Books for Greek Geeks

Most of the people who come into the PCBC Library are looking for a book to take home and savor. Families will check out armloads of kids’ books. Some people come in every few weeks to see what’s new in fiction or non-fiction titles. We love it when people hear a book mentioned in a sermon and come asking about it. If we don’t already have it, we do our best to acquire a copy for our collection.



Some people come to the church library to do research as they prepare for a Bible study class that they are taking or teaching. We have a huge selection of books that provide deep background on the Bible, including historical and archaeological findings. We have several complete sets of biblical commentaries, such as the Word Biblical Commentary on the Old and New Testament. These complete series are on our commentary shelf for easy access. We also have a few duplicate copies of some of these commentaries, as well as individual commentaries from incomplete series. These stay on the regular shelves.

On top of these, we have other in-depth reference works, including books that deal with the ancient languages of the Bible, Hebrew and Greek. Recently, we put the entire series of Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, volumes 1 through 10 on our commentary shelf. This wonderful resource is not for the faint of heart, but for true Greek geeks, it’s a treasure trove of fun. Seminary students may know this work as “Kittel” or as TWNT. Its copyright date is 1964, and it expands and refines work completed in the 1880s by German theologians. Gerhard Kittel edited these older works and published TWNT in German in 1933. The English language version we have has a copyright date of 1964.



Just by the by, the “W” in TWNT is for “Wöterbuch,” which translates to “dictionary.” Hence, the English version is TDNT. We warned you this is geeky.

To be sure, scholars and seminarians of today probably depend on vast online resources for in-depth word studies of Hebrew and Greek. Some may have a few beloved hardcover books in their personal libraries. But for those who don’t, or for those who just want to steep themselves in pages that deal with the nuances of Greek terms, our TDNT is pure joy.

Here’s just one example. The Greek word aima means “blood.” The entry for aima takes up more than five pages in the TDNT, citing its usage in the New Testament and other books of the times, and discussing its relationship with older Hebrew terms and the theological implications of how the word is used. We also have A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature, which is an essential guide to Greek words in the NT. The TDNT goes into much more depth. After all, it’s 10 volumes, from Aarōn to hosanna (which starts with the Greek letter omega).

Really, really geeky stuff.

Come have a look for yourself. Even if you don’t know Greek, you can use the index in volume 10 to help you find something interesting. At the very least, you’ll walk away with a greater respect for your friends and pastors who work with this stuff all the time.

Love. Pray. Learn.

We will not add to the outpouring of words of bewilderment, rage and sorrow expressed in recent days concerning the deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police and the senseless assassination of Dallas police officers.

Much has been published and spoken that is healing and helpful. Too much has been said that is hurtful and solipsistic.

The wisest voices are calling for three principal actions from those of us willing to deal with the challenges: Love, pray, and learn. First: love.

Jesus said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:9-13)

Each soul must determine what acting out Jesus’ command to love one another looks like in his or her own life. That leads to the second principal action: Pray.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Ephesians 6:18).

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27).

The third principal action that wise people are calling for is to learn. Make time to hear and understand what others are saying. In practical terms, this might include reading up on the point of view of people who are different from you. It might also mean physically spending time with them to get to know them, build a relationship, and develop the understanding of how they think and feel.

Friends, our Library ministry began to lay some groundwork for hearing and understanding when we linked with the Connections bookstore at Concord Church a year ago. Our Ladies Book Brunch, which has expanded to become Faithfully Yours, was formed specifically to bring women of many colors together to find common ground that leads to friendships. We are proud of all that our participants have accomplished. And we think that now more than ever, our bridge-building is the right thing to do.

Our next Ladies Book Brunch  will be on Saturday, August 20, here at PCBC. We selected four books that deal specifically with racial issues.

             More Than Equals, by Spencer Perkins and Chris Rice

            To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

             Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson

            Red Letter Revolution, by Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo

Our women are choosing one book to read in advance so we can come together in small groups and discuss them. We pray that our hearts will be tender as we listen to one another with open minds and with God’s grace.

If you are searching for a way to put rise to the challenges of love, pray, and learn, Ladies Book Brunch may be the perfect first step.

Summer Reading Club: Gone Fishin'

We are about to put up a Gone Fishin’ sign on the PCBC Library door.

Picture it in your mind. What else conveys the dreamy, summer-inspired urge to just close up shop and go fishing? Whoever posts a Gone Fishin’ sign has closed the door on obligations and the daily grind in order to get closer to nature and enjoy some peace and quiet.

 

 

Fishing is a remarkable way to practice some very biblical spiritual disciplines. Silence. Contemplation. Patience. If it takes a long time for a fish to bite, we may add fasting and prayer to the list. Fishing causes us to slow down and rest. And since our tasty bait or lures may or may not work to attract a fish, we must learn to trust in God’s provision.

No wonder fishing is such a rich metaphor throughout Christian life and literature!

But let us not be coy and misleading. When we put up our Gone Fishin’ sign here in the Library, it’s a signal that our 2016 Summer Reading Club is under way.

Our theme this year is “Fishin’ For Fun.” It springboards off the Vacation Bible School theme of “Big Sea Adventure.” The Summer Reading Club starts June 1 and runs through July 13. It’s open to guests as well as members.

Here’s how it works. Kids, age 3 up through sixth grade, come into the Library (a.k.a. the Bait Shop) to sign up for the Club. They fill out a registration form, snag a fish from our fishbowl, write their name on it, and stick it to our Bait Shop window. Each Angler also gets a Holding Tank to pin to our wall. Anglers take home an Angler’s Kit that includes a Fishing License with all the instructions; a Catch Log on which to write each book and author, a sample book report form, and a few fun prizes.

Then, Anglers go forth and read. They can read books from our Library, from home, school or any other library. The books must be “eyeball” books, that is, not videos and not audiobooks. Electronic books are fine. Little Anglers can have books read to them. Older Anglers should read books on their reading level. Anglers are to write the title and author of each book they read on the Catch Log. For longer books that older Anglers read, they may record 50 pages rather than a whole book.

Anglers bring their Catch Log, with the books written in, back to the Bait Shop. They receive a Fish Sticker for each entry on the Catch Log. The Fish Stickers go on the Holding Tank. Any Angler who brings a written book report or review to the Bait Shop will receive a jeweled Fish Sticker for the Holding Tank! A sample report is in the Fishing License/sign-up pack, but other forms are acceptable.

When an Angler has put six Fish Stickers in the Holding Tank, he/she will be designated an Expert Angler and receive a Burlap Creel Bag of prizes. When an Expert Angler has stocked the Holding Tank with 12 Fish Stickers, he/ she will receive a Tackle Box and be designated a Master Angler.

Fishing with poles and hooks and baits is fun (so we are told). Fishin’ for fun when books are the catch is even better.

Take the bait! Read every day! Catch a tankful of fish!

Busy Week in the 'Brary

Last week was the end of Preschool and Mother’s Day Out visits for Story Time. Our sweet volunteers are taking time off to visit their own kids and grandchildren. They are always a little wistful that they won’t get to sit down once a week and read delightful stories to our adorable preschoolers. But some of the volunteers will be here for the six-week Mother’s Day Out session in June, when we will again offer Story Time on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And there are only a couple of months till we start again in September.

Summer Reading Club, another great event for kids, doesn’t kick off till next week, June 1. Be sure to read the blog next week, or you can go to our web page and see some of the details now.

You might think this week would be quiet and restful. You’d be mistaken.

On Tuesday, we bundled up all the donated children’s books we received and sent them on their way. Martha Stowe, the executive director of the Vickery Meadow Youth Development Foundation, came over in her SUV expecting a few boxes of books. We actually had about 18 boxes to give her. She was thrilled. We were thrilled. The kids who receive books—as a way to keep their reading skills sharp over the summer—and their parents will be thrilled.

Phil and Martha, with
18 boxes of books for Vickery Meadow!

 

We are all so grateful to anyone who took the time to box up their children’s books and bring them to PCBC. Rest assured that the books your children loved will find wonderful new homes with young, appreciative readers.

On Tuesday evening, we hosted the Illuminated Bible Journaling workshop taught by Jann Gray. More than 30 people came to Ellis Parlor that evening, all ready to experience Jann’s new way of interacting with the Bible. As we learned, it was “all about the heART, not the art.” More than just putting pretty graphics in your Bible or journal, illuminated Bible journaling is a technique for engaging one’s creativity, tarrying in God’s Word, and adding graphics that help us to “see and remember.”

The workshop was so much fun! We sat at round tables so it was easy to interact. Some of the attendees were semi-pros, bringing their own watercolors, pens, and other supplies. Some demurred that they don’t have any idea how to do this, and can’t draw. Yet, every person walked away with something pretty, some new knowledge and techniques, and, hopefully, the inspiration to keep going.

We have a copy of Jann’s book, Illuminated Journaling, in our collection. We also have several copies for sale. If you’re intrigued with this idea, or if you’re looking for a kick-start to your personal devotions and Bible study, come check it out! Also, due to the enthusiastic response to this event, we will be on the alert for Jann’s future visits to Dallas and perhaps facilitating small groups to engage in illuminated journaling.

So it’s been a busy week! We hope to make it a busy summer. Check back soon and often for more about what’s going on in the ’Brary.

And if you have some extra hours on your hands this summer, think about coming to VOLUNTEER!

With All Your Mind

Last week, we talked about our upcoming Illuminated Bible Journaling workshop with Jann Gray on Tuesday, May 24 from 6:30-9:00 p.m. in Ellis Parlor.



Chances are you haven’t taken the time to sign up yet. Here’s the LINK to sign up and pay the $15 fee with a credit card. If you prefer, you can telephone or email your reservation, and pay by cash or check at the door. That would be elmartin@pcbc.org or 214-860-3993.

We’ll wait while you take the two minutes to do so.

You’re back? Good. Let’s keep moving.

We’ve been reading Illuminated Journaling and we love the way Jann Gray leads readers to engage with God’s Word in a new, creative and profound way. We are planning to accept Jann’s 21-day challenge as a way to grow familiar with the concept of illuminated Bible journaling. She points out that most of us rely on our old, tried and true methods of Bible study and devotions. Yet, the Bible tells us to love the Lord with all our mind (and heart and soul). Firing up some of those neurons that deal with creativity might be a wonderful new method. And that’s what illuminated journaling is about.

Of course, there are lots of ways to go deeper into personal Bible study. Every Sunday, our worship services are built on Scripture, and the connect groups and other small classes are designed to develop our Bible understanding and application skills.

We have books and Bible study kits in the PCBC Library, too. Many of them delve into one particular book of the Bible or into a particular topic that Scripture addresses. We also have books that teach Bible study techniques that can be applied broadly.



One of our newest of these books is How to Read the Bible Like a Seminary Professor, by Mark M. Yarbrough. Dr. Yarbrough is vice president for academic affairs, academic dean, and a professor of Bible exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary, so he writes from experience. The book includes lots of helpful resources and a generous helping of humorous anecdotes that will keep the reader turning the pages, and coming back to the text for future reference.

There are lots of ways to engage with the Bible. You can do it alone, in small groups, in worship, in music, with books, and with illuminated journaling. The choice is yours. Along with Jann Gray, we’d encourage you to explore as many ways as you can. What better way to love the Lord your God.

Illuminated Bible Journaling Workshop May 24

We are so excited! The PCBC Library is hosting an Illuminated Journaling Workshop with Jann Gray on Tuesday, May 24, 6:30-9:30 p.m. in Ellis Parlor.



You may ask, “What is illuminated Bible journaling?” A week ago, we would have said it’s a way of responding to God’s Word graphically. That’s kind of a lame explanation.

Someone asked if it meant doodling in your Bible. That’s not right either.

If you Google “Jann Gray,” or view some of her videos on YouTube, you’ll get a clearer picture of what the graphical outcome of illuminated journaling can be. Prepare to have your breath taken away. Jann’s illustrations are magnificent, (although she would be the first to tell you that no one needs to worry that they don’t have an inner Michelangelo to channel).



But the tangible product, these lovely graphics in your journal or your Bible, is not quite what illuminated Bible journaling is about, either.

The real purpose behind Jann Gray’s Illuminated Journaling book and workshop is to challenge Christ Followers to stretch the boundaries of how they have typically studied God’s Word so they might experience a deeper, richer and more personal relationship with God.

We think that’s an excellent reason to get together on a Tuesday evening with some of our friends. We hope YOU will bring a friend or two and come. There is a $15 fee for the workshop that covers the use of supplies that night. You can register online and pay by credit card, or you can contact the PCBC Library to sign up and pay by cash or check at the door. elmartin@pcbc.org or 214-860-3993.

This workshop started as a social event for our Faithfully Yours collaboration with Concord Baptist Church. We want everyone to join the fun, so invite your friends and plan on a splendid evening of responding to God’s Word.

For Mother's Day: Do Something

We in the PCBC Library have a particular interest in Mother’s Day. All of us have a mother, and many of us are mothers. Some of us are grandmothers, too. We therefore respectfully take the liberty of speaking on behalf of most, if not all, mothers with regard to May 8, Mother’s Day.

Here’s what we would say: Do something for your mom for Mother’s Day.
Notice we didn’t say, “Do something huge, or expensive, or wildly creative.” We certainly wouldn’t discourage anyone from making a grand gesture or giving some lovely present, or devising a delightful surprise. If you are so inclined, by all means go for it. Your mom might protest, but, trust us—she will be thrilled.
When we advise people to “do something,” we’re thinking of the little gestures, too. A card or just a note or drawing is great. A phone call might be exactly what your mom wants. Spend a little time on a thoughtful e-mail and we bet even that will warm her heart.
If you’ve been paying attention, your mom might have dropped some hints about something she’d like. Some of us wish our family would figure out meals for this one day of the year. Others crave a day to just chill. Your mom might be hoping for a special gift or experience.
But again, it doesn’t matter what you come up with. The whole point is to let your mom know you think about her fondly from time to time. After all, we can assure you that your mom thinks about you. All. The. Time.
Here are a couple of suggestions of how the PCBC Library might aid you in doing something.

1. Make a donation to dedicate a book in our collection to your mother. We’ll be glad to help you with this. This is especially gratifying if your mother has passed away.
2. Buy a book from our curated selection and make it a gift.
3. Pay for your mom to come to the Illuminated Journaling Workshop with Jann Gray on Tuesday, May 24, 6:30-9:30 p.m. in Ellis Parlor. Even better, come with her. It’s $15 per person. Register online or contact Emily Martin, elmartin@pcbc.org or 214-860-3993 to sign up.
4. Come check out a book your mother would like, and take it to her. You might even read it to her. After all, your presence and attention are most like the number one thing your mom seeks for Mother’s Day and every day.

As you might guess, we have tons of books that would be appropriate for any mother—or any child—on Mother’s Day. If you want a sentimental children’s book, we certainly have you covered. But we picked one that amused us for our Book of the Week, If Mom Had Three Arms, by Karen Kaufman Orloff.

Our Garden of Books

Have you seen our beautiful display windows at our PCBC Library this month? They were designed to get you thinking about springtime. Thanks to our creative designer, Jan Landrum.

The kids’ window is titled, “Fluttering Through Books.” It features an amazing array of books about butterflies. Front and center is Live Forgiven, by Dr. Jeff Warren, with its monarch butterfly on the cover. We hope kids will be curious about butterflies, bees, birds, and all sorts of interesting topics.



Nothing makes us happier than to see children read one book after another, whether it’s the preschoolers who come here each week for Story Time, the families who check out armloads of books each week, or the older youngsters who come back week after week to get something new to devour.

Our other window is titled, “Grow Your Mind.” It has a charming garden theme, with gardening tools and gloves, plus the little markers you’d put in a row of vegetables in your garden. When we were choosing books to put in the display, we tried to come up with an eclectic sampling. We were almost surprised at the variety of topics we had right here in our collection.



But isn’t that what a good library provides?  Patrons can come into the PCBC Library and just wander around, browsing the shelves, discovering all the titles and topics they never explored before. Even within a relatively narrow topic, Theology (the 200s), there are commentaries on the Bible, devotionals, books about dealing with life’s vicissitudes, raising children or spouses, and so on. There’s always a new surprise at the end of the book shelf.

For our Book of the Week, we chose a gorgeous children’s book, Growing Vegetable Soup, written and illustrated by Lois Ehlert. Just 30 pages, it has all the basics of planting and tending a garden, plus cooking vegetable soup. The words are large and few (our best recommendation for the preschool set) and the colors and drawings are actually mouth-watering.

The message, told so colorfully with our window displays, is that we can all flutter through books and grow our minds. We hope you’re inspired, and we hope you’ll come visit our garden of books in the PCBC Library.

Transforming Dallas

Hopefully, you have already signed up for Transform Dallas this Saturday, April 16. If not, go do it right now. We’ll wait. Click here to sign up.

Are you back? Great. Hope to see you at one of the zillions of work sites this Saturday.

 
Transform Dallas promises a number of benefits to those who serve as well as to those whom we serve. We’ll be cleaning and spiffing, playing and feeding, even sewing and writing and walking and praying. In thousands of ways, we will be sharing the love of Christ through practical service and warm compassion.

For many of us, this service day is a welcome opportunity to get up close and personal with people from other cultures and backgrounds. Everyone agrees that we learn from these experiences and we gain more than we give.

This year, Transform Dallas brings together volunteers from other churches (and businesses, too) to work together on the various projects. That means you may be working with friends from your Connect group, but you may find yourself shoulder to shoulder with folks from a crosstown church.

We recently read the book More Than Equals by Spencer Perkins and Chris Rice. Our copy is the second edition, a 2000 update to the 1993 original. Spencer Perkins, a black man raised in segregated Mississippi, and Chris Rice, a Vermont Yankee, came together in the early 1980s through the Voice of Calvary mission in Jackson, Mississippi. More Than Equals tells their backstories, their remarkable friendship as “yokefellows,” and their passionate commitment to Christ’s call for racial reconciliation.



It’s a powerful book with a compelling message. One of the major points it makes is the importance of deliberately seeking out Christian brothers and sisters of a different racial background to know them as friends. Chris and Spencer’s experience is between black and white; they also commend connecting with people of Asian or Hispanic origins.

Transform Dallas, pairing up Christians from all kinds and colors of churches, lets people take steps in the right direction. We hope it’s just the first of many, many steps toward racial reconciliation.
Have fun serving the Kingdom on Transform Dallas Day. Then come back and check out More Than Equals.

To Sell Is Human--and Christian

We came across a 2014 article in the Washington Post about a summer reading list from college admissions counselors. The list of 40 books was broken into sections for parents, for students, and for everyone.

Most of the titles look pretty practical (The College Admissions Mystique, by Bill Mayher; Going Geek: what every smart kid (and every smart parent) should know about college admission, by John Carpenter). There were a few less obvious titles, such as The Unlikely Disciple, by Kevin Roose or David & Goliath: underdogs, misfits and the art of battling giants, by Malcolm Gladwell.

But the one that caught our eye, in the “For Everyone” section, was To Sell Is Human, by Daniel H. Pink.

To Sell Is Human was recommended to our PCBC Library by one of our patrons. More accurately, our patron, who is a sales manager for a large company, came to see if we had the book, and since we didn’t have it, we ordered it. We are proud that our book collection is dynamic. We are continually adding books to meet the interests and requests of our patrons. Nothing pleases us more than to find great books that we can share with our entire patron community.

TBH, we order books our patrons recommend with a certain amount of trepidation. We stay on the alert for books that might not fit into our collection or might adhere to our selection and gift policy.

Just to be sure we weren’t bringing in a book we would regret, we read To Sell Is Human ourselves. We are glad we bought the book and we recommend it.

To Sell Is Human has a subtitle, The surprising truth about moving others. It is essentially a book about sales, although it quickly establishes that “sales” has changed profoundly in the last couple of decades. More important, it argues, “Whether we’re employees pitching colleagues a new idea, entrepreneurs enticing funders, or parents and teachers cajoling children to study, we spend our days trying to move others. Like it or not, we’re all in sales now.” Pink updates “sales” with the term “move others.”

Part one of the book explains the changes in society and information technology that have revolutionized selling. Part two describes the new ABCs of selling: attunement, buoyancy, and clarity. Part three may be the most interesting of all. Pink lays out an overview of the pragmatic aspects of selling: Pitch, Improvise and Serve. He starts with tips on the Pitch, “the ability to distill one’s point to its persuasive essence.” Pink moves on to Improvise, with three essential rules: Hear offers. Say “Yes and.” Make your partner look good.

Finally, Pink delves into the essential principle of Serve. “Sales and non-sales selling are ultimately about service….a broader, deeper, and more transcendent definition of service—improving others’ lives and, in turn, improving the world.”

At this point, we began trying to figure out if Daniel Pink is a Christian. Because his chapter on service sure sounds like it takes its cue from the Gospels.

Instead of “upselling,” Pink challenges people to “upserve.” “Upserving means doing more for the other person than he expects or you initially intended, taking the extra steps that transform a mundane interaction into a memorable experience,” Pink writes.  “And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you” (Matthew 5:40-42).

Or, says Pink, “…the wisest and most ethical way to move others is to proceed with humility and gratitude.” “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave” (Matthew 20:26).

Pink concludes that at every opportunity to move someone, we should be able to answer these two questions affirmatively: “If the person you’re selling to agrees to buy, will his or her life improve? When your interaction is over, will the world be a better place than when you began?” “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

What a great philosophy. What a great (Christian) worldview. And what a great book. Come check it out: To Sell Is Human.

We Love: Book Brunch

Did we mention that our fourth Book Brunch with the ladies at Concord Baptist Church is on April 2? That’s just couple of days from now.

This one will be at Concord, so all of us PCBC folks get the privilege of motoring down scenic I35 and Highway 67 to visit their beautiful church. Of course, some of us were at Concord on Palm Sunday for the Pulpit Swap of Pastors Carter and Warren. Any time we visit Concord, it’s a treat.

We love this event. What’s not to love? Friendly ladies, splendid food, fun and games, a chance to talk about books we’ve read with other bibliophiles. Each time we get together, we see the friendly faces of women whose companionship we enjoyed at past Book Brunces. We also see new faces of women who’ve heard about what we are doing and are eager to join in.

If you’re reading this and you think you’d like to come but you haven’t had a chance to read one of our books, come anyway. Book Brunch is about much more than literature. Our real purpose is to get to know one another, to share some of our experiences and viewpoints and to go home knowing we’ve made some new friends.

We call this “building bridges,” or “breaking down barriers.” It’s a crucial step toward racial reconciliation. And Book Brunch is just the start of this joint effort between Concord and PCBC. We have organized four other activities under the aegis of Faithfully Yours. Some of us will meet between Book Brunch gatherings in very small groups to discuss other books. We are planning some fun social outings (not everyone is crazy about books, you know). We are going to show up together for service projects, starting with Transform Dallas on April 16. We are praying for one another, and for our mutual purpose of racial reconciliation.

Already, women from other churches have come to Book Brunch, and we couldn’t be more excited. Our vision is to have a huge network of sisters in Christ who are deeply committed to racial reconciliation. We take Christ at His word when He said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

Come to Book Brunch! If you can’t come, pray for Book Brunch. Because Book Brunch is about more than brunch or books. It’s about love.

Red Letter Reconciliation

We have been reading a book that we like so much, we’re making it the Book of the Week. It’s called Red Letter Revolution: What if Jesus really meant what He said? by Shane Claiborne and Tony Campolo.

The term “red letter” is a reference to the editions of the New Testament that have the words of Jesus written in red. Campolo writes in the introduction that he and a group of evangelical Christians adopted a name for themselves, Red Letter Christians, “who take the radical teachings of Jesus seriously and who are committed to living them out in our everyday lives.”

Campolo, who is in his eighties, is a well-known evangelical preacher, speaker and professor. Claiborne is in his early forties, and is also a writer, speaker and activist. As Campolo writes, “We are aware that while we agree for the most part on theology and social ethics, living out what we believe has taken different forms for each of us.”

The book Red Letter Revolution is presented as a series of 26 dialogues between the two theologians. We found this book, published in 2012, in the PCBC library catalog when we searched on the term “racism,” which is one of the 26 topics. The topics are divided into sections: Red Letter Theology, Red Letter Living, and Red Letter World. So far, we have read the discussions on racism, homosexuality, being pro-life, Islam, and women. We are looking forward to reading about civil disobedience, national debts, reconciliation, saints, hell, politics. Okay, we are looking forward to reading all of them. It’s good to expand our minds.

Dialogue. Two viewpoints exchanged in a respectful fashion with the goal of mutual understanding. It’s possible, friends. May we suggest that dialogue is critical to reconciliation and harmonious living? And may we deplore our current social atmosphere that trades dialogue for snarky yelling past anyone with a differing point of view?

We urge you to come check out Red Letter Revolution and read it. We also encourage you to engage in dialogue with other people to come to a mutual understanding about areas where you differ in opinion. You may never come to agreement, but you will very likely come to respect one another and maybe forge an alliance or friendship.

The principles of dialogue and mutual understanding are the basis for our Library’s pet project, Faithfully Yours, our PCBC alliance with the sisters and brothers of Concord Baptist Church. We have another Ladies Book Brunch coming up on April 2, at Concord. Yes, we’ll be talking about some wonderful books. But we will be talking, having dialogue, getting to know one another, developing friendships—building bridges. If you can, please come to the Ladies Book Brunch. It doesn’t really matter if you read one of the books or not: All that matters is that you come with an open heart and a yearning toward red letter living.

A Psalm for Our Times

I'm back!
 
It's been way too long since I've posted in this Faithfully Yours blog. I got busy. I got a new job. I got distracted. I was saying my say in other places, namely, the "Off the Shelf" blog for the Park Cities Baptist Church Library.
 
I've been writing "Off the Shelf" once a week since August 2014. While trying to project the voice of the PCBC Library, I probably haven't fooled anyone regarding who was the author. The only problem with "Off the Shelf" is that it was hard to find. Its link is buried in the PCBC Library webpage. Sadly, I'm too much of a technical dinosaur to figure out how to get it more exposure. This blog, however, links effortlessly to my Facebook account. So, I think I'll try replicating my "Off the Shelf" posts here, too. I hope you like them.
 
My most recent post was inspired by the recent political elections, Super Tuesday here in Texas.  Here's what I had to say:

A Psalm for Our Times

Did you find yourself tearing your hair and gnashing your teeth on March 1, Super Tuesday, or on March 2 when you heard the results of the presidential primaries and other political races? If the media—print, TV, radio, and social media—is on target, a majority of Americans are, at the very least, concerned about the state of political affairs this year. Many are more than concerned; they are outright angry or freaked.

 

There is a lot to be freaked about. It’s doubtful that anyone is content with the status on the major issues of economy, immigration, national security, health care, racial justice, education, climate change, etc. etc. And if the unrest and uncertainty aren’t enough to unhinge everyone, the strident political rhetoric certainly are.

Seriously: Did you ever think you would hear political leader wannabes at national, state and local levels speak and behave in such obnoxious, disparaging and childish ways?

We admit that have been doing a little hair tearing and teeth gnashing. But this week as we read the Bible, the words of Psalm 2 caught our attention. It seems that boisterous and self-aggrandizing political leaders are nothing new. Here’s what the psalmist had to say about them:

 

Why do the nations conspire [or rage] and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.”

 From time immemorial, people and nations have yelled loudly and plotted to have their own way in defiance of God. But then as now,

 

The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”

 The psalmist’s advice is as true today as ever:

Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment.

The words of the beautiful poem are a good reminder that God alone is sovereign. He alone rules over peoples and nations.

So don’t tear your hair and gnash your teeth. God is on His throne, and He controls the nations and their demagogues. For us, the last phrase of Psalm 2 is comforting:

                        Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

It's nice to be back. Be sure to let me know what you think.