My Irish Adventure: Counting Down The Days

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Counting Down The Days

I love being in Nashville, but I can't wait to go to Ireland! I can now see that God has been preparing my heart and mind for full-time ministerial service for some time. Now he has called me to go. And of all the places I could have hoped to be called, Ireland is definitely at or near the top. I have been obsessed with all things Irish for several years, watching documentaries on Irish history, movies and Notre Dame football, listening to Irish music (see bottom right), drinking Irish beer, faking Irish accents, etc. When I moved to Nashville, I hung an Irish flag in my room. Now I have a chance to go to the Emerald Isle with the purpose of spreading Christ's renown there! God is so good.
In the meantime, there is plenty to be done here. Please pray for God's favor and that I would have the courage and inspiration to proactively do all that needs to be done in preparation.
If you're reading this, you probably recieved an e-mail or facebook message from me. Thanks for reading it and visiting the blog! I appreciate your support in whatever way you can give it!
I plan on doing a great deal more with this blog, including adding photos of Ireland, where I live and who I meet. Stay tuned...

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What I'm Reading...

The Bible: James and I are preaching through Luke on Sunday mornings, Miles and I are teaching through John for Wednesday Bible studies. Privately studying Genesis and 1 Corinthians--I am going slow, taking advantage of my new ESV Study Bible to really dig deep.
Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ by John Piper: This is Piper's brand new book and he preached a sermon series with the same name. The book looks at God's Sovereignty over sin. He discusses how God uses specific sins like those of Joseph's brothers and Judas. He wrestles with why God allows Satan and evil to exist for the time being. I started reading this to feel it out and ended up reading the first three chapters in one sitting while on the train to Dublin. You can download the PDF version of the entire book from www.desiringgod.org for free!

Just finished

Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller: Being aware of the things that steal worship from God in our lives is crucial to our relationship with Jesus. I heard Keller speak on this in Nashville. Keller brilliantly uses Old Testament examples such as Jacob, Nebechudnezzar and Jonah to illustrate the different idols people worship. Each chapter ends with a different way of approaching the gospel.
The Mortification of Sin by John Owen: J.I. Packer called this Puritan classic the most influential book on his theology outside the Bible. It is as difficult as reading Edwards, but much shorter. It is an analysis of what it means to "mortify" or "put to death" the misdeeds of the body (Romans 8:13), something I have considered while trying to memorize Romans 8. This short, but difficult, book is crucial to understanding how we rest on the gospel to defeat sin.
Ireland's Hope: An Evaluation of the Political and Relgious Troubles of Northern Ireland by Phillip Streeter: This was a short book by a very intelligent evangelical Christian explaining the history of "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland (i.e. Bloody Sunday, IRA, etc.). It gave me a clearer understanding of the history and the problems up there. His conclusion is that peace will only come when both sides (who mostly profess Christ) start practicing the life and teaching of Jesus. Unfortunately, though to a much lesser extent, the conflict in N Ireland remains today.
Learning Evangelism from Jesus by Jerram Barrs: Multiple people have told me that this is the most Christ-like man they've ever met. He is a professor at Covenant Theological Seminary who I chanced to see speak when I visited. His humility and wisdom are staggering. He was once Francis Shaeffer's gardener. The book evaluates different instances of Jesus' interactions with people in the gospels. I benefited from this so much that I have passed it on to Patrick to read.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling: I came across this little book that Harry Potter fans should be familiar. Miles and James are not big fans based on the significant increase of witchcraft in the U.K. due to the Harry Potter series, and I would welcome a discussion on Christians reading J.K. Rowling. Personally, I enjoyed reading the five short stories and Professor Dumbledore's commentary. Now that I've finished it, I'll be looking for more light reading.
The Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards: This is not an easy read, but it is worth it. If everyone today would understand these concepts, we would have not problems with legalism or easy-believism. Ok, I admit I hit a wall on this one and called it quits 2/3 to 3/4 of the way through. It is so rich, but so dense. Still, it is definitely worth the read if you only get through the first chapter.
The Search for God and Guinness by Stephen Mansfield: This is well-written account of not only Guinness' founder and his extraordinary Bible-believing, society-reforming family, but also Irish history and the history of beer. It was a perfect read for the flight over to Ireland and a great gift from my buddy Jim. I passed this on to Nathan and he read it in a few days and was obsessed with it in his own unique way. The author is also from Nashville; he mentions Flying Saucer and Blackstone Brewery and thanks Dr. George Grant of Parish Presbyterian Church for teaching him about the noble history of beer.

My Irish Adventure

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Counting Down The Days

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Project Ireland

What I'm Reading...

Waiting to be read

Just finished

Blogs to check out: