http://www.9marks.org/blog/resources-ministering-suffering

Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor is probably my favorite, and most worn, book on the list.

What other resources for ministering to the suffering have you found?

Logos Bible Software is partnering with Desiring God Ministries to provide Memoir and Remains of the Rev.Robert Murray McCheyne as a Logos ebook.  This is a limited offer lasting only two weeks.  I have a hardback copy of the Memoirs of McCheyne – Including His Letters and Messages, and can say that he is an inspirational read.  John Piper will be giving an address on the Scottish Presbyterian minister at this year’s Desiring God National Pastor’s Conference.

I’ve made no secret about my personal struggle with pain.� I am in no way crippled by pain as some are, yet, pain is a daily part of my life.� It greets me in the morning, walks by my side throughout the day and tucks me in at night.� Sometimes it wakes me up in the middle of the night just to let me know it’s still there.� And, so it is with many people.� My goal in beginning this post is to introduce some of the things that I have learned over the past three years in my own struggle with chronic pain.� I’ll be pretty frank about my personal desires for complete relief, open to your own story and, prayerfully, encouraging throughout the entire process.

(Since I first started to work on this particular post, my health insurance has denied my next surgery.� These type of events are typical of the setbacks chronic pain sufferers face on a regular basis.� How does a Christian sufferer deal with these “bumps in the road” that are ordained from his sovereign Lord?� We’ll prayerfully deal with all these type of questions.)

I’ll suggest a a couple of resources to you, that have ministered well to me, right from the start:

• Pain: the Plight of Fallen Man: God’s Prescription for Persevering by James Halla, M.D.
  • Timeless Texts has this book for under $13 here
  • Amazon.com has this book for under $11 here
• Suffering and the Sovereignty of God – General Editors: John Piper and Justin Taylor
  • Download a pdf of this book from Desiring God here (free)
  • Download a pdf study guide of this book from Desiring God here (free)

Enter the conversation:
What resources could you recommend for someone suffering with chronic pain?

From the moment I opened the package from Multnomah this book has kept my attention.� I don’t think I’ve ever held a book with recommendations from such a varied group of individuals such as, Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz), John Piper (Desiring God Ministries), LeCrae (hip hop artist) to J.I. Packer (Knowing God).� It piqued my interest immediately.

Harris’ stated purpose of the book was to reveal how he “…first glimpsed the beauty of Christian theology.“� His journey would lead him to the “…realization that sound doctrine is at the center of loving Jesus with passion and authenticity.”� He desires to encourage the reader that “…orthodoxy isn’t just for old men but is for anyone who longs to behold a God who is bigger and more real and glorious than the human mind can imagine.”� He writes in “…the hope that [the reader will] catch a glimpse of how good and beautiful the old paths of orthodoxy are, how firm and trustworthy the solid rock of sound doctrine can be for [the reader's] life.”

Part of what seems to prompt this journey for Harris was the reading of the Sermon on the Mount, specifically Jesus’ tale of the wise & foolish house builders.� Josh wrestled with what Christ was teaching, and came to the conclusion that Jesus was, in part, explaining that “…being a Christian means being a person who labors to establish his beliefs, his dreams, his choices, his very view of the world on the truth of who Jesus is and what he has accomplished – a Christian who cares about truth, who cares about sound doctrine.”

This book would be a good book, to be read discerningly, for those young in the faith, questioning the faith or just desiring a “brush-up” of what Christian orthodoxy & doctrine is all about.� It is very easy to read, understand and yet Harris gives nuggets of truth for the reader to mull over and be challenged by.� He takes the reader through a time in his life when he questions what he believes and he explains what he found as a result of searching to answer those questions.� Every Christian goes through these times of questioning.� Harris goes a long way to direct those searching to the One who holds all the answers.

Below you will find a short synopsis of the doctrines Harris examines, in his own words:

• Theology Proper: “Near But Not in My Pocket” – chapter 3
  • The more you learn of who God truly is, the more incredible his invitation to know him becomes.� When you know him as the infinite, almighty, holy, eternal God of heaven, the announcement that he loves you takes on a whole new meaning.� It’s not expected.� It’s not commonplace.� It is cause for astonishment.
  • The high and lofty One offers to draw near to those who are humble.� He sent his Son to die so that the One of perfect holiness could dwell among us.� God is near.� But we don’t manage or contain him.� He’s not in our pockets.� The almighty One is holding us in his hands.

• Bibliology: “Ripping, Burning, Eating” – chapter 4
  • The Bible is much more wonderful and dangerous and radically life transforming than a mere book of instructions.
  • Getting the doctrine of Scripture right is essential for having a solid foundation as a Christian.
  • God saves.� God delivers.� It’s true for you and me.� God alone can save.� That is the central message of the Bible.� And it’s the key to understanding the Bible and learning to love it as God wants us to.� The Bible is the story of what God has done for us.

• Christology: “God with a Bellybutton” – chapter 5
  • When you glimpse the big-picture perspective of who Jesus is and what he has come to do, it takes your breath away.� His person and work are unlike any other.
  • Only Jesus can rescue.� Only Jesus offers the world outside help.� And that’s what our world needs.� We need God to come down to earth to save us.� Only Jesus claims this for himself.� Only Jesus died and rose again.� And only Jesus can and will unite all things in himself.

• Atonement: “A Way to be Good Again” – chapter 6
  • Do you see how essential the doctrine of atonement is to the Christian faith?� Apart from the Cross of Jesus Christ, our lives dead-end in hopelessness and terror.
  • We stand guilty before a God we can’t please.� We know our best efforts are inadequate.� And the gnawing guilt for our wrongs can’t be shaken.
  • Without the blood of Jesus Christ shed for sins, there is no atonement, no forgiveness, no reconciliation.� No hope.� Only the blood of the Lamb of God can cleanse us, cover us, and rescue us from judgment.

• Soteriology: “How God Saved Gregg Eugene Harris” – chapter 7
  • God chose us.
  • God called us.
  • God regenerated our hearts.
  • God justified us.
  • God adopted us.
  • God is sanctifying us day by day.
  • God will transform us one day and give us glorified bodies.
  • Salvation then will be complete.

• Sanctification: “Changed, Changing, to be Changed” – chapter 8
  • I know I’ll never obey God perfectly this side of heaven.� Even though I’ve been changed, I’m still changing.� I have a long way to go.� I’ll fail many times along the way.� I’ll need to repent and seek my Father’s gracious forgiveness countless times between today and the final day – the day when I’m ultimately and forever changed by the power of God.

• Pneumatology: “I Believe in the Holy Spirit” – chapter 9
  • The Holy Spirit isn’t interested in drawing attention to himself.� His role is to point away from himself and to Jesus.� [J.I. Packer] writes, “The Spirit’s message to us is never, ‘Look at me; listen to me; come to me; get to know me,’ but always, ‘Look at him, and see his glory; listen to him, and hear his word; go to him, and have life; get to know him, and taste his gift of joy and peace.’ “
  • You know the Spirit is working if you’re more amazed by Jesus, more desirous to serve and obey him, more ready to tell other people about him, more ready to serve the church he loves.

• Ecclesiology: “The Invisible Made Visible” – chapter 10
  • God chooses to include us.� With our flaws – with all our weaknesses, petty jealousies, blind spots, and ignorance – he lets us play a part in his story.
  • Why are we still here?� Why hasn’t he brought us home?� Why has he given us a mission that seems so hard?� so impossible?� Because he wants to give us stories to tell around the campfires of heaven.� Stories of how he orchestrated the crashing chaos of world history so people from every nation and tribe and tongue would be represented in his family on the final day.
  • Stories of how our ineffective churches still managed to put his glory on display.

The final chapter (11) is entitled, Humble Orthodoxy.� It is in this chapter that Harris explains that the “…message of Christian orthodoxy isn’t that I’m right and someone else is wrong.� It’s that I am wrong and yet God is filled with grace.� I am wrong, and yet God has made a way for me to be forgiven and accepted and loved for eternity.� I am wrong, and yet God gave his Son, Jesus, to die in my place and receive my punishment.� I am wrong, but through faith in Jesus, I can be made right before a holy God.� This is the gospel.� This is the truth that all Christian doctrine celebrates.� This is the truth that every follower of Jesus Christ is called to cherish and preserve.� Even die for.� It is the only truth on which we can build our lives and rest our eternal hope.”

Today’s reading provides one of “those” Psalms that really hit home.� It just seems to be very practical in nature and one that most Christians can identify with.� Below are my thoughts, aided by the Treasury of David (Spurgeon) on Psalm 12:

• “Help, Lord” – (v.1) – Sometimes the most efficient prayer for us as believers!� It just seems that we find ourselves in situations that seem unbearable, insurmountable and frustrating.� A cry for help to the One who can help proves necessary.� When faced with difficulties, trials and temptations, do not hesitate to cry out for HELP!
• Necessity for Spiritual Upkeep – (v.1) – There is a progression (downward) seen in verse one.� The godly cease to be and then the faithful disappear.� When godliness falters, right living fails.� There is no more motivation to adhere to that which is right (practice / actions) when the heart fails to embrace Truth (mind / heart).� Encourage your fellow saints by not only your practice (faithfulness) but your passion (godliness).
• Characteristics of those who lose godliness / faithfulness – (v.2) – speaking falsehood, flattering lips with a double heart.� The Christian is evidenced by speaking truth in love with his neighbor, by guarding the tongue and having speech that is singularly glorifying to God.� (for further reading: Ephesians 4:15-32; James 3)
• What moves God to action?� (v.5) We must keep close to heart this truth: that God sees our affliction and He hears our prayer.� While we may wish He would move more swiftly in the middle of our devastation, we must trust that He will move and in due time move us to safety.� Please remember that He inclines His ear to His children.� God hears our cries for help!
• God keeps and preserves His own.� (v.6)� How precious this truth is!� When we think we cannot go on further, when affliction and trouble press in on every side, it will be God who keeps us from evil and preserves us for His glory.� We do not have the power to live this life to which He has called us, and graciously, God accommodates our weakness with His preserving strength.

Additional Resources:

• A Quitter’s Confession, Josh Patterson, The Village Church – something worth reading.
• Hope in Disability, (A Young Man’s Testimony to Suffering & the Sovereignty of God), originally written by Joe Eaton, (spina bifida) – (ht: John Knight)

• Use five of my “roles” in life to influence my blogging.� This should keep me focused in these primary areas and allow me a creative outlet for suggestions and recommendations.� My five primary roles are these:
  • Pastor
    • Provide additional practical application to our church from sermons, studies and research.
    • Provide recommendations based upon my book reviews and other media resources to benefit our congregation primarily, as well as the readers of Grace Dependent.
  • Husband
    • Provide ideas and thoughts on marriage strengthening, renewing and preserving.
    • Provide practical tips and recommendations for marriage growth.
  • Father
    • Provide instruction and thoughts on various aspects of parenting.
    • Provide resources and recommendations, as well as studies for parents both in our congregation, as well as those readers of Grace Dependent.
  • Counselor
    • Provide biblical soul care suggestions and tips for various challenges in life.
    • Provide resources, recommendations and interaction on a variety of biblical soul care subjects.
  • Student
    • Provide insight into my ever-developing education, sharing thoughts, struggles and triumphs!
    • Provide an outlet for thinking through my ongoing theological training.

I appreciate the readers of Grace Dependent, whether they be people in my congregation or those who may just “surf” by to see what I blog.� Thank all of you for challenging me with your various comments, suggestions and thoughts to make this blog something that glorifies God!

TOP REFERRERS:

1. Discerning Reader – Discerning Reviews of Christian books and of books that are of interest to Christians.
2. Familyman Ministries – Reminding Dads of what’s most important
3. Ian Watson’s blog (kirkmuirhillrev.wordpress) – A Church of Scotland minister’s thoughts
4. CCEF – Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation; Restoring Christ to Counseling & Counseling to the Church.
5. Eskypades – Thoughts on life, Christianity, music, book & movie reviews and a dash of philosophical meanderings thrown in for good measure.
6. RPM Ministries – Changing Lives with Christ’s Changeless Truth
7. My Christian Blogs – All the best Christian blogs in one place

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1. Together for the Gospel 2010 Registration
2. About the Author
3. Book Review: This Momentary Marriage by John Piper
4. Walk in the Word: James MacDonald – two weeks of free mp3 downloads
5. Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care – this turned into a series
6. Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs
7. The Chief End of Man: Thomas Watson: A Body of Divinity

TOP ENGINE SEARCHES to reach Grace Dependent:

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7. A Little Leaven

1. Michael Patton, Parchment and Pen:

You know what it feels like: you are on fire; you are ready, willing and able; you don’t need any more sermons on Rom 12:1. You are a living sacrifice; you listened to Piper’s “Doing missions when dying is gain”; you are ready to die. You are ready to die for Christ, the Gospel and whatever other mission God puts you on.

Here I am Lord; I am ready.

Problem: there is no altar. Well, not like you thought. If it exists, it does not exist in the glory of your perceptions. You pray continually for God to show you his direction. There has to be a place for me in his army.

Here’s what you do:

2. Jared Totten, Christians in Context:

(I desire to do my own review of this book soon)

Jerry Bridges wrote one of the best books I’ve ever read on Christian sanctification in Pursuit of Holiness. But if Pursuit of Holiness is Sanctification 101, then Respectable Sins is Sanctification 301. While the former book focused on the broader subject of sanctification and dealt with the more common besetting sins, the latter focuses on the more subtle sins that often go unaddressed.

Before dealing with specific areas of sin, the opening chapters of Respectable Sins set the necessary foundation by addressing sin in general and the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome it. In this way, the first few chapters read like a concise summary of Pursuit of Holiness. The remainder of the book addresses issues like anxiety, unthankfulness, selfishness, and judgmentalism. Each of these chapters follows a similar formula, defining and exposing the sin before giving the reader practical steps of action against it.

The reader must be careful to read this book without any…(more here)

3. Desiring God

I was encouraged to begin to think about profitable Christmas presents by DG’s Christmas Sale: Something for Everyone.  (and they mean just about everyone!)

4. Kevin DeYoung, DeYoung, Restless & Reformed:

(This post flat-out convicted me…thanks, Kevin)

Prayer is essential for the Christian, as much for what it says about us as for what it can do through God.  The simple act of getting on our knees (or faces or feet or whatever) for 5 or 50 minutes every day is the surest sign of our humility and dependence on our Father in heaven.  There may be many reasons for our prayerlessness—time management, busyness, lack of concentration—but most fundamentally, we ask not because we think we need not. or we think God can give not.   Deep down we feel secure when we have money in the bank, a healthy report from the doctor, and powerful people on our side.  We do not trust in God alone.  Prayerlessness is an expression of our meager confidence in God’s ability to provide and of our strong confidence in our ability to take care of ourselves without God’s help.

more here

5. Dr. Bob Kellemen, Changeless Truth for Changing Times:

If you or someone you care about is struggling with anxiety, what’s our goal?

You shout, “To get rid of the anxiety!”

Well, that’s a great desire. It certainly is an acceptable prayer. “Lord, if it be Thy will, remove all feelings and experiences of anxiety.”

The problem is, this side of heaven, not all feelings are “healed,” not all negative emotional experiences are “wiped away.” It’s on the other side of heaven that we have no more tears, sorrow, pain, or suffering.

There’s no guarantee that medication will eliminate anxiety. There’s no promise that talk therapy will remove all feelings of fear. There’s no pledge that biblical counseling or scriptural meditation will eliminate every negative emotion.

When anxiety is totally eliminated, that’s a special grace of God for which everyone gives thanks. But that’s not the everyday result nor should it be our ultimate goal.

Read more about the goal here…

Tonight there’s a definite chill in the air, high school football game going on across the street, a fire flickering in the fireplace and a warm easy chair for my aching back.  And this is just a bit of what I’ve been reading…I hope you enjoyed it as well.

What others have said about Desiring God:

“Mind-hammering and heart-warming, Desiring God ignites a passion for God that would set the world ablaze if it were the norm and not the exception today.” – Os Guiness

“The healthy biblical realism of this study in Christian motivation comes as a breath of fresh air. Jonathan Edwards, whose ghost walks through most of Piper’s pages, would be delighted with his disciple.” – J.I. Packer

I received an email from a friend, and attendee of the AACC conference, and he spoke his concern for the reaction this has caused in the blogosphere.  With his permission I have reprinted his email below:

I was at the conference. Pastor Piper was the keynote speaker. The only speaker before him was Dr. Tim Clinton and his brief message was quite serious. So I don’t see that the AACC conference trained anyone to expect laughter and levity.

Pastor Piper did start with some ironic quips to which the crowd responded with natural laughter. Though the tape and Dr. Piper’s comments might make it seem like all 6,000 people were laughing, this is far from the case. Many people “got it” and understood that John had switched to serious mode. Many people were “with John” in thinking it odd that some people didn’t get the switch to serious. I spoke to many people directly after the message who were saddened that the laughter by some continued. But those people were not judgmental of the rest of the audience.

In comments in this blog and over at [Justin] Taylor’s blog, some folks are really taking the audience to task with a stereotype that “obviously these Christian counselors just don’t get sin.” I take issue with that. The AACC World Conference has over 40 pre-conference sessions and they deal with the issue of sin from the perspective of the sufficiency of Scripture to deal with sin and with suffering. The same is true of the over 150 track presentations.

Personally, I think there is a good deal of overreaction going on to this tape…listened to out of context. It is easy to judge others from a clip of a tape, or a page of a book, or a section of a blog. That strikes me as more of a “Corinthian” attitude than a “Berean” attitude, in my humble opinion.

What do we do about this?  What can we take away?  In my tiny corner of the blogosphere I would echo the words of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  But if you bite and devour one another, take care lest you be consumed by one another.

May we be gracious to one another!  With the grace we have received so abundantly from Christ, may we give abundantly to one another.  Let us not excuse sin…but let us pray for one another passionately that we would continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  May we lay aside the bickering, back-biting and engage in the stimulation of one another to love and good works.  This is a day and age where every idle word of man is recorded for an entire world to examine.  As brothers & sisters in Christ, let us commit to encourage one another to be responsible, mature and forgiving.

WE ARE ALL MADE TO WORSHIP

At Come&Live! we desire the Holy task of loving the LORD our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and out of the abundance of His mercy and grace, loving our neighbors as ourselves. “Sing to the LORD a new song, all the earth.” — Isaiah 42:10

COME&LIVE! is dedicated to honoring our God-given gifts by giving back to others.  In joining hands with our artists we aim to provide them guidance to live a life of faith and keeping focus on the only enduring effort — loving and sharing JESUS. “Missions is bidding the nations: SING WITH US!” — John Piper

If we believe that our lives and music define our mission, then we should be willing to share it all, not under any financial obligation, but plainly given away as a gift. It’s one of the smaller ways we know how to spell “love”. Our artists are missionaries, spreading the gospel and worshipping our Creator while giving all they have to love others. Therefore I command you, “You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor” – Deuteronomy 15:11

We pray this attitude would spread like wildfire and create a revival among all nations, a world set alight for Christ. If you feel a connection to this idea, please receive our music, simply as a gift, and consider praying for us and/or donating.

More here.

The name of the album is I Am Living (vol.1).  Download available on this page.

(HT: Lukas Naugle)

• v.14 – “We know that we have passed from death into life, because we love the brethern.  He who does not love abides in death.“

The question naturally arises then, “what does loving the brethern look like?  And how do I know if I’m loving them?”  Both are really good questions answered by the Apostle.

• v.16 – “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethern.  (17)  But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?“

Loving the brethern looks like the sacrificial love given by the example of Jesus Christ.  He gave everything for the benefit of others.  I know then that I love my brothers if I:

• v.18 – “Little children, let us not love with word or tongue, but in deed and truth.  (19)  We shall know by this that we are of the truth, and shall assure our heart before Him.”

Is there anything else that gives me evidence that I am a child of God, beside practically applying the sacrificial love demonstrated by Jesus in my life?  Yes!  The Apostle goes on to say at the end of the chapter:

• v.24 – “And the one who keeps His commandment abides in Him, and He in him.  And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.“

The other clear marker of being a child of God is our obedience to the commands that God has given us.  It must be a driving force in our lives, this desire to obey God.  Are we always successful?  No, but it is the characteristic of our lives.

My thoughts in summary: If you are not being obedient to the commands of God as you have learned and known them, and those commands are not resulting in tangible works of love to other believers, you have every right to question your faith.  If it is not the over-arching desire to be obedient and loving, then are you a child of God?  The Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to test yourself, examine yourself, to see if you are in the faith.

Here is a relevant video by John Piper on the need for pastors to be proclaiming this truth:

A Link:
Cardiphonia: The Word transformed: prayer, song, art.

An Update:
I have been posting some of my thoughts as I read through Suffering and the Sovereignty of God.  I’d encourage you to also check out the Straight Up blog where Gerald Hiestand has three posts thus far on God and Suffering.  You can read those posted so far here:

• Part One
• Part Two
• Part Three

I will be continuing in my consistent posting on my thoughts of Piper’s book.  I trust that God will continue to challenge you in your approach to suffering in your life and God’s purpose behind it.

Go here to see their free online books, including Finally Alive.

Do you know of other free online resources that you’d like to share?  Leave a comment so that we all can benefit!

HT: Abraham Piper