The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

So, you’ve heard the expression, this is the first day of the rest of your life? Well, this truly is the first day of the rest of my life.

So, before Christmas last year I was diagnosed with Type-2 Diabetes. I thought my life was over. It just seemed surreal. Pricking my fingers constantly, watching what to eat (and not just watch it going into my mouth), exercising. I was reaping years of poor eating habits and laziness. For years I had heard about getting in shape from those who cared, and frankly, I didn’t.

When you’re married though you’re not just living for yourself anymore. It’s one thing for your mom to tell you to get into shape, it’s another when your wife is worried how long she’ll have you around after only a year of marriage. Yet, I still didn’t do what I should. I made excuses not to exercise, I cheated on my eating by getting a candy bar when I filled up with gas and other such things.

Then my mom was also diagnosed with Type-2 Diabetes. The contrast to how she approached it and I approached it was night and day. She immediately removed the carbohydrates from her diet and checked her blood sugar levels constatly. In the short time since being diagnosed she has lost an incredible amount of weight. Now, the doctors are allowing her to go off her diabetes medications and regulate her sugars by diet alone. I’m still popping Metformin daily! They told her if she lost some more weight basically the diabetes would be reversed and she could eat whatever she wanted again. Here I am, unchanged size wise, and really, unchanged habits wise. Just maintaining.

Now, I have a little one on the way. I’m not just living for me, or for my wife, but for my unborn son or daughter. Would they prefer a father who will be around a long time or only a short time. A no brainer to be sure.

And, as the new pastor of a church, I have a church family I live for too. I promised them to be with them for the rest of my life should the Lord take me, they direct me out, or the Spirit does. It would seem to be better for the rest of my life to be 60 years and not 20-30.

So, today was the first day of the rest of my life. With the Lord’s help I’m turning a new page in my life. I’m not living for myself. I’m not letting my body be my master. I am going to master my body.

So now, I’m severly limiting my carb intake. I’m going to get my blood sugars into good levels and lose some serious weight. I even went out and bought that protein shake stuff today to take to help boost my protein intake! And I started the Power90 system today with 40 minutes of serious cardio. I feel dead now. But…

Through the faint scent of death… I also see life. Hope. Time. Time is always against us. We have a few short years to serve Christ here on earth. I’m resolved to increase those years as much as possible to do as much as I can for Christ, my family, my church, and the world that I can do before the Lord calls me home. And if the Lord calls me home sooner rather than later, it won’t because I let the curse win. I am going to beat my body into submission and make it my servant.

Pray with me now that I would have the strength to commit to this and stay with this. I’m getting myself healthy, fit, and trim. I plan to be here for many, many more years serving my church, loving my wife, and raising my children.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life… and life is good.

John Piper on the Prosperity Gospel

Faithful to the Original

I saw the new Disney movie, “A Christmas Carol,” last night starring the voice talents of Jim Carey, Gary Oldman, and others. I took my wife to see it as sort of a little date out and about on the town. My wife grew up with a great love for classical literature and Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is one of her favourites. She has read it a number of times and is very picky about how movie adaptations reflect the original work of Dickens. I of course simply wanted to go because I like animated movies! Thankfully we were both happy with it since the language they used in the movie was almost exactly the language of Dickens from the novel. She had some quibbles about somethings that were left out but what was there she felt was faithful to the original.

That got me thinking after the movie about how we as Christians are to be faithful to the original. This phrase has a number of concepts that can be attached to them. For instance, two thoughts came to be about how we are to be faithful to the original in:

1) Following Jesus

1 John 2:4-6 reads, “Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” It is made quite clear here that one of the assurances we have that we are in the faith is that we walk as Jesus did. John is discussing walking in the truth which is more than just words but action. Jesus was truth not only in what he said but in how he lived. Not to embrace the social gospel or anything but the reality is, if we are Christians we are to be faithful to the original, that is Christ, by walking as he did. Our lives, our thoughts, our actions, our behaviour, our teaching should be just as Jesus’ was.

2) Teaching the Word

2 Timothy 3:15 reads, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” One of the things that a teacher/preacher of the Word of God must be is faithful to the original. We are called to “rightly handle the word of truth.” We are to know the Word and proclaim the Word. As ambassadors of Jesus Christ our job is not to create our own message but to accurately proclaim His message. Every preacher and teacher of God’s Word must know it so as to proclaim it accurately being as careful as possible to be faithful to the original.

There are many other aspects of the Christian faith and ministry that force us to consider how faithful we are to the original. The reality is our lives and ministries are to be faithful to the God that has both created our lives and providentially put us into our ministries. Every thought we think, every action we perform, every word we utter, is to be in conformity to the image of Christ. An image is an exact representation of the original. The question becomes how faithful to the original are you? Are you an exact image or only a reasonable facsimile?

The new “A Christmas Carol” was pretty faithful to the original. I only hope and pray that my life and my ministry might be also said to be faithful to the original when it is seen by the world and the church.

Recommended CD – Owl City – Ocean Eyes

I don’t normally recommend music on here (I’m really more of a bibliophile) but I’ve really gotten into Owl City by my 16 year old sister. Their recent disc, Ocean Eyes, is filled with fun, poppy songs that simply said… make you feel good! There’s no dark and depressing stuff here. Whether it’s the romantic, “Vanilla Twilight” or the just silly “Dental Care”, you will be made to feel good and be thankful for love, warmth, and fireflies and all sorts of things! The sort of “electronic” style with a hint of disco and other aspects will just make you be warm and happy! And frankly, we all could use a little more warmth and happiness! And as a Christian and pastor I will say you will find nothing objectionable in this CD. I am finding more and more of my peers enjoying this CD and you will too!

Canadian Baptist Historical Society Meeting – 2010

Canadian Baptist Historical Society Annual Meeting

Saturday March 6, 2010

at

McMaster Divinity College

1280 Main Street West

Hamilton, ON L8S4K1

The Canadian Baptist Historical Society (CBHS) traces its origins back to the nineteenth century when Baptists passionate about their heritage began a process of preserving critical documents and studying the Baptist presence in Ontario and Quebec. Its primary focus is on the history of all Baptists in the Canadian context, but the study of Baptists around the globe is also a part of its mandate. Scholars, pastors, students and those interested in Baptist history are all warmly invited to attend meetings of the society. The CBHS is always interested in paper proposals for its meetings, and if you have a proposal for next year’s meeting please send it to Gord Heath.

The CBHS has also recently started to publish a series of books on Baptist history. Volume one will be Baptists and Public Life in Canada (anticipated publication in 2010). Two other volumes are anticipated in 2011 and 2012.

Future locations will be Tyndale Seminary (2011), Toronto Baptist Seminary (2012) and Heritage Seminary (2013).

Schedule

9:30-10:00am

Business

10:00-11:00

Paper: Kirk Wellum, “The Life and Times of Caleb Evans (1737-1791)”

11:00-11:15

Break

11:15-12:15

Paper: Sharon Bowler, “Answering A Call to Keep Them Up: Jonathan Woolverton (1811-1883), A Physician and Educator in Upper Canada”

12:15

Lunch (at a local restaurant)

CBHS Executive:

President: Michael Haykin
Vice President: Mark Steinacher
Treasurer: Paul Wilson
Secretary: Gord Heath

For further information on the annual meeting, please contact:

Gord Heath
McMaster Divinity College
McMaster University
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1
Tel. 905-525-9140 ext.26409
Fax. 905-577-4782
gheath@mcmaster.ca



The Waiting Game…

No one likes to wait. No one likes to sit at a red light, or sit in a waiting room, or be stuck in traffic, or endure through a course of study until you graduate. We are not a patient people.

The reality is we are in a waiting game. Waiting until death comes and the judgment. The difference between the Christian and the non-Christian is that one waits by doing and working, the other simply waits for time to run out.

My wife and I are waiting. We’re waiting for our work visa so we can join our church in Pennsylvania on a permanent basis. We hate popping in and out and not being there for the ups and downs of the life of the church, getting settled into our community, and serving the flock. Yet, God in his infinite wisdom has called us to wait. It could be months before the US government issues our visa. Yet, we simply pray and work and do in the meantime. We may not always be the most patient people, we Christians, but we are often called to wait, which grows patient endurance in us.

I hope I can win in my waiting game!

Book Review – Practicing Hospitality: The Joy of Serving Others

Practicing Hospitality: The Joy of Serving Others. By Patricia A. Ennis and Lisa Tatlock. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008

What is biblical hospitality? According to Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock, biblical hospitality is simply a demonstration of love (p. 50). The motivation for this love comes from a heart that responds to God’s work in our lives. When we demonstrate love for others, we demonstrate our love for God in a tangible way (p. 50).

While all Christians would probably agree that hospitality is important, even commanded (Romans 12:13), most would also acknowledge this is a neglected area in Christian practice today. If we are honest, many of us would have to admit to rarely, if ever, practicing biblical hospitality in a formal, intentional way. This is the issue addressed in Practicing Hospitality: The Joy of Serving Others.

Perhaps it is not for lack of good intentions that hospitality is neglected in today’s world. For many of us, life simply gets in the way and we forget to make time for others. We find our lives are busy and pressed already—who has time to invite that new family at church over for lunch? We find ourselves pressed financially. We rationalize that we really don’t have the money to present a nice dinner to someone else. We find we have so little “alone time” as it is, we guard our evenings and weekends with a jealous fervency. For some, the particular season of life presents unique challenges. What if you have several young children and babies at home as it is? The house is barely livable for you and your family, let alone presentable for company. What if you just aren’t Martha Stewart and you don’t feel that creative or even adept in the kitchen?

These concerns and many others are answered in this book. The authors assure readers right away that perfection in being the perfect hostess or quantities of money spent on expensive foods are not necessary for biblical hospitality. An important distinction is drawn between entertaining and offering hospitality. When we entertain, we are more concerned about presentation—the perfectly clean home, the dinner cooked to perfection, and the serene atmosphere at every moment. While events like this may be fun and appropriate at times, they really miss the mark when it comes to biblical hospitality. Hospitality is concerned with showing simple love to people and ministering to their needs. It involves humbling yourself and offering the best of what you have however simple it may be. It means being willing to be vulnerable before others and not worrying if someone sees you or your family in a less than perfect condition. Hospitality focuses on others where as entertainment focuses on the impression others are getting of me and my abilities. For this reason, the first chapter of the book addresses the character qualities all Christians should be striving for as they live everyday life and practice hospitality.

Chapter two challenges believers to follow the biblical command to reach out to strangers. This was common in the New Testament times, but is much neglected today as people find it much more comfortable to associate with those they already know.

Chapter three addresses the very important topic of showing hospitality to your family. Readers are challenged to remember that family always comes first in God’s economy. If we neglect our family, we have no business opening our homes to others. Also, balance is needed, especially in families with young children. This chapter includes some helpful ideas regarding family traditions and special times of year, as well as everyday ways women can minister to their families.

Chapters four and five offer many practical suggestions for ordering your home and life to make hospitality easier to accomplish. Home management is crucial if we are to have homes that are ready for visitors. There are many practical suggestions here for preparing foods with minimal preparation time, decorating economically, keeping the house basically clean on a daily basis, and even how to brew the perfect cup of tea!

Chapters six and seven talk about offering hospitality to people from other cultures as well as those with special needs such as hospital patients, those who are sick, and those who are grieving. Sometimes hospitality happens outside of the home and we take demonstrations of Christian love to people where they are. These chapters will be especially helpful to those who find themselves in situations where they want to reach out to people who have different needs, but are nonetheless important in God’s eyes and in need of a special touch from God’s people. There is also an emphasis on using hospitality as a platform for ministry and evangelism. Especially helpful are ways to incorporate children into learning to serve others and share the Gospel through hospitality.

Study questions and suggestions for creating a personalized hospitality notebook are provided at the end of each chapter for those who want to make personal application out of their reading. Recipes are also provided at the end of each chapter. These recipes are practical and often geared to be economical and easily expanded to accommodate even large groups easily.

Perhaps the most practical and helpful part of the book is the suggestions sprinkled throughout gleaned from a survey the authors took while writing the book. The women surveyed represent all walks of life from single working women to stay-at-home moms, to pastor’s wives, to those married for many years. Reading these hands-on suggestions from real women who have had many different experiences in practicing hospitality is very helpful and motivational in giving us all a push toward serving others on a more regular basis.

Throughout the whole book, the authors’ clear intention is to motivate and enable believes to follow the biblical directive to practice hospitality to all people. The book is neither pushy nor difficult to understand. Instead, it seeks to encourage all believers to take up once again this very important aspect of Christian ministry and to reap the many blessings that come with practicing biblical hospitality.

–

Tracy Mickle is a homemaker living with her husband Allen. She has a Bachelor of Sacred Music and a Bachelor of Science in Bible from Baptist Bible College, Clarks Summit, PA. She is also a certified Suzuki piano teacher. She and Allen are currently relocating to Tunkhannock, PA where Allen will begin serving as Senior Pastor of Tunkhannock Baptist Church in the near future.

Book Review – Renewing Minds: Serving Church and Society through Christian Higher Education

Renewing Minds: Serving Church and Society through Christian Higher Education. By David S. Dockery. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2007, 264 pp., $19.99, paperback.

A problem area in Christian ministry is the area of Christian higher education. As we continue to progress through the 21^st century we continue to see the decline of the Christian higher education movement. What was once a strong area in the Christian ministry, Christian higher education is failing. The Bible College movement has been in decline for sometime. Schools are folding without the students or the funds to stay open. Most people are going to secular colleges and universities over Christian schools. One of the major problems with Christian higher education has been the failure to critically interact with the movement and offer an approach to dealing with this decline. David Dockery has helped fill this void with his recent volume, Renewing Minds. Dockery, President of Union University in Jackson, TN, is extremely qualified to write in this capacity. A clear and thoughtful theologian, he has extensive experience in the areas of leading and administrating a Christian higher education institution. Not only has he lead Union University he also serves as chairman of the board of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. With recommendations from J. I. Packer, R. Albert Mohler, Chuck Colson, and a foreword by Robert P. George of Princeton University, this is a volume that should be seriously considered by all who love Christian education.

In Chapter 1, Dockery highlights the problem in America. He writes,

I believe that the integration of faith and learning is the essence of authentic Christian higher education and should be wholeheartedly implemented across the campus and across the curriculum. This was once the goal of almost every college in America. This is no longer the case…. What happened was a loss of an integrated worldview in the academy. There was a failure to see that every discipline and every specialization could be and should be approached from the vantage point of faith, the foundational building block for a Christian worldview (pp. 5–6).

Tracing the history of the departure of American schools into secularism and surveying the kinds of Christian higher education institutions in  North America leads to a defense of the system derived from Matthew 22:36–40 and the Great Commandment to love the Lord your God with your mind! The rest of the book explains how to go about obeying the Great Commandment in Christian higher education. Chapter 2 builds on this by explaining from the Scriptures the role of the Christian higher education institution and deals especially with the role of the Church, and therefore the Christian higher education institution in society. Chapter 3 explains the process of shaping a Christian worldview and the impact on this on Christian higher education. Chapter 4 is about reclaiming the Christian intellectual tradition. Dockery writes here after tracing the history of the Christian intellectual tradition,

Certainly we all learn apart from the great Christian intellectual tradition, apart from the vantage point of faith. But we cannot connect these things into a unified whole, we cannot fully understand the grand metanarrative; we cannot truly grasp how to explore and engage the issues in history and science, business and health care, apart from this approach to learning. Thus we must seek to sanctify the secular because Jesus Christ has come to earth (p. 84).

Chapter 5 addresses the issues of integrating faith and learning. Chapter 6 addresses the necessary concept of developing a place of belonging and community where scholars, educators, staff, and students live together, share, serve, and learn. Chapter 7 begins to offer practical ways of establishing this grace-filled academic community. Chapter 8 articulates how to develop a theology of Christian higher education. Developing this theology would have positive implications for the academic community and the individual. Chapter 9 serves as the culmination of the book with thinking globally about the future. With the changes in communication we must embrace the new in order to communicate the orthodoxy of the past into a new global world. This means listening as much as talking especially as global Christianity begins to reflect non-Western images, positions, and principles. Christian higher education does not just simply say the West is best but listens to all Christian voices in order to best communicate the timeless truth in new ways. This is then concluded by an extensive bibliography on the integration of faith and learning.

Dockery’s book fills a great need in the area of Christian higher education. He states the issues and the problems, traces the history of Christian higher education, articulates a biblical defense of the integration of faith and learning as well as a comprehensive theological defense. Not only does he articulate this at an academic level but he does not neglect the spiritual aspect of things, emphasizing not just “smart” Christians but “spiritual” Christians. The movement from “theory” to “practice” in Dockery’s book is exceptional. I hardly find anything in it that I would disagree with or anything I wish I say that I did not see in the book. It is an even handed treatment that should be read by those who care about Christian higher education and especially those involved in Christian higher education. May we see a renewal of a close integration of faith and learning on our campuses as we emphasize the great truth that all truth is God’s truth. May we raise up godly men and women who are passionate about the truth and about serving Christ in the world around them through the Great Commission. And may those of us involved in Christian higher education lead the way through authentic spirituality grounded in the truth. Highly recommended!

Flexing the Pastoral Muscles

“It really doesn’t matter how many sheep we gather if we don’t intend to feed them” (Stan Toler, “Leading from the Pulpit,” Preaching [Sept/Oct 2009], 17).

This past Sunday I was able to be with my flock again at Tunkhannock Baptist Church in Tunkhannock, PA. It is painful to “pop in” and “pop out” like this as we wait for my work visa so we can set roots down full-time and begin serving Christ’s flock that He has entrusted to us. But, I love to have the opportunity to begin to develop relationships with my sheep and to seek to feed them from the Word of God. One of the blessings I have is beginning to lead them in a study of What is a Healthy Church? in our Sunday PM series. This week we talked about Expository Preaching being a defining mark of a healthy church.

I tried to articulate that expository preaching (preaching that takes as its main point the main point of the Scripture that is being preached upon) is defended in the Bible itself, and tried to articulate both the benefits of it for the pastor and for the church. One of the things I noted was that a good thing sometimes takes a lot of effort. It is in expository preaching that we really flex our pastoral muscles.

Often it seems that many in our churches expect that we can feed them from the Word of God without actually preparing for it. This is both a crime for the preacher and for the congregation.

I have a friend, Heinz Dschankilic, who is a wonderful servant of Christ and Executive Director of Sola Scriptura Ministries International, who offers an excellent analogy about sermon preparation. He explains that there is quite the difference between a microwave dinner and Thanksgiving dinner. The microwave dinner is quick but rarely tasty and frankly, far from filling. Thanksgiving dinner though is delicious and highly filling, but it takes substantial time. For a shepherd to effectively feed his flock, he needs to take time to prepare the feast for the flock. Isn’t a feast better than a Hungryman TV dinner?

In the recent issue of Preaching magazine Stan Toler has an excellent article called “Leading from the Pulpit.” He offers the story of Pastor W. A. Criswell of First Baptist Church in Dallas, TX and the importance of study in preparation of Sunday. He writes that Criswell,

… used to stay away from the “office” during the weekday morning hours. He was home in his study–pouring over the Scriptures, seeking the Spirit’s leadership in putting the menu together for a sheep-feeding the following Sunday. Criswell said in his autobiography, Standing on the Promises, “If you want to succeed in ministry… keep your heart fixed on Jesus and your mind centered on God’s Word.” His afternoons were given to the church business, but his mornings we devoted to Bible study.”

It is important as shepherds to feed our flocks. If we want our flocks to be healthy and to live according to the glory of God, we need to feed them what they need, a steady diet of the Word of God. And before we can feed them, we need to prepare the feast. This takes time and effort on behalf of the preacher, but the rewards for both the pastor and the flock are extraordinary.

So, for my flock at TBC, know that I want the best for you and I intend to prepare feasts for you each week from the Word of God. This means that it will take me time each week to prepare the meal for Sunday. It means I need dedicated time to study the Scriptures, to apply them to my own life, so I can proclaim them to you. But in the end, this dedicated time of study will pay off as you are able to experience a steady diet of the Word of God. I intend to feed you and feed you well. So, I must prepare the meal well!

Pastors, love your flock so much that you spend time deep in study in the Word of God to prepare the feast of the Word of God for them each Sunday. Flex those pastoral muscles! Remember, it really doesnt’ matter how many sheep we gather if we don’t intend to feed them. And I would add, feed them well.

Jesus Made in America

Jesus Made in America: A Cultural History from the Puritans to the Passion of the Christ. By Stephen J. Nichols. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008, 237 pp., $24.95, paperback.

As popular as the genre of history has become in the world of books, it is still a most difficult task of making history interesting reading. Many historical books are dry, academic, and rarely worth reading beyond professional historians. Stephen Nichols (Research Professor of Christianity and Culture, Lancaster Bible College, Lancaster, PA) has developed the uncanny ability of making history interesting and especially helpful to Christians and pastors for the life of the church. His volumes on Jonathan Edwards, Martin Luther, Christology, and others are written clearly and interestingly. In fact, they are written so well it is often hard to put them down! And Jesus Made in America is another hit. Cultural history is often even drier than regular history but Nichols makes the study of how Americans have viewed the person of Jesus Christ from the time of the Puritans until now completely fascinating.

This is not to say that Nichols is not heavy in parts. In particular the first few chapters are intense as they seek to understand the person of Jesus Christ in early American history. The topic of Christology in the Puritans is vast. Many Puritan pastors and theologians spent great amounts of time on Christ. It is fascinating to see how the “Word” rooted Christ of the Puritans becomes the commercial Jesus of today. The move from the Puritans to the Founding Fathers is also fascinating. Many today might disagree with Nichols views on the beliefs of the Founding Fathers (he would argue many of the Founding Fathers were deists, not just Jefferson) but his case is compelling and it forces those who assume the Founding Fathers were Christians to at least look at both sides of the evidence. This reviewer found his arguments quite compelling.

The next chapter looking at the Victorian makeover of Jesus to the feminized Christ from the masculine frontier Jesus was fascinating to this reviewer. It opened up an era of the Church not clearly understood especially as it related to understandings of Jesus. Surveying magazines of the time the church often looked to the feminine Jesus. Next, Nichols looks at the change to the feminized Jesus to the social liberal Jesus of the Fundamentalist-Modernist period. Nichols excels here especially in contrasting Fosdick from Machen (Nichols previously has written on Machen) and it seems unfortunately Machen was not able to bring Jesus back to the Word-centered Jesus of the Puritans but forced Jesus into this social-gospel mode.

Nichols looks at the further movement to the Jesus people and how modern society views Jesus as evidenced in contemporary Christian music, movies, and the commercial culture. It would seem that Nichols is right when he has says that today we can include all of our Christology on a bumper sticker. “The history of American evangelical Jesus reveals that such complexities as the two natures of Christ has often been brushed aside, either on purpose or out of expediency. Too often his deity has been eclipsed by his humanity, and occasionally the reverse is true. Too often American evangelicals have settled for a Christology that can be reduced to a bumper sticker” (p. 18). Modern society’s commercialized Jesus has clearly distorted the real Jesus of the Scriptures.

Finally, Nichols look at how both the right and left on the political spectrum have viewed Jesus and used Him as their champion for respective causes. Nichols ably demonstrates how Jesus does not fully fit into either a Republican or Democratic mold.

In Jesus Made in America, Nichols provides a fascinating look at how America has changed in its view of the person of Jesus Christ. From a time of Christology rooted in the Scriptures under the Puritans to a Jesus on the celluloid screen most clearly emphasizing His humanity over His divinity, as the feministic cigarette saying goes, “you’ve come a long way baby.” The question is, is it the right way, or the wrong way? Nichols concludes, that as we as the church continue to move into the 21st century we must reaffirm the person of Jesus Christ as rooted in the Scriptures and as understood by the church throughout history, especially as represented in the various ancient creeds. It is interesting that we have moved from a time when our Christology was communicated in a lengthy creed and now is communicated on a bumper sticker or on a bracelet. Can we truly boil the great and sovereign Lord of the universe down to this limited amount of space? Nichols rightly shows us that we lose much when we do so.

The value of this book is that it shows us the damage that we have done to the person of Christ over the years in America and how hard the church has to work to reconnect Jesus Christ to the Scriptures. As pastors and church leaders especially, I would recommend all to engage with these observations and again bring back a Christology of the Word as it makes much of the divine-human Jesus Christ and little of ourselves. Perhaps we are not at the point of preaching for two years on the person and work of Christ as the Puritans might, but perhaps if we begin to make much of Christ in our preaching and teaching we can begin to rescue the church from the theological/biblical reductionism it which it has found itself. I am so thankful for people like Nichols who can show us where we have come from, where we are at, and where we are going so we can better be more faithful as pastors to our Lord Jesus Christ living in a culture that wants to squeeze the God of the universe onto a bracelet. Let us make much of Christ!