Soul... "Smug, complacent, and judgmental"

The last thing in the world I want to be is smug, complacent, or judgmental. How can I be any one of those things and not be dishonorable before God? (Notice I did NOT say dishonorable TO God, for God can not and will not be dishonored, despite the best efforts of demons and men.)

Yet those of us who hunger and thirst after God, and so seek to be firmly-grounded, God-focused, and holy are often accused of these very things. It is therefore worthwile to examine each of these accusations in turn.

As is always the case in doctrinal discussions, we must begin by thrusting aside the emotional psycho-babble that permeates society, and look at these things in the clear light of scripture. We must always be on guard as well not to become stodgy, sour-faced Christians, for we have been blessed with true hope and true joy. However, this too will sometimes be misunderstood by the world, for we are admonished to be sober and purposeful (God is not glorified by foolishness!). As A.W. Tozer wrote in Pursuit of God, ours is the triumphant joy of the gulag (Communist prison), not the giddiness of an ignorant fool.

(to be continued...)

Body... Bicycling Accessories 101

Here is my list of items for beginning bicyclists (once you have a good bike!), in my order of priority. Remember, you usually don't get more out of something than you invest into it! (But you also don't have to buy all of this stuff at once -- I would consider down through #9 to be the most critical initially, especially if you consider riding alone more than a mile from your house -- forget going anywhere without a helmet and some bright clothing.)

1) helmet (make sure is well-vented, fits well to protect both forehead and back of head, and is ASTM or Snell rated)
2) "High-Viz" (Lime green) shirt, vest, jersey, and/or jacket, preferably with some reflective trim or details (Be Seen!)
3) gloves (fingerless are probably best for road, full-fingered for mtb)
4) water bottle cage (preferably 2) and water-bottles (at least 16 ounces each, preferably with auto squeeze-valve, such as Nike and Camelback running/cycling bottles have)
5) padded shorts -- try to get breathable fabric, good chamois pad, and leg-hems rather than "grippers" -- I haven't had very good luck with "gel" pads, and rubber leg-grippers make a lot of people break out (or at least itch) once they start sweating, especially in direct sunlight
6) rear "blinky light" (red, flashing) -- a good bright one, such as Blackburn or Trek, for riding at dusk or in foggy/misty conditions (you never know when you might need it, to be seen)
7) "frame-pump" air-pump with mount (to mount between water-botle cage and frame) -- make sure nozzle will work on at Presta valves (WITHOUT an adapter), preferably both Presta and Shrader ("regular" US car-style valves)

8) seat-bag (for mounting under saddle with velcro straps) -- Bell medium-size bag for approx. $8-$10 from Wal-Mart works well, but these can get as fancy as you want -- to hold following items ("8a" through "8g")
8a) spare tubes (Presta-valve 700x20-25c for road, 700 x 25-35c for touring, 26x1.9-2.2 for 26" mtn, 29x1.9-2.3" (equiv to 700 x 50-55c) for 29er -- Presta valves are always best, but make sure you have at least one pump to match) -- approx. $2.75 each at CoolByke in Hannibal
8b) tire-levers
8c) tube patch-kit WITH glue (the glueless patches DO NOT work, especially for road-tubes)
8d) allen-wrench tool or set, or (better yet) bicycle multi-tool with allen-wrenches, screwdrivers, and chain-tool
8e) chain tool, if not included with multi-tool above (at least get the $3 model from WalMart, which will work a few times before it breaks)
8f) emergency poncho or stuffable rain-jacket
8g) replacement "quick-link" chain-link -- SRAM and others sell them for a couple bucks each

9) glasses (for eye protection, from sun, radiation, debris, pavement, deer antlers, etc.) -- clear ones for night and early morning (small safety-glasses work fine, and are widely available for around $5), good medium-tint UV blocking for day-- I prefer the auto-darkening glasses from Optic Nerve, Performance, Nashbar, etc. -- these will run $30 to $200 (or more!), but good optics are worth it, and the better the features and clarity the higher the price
10) breathable cycling jersey, with zip-front (full front-zip is best) and rear pockets -- "HIGH VIZ" (lime green) is by far best color
11) energy bars, drinks, and/or gels (you'll need to average at least two per hour on all rides more than 2 hours long) -- Cliff bars are by far the best, and a box of 6 can be had from WalMart for less than $6; GU energy gel is the best, and can be a get-home saver if your muscles start cramping; Gatorade still works fine as an energy drink, though we have to re-condition ourselves to not be afraid of calories while we're riding -- glucose syrup works best, but regular processed sugar (sucrose) is still better than artificial sweeteners
12) water-resistant helmet-cover
13) cycle computer (includes speed and distance)
14) helmet-mount light (WalMart has some strap-headlights that will let you be seen and at least see your computer and shifters; the best light systems can run as much as $400 or more, though prices are falling as LED and battery technology continues to improve) -- a light is necessary for others to see you, but a really bright light is critical for you to see the road or trail if riding before dawn or after dusk
15) white "steady" handlebar-mount headlight, preferably LED with 3-4 AA's, such as Cateye EL500, but almost any steady white LED light will at least let you be seen after dark (to truly see the road or trail with it you probably need at least 1 Watt, or 60 Lumens)
16) tools (Park tools are the best, though Nashbar and PricePoint both sell a "home" tool kit for around $45 - $60 (depending on sale price at the time) that works fairly well for a lot of things)
17) work-stand
18) enough grease, lubes, and small parts to cover most situations (note: it's important to learn which types to properly use where -- using something that "works" can cause catastrophes later)

Soul... Knowing God, Day 4 -- The People who know their God

J.I. Packer begins chapter 2 of Knowing God with a story about a man he obviously looked up to, and it stands in sharp contrast to our Contemporary-Christian tendency to glorify everything BUT God (how often do you hear someone say "I'm so thankful that so many people have been praying for me -- I just know it's all those prayers that have brought me through this" (my emphasis added in bold type)?).

Packer presents his story as follows:
"I walked in the sunshine with a scholar who had effectively forfeited his prospects of academic achievement by clashing with church dignitaries over the gospel of grace. 'But it doesn't matter,' he said at length, 'for I've known God and they haven't.' The remark was a mere parenthesis, a passing comment on something I had said, but it has stuck with me and set me thinking.
"Not many of us, I think, would ever naturally say that we have known God. The words imply a definiteness and matter-of-factness of experience to which most of us, if we are honest, have to admit that we are still stangers..."
"Nor, I think, would many of us ever naturally say that in the light of the knowledge of God which we have come to enjoy, past disappointments and present heartbreaks, as the world counts heartbreaks, don't matter..."

May we glorify God in obeying His commands and in striving to know Him more on His terms (namely, through spending time studying, praying over, and meditating on His Word), and in doing so build our hunger for knowing Him -- and realize the joy that comes from letting the things of this world matter less and less to us.

Soul... Knowing God, Day 3 -- The Study of God (part 2)

Packer does not leave us in the middle of a road without a map, as it were, when it comes to the study of God. For after he gives us good reason to study God and to consider it as worthwhile (and logical, for a sane person who has resources readily available to do so), he outlines the basic themes that he proposes we use as the outline for our study:
"We shall have to deal with the Godhead of God, the qualities of deity which set God apart from humans and mark the difference and distance between the Creator and His creatures...
"We shall have to deal with the powers of God: His almightiness, his omniscience, his omnipresence. We shall have to deal with the perfections of God, the aspects of his moral character which are manifested in His words and deeds...
"We shall have to take note of what pleases Him, what offends Him, what awakens His wrath, what affords Him satisfaction and joy." (Knowing God, copyright 1973 by J.I. Packer, Text Americanized and completely retypeset in 1993, Published in the USA by InterVarsity Press.)

But it's Packer's next statement that resonates within my mind as being so true and yet at the same time so sad:
"For many of us, these are comparatively unfamiliar themes. They were not always so to the people of God. There was a time when the subject of God's attributes (as it was called) was thought so important as to be included in the catechism which all children in the churches were taught and all adult members were expected to know. Thus, to the fourth question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism, 'What is God?' the answer read as follows: 'God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.'...
"Few children today, however, are brought up on the Westminster Shorter Catechism, and few modern worshipers will ever have heard a series of sermons covering the doctrine of the divine character in the way that Charnock's massive Discourses on the Existence and Attributes of God (1682) did. Few, too, will ever have read anything simple and straightforward on the subject of the nature of God, for scarcely any such writing exists at the present time..." (page 21).

Thanks to God's use of J.I. Packer (and, I might add, several others like him who likewise bless us in these present times, including R.C. Sproul and John Piper), there are now writings on the subject of the nature of God which are simple and straightforward (without being simplistic or inaccurate) -- may we not fail to take full advantage of their availability to us!

Soul... Knowing God, Day 2 -- Who Needs Theology?

In the first part of his chapter entitled "The Study of God" (chapter one of his book "Knowing God"), J.I. Packer begins by examining the reasons to (properly) study God. He answers a hypothetical questioner, who is asking why a series of studies on the nature and character of God are really necessary and worthwhile, in the following manner:
"The questioner clearly assumes that a study of the nature and character of God will be impractical and irrelevant for life. In fact, howeer, it is the most practical project anyone can engage in. Knowing about God is crucially important for the living of our lives. As it would be cruel to an Amazonian tribesman to fly him to London, put him down without explanation in Trafalgar Square and leave him, as one who knew nothing of English or England, to fend for himself, so we are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God Whose world it is and Who runs it. The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who do not know about God" (page 19, emphasis added by me in bold text).

Packer goes on to warn us that, though the study of God is worthwhile, we must start by "setting out in a storm", plugging our ears to the slogans and inaccuracies of the so-called debate about God, which asks us to buy into the lie that "knowledge about God is strictly a nonentity. Types of teaching which profess such knowledge are written off as outmoded -- 'Calvinism,' 'fundamentalism,' 'Protestant scholasticism,' 'the old orthodoxy'." (Page 19.)

Studying God in spirit and in truth, according to His Word, means that we are, after all, pursuing the Holy One of the universe, on His terms, in obedience to His commands -- what journey could be more worthy of our persistence, no matter what we are accused of or called?

Soul... Knowing God, Day 1 -- Preface (1973)

"Knowing God", by J.I. Packer (copyright 1973 by J.I. Packer, published in the U.S.A. by InterVarsity Press, Americanized and retypeset in 1993) is not the best book that I've read after the Bible. It is the second -- Packer's "Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God" was the best for me, in terms of thoughtfulness on the part of the author and impact on my life. However, "Knowing God" has a much greater breadth and scope, in that it examines (respectfully and worshipfully!) many of the characteristics and aspects of God Himself, along with practical advice for the means to know Him.

As I study "Knowing God" for the third time (this time for an "accelerated" 8-week study at church), I found it helpful to highlight certain portions of this collection of amazing and helpful insights, and so I want to start including them here.


Reading the "preface" to books seems to be mostly a matter of habit for many readers -- I know several readers who do not feel they've read a book completely until they've read it cover to cover, including the preface, while many others normally skip it. Packer's preface from 1973 is not to be missed, for in it he shares his reasons behind writing "Knowing God".

On page 12, Packer states that "The conviction behind the book is that ignorance of God -- ignorance both of His ways and of the practice of communion with Him -- lies at the root of much of the church's weakness today", and he goes on to identify two "unhappy trends" which "seem to have produced this state of affairs."

The first trend that Packer identifies is "that Christian minds have been conformed to the modern spirit: the spirit, that is, that spawns great thoughts of man and leaves room for only small thoughts of God" (my emphasis added in bold text). Part of the effects of this trend is that "churchmen who look at God, so to speak, through the wrong end of the telescope, so reducing Him to pygmy proportions, cannot hope to end up as more than pygmy Christians...".

Why do we not yearn for more, or at least fervently plead (as David did) for God's grace in making us yearn after Him? This is a futile question, I'm afraid, and a disappointing line of thought, for those who do not hunger and thirst after that which is truly good will have no desire to ask to hunger and thirst!

The second trend, Packer says, "is that Christian minds have been confused by the modern skepticism. For more than three centuries the naturalistic leaven in the Renaissance outlook has been working like a cancer in Western thought. Seventeenth-century Arminians and deists, like sixteeth-century Socinians, came to deny, as against Reformation theology, that God's control of His world was either direct or complete, and theology, philosophy, and science have for the most part combined to maintain that denial ever since" (page 13; my emphasis added in bold text).

This second trend strikes me as being similar to, or perhaps even the cause of, the pervasive "evolutionary" world-view which so many people (sadly, including many who might be Christians) now profess and even defend. Once we make God remote, or better yet, dependent on and "internal" to each individual, then we have little trouble pleasing ourselves -- after all, if God is relative and His works are easily explained (and if He is gentle, meek, and mild, "patiently waiting" for me to "invite Him to come in") then I have little trouble justifying any sort of compromise or even godlessness that seems right (or best suited for my purposes) to me at the time!

Enough said until Day 2...

Soul... Warning Signs

I realize that there are lots of folks reading Christian fiction these days, which is certainly not a bad thing considering most of the alternatives (and since most any fiction or music that is fairly clean gets labeled, or at least embraced, as "Christian". I saw a display for an entirely secular tweeny-bopper movie in a Christian book-store a couple of weeks ago because it has been embraced as "wholesome".)

However, as with anything we put into our minds via our senses, what we spend our time with affects us to a much higher degree than most of us will admit, especially when that material implies that it presents an accurate view of God and/or Godliness. Therefore, I find the following warnings appropriate:

1) Make sure it's pure, edifying, and glorifies God. Paul's "advice" that "to the pure all things are pure" did NOT mean that we can expect to put any old trash into our minds (no matter what it's called!) and expect to somehow "purify" it. Read that verse (Titus 1:15) carefully in its context, and you'll find that it's surrounded by Paul's admonitions for righteous and holy living. He was actually saying that those who are pure show it by choosing to do things which are pure! (This is another of those verses that so often gets pulled out of context and twisted.) I'm sorry, but I'm afraid Christian "horror" books fall under condemnation if you believe me on this one, unless you can somehow honestly defend reading about men or women being terrified or threatened by other men or women (who are not carrying out Godly justice).

2) Because it really happens does not make it worth reading about. We are to be building ourselves up in Godliness, in order to be useful in instructing others. If you desire to know what true "reality" is like, then read God's Word, which includes His perspectives on the wrongful actions of His children (starting with Adam, through Abram, Moses, Job and his friends, David, etc.) and those who are not His (including Cain, those destroyed by the flood, Aaron's sons, Eli's sons, King Saul, etc.). This does not mean that we are never to read about the troubles of this world, non-believers, or our brothers and sisters in Christ (I heartily recommend Voice of the Martyrs) -- but always in building wisdom and concern, never as "entertainment".

3) Steer clear of anyone or anything, outside of God's Word, that attempts to speak FOR God. (This, of course, is not in the same category as conscientious writers of sound faith and doctrine, who meditate on and attempt to apply God's Word.) If a book has a character or characters representing God (or even worse, identified AS God), it breaks the second of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:4, since the command prohibits making any images of anything in heaven above, including God). Once that characterization (the author's idea of God) speaks a word or takes an action which is not a direct quote from scripture, or uses scripture out of context, then the author has crossed the line into blasphemy. The more I seek to know God on His terms, in the light of His Word, and fall in love with Him, the more vile I find those works of fiction which would be so fool-hardy as to attempt to put men's words into the mouth of God.

4) Know yourself and your motivations. Ironically, we can only begin to truly know ourselves as we draw closer and closer to the One True God, and see ourselves in the light of His Word and His Spirit. This means spending time in His Word, meditating (properly, in His presence and under His guidance) on His Word and applying them properly to our lives. I will not fail to admit that there are those Christians called out by God to be watchers and discerners for Believers (and perhaps non-believers), nor can I dismiss the value of fiction as a resource, especially for those who are young in age and/or in truth, and possibly even in reaching out in some ways to those who are lost (though I must note that it is not specifically listed in the Bible, as is preaching and reading God's Word). However, Christian growth (sanctification) is a process we begin and continue to experience by grace through faith, and as we grow we are to constantly check our forward progress and our ability to "chew" more and more of the "meat" of God's Word.

I pray that God would bless our churches with Christians who truly hunger and thirst after His Word, and so reflect His truth to the people He has given them to influence.