CALVINISM IS MAKING A COMEBACK
The periodical Christianity Today recently featured a cover story entitled "Young, Restless, and Reformed." The article suggests that "while the Emergent 'conversation' gets a lot of press for its appeal to the young, the new Reformed movement might be a larger and more pervasive phenomenon." The resurgence of interest in Reformed theology--or Calvinism--among young Evangelicals has brought to many U.S. churches a renewed emphasis on doctrine, starting with the TULIP acronym that describes the Reformed "doctrine of grace." Some of the prominent pastors from whom young Christians are catching the spark that sets them on fire for Calvinism include John Piper, Al Mohler, C.J. Mahaney, Joshua Harris, and Mark Dever. The interest and emphasis on doctrine is also prompting some young Christians to turn to old teachers, such as the Puritans, and specifically Jonathan Edwards. Mohler, head of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, observes that "this generation of young Christians is more committed, more theologically intense, more theologically curious, more self-aware and more self-conscious as believers because they were not raised in an environment of cultural Christianity."

To read the article "Young, Restless, and Reformed" in full, follow this link:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/september/42.32.html

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DEVELOPING A BRAVE HEART
Katherine Bryce is a story teller who gives us the following story:

“Once there was a little gray mouse. He lived in the same house as an old gray cat. The little mouse was afraid of the cat. “How happy I would be but for that old cat,” the mouse said. “I’m afraid of her all the time. I wish I was a cat.”

A fairy heard the little gray mouse say this and felt sorry for him, so she turned him into a big gray cat. At first he was very happy, but one day a big dog ran after him. “O dear,” he said, “it is not much fun to be a cat. Now I will be afraid of that dog all the time. I wish I was a dog.”

Again the fairy heard and felt sorry for the old gray cat, so she turned him into a big dog. Once more he felt happy. Then one day he heard a lion roar. “Oh, just listen to that lion!” he cried. “It makes me afraid to hear him roar. It is not so safe to be a dog after all. How I wish I were a lion. Then I would be afraid of no one.” And off he ran to the fairy.

“Dear fairy,” he said, “turn me into a big strong lion.” Again the fairy felt sorry for him, and she made him into a big strong lion. Then one day a man tried to kill the lion, and once more he ran to the fairy. “What now?” she asked.

“Make me into a man, dear fairy,” he cried, “for then nothing can make me afraid.”

“Make you into a man?!” cried the fairy! “No indeed, I will not. A man must have a brave heart. You have only the heart of a mouse! So a mouse you shall become again and a mouse you shall stay.” So saying, she turned him back into a little gray mouse and he ran away to his old house.

It’s a simple story, but it gives one a lot to think about, doesn’t it? For one thing, it drives home the question, “Regardless of what you are on the outside, what is the state of your heart?” Sooner or later in life most of us discover that whatever a person appears to be on the outside makes little difference if they are mouse-like on the inside.

Wrestling with this issue makes me think of the story in Luke 8:22-25 (and also Matt 8:23-27 and Mark 4:37-41). You remember—the day started out like any other day, but by early afternoon it seemed as though everything was up for grabs. The disciples were out on the Sea of Galilee with a sleeping Jesus in the back of the boat when a furious storm hit. The disciples scrambled to wake up Jesus, screaming about how they were all going to die and asking Jesus if he cared. It is a story about the state of one’s heart.

After Jesus spoke to the wind and the waves and the waters became calm once more, Jesus turned to his disciples and asked that stinging question: “Where is your faith?” He was not asking about “saving faith”—that initial faith decision to follow Christ. Nor was he asking about “waiting faith”—the expectant faith in Jesus’ return. No, he was asking the disciples about their “sustaining faith.” This is a faith that demands a brave heart.

Sustaining faith is the faith that leads us moment by moment through both the calmness and the storms of life. With this faith we trust in God to lead and to guide, to sustain and to protect, to feed and to nourish our souls. Sustaining faith is generally not revealed when the lake is calm, the wind scarce, and the sun shining. Anybody can talk about faith in those moments. The question is, Where is your faith when the storm is raging around you?

This story is about men with mouse-like hearts who were being slowly transformed into men with brave hearts. I imagine that time after time when these guys were facing troublesome moments throughout the rest of their lives, they thought back to that afternoon on the water and remembered the wondrous power of Christ.

Apart from the storms, you and I don’t learn anything. It is in the “terrible” moments that Christ teaches us how to take a mouse-like heart and built it up into a brave heart.

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WE THANK Thee, then, O Father, for all things bright and good,
The seed time and the harvest, our life, our health, and food;
No gifts have we to offer, for all Thy love imparts,
But that which Thou desirest, our humble, thankful hearts.
- Matthias Claudius, "We Plow the Fields and Scatter"

WE HAVE NOTHING TO GIVE that didn't first come from Your hands
We have nothing to offer You which You did not provide
Every good, perfect gift comes from Your kind and gracious heart
And all we do is give back to You what always has been Yours

Who has given to You that it should be paid back to him?
Who has given to You as if You needed anything?
From You, and to You, and through You come all things, O Lord
And all we do is give back to You what always has been Yours
- Matt Redman, "Breathing the Breath"

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Too Small To Ignore: Why Children are the Next Big Thing
By Wess Stafford with Dean Merrill
2005 WaterBrook Press (Reviewed by David Korb)

In Too Small to Ignore, Dr. Wess Stafford, president of Compassion International, argues that while the children in our world are so easily ignored, they are vitally important for the future. Stafford issues the challenge to “make children a priority in every area of life.” He suggests that to do this requires a major paradigm shift in our focus and ministry.

Dr. Stafford grew up as the son of missionaries in a tiny village in the Ivory Coast and weaves stories from that childhood throughout the book. Drawing upon his extensive experience as an advocate for the world’s children and as a spokesperson for those who cannot speak for themselves, Stafford presents the plight of children in today’s world with compelling tenderness, urgency, and hope. One reviewer summarizes Stafford’s plea this way: “There are strategic, persuasive reasons—beyond love and kindness—to invest in children. Today they may snuggle into your lap, if you let them. But tomorrow you may not have access to them in the corridors of power they might occupy. Now is the time to shape the future.”

Stafford writes, “It begins now, here, and with you! It begins with the very next child God brings across your path. Every child you encounter is a divine appointment. With each one you have the power and opportunity to build the child up or tear the child down.”

If children are on your heart, this book is a must read. I suggest that after you read this book, you consider giving it as a gift to a friend or family member. I have already ordered a copy for each of my grown children!

The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything
by Stephen M. R. Covey with Rebecca R. Merrill
2006 Free Press (Reviewed by David Korb)

If the author’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he is the son of the Stephen R. Covey who introduced us to “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” back in 1990. Now, in this volume, the junior Stephen “uncovers the overlooked and underestimated power of trust.”

Covey writes, “There is one thing that is common to every individual, relationship, team, family, organization, nation, economy, and civilization throughout the world—one thing which, if removed, will destroy the most powerful government, the most successful business, the most thriving economy, the most influential leadership, the greatest friendship, the strongest character, the deepest love…the one thing is trust.”

According to Covey, on one end of the spectrum the absence of trust breeds dysfunctionality, angry confrontations, or bitter withdrawals. On the other end of the spectrum, the presence of trust engenders cooperation within close and vibrant relationships.

The word “speed” in the title is key to this book. Covey contends that “nothing is as fast as the speed of trust,” meaning that trust can be quickly lost and also quickly gained. He discusses what he calls the “5 Waves of Trust,” a model derived from “the 'ripple effect' metaphor that graphically illustrates the interdependent nature of trust and how it flows from the inside out.” Starting at the center, the five waves are self trust, relational trust, organizational trust, market trust, and societal trust. Covey states that it is the credibility we cultivate in the first wave—self trust—that “enables us to establish and sustain trust at all levels.” The 4 cores of credibility are integrity, intent, capabilities, and results.

Having established his framework, Covey walks the reader through an in-depth discussion of each “wave of trust.” The book is primarily concerned with business, so much of the material points toward a business application, but at times it also points toward the church and to relationships within and outside the family.

As I read this book, I found myself continually wishing I had a fellow reader with whom to discuss what I had just read. For instance, as part of the second wave—relational trust—Covey suggests that relational trust is all about consistently exhibiting 13 behaviors. These include Talk Straight, Demonstrate Respect, Create Transparency, Right Wrongs, and so forth.

This is a good book. It will force you to think through the role of trust in your life and in your relationships with others, drawing you back to many wonderful Biblical principles.

Introducing Christian Doctrine by Millard J. Erickson
Second edition 2001 Baker Academic (Reviewed by David Korb)

Millard Erickson’s hefty Christian Theology is used in many seminaries and colleges as a textbook. If you are familiar with Erickson, you may know that he tends to cover various theological positions in a fair and honest way.

Well, Introducing Christian Doctrine is a “briefer” version of Erickson’s larger work. Honestly, I started to read through Christian Theology and just did not make it. I then opted for Christian Doctrine. I am now half way through this volume and am greatly enjoying this refresher course in doctrine and theology. I highly recommend both works, but would suggest that you start with Christian Doctrine and then go to Christian Theology for those cases where you desire greater detail.

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