Multitasking exposed
March 28, 2007
Or, Animadversions on the Folly of Attempting to Manage the Cacophony of Multiple Digital Devices in the Midst of Accomplishing Other Vital Tasks. The Sweet Dropper has been in high gear with Puritan references and quotes lately, so I thought I would stay in that vein by giving a 17th-century type of title to this post. What’s worth noting here is an article from the 25 March New York Times that relays the results of recent studies by neuroscientists, psychologists and business/management analysts, which suggest that multitasking doesn’t increase your efficiency, but actually decreases your efficiency. From the article:
“Multitasking is going to slow you down, increasing the chances of mistakes,” said David E. Meyer, a cognitive scientist and director of the Brain, Cognition and Action Laboratory at the University of Michigan. “Disruptions and interruptions are a bad deal from the standpoint of our ability to process information.”
The human brain, with its hundred billion neurons and hundreds of trillions of synaptic connections, is a cognitive powerhouse in many ways. “But a core limitation is an inability to concentrate on two things at once,” said René Marois, a neuroscientist and director of the Human Information Processing Laboratory at Vanderbilt University.
Even in a small town like Kosciusko I see people, especially younger folk, doing this all the time–driving while on the cell phone, talking while texting, listening to an mp3 player while reading, etc. In my study at FPC I find myself trying to multitask a lot–and I’m less and less satisfied with the results. The results of the studies relating to age and the ability to multitask were fascinating as well [Read the article to find out more.]
It is one of the glories of the sovereign Lord that he can multitask. He is attentive to his people at all times. He who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. Who has not been overwhelmed at the thought of his ability to hear prayers from believers all over the world simultaneously? Of course, this is all the more remarkable to us because we are neither omniscient nor omnipresent, confined by the whole time-space continuum thing. And maybe that’s the spiritual point in all of this–you and I are creatures. There are limits on our knowledge and presence and abilities. Only God can do all his holy will. He is sovereign. We are not. I think about something Jesus said to his friend Martha: Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed… [Luke 10:41-42].
NOTE: During the composition of this post, I did not try to do anything else–no checking emails, listening to music, answering phone calls, etc.
A word from our namesake
March 26, 2007
With men it is confess and have execution, but with God confess and have mercy. We should never lay open our sins but for mercy. So it honors God; and when he is honored, he honors the soul with inward peace and tranquility. We can never have peace in our souls till we have dealt roundly with our sins, and favour them not a whit; till we have ripened our confession to be a thorough confession.
What is the difference between a Christian and another man? Another person slubbers [is careless] over his sins and he thinks if he comes to the congregation, and follows the minister, it will serve the turn [end].
But a Christian knows that religion is another manner of matter, another kind of work than so. He must deal thoroughly and seriously, and lay open his sin as the chief enemy in the world, and labor to raise all the hatred he can against it, and make it the object of his bitter displeasure, as being that that hath done him more hurt than all the world besides;
and so he confess it with all the aggravations of hatred and envy that he can…
That we in our confessions (in our fastings especially) ought to rank ourselves among the rest of sinners. Perhaps we are not guilty of some sins that they have been guilty of. God has been merciful to us and kept us in obedience in some things.
But, alas! There is none of us all but we have had a hand in the sins of the times.
Richard Sibbes, Works 6:188-189
Why you should read the Puritans
March 22, 2007
Our blogging friend Tony Reinke at The Shepherd’s Scrapbook has posted the notes from Joel Beeke’s address, Why You Should Read the Puritans, given at last week’s Ligonier Conference in Orlando. Last year Dr. Beeke and Randall Peterson wrote an outstanding book called Meet the Puritans, loaded with information and biographies on more than 140 Puritan authors, overviews of over 700 Puritan volumes, a list of all the known reprints published beween 1956 and 2005, excellent articles ,and a helpful glossary. At 900 pages, it’s a deep well of information, and as a clothbound, will endure years of use. It also includes chapters which explain who the Puritans were in their theological and historical context and why we should read them today. Here is one quote from the section explaining why we should read the Puritans today:
“With the Spirit’s blessing, Puritan writings can enrich your life as a Christian in many ways as they open the Scriptures and apply them practically, probing your conscience, indicting your sins, leading you to repentance, shaping your faith, guiding your conduct, comforting you in Christ and conforming you to Him, and bringing you into full assurance of salvation and a lifestyle of gratitude to the triune God for His great salvation” (xix).
The sharp edges of truth
March 8, 2007
LIFE ISN’T A BUMPER STICKER. That would make a good bumper sticker, wouldn’t it? Whenever I see the one that reads, QUESTION AUTHORITY! I want to respond, “Who are you to tell me what to do?” Another one reads, IF YOU LABEL ME, YOU NEGATE ME. I wonder, “Are you labelling me a ‘labeller’ or a ‘negator’?” Truth rarely fits on an area the size of a bumper sticker. Is it mean and nasty of me to notice?
Nowhere is this more evident than in the Christian Church today. John MacArthur has observed: “In the world of modern evangelicalism it is allowable to advocate the most unconventional, unbiblical doctrine–as long as you afford everyone else the same privilege. About the only thing that is taboo nowadays is the intolerance of those who dare to point out others’ error. Anyone who is bold enough to suggest that someone else’s ideas or doctrines are unsound or unbiblical is dismissed as contentious, divisive, unloving, or unchristian” (Reckless Faith: When the Church Loses Its Will to Discern, Wheaton: Crossway, 1994, p.22).
It’s good to get along with others. No one has a right to be contentious or unloving, even if the truth is at stake. We are commanded to be “peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). Such is the nature of heavenly wisdom. But then was the Apostle Paul sinning when he condemned his opponents in the Galatian churches, by declaring, “…if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:10)? Certainly not!
We all have knives in our homes. In order to keep people from being cut, we don’t throw out the knives or blunt the edges until they are no longer sharp. Rather, we make certain that we use knives for the purposes for which knives were intended to be used. A sharp knife is an essential tool, whether you are a cook or a surgeon. Likewise, the truth has sharp edges. The trouble with sharp edges is that people can get cut. What is most difficult is making sure that we understand where the Word of God has made the edges sharp. Just because a knife is a useful tool doesn’t mean that I sharpen every counter edge or butter knife or spoon to razor sharpness. If we arbitrarily sharpen the edges of faith and practice according to our own whims or experiences or traditions, we are in danger of “teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:9), something our Lord Jesus denounced in the practice of scribes and Pharisees. However, the danger of exalting human tradition above the teaching of Scripture does not mean that we should not have creeds and clear confessions of faith. To say otherwise implies that God was not wise enough to make himself clear. God’s Word does not have dull edges; on the contrary, it is “sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12).
God forbid that we should stand around arguing about the recipe for bread while men starve outside our door, but if someone mixes cement and offers it as bread, is it mean and intolerant to call attention to the mistake? Is there really a difference between truth and error? If you believe me to be in error, I pray that you would love the truth and love me enough to bring it to my attention. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Proverbs 27:6). Ouch! That’s sharp!
Saved by his precious blood
March 5, 2007
J.I. Packer’s introductory essay for the Banner of Truth’s reprint of John Owen’s The Death of Death in the Death of Christ is one of the most important short treatments of the purpose of the atoning death of Christ you can read. Our friends at Woodruff Road Presbyterian Church in Simpsonville, South Carolina have done us all a great service by posting it on their website. The time you take to read it will be amply rewarded.
ESV: the long-awaited Palmertree endorsement
March 5, 2007
What is the best translation of the Bible? A good answer might be the one you are reading… I think a better answer is this: the English Standard Version (ESV).
A bit of personal history might shed light on why this is such a monemental statement for me to make. I grew up on the ‘King James’ translation from my church background and Christian day school memorization. I was reading the KJV when I was converted in 1983. A year or so later I bought a New American Standard Bible (NASB) because a small group Bible study leader was using it. I bought my first New International Version (NIV) in 1987 for the same reason. When the New Geneva Study Bible was released in 1995, the year after my ordination, I began teaching and preaching from it and found it a blessed and familiar friend, being so close to the KJV I cut my teeth on–and I was pretty satisfied with it (if you know anything about textual criticism, yes, NKJV presents some challenges and I felt this).
When the ESV was released in 2001, a lot of men I respected were quite enthusiastic about it and promoted it heavily. I was skeptical and reasoned sarcastically, Just what we need: ANOTHER Bible translation. My skepticism and anti-trendiness ran so deeply that I did not purchase one until January 2003. I put it to a 2-year trial as my daily read-the-Bible-through-in-a-year Bible. Then I caught on to what a good work this translation is. I first used it in the public ministry of reading and preaching in early 2005 in Macon, Mississippi, for an evening series on 2 Peter and Jude. I now use it exclusively in my private devotional reading, family worship, and public ministry and whole-heartedly encourage others to do the same.
Better than any explanation or endorsement I could conjure would be to refer you to some endorsements from some trustworthy fellow-laborers:
Philip Ryken, Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church [special thanks to Joe Holland for pointing me to this one]
Be filled with the Spirit-the consequences?
March 1, 2007
In my last post, I brought forward some thoughts about the command in Ephesians 5:18: Be filled with the Spirit…How does this work itself out? In v.19-21, Paul spells it out for us.
Fellowship Speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs…We stimulate one another to a greater and deeper love for Christ. There is perhaps no word more misused and misapplied than the word fellowship. It is often used of cokes and jokes, of visiting and talking about sports and politics and entertainment—the kind of talk one could hear at Rotary Club or the barbershop. The distinctive thing about Christian fellowship is our distinctive common possession. What draws us together? The Lord Jesus Christ, whose glory we seek above all else. That’s why we can go among Christians anywhere in the world and sense that we are immediately connected to these folk who speak a different language and see the world so differently. Do you see how Paul says that we speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs? Even as our worship is directed to the Eternal God, we sing also to help each other along. And so we sing, O magnify the Lord with me…How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord…Now thank we all our God.
Worship Singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts… When the Spirit fills you, you want to worship the Lord and sing to him. You find yourself adoring him and rejoicing in who he is and what he has done for you. Great views of a great Savior and views of the majesty and holiness and goodness and mercy of God make for great singing. The reading and preaching of Scripture and reciting the creeds lead us to sing, Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Thankfulness The Spirit-filled man is characterized by gratitude. He is always giving thanks to God the Father for everything. He can cope with unanswered prayer, with bad news, with unexpected events. David could cope with the valley of the shadow of death, with a table spread in the presence of his enemies because God was with him. Job could cope with personal grief almost unbearable, the death of his children, the loss of health and the bitterness of his wife. “The Lord gave and the Lord took away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Paul was locked to a soldier in prison facing a very uncertain future and yet he could say that he had learned in whatever condition he was in to be content. Spirit-filled men can cope with loneliness, imprisonment, hunger, disappointment, hearing bad new from beloved churches. So he writes, Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (v.20). In other words, there will be always something for which to give thanks to God. In the worst of all circumstances you must crane your eyes and take out your binoculars and search the horizon and you will find some things, even many things, for which to thank God.
Submission The Spirit-filled life is characterized by love and submission in our relationships. Submission is the great mark of the Spirit-filled life: submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ (v.21). I once heard Dr. Eric Alexander observe that the world says, “Look out for number one,” and we never have to inquire about the numbering system, do we? We know who “number one” is! I want you to catch the argument here: if the King who saved you did so by submitting to the price of your redemption, and if that price was the death of the cross, if the great King of glory did that, submitting himself to save a nobody like you, how can you refuse to submit to fellow believers? Do you have any idea how insulting and offensive it is to God for you to strut around expecting people to submit to you when Christ submitted himself to the cross? But filled with the Spirit we submit to him and submit to one another out of love. We put others before ourselves. I don’t see a lot of that in churches. People have to get their own way, and if they don’t they’ll quit. The Spirit-filled man is constantly willing to submit his own interests to those of others. Do we see that? Not as often as we should. Paul is constantly calling us back to the Lord who was filled with the Spirit, and he didn’t look on the things of himself but the things of others. He made himself nothing because he put others before himself.
Where are the ranks of growing Spirit-filled Christians? Why do so many professing believers seem held back in spiritual kindergarten? They remain immature, ignorant and worldly. Others begin with great promisey and then stagnate. What’s wrong? They are not obeying what Paul says in our text, “Go on being filled with the Spirit.” Don’t be satisfied with memories of what you once were. Ask and seek and knock.
