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Known & Loved by Glenna Marshall

I don’t rate books based on stars or numbers. I tend to classify them mentally more in terms of books: “to avoid,” “not worth your time,” “good for a specific person or season,” or “everyone should prioritize reading this.” It’s not as memorable or clean as the stars approach, but it’s how I think about books (especially as a pastor who views recommended resources as part of shepherding).

Glenna Marshall’s newest book, Known & Loved: Experiencing the Affection of God in Psalm 139, would be in the “everyone should prioritize reading it” class. The structure (Psalm 139) and style (deeply personal and deeply biblical) root the reader in Scripture with the aim of seeing just how much God’s knowledge of us and love for us can change our everyday life.

A Helpful Book on Anxiety

There are many good books on anxiety written by Christians. It’s a broad and complex issue, and no book can say everything, so there are also a lot of angles in which to approach it. One of the books I’ve found most helpful is Struck Down but Not Destroyed: Living Faithfully with Anxiety by Pierce Taylor Hibbs.

Thoughts On Grief that Lasts

I’m posting this on the three-year anniversary of my dad’s death, though what was written was around one year after his death. I’ve held off posting this because it’s a less “polished” post that reads more like a journal entry.

Don’t Lose Hope in Hardship

One of the many lessons I’ve learned from David’s time in the wilderness is not to let present hardship rob me of future hope.

Gratitude: All Year Long

One of the reasons I wrote The Grumbler’s Guide to Giving Thanks was to speak into the misconception that gratitude is seasonal. Many Christians see giving thanks as a bonus discipline to practice during November and they neglect it the rest of the year. But the whole of Scripture encourages and exhorts believers to cultivate it in all things. Every day. In all seasons. In all circumstances. Whatever mood you might be in.

So even though it’s Spring, now is a great time to focus on cultivating gratitude to God for who He is and all He’s done. Moody Publishers has a 50% off sale on all their books, which includes The Grumbler’s Guide to Giving Thanks.

10 Contrasts Between Saul and David

Israel’s first king, Saul, had the royal throne ripped away from him and given to David. He rejected God’s commands, and God rejected him as chief-in-command. But why does God respond so firmly to Saul and so graciously to David? If both Saul and David were sinners, why is Saul portrayed so negatively overall in and why is David portrayed so positively overall?

Who was the prophet Samuel?

Samuel was “…the kind of leader that Israel actually needed. Their need was not for a great military hero or genius. God had demonstrated unambiguously that he could deal with their enemies without such a champion. Their need was not for a brilliant political giant who could organize the nation efficiently. Israel’s need could not be met by management abilities. Israel’s great need was a leader who would bring them back to God. They needed a leader who would lead them in righteousness. They needed a Samuel. And God gave them Samuel!”^[1]

In many photos of Samuel online (such as the one above from Amazon’s series House of David), you might get him confused with Gandalf the Grey. Both appear old, wise, travel with a nice staff, and perform some pretty awesome deeds. But who was Samuel in the Bible, or what was his ministry to Israel?

10 Things to Know about 1 Peter

Peter, the Apostle, wrote the book and refers to it in his second letter (2 Peter 3:1).
Peter likely penned the letter around AD 62-63 while in Rome (“Babylon” in 5:13).
At the time of Peter’s writing, the famous (or infamous) Emperor Nero ruled Rome. Within a couple of years, he would have Peter killed.
Although persecution at the time of writing was not yet widespread or officially sanctioned by the empire, it was taking place on a local level. Peter addresses these exiles experiencing opposition and suffering throughout his letter.
Peter wrote to believers scattered or dispersed throughout Asia Minor (1:1), now modern-day Turkey.
Most likely, the audience primarily consisted of Gentiles (see 1:14, 18; 2:10) who seemed to have been instructed in the Old Testament after their conversion. There is a lot of Old Testament theology and background Peter draws upon as he explains to them who they are, what Christ has done for them, and how they fit into God’s redemptive story.
The theme of “exile” is prominent throughout the book and gives us a lens to understand much of what Peter writes. Whether they were physical, cultural, or spiritual exiles (or all of the above), Peter wants to remind them to see themselves and their role through God’s purposes and plans rather than the world’s evaluation and treatment of them.
Another key theme is that while we don’t belong to this world we do belong to God, who has redeemed us to Himself (1:1-2, 18-19; 2:9-10, 25; 3:18). They are not just exiles, but they are “elect exiles,” known, loved, and treasured by God (1:1). Because they belong to Him, their lives display to the world what He’s like (2:12).
The purpose of the letter is to encourage believers to both endure suffering and pursue holiness in an evil and hostile culture. Peter will repeatedly bring them back to who their living Savior is and who they now are in Him as an appeal to then live out their new identity and calling in Christ. Because they have hope in a living Savior, they can endure earthly hardships.
At the end of the letter, we see that Peter was with John Mark. This is the same Mark who participated in ministry with Paul and Barnabas (Acts 12:25; 13:5, Col. 4:10; 2 Tim. 4:11), whose mother hosted a church (Acts 12:12), and who most likely wrote the Gospel of Mark through the direction and influence of Peter.

Christ’s Work for Us in 1 Peter

Peter’s letter is full of encouragements about what Christ has done for us and how His death, resurrection, ascension or reign, and return are the good news we live in today. We have hope in Him and we endure suffering through the grace and strength He supplies. We also hope and wait with the knowledge of all that awaits us when we meet Christ, either at His return or upon our death. Here are some of the effects, results, or implications of Christ’s death, resurrection, reign, and our reunion with Him.

Hold on to Hope: Eight Elements of Biblical Hope

“Hope is like the sun. If you only believe in it when you see it, you’ll never make it through the night.” Leia Organa in Star Wars: Episode VIII

“Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” Andy Dufresney in The Shawshank Redemption

What is Hope?

In the Bible, “hope” is not a wish, dream, or something that has a chance of happening. Hope doesn’t spring from optimism about circumstances but confidence in God. It’s something we can expect and anticipate, even have assurance of, though it might require much waiting and trust. Biblical hope is anchored in the character, promises, and work of God, which is why the Bible calls God our hope (Ps. 71:5; 1 Tim. 1:1) or the gospel a gospel of hope (Col. 1:23; Rom. 15:13).

“For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.” (Ps. 71:5)