but certainly In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do? by Charles Sheldon, greatly influenced many of us modern Christians. It certainly did for me.

Years ago, I vividly remember our young sons playing with a favorite train set. Well, our oldest son was playing with it while his younger brother was trying to join in. David was typically good at sharing, but not on this occasion. Spying out an opportunity to wow our sons with some godly wisdom, I asked, “Hey David, what do you think Jesus would do?” I was hoping David would respond, “Jesus would share the train.” Instead, David briefly looked my way and nonchalantly declared, “Jesus would make another train.”

My son was focused on the power of God while I was focused on God’s generosity!

Christians may focus on different things about God, but two things remain constant for every believer going through deep waters: the desire to know God is still on our side and that there is a grand purpose behind (and beyond!) the suffering. To feel abandoned by God and/or believe the suffering “is a waste” is simply too great a burden. It can shatter the confidence of the most resilient saint.

When we are suffering like Lewis did after the death of his wife, we need something in addition to arguments as to why there must be so much pain in the world. We are in need of regaining confidence that God is truly for us (Rom. 8:35-39) and that His will is indeed “good, acceptable, and perfect.” (Rom. 12:1,2)

I’ve certainly seen God’s faithfulness in a myriad of ways throughout my life. Even so, I still carry a substantial trunk loaded with questions. There are, however, many important things we can know that offer confidence and joyful perseverance even when we are deeply hurting.

HUMILITY AFTER HUMILIATION

Leave a reply

Pat Nemmers is a pastor of a thriving church in Des Moines, Iowa. That church has planted several other churches that are also doing well. Pat is the father of ten children and thirty-eight grandchildren. No typo there.

Lest you think Pat’s life is one of blessing upon blessing, his wonderfully conceived Retractions: Cultivating Humility after Humiliation will quickly disabuse you of that assumption.

Pat’s book is an honest yet hope-filled book on the life of a pastor, husband, father, and friend. Honest books on the pastoral life are somewhat rare, but I am happy to say that Pat’s book makes a healthy triumvirate alongside Zack Eswine’s The Imperfect Pastor and Eugene Peterson’s The Pastor: A Memoir.

Pat knows joy and he knows deep grief. His first wife died in his arms while still in her thirties. He knows what it is like to have wayward children. More importantly, he knows the importance of submitting his own life all over again to the Lordship of Jesus.

This is an honest, searching, life-giving, and Christ-honoring book that you just might want to give to your pastor.

 

THIS IS THE BOOK

Leave a reply

This is the resource I have been wanting to recommend. It is clear, covers the critical issues without getting bogged down, and is the perfect antidote to some popular, but misguided ideas about the Bible.

Doreen and I were invited to a weekend where Bill was the featured speaker. He has the scholarly goods but is strong in making that scholarship compelling and accessible.

FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS: JOHN DONNE’S AMAZING ESSAYS ON DEATH

Leave a reply

John Donne

The older I get (66 at the moment), the more I am reading or rereading the books that have stood the test of time: classics in literature, history, and poetry.

I have read several books by Yancey. When I saw that he had put Donne’s essays in modern form, it was a no-brainer to buy the book.

In short, these essays are beautifully rendered by Yancey. Donne’s process of struggling with the horror of death and dying is realistic. He doesn’t sugarcoat the awfulness of it or as Scripture says, that it is the final enemy.

Donne’s coming to peace through realizing that only fearing God made sense of life and death takes time, but journey with Donne as he goes there. It is time very well spent!

THE NEW HISTORY OF POLITICAL THEORY

Leave a reply

This is my third book I’ve read by this author. None have been duds.

My interview with the author on his terrific book about Madison’s political philosophy can be found here:

Staying Home on Election Day? What would James Madison Say?

And my review of Garrett Sheldon’s memoir can be found here:

MEMOIR OF A GRATEFUL ACADEMIC

In The New History of Political Theory, Sheldon ably covers the political waterfront with brief, but meaty chapters on twenty key figures from Socrates to John Rawls. These twenty are covered in a little over 200 pages but be assured that the author presses much into this terrific book. I can report that my marginal notes almost equaled the number of pages in this book.

Early on, Sheldon poses this critical question, “Is man naturally social or naturally solitary?” Much hangs on how we answer that question, not only for our own lives, but also for the societies we want to inhabit. If we are social, and my vote is decidedly in the affirmative, then we need to be about the kind of community building that reflects that priority.

I just read Jesse Norman’s terrific, intellectual biography of Edmund Burke. I am happy to say that Sheldon has a chapter on Burke. Burke equally chided both those on the left and right that they had forgotten how important so-called social issues and interactions are in governing well.

Sheldon’s book is more than a primer on political philosophy. It thoughtfully forces us to wrestle with issues of grand significance. What is the nature of humans? Are we naturally good? And much more.

I often say that we Christians are more beholden to John Locke than John Calvin. Let Sheldon clarify why this may be the case. Being instructed by a master teacher and careful scholar will be time well spent.

 

RANDY NEWMAN: REMEMBERING OUR FRIEND

2 Replies

Some of you know that we were in Boston last month to celebrate the graduation of our youngest son from Harvard Law School. As is our habit, we had dinner one night in the North End at one of their many, terrific Italian restaurants. As we were seated, my wife received a note that Randy had died. Overcome with grief I excused myself, went outside, and cried.

Doreen first met Randy nearly forty years ago. She and Randy worked together at Towson State University in the Baltimore, MD area. Because of Randy’s leadership in wanting to share the gospel, their small Cru staff team (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ) of three did more evangelism than schools that had many more Cru staff.

Randy and Pam recently moved to Austin. After leaving Cru, Randy transitioned to ministering through the C.S. Lewis Institute. We started meeting for fellowship and sharing a few, or more than a few, laughs. During one of our coffee shop conversations, a twenty-something guy introduced himself. He was disillusioned with the American church and so stopped going. It was wonderful to tag-team with Randy. Both of us have had our own concerns with the church. 

From Boston we flew to England. In the most unlikely of places, we heard about Randy. 

We attended a classic Anglican service (see picture) in the English countryside of Taynton which is part of the Cotswolds. After the service, we spent some time with the vicar who gave a wonderful message and shared his own concerns about the Anglican church. Tom studied at the evangelical school, Oak Hill College in London. I don’t remember what spawned his comment, but he told us that one of his favorite books in seminary was Randy’s Questioning Evangelism! That was a wonderful mercy of God and a great encouragement. 

Randy was rightly known as funny, clever at asking questions, but I would like to add, a great listener. Here is Randy interviewing me on my latest book. You will find his trademark humor and ability to ask great questions, but authors appreciate someone like Randy who was an active listener:

https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/questions-that-matter-podcast-dave-moore-discipleship-through-the-study-of-history/.

HARVARD LAW GRADUATION

2 Replies

In late May, our family was in Cambridge, MA to celebrate the graduation of our youngest son, Chris.

Chris’s time at Havard was terrific on all fronts: he excelled academically, made great friends, loved his Cambridge church, got to know some wonderful professors, AND met his girlfriend Yudi. 

Here are a few pictures:

Our family: Reese, our daughter-in-law, our oldest son David, Chris, and us.

Chris listening to his favorite professor, the inestimable Jack Goldsmith.

It’s official!

 

 

IN HOFFA’S SHADOW

Leave a reply

In Hoffa’s Shadow details the riveting story of Jimmy Hoffa’s mysterious disappearance. It is amply supplied with roller-coaster drama and elegant writing.

The author is the stepson of Charles “Chuckie” O’Brien, the loyal and longtime assistant to Jimmy Hoffa. (I should add that the author is a professor at Harvard law school and a wonderful mentor to our youngest son.)

I well remember the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. My young assessment was that his Teamster job was really a front to make lots of money from his mobster connections. The reality, like many true things, is more complicated and compelling than the simple narrative I believed in high school.

Goldsmith artfully tells the story of his stepfather’s quest to gain his innocence. I am convinced that Chuckie had nothing to do with the disappearance and death of Hoffa. The story is told with judicious detail and an appropriate pathos that one would expect from a loving stepson.

But don’t be mistaken. This is not a hagiographical account. Goldsmith is quick to admit the many faults and foibles of his stepfather. Perhaps you noticed that Goldsmith did not keep his stepfather’s surname. I won’t go into why, but it underscores that this book is not some cheap, laudatory account. On the other end of the spectrum, it is equally not remotely in the Mommie Dearest genre.

If you are looking for an engaging book full of twists and turns, I highly recommend In Hoffa’s Shadow. I should add the subtitle: A Stepfather, a Disappearance in Detroit, and My Search for the Truth.