Remembrance of Things Past

New Brunswick, NJ – I’m working in New Jersey this week...in the city of New Brunswick, the home of Rutgers University. Yesterday after work, I drove “down the shore” to the Wildwoods and Cape May in southern New Jersey.

I had worked in Wildwood during the summer of 1987, when I was eighteen, so it was enjoyable for me to see the area again and walk along the shore last night.

I was amazed to see the difference that a season makes…during the summertime the streets are filled with traffic and parking is limited. Last night, however, there was almost no traffic on the roads, making it easy for me to drive through the small near-empty towns.

On my drive south and then north again, I listened to music from the eighties and thanked God again for events long past.

Blessings,

-D.

Writing Project - to page 200

I'm still editing: "Go Eat Popcorn: A personal journey through Paul's letters".

I'm now up to page 200. In the latest section, I look at the "Big Picture" ideas of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians.

Here's the link for pages 1 through 200:

http://www.dstiles.com/GoEatPopcorn.pdf

Blessings,
-D.

More on...What is the Gospel?

John Piper on "What is the Gospel":

What is the Gospel?

A brief and helpful video from "The Gospel Coalition" on "What is the Gospel?"

Here's Mark Dever's description:

Pilgrim's Progress Online

....as a followup to my previous post, here's a link to an online version of John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress"

http://www.lgmarshall.org/Reformed/bunyan_pilgrim.html


-D.

A Pilgrim's Progress

I finished reading John Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress" tonight. It's one of the required books for my class on the English Puritans at Reformed Theological Seminary.

If you have not read it, I would highly recommend at least skimming the book.

The book is an allegory of the Christian experience...of going through this life to Heaven. It's likely that Bunyan came up with the idea for the book while imprisoned, then published an initial version in 1678. Of all of the writings of the English Puritans, "The Pilgrim's Progress" is the most well known.

There are two parts to the book. Part One tells the story of Christian, Part Two tells the story of his wife Christiana and their children as they journey from their home in the "City of Destruction" to God's "Celestial City".

For me, the book is a helpful reminder that I (like all Christians) am on a spiritual pilgrimage...I will encounter various trials and difficulty and places of rest as I follow Him.

Bunyan's main characters, Christian and Christiana, found it helpful to have others join them on their pilgrim journey. Christian found assistance from individuals named: Evangelist, Interpreter and Hopeful. Christiana, found help from people named: Mercy, Great-Heart, Gaius, and Valiant-for-Truth.

(As an aside, as I read about Mr. Great Heart in Book Two, the great model of a Puritan pastor, I was reminded about some biographies that I've read about Teddy Roosevelt. When he was a child, he and his siblings would call their father by the nickname: "Great Heart"...as they had read "Pilgrim's Progress" and felt that he personified the name. What a great nickname to be given by one's kids.)

As I read "Pilgrim's Progress", I thought too about the monthly worship gathering that I've been hosting through a new group called the "Anglican Fellowship of Cincinnati". I thought of how one of our primary roles is to serve as encouragers (like Great Heart, and Mercy and Hopeful); to encourage one another along the "pilgrim way" of Christian discipleship as people take the journey from their own "City of Destruction" to God's "Celestial City". For me, that's quite an encouraging thing to think about.

I'll post more about our monthly worship meetings at: http://www.cincyanglican.org/

I'm hoping to have the next worship gathering planned soon.

Blessings to you in your pilgrimage,


-D.

Writing Project - first 150 pages

I'm continuing to edit: "Go Eat Popcorn: A personal journey through Paul's letters".

I'm now up to page 150...in the latest chapter, I explore some differences in the translations of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians.

Here's the link for pages 1 through 150: http://www.dstiles.com/GoEatPopcorn.pdf

-D.