Category Archive: Books

• What we’re reading: Pierced by Love

  by Melanie Post

  

  Pierced by Love has affected me deeply. The physical beauty of the book ministers to me. It’s one of those books that I just enjoy holding in my hands. And then the beauty continues inside with the writing of Hans Boersma. 

  I have been aware of and practiced lectio divina for many years, but through reading this book I have come to realize that I have barely begun to plumb the depths of what this Divine Reading is intended to be and do. I see that I have been following a method that attuned to my head but not to my heart. I now feel like a preschooler as I learn from Boersma, the Church Fathers and medieval spiritual writers. I have been humbled by the things I am learning and at the same time deeply enriched by them.

  I was not raised in a church that taught anything about the Church Fathers but in recent years have not only learned about them, but have been greatly helped by their teachings on the journey of maturing in Christ. Boersma included many medieval diagrams, images and illustrations throughout the book that were new to me, and have stirred and piqued my interest. I have gone back to look at them often, and receive them as gifts for my true imagination. I believe they are deposits of wealth into my soul’s storehouse that I will draw upon often in my future.

  I am grateful for Boersma’s repeated description of how lectio divina is not a method, but a way to vertically journey towards God and encounter Him. The Reality at which lectio divina aims is Jesus. It is a sacramental discipline, and a longing and search for the presence of the Heavenly Bridegroom. Lectio divina is Divine Reading. 

  I desire the sweet taste of God as I chew on the Scriptures, regurgitate them and chew again, getting more and more sustenance from the Word, taking me more deeply into the life of God. I was unaware that this process of being united with God and His love would involve piercing, wounding, suffering, and at times agony, as He loves me enough to expose sin in my life or bring up great joy that is painful in its own way. As Boersma writes, “Divine Reading pries open our lives and exposes the secrets of our hearts.”¹ From this I understand that my past practices of lectio divina have been anemic and far from its intended purpose of purifying my heart so that I might be equipped to see God.

  

  Boersma suggests that we should call lectio divina advent reading – “a reading driven by a longing for Christ to pierce with arrows of his Love.”² With this different way of looking at lectio divina, I sensed a shift in my soul, and I could better grasp what it’s about. I have now added “Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus,” to the beginning of my lectio divina practice, and I ask God to teach me to pray anew. Boersma encouraged me to remember that the Holy Spirit of God is at work from the start, and the entire process of lectio divina is marked by His loving guidance. I am progressing from my previous understanding of lectio divina, which I now call, “What a friend we have in Jesus,” to “Pierce me with the arrows of your love”. I truly am a homo viator³.

  I am learning these things that are important in forming my Lectio Divina practice:

  •  *Solitude is the prerequisite to silence.
  • *A challenge to silence is noise. Boersma defines noise as “any sound that interferes with listening,”⁴ and points out that noise and pride go together.
  • *Silence and humility go together, and are directly linked to obedience. This statement caused my ears to perk up and I connect it to Leanne Payne’s teaching about listening and obeying (a now well-practiced part of my life). Boersma shows that the more we listen and obey, the more we are at peace with silence, because God made us for the Word.
  • *There is a silence that needs to happen within, as we take every “swirling” thought captive. Boersma points out that swirling thoughts:  fragment our attention; are founded in love of the world; cause us to lose stability; cause us to lose our rest; and make us confused, fearful, and incapable of foresight. These effects remind me of my great need for the Spirit’s guidance to help me to mature in relation to my swirling thoughts.

  One part of the book that I’m chewing on concerns memorization as part of lectio divina. Boersma writes about how, in medieval times, meditation was primarily a matter of committing biblical text to memory. He suggests that some part of our daily reading should be committed to memory, likening it to chewing the cud (ruminating) to digest scripture even more. I am still considering what this might look like in my lectio divina practice.

  I am so grateful to have read this book and to have it expand my mind and heart. I want God to use lectio divina to train my longings for God, for He wants me to find my ultimate joy and happiness only in Him. My heart’s desire is for “the More of God” – to go further up and further in with Him. I believe what God is teaching me through this book will help me on that journey, and will help others on their journey as well.

  1. Hans Boersma, Pierced by Love: Divine Reading with the Christian Tradition (Bellingham, Lexham Press, 2023), 159.
     ↩︎
  2. Ibid, 206. ↩︎
  3. A man or woman on the way; a pilgrim.
     
     ↩︎
  4. Ibid, 191-192. ↩︎

• What We’re Reading: Theology of the Body

  

  

  From 1979 to 1984, St John Paul II gave a series of addresses about the meaning of human embodiment, with particular attention to our calling as male and female to become “one flesh.” These addresses form what he called the Theology of the Body, and have been excellently translated by Michael Waldstein in Man and Woman He Created Them. John Paul II and Leanne Payne were truly brother and sister, on different continents, speaking with their unique voices in the same era; greatly needed prophets who answered the call to proclaim the glorious mystery of our redemption in Christ. Like Leanne’s books, the Theology of the Body (TOB) illuminates the radiant path of the redemption of our embodied, sexual lives. And like Leanne’s books, it seems that these teachings will only grow in importance for this generation and beyond. Scholars, pastors, and cultural commentators from every corner of the Christian world today are encouraging the study of John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. 

  Christopher West is president and senior lecturer for the Theology of the Body Institute and a leading teacher of the TOB in the US and beyond. Several of MPC’s leaders have studied with Christopher either at the institute in Pennsylvania or through their online courses. This has been a rewarding connection for MPC as the insights of the TOB give us an even richer glimpse into incarnational reality. 

  One of West’s most recent books, Our Bodies Tell God’s Story, is written particularly to introduce Protestants to the rich teachings of the TOB. Many people find that they get much more out of their study of Man and Woman He Created Them once they’ve been oriented to the TOB through Christopher’s gifted teaching. He has an inspiring and infectious passion for this telling of the gospel that shows how human love belongs in the divine plan. 

  One thing I love about the TOB that I also love about Leanne’s writings is that it gives us two critically important visions. First, it helps us see the goodness and glory for which we were created as men and women, husbands and wives, and members of the Bride of Christ. We need this vision of the heights to which we are called. Here’s just one passage in which Christopher points the way:

  “Why was Adam endowed with freedom? Because Adam was called to love – and without freedom, love is impossible. In his solitude, Adam realizes that love is his origin, his vocation, and his destiny. He realizes that, unlike the animals, he is invited to enter a covenant of love with God himself. God is a lover with all the passion of a bridegroom who wants to marry us. It’s this relationship of love with God that defines Adam’s solitude more than anything else. Tasting this love, he also longs with all his being to share this love (covenant) with another person like himself. This is why it is “not good for the man to be alone.” [1]

  Second, the TOB shows us how the Bridegroom has redeemed us from the lows to which we have fallen. The cross stands at the center of the TOB, and these rich teachings have profound pastoral reach as we see how Christ’s body, given for us, redeems and restores our bodies. For example: 

  “The true solution to all the pornographic distortions of the body so prevalent today is not the rejection of the body but the redemption of the body (see Rom. 8:23): the untwisting of what sin has twisted so we can recover the true glory, splendor, and inestmiable value of the body.” [2]

  Good and true symbols of man and woman, husband and wife, father and mother, family and sonship enable us to see and know God the Father, God the Son, and Holy Spirit, and how He brings us into His life and shares His love with us. Every person, family, community, society, and civilization needs these good symbols in order to survive and thrive. The Theology of the Body helps us grasp the good and true symbols that we, and the whole world, so greatly need. 

  Paul II, John. Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body. Translated by Michael Waldstein. Boston, MA: Pauline Books & Media, 2006. 

  West, Christopher. Our Bodies Tell God’s Story: Discovering the Divine Plan for Love, Sex, and Gender. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2020. 

  [1] West, Christopher. Our Bodies Tell God’s Story: Discovering the Divine Plan for Love, Sex, and Gender. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2020, 32.

  [2] West, 9.

• What We’re Reading: Living Waters Guidebook

  Living Waters:  Restoring Relational Integrity through the Broken Body of Christ by Andrew Comiskey

  Living Waters is a 20-session program for any Christian seeking healing for sexual and relational brokenness. Local churches all over the world host Living Waters groups, led by lay people helping others become whole gifts to each other through the body of Christ. For the first time, the Living Waters guidebook is available to the public, offering a map toward wholeness for those who don’t have access to a group in their local community. Andrew Comiskey and the Desert Stream staff have also created a professionally-produced series of teaching videos to accompany the workbook. They’re currently offering a free guidebook when you sign up for an annual video subscription. I share Andrew’s hope that folks will use this book on their own or with prayer partners and then be inspired to attend a Living Waters leadership training. Imagine how radiant the Church would be if there was a Living Waters program in every community!

  

  When people reach out to MPC for help in finding someone who can pray with them in the ways they read about in Leanne Payne’s books, we always encourage them to check if there is a Living Waters group in their town. I personally have benefited greatly from the Living Waters program, and can sum up what I’ve gained by quoting from the guidebook:  “Jesus urges us onward, always believing in us, always hoping for the best, never failing to fight for the fruit we can bear” [1]. This year I brought several MPC board members along to the special training session they held at the Theology of the Body institute, and we were blessed beyond expectation. I’m grateful that God has inspired them to make the guidebook widely available, for it offers divine sanity and real hope in the places where our world seems most lost today.

  In addition to Leanne Payne’s teachings, the Living Waters materials are enriched by the theology of the body of St. John Paul II, and Karl Barth’s recognition that we are social and relational bearers of God’s image. Each chapter presents a key principle of brokenness-to-wholeness, suggests a specific prayer, and offers personal stories of redemption. This twenty-week progression builds a beautiful theological anthropology that speaks the healing word for our most imprisoning sexual and relational wounds. Those who are able to attend a Living Waters program in their community will also experience the healing power of Christ’s Body through the group. Andrew writes about how he needed to work out “real sexual and relational problems with other men and women who were also seeking to be true to God in the whole of their lives” [2]. Counteracting the crushing weight of shame, the wisely facilitated Living Waters small groups become a powerful channel of healing and freedom. 

  [1]  Andrew Comiskey, Living Waters:  Restoring Relational Integrity Through the Broken Body of Christ (Grandview, MO, Living Waters International, 2020), 2.
  [2]  ibid, 3.

• What We’re Reading: The Scent of Water

  “My dear, love, your God, is a trinity. There are three necessary prayers and they have three words each. They are these,
                 ‘Lord have mercy.
                                   Thee I adore.
                                                Into Thy hands.’

  Not difficult to remember. If in times of distress you hold to these you will do well.” [1]

  

  The Scent of Water shares cousin Mary’s journey as formed by these prayers. The book title is a reference from Job’s miraculous hope for a long-dead tree:  “yet at the scent of water it will bud and put out branches like a young plant” (Job 14:9). In these strange COVID-19 days, hope is being tested, and the ruler of the power of the air is tempting us to a deadened, darkened, despairing outlook. The Scent of Water is a like a healing dose of convalescent plasma from an author who has experienced the fathomless renewing grace of God in her own seasons of darkness.

  Elizabeth Goudge is an exquisite observer who re-sensitizes us to the ever-present beauty of creation. Reading this passage helped me see afresh the apple tree in our garden that’s currently in the same magical state:

  “They crossed the road to the orchard and leaned on the gate, the scent of apple blossom coming to them on the light wind. From the crimson of the unopened buds to the white of the fully opened petals, every gradation of rose color was present in flights and drifts on the lichened branches. The apple trees were old and it seemed a miracle that such misshapen age could support this airy lightness.” [2]

  Goudge’s keen observations of human foibles are warm-hearted and gracious. The characters in The Scent of Water learn to bear their own weaknesses kindly and love one another well.  I laughed out loud at this endearing glimpse into the inner workings of Appleshaw’s priest:

  “He took the cup without comment but sucked his cheeks in and out, as was his habit when suppressing comment. The suppression of comment was always difficult for him and the movement of his facial muscles was an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual victory.” [3]

  What is The Scent of Water about? It’s about hope that will carry us through deep depression, and grace that can rescue even from the darkest temptation to throw life away. It’s about our need for quiet, and our need for one another. It’s about salvation, and the Cross stands wonderfully at the center of this book through a character I’ll leave for you to discover. It’s about our smallness, and the glory of humility. And it’s about heaven, the utterly-real and wonderfully good home that is being prepared for us.

  The Scent of Water is on my shelf of regularly re-read books, and I am so glad I picked it up again now. If you are struggling with the strange sort of quiet that has descended over our daily lives, I’d encourage you to spend some time in Appleshaw with The Scent of Water. I’d love to hear which character warms you most, and what the beautifully crafted story imparts to your heart about the wonder of God’s renewing power.

   

  All quotations from The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge. These page references are from a version published by Coward-McCann, Inc., New York, 1963. A newer printing is readily available through Hendrickson publishers, 2011.
  [1]  p. 115
  [2] p. 90
  [3] p. 237

   

• What We’re Reading

  As I teach at every MPC school in the opening lecture on God’s holiness, we live in a nihilistic age.  The contention that being has no meaning attacks our view of humanity in general, and sexuality in
  particular.  On the Meaning of Sex by J. Budziszewski is a winsome antidote that bolsters not just clear thinking but also greatness of soul.  Budziszewski challenges the popular assertion that sex doesn’t have to mean anything, leading us into clarity where the slogans of the culture foster confusion.  He intentionally leaves religious themes in the background for most of the book in order to help us look logically at the nature of sex and therefore get a firmer grip on what we already intuitively know is true.  He challenges the fuzzy thinking that enables a nihilistic view of sex:  

  “What you intend subjectively can’t change what your act means objectively… To join in one flesh is to say, ‘I give myself to you in all that this act means,’ even if my mouth shapes the words, ‘This means nothing’” (27).  

  Budziszewski must have prayed for conciseness of speech on this project, because he covers every facet of what it means to be sexual beings in a slim, readable book.  

  The meaning of sexual powers:  Although pleasure motivates us to use the sexual power we’ve been given, Budziszewski shows why sex is really about procreation.

  The meaning of sexual difference:  Budziszewski helps us see that difference between men and women is not constructed or invented by culture but exists in our nature, and offers a sound and inspiring definition of the two sexes.  

  The meaning of sexual love:  Budziszewski cuts through our confusions about eros and romance to paint an exciting picture of what faithful self-giving and sexual love really are.

  The meaning of sexual beauty:  Budziszewski differentiates between dehumanized and humanized sexiness, restoring an understanding of sexual beauty as delight in the otherness of the other.   

  The meaning of sexual purity:  Considering both the single and married states, Budziszewski points to the sweet disciplines of decorum, modesty, and temperance.  

  Understanding the true meaning of sex helps us have better lives, but there’s a much greater reason why this book (and the truths it conveys) is important.  In his final chapter, Budziszewski connects all the dimensions of sex to their ultimate purpose: God. “An image of mortal love can’t point beyond itself unless it is faithful at its own level first” (139).  We need books that help us think and live rightly as sexual beings so that we can rightly image.  Awesomely, God created our sexuality in order to draw us to Himself!

   

• What We’re Reading: Talking to our children about sexuality

  We enjoyed excellent workshops on sexuality for both men and women at Wheaton this summer.  One question that was raised is about how to talk to our children and teens about sex.  Anjonette Baum, MPC board member, licensed professional counselor, and certified sex addiction therapist candidate, emphasized the importance of ongoing dialog.  She said that our kids need to hear from us about sex and sexuality, and need us to be present and ready to listen, teach, and guide through every stage of their growth. As parents we may lack confidence in talking about sex, but thankfully there are resources to help us.  I’d like to suggest some books that parents may find helpful in catching a vision for the what, when, and how of these important conversations.  Each of these books is written in order to be read with our children, but can also be valuable in equipping parents to have these conversations in their own way.  As in all things, your discernment under the guidance of the Holy Spirit is key here to identify what suits your family and the needs of your precious and unique children.

  God’s Design for Sex series by Stan and Brenna Jones (2007) offers four books to help parents guide their children from early childhood through the teen years.  The Joneses teach about sexuality as a gift from God, and recognize that the conversations we have about sex shape our children’s character.  

  The Story of Me is designed for children ages three to five, and begins to lay a foundation for understanding sexuality in a truly Christian way.  The final book, Facing the Facts: The Truth About Sex and You is intended for young teens and includes a chapter titled “Tough answers to some tough problems” which parents will likely find a welcome help in our complicated world.

  Theology of His Body/Theology of Her Body by Jason Evert (2009) points to “the beauty of God’s plan for sexual love and the joy of living it” in a way that teens and their parents will find compelling (quoting from the introduction by Christopher West on page 1).  It’s two books in one, written specifically to young women and men, and Evert’s subtitles describe the book well.  This book will help parents and teens discover the strength and mission of masculinity as well as the beauty and mystery of femininity.  In our day I believe our young people need to be pointed to the transcendent meaning of sexuality, and how good and important it is that God made them men and women.

   

  One final book I’ll mention isn’t written from a distinctly Christian point of view.  It addresses pornography, a topic that I believe is critical for families today, in a developmentally sensitive and research-grounded way.  Good Pictures Bad Pictures: Porn-Proofing Today’s Young Kids by Kristen A Jenson and Debbie Fox encourages parents to consider ways to proactively protect our children from the destructive effects of porn.

   

   

   

• What We’re Reading

  How to Act Right When Your Spouse Acts Wrong
  and
  The Emotionally Destructive Relationship
  by Leslie Vernick

  At our MPC schools, we work on removing the barrier of unforgiveness so that we can grow in wholeness in Christ.  In the teaching on forgiving others, we deal with “petty offenses” and the contempt that can poison close relationships when we fail to forgive. We also recognize forgiveness and reconciliation as related but distinct processes.  These teachings may be most relevant to the challenges that many Christians face in their marriages.  When I teach, I draw heavily on the work of Leslie Vernick and am profoundly grateful for her prophetic voice calling the Church to wisely support those who feel stuck in damaging marital dynamics.  I enthusiastically recommend her books, and as you read you’ll hear familiar themes and principles – Vernick credits Leanne Payne’s writings as key influences in her own healing journey.

  In How to Act Right When Your Spouse Acts Wrong, Vernick takes us beyond both pride and counterfeit forgiveness and into the territory of union with Christ.  How to Act Right invites readers to come out of the prison house of hard-heartedness towards one’s spouse and into the fruitfulness of Christ’s ways of loving.  As Vernick describes in the introduction, “You will learn how God uses the imperfections, differences, and sins of your spouse to help you grow to be more like Christ.  This book will help you learn how to love and to keep your promises when it is hard. And probably most important, this book will show you why this is good for you to learn” (2).  The book is full of practical wisdom that is Christ-centered and spiritually grounded and I believe it’s a good read for every married person, not just those who would describe their marriage as challenging.  One of my favorite sections is when she highlights the blessings of spiritual maturity and growth that come through “acting right” in marriage.  I hear the virtue of hope being highlighted as she describes the rewards of looking to our own transformation rather than a preoccupation with changing our spouse: “If we can focus on birthing the character of Christ in us, then we can labor with joy, even in the midst of hardship. We can know that this sanctification process shall birth the lovely image of Christ in us” (p. 190).

  In The Emotionally Destructive Relationship, Vernick tackles the too-seldom-acknowledged reality of emotionally abusive marriages. As we know, it is possible to be a Christian and yet remain psychologically immature, even diseased, and there are many believers who are yoked with such a spouse.  As I said earlier, I find Vernick’s voice to be that of a prophet, speaking for those vulnerable ones who are being abused in ways that leave no visible bruise.  Her book empowers readers in three key steps.  The first key is discernment and she teaches how to identify destructive relationships and validate the harm they cause.  She offers a biblical model for the heart-attitudes that lead to destructive relationships.  The second section empowers readers to initiate a change process, including how to confront and discern appropriate boundaries.  The third section is all about finding the healing made available in God’s love, rebuilding one’s true identity after the battering of abuse, and resuming the process of becoming in Christ. I’ll quote one of my favorite passages, one I’ve often shared when counseling those in destructive relationships:  “Allowing someone to sin against us without protest or consequence isn’t biblical love, it’s foolishness.  It is never in anyone’s long-term best interest to allow them to keep on sinning.” (p. 174)  These are important words of truth and empowerment that call us out of a distorted picture of forgiveness and into our full stature as Christ’s own.

  by Sarah Colyn

   

• Patriarchy, Fatherhood & the Restoration of Culture

  I was privileged to attend the Touchstone conference titled Patriarchy: Fatherhood & the Restoration of Culture.  As we know so well, the imagery really matters, and wholesome images of fatherhood, men, and masculinity are key to our relationship with our triune God as well as to ourselves and one another.

  Touchstone’s conference was a feast of theological and cultural insights into this critical topic.  Father Patrick Henry Reardon gave the opening talk on Fatherhood and the Holy Trinity. Father Reardon reminded us that the Fatherhood of God is not a metaphor, for He is the font of the universe, the uncreated Divine order, and our own begetting as sons and daughters who are being deified in Christ Jesus.  I could go on relaying inspiring words, insights, and stories from each talk, but thankfully the excellent talks were videotaped and are available by subscription on Touchstone’s website.  If you are concerned about the crisis in masculinity and want your heart to be remythologized regarding patriarchy, I think you’ll find these lectures more than worthwhile.

  by Sarah Colyn

• The Way Of The Dragon Or The Way Of The Lamb

  I discovered The Way Of The Dragon Or The Way Of The Lamb: Searching for Jesus’ Path of Power in a Church that Has Abandoned It through a Christianity Today article written by Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel (see Confronting the Toxic Power in Me). At the time, I was studying the topic of spiritual power and authority, both its true manifestations and sinful distortions. In The Way Of The Dragon Or The Way Of The Lamb, Goggin and Strobel convey an earnest commitment to Christ and love for His church by separating the clean from the unclean in regards to Christian power. They write humbly, confessing their own vacillations between the Christ’s way of power and those of the world, drawing on the wisdom of some exemplary spiritual fathers and mothers. Several of the chapters describe their meetings with J. I. Packer, Dallas Willard, Marva Dawn, John Perkins, Jean Vanier, James Houston, and Eugene Peterson who each contribute key insights into the unbridgeable gap between the way power is used by the world, flesh, and devil and the way of Christ.

  The Way Of The Dragon Or The Way Of The Lamb is an important read for pastors and ministry leaders. But I also believe it’s important for all of us who are being pastored and led. We live in a day when many are unaffirmed and are therefore easily tempted to either grab worldly power themselves, or to excuse and even idolize leaders whose wrong uses of power seem to bring ministry success. Christian leaders, supporters, and followers alike need to hear the correction, challenge, and inspiration offered in this book. I’ll share here a couple of passages, first on identity, and then on the importance of Sabbath:

  “What we face in the world today is a self-achieved identity. As Christians, we believe in a given identity, not an achieved one. The Christian is found in Christ. The self-achieved identify is very fragile because we have to sustain it. Nobody else is going to sustain it for me when I have built it up myself. The result of this is a tendency toward narcissism, because there is a depleted sense of self. This is not what God ordained that we should have for an identity” (41, quoting James Houston).

  “The wilderness was supposed to be a time of ‘putting off’ the way from below and ‘putting on’ the way from above. The wilderness was supposed to be an education in faithfulness. God led his people in specific ways to shape their hearts and minds to present themselves to God, to participate in His way, and ultimately to proclaim his name to the world (Isa. 49:6)…

  We are now in a different sort of wilderness – led out of the world and into the kingdom of Christ – awaiting the promised land that will come when Christ returns… On our day of rest we remember our own leaving behind the land of slavery (the world, the flesh, and the devil), and we fix our hearts on the journey toward the promised land. While Sabbath might have seemed odd, lazy, and utterly counterintuitive, it was God’s way of realigning the hearts of his people to his way. Our actions on the Sabbath day will seem odd and worthless to others as well, but when they are grounded in God’s work to bring us through the wilderness and into his kingdom, they reveal God’s deep recalibration of our hearts to his way” (174, 175).

  by Sarah Colyn