More Ferguson

Heya Folks.

I finished the Sinclair Ferguson book, "A Heart for God", so I thought I would post some random snippets from the final Chapter to give y'all some food for thought, as well as a glimpse of what I have been thinking about and meditating on recently.

Here goes:

"Somewhere along the line, the idea of being a decisive and determined Christian has lost out in the fashion stakes. We have let the world squeeze us into its mold. For there, in the world, the idea of permanent commitment is rare indeed, either in employment or in marriage .... God calls us to promise ourselves to Him in a lifelong commitment of faithfulness and obedience."


"And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Beware lest you say in your heart, 'My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.' You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day." Deuteronomy 8:10-18


"It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, and repays to their face those who hate him, by destroying them. He will not be slack with one who hates him. He will repay him to his face." Deuteronomy 7:7-10


A heart wholly satisfied with the Lord's provision keeps us fresh and eager to remember and serve Him . . . . The other essential cure for spiritual amnesia is a heart wholly submitted to the Lord's will.


The goal is God Himself
Not joy, nor peace;
Not even blessing,
But Himself, my God.
'Tis His to lead me there,
Not mine, but His--
At any cost, dear Lord,
By any road

I Wish I Were Donne

Heya faithful blog readers.
I guess its been over a week, so its time to post again.
Thanks for your patience.

The title of my post today is meant to be a play on words. I'll let you ponder it's many layers of meaning.

Its most transparent aspect is the poem that follows, one of my favorite sonnets written by John Donne, and brought back to my attention because it was quoted in the book by Sinclair Ferguson that I have been reading.

Here goes... Enjoy!


Batter my heart, three personed God; for You
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise, and stand, o'erthrow me and bend
Your force, to break, blow, burn, and make me new.

I, like an usurped town to another due,
Labor to admit You, but oh! to no end;
Reason, Your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captived and proves weak or untrue.

Yet dearly I love You, and would be loved fain,
But I am betrothed unto your enemy.
Divorce me, untie, or break that knot again,
Take me to You, imprison me, for I

Except You enthrall me, never shall be free;
Nor ever chaste, except You ravish me.

Another Semester Begins

Well, I am back in Nebraska, safe and sound. My travels actually went really smoothly, which was a blessing. I enjoyed my time with family, and the math conference was ok, but not overwhelming (positively or negatively). I think that 3 weeks on the road is about my limit. Its good to be back home.

I had a great time at my roommate Rob's wedding Saturday. There were tons of old friends there that I hadn't seen for a while. It was good to catch up a bit with most of them, but there is never as much time as one would like for things like that. It was a beautiful and God-honoring ceremony, and a fun-filled dinner and reception. I'll miss having Rob for a roommate, but my guess is that he will like his new roommate better than his old ones.

As most of you already know, classes started today. I taught my first session, but am off tomorrow as I am teaching Calc 3, which is a 4 credit class, so it only meets 4 times a week. I am hoping to make Tuesdays a major day for research this semester. I'm a bit behind on my prepping since the conference ran so close to the start of the semester. I should be able to get caught up over the three day weekend. I hope so, as I really want to get things started on the right foot. Life is a bit chaotic after being gone for so long.

I also wanted to mention that I have been reading a book by Sinclair Ferguson called A Heart for God. I'm four chapters in, and it has been a great read so far. I thought I would close this post with an excerpt from the book:

"Since I was a little boy nothing has fascinated me more than the knowledge of God: Who is God? Can God be known? If He can be known, how do we discover Him? Now, in later years, I realize that these are not merely the questions of childhood; they are the most important questions in the universe. Moreover, they lie at the heart of the Christian faith. Christians do not always see that as clearly as they should. Perhaps that explains why we are not all we ought to be, either in our worship in the church or in our witness to the world. My hope is that these pages will contribute, in some way, to more God-centered living.
For this reason, A Heart for God is oriented towards biblical exposition. It is only as Christ's words remain in us and we remain in Him that we will be delivered from the rootless Christianity so characteristic of our times. As His Word influences us, we begin to bear fruit and prove to be His disciples (John 15:5-8). Only as God's Word impacts the way we think, live, and feel will we develop hearts that are characterized by obedience to God and filled with love for Him."

JJ