This summer I’ve been making a concerted effort to listen to sermons and audiobooks in addition to my regular reading — as a way of redeeming time while running, working out, or driving. It’s been very productive.

I’d been hearing a lot of good things about Francis Chan’s book Crazy Love, so when I heard ChristianAudio.com had made it their Free Audiobook Download for the month of July, I downloaded it immediately. Over the past week I’ve been blessed by Chan’s emphasis on knowing God and pursuing Him passionately — and I figured you would be blessed as well.

To redeem your free audiobook, follow the link below and use the code JUL2009 when checking out. For more information on the book, check out this review by Tim Challies and watch the video introduction below.

Download Francis Chan’s Crazy Love

Alex and I have long admired William Wilberforce for his tireless dedication in pursuing his holy ambition. One year after coming to Christ, Wilberforce wrote in his diary, “God Almighty has placed before me two great Objects, the Suppression of the Slave Trade and the Reformation of Manners.”

Over twenty years later, Wilberforce succeeded in abolishing the slave trade in the British Empire — but not slavery itself. As he continued to work towards emancipation for existing slaves, Wilberforce realized that the cause would need younger men to continue the work. So, in 1821 he asked Thomas Fowell Buxton (pictured above) to take over leadership of the campaign.

Buxton himself was an exceptional man, a strong Christian, and a dedicated abolitionist. For twelve years he served as leader of the abolition movement in the House of Commons — not only persevering, but succeeding. In 1833, slavery was officially abolished in the British Empire — one month after Wilberforce’s death.

This story is a remarkable tribute to both Wilberforce and Buxton. It’s a shame that more attention is not given to this successful “passing of the baton” between two generations — and to T.F. Buxton himself. From even my limited research, he seems to have much to teach us. Check out the following excerpt from John G. Edgar’s, “The Boyhood of Great Men,” which includes Buxton’s challenge to young men:

Buxton’s opinion seems to have been that a young man may become very much what he pleases, by working, studying, and struggling. He wrote: “The longer I live, the more I am certain that the great difference between men, between the feeble and the powerful, is energy — invincible determination — & purpose once fixed, and then death or victory. That quality will do anything that can be done in this world; and no talents, no circumstances, no opportunities, will make a two-legged creature a man without it.”

Upon reading this quotation I wondered what might happen if each of us prayed that invincible determination would come to define our lives; that faithful perseverance would characterize each one of us as we serve over a lifetime in our families, churches, schools, and world. What might God do through a generation like that? What victories might He grant us? It seems worth thinking about. And praying for.

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone be the Glory)

Early this summer I was challenged and encouraged by the book, “David: Man of Prayer, Man of War” written by Walter Chantry. I stumbled back across the following excerpt (one of many) while reading through my journals from that period, and realized how helpful it could be to rebelutionaries. As we all attempt to serve God with our lives it is necessary to remind ourselves who is really helping whom.

All of David’s successful conquests are explained in this way: “The Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.” Again we discover that the history of David is not about what David did for God, but about what God did for David!

David would not build a house for God; God would build a house for David. David would not bring military victories to the feet of the Lawgiver, as man’s gift to the Most High. God would preserve David amidst all dangers.

The grace of God for man is too often turned into the idea that it is man who does heroic feats for God. Our humanistic dream is that we may do great things for God. We shall give our genius, our talents, and our strength to him. We will build cathedrals for him. We will round up converts for him. Today the emphasis seems to be, we will put on entertaining extravaganzas for him. Yet the theme of grace is what he does for us!

In conflicts between truth and righteousness on the one side, and falsehood and wickedness on the other, the news is to be found elsewhere than in ourselves. God gave victories to David.

If anything significant occurs in the Kingdom of God, there is a vast incongruity in God’s preserving and using unlikely, inept, unwise, and powerless creatures who are opposed by principalities and powers both earthly and heavenly. The Almighty is not in a tight spot, needing men to come to his rescue. It is we who, in every hour and emergency of life, stand in need of the Lord to uphold and to deliver us.

It is tragic when readers of Scripture barely notice the historical record, “The Lord gave victory to David,” but rather bolster their humanistic theory that “David surely gave the Lord’s cause a boost in his day.”

Father, forgive us for ever thinking we are “giving you a boost” through the work you allow and equip us to do. May we be ever aware of our complete dependence on you. Thank you for including your children in what you are doing. You don’t need us, but you work through us for our good and your glory. Lord, use us as you want.

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone be the Glory)

Our goal with every post is to encourage our readers in their pursuit of God, challenge them to greater impact for His glory, and inform them of opportunities and resources that might aid in these endeavors. I believed that Regina Spektor’s song contributed to that mission by allowing you to wrestle with truth about God — even truth hidden behind the meandering thoughts of a gifted, secular artist.

C.S. Lewis wrote, “Pain is God’s megaphone to the world” — and I think “Laughing With” makes that point abundantly clear. As our brother Josh wrote on his blog, “suffering strips away our flippant attitude towards God. We can laugh at God when all is well or when we encounter a caricature of him, but when tragedy strikes we’re confronted with the reality that we’re helpless.” No one laughs at God in a hospital.

Nevertheless, I decided to remove the post after realizing that while Regina’s song was edifying to me, it was confusing and unhelpful to many of you (at least among those who commented). I did not expect that, otherwise I would not have posted it in the first place. My goal is to build you up.

For that reason, I’d like to encourage you to consider the following questions. The discussion doesn’t have to end just because the original post is gone.

Some questions for discussion:

• What lessons should we seek to learn from secular writers, speakers, filmmakers, and musicians?
• The Apostle Paul writes, “‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up” (1 Corinthians 10:23). How do we discern between what is helpful and harmful?
• In Acts 17:28, Paul quotes two secular poets (Epimenides and Aratus). It seems safe to assume that God intends for us to not only notice the point Paul is making, but also how he goes about making the point. With that in mind, how should this passage inform our own attempts to share the Gospel? On the flipside, how do we keep from going overboard in our attempts to be “relevant?”

Here’s a tip though: Rather than simply pooling our ignorance in the comment section, take these questions to your parents and pastors. Make sure to also ask them if they have a book they recommend on the topic. This is a hard topic to cover in one conversation! We’d encourage you to check out the book, “Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World” edited by C.J. Mahaney.

Share your thoughts in the comment section.

After reading my last post, my mother ran to grab “Deserted by God” by Sinclair Ferguson and read the following excerpt to me (pp. 14-17). I love his emphasis on all of us needing “long-term help”—not a quick-fix; the importance of God’s word in overcoming spiritual dryness; and the story he shares about Martin Luther’s wife (from which I drew the post title). Enjoy!

Ferguson writes: Most of us come to a book like this looking for help for ourselves or others: as quick a fix as possible. But quick counsel will only see us through from one crisis to the next. We need long-term help, and that can only be provided by long-term measures. Disciplined, thoughtful, prayerful study of God’s word, undertaken with the Spirit’s help is what we need. It will change the way we think, and consequently the way we live, and ultimately the way we feel.

When we study and meditate on the Scriptures, they begin to make a significant impact on the whole of our lives. They give “teaching”—about God, Christ, ourselves, sin, grace, and a multitude of other things. They thus bring us to know God, shape our thinking, and give us clear direction in life. They also “rebuke”—searching our hearts and touching our consciences. God’s word is

living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whome we must give account (Hebrews 4:12-13).

A cleansing process takes place when our lives are thus exposed to the influence of God’s word in Scripture. We are, as Jesus prayed, “sanctified” through the truth that is God’s word (John 17:16). That process is as important to our spiritual well-being as the cleansing of a wound is to its healing.

Paul then adds that Scripture “corrects” us. When I was a schoolboy, I regarded being rebuked and being corrected as synonymous and enjoyed neither! But Paul’s word correct is not simply another way of telling us we have gone wrong. In fact it was used outside of the New Testament in the world of medicine for correcting a damaged limb, mending a broken leg. Through God’s rebuke we see our need; though the healing powers of his word—its encouragement, redirection, assurance—our minds and spirits can be healed.

In fact, says Paul, all the equipment to help us to be stable servants of Christ can be found in Scripture. And stability is the very quality we need when we are discouraged and have begun to think, “I cannot stand it much longer.”

Most of all, Scripture refocuses our hearts and minds on the God whose character is revealed in it. Knowing him better is our deepest need. Meeting that need will put all of our other needs—our doubts, discouragements, depression, and disconsolation—in their proper context.

“It seems that God must have died!”

On one occasion when he was greatly discouraged, Martin Luther, the sixteenth century reformer, was forcefully reminded of this by his wife, Katharine. Seeing him unresponsive to any word of encouragement, one morning she appeared dressed in black mourning clothes. No word of explanation was forthcoming, and so Luther, who had heard nothing of a bereavement, asked her: “Katharine, why are you dressed in mourning black?” Someone has died,” she replied. “Died?” said Luther, “I have not heard of anyone dying. Whoever can have died?” “It seems,” his wife replied, “that God must have died!”

Luther took the point. He, a believer, a Christian, with such a great God to call his Father, was living like a practical atheist. But Luther knew that God was not dead. God was living, reigning, active in the events of history and in Luther’s own life. How foolish he had been! Discouragement was immediately banished.

Knowledge and love of God create an environment in which discouragement and a sense of depression or spiritual desertion find difficulty breathing. That, ultimately is what the psalmists discovered over and over again, and tell us in different contexts and a variety of ways. Let us sit at their feet and learn to see what they saw:

“Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek” (Psa. 27:7-8).

I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Psa. 27:13-14).

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes find myself suffering from a sense of over-familiarity with God and the gospel. Reading my Bible doesn’t excite me. Listening to sermons becomes routine. Even worship feels common and mundane. At times like these I crave something new and compelling to jolt me out of my spiritual rut. I figure that if I only had a better devotional book, a more powerful preacher, or a worship band with slightly more musical gifting, then my heart would become responsive again. Sin makes us stupid like that.

Of course, I’m not denying that there are better devotional book or more powerful preachers. We should read great books, not mediocre books. We should look for churches where God’s Word and the gospel are faithfully preached. But I often find myself dissatisfied with truths — however poorly presented — that should thrill me.

“A mature Christian is easily edified.”

Two weeks ago I stumbled across that statement by Dr. Harold Best — and it hit too close to home. Easily edified? That doesn’t sound like the Brett Harris I know. To borrow from friend and blogger, Justin Taylor, too often an accurate assessment of my life would reveal that I am easily annoyed, easily irritated, easily impatient, easily hurt, easily angered, easily distracted, easily arrogant, etc. Justin concludes:

Wouldn’t it be great if those who knew us best could honestly say, “It is so easy to edify him. It doesn’t take much. It doesn’t need to be the best sermon ever preached or the most excellent song ever composed or the most powerful book ever written or the most theologically eloquent statement ever uttered. Just the simplest truth was enough to refresh his heart in Christ.”

Not a bad way to pray — for ourselves and for others.

Over the past few months God has been working in my heart to restore a sense of awe and amazement — to ignite the idle sticks of my heart into a roaring blaze — but I am still God’s work in progress. Pray for me, as I pray for all of you, that we would grow together into men and women after God’s own heart.

“In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart!” — Psalm 119:14-16, 32

Brett and I are excited to announce that Reilly will be helping to lead worship at the Chicago conference on July 11th. The band hails from Philadelphia and has garnered national attention for their unique violin-rock sound and spiritually rich lyrics — and the band members also serve regularly on the worship team at their local church.

Reilly has been one of Brett’s and my favorite independent Christian bands for the last few years. We’re pretty stoked to have them backing up our older brother Joel at one of our events. This is another first for the Rebelution conferences this year — along with the new interactive texting service we debuted in Louisville.

Whether you’re planning to attend the Chicago conference or not, be sure to check out Reilly’s music at their official site and on Facebook. The pre-registration pricing deadline for Chicago is this Saturday — prices will jump $5 per person after that.

+ Reilly Website — Register Online +

Tomorrow afternoon Brett and I will be helping WaterBrook Multnomah test out a live video streaming presentation — and we’d love to have you join us. We’ll be talking about our new book (and the title we finally settled on), the conference tour this year, and a new idea about what it means to be a rebelutionary.

The presentation should last about ten minutes — and we’d appreciate your live feedback. The video stream will go live at 3:30 PM (EST) at the link below. When you click the link there will be a short advertisement before you are redirected.

Live Video Stream - June 25th, 3:30 PM (EST)

A powerful reminder that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

NOTE: Some readers have expressed concern with the fact that Matt Chandler says something about the church being an “enemy of conversion.” Outside the context of the complete message it could come across as if the Chandler (and subsequently, Alex and I) are promoting an anti-church perspective. That is absolutely not true. The video is awkwardly cut. Chandler is sharing the story of how he came to reject that mindset. If you listen to the entire message you’ll understand. Sorry for the confusion.