Sacred Marriage
by Gary Chapmen
This is a great book for married, engaged or single. It has
great foundational advice for how we should view marriage as Christians and how
it is really all about our relationship with Christ. What does it mean to love
another person when it’s hard? Are we willing to do that? Are we seeking to
serve others when we don’t feel like it? Your spouse will be your closest
neighbor, and someone who will on occasion frustrate or annoy you. What does it
mean to love and serve and forgive and overlook faults? Are you practicing that
now as a single person? Marriage builds your character in a way that only a
very close, intimate relationship can, and it doesn’t come naturally. We
practice with our parents and siblings and roommates. We practice by serving
the church or others where there are needs – especially when it’s not easy or convenient.
We practice by being open with others, sharing when we need encouragement,
listening to correction. In all these things we are growing to be more like
Christ – which is the ultimate goal of every Christian. God calls us to be faithful
wherever we are, single or married, working in a business office, on the
mission field, or at home. Marriage is
to be sacred, because it belongs to God first and He must always be our first
love.
Hitler’s Cross
by Erwin Lutzer
On occasion I come a
across a book that I believe every
Christian should read. This I think
is one of those books. Not only is it a fascinating account of how Hitler
was impacted by and devoted to the occult and how this shaped his worldview,
not only does it show us how he deceived and won over the church in Germany,
but it’s a lesson for every Christian. Who is your god? Is it really God
Himself, or is in the church as an institution, or is it the political party
you support, or a person you think will “fix” societies problems. The people in
Germany were in desperately bad economy after World War 1. They had been humiliated
as a nation and longed to see their nation become strong and prosperous once
again. Most Germans were passionate patriots, their country was everything to
them. Even among the Christians the church and the state had equal attention
and importance. Nationalism was pushed more and more, to the point where
Christians were being taught that serving God meant serving their nation – no matter
what. When Hitler first took over he did a lot of amazing things for the economy
and for winning back of German pride. It’s no wonder everyone loved him, not to
mention the fact that he had a rather frightening ability to win people over. As
he moved to “befriend” the church but slowly take authority over it, many saw
him as their “savior” who would deliver them from their humiliation and make
their nation great again. Nationalism
was more important than the Gospel – a Gospel that tells us we should not seek
human glory but humble ourselves before God. A Gospel that tells us to love
others and protect the weak. The church had already been leaning towards
anti-Semitism – many liberal leaders were teaching that the Jews should be
judged for their rejection of Christ. Thus, when Hitler started his campaign
against the Jews, many “Christians” went along with it. The church had at best
become weak, at worst apostate. Many in the church were not Christians, and
many who were were not willing to choose God over the State. In reality, they
were not willing to suffer. The books does tell us about some who did speak out
for the truth, and while they did suffer, their faith was proven genuine and
they were rewarded in Heaven. In the end, everyone suffered. Germany lost the
war, their cities were bombed, many were killed. The only ones who really “won”
were those who were willing to stand up for the truth, even if they lost their
lives in the process.
This book was rather convicting. What do we Christians in
America worship? Are we more caught up with “saving” politics or the nation
than we are about honoring God and seeing individual’s saved? Of course we want
America to have revival, to get back to her Christian roots, but this goal must
never become primary. Our patriotism
must be subject to Christ. No politician can save or reform America. God
may use a leader, but it’s more likely that He has a different plan. Much of
the church in America, like Germany, is liberal. It’s more concerned with
society and politics than it is about the Gospel. The story of the fall of the
Church under Hitler is a warning to us all. You should definitely read this book!
Mike and I also just
finished listening to the entire The
Lord of the Rings trilogy on audio, which was fun!
Currently Reading:
I’m reading a book for with ladies from my church by Kevin
DeYoung (Taking God at His Word), but haven’t decided what else to read next.
