Thought I'd share some books I've been reading lately. It's not often that I read, so it's been fun to take in some titles, like:
Stars and Strife (the story of the Dallas Cowboys, with Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson, turning the program around in the early 90s);
Murder In Brentwood (Mark Furhman's book on the OJ Simpson murder case);
The Last Victim (a college student studies serial killers);
Mrs. Paine's Garage (the lady that Marina Oswald, wife of Lee Harvey, stayed at in the Dallas area prior to the Kennedy assassination);
Full Tilt (a novel about a major secular rock star, who after getting saved in the prequel, Dark Star, has trouble with his family and new life as a Christian rocker);
Soul Hunter (a novel about an SMU professor that gets caught up in a murder case. I'm looking forward to reading the prequel, which apparently takes place in Austin, TX);
and a couple of magazines that I always read:
Spin (one of the mag's regular contributors just penned a book about Christian rock, which will hopefully come out later this year);
Guitar World (I still think this mag features the best in rock journalism from time to time. They know how to write from a music lover's viewpoint, but with authority and detail.).
Television shows:
24 (something needs to be done about this weak-kneed so-called president, who let his own wife sit in the way of a deadly ambush this past week). What a show.
Albums:
Testify by P.O.D. (I think the song "On The Grind," even though it is a HUGE departure for the band, has the potential to be the biggest hit of the band's career. It's begging for a movie soundtrack in one of those inner-city turmoil/struggle movies. It is a great song with lots of talented and legit guest vocalists.)
I just started reading another new book, too: Hebrews. I love this book, which is rich in Jewish heritage and the deep insight that this background gives to what Jesus did as our high priest. Chapter 4 contains my favorite Bible passage (if it were possible to pick just one), verses 14-16. The beginning of the chapter launches into a discussion about "entering God's rest."
This is a huge area that really blesses me when I take it to heart. Just as God rested from His creation work on the seventh day, He wants us to rest from our salvation work. Believing in (clinging to, trusting in, and relying on) Jesus His Son is the work we do. Once we do this (and continue to), we can rest, knowing that God has accomplished our salvation (we're saved, being saved, and will be saved). We don't have to continually earn his favor, like some hard-nosed perfectionist and distant father. We have His favor. It's there. We can just rest in it (trust in it, rely on it). It takes a huge burden off our backs when we do this.
Paul (probably the majority opinion of Bible scholars attribute this book to him) goes on to say, "...a long time later He spoke through David, as was said before: 'Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.' For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disbedience."
When I see the phrase, "Do not harden your hearts," I think about having a soft heart. I think of someone, a thug maybe, letting God touch his heart and be changed. Even if that person stumbles back into sin, I believe the work God started will continue, and God will get his attention many times. While I believe it is sometimes necessary to step up and confront someone's failure, it is not something that is necessary all the time. Some people, I think, have a real hard time with that. Like the older brother in the Prodigal Son story, they get bent out of shape that their "younger brother gets away with certain things," while they "toil away" as if working for a task master. This has to be a very bent and wrong perception of God and His favor.
I recently had a discussion with someone about a lyric in a new album by a Christian artist. I have a feeling that this person has great unrest that this believer "is getting away" with a mistake. I think they would like to see a very public apology, repentance, recall of hundreds of thousands of CDs, and an emotional pummeling until they are broken on the ground, crying for mercy. Somewhere in that tendancy is a very legalistic, mistrusting, and mean-spirited heart. If they could just let God be God and take care of His children, praying for those that stumble, gently correcting them (IF they have a relationship with them -- there are not many things worse than a "long distance rebuke" from a stranger, supposedly acting with the person's best interests in mind..." What a cruel joke.)
If we tend to "our own garden," then we will be sure to keep "weeds" from growing in our heart. If we can excel in this kind of purity, then perhaps God will use us at His bidding. Maybe others will fall in love with Jesus deeper by our silent example. Staying in God's rest is the coolest place to be. We can really grow when we stay there. Struggle and success are both tempered with this perspective, keeping us at an even keel, with continuous joy if we want it.