Live Provocatively

Although this isn't my latest read, my thoughts wandered to a journal entry I made on 04/30/12 and I want to record it on my blog as well.

Points I received from reading Mark Dever's The Gospel and Personal Evangelism book:

To the Church, Beloved,

• Learn to ask good questions in order to provoke self-reflection.
• Question the orgin of life, how one understands the "bad things" in this world, thoughts on death, Jesus, God, judgement, etc.
• Listen AND make suggestions on what you believe is the case.
• Be provocative in your conversation.
• Live in a distinctly salty way--through words and actions. Make others thirsty. Make your whole life before others provocative.
• The message that you are sharing is not merely an opinion--but a fact!
• Islam has a shallow understanding of man's problems because it teaches that our problems are basically a matter of behavior, that the solution to our problem is merely a question of the will.
• We [Christians] don't think that our real problem can be dealt with by political power. I could put a sword to a person's throat and make him a sufficiently good Muslim, but I can't make anyone a Christian that way.

Jay Gatz

I read this book, with this guy, this weekend.

Splendidly spectacular.

Books

I've been on a strict diet of books since 2012 started. I'm trying to get through them as quickly as possible, and to read each book in a way that I "use" them. Admittedly, my reading did slow down a bit in April, but I'm picking up the pace again.

I also have a rule to only read one book at a time and I try to diversify the rotation as generously as possible. Right now I am refreshing myself on linguistics. This was one of my favorite classes in undergrad and I seemed to have a knack for it. I was even thinking to switch to a Ling major but my school did not offer it.

Gabriel's Resolve-The Visit-The Mistake

"Why, Farmer Oak," she said over the top, looking at him with rounded eyes, "I never said I was going to marry you."

"Well--that is a tale!" said Oak with dismay. "To run after anybody like this, and then say you don't want him!"

-T. Hardy
Far from the Madding Crowd

What a tease.

Now-isms

"Maturity and perseverance are weakened by a 'now' mentality."

"We forget that God's primary goal is not changing our situations and relationships so that we can be happy, but changing us through our situations and relationships so that we will be holy."

-Paul Tripp
Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands

What I get from Tripp

Human beings were created to be interpreters. We don't just respond to the facts and experiences of our lives, but we respond to our interpretations of those facts.

This is why it is very important to make sure our interpretations are always filtered through scripture. If our interpretations are not biblical, then our responses will not be biblical either.

Keep guard.

FFTMC

Interesting muse Thomas Hardy offers in Far from the Maddening Crowd: "The rarest offerings of the purest loves are but a self-indulgence, and no generosity at all." Thoughts?

T. Hardy

"But wisdom lies in moderating mere impressions, and Gabriel endeavored to think little of this."

Is it possible to read 100 books in one year?

I don't know. But it's worth a shot.

http://www.modernlibrary.com/top-100/100-best-novels/

Excited

"The first step in effective time management is often to take the time to plan!"

The Wise Woman Manages Her Home

It's exciting to see what I've learned by experience in print. Even more exciting to see the fruit of such principles. Continuing to grow.

Latest read

"Colonel Ross still wore an expression which showed the poor opinion which he had formed of my companion's ability, but I saw by the Inspector's face that his attention had been keenly aroused.

'You consider that to be important?' he asked.
'Exceedingly so.'
'Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?'
'To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.'
'The dog did nothing in the night-time.'
'That was the curious incident,' remarked Sherlock Holmes."

I've been reading some Doyle this week. It's great fun. I always try to beat Sherlock at trying to solve the mystery, but it really is a pointless pursuit as I'll never be able to see all the clues that Sherlock paints before he explains them to me. But I did beat Watson at solving A Case of Identity today. :)