Welcome back to the third and final part of my interview with Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III (read part one here and part two here).
Ligon, where in ministry are you most regularly tempted to discouragement?
Everywhere in general, but nowhere in particular. I live in a quiet state of uncertainty that I am making a positive contribution to anything that is of any consequence, and simultaneously find myself loving what I do, very content in my labors and energized for ministry. That being said, seeing marital struggles among professing Christians often deeply troubles and burdens my heart.
Do you exercise? If so, what do you do? If not, why not? (Please be specific.)
I do not exercise (much), but I should. When I do, I like to walk (especially with my dogs, black lab mixes: Lass and Buddy). I used to lift weights, but I do not any more, but, again, I should. I am hoping to start back exercising and trying to lose 60lbs in the next ten months. I’ve just installed “Lose It!” on my iPhone. Pray for me. And pray for Anne and the kids too. I’m grumpy when I’m trying to lose weight.
Currently, what sport do you like to play and/or watch?
I used to play basketball and football. If I can lose some weight, I would like to play basketball again. I would seriously love to drive the lane, left to right, and give a behind the back dish to C.J. for a trey. But I’d hurt myself if I tried now, I’m so out of shape!
I enjoy watching (though I do it infrequently) college football, ACC basketball, “March Madness,” and I enjoy going to the occasional major league baseball game.
What do you do for leisure?
I like to (1) spend time with my family, (2) read, (3) hang out with good friends like Derek Thomas, C.J. Mahaney, Al Mohler, and Mark Dever, (4) watch sports, and (5) play with my dogs – there is something restorative about watching a dog run free in a huge field and dive into a lake and shake itself dry, tongue hanging out with delighted exhaustion.
If you were not in ministry, what occupational path would you have chosen?
I might have been a college or university professor of history, or perhaps have pursued a political or governmental career.
Thank you for your time, Ligon!
Welcome back to the second part of my interview with Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III (read part one here).
Ligon, apart from Scripture, what book do you most frequently re-read and why?
I do not think that I can answer the question, which book I most frequently re-read, since there are a number of them that I have re-read over the years. Some examples of these books would be:
-
Calvin’s Institutes
- Packer’s A Quest for Godliness
- David Wells’ No Place for Truth
- Thomas Brooks’ Precious Remedies against Satan’s Devices
I re-read these books because they are particularly edifying, convicting, timely and instructive.
When you finish a book, what system have you developed in order to remember and reference that book in the future?
I have no system. I’m not a fast reader, but I can usually remember what I read and where I read. So, I largely rely upon my memory, but this does result in some rummaging around to find things from time to time. Of course, if I’m researching something for publication, I keep notes, by author, title, and subject.
If you could study under any theologian in church history (excluding those men in Scripture) who would it be and why?
Calvin or Irenaeus.
I would choose Calvin because he is, in my opinion, the best exegete and possibly the greatest systematic theologian in the history of Christianity. He is certainly one of the five greatest theologians in the history of the Church.
I would choose Irenaeus because he played such a crucial role in the shaping of orthodoxy and because of his close proximity to the apostles. I would love to pepper him with questions about all of that for about two years, eight hours a day, five days a week.
What single piece of counsel (or constructive criticism) has most improved your preaching?
Well, I’m not sure I can claim that it has improved my preaching, but at least Mark Dever’s counsel has been helpful and instructive to me: “if your wife wakes you up at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning to ask you what your sermon is about, and you cannot tell her in one crisp sentence, then that sermon is not ready to preach.” Basically, we must be really clear on what the main thrust, thesis, argument, point, and main application of our sermon is.
What books on preaching, or examples of it, have you found most influential in your own preaching?
I have benefited from Lloyd-Jones’ book Preaching and Preachers, the volume edited by Sam Logan called The Preacher and Preaching, and Broadus, On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons. But I have gained the most from listening to great preaching. Growing up under the faithful and powerful expository ministries of Gordon Reed and Paul Settle, and listening to Mark Dever, John Piper, C.J. Mahaney, Derek Thomas, Sinclair Ferguson, Eric Alexander, and others, have been most influential on my preaching.
What single bit of counsel has made the most significant difference in your effective use of time?
I do not use my time effectively, but the best advice that I have been given is, “Learn to say, ‘No.’” Unfortunately, I have not taken this advice yet, but am trying.
What single bit of counsel has made the most significant difference in your leadership?
“I have not come to be served, but to serve.” And “if you want to be a servant, you have to be prepared to be treated like one.” (Glen Knecht)
That is humbling counsel. Thank you, Dr. Duncan.
Please join me next time for the third and final part of my interview with Dr. Duncan.
Meet J. Ligon Duncan III.
You guessed it, Dr. Duncan is also scary smart—a graduate of Furman University, Covenant Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and the University of Edinburgh (Ph.D.).
Since 1996 Ligon has served as the Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi. He is also a professor at Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS-Jackson). Dr. Duncan is a one-man seminary, having taught courses on patristics, systematic theology, ethics, apologetics, history of philosophy and Christian thought, covenant theology, evangelism, and the theology of the Westminster Standards.
Dr. Duncan is the President and Chairman of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, the Chairman of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, has previously served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the PCA, serves on the council of the Gospel Coalition, and is one of four friends who host Together for the Gospel.
But you probably know all this already.
So who is Ligon Duncan? During his ministry, what advice has informed his leadership? Which contemporary preachers does he learn from? What discourages him? How much weight is he trying to lose? If he were to lose the weight, what kind of mad hoops skilz would he display?
These and many other things we will discover in my three-part interview with my good friend J. Ligon Duncan number 3.
Ligon, please describe your morning devotions. What time do you wake up in the morning? How much time do you spend reading, meditating, praying, etc.? What are you presently reading?
I usually wake up between 5-6:15 a.m., depending on the day. I typically do my devotions at the church, since I spend almost my entire time at home in the mornings helping to get the kids ready for and to school. I do have a home office (in addition to my study at the church) and I often do devotional reading there in the mornings (but not for very long) and more often in the evenings.
At present I am reading through 1 Chronicles, both the text and the notes, in the ESV Study Bible. I was going to do one of the ESV read through the Bible in a year plans, but the Chronicles readings at the first of the year captivated me, and I wanted an excuse to read through all the ESV Study Bible notes on that book, and I was enjoying Chronicles so much and desired to know it better that I decided to luxuriate in it.
I probably read fifteen minutes or so. Prayer time is distributed throughout the day, and I haven’t tried to quantify it, so I really don’t know. I carry a prayer list in my Bible and on MS Outlook on my Blackberry and iPhone. I also set aside a special prayer time, early on every Lord’s Day morning, to pray for the ministry of a handful of other pastors.
What book(s) are you currently reading in these three categories: (a) for your soul, (b) for pastoral ministry, or (c) for personal enjoyment?
I am not this well-organized! I don’t have my reading apportioned in three such good categories (but I’m not at all surprised that C.J. Mahaney thinks in these terms!). My categories are less sophisticated: what I have to read and what I want to read. Now, of course, I love to read what I have to read (most of the time), but I don’t always have to read what I want to read, so maybe these categories make sense.
Under the have to read category, (1) I am reading 15-20 commentaries at any given time, depending on what book of the Bible I am preaching through. So, currently I am reading through Luke commentaries (including Phil Ryken’s unpublished manuscript, Wilcock, Hendriksen, Geldenhuys, Ryle, Bock, Calvin, Marshall, Morris, etc). (2) Another major area under the have to read category is related to whatever courses I am teaching at that time. Right now, I am teaching covenant theology at RTS Jackson, and teaching a survey of the Westminster Confession of Faith, so I’m spending some time reading things related to covenant theology and reading commentaries on the Confession too (e.g. Hodge, Shaw, Ward, Warfield, etc). (3) The third area under the have to read category is manuscripts that I am to endorse or review (e.g., I’ve recently read Cornelis Venema’s critique of paedocommunion “Children at the Lord’s Table?” and Todd Rester’s translation of William Ames “Sketch of the Christian’s Catechism”). Or secondary literature related to writing and research projects (e.g., recently did a literature survey of every book and article written on covenant theology since 1985).
Under the want to read category, which sort of corresponds to your “personal enjoyment” category, I am an avid reader of book catalogs and a fervent frequenter of bookstores. So I’m on the hunt for new stuff all the time. I also am usually pulling recommendations from people like Al Mohler, Mark Dever, Derek Thomas, Russell Moore et al. I especially love history and great literature. At present I am reading Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
Join us next time for the second part of my interview with Dr. Duncan.
Welcome back for the second half of my interview with Thabiti Anyabwile. You can read part one
here.
Thabiti, what single piece of counsel (or constructive criticism) has most improved your preaching?
At Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Mark [Dever] held service reviews every Sunday night following the evening service. Prior to then, I don’t think I ever received much feedback other than the customary comments you receive at the church door after service. The first few times through those sessions were excruciating! On one level, just receiving feedback pointed out a lot of pride and an unhealthy lack of reflection on what I was doing as a preacher. Just taking and learning to take critique was a piece of counsel that has improved my preaching. I’m less ego-involved, I hope, and I’m benefiting from others.
But perhaps the most specific critique was that as a preacher I was less myself than in normal conversation. When I played ball 50 pounds ago, I played with great intensity and aggression. And I loved it! Put your game face on or go home!! Chump!
Turns out that doesn’t work as well in the pulpit! Yeah… something about a 6’ 2” brother yelling, “In yo’ face! You ain’t got nuttin’” just doesn’t communicate “gospel.” You know what I mean?
A couple people graciously observed that when preaching I preached with a flatter range of emotion, expression, color, etc. I’d hit a high intensity groove and never modulate. People helpfully pointed out that I was easier to listen to and information better transferred when I preached with wider expressive range, and was just more myself. That’s been really helpful and I’m still working on it. I think there is something to that definition of preaching (Lloyd-Jones, I think?) as truth mediated through personality. And, yet, I also think we need to be serious, sober, and passionate about these colossal truths that impact a person’s eternity.
What books on preaching, or examples of it, have you found most influential in your own preaching?
I’ve already mentioned Bridges’
The Christian Ministry. I really enjoy Lloyd-Jones
Preaching and Preachers. The Bible is pretty helpful. The apostolic model of preaching ought to be observed, studied, and applied.
What single bit of counsel has made the most significant difference in your effective use of time?
I don’t know, C.J. That’s a good question. I’ll have to think more about that. I think I’ve always been pretty good about working hard with the time the Lord gives me. Part of that is a sinful competitiveness. I want to produce. The Apostle Paul said he worked harder than them all. I wish that could be said of me.
But maybe it’s the encouragement I received from a pastor who said make sure you’re not spending all your times with people who are struggling with some problem or another. Be sure to spend time with people who are doing well, are fruitful in life and ministry. As I’ve done that, I’ve just been helped not to swing too far toward discouragement or exhaustion.
What single bit of counsel has made the most significant difference in your leadership?
Don’t treat people as projects.
Where in ministry are you most regularly tempted to discouragement?
When marriages are in trouble or breaking up. I don’t think there is an issue in pastoral ministry that affects me more than that. The pain of breaking apart what God has put together simply isn’t calculable. I grieve deeply when marriages in my care are under assault. And when I am tempted to trust the presence or absence of visible fruit as evidence of God’s presence, power, and grace, then I’m tempted to discouragement.
Do you exercise? If so, what do you do? If not, why not? (Please be specific.)
You put this question here just for me, didn’t you?
I don’t exercise. I don’t have any good reason not to. At the least, I should find time to go downstairs to the gym beneath my office and shoot around a bit. I rationalize my lack of exercise on two grounds. And these are rationalizations, not real problems.
First, I prefer team and competitive forms of exercise. I hate treadmills. The lowest parts of Hades will be lined with treadmills with CNN and Oprah playing for all of eternity. I need competition to enjoy the exercise.
Second, I don’t want to be away from the family for another evening of the week. Now, that sounds all noble. But the truth is, we could walk together as a family. I could do more with the kids that would include exercise. And a hundred other things.
Bottom line: I need to take better care of my body.
Currently, what sport do you like to play and/or watch?
We don’t have a television with any channel reception. We mainly watch DVDs or movies we buy or rent. So, I’m not seeing much in the way of sports. And I’m not playing any either. If I were, it would be basketball.
What do you do for leisure?
Read. Nap. From time to time, hang out at the pool or the beach with the family. Watch a sci-fi film. Also play Civilization IV.
If you were not in ministry, what occupational path would you have chosen?
I thought I was headed toward teaching at the university level. But if I were doing anything after ministry it would either be owning/operating an independent bookstore or coaching high school basketball. Did both of those for a number of years, and after the ministry, they were the sweetest times of my life.
Thank you for your time, Thabiti!
Meet Thabiti Anyabwile.
Thabiti holds B.A. and M.S. degrees in psychology from North Carolina State University and is the author of three books:
Thabiti is the senior pastor of
First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman (the Cayman Islands). He was previously an assistant pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church (Washington, DC).
But you probably know all this already.
So who is Thabiti Anyabwile? What does he read for fun? What discourages him? How does he structure his devotional time? What correction from others has most benefited him? What career path would he have chosen if not ministry?
Thanks for your time, Thabiti! Please describe your morning devotions. What time do you wake up in the morning? How much time do you spend reading, meditating, praying, etc.? What are you presently reading?
My devotions are really pretty simple. I usually wake somewhere between 6:30-7:30am. There’s a brief prayer when I wake. After getting ready for the day, I spend time praying through the day and usually 1-2 pages of the church directory (30 minutes), usually read four chapters from the Scripture (I use Carson’s
For the Love of God, and usually read both the evening and morning readings in the morning), I pray through each chapter I read and note things for meditation/application that day, and I read something edifying outside of Scripture. Right now I’m reading Calvin’s
Institutes with the Ref21 gang as part of my devotional routine.
What book(s) are you currently reading in these three categories: (a) for your soul, (b) for pastoral ministry, or (c) for personal enjoyment?
For my soul: C.J. Mahaney (ed),
Worldliness; Calvin, The
Institutes.
For pastoral ministry: John Stott’s
The Living Church: Convictions of a Lifelong Pastor; J. Ligon Duncan and Susan Hunt,
Women’s Ministry in the Local Church.
For personal enjoyment: Stuart Brown and John Wickham (eds),
The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories; Pierre Berton,
The Invasion of Canada, 1812-1813. These double as reads for pastoral ministry since I’m pastoring a Caribbean congregation with a lot of Canadian members as well.
Apart from Scripture, what book do you most frequently re-read and why?
Two books call out to me once every 18 months to 2 years: J.I. Packer’s
Knowing God and Charles Bridges’
The Christian Ministry. Every time I read those books I’m drawn to some magnificence in God or in the pastoral ministry. Packer’s
Knowing God leaves me more passionate about God. Bridges’
The Christian Ministry leaves me more passionate about the ministry.
When you finish a book, what system have you developed in order to remember and reference that book in the future?
Does highlighting count? I highlight a book and write comments in the margin. I’ve tried to start a quote file. And I’ve written personal indexes in the back of a book. But I don’t find that those help me reference a book in the future. I’m just a highlighter kind of guy. And it’s fun for me because I re-read the section with new eyes and distance sometimes. So, I glean new things, or I go away thinking, “Why in the world did I highlight that?” So it becomes a fun interaction between my past and future.
If you could study under any theologian in church history (excluding those men in Scripture), who would it be and why?
Oooohhh…. I’d have two, I think. I’d want to be in Geneva with Calvin. The man knew his Bible, the classics, the Fathers, the languages, and how to train men. Right now I can’t imagine a better person to learn from, speaking purely in terms of his worthiness as a theologian. Plus I’d really like to know what happened with Servetus and provide the once and for all account of what went down!
Second, I’d want to labor alongside Lemuel Haynes, the 18th century pastor in Rutland, VT. I’d want to observe the dynamic between an African-American pastor and an all-white congregation in the late 1700s. And I’d want to sit under his preaching. I love his consistently high view of the church, and that he viewed the ministry with an eschatological urgency.
Join me tomorrow for the second half of my interview with Thabiti.
February 13, 2009 by Tony Reinke
Categories: Humility | Humor | Sports
Happy Friday! Today we post the second half of the winning entries in our
Don’t Waste Your Sports DVD contest (the first half is
here).
Winning entry #5:
My most embarrassing moment occurred in the middle of a 3-mile varsity cross-country race in high school. For those who don’t think cross-country is a contact sport, think again.
I was about 2 miles into the race and struggling in the hot weather. My older sister happened to be running next to me so I tried to focus on keeping up with her and looked down to watch her stride.
All of a sudden, her feet disappeared and I look up just in time to wham into a rather large pine tree. There I was, flopping on the ground like a fish after having the wind knocked out of me. I couldn’t get up. I’m not easily deterred so I finished the race and ended the day but with a pounding headache.
After the race, my teammates helped me pick out the bark that had imprinted on the skin of my forehead. I was continually the butt of everyone’s jokes the rest of the season. Can you say “tree hugger”?
Heidi G.
Spokane, WA
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Winning entry #4:
In my sophomore year on the varsity basketball team we were in a close game against Mercer County High, down by 1 point with just seconds to go.
The clock was stopped and the referee handed our point guard the ball for the inbounds pass, under our own goal. With only five seconds to inbound the ball, he was not having any luck finding an open player, and time was ticking away. Our entire bench was screaming for the guard to call
timeout, so we wouldn’t lose possession.
At that exact moment, I became
wide open under the goal, and the point guard threw me the ball. But instead of making the basket for the win, I called a
timeout, because that’s what the bench was screaming.
We lost.
Kevin H.
Bowling Green, KY
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Winning entry #3:
I’m in the third grade, playing right field in my hometown rec league. I’m in right field for a reason—and it’s skill related—I lack the ability to field ground balls. The only thing I do worse is field fly balls. And I’ve gotta…well, you know…go.
Late in the game, I inform the coach of my growing need. There are no facilities at the field. He’s absorbed in the game—we’re tied. He waves me off.
We go into extra innings, and I explain to the coach, again, that I’ve really gotta go. He explains that if I leave, we forfeit the game. There’s just nine of us.
So I trot out to my lonely position in right field. I’m hopping from one foot to the other. I’m squeezing my knees together. And there came a point at which my bladder muscles decided to surrender. The dam burst. My two pant legs became a delta flowing in an ever-broadening stream down into my shoes and then into the right field turf.
No one noticed. At this level, baseball is an infielder’s game.
The inning ended with the score still tied. Now I’ve got an even bigger problem. I can’t run home, and I can’t go back to the dugout looking like this.
I spot, behind the fence that runs along the first base line, a large mud puddle. I don’t even have to think. I sprint toward the dugout and take a detour, diving head first through the brown water.
I walked into the dugout covered from chest to shoes with mud. The coach looked at me and turned his head in disgust.
I don’t remember who won.
John L.
Bowie, MD
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Winning entry #2:
Since I am a professional golfer, I figure I have a lot of humbling sports related experiences.
This past year I graduated from college and turned professional. Seeing as I did not have much money to fund my expenses yet, I did not play as much as I would have liked during the summer. I still decided to go to PGA Tour Qualifying in the fall.
After a successful career in college winning multiple times, I went to Q-school looking like a weekend golfer. I shot 80-83-83-81 to finish close to last. It was the most humbling experience of my life. I was way under prepared and unfocused. To make matters worse, most of my potential sponsors pulled the plug on our deal afterwards.
Through golf God has always showed me how much self-worth I derived from my performance and the point was really driven home after that tournament. Also, it has forced me to rely on Him for my finances and that other sponsors will come along. I am thankful that I am in a profession that really makes me to trust the Lord and seek to have my identity in Him alone. Golf is a game that will give you many opportunities to practice humility and grow in holiness.
Kyle M.
Palm Beach, FL
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Winning entry #1:
As a high school sophomore, I was trying to get on the varsity basketball team. Playing in a J.V. game on the road, I was posted up and calling for the ball, hoping to impress the varsity coach who was watching.
The guard didn’t have a good passing angle. Frustrated, I turned to screen across the lane. Just as I began to turn I was smacked hard in the head.
The next thing I know, everyone was laughing.
Apparently when I turned my head, the pass was made, smacking me in the back of the head. The ball bounced off my head, up in the air, and down into the basket. The referees were laughing so hard they called a timeout.
But I got to play varsity that night for the first time!
Chris M.
Waseca, MN
February 12, 2009 by Tony Reinke
Categories: Humility | Humor | Sports
Congratulations to the ten winners of the Don’t Waste Your Sports DVD Contest. Today and tomorrow we are posting the ten winning entries on the blog, in ascending order (to heighten the drama).
Today we feature winning entries #10–#6. Enjoy.
Winning entry #10:
Playing baseball was my lifeline as a young boy. And I was pretty good at it. I was the pitcher nobody liked to face (once threw a 16-strikeout game).
For years my parents, coaches, and teammates recognized my gift and encouraged me in the game. Every summer I was part of a tournament “all star” team that traveled around the Pittsburgh area, playing other schools.
Can you just sense the humility here?
In one particular game, we faced a team with one fantastic hitter. I was pitching, two men were on base, and Mr. “Big Shot” steps to the plate. And just to be safe, we decided to intentionally walk this kid, who greatly resembled Goliath.
I threw the catcher two intentional balls. My third pitch came in a little too close to the plate, close enough for Goliath to swing at and send out of the park—a three-run home run on an intentional walk. That was the day I learned what humility was all about.
David S.
Pittsburgh, PA
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Winning entry #9:
The most humbling moment in my athletic career is more serious and sad than anything else.
During high school I was fortunate enough to compete at the high school and Junior Olympic level in volleyball. I had several scholarship offers to play volleyball at the D1 level (and a few offers for softball too).
Volleyball was my life; I ate, breathed, worked, played, and slept volleyball. And I was raised in church, and had been a believer since a very young age, but had ignored God during this time in my life because I was so focused on volleyball.
Toward the end of my senior year season, I developed severe tendonitis in my dominant shoulder. Being a typical prideful athlete, I took painkillers and ignored it.
During a semifinal game for the state championship, we’re tied 14–14 with our rival team. I go up for a spike. Perfect. Except it was not so perfect. My shoulder dislocated and in the process I ripped my rotator cuff apart.
We lost the game and I lost my ability to play volleyball and softball (I was supposed to be the ace pitcher that year), I lost scholarship offers, I lost my pride, and lost what I thought was my life.
But what I gained was far greater. Through the pain and tears, and many months of anger, God changed my heart and my attitude. That painful, embarrassing, and devastating event readjusted my view on life and showed me that Christ really was my only solution for happiness and fulfillment.
Kim A.
Huntington, WV
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Winning entry #8:
The town where I attended high school had its share of rivalries. I attended the slummier, grittier public high school, and we were playing a big basketball game against one rival, a private Mennonite school, both of our schools having long histories of success.
Big crowds, pep rallies, and a lot of excitement preceded the big game. And although we were visitors in the Mennonite gym, we had our share of loyal fans bussed over.
Deep into the game, the ball became trapped between the backboard and the rim. Our coach called a timeout, and my teammates retreated back to our bench. Eager to help out the hapless referee—and show off my amazing vertical skills!—I took a couple of steps and with breathtaking athleticism, leapt towards the ball. Reaching a height just short of my goal, I was able to reach (and slap at) the ball. But I could not free the ball.
The large crowd erupted into jeers, as my face turned an inhuman shade of red, whereupon my coach promptly screamed at me to get over to the huddle.
The fans heckled me mercilessly during my endless jaunt back to the bench. We eventually won the game, but my vertical was never the same!
Ken B.
Toronto
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Winning entry #7:
The game was clearly over. Time had not run out, but the scoreboard indicated an insurmountable lead of our team and the faces of the opposing team confirmed it. We dominated on the boards and sank one shot after another.
We were the better team on the court that day, or at least the scoreboard would have you believe.
With the decision in hand, our team of 8th graders was clearly having a blast. And being an inexperienced, volunteer boys basketball coach, I seemed to let the unruly on-court behavior get the better of me. Discipline soon waned. One fancy no-look pass on one play gave way to a showy alley-oop on the next. Before we knew it, our players began chucking three-pointers from half-court.
After the game, as both teams were exchanging high-fives, their coach, several decades older, confronted me.
“Congrats on the win. You got a talented team,” he said, “But it was disrespectful what you did towards the end. Maybe they can learn a thing about sportsmanship, Coach.”
I can’t believe it didn’t occur to me then, but we were no longer just having fun—we did it at their expense. Though we won the game as was obvious on the scoreboard, we had lost the game in spirit. Sure enough, I would deliver this message to the kids who were not expecting such words after a victory.
There is much to be said about humility, because the ability to reflect genuine grace is perhaps the best victory of all.
Martin Y.
Diamond Bar, CA
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Winning entry #6:
I was attending a San Francisco Giants baseball game about 10 years ago accompanied by a junior high student from my church. I had acquired some field level seats along the third base line, and as is the custom with most baseball fans with “good seats,” I brought a baseball glove.
Halfway through the game, a right-handed batter pulled the ball foul on the ground in my direction. As I (and the fan to my right) stretched over the fence to snag the ball, I toppled over the fence entirely and landed right directly my head! In a panic, I scrambled back over the fence. Needless to say, there was a roar of laughter from the fans who caught the moment. Which would include the photographer from the Chronicle newspaper who ended up capturing the moment. The next day that picture of me falling head-first onto the field was published in full color on the front page of the sports section.
To make matters worse, the picture captured not only my fall, but also captured the junior high student who had joined me cracking up in laughter.
Now that was a bit humbling, especially when I had to explain that for all that effort and embarrassment—and brief of moment of “fame”—I never got the ball.
Evers D.
San Jose, CA
February 11, 2009 by Tony Reinke
Categories: Sports
…Time’s up.
Thanks to each of you who responded to the contest and submitted stories. The number of responses exceeded our expectations.
We read and appreciated the serious entries, where you explained how you learned humility through defeats, setbacks, and career-ending injuries. And we enjoyed a laugh over the many embarrassing and humorous entries where sports taught you similar lessons of humility.
These contest entries reflect an awareness that God was at work behind the embarrassments, the injuries, the blowouts, the blushing faces, the nervous sweating, and all those humbling scenes that you never forgot—and likely never will.
Out of this stack of entries, C.J. has chosen ten winners. Each will receive a copy of the
Don’t Waste Your Sports DVD and a bonus copy of the
Psalms album. The winning entries will be posted soon on the blog.
Congratulations to the following contest winners:
(1)
Chris M. (Waseca, MN) Basketball: Pass to the head to the hoop.
(2)
Kyle M. (Palm Beach, FL) Golf: Successful college golfer humbled at Q-school.
(3)
John L. (Bowie, MD) Baseball: Purposeful slide through an off-field puddle.
(4)
Kevin H. (Bowling Green, KY) Basketball: Wide-open pass turns ugly.
(5)
Heidi G. (Spokane, WA) Cross-country: A runner redefines the term “tree hugger.”
(6)
Evers D. (San Jose, CA) Baseball: Headfirst landing at a major-league game captured on film and published in the newspaper.
(7)
Martin Y. (Diamond Bar, CA) Basketball: Learning humility despite coaching the winning team in a blowout.
(8)
Ken B. (Toronto) Basketball: Too painful for summary.
(9)
Kim A. (Huntington, WV) Volleyball: Athlete humbled by a career-ending injury.
(10)
David S. (Pittsburgh, PA) Baseball: Pitcher intends an intentional walk, allows three RBIs.
Meet John Piper.
Dr. Piper is a graduate of Wheaton College, Fuller Theological Seminary (B.D.), and the University of Munich (D.theol.).
Dr. Piper is the Pastor for Preaching & Vision at
Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, the founder of
Desiring God, and the author of more than 30 books including:
But you probably know all this already.
So who is John Piper? What does he read for fun? What discourages him? How does he structure his devotional time? What correction from others has most benefited him? What career path would he have chosen if not ministry?
Thanks for your time, John! Please describe your morning devotions. What time do you wake up in the morning? How much time do you spend reading, meditating, praying, etc.? What are you presently reading?
I get up two mornings at 5:15, four mornings at 6:15 and one morning at 6:00.
I set aside one hour for prayer and Bible reading using the
Discipleship Journal read through the Bible reading plan. That puts me now (February 2009) in Exodus, Psalms, Matthew, and Acts. On the five free days when there are no assignments I focus on memorization.
What book(s) are you currently reading in these three categories: (a) for your soul, (b) for pastoral ministry, or (c) for personal enjoyment?
I am reading
Team of Rivals about Abraham Lincoln,
Gilead by Marilyn Robinson,
Pilgrim’s Progress,
Culture Making by Andy Crouch, and
Reformed Is Not Enough by Doug Wilson.
Apart from Scripture, what book do you most frequently re-read and why?
I don’t re-read books, except to read them to my family (like
Pilgrim’s Progress).
When you finish a book, what system have you developed in order to remember and reference that book in the future?
I index books as I read them, by writing short notes in the front of the book with page numbers beside them. In a good book there may be over a hundred such notes.
If you could study under any theologian in church history (excluding those men in Scripture), who would it be and why?
Jonathan Edwards because he saw the grandeur of God and experienced a great awakening and ran a happy family.
What single piece of counsel (or constructive criticism) has most improved your preaching?
Don’t preach in a way that a Muslim would approve. Preach a divine crucified Christ.
What books on preaching, or examples of it, have you found most influential in your own preaching?
Spurgeon,
Lectures to My Students; Lloyd-Jones,
Preaching and Preachers; John Stott,
Between Two Worlds; Graeme Goldsworthy,
Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture.
What single bit of counsel has made the most significant difference in your effective use of time?
A great tree will fall with many small chops. Pray for daily grace to keep chopping.
What single bit of counsel has made the most significant difference in your leadership?
Lead by helping people see the same truth in the Bible you do so that commonly perceived truth is the fabric that binds together. When truth is not the bond, power moves are inevitable.
Where in ministry are you most regularly tempted to discouragement?
My own recurrent sins are the most discouraging thing in ministry. Next are the sins and sorrows of my family.
Do you exercise? If so, what do you do? If not, why not? (Please be specific.)
I run on the treadmill 30 minutes Monday, Wednesday and Saturday morning followed by a set of back lifts with a Swiss ball, stomach crunches with the ball, and pushups on the floor. I almost always walk to church instead of driving, 600 paces from door to door.
Currently, what sport do you like to play and/or watch?
I enjoy watching gymnastics, soccer, basketball, and football, in that order. If my back weren’t so stiff I would love to play racquetball. When our staff goes away we play volleyball and floor hockey.
What do you do for leisure?
Fill out forms from fellow pastors. Play scrabble with Noël. Read.
If you were not in ministry, what occupational path would you have chosen?
Teaching literature. Or, if my hands stopped shaking, medicine.
February 5, 2009 by Tony Reinke
Categories: Sermons | Sports
Do the gospel and sports connect? If so, how does the gospel shape the way we play, view, and coach sports? These and other questions are answered by C.J. in his sermon “Don’t Waste Your Sports.”
This week Sovereign Grace Ministries released C.J.’s sermon on DVD. And we are giving away some copies.
Here is how to win.
As C.J. points out in his message, athletics provides us many opportunities to cultivate humility (often unexpectedly). Whether it’s having a jumpshot rejected, a big fat swing and a whiff at a waist-level fastball, or accidentally high-fiving someone in the face, few things in life provide more opportunities for humility than athletics.
And now is your opportunity to tell the world about your embarrassing moment lesson in humility. For a free DVD, of course.
Here is the deal: Explain the most humbling moment from your life as an athlete, coach, or parent of an athlete. In 250 words (or less), write a narrative of the experience. Include your first name, last initial, and your hometown in an email and send it to blog AT sovgracemin DOT org.
No, you cannot share someone else’s story.
I’ll pass the entries along to C.J. The best and/or funniest stories will win a free copy of the DVD and the entry will be posted on the blog.
If your entry is chosen and posted on the blog, your first name, last initial, and hometown will appear along with it.
Please email your story by 12:00 noon (EST) on Wednesday, Feb. 11. Winners will be announced later that afternoon.
Please note that reference to the supremacy of the Duke Blue Devils, New York Yankees, or Dallas Cowboys will not help your chances.
For further details on the DVD, video excerpts, and free downloadable application questions, please visit our online store.