Ben Birdsong | Meanderings About Life, Youth Ministry, and Following King Jesus

Book Review: Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, and Life Together

January 3, 2012 by admin
In Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, and Life Together, Pastor Mark and Grace Driscoll seek to present a real and honest book about marriage. In typical Driscoll fashion, this is a book that does not shy away from the difficult topics with regard to marriage and sexuality. Real Marriage has clearly been influenced by Driscoll’s popular sermons on the topic and includes a depth of resources from the almost 50 books and many articles that he and Grace have read in preparation for this book. This makes Real Marriage a good book for additional resources on the topic from both Christian and secular sources.

The underlying theme of the first segment of the Driscolls’ book is the importance of friendship in marriage. If a couple is going to last in marriage, they must be friends who are seeking to love each other and serve each other through the biblical description of marriage in Ephesians 5 . With chapters specifically to men and specifically to women from Ephesians 5 , the book wrestles with what it means to be a godly spouse in a practical manner.

The second segment of Real Marriage seeks to deal with the topic of sex. This is the section that will cause many readers to struggle with the Driscolls’ views. This segment contains a detailed exegesis of Song of Solomon from his Pleasant Princess series. It also contains answers to many controversial questions about sex and sexuality, a chapter on sexual abuse, and a chapter on pornography. Though I do not agree with everything the Driscolls say in this section, I think their approach is helpful. All questions regarding sex and sexuality are addressed through the following three questions:
- Is it lawful?
- Is it helpful?
- Is it enslaving?
I think that these are helpful questions that form a good framework for addressing questions that are not specifically addressed in scripture.

In the final section, the Driscolls challenge couples to have a strategic plan for their life and marriage. This is done by encouraging communication, setting priorities, and seeking to live a balanced life. This section contains many helpful questions and suggestions to put these principles into practice in your own life and marriage.

Real Marriage is an in-your-face look at marriage and relationships that challenges couples to have a biblically thriving marriage. It has the typical shock and awe effect that many of Driscoll’s books are known for, but it is also very helpful and practical. It is a challenge that seeks to be grounded in the Word and to encourage couples to make their last day of marriage better than their first.
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Book Review: Getting Back Up When Life Knocks You Down

December 21, 2011 by admin

In Getting Back Up When Life Knocks You Down, Jeremy Kingsley presents a practical strategy for dealing with the troubles of life that come in unexpected times and unexpected ways. This book is a biblical approach to suffering and trials, which also includes advice that a person might receive from a counselor. Combining a biblical and counseling approach makes this book effective in dealing with both the theological and psychological struggles that a person will face in times of crisis.

Throughout the book, Kingsley encourages his readers to persevere in the midst of trials, express their emotions and struggles, embrace the reality of their situation, allow anger to become a catalyst for change, take responsibility for the factors that they can control, forgive themselves and others, avoid worry and guilt, and remember hope. These are all important topics that makes this book a helpful resource for a person who is feeling knocked down by life.

Getting Back Up When Life Knocks You Down is written through the lens of Kingsley’s personal experience and stories of other people, who have gone through trials. This is an effective approach because it reminds the reader that he or she is not alone in their struggle and that God is sufficient for our trials. Kingsley has written a short and helpful book that would serve as a source of encouragement and practical advice for someone who has been knocked down by the harsh realities of life.

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Does Your Life Tell the World that God Is Great?

December 16, 2011 by admin

Today, the news reported the death of world renown atheist, Christopher Hitchens, from a long battle with cancer. Hitchens is known in religious circles for his role as a leader in the New Atheism movement and as author of God Is Not Great. In the world of atheists, I think that Hitchens was my favorite. He had a British whit about him that made him a likeable person even though I disagree with what he stood for. I had the opportunity to hear Hitchens debate at Samford University a few years ago. Though I believe Hitchens was wrong in his views, I have hoped that God would use his battle with cancer to open his eyes to the transformational power of the gospel.

As a finite human being, I do not presume to know where Hitchens stood before God in the end, but I have been reflecting on what it would be like to stand before a God, who you claimed was not great, in all the greatness of His glory. As I ponder the picture of standing before God, I have been reflecting on how many times we as Christians live like God is not great. We have reduced God to a deity that is not great by making our relationship with God a mere addition to our busy lives. This idea was most clearly stated by Brenan Manning:

“The single greatest cause of Atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him with their lifestyles. This is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

The question that each of us must ask: Are we living lives that tell the world that our God is great?

May our actions be empowered by the Holy Spirit so that we reflect Christ and the transformational power of His gospel. We serve a great God who is worthy of all of our lives and all of our worship. Do those around you believe that you serve a God who is great? There will come a day when every person will stand before this great God. What will He say to you?

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Book Review: Why God Won’t Go Away: Is The New Atheism Running on Empty

December 6, 2011 by admin

In Why God Won’t Go Away: Is The New Atheism Running on Empty, Dr. Alister E. McGrath presents a provocative book about the fall of the New Atheism empire. McGrath does an effective job of presenting the differences between the New Atheism and classical Atheism, the foundations of the New Atheism, and the conflicts within the New Atheism. This is a thoughtful book that serves as a good introduction to a person who does not have much experience reading in the field of apologetics with regard to the New Atheism.

McGrath cites the differences between the New Atheism and classical Atheism as the evangelical nature of the tenants of the New Atheism, the anti-theism of the New Atheism, the cultural and political power being sought by the New Atheism, and the militant nature of the New Atheism. These differences are what make the New Atheist movement such a strong topic of conversation within the world of philosophy and the culture at large. McGrath also presents a helpful introduction to the development of the New Atheism by explaining the biographies and contributions of the major voices – Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens.

McGrath then turns to the core foundations of the New Atheism and seeks to respond to these foundations from the perspective of a Biblical worldview. The foundations that the book addresses are the role of violence in religion, rationality and faith, and science and faith. These are all helpful sections that are well argued and would be helpful for a Christian to use when preparing to dialogue with a person who prescribes to the ideals of the New Atheism.

McGrath closes the book by describing the current state of the New Atheist movement and the fact that religion still has a strong hold in society. This section reminds readers of the fact that deep within every human being there is a deep longing for God. McGrath uses this as the final blow argument against the New Atheism. He also seeks to underscore the importance of people coming to realize this innate desire for God by ending the book with a compelling story of a man who came to faith while seeking to understand the opposing views to Dawkins’ The God Delusion.

Why God Won’t Go Away is a short and easy to read book that serves as a good introduction to the New Atheism. McGrath is a clear writer who can make philosophy engaging to the reader. He also gives a helpful list of additional resources for readers to study this subject on a deeper level. This is a great book that should be used as an introductory resource to the topic.

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Book Review: Torn: Trusting God When Life Leaves You in Pieces by Jud Wilhite

August 16, 2011 by admin

In Torn: Trusting God When Life Leaves You in Pieces, Jud Wilhite presents an encouraging and biblical call to trust God in the midst of suffering and difficulty. This is clearly a book that was written by a pastor, who has suffered himself and alongside people in his congregation. Therefore, this is a book that is not divorced from the reality and pain of suffering. Jud faces real questions and seeks to answer them clearly with biblical truth.

This is a very encouraging book because it is framed through the lenses of others who have suffered. Each chapter contains several personal narratives from friends of Judd and people throughout history who have learned to suffer well.

Torn is a call to reframe your expectations about God. Judd sees God as a God who is good and sovereign, who works out things for His ultimate glory. God is not a genie God who guards us from any pain but is an incarnational God who is with us in the midst of our pain. Practically, this means that suffering should drive us deeper into to the “who” of God rather than causing us to constantly ask “why.”

Torn contains practical and biblical advice for dealing with depression, learning to suffer in the context of community, and fighting for joy in the midst of suffering. Judd presents a great book that is biblically grounded and easy to read. I would highly recommend this book to people who find themselves Torn or seek to walk with those who are broken.

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Dominican Republic Trip- Day 17

August 6, 2011 by admin

It was bittersweet to leave the Dominican Republic. It was sad because I would be leaving Brad and his team, who I have really had an opportunity to get to know over the last few weeks. It was sweet because I am ready to be home to friends, family, and my students!

Saturday ended up being a lot longer day than expected when my flight from Miami to Birmingham was cancelled due to a pilot calling in sick. It was very frustrating to be so close to home yet stuck knowing that I had been only minutes away from seeing family at the airport. However, God provided a hotel for the night and two free meal passes before my flight on Sunday morning.

This trip to the Dominican Republic has been an amazing experience that is truly hard to put into words. I feel like God used me to minister to people and that He also ministered to me in the process. I will walk away from this trip knowing that God is at work in the Dominican Republic and that I was truly blessed to be able to spend 17 days as a part of that great work!

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Dominican Republic Trip- Day 16

August 5, 2011 by admin

Today has been the first day that I have not had many activities planned. It was nice to be able to spend some time catching up with Brad and on sleep. This trip has been amazing but extremely busy. It was nice to be able to relax.

Tonight, we went to Sosua, which is a town close to Puerto Plata that has a large gringo (Spanish term for a white person) population to an American restaurant. It was nice to be able to have food that was a taste of home.

In Sosua, I was able to see more of the brokenness here in the Dominican Republic. In the restaurant where we ate, there was a man in his late 70s to early 80s who was with a prostitute who could not have been any older than 20.

In walking down the street to go to the restaurant, I passed by many restaurants that were full of prostitutes. These girls work for the restaurants and can be purchased just like an appetizer. It is saddening to think that these girls are working in this industry because it is the only job they can get that will help them to put food on their tables.

It breaks my heart to see the brokenness and the hurt that goes on in a society where prostitution is legal. So many tourists come to the Dominican Republic just to participate in this industry. The depth of depravity in some areas is eye opening. These are girls who are hurting and broken and desperately need the gospel!

I hope and pray that God would open the eyes of the church to the needs and brokenness around the world. May we not hide in our comfortable church buildings sheltered from the outside world that so desperately needs the transformational power of the gospel!

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Dominican Republic Trip- Day 15

August 4, 2011 by admin

Tropical Storm Emily was not as bad as I had imagined it being last night. There were just some strong winds early this morning. There has not been power at Brad’s house for most of the day. One thing that they do in the Dominican Republic is that they have selected blackouts in certain communities. It doesn’t matter that you pay your bill. They will just turn the power off for a time. The times that this has happened previously on my trip, it has only been for a few minutes. This time it has been off for several hours. It is aggravating because with no power we have no fans or running water. Therefore, I am hot and sweaty and cannot take a shower. This is another business practice in the Dominican Republic that does not make any sense to me. After about 14 hours, the power decided to come back on.

This morning, I had the opportunity to preach at the Cristo Transforma Drug Recovery Center. I was able to go with one of Brad’s translators, who has been through the program. It was neat to get a tour from him of the facility. There were about 20 men in the facility, who came to the service today.

The service began with a time of worship. My translator was explaining to me that the songs were songs of praise to God for deliverance and rescue from sin. It was clear from the looks on the men’s faces that they had known what it was like to be lost in sin apart from God. The joy from their hearts made it clear that they knew what it means to be rescued.

The text that the Lord gave me to share was John 15 . I was able to encourage these brothers to continue to abide in Christ and let the Holy Spirit continue to work in their lives. I reminded them that God is in the business of taking broken people, picking them up, and making them trophies of God’s grace. It was truly a blessing to be able to share with them!

Due to uncertainties with Tropical Storm Emily, I am likely to not take my trip to explore the colonial district in Santo Domingo. This is going to work out better because being here from the storm allowed me to be able to share at Cristo Transforma. Brad’s team member was approved for his visa so it is exciting to know that he will be able to visit the United States in the coming days!

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Dominican Republic Trip- Day 14

August 3, 2011 by admin
Today has been a day to experience the cultural differences of life in the Dominican Republic. Brad’s project for the day was to work on getting paperwork and necessary items completed so that he can go with one of his team members to the United States Embassy in Santo Domingo to apply for a visa to travel to the United States.

It has been a very interesting process to be able to experience. Businesses in the Dominican Republic have no concept of efficiency. Therefore, everything takes forever. Today, we began by working through the visa application with Brad’s team member. This was the most ridiculous application that I have ever seen. The United States government has added a terror/safety threat section. This includes scores of “yes or no” questions, which ask things like:
- Have you ever actively participated in an act of genocide?
- Do you have leprosy?
- Do you manufacture bombs?
- Are you a spy for a terrorist organization?
The questions were humorous because what person who wanted to do such things would select “yes” on a question. A ‘yes” on any of these questions would be an immediate denial of the application for a visa to the United States.

We also went to a bank. It was amazing to me how long it took to get someone to help us at the bank. When we arrived, there was one person in front of us. It still took us 25 minutes to see a teller. The lack of efficiency in business is merely a reflection of a more relational culture. This is a cultural difference that can easily drive a time-driven American like me crazy.

I was planning on going to Santo Domingo tonight to further explore the colonial district tomorrow, but the rain and unforeseen weather due to Tropical Storm Emily is keeping me in Puerto Plata.

Staying in Puerto Plata while Brad goes to Santo Domingo is going to give me an opportunity to preach at the Cristo Transforma, the drug and alcohol rehab center here in Puerto Plata. Brad leads a weekly Bible study for the men in this program. It will be a great opportunity to share with them. We will be studying John 15 and looking at the fact that spiritual change comes through the work of the Holy Spirit in us as we are connected to the vine.

The trip is beginning to feel long. The more conversations that I have with students, friends, and family at home, the more I look forward to the opportunity to be serving back in my church and with my students. This trip has just been further confirmation to me that God has called me to student ministry. The ministry experiences that I have had in the Dominican Republic have been amazing! They are things that I will remember for the rest of my life, but I know where my heart remains. I look forward to being home soon.
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Dominican Republic Trip- Day 13

August 2, 2011 by admin

Tonight, I preached at another pastor from the pastors’ conference’s church. Pastor Ricardo’s church is a Reformed church that is located in the community where the first Jurassic Park movie was filmed. I really enjoyed the service. It was great to see a congregation that is passionate about worship. God moved powerfully through the message! It was clear from the looks on people’s faces that they were connecting to what I was trying to say. It is great to see God at work through His Word!

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