Book: The Reluctant Detective by Martha Ockley

Not all is as it seems with the Faith Morgan series. First of all, Martha Ockley is a nom de plume for another, and second many people have read book 2 before seeing this, book 1. Ah, well.

<----Look! It’s a book!

The Reluctant Detective meets the reluctant reviewer. I’m hesitant to offer my full opinion on Martha Ockley’s work. Why? Because it’s a work of fiction but is set within a religious context, and some of the religious assertions and practices are contrary to my own beliefs. I will, therefore, offer this disclaimer on theology and proceed to enjoy the fiction: NEVER GET YOUR THEOLOGY EXCLUSIVELY FROM WORKS OF FICTION. DEVELOP IT FROM THE BIBLE. (assuming you’re after Christian theology, that is.)

Moving on, let us consider the reluctant detective of the book. Her name is Faith Morgan, and she is a former police detective. She has left the law enforcement world and become the vicar of a parish in the Church of England.

Now, we’ve all seen this movie and read this book, right? She is going to get pulled back into investigations, and her sleepy little town is due for a crime wave of either internal making or invasive forces. (Side note: if you live in a small community, and the new minister or librarian is someone who used-to-be involved in crime, fighting or committing, move. Seriously.)

The shell of the plot, then, is going down an expected trail. You know Faith will encounter questionable deeds and miscreants. You know that her old life will come back, and she will wrestle with how that affects her  new one.

Ockley’s not plowing new ground here, so we need to look at whether she plows a familiar path well.

Are the characters believable? Well, I live in a small town, and I think I know half of them. I pastor in a small town, and I think I know about half of them. The reader isn’t given all the details, but for many of us we can flesh out the rest from our own experience.

Overall, the plot has a few unexpected twists—you’ll spot who it is, but then doubt your guess enough to read it all the way through. It’s not the most brain-challenging work you’ll read this year, but it’s worth a week of evening casual reading.

There are some questions I have seen about Christian-type content, since it’s a book about a parish vicar. It’s not staunchly Baptist, that’s for sure: there is alcohol consumption and profanity, but not much. If you compare the “moral content” of this book to the most recent episode of Family Feud on the television? This is “more moral.” It’s not the first introduction to these subjects that you want for a middle-schooler, but it’s just fine for your mystery-loving high school students, or for you as an adult.

Free book in exchange for the review.

Two Great Treasures: Colossians 2

In Summary: Paul continues to address the Colossian heresy, especially the aspects within it that put pressure on the believers to embrace legalism as their go-to lifestyle. It appears, through Colossians 2, that a significant challenge to the church was a group of people insisting not on important moral behavior, but demanding adherence to the most minute of ceremony and asceticism.

What is asceticism? It is the process of self-denial for spiritual attainment. In certain doses, that’s a good thing. One should spend time fasting, one should avoid chasing too many of the things of this world in place of the things of God. Asceticism can be overdone, though, and lends itself readily to that problem. Excessive asceticism causes one to ignore God’s good gifts and believe that one is drawing near to God by denying His works.

Further, the bigger problem in the Colossian heresy is that the adopters deemed themselves better than anyone else. Not only did they deny that God provided gifts in life, but then they went on to judge those who embrace what God gave as wicked. This is the problem that asceticism mixed with bad theology brings: there is no embracing God’s blessings and plenty of attacking God’s people who do accept them.

In Focus: More specifically in this chapter, we see two great treasures of the Christian life. Colossians 2:3 points us to the treasures of wisdom and knowledge in Jesus. Rather than some esoteric or obscure mystery, all that we need is know Jesus.

The mysteries of God are not hidden. They are made fully known in Jesus. There’s nothing that we do not see. It’s not knowledge hidden and reserved for a select few. Nor is the path to understanding found in denying God’s gifts of life. There is no secret path to God.

All we need is Jesus.

In Practice: The practical question, then, is how we know about Jesus.

First, we look to what He said. We have the Word of God, given us by the Word Incarnate. It does us no good to claim that we cannot know God, because He has given us that Word. Read it, learn it.

Second, we consider what He has not said. Paul highlights some of this for us in Colossians 2:21, where he points out the naysayers who reduced Christianity to “do not handle, do not taste, do not touch.” This does not eliminate morality, but puts the focus on our positive movements toward holiness rather than simple avoidance practices.

Third, we keep our focus on our behavior. There is a place for encouraging one another in holiness, but it remains the work of God to convict of sin. Rather than attempting to demand others conform to our standard, we should encourage others to follow the standard of Christ.

In Nerdiness: Take a quick look at Colossians 2:14 where Paul speaks of the certificate of debt that’s been canceled. This is a concept from Roman business and legal systems, and one worth knowing.

For example, one could develop a debt due to family need or criminal behavior. This debt would be recorded on a certificate, and that would be kept. Then, you worked to satisfy your debt. In the meantime, though, it covered you and weighed you down. And given the economics of the time, if it was too bad, you were stuck with it for life. (Differing views exist on whether or not it had to be satisfied by your family in death.) You could almost never escape it.

To have someone cancel your certificate? That was a great grace, and it freed you to live life. Naturally, though, this indebted your honor to the person who canceled your debt. Paul’s point in this?

Your honor debt is to Jesus. Not to any one else. Not to a church leader, a pastor, an Apostle, or someone who claims to point you to the “mystery.”

Just to Jesus. He canceled your debt—He is the one to serve.

Sermon Wrap-Up for August 10

Good morning. Here are the video and audio links from yesterday's messages at Almyra Baptist Church.

Morning Sermon: Daniel 3

Direct audio download here

 Video:

 

Outline:

1. Summary Sentence

You can cooperate with Nebuchadnezzer for a time, but eventually he will demand all of you.

2. Background to Text

3. Major Theme in Text

What do we do when the king demands to be more?

4. Concepts of the Text

1. We cannot:

A. Hide in the back: note that H, M, A do not

B. Blend in by worshiping secretly

C. Blend by redefining what we believe to act like it doesn't matter

D. Lie and fix it later

Evening Sermon: Ezekiel 3

Direct Audio Download Here

 

Video

Outline:
 

1. Summary Sentence

We have a privileged duty: to serve as the watchers on the walls of humanity.

2. Background to Text

This is part of Ezekiel's commission to serve as God's prophet:

3. Major Theme in Text

The Responsibility of the Watchman

4. Concepts of the Text

Will be the Watchers that God has called us to be?

5. Application Point

1. Do not "not tell"

2. Do not tell too much

3. Do not tell falsehoods: either in exaggeration or deception

4. Focus on the truth!

 

Concluding Notes:

1. I do have the rough audio of Sunday Night’s Q&A session, but I’m not sure yet that it’s useful for posting.

2. I am not sure how to improve video quality with the current equipment.

3. If you want to subscribe, here’s a list:

A. iTunes for audio subscription link is here.
B. General Audio RSS feed for other programs is here.
C. If you’re a Stitcher User, the link is here
D. For Vimeo Video, subscribe to this channel: https://vimeo.com/channels/almyrafbc
E. For Youtube Video, subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/user/dheagle93/

4. Yes, I think I’m not getting a lot of plays on each service or hits on each blog, but in total it’s a decent reach. A social media expert might suggest changes, but this is free-to-cheap, where I have to live right now.

5. Each blog has a “Follow” button and a “Subscribe via Email” option

6. Follow on Facebook: Doug’s Page or the First Baptist Almyra Page

 

One True Mystery: Colossians 1

In Summary: Paul writes to the church at Colossae, a body of believers that he did not found as a church. There is some speculation that Epaphras may have founded the church, a likely scenario but one which must be admitted to be an inference. Whoever is responsible for the founding of the church, Paul clearly holds himself responsible for their well-being. We can see this by comparing Romans with Colossians. Romans is a theological treatise from a master scholar, while Colossians is a personal instruction (including rebuke) from a pastoral leader.

In this first chapter, Paul establishes his credibility as an Apostle and attributes that role to the will of God. While we see in Timothy, for example, that one can desire to be an overseer (or elder), there is no Scriptural warrant that anyone ever chose to be an Apostle. That title was also not given by man, but only appears to be given by God. You can see some support for this idea in that Paul, though he often has co-writers for his letters, never attributes the title of Apostle to them. Timothy is listed here as a co-writer, one to be considered also sending the letter, yet he is “our brother” and not “an apostle.”

Paul’s concern for the Colossians revolves around his love for the body of Christ in general. In this letter, this concern manifests a correction of doctrine that has crept into the church. Many of the commentaries refer to “the Colossian Heresy” with capital letters, but we are left without a definition of that heresy. All told, we have Paul’s repudiation of the heresy, and so must work backwards. Yet knowing the heresy is less important than knowing the truth.

In Focus: Overall, though, we see a heresy that revolves around the idea of “mystery” in Colossae. Then as now, many people loved the idea of knowing something that others did not. Across the Roman Empire, there existed many religious groups called mystery religions, and it appears that some of the ideas had sept into Colassae and begun to affect the church.

The essence of the mystery religions, boiled down for blog purposes, is that there were invisible realities behind the universe. These were unseen and unknowable unless you were deep within the religion. The costs had to be paid first, and could vary from all your money to more intimate costs, depending on the leadership within.

Paul highlights that Christianity is not one of those mystery religions. Christ is the image of the invisible God, made visible. The focus of this chapter is that the price is not paid by the adherents of Christianity and there is no hidden mystery to be bought. Instead, all the cost is paid upfront by God through Christ. This is the mystery of Christianity, and it is all on the table as you get started. The rest of our religious concepts are that we live up to what has been revealed. We hold to a faith that claims the invisible was made visible, so that the temporal could become eternal: Christ became the image of the invisible God, transferring us from the dominion of darkness to His marvelous Kingdom!

In Practice: What do we do, then?

First, we stop pursuing esoteric knowledge. When we see people proclaiming “new secret paths” to draw closer to God, walk away. The path is open, obvious, and clear. Few find it not because it is hidden but because they refuse to follow the clear Word of God. It is not unlike the way I once spent 4 hours trying to find my way through Nashville while ignoring my GPS. The path was clear. I was dense. The path is clear to the gate—don’t be dense!

Second, we proclaim openly, freely, what God has done for us through Christ. Rather than waiting for someone to get “inside,” we tell the world about Jesus. That’s the goal.

In Nerdiness: Epaphras appears in Colossians and in Philemon—apparently in prison with Paul at the writing of Philemon (Philemon 23). He appears to be the one responsible for carrying the Gospel to Colossae and surrounding regions.

He also would have been a new believer, and not well-trained in all the nuances of theology or church leadership. Yet he did what needed done. What about us? Are we waiting too long to obey?

Sermon Recap for August 3: Nahum and Habakkuk

Good afternoon! Sermons are uploaded in both video and audio locations, but here they are in one place for your convenience.

 Morning Sermon: Nahum

Audio Direct Download

Evening Sermon: Habakkuk

 Audio Direct Download

Concluding Notes:

1. I do have the rough audio of Sunday Night’s Q&A session, but I’m not sure yet that it’s useful for posting.

2. I am not sure how to improve video quality with the current equipment.

3. If you want to subscribe, here’s a list:

A. iTunes for audio subscription link is here.
B. General Audio RSS feed for other programs is here.
C. If you’re a Stitcher User, the link is here
D. For Vimeo Video, subscribe to this channel: https://vimeo.com/channels/almyrafbc
E. For Youtube Video, subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/user/dheagle93/

4. Yes, I think I’m not getting a lot of plays on each service or hits on each blog, but in total it’s a decent reach. A social media expert might suggest changes, but this is free-to-cheap, where I have to live right now.

5. Each blog has a “Follow” button and a “Subscribe via Email” option

6. Follow on Facebook: Doug’s Page or the First Baptist Almyra Page

A few thoughts from John Chrysostom

Except that he’s likely been studied robustly, I would gladly turn my Ph.D. work in History to the study of Chrysostom. I think that he, above most of the post-Constantine Fathers, speaks clearly to this generation. Well, once you translate him into English.

These are some slides from Logos Bible Software’s 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Early Church. It’s a worthwhile resource for you.

Book: The Traitor’s Heir

Today’s book was provided through Kregel Publishing on behalf of LionHudson Fiction. No money changed hands in the process, nor is there an expectation that my review will be anything but honest.

The cover of Anna Thayer’s The Traitor’s Heir looks like this:

Inside, of course, it looks like letters on a page.

The Traitor’s Heir is the debut novel from Anna Thayer, who is both an English teacher and a lecturer in the works of both C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. She’s no stranger to fantasy worlds, and has created her own here.

The world she has created centers on The River Realm, and we explore it through the life of Eamon Goodman. This world holds both magic and intrigue, though perhaps “magic” isn’t quite the right term. It would be more accurate to say that there is a more open metaphysical realm in this world than in our own.

At issue within the River Realm is this question: Who should be the ruler? Is it the Master? Is it someone else? And how does one tell the difference between power used of necessity and power abused of excess?

It’s not nearly as simple as the good guys in bright colors and bad guys in plaid. There are questions of loyalty, and the issue of whether or not someone can be honorable while serving the wrong side.

Plot pacing flows well through The Traitor’s Heir, and there is backstory aplenty for both Goodman and the whole realm. The characters are mostly fleshed out, with a few obvious gaps left for the further portions of the series.

Overall, I’d put this at a good read from high school on up. Content is very direct with warfare and violence, but not overly gruesome. It’s a good read, and a great start for a series I look forward to finishing.

Free book in exchange for the review.