If you've had a conversation me for any length, chances are I have dropped the name John Piper. If you have yet to read anything by him, listen to a message or read his short articles, you have no excuse now because he is putting out a vodcast series (think YouTube) of short clips around themes from his excellent book Don't Waste Your Life.
The Don't Waste Your Life site is awesome, check it out. I must recommend that you watch the Podcast (Vodcast) series. If you only have a few minutes watch Risk, Treasures on Earth, and The Shell.
Treasures on Earth simply displays a nice house being crushed in a matter of seconds with overlaying text Matthew 6:20. The Shell is a blip about this couple who retire to Punta Gorda, FL and spend the rest of their life collecting shells, which Piper aptly calls a tragedy.
I started a book group reading Don't Waste Your Life (If any of you are in it, I promise we will get back to it after my wedding!) A chapter you must read from this book is Risk is Right (The entire book is free to read online!). Piper defines risk as an action that can expose you to the possibility of loss or injury. I cannot even begin to expound to this chapter as I found myself underlining and writing all over it...it is that good!
Yesterday as I was reading Tozer's The Knowledge of the Holy on the Self Existence of God I was reminded of a quote from the Risk is Right chapter which I think gets at the heart of the matter of why we don't risk as we should--Without Christ, we are all legalist or lechers at heart-wanting to do our own thing or wanting to do God's thing in our way to prove our own ability.
In closing, I want to highlight a talk Piper gave at Texas A & M this week called Radical Effects of the Resurrection. Piper makes the claim that America is the most dangerous place in the world to raise a kid. He states--Jesus did not say its hard for a missionary kid to get into heaven, its hard for someone in Somalia to get into heaven, he said its hard for a rich man to get into heaven.
Thought for the day: Jesus isn't into giving you lists or prescriptions, he's into shocking the hell out of you.
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Nearly to my wedding and art and eating are preoccupying my time : ) I made delicious Alaskan king crab legs with Irish butter (sans garlic for Wyatt). I experimented with a papaya, red cabbage, and sprout salad with lemon dill dressing, which was very pretty and actually tasty. I cooked a brunch for 10 today that turned out wonderfully, but I forgot to take pictures : ( We spent one night coloring boxes with pastels that will be sent to refugee kids in Angola. Finally a picture of my fired pot!
