Podcast appearances and mentions of Richard Lovelace

In this episode of Truth Tribe, Dr. Groothuis explores the relationship between revival and apologetics, drawing from scripture and insights from Richard Lovelace's influential work, "Dynamics of Spiritual Life." He reflects on powerful biblical prayers, such as those from Psalm 80 and Isaiah 63, which express a deep yearning for divine intervention and renewal. Dr. Groothius also shares his experience of teaching Lovelace’s theology of renewal and discusses the significance of apologetics in the context of spiritual revival. Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D., is Distinguished University Research Professor of Apologetics and Christian Worldview at Cornerstone University and the author of twenty books, including Beyond the Wager: The Christian Brilliance of Blaise Pascal (InterVarsity, 2024). Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Pastor Garrison GreeneTEXT: Acts 2:41-42BIG IDEA: The gospel of Jesus Christ rescues us into communities that are devoted to God and to his means of grace.OUTLINE:1. A Gospel Community2. A Devoted Commitment3. A Nourishing CommunionRESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; Acts Commentary by Martyn Lloyd-Jones; John Gill's Exposition of the Bible by John Gill; ESV Expository Commentary: Acts by Brian Vickers; Preaching the Word: Acts by Kent Hughes; The Baptist Catechism (1677) by Benjamin Keach & William Collins; They Devoted Themselves (TGC) by Ray Ortlund Jr; Renewal As A Way of Life: A Guide Book For Spiritual Growth by Richard Lovelace; Green Pastures: A Primer on the Ordinary Means of Grace by J. Ryan Davidson

Send us a textToday we look at the love children of John Donne and Ben Jonson, a group of monarchist soldiers during the English Civil War.  Collectively known as the Cavalier Poets, they are numerous.  We'll look at some representative poems today by Robert Herrick, Thomas Carew, Richard Lovelace, and the ill-fated and unfortunately named Sir John Suckling.Additional music:"Consort for Brass" by Kevin MacLeod"La Violetta" by Claudio Monteverdi; perf. The Boston Camerata, dir. Joel Cohen"In Town Tonight" by Reginald Dixon; perf. Eric CoatesSupport the showPlease like, subscribe, and rate the podcast on Apple, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you listen. Thank you!Email: classicenglishliterature@gmail.comFollow me on Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok, and YouTube.If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting it with a small donation. Click the "Support the Show" button. So grateful!Podcast Theme Music: "Rejoice" by G.F. Handel, perf. The Advent Chamber OrchestraSubcast Theme Music: "Sons of the Brave" by Thomas Bidgood, perf. The Band of the Irish GuardsSound effects and incidental music: Freesounds.orgMy thanks and appreciation to all the generous providers!

In this conversation, Kyle discusses the concept of the sanctification gap and its implications for the Christian life. Looking at Richard Lovelace's account and well as John Coe's development, Kyle attends to how we can utilize this category fruitfully in our own formation. Kyle emphasizes the importance of drawing near to God in the reality of who we are, rather than turning to oneself as a way to generate or mimic an ideal. He encourages a holistic approach to spiritual theology that incorporates insights from the broader Christian tradition.00:00 Introduction and Background05:21 The Rich Tradition of Spiritual Theology07:20 The Experiential Gap and the Importance of Drawing Near09:45 The Role of Spiritual Theology in the Christian Life14:01 Embracing the Wisdom of the Christian Tradition16:34 Moving from an Idealistic to an Evangelical Approach21:48 Recognizing Our Need for Forgiveness24:22 Navigating the Sanctification Gap in PrayerResources mentioned: Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal.John Coe, “Spiritual Theology: A Theological-Experiential Methodology for Bridging the Sanctification Gap” in The Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care 2:1 (2009).Kyle Strobel, Formed for the Glory of God: Learning from the Spiritual Practices of Jonathan Edwards. Kyle Strobel and John Coe, Where Prayer Becomes Real: How Honesty with God Transforms Your Soul. Get full access to Kyle's Formation Substack at kylestrobel.substack.com/subscribe

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION “I note the obvious differences between each sort and type, but we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.”~Maya Angelou (1928-2014), poet and activist “If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.”~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), poet and educator “Much that we have interpreted as a defect of [holiness and happiness] in church people is really an outgrowth of their loss of bearing with respect to justification. Christians who are no longer sure that God loves and accepts them in Jesus, apart from their present spiritual achievements, are subconsciously radically insecure people…. Their insecurity shows itself in pride, a fierce, defensive assertion of their own righteousness [or ‘rightness'], and defensive criticism of others. They come naturally to hate other cultural styles and other races in order to bolster their own security and discharge the suppressed anger.”~Richard Lovelace (1931-2020) in The Dynamics of Spiritual Life “What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place. A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth. This is now exactly reversed.”~G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), writer and literary critic “When diversion becomes a way of life, we avoid the very issues to which we should be most attentive…the grim, unpleasant truth that our lives lack meaning without God…”~Dick Staub, contemporary cultural commentator “Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry is own weight, this is a frightening prospect.”~Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962), diplomat, activist, and First LadySERMON PASSAGEGalatians 5:22-6:10 (ESV)Galatians 5 (ESV) 13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. 16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh…. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 6 (ESV) 1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load. 6 Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. 1 Corinthians 13 (NIV) 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.

Today's poem from Ben Jonson (also know by its first line, “Drink to me only with thine eyes”) has been arranged and set to music numerous times, and become so familiar that it is often recognizable even to those who no longer associate it with Jonson himself. Jonson's circle of admirers and friends, who called themselves the “Tribe of Ben,” met regularly at the Mermaid Tavern and later at the Devil's Head. Among his followers were nobles such as the Duke and Duchess of Newcastle, as well as writers, including Robert Herrick, Richard Lovelace, Sir John Suckling, James Howell, and Thomas Carew. Most of his well-known poems include tributes to friends, notably Shakespeare, John Donne, and Francis Bacon.When Jonson died in 1637, a tremendous crowd of mourners attended his burial at Westminster Abbey. He is regarded as one of the major dramatists and poets of the seventeenth century.-bio via Academy of American Poets Get full access to The Daily Poem Podcast at dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe

Text: Romans 8:1-4 Notes: + In Jesus you have all the acceptance you will ever need. -       John 12:42-43 -       1 Corinthians 4:3-4 "To please God… to be a real ingredient in the divine happiness… to be loved by God, not merely pitied, but delighted in as an artist delights in his work or a father in a son- it seems impossible, a weight or burden of glory which our thoughts can hardly sustain. But so it is." — C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory. “We all automatically gravitate toward the assumption that we are justified by our level of sanctification, and when this posture is adopted, it inevitably focuses our attention not on Christ but on the adequacy of our own obedience. We start each day with our personal security resting not on the accepting love of God and the sacrifice of Christ but on our present feelings or recent achievements in the Christian life.” Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal (Preaching and Teaching for Individual Renewal). + In Jesus you have all the freedom you need. + Dominion – Desire – Deeds – Death -       Romans 6:12 -       Romans 6:20-21 -       Romans 7:5 -       Romans 7:15 -       Romans 7:20 -       Romans 6:20-23 “There is no greater mockery than to call a sinner a free man. Show me a convict toiling in the chain gang, and call him a free man if you will; point out to me the galley slave chained to the oar, and smarting under the taskmaster's lash whenever he pauses to draw breath, and call him a free man if you will; but never call a sinner a free man, even in his will, so long as he is the slave of his own corruptions. In our natural state, we wore chains, not upon our limbs, but upon our hearts, fetters that bound us, and kept us from God, from rest, from peace, from holiness, from anything like freedom of heart and conscience and will. The iron entered into our soul; and there is no slavery as terrible as that. As there is no freedom like the freedom of the spirit, so is there no slavery that is at all comparable to the bondage of the heart.” - Charles Spurgeon + Dominion - Desire - Deeds - LIFE! + Jesus dying for us is necessary for the Spirit living in us. -       Galatians 3:13-14 -       Romans 13:8-10 “Run, John, run, the law commands but gives us neither feet or hands. Far better news the gospel brings: it bids us fly and gives us wings.” – John Bunyan.

Resources mentioned in this episode:"“Revival” Is Back In America's Public Lexicon" by Hunter Beaumont"The Religious Affections" by Jonathan Edwards"Dynamics Of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology Of Renewal" by Richard Lovelace

"My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you…" - Galatians 4:19. Apologetics is the discipline of defending the Christian faith as objectively true, rational, and applicable to life (1 Peter 3:15; Jude 3). This ministry requires a life attuned to the Spirit of God. Apologetics is a spiritual discipline of study that requires the fruit of the Holy Spirit for its integrity and effectiveness. The apologist thus needs humility and studiousness in his or her efforts to explain, commend, and defend the Christian worldview.    Reading Jacques Barzun, The House of the Intellect. Harper, 2002 reprint. Harry Blamires, The Christian Mind. Servant, 1963. Os Guinness, Fit Bodies, Fat Minds. Baker, 1994. Douglas Groothuis, Christian Apologetics, 2nd InterVarsity Pres, 2022, Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life. InterVarsity Press, 1979. George Marsden, The Outrageous Idea of Christian Scholarship. Eerdmans, 1998. P. Moreland, Love Your God With all Your Mind, 2nd ed. NavPress, 2013. P. Moreland, Finding Quiet. Zondervan, 2019. I. Packer, Knowing God. InterVarsity Press, 1973. Eugene Peterson, Eat This Book. Eerdmans, 2008. John Piper, Think. Crossway, 2011. Francis Schaeffer, True Spirituality. Tyndale, 1972 Francis Schaeffer, The God Who is There. InterVarsity, 1968. James Sire, Habits of the Mind. InterVarsity Press, 2000. Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart. NavPress, 2002. Dallas Willard, Knowing Christ Today. HarperOne, 2014. For more from Douglas Groothuis, visit  DouglasGroothuis.com. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Lucasta

Confronting Culture Pt. 1: No Compromise By Louie Marsh, 2-26-2023   Intro.: Cartoons on compromise   How Can I Confront Culture?   1) Don't Talk About it – NOT BIBLICAL.   “27Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked, 28but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:” (Daniel 2:27–28, ESV)   As Timothy Keller, who pastored in Manhattan for 30 years and reached thousands of secular skeptics, says, “not talking about this” is no longer an option. If anything, it's counterproductive. At this point in history, it's better to acknowledge out of the gate that we represent an entirely different kingdom with entirely different values and under an entirely different authority. Becoming a Christian in America means you're not only going to have to drink a few cups of crazy milk; you're going to have to buy the whole crazy cow.   “23For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,”…“32Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.”” (Acts 17:23-24, 32, ESV)   “19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:19–20, ESV)   Christian apologist Michael Green makes a distinction between “missionary” and “defender of orthodoxy”: “There is a fundamental difference between the defender of orthodoxy, who is anxious to maximize the gap between authentic Christianity and all deviations from it, and the apologist [read: missionary], who is concerned to minimize the gap between himself and his potential converts.”   We're no longer primarily chaplains to a Christianized culture or merely custodians of doctrine. We need more pastor-missionaries. Our teaching on homosexuality should sound not only like a denunciation of immorality but also like an invitation to conversation.   In 21st century American Christians must posture themselves not only as guardians of the faith delivered once for all to the saints but also as missionaries to an increasingly pagan culture.   “3And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause?” 4He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? 6So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”” (Matthew 19:3–6, ESV)   2) Removing the OFFENSE of the Cross divests It of its power   “23but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:23–24, ESV)   “1And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:1–2, ESV)   “24Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24–25, ESV)   Christian missionaries seek to remove obstacles to faith, such choices should never involve muting, denying, or equivocating on anything the Bible teaches.   At the center of preaching the cross is repentance. And repentance, properly understood, is the truly offensive thing.   Becket Cook, a gay man who was working in Hollywood's entertainment industry when he became a Christian, explains how much Jesus's demand of self-denial cut against the grain of his soul: “All my life I'd been told to be true to myself.” But in reading the Bible, he saw that [the self] is corrupted by sin, so why be true to that? The whole idea of [choosing your sexuality] is bound to the exaltation of self. It carries the implication of making yourself your own god. Putting yourself and your desires on a pedestal and worshiping them. Being true to yourself is nothing short of idolatry.   Repentance means denying the premise behind not only alternate sexualities but also the premise undergirding the entire spirit of our age: “I know who I am, and I know what's best for me.”   Rosaria Butterfield, who first heard the gospel as a practicing lesbian and professor of literature and women's studies at Syracuse University in New York, argues the real focal point in repentance isn't homosexuality or any other particular sin. It's pride: “Proud people always feel that they can live independently from God and from other people. Proud people feel entitled to do what they want when they want to.”   The call to repentance isn't just offensive to gay people. It's offensive to us all.   To return to Green's distinction, the church needs both missionaries and defenders of orthodoxy. Each church must maintain both emphases. Richard Lovelace compared this to the red and white blood cell counts in our bodies. Too many white blood cells (leukocytosis) and we can die; too many red blood cells (polycythaemia) and we can die. Attempting to be an entirely “red blood cell” (evangelistic zeal) church is just as unhealthy as attempting to be an entirely “white blood cell” (doctrinal fidelity) church.   3) Jesus Was Full of GRACE & TRUTH.   “5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it….14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth…16For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:5,14, 16-17, ESV)   The light that couldn't be overcome by the darkness was “full of grace and truth” (John 1:5, 14). John puts grace before truth, and the order isn't accidental. Jesus led with grace—embracing others and drawing them close even as he told them the truth. He was so filled with grace that unbelievers flocked to be around him, and we should ask why they aren't doing that with more of our churches.   Ambiguity on this issue isn't kindness. Clarity is.   Churches today tend to gravitate toward one of the two. Fundamentalists like truth without grace. Liberals like grace without truth. To be effective as evangelists, we have to be full of both—more truthful than the fundamentalist and more graceful than the liberal.   A number of years ago, a lesbian couple started to attend our church. After several months, one of the two scheduled an appointment with me. Through tears, she said,   I need some advice—I prayed with you a few months ago at the end of a service to receive Christ, and now I don't know what to do. When I started coming to this church, I was so excited about the God I was encountering each week that I invited my wife to come with me. She researched you and found out this church believes homosexuality is a sin, and she told me, ‘There's no way I am going to that church. If you want God in our lives, fine. Let's find a different church. A church where they accept us.' So she found a liberal church in Raleigh and we started to go there.   “After attending there for a month,” she continued, “I told my wife that God was not in this church. He was, however, at The Summit. So, we had a choice. We could go to The Summit where God was and they didn't accept ‘us,' or go to this liberal church where they accepted us but God was not. ‘Do what you will, but I'm going to the church where God is.'”   She asked for baptism and began the painful process of severing her marriage ties. Shortly thereafter, we baptized her. Six more months went by, and I got a request from her former wife to meet. She told me,   After my wife was baptized, I finally worked up the courage to come and visit your church one weekend when she was out of town. When you introduced the subject matter for the morning, I couldn't believe it. . . . I thought, ‘I knew it! This is all these bigots ever talk about. They are obsessed with us. I'll just listen for 10 minutes and catalog all the hateful things he says so I can prove to my wife this is not the place for us.'   In five years, I've probably preached one message that was entirely and completely on the subject of homosexuality. That happened to be the weekend this woman chose to come.   She continued, “However, after 10 minutes, my column for ‘hateful things' was blank, and I thought, #$%#! This is the most loving anti-gay message I've ever heard in my life. I've been attending or watching online every week since.” She broke down in tears and said, “I know this is all true and I want God in my life. What can I do?” A few weeks later, we had the privilege of seeing her profess faith in Christ in the waters of baptism. She said, “Thank you for not changing the message for me. It's always been obvious, to both my partner and me, what the Bible says about this.”   My intention is to encourage those of us who've been entrusted with God's Word for this generation not to shrink back in unbelief but instead to press on in faith   “27for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.”…“31Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.” (Acts 20:27,31, ESV)   Fr Calvin Robinson, black Pastor in the Free Anglican Church because the Church of England refused to ordain him because he wouldn't affirm that the church was full of “systemic racism.”   “3For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry…7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:3–7, ESV)   “26And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”” (Matthew 7:26–27, ESV) 

Pastor Garrison GreeneTEXT: Matthew 1:1-17BIG IDEA: Jesus is the Son of David, come to bring his eternal reign of wholeness.OUTLINE:1) The Promise of the Davidic King2) The Problems with the Family Tree3) The Pertinence of the King's ComingRESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Matthew by D.A. Carson; Ligon Duncan on 2 Samuel 7 by Ligon Duncan; God Knew What He Was Doing When He Gave Jesus Two Family Trees by Andrew Wilson; Renewal as a Way of Life: A Guidebook for Spiritual Growth by Richard Lovelace; The Gospel Transformation Study Bible; 5 Reasons Matthew Begins with a Genealogy by Patrick Schreiner

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BIG IDEA: When Enmity is strong and God seems gone, the Word of the LORD lets Hope live on...1. In Sorrow-Filled Longing2. In Sleep-Defying Prayer3. In Scripture-Ripened SingingRESOURCES: Psalms (Evangelical Biblical Theological Commentary) by James M Hamilton Jr.; Psalms (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries) by Tremper Longman III; Psalms By The Day by Alec Motyer; Voicing God's Psalms by Calvin Seerveld; Psalms (Kidner Classic Commentaries) by Derek Kidner; Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortland; Renewal As a Way of Life by Richard Lovelace; The Voice of the Heart by Chip Dodd; 'Emptied Out' article in Christianity Today May/June 2022 by Kyle Rohane.

RESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; Commentaries by Stein, Edwards, Strauss; Echoes of Scripture in the Gospel by Richard Hays; Making Sense of God by Tim Keller; Renewal As A Way of Life by Richard Lovelace

This winter, I have been preaching through a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. A simple definition of revival would be an increase in the presence and power of God in both a church and a community. Earlier in this series, I mentioned what Richard Lovelace calls in his book Dynamics of Spiritual Renewal the two preconditions of revival: an increased awareness of the holiness of God, and an increased awareness of the depth of our sin. By holiness, I mean that God is transcendentally separate from us in His perfection. By sin I mean our rebellion against God, our inability to measure up to His holy standard, and our brokenness. The more we are aware of the greatness of God, the high expectations of God, the incredible promises of God, along with our own inability to live up to His expectations and the terrible effect of our sin on ourselves and others, the closer we are to revival. You want to see revival in your life and in the church? Pray for those two things – Lord, increase my awareness of your holiness and the depth of my sin. While those are the preconditions of revival, I believe that the one thing truly revives our hearts comes when we see what Jesus did to bridge that gap. This morning, we are going to look at one of the great stories of what Jesus did, as we focus on Jesus' time in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26:20-50. Before we read, I would ask you to take to heart these words of A.W. Tozer in his book “God Tells the Man who Cares”: “The Bible was written in tears and to tears it will yield its best treasure. God has nothing to say to the frivolous man.” The one whose mind is consumed by frivolities, by unimportant things, will miss what God has to say this morning. Do not let that be you. With that in mind, let's pray that God would help us to truly apprehend what this account means for us. Let's begin reading from verse 20, when Jesus was sharing the Last Supper with his twelve apostles: Matthew 26:20-50 - When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve.  21 And while they were eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me."  22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, "Surely not I, Lord?"  23 Jesus replied, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.  24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born."  25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" Jesus answered, "Yes, it is you."  26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."  27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.  28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.  29 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."  30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  31 Then Jesus told them, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: "'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'  32 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."  33 Peter replied, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will."  34 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times."  35 But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you."

This winter, I have been preaching through a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. A simple definition of revival would be an increase in the presence and power of God in both a church and a community. This series came out of a conviction that God has so much more available for us individually and as a church, but if we choose complacency, if we are fine with the status quo, if we live for the things of this world while relegating God to an afterthought, then we will miss out on all the power, the joy, the love, and the wonder that He has for us. Oh, that we would not live our lives and never experience the power and reality of our great God! May we give ourselves to Him and earnestly plead for a revival of our souls and of our church, that His kingdom would come and His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. Earlier in this series, I mentioned what Richard Lovelace calls in his book Dynamics of Spiritual Renewal the two preconditions of revival: an increased awareness of the holiness of God, and an increased awareness of the depth of our sin. By holiness, I mean that God is transcendentally separate from us in His perfection. By sin I mean our rebellion against God, our inability to measure up to His holy standard, and our brokenness. The more we are aware of the greatness of God, the high expectations of God, the incredible promises of God, along with our own inability to live up to His expectations and the terrible effect of our sin on ourselves and others, the closer we are to revival. You want to see revival in your life and in the church? Pray for those two things – Lord, increase my awareness of your holiness and the depth of my sin. Few places in the Bible highlight the gap between God's holiness and our sin more than Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Over the past seven weeks, I've been looking at the Beatitudes, the beginning of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. The beatitudes describe the blessed life, the characteristics of the man or woman who is favored by God. So far, these are the beatitudes we have looked at: Matthew 5:3-9 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.  6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

This winter, I have been preaching through a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. You could define revival as an increase in the presence and power of God in both a church and a community. This series came out of a conviction that God has so much more available for us individually and as a church, but if we choose complacency, if we are fine with the status quo, if we live for the things of this world while relegating God to an afterthought, then we will miss out on all the power, the joy, the love, and the wonder that He has for us. Oh, that we would not live our lives and never experience the power and reality of our great God! May we give ourselves to Him and earnestly plead for a revival of our souls and of our church, that His kingdom would come and His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. Consider this quote from the Hebrides' Revival, which occurred in the mid-20th century in Scotland: “Brethren, it is just so much humbug to be waiting for this, night after night, month after month, if we ourselves are not right with God. I must ask myself – “‘Is my heart pure? Are my hands clean?'” What if God were depending upon YOU? What if it were your sin that is holding God back from bringing revival to this place? Earlier in this series, I mentioned what Richard Lovelace calls in his book Dynamics of Spiritual Renewal the two preconditions of revival: an increased awareness of the holiness of God, and an increased awareness of the depth of our sin. By holiness, I mean that God is transcendentally separate from us in His perfection. By sin I mean our rebellion against God, our inability to measure up to His holy standard, and our brokenness. The more we are aware of the greatness of God, the high expectations of God, the incredible promises of God, along with our own inability to live up to His expectations and the terrible effect of our sin on ourselves and others, the closer we are to revival. You want to see revival in your life and in the church? Pray for those two things – Lord, increase my awareness of your holiness and the depth of my sin. Few places in the Bible highlight the gap between God's holiness and our sin more than Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Over the past six weeks, I've been looking at the Beatitudes, the beginning of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. The beatitudes describe the blessed life, the characteristics of the man or woman who is favored by God. So far, these are the beatitudes we have looked at: Matthew 5:3-9 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.  6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

This winter, I have been preaching through a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. This series came out of a conviction that God has so much more available for us individually and as a church, but if we choose complacency, if we give ourselves to worldly pursuits while relegating him to an afterthought, then we will miss out on all the power, the joy, the love, and the wonder that He had for us. Oh, that we would not live our lives and never experience the power and reality of our great God! May we give ourselves to Him and earnestly plead for a revival of our souls and of our church, that His kingdom would come and His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. Earlier in this series, I mentioned what Richard Lovelace calls in his book Dynamics of Spiritual Renewal the two preconditions of revival: an increased awareness of the holiness of God, and an increased awareness of the depth of our sin. By holiness, I mean that God is transcendentally separate from us in His perfection. By sin I mean our rebellion against God, our inability to measure up to His holy standard, and our brokenness. The more we are aware of the greatness of God, the high expectations of God, the incredible promises of God, along with our own inability to live up to His expectations and the terrible effect of our sin on ourselves and others, the closer we are to revival. You want to see revival in your life and in the church? Pray for those two things – Lord, increase my awareness of your holiness and the depth of my sin. Over the past few weeks, I've been trying to dive deeper into the second part, the awareness of the depth of our sin, and to do so by looking at the Beatitudes, the beginning of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. The beatitudes describe the blessed life, the characteristics of the man or woman who is favored by God, what a life touched by revival will look like. So far, these are the beatitudes we have looked at: Matthew 5:3-8 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.  6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.  7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.  8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. This morning, we will be looking at Matthew 5:8 – “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

This winter, I have been preaching through a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. This series came out of a conviction that God has so much more available for us individually and as a church, but if we choose complacency, if we give ourselves to worldly pursuits while relegating him to an afterthought, then we will miss out on all the power, the joy, the love, and the wonder that He had for us. Oh, that we would not live our lives and never experience the power and reality of our great God! May we give ourselves to Him and earnestly plead for a revival of our souls and of our church, that His kingdom would come and His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. Earlier in this series, I mentioned what Richard Lovelace calls in his book Dynamics of Spiritual Renewal the two preconditions of revival: an increased awareness of the holiness of God, and an increased awareness of the depth of our sin. By holiness, I mean that God is transcendentally separate from us in His perfection. By sin I mean our rebellion against God, our inability to measure up to His holy standard, and our brokenness. The more we are aware of the greatness of God, the high expectations of God, the incredible promises of God, along with our own inability to live up to His expectations and the terrible effect of our sin on ourselves and others, the closer we are to revival. You want to see revival in your life and in the church? Pray for those two things – Lord, increase my awareness of your holiness and the depth of my sin. Over the past few weeks, I've been trying to dive deeper into the second part, the awareness of the depth of our sin, and to do so by looking at the Beatitudes, the beginning of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. The beatitudes describe the blessed life, the characteristics of the man or woman who is favored by God, what a life touched by revival will look like. This morning, we will be looking at Matthew 5:7 – “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

What Greg Johnson Won't Tell You About “Double Repentance” In his new book Still Time to Care: What We Can Learn from the Church's Failed Attempt to Cure Homosexuality (Zondervan, 2021), PCA pastor Greg Johnson gives a history of the “ex-gay movement.” He believes it utterly failed and bemoans the fact that many evangelicals today still think homosexuality can be cured. In the conclusion of the book, Johnson gives what he sees as a new path by way of an old path: double repentance. Quoting from an obscure 1978 book by Richard Lovelace, the idea of “double repentance” is essentially this: homosexuals in the church must repent of homosexual behavior and the rest of the church must repent of homophobia. It is a path that Greg Johnson claims evangelicals were on before their views were hijacked by the false hopes of the “ex-gay movement” and the fearmongering of the culture war that fought against the normalizing of homosexuality in America. In short, “double repentance” is what the church should be about in the 21st century...

This winter, I have been preaching through a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. My hope in this series is to lead us into a deeper experience of God, that God would give us greater spiritual life and vitality both individually and collectively, that we would experience more of His love and power, and that through us, He would bring His salvation and redemption to our world. Earlier in this series, I mentioned what Richard Lovelace calls in his book Dynamics of Spiritual Renewal the two preconditions of revival: an increased awareness of the holiness of God, and an increased awareness of the depth of our sin. By holiness, I mean that God is transcendentally separate from us in His perfection. By sin I mean our rebellion against God, our inability to measure up to His holy standard, and our brokenness. The more we are aware of the greatness of God, the high expectations of God, the incredible promises of God, along with our own inability to live up to His expectations and the terrible effect of our sin on ourselves and others, the closer we are to revival. You want to see revival in your life and in the church? Pray for those two things – Lord, increase my awareness of your holiness and the depth of my sin. Over the past few weeks, I've been trying to dive deeper into the second part, the awareness of the depth of our sin, and to do so by looking at the Beatitudes, the beginning of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. The beatitudes describe the blessed life, the characteristics of the man or woman who is favored by God. In this sense, if we want to live a life that is blessed or favored by God, then the beatitudes are something we should all pay close attention to and strive to live out. But on the other hand, the characteristics emphasized by Jesus are incredibly countercultural, running precisely against what we are taught is the happy life by our world and often by Christian teachers as well. And so, they require a huge shift in our perspective. This morning, we will be looking at Matthew 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” If we're going to understand what Jesus means, we have to answer a few questions: What is righteousness? What does it mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness? What does it mean to be filled? What do I do if I do not hunger and thirst for righteousness?

This morning, we are in week 7 of a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. My hope in this series is to lead us into a deeper experience of God, that God would give us greater spiritual life and vitality both individually and collectively, that we would experience more of His love and power, and that through us, He would bring His salvation and redemption to our world. Earlier in this series, I mentioned what Richard Lovelace calls the two precursors of revival: an increased awareness of the holiness of God, and an increased awareness of the depth of our sin. By holiness, I mean that God is transcendentally separate from us in His perfection. By sin I mean our rebellion against God, our inability to measure up to His holy standard, and our brokenness. You want to see revival in your life and in the church? Pray for those two things. Over the past few weeks, I've been trying to dive deeper into the second part, the awareness of the depth of our sin, and to do so by looking at the Beatitudes, the beginning of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. The beatitudes describe the blessed life, the man or woman who is favored by God. In this sense, if we want to live a life that is blessed or favored by God, then the beatitudes are something we should all pay close attention to and strive to live out. But on the other hand, the characteristics emphasized by Jesus are incredibly countercultural, running precisely against what we are taught is the happy life by our world and often by Christian teachers as well. And so, they require a huge shift in our perspective. This morning, we will be looking at Matthew 5:5 – “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Meek is not a word you hear used today, except as the first name of the rapper Meek Mill. I can't tell when I have ever heard someone described as meek, or a time I have ever prayed that God would make me meeker. So what does it mean to be meek? Why does Jesus say that those who are meek will be blessed, favored by God? And what does it mean that the meek will inherit the earth?

This morning, we are in week 6 of a sermon series that I have entitled Revival. My hope in this series is to lead us into a deeper experience of God, that God would give us greater spiritual life and vitality both individually and collectively, that we would experience more of His love and power, and that through us, He would bring His salvation and redemption to our world. Earlier in this series, I mentioned what Richard Lovelace calls the two precursors of revival: an increased awareness of the holiness of God, and an increased awareness of the depth of our sin. By sin I mean our rebellion against God, our inability to measure up to His holy standard, our brokenness. You want to see revival in your life and in the church? Pray for those two things. Last week I began to dive deeper into the second aspect, and we looked at Jesus' opening words in his Sermon on the Mount, the section known as the Beatitudes, where he said “blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The word “blessed” means that God's favor and approval are upon you. Blessed are those who recognize that they are spiritually bankrupt, that they are completely dependent upon God for everything good. It is the promise that it is those who come to God empty who will be filled with His Holy Spirit, with the life of Jesus. That is where revival happens. Today, I want to look at the second line of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:4: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” At first glance, it sounds like Jesus is referring to those who are grieving the death of a loved one or some other earthly tragedy. But there is more going on here, and it is absolutely connected to an increased awareness of the depth of our sin and therefore to revival. Let me explain.

RESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; The Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament: Mark by Andreas Kostenberger and Robert Yarbrough; Expository Thoughts on The Gospel Of Mark by J.C. Ryle; The Pillar New Testament Commentary: Mark by James Edwards; Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible by Ralph Richards; War: Why Did Life Just Get Harder? by Mez McConnell; Renewal As A Way of Life: A Guidebook for Spiritual Growth by Richard Lovelace; Everyday Church: Gospel Community on Mission by Tim Chester

With this episode Peter and I wrap up our series on The Dynamics of Spiritual Life,  An Evangelical Theology of Renewal, by Richard Lovelace. 

Romans 1:8-171. Associates well with the Gospel                 disassociation…..deconstruction…denial2. Understands the capacity of the Gospel3. Trusts the content of the GospelHow is it revealed…a) from faith-Romans 3:19-25Notice a few things from this passage…1) everybody in the world is accountable to God2) you can be justified in your sight but not in God's sight3) our sin doesn't cause God to give up on us, v. 22 4) The Gospel invites you to have faith in what God has faith inb) for faithc) by faith-Galatians 2:20       sanctification- progressjustification- person“Christians who are no longer sure that God loves and accepts them in Jesus, apart from their present spiritual achievements, are subconsciously radically insecure persons and such insecurity can easily hamper progress in Christian living.” -Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual LifeQuestions…Does the Gospel feel more foreign or familiar to you?Could you be described as eager to share the Gospel?Do you ever feel ashamed or embarrassed of anything about the Gospel?Do you have mutually encouraging relationships?What questions rise in you as a result of what you heard this morning?

The Evangelical Muse - Chapter 11, The Dynamics of Spiritual Life. In this episode Peter and I discuss Richard Lovelace's take on the relationship between Evangelical Renewal and the Arts.  

Viva Las Vegas this week listeners, as the Bros drink a brew brought from Skip's recent trip to Las Vegas. Banger Brewing out of Vegas turns out to be a unique destination for the City of Lights, as craft beer just isn't all that popular a vice for Sin City. Skip found a way, however, and brings "Stormtrooper Paradox" to Prose and Bros with no Star Wars puns. Paired with this stout is Richard Lovelace and his poem "A Paradox." Not surprisingly, in discussing this Cavalier's history we get into a little bit of Wild Wild West, as well as English History and other shenanigans. Roll up to the podcast and be sure to enjoy.Cheers!

This is a great chapter and I get to discuss it with two great guys! I'm joined by Peter Fiore and Barry Cooper. In chapter seven of Richard Lovelace's book, The Dynamics of Spiritual Life, we deal with "the sanctification gap." By this Lovelace means not only the gap serious Christians feel between who they are and who they are called to be but also the gap, in the sense of the neglect, of the issue of sanctification amongst Evangelicals. Join us!

In this episode of our continuing series on The Dynamics of Spiritual Life, by Richard Lovelace, we talk through chapter 6. This chapter is titled, "The Renewal of the Local Congregation". Peter and I are joined by pastor Tommy Clayton of GraceLife Church in Deltona Florida. We talk about Lovelaces' experience of what happens when renewal begins and the local church is too enculturated to received new converts. We explore both individual and congregational issues related to spiritual renewal and  Tommy draws a gospel-centered connection to Dr. Seuss and the Grinch who stole Christmas. 

In this episode of our continuing series on The Dynamics of Spiritual Life, by Richard Lovelace, we explore chapter 5. This chapter is titled, "Secondary Elements of Renewal". Peter and I take a huge chapter,  break it down and talk it through. We discuss 1.) orientation toward mission, 2.) dependent prayer, 3.) the community of believers, 4.) theological integration and 5.) disenculturation. This chapter concludes the first half of this highly praised and widely influential classic. Join us!

In this episode, Peter Fiore and I continue our discussions about The Dynamics of Spiritual Life, by Richard Lovelace. We take on two chapters this time: Chapter 2, Biblical Models of Cyclical Renewal, and Chapter 3, Preconditions of Continuous Renewal.  These are important chapters in themselves and they lay the foundation for much that follows. 

In this episode, Peter and I survey and discuss chapter one of Richard Lovelace's classic, Dynamics of Spiritual Life.  Lovelace sketches a history of revivals in the evangelical movement. He especially focuses on The historical period from Jonathon Edwards and The First Great Awakening to the Jesus Movement of the 1970s. In the process, he identifies and discusses key principles and lessons relating to the dynamics of spiritual life ending with hope for the present and the future.  Here's the link to the Gospel Coalition clip with time killer and Don Carson on their experience of revival in the 1970s: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/video/keller-and-carson-on-revival/  

In this episode, we introduce a tremendously important and influential book: The Dynamics of Spiritual Life, An Evangelical Theology of Renewal, by Richard F. Lovelace. This is truly a classic book. Tim Keller writes the forward in which he says, “Dynamics of Spiritual Life is a book we can't do without. Richard Lovelace's classic was amazingly prescient when first published forty years ago, and it is still relevant to many of today's ministry issues. Earlier in my ministry, when church planters came to me and asked, “What should I read?” I always gave them  Lovelace's Dynamics of Spiritual Life.  Lovelace's book gave leaders a way of using the gospel in people's lives that not only brought them to saving faith but also kept renewing them individually and corporately.” As important as this book is, it is a big book, and many people may not be able or willing to read it. In the upcoming episodes, my friend Peter Fiore and I are going to take it one or two chapters at a time in order to survey the whole book, reflect on its key themes and learn from it together with you! 

In this episode of the Saturate Podcast, Duke Revard talks with Chuck Gschwend about leading yourself to ongoing spiritual renewal. Chuck has been on a multi-year, deep dive on all things Richard Lovelace's book Dynamics of the Spiritual Life. We talk about... A vision for your ongoing renewal. Preconditions/barriers to renewal. Currency, or the kind of environments you'll need. Fuel - the drive for ongoing renewal. Practices - spiritual disciplines which make space to receive from God. If you are looking to better lead yourself or others in your ministry to ongoing spiritual renewal, this episode is for you.  Learn more about Chuck's Renewal Cohorts here.

*We apologize for occasional words that are partially or fully cut off due to technical issues during the recording.RESOURCES: ESV Study Bible; Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary by Harold Hoehner; The Message of Ephesians by John Stott; The Whole Armor of God by Iain Duguid; Spiritual Warfare and the Storyline of Scripture by Bill Cook and Chuck Lawless; Renewal as a Way of Life by Richard Lovelace; War: Why Did Life Just Get Harder? By Mez McConnell

Mr. Thipps wakes up to discover a dead body in his bathtub, wearing nothing but a pair of pince-nez.  So many questions.  Dorothy Sayers, today on The Classic Tales Podcast. Welcome to The Classic Tales Podcast. Thank you for listening. Thank you to all of our financial supporters. We couldn’t do this without you. I know we are all going through some stuff right now, and we really appreciate you doing what you can. It really helps us out. And in case you’ve forgotten: a $5 donation gets you an $8 coupon code for any audiobook at the store. We really want to make sure you get a lot of bang for your buck. And if you just want to shoot us a few bucks to say thanks, that’s awesome. There is  now a Donate button on the website at www.classictalesaudiobooks.com, where you can do just that. I have begun doing special pricing for financial supporters. What does that mean? Well, once you login to the website, financial supporters with a subscription can access subscriber pricing for The Last of the Mohicans, The Lost World, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Wuthering Heights, and The War of the Worlds, so they can purchase these titles using only their monthly coupon codes. Or buy them for a reduced price. Just another way to make your dollars stretch. Looking for a unique Christmas gift? We’ve added more designs to our merchandise site. Check out our merch store for unique gift ideas for yourself or a literature lover in you life. Right now, they are having a sale - everything is 35% off. On the app side of things, we’re starting poetry again. App users can hear “To Lucasta, Going to the Wars”, by Richard Lovelace in the special features portion for this week’s episode. This week we begin Whose Body, by Dorothy L. Sayers. Lord Peter Wimsey is an aristocrat whose hobby is solving crime. A couple things to note in this story: it was published in 1923. That was after World War I, but before the Jewish holocaust of World War II. Wimsey suffers from PTSD from the war, and it’s interesting to see how it is handled at this time. Just a little hint to have compassion for those who might be acting in ways we don’t understand. You never know what’s going on under the surface. The other thing I wanted to mention is the handling of Jewish terms and epithets. Again, this book was written over 100 years ago, in a time before the Jewish holocaust of World War II. When I read this it struck me how mainstream anti-Semitic sentiment was at the time. So, with those two disclaimers out of the way, let’s go on with the show! And now, Whose Body, Part 1 of 7 by Dorothy Sayers. Tap here to go to www.classictalesaudiobooks.com and become a financial supporter!   Tap here to go to our merchandise store!  

Resources: ESV Study Bible; The African Study Bible; The African Bible Commentary; The Handbook on the Prophets by Robert Chisholm Jr.; Word Biblical Commentary: Hosea-Jonah by Douglas Stewart; Amos: A Handbook on the Hebrew Text by Duane A Garrett; Hermenia: Amos by Shalom M. Paul; Renewal as a Way of Life: A Guidebook for Spiritual Growth by Richard Lovelace

Today's poem is Richard Lovelace's "To Althea, from Prison" - a classic from the seventeenth century. If you like this episode please be sure to rate and review wherever you access podcasts. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Sermon from Sunday February 23, 2020: Revival: When Renewal Goes Viral. Everything needs renewal. It's God's plan for our life personally, and is the end in view for all creation. It's also the dire need of the church today. This series lays out principles that map a path to renewal for people, communities and congregations. The series is resourced by the following texts: Reappearing Church: The Hope for Renewal in the Rise of Our Post-Christian Culture by Mark Sayers Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City by Timothy Keller Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal by Richard Lovelace

Sermon from Sunday February 16, 2020: Holy Patterns. Everything needs renewal. It's God's plan for our life personally, and is the end in view for all creation. It's also the dire need of the church today. This series lays out principles that map a path to renewal for people, communities and congregations. The series is resourced by the following texts: Reappearing Church: The Hope for Renewal in the Rise of Our Post-Christian Culture by Mark Sayers Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City by Timothy Keller Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal by Richard Lovelace

Sermon from Sunday February 9: Contending for Change. Everything needs renewal. It's God's plan for our life personally, and is the end in view for all creation. It's also the dire need of the church today. This series lays out principles that map a path to renewal for people, communities and congregations. The series is resourced by the following texts: Reappearing Church: The Hope for Renewal in the Rise of Our Post-Christian Culture by Mark Sayers Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City by Timothy Keller Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal by Richard Lovelace

Sermon from Sunday February 2, 2020: A Vision of Flourishing. Everything needs renewal. It's God's plan for our life personally, and is the end in view for all creation. It's also the dire need of the church today. This series lays out principles that map a path to renewal for people, communities and congregations. The series is resourced by the following texts: Reappearing Church: The Hope for Renewal in the Rise of Our Post-Christian Culture by Mark Sayers Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City by Timothy Keller Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal by Richard Lovelace

Sermon from Sunday January 19, 2020: A Holy Discontent. Everything needs renewal. It's God's plan for our life personally, and is the end in view for all creation. It's also the dire need of the church today. This series lays out principles that map a path to renewal for people, communities and congregations. The series is resourced by the following texts: Reappearing Church: The Hope for Renewal in the Rise of Our Post-Christian Culture by Mark Sayers Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City by Timothy Keller Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal by Richard Lovelace

Sermon from Sunday January 19, 2020: How Renewal Works. Everything needs renewal. It's God's plan for our life personally, and is the end in view for all creation. It's also the dire need of the church today. This series lays out principles that map a path to renewal for people, communities and congregations. The series is resourced by the following texts: Reappearing Church: The Hope for Renewal in the Rise of Our Post-Christian Culture by Mark Sayers Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City by Timothy Keller Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal by Richard Lovelace

Sermon from Sunday January 12, 2020: The Need for Renewal. Everything needs renewal. It's God's plan for our life personally, and is the end in view for all creation. It's also the dire need of the church today. This series lays out principles that map a path to renewal for people, communities and congregations. The series is resourced by the following texts: Reappearing Church: The Hope for Renewal in the Rise of Our Post-Christian Culture by Mark Sayers Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City by Timothy Keller Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal by Richard Lovelace

Nothing is more inspiring that to see courage and hope in the eyes of a new client. It takes courage to admit to yourself that you can’t do it alone. It takes even more courage to reach out to someone and ask for help.I see this as one of the most courageous things that a person can do, to trust another human being to help pull them up out of the mire and free them.In reality, Christ is the one who has done all that is necessary to free every person who will ever live on Earth. The work has already been done. The debt has already been paid. Asking is all that is required to be granted freedom.We unwittingly give our freedom away when we go through life with no ambition or vision of living in a higher way. We go to work every day, punching a time clock, feeling unfulfilled, but powerless to change our circumstances. Truly, we do have choice!Richard Lovelace wrote a poem while imprisoned in Gatehouse Prison adjoining Westminster Abbey to encourage the Clergy Act 1640 to be annulled. The first two lines of the final stanza of the poem are often quoted:…Stone walls do not a prison make,Nor iron bars a cage:Minds innocent and quiet takeThat for an hermitage.If I have freedom in my love,And in my soul am free,Angels alone, that soar above,Enjoy such liberty. Viktor Frankl is another who spoke of liberty while in a Jewish Concentration Camp in Germany:“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” ― Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for MeaningWe, in American, have the inalienable right, even the responsibility to freedom. If we look around, there are people everywhere who wish for someone else to make their choice for them. And, thankfully, there are people all around who stand for the Cause of Freedom.Find a cause, or start one. For if we stand not for the cause of freedom, we bind ourselves to the prison of doubt.Today I Give Myself Permission to Raise the Standard of FreedomI acknowledge my debts and I own my partI owe my life and my freedom to ChristI am in debt to God for every breath He freely gives meIn Jesus Christ, I am freeI claim my freedom, I receive His grace and it is enoughI borrow light from Christ and reflect it to othersI am God’s servant, He is my master.I am free to choose, and I choose obedience and eternal lifeI stand for freedom and my life reflects what I stand forI live in the land of prosperity and I claim my freedom to be prosperousClick Here for more info on living a life of gratitude.Click Here to find out how to join the Gratitude Call live every weekday morning at 7 am Mountain Time.Click Here to join the “Breakthrough with Gratitude!” Facebook Group. To have a 15 minute conversation with Wylene Benson about a new perspective on an area of your life you desire to change, contact her directly at this link: askwylene.comTo work more closely with Wylene, become a North Star Navigator! click here to learn more about her new book The Seven Gateways – Support the show (https://wylenebenson.com)

In the opening lines of his most famous poem, “To Althea, From Prison,” Richard Lovelace writes, “Stone walls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage...” This line expresses a thought common among imprisoned writers across time — that regardless of the conditions of their imprisonment, the human spirit and the poetic imagination cannot be constrained. NHC Fellow Andrea Brady, however, suggests that the relationship between our poetic traditions and bondage has not been adequately explored in prior scholarly work. In this podcast, Brady discusses her current project, which explores how poets over the centuries have treated both literal and metaphorical forms of bondage, not only as subject matter for their verse but as a powerful force in shaping the lyric tradition.

This week we reflect on the readings for this week in year A, which is the Baptism of the Lord: Isaiah 49:1-7, 1st Corinthians 1:1-9 and John 1:29-42. Show Notes: The paradox of an Israel sent to Israel is part of the powerful thrust the OT towards the NT, since not even the remnant of true Israelites can fulfill the boundless expectations of vs.1-13. We are driven to seek a more perfect embodiment of God's light, salvation (6), and covenant (8) in Christ at the head of his church, 'the Israel of God.' -NIV Commentary “It is an item in faith that we are children of God; there is plenty of experience in us against it. The faith that surmounts this evidence and is able to warm itself at the fire of God’s love, instead of having to steal love and self-acceptance from other sources, is actually the root of holiness.” -Richard Lovelace The Church is not exempt from this low an- thropology. It is sadly humorous to ponti cate about the virtues of the early church. e early church was a mess, lled with sinners. St. Paul, in his rst epistle to the Corinthians, points this out. Paul lets them know they are far from a pious community, that there is immorality amongst them that shocks even the pagans. This is very important to understand: anthropologically speaking, there is no difference between Christians and non-Christians. When the church forgets this truth, she gets herself into all sorts of trouble. Instead of making herself irrelevant, the church that has an N.W.A. anthropology has something to say and can speak to the culture at large. A church with a low an- thropology can see herself as part of the problem and, in humility, share the good news of God’s grace. A church with a low anthropology is not shocked by the sin of the world, but can minister to people—“Dope Man” and “Gang- sta” alike—free of judgement and assumption. -Jacob Smith, "Straight Outta Corinth" The Christology of John the Baptist: "A man is coming right after me": The historical Jesus (his true humanity) "Who actually ranks well above me": The royal Jesus (his true messianity) "Because he came way before me": The preexistent Jesus (his true divinity) -Dale Brune, The Gospel of John: A Commentary

Word of the Day - Walls A little politics, definitions, and a lot about relationships Leading Roll, recorded by Sammy Shelor Ally McBeal “Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”  ― Rumi “Her heart was a secret garden and the walls were very high.”  ― William Goldman, The Princess Bride A Little Sweet... Beth took a Reynolds Homestead group to the Moss Arts Center to see the Celtic Group, Danu. Leslie has been shearing her angora rabbits, with some difficulty.If you work with animals, get a tetanus shot! Video by Dave Miller Leslie has finished the feather and fan section of her hap shawl, Quill by Jared Flood from Brooklyn Tweed's Spring Thaw Collection and is starting the final knitted on border. She has also finished the Kathleen sweater again, using a slightly modified version of the Tender Hoodie by Kristen TenDyke. Kathleen seems pleased. Beth and her sister presented their siblings book, Stories of a West Virginia Family, to one of our local book clubs.  The Reynolds Homestead is ready to open, thanks to the hard work of Beth and her associates and volunteers. Leslie plans to open Greenberry House on April 8, depending on how the weather behaves.  A Little Tart... The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls “Sometimes our walls exist just to see who has the strength to knock them down.”  ― Darnell Lamont Walker, Creep “There are four kinds of people in the world, Ms. Harper. Those who build walls. Those who protect walls. Those who breach walls. And those who tear down walls. Much of life is discovering who you are. When you find out, you also realize there are places you can no longer go, things you can no longer do, words you can no longer say.”  ― P.S. Baber, Cassie Draws the Universe "To Althea, From Prison" by Richard Lovelace, written in 1642 "Stone Walls" by Jim Croce A Little Unexpected.... Woodberry Inn Toy Time Folk Toy and Science Museum Nascar in Martinville Mabry Mill History Around Us, Reynolds Homestead "Sidna Allen's Dream" Your hosts wrap things up and will be back with a new word in a couple of weeks. Music Attribution Reverie (small theme) by _ghost featuring Pitx ccmixter.org/files/_ghost/25389 CC Attribution (3.0)

Series: The Big Story Luke 24:13-27, 44-49. Luke 24 contains a story about two disciples. This is a remarkable passage on many levels. This passage highlights what can be described as "Gospel spirituality," which is the result of renewal of the heart. 1. The heart revealed as sorrowful. Luke 24:13-24 2. The heart revealed as slow. Luke 24:25 3. The heart revealed as the burning center. Luke 24:32 Take Away Questions: Q. What do we see in Jesus? Q. What really happens in this story? Q. What if your heart isn't burning? "What men wake up to in the light of a revival is their own condition and the nature of the true God. The apprehension of God's presence is the ultimate core of genuine Christian experience." Richard Lovelace

Which of these two statements applies more to you? "I am a great sinner." "Christ is a great savior” The first statement recognizes how far you and I are from God. It recognizes how sinful we are. The second statement recognizes the deep love that God has for us demonstrated at the cross and how complete Christ’s work at the cross is. We run into trouble when we don’t recognize that both are true. “I am a great sinner, but Christ is a greater savior.” Luke 6:37-42 Judging others forbidden Why do we judge other people? – Tim Keller’s story about good and bad lies. Why are we tempted to remove the speck from our brother’s eye and leave the plank in our own eye? Because we have a tendency to develop for ourselves a standard by which we live. We pick and choose from what the Bible teaches and decide these are important and develop our own system of morality. We ignore the stuff we’re not good at. The natural tendency of the human heart is toward self-justification. Luke 12:1-3 get rid of hypocrisy. Get rid of thoughts that you are good by what you do. The only good in you and me is Jesus Christ. (Romans 7) “I know that nothing good lives in me.” But following your own standards is just as bad as being stuck in sin – both will keep you from the power of the gospel. Both sin and trying to follow your own standards are really ways of avoiding Jesus as savior. Your self-justification is your attempt to avoid being completely reliant on Jesus for your goodness. On one hand, the problem is that your sins have separated you from God. On the other hand, the other problem is that the standards that you set up for yourself that prove that you’re good separate you from God as well. If you strive to be good by your own standards, you are really resisting the gospel and setting yourself up as Savior." To "get the gospel" is turn from both sin and self-justification and rely on Jesus' record for a relationship with God. If you don’t understand that your sin is dark and deep and even your righteousness is like filthy rags to God, then payment of the cross seem trivial and will not transform you. If you don’t understand that the only way to be “good” is to rely on Christ's completely satisfying life and death, then you will try to deny and repress your own sin – which is hypocrisy. Our problems come from a failure to apply the gospel in our lives. We have not thought out the deep implications of the gospel, we have not “used” the gospel in and on all parts of our life. Richard Lovelace says that most people’s problems are just a failure to be oriented to the gospel--a failure to grasp and believe it through and through. Luther says, "The truth of the Gospel is the principle article of all Christian doctrine....Most necessary is it that we know this article well, teach it to others, and beat it into their heads continually." (Gal.2:14f) The gospel is not easily comprehended for us. Paul says that the gospel only does its renewing work in us as we understand it in all its truth. All of us, to some degree live around the truth of the gospel but do not "get" all of it. So the key to continual and deeper spiritual renewal and revival is the continual re-discovery of the gospel. A stage of renewal is always the discovery of a new implication or application of the gospel--seeing more of its truth. This is true for either an individual or a church. Anything you do that makes you feel like a good person or a more acceptable or lovable person – that is self-righteousness. When you hold up these things and think, “I’m a good person and he/she isn’t.” That is when self-righteousness has a grip on you. When you think you have to do certain things or God will not be pleased with you – that is self-righteousness. Get rid of it, it will keep you from the grace and power of the gospel to transform you. When you think of yourself as more spiritual than other people because of what you do – that is self-righteousness. Get rid of it, it will keep you from the grace and power of the gospel to transform you. When you find yourself comparing yourself to other people and discovering that you’re better than they are, that’s self-righteousness. “When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.” (2 Corinthians 10:12) But, when you see the distance you are from God because of your great sin – and you see another human being in an even worse sin and you say, “there but by the grace of God go I” – that is Gospel. When you see how very far you are from the holiness of God and say, “I am a great sinner.” But you also see the great work of forgiveness that God did on the cross of Jesus Christ, and say, “I am a great sinner, but Christ is a greater savior.” – that is Gospel.

R Lovelace read by Classic Poetry Aloud: http://www.classicpoetryaloud.com/ Giving voice to the poetry of the past. --------------------------------------------- Gratiana Dancing by Richard Lovelace (1618 – 1658) She beat the happy pavement— By such a star made firmament, Which now no more the roof envìes! But swells up high, with Atlas even, Bearing the brighter nobler heaven, And, in her, all the deities. Each step trod out a Lover's thought, And the ambitious hopes he brought Chain'd to her brave feet with such arts, Such sweet command and gentle awe, As, when she ceased, we sighing saw The floor lay paved with broken hearts. First aired: 25 July 2008 For hundreds more poetry readings, visit the Classic Poetry Aloud index. Reading © Classic Poetry Aloud 2008

R Lovelace read by Classic Poetry Aloud: http://www.classicpoetryaloud.com/ Giving voice to the poetry of the past. --------------------------------------------- Gratiana Dancing by Richard Lovelace (1618 – 1658) She beat the happy pavement— By such a star made firmament, Which now no more the roof envìes! But swells up high, with Atlas even, Bearing the brighter nobler heaven, And, in her, all the deities. Each step trod out a Lover's thought, And the ambitious hopes he brought Chain'd to her brave feet with such arts, Such sweet command and gentle awe, As, when she ceased, we sighing saw The floor lay paved with broken hearts. First aired: 25 July 2008 For hundreds more poetry readings, visit the Classic Poetry Aloud index. Reading © Classic Poetry Aloud 2008

R Lovelace read by Classic Poetry Aloud: http://www.classicpoetryaloud.com/ Giving voice to the poetry of the past. --------------------------------------------- To Althea from Prison by Richard Lovelace (1618 – 1657) When Love with unconfined wings Hovers within my gates, And my divine Althea brings To whisper at the grates; When I lie tangled in her hair, And fetter'd to her eye, The gods, that wanton in the air, Know no such liberty. When flowing cups run swiftly round With no allaying Thames, Our careless heads with roses bound, Our hearts with loyal flames; When thirsty grief in wine we steep, When healths and draughts go free, Fishes, that tipple in the deep, Know no such liberty. When (like committed linnets) I With shriller throat shall sing The sweetness, mercy, majesty, And glories of my king; When I shall voice aloud how good He is, how great should be, Enlarged winds, that curl the flood, Know no such liberty. Stone walls do not a prison make, Nor iron bars a cage; Minds innocent and quiet take That for an hermitage; If I have freedom in my love, And in my soul am free, Angels alone that soar above, Enjoy such liberty. For hundreds more poetry readings, visit the Classic Poetry Aloud index. Reading © Classic Poetry Aloud 2008