He Knows Your Name (Friday Devotional)

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.

- Isaiah 43:1

Every day when I pick up my kids from school, we all exchange pleasantries with Mr. Bill, the school crossing guard. He’s been manning the intersection at least since Andrew started kindergarten in 2022, holding up his stop sign and wearing his neon vest.

His job, of course, is to ensure the kids’ safety. He steps out into the intersection before they do, signals to oncoming traffic to stop, and then tells the kids they’re free to cross. That’s why he’s there. But beyond that, what has endeared him to us—and everyone else—is that he greets all my kids (even Isaac, not yet a student) by name. Despite only seeing them for a few seconds each day and even though he has hundreds of kids to keep up with, he knows their names.

There’s something about that gesture, that simple act of thoughtfulness, that speaks volumes to people. In a crowded, distracted, busy world, you want to know that you matter enough to somebody for them to know your name.

So what an awe-inspiring thing to know that the God who created the universe not only calls you his, but calls you by name. You are not merely a drop in the ocean of humanity, you are important to him. So important, in fact, that he sent his Son to die on the cross for you.

Coming out of Easter Sunday, when we remember the story of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, don’t lose sight of what it means at a personal level. God so loved the world, and God so loved you. No matter what the world may tell you, you are not anonymous—for God knows you by name.

March Reading Log

When I look back at the books on this list, I realize just how long the month of March was. 6 books to review this month, with my usual electic allotment. Take a look!

DON'T WASTE YOUR LIFE by John Piper

This was a reread of a book which I last read in 2017. To read what I thought then (which still holds up now), click here.

THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE by C.S. Lewis
PRINCE CASPIAN by C.S. Lewis

In mid-February, we finally hit a milestone I'd been looking forward to for years: reading The Chronicles of Narnia aloud at bedtime. These books were formative for me at a young age, and I was eager to introduce them to my 9 and 6-year olds.

Note: We are reading the books in publication order, NOT chronological order. That is, and I cannot emphasize this strongly enough, the CORRECT way to read them. Publishers who put the number 1 on the spine of The Magician's Nephew are simply wrong. I am a tolerant person, but I will brook no argument on this.

We started with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the story of two brothers and two sisters who stumble through a wardrobe into the magical land of Narnia, where they encounter everyone from a friendly faun named Mr. Tumnus to an evil White Witch to the heroic lion Aslan. This book is part fairy tale, part allegory, as becomes apparent when Aslan willingly gives his life to save even a treacherous child, only to be restored to life by "the deep magic." If you only know a little about Narnia, this is the story you know, and for good reason. After all, it's hard to top the gospel.

Prince Caspian, which we finished just in the nick of time to publish this log, is the sequel. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are brought back to Narnia a year later in our world, but several hundred years later in Narnia's. This time their mission is to help Caspian overthrow his wicked uncle for the throne so that Narnia can be restored to its former glory. This one is not as captivating as its predecessor (to be fair, none in the series are) and its allegorical notes are subtler, though the themes of renewal and restoration come through.

My kids were reluctant to start this series—children are usually skeptical, after all, that they'll like what their parents like—but it only took one chapter of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe to win them over. So be on the lookout for more Narnia in the coming months!

MEN AT WORK by George F. Will

Baseball is a game, a pastime. But for those who play it professionally, it a craft.

That is the essential argument of Men at Work, an ode to the game's intricacies by political commentator and rabid fan George F. Will. Building upon history, interviews with figures in the sport, and his own observations, Will makes the case that baseball is something taken very seriously indeed by those who have made it their trade.

Will's book is divided into four sections, with each focusing on one central character: the manager (Tony La Russa), the pitcher (Orel Hershiser), the hitter (Tony Gwynn), and the fielder (Cal Ripken, Jr.) Each section highlights the complexities of baseball, showing how much intelligence, preparation, and work is required to succeed at the major league level.

This book is highly regarded for its focus, detail, and how effectively it shows the sophistication of America's national pastime. No one leaves a chapter thinking players are just winging it.

Unfortunately, the title and central premise betrays the book's central flaw: Will makes baseball seem more like work than play. As a fan, my #1 priority is that baseball be fun, and sometimes Will's writing is so dense that it seems to lose sight of that. In seeking to show how hard the best players are working, Will sometimes makes them seem more like soldiers than ballplayers, and it left this reader periodically cold.

This book is a must-read for baseball fans for the way it reveals the game's complexities. Nevertheless, the more time you spend reading it, the more you need to go outside and get on the diamond with a 9-year-old. After all, no matter how hard the pros work at it, baseball is a kid's game.

ESSENTIAL MARVEL SAGA VOL. 1-2

By December 1985, the Marvel universe had existed for nearly 25 years, dating back to Fantastic Four #1 in November 1961. One of Stan Lee's innovations (and yes, this is the very rare time we can give Stan full credit) was the introduction of continuity throughout Marvel's superhero books—not only did these characters exist within a shared universe, but they regularly interacted with one another, and every story "counted." So by 1985, the Marvel universe was now a sprawling web of characters, stories, and lore. It was still possible to get your mind around it all and connect all the dots (in a way that's virtually impossible now), but it would take you a lot of time and effort.

So Marvel Saga, whose 25 issues are collected in these two Essential volumes, aimed to simplify that task for the reader who wanted to know it all without having to track down back issues from the 1960s. Each month in an oversized book, editor Dan Fingeroth and comics historian/writer Peter Sanderson gave readers a beat by beat chronology of Marvel's history as it had been told up to that point, using art primarily reprinted from those Silver Age stories. It was an ambitious task, but one Marvel zombies ate right up.

For somebody who has read a lot of the stories being told (thanks to the modern prevalence of collected editions like the Essentials), there were times I was skimming these issues more than reading every word, and at times it did feel a little like homework instead of storytelling. But for Marvel fans then and now, Marvel Saga provided an invaluable service. For a newbie to Marvel lore, I'd recommend this as a good place to dive into the lore, especially if all you know is the movies. For somebody who's read their fair share of the Silver Age, it's still an interesting time capsule and reference work.

Give Us Barabbas (Friday Devotional)

Then they all shouted out together, “Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!” (This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city and for murder.) Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again, but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.” But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified, and their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted. He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over as they wished.

- Luke 23:18-25

On that dark day so long ago, the mob made a choice. Angered by Jesus’ apparent refusal to meet their revolutionary expectations—to overthrow Rome and restore Israel to the greatness of their forefathers—they now turned, ironically enough, to Rome to enact judgment against him. Though Pilate was initially unwilling to execute an innocent man, they leaned upon a Roman custom of releasing one Jewish prisoner during Passover to force his hand.

He offered them a choice. On the one hand, they could have Barabbas, a murderous insurrectionist. Barabbas was the kind of criminal the Romans had devised crucifixion for in the first place, the sort of rebellious and violent spirit whose execution would stand as a stark warning to any who might be tempted to rise up against the empire. In a recent uprising, Barabbas had committed murder—the Gospel of Mark is careful to use that word, lest readers believe his violence was justified. To set him free would be to endanger themselves and others.

On the other hand, they could have Jesus, whom they had welcomed into Jerusalem as a king only days earlier. Jesus had healed the sick, had raised the dead, and had told anyone who would listen about the coming kingdom of God. But that kingdom, the people now understood, wasn’t going to come in the time or the manner they had in mind. To set Jesus free would be to accept God’s plans over their own.

The mob chose Barabbas.

Amid all the lessons of Good Friday, this is one of the most chilling: apart from the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we still choose Barabbas every time. We would rather feel secure in our own self-righteousness than in the righteousness of God. We would rather cling to our own vision for how things ought to be and risk the consequences than to open our eyes to God’s plan. We would rather accept destruction on our terms than renewal on the Lord’s terms. For those apart from Christ, Barabbas is always the choice.

But for believers in Jesus, those filled with the Holy Spirit, there is another way. You don’t have to let anger and bitterness guide you. You don’t have to assume your way is the only way. You don’t have to be self-destructive for the sake of pride.

Jesus died so you could have life; he took on your sins so you could be cleansed. In him you can live and move and have your being, you can live as a citizen of his kingdom even as you remain a resident in this world. By his blood, he offered you salvation from who you were and a pathway to who God made you to be.

Others will choose Barabbas. Christian, choose Christ.

Separation Anxiety (Friday Devotional)

“Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you.”

- Deuteronomy 31:6

It’s always tricky getting back into the swing of things after a long break, especially for kids. So after a week of vacation, Lindsey and I anticipated our two eldest children needing a couple days to readjust to waking up early, spending all day at school, and having a reasonable bedtime.

What caught me by surprise was the reaction of our 2-year-old, Isaac, when I was headed out the door Sunday morning to get to church. Clinging to my pant leg and sobbing, he cried out repeatedly, “No, Daddy!!! No go church! No leave Ikey!” After a week of us being together all the time, he couldn’t stomach the idea of being separated from his daddy.

“Parting is such sweet sorrow,” Shakespeare wrote. Being away from those we love most is a hard pill to swallow, whether at age 2 or 102. And especially when you are the one being left behind, there is a sting to it, a feeling that you are being abandoned—that they are not leaving because they have to, but because they want to.

So one of the Bible’s most welcome promises is that God never leaves nor forsakes his children. On the brightest days, the Lord celebrates alongside us. In our darkest moments, he steadfastly remains with us. Nothing is compelling enough to tear him away, and nothing is powerful enough to separate us from his love.

“I am with you always, even to the end of the age,” Jesus assures us. He remains Emmanuel, God with us, today. And nothing you do or the world throws at you will change that.

Sleepless Nights (Friday Devotional)

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

- Psalm 55:22

My family had been on the road all day, having finished our weeklong trip to Colorado and begun our journey home. In 12 hours we had made the journey from Denver to Great Sand Dunes National Park to our destination for the night, a motel in Amarillo. It was 1:00 AM and everybody was exhausted. After getting the kids into pajamas, I finally collapsed into the bed I was sharing with my eldest son, Andrew.

And try as I might, I couldn’t sleep.

Some of it was the caffeine coursing through my veins, courtesy of the Dr Pepper I’d been nursing on the drive. Some of it was Andrew, who kept stretching over to my side of the bed. And much of it was my mind exiting vacation mode and now thinking about all the responsibilities, activities, and stresses awaiting me when we got home. I just couldn’t sleep.

I suspect you’ve been there before, tossing and turning, counting sheep, trying to will yourself into a slumber that refuses to come. Few things are as frustrating or as exhausting as a mind so full that your body can’t rest.

In such times—or better yet, before then—the Bible encourages you to turn anxiety into prayer, to cast your burdens upon the Lord. Instead of letting stress consume you, give it to God. Instead of worrying yourself to death, pray your way to faith—faith that, when you feel out of control, God is still sovereign.

Prayer won’t make your problems go away. Faith isn’t a magic cure for all of life’s ills. But when you have the humility to acknowledge that God can handle what you can’t, you’ll find peace. And maybe even a good night’s sleep.

A Worthwhile Challenge (Friday Devotional)

Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? 

- Luke 14:27-28

On Wednesday morning, my family and I set out for a road trip to Colorado. After many hours of driving, we stopped for dinner in Amarillo at the legendary Big Texan steakhouse, which is most famous for its 72 oz. steak challenge—anyone who can eat a steak of that size in an hour gets their meal for free.

Naturally, the kids thought one of us should try the challenge. After all, those who do so get lots of attention in the restaurant—an announcement to the whole place, a table in the center of the restaurant, and a timer counting down your meal. But what we had to explain to the kids was that there is a price to the challenge—if you pulled it off, it was free, but for those who failed, the meal cost a cool $72. As exciting as it seemed to take the challenge, it was not something to be attempted lightly.

Jesus offers that kind of warning to those who would seek to follow him—it’s not all walking on water and multiplying loaves and fishes. Indeed, even before his death at Calvary, he warned that anyone who thought they understood his message must be prepared to pick up their cross and follow him. Being a disciple of Jesus comes at a cost.

The church, with its emphasis on salvation by grace through faith, doesn’t always remember to share that part of the message. People hear the news that Jesus offers them forgiveness and redemption and eternal life, and that this comes by his work, not theirs. And praise God for the truth of that message!

The key is for us to know and to share the fullness of the gospel message—that following Jesus comes at a cost, and it’s more than worth the price. “In this world you will have trouble,” the Lord said, “but take heart—-I have overcome the world.”  Today, may you count the cost of obedience to Christ—and may you find it worth the while every time.

What the Book is For (Friday Devotional)

 

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work".

- 2 Timothy 3:16-17

“Ikey, no!!!”

That was the sound that sent me and Lindsey running into the bathroom a few days ago. We had left our two youngest kids, Isaac and Katherine, in the bathtub while we worked on the dinner dishes, but now we found ourselves rushing to see what had gone wrong. When we made it to the bathroom, we saw the source of the commotion: Isaac, age 2, had dropped a book in the bathwater. And while we were ready to scold Isaac for what he’d done, I think Katherine put it best: “That’s not what the book is for!”

That simple exclamation got me thinking this week about how we interpret the Good Book, God’s Word. There are many teachers in this world—I would be so bold as to call them false teachers—who use the Bible primarily as a bludgeon against their enemies. For them, Scripture is primarily a collection of proofs that God is on their side and that he hates the same people they hate. Their agenda comes first, and the Bible is the divine tool used to justify that agenda.

But here’s the thing: that’s not what the book is for.

Scripture tells that all Scripture, from the Law to the Prophets to the Gospels to the Epistles, is inspired by God. More specifically, it is “God-breathed,” given to a series of writers through the Holy Spirit. While humans did the writing, the Lord gave the message.

Why? For “teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.” God gave us the Bible to help with our sanctification, not to fuel our holy wars. God’s Word is given so that we might be “equipped for every good work,” so that we will have the theological foundation to bless others in Jesus’ name.

When the Bible helps you grow in faith in Christ, you are using it as intended. When you read it for ethical instruction, so that you will know how to share the gospel in word and deed, your aim is true. When the written Word of God leads people to the Word made flesh—Jesus, the Son of God—we see its purpose fulfilled. The Bible is God’s revelation of himself to humanity, it is a treasure of ethical teaching, and it offers us truth in a world of lies.

It is the Spirit’s sword, not yours. It is God’s Word, not mine. And the criterion by which we interpret it is not our own opinions or agendas, but Christ—for ultimately, it leads us to him. That’s what the book is for.