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“…God is infinitely the most worthy of regard. The worthiness of others is as nothing to his; so that to him belongs all possible respect. To him belongs the whole of the respect that any intelligent being is capable of. To him belongs ALL the heart.”
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I’ve been thinking lately about the development of my theology, and my subsequent world view, and it has occurred to me just how much it has been influenced by the writings of five men in particular. Now one might argue that our theology should be developed directly from the Bible, so let me clarify what I mean. I believe that each of these men have given me keys for which to unlock the mysteries and unlimited deepness that lie within the Bible’s pages. You might say I’ve looked to these men as mentors that have aided me in my journey to know and love God more deeply.
Again, while there are many writings within the Bible that have greatly influenced my life, (i.e. the letters of Paul, the psalms of David, the four gospels) the following list consists of men whose writings are not held within those pages. For, as I said above, these are writers that have made more clear those writings of the others. It should also be noted that this list is not in order of influence, but in chronological order according to the time in which I was first introduced to their writings. There is no way to fully convey the influence they have had on my life in a single blog post. Nevertheless, I will attempt to give a short summary of why I am thankful for each of them.
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer – Bonhoeffer was the first of my influences that I read seriously. It was he that first rocked my world, so to speak, in my understanding of the Gospel. It was he that taught me that while “Jesus is God’s YES to humanity” accepting that “Yes” costs us our life.
- C.S. Lewis – My first reading of Lewis actually took place before I read Bonhoeffer. However, I read the bulk of his writings post Bonhoeffer. One of the many things I am thankful to Lewis for is a more full understanding of the nature of worship. I also attribute to Lewis the beginnings of my development in thinking deeply about the things of God.
- John Piper – I was introduced to Piper for the first time by a very good friend of mine that I sat beside through a majority of the Masters of Christian Studies program I attended at Union University. I think it would be most accurate to say that Piper built on the foundation that Lewis laid in regards to thinking deeply about God. It has also been Piper that has helped in fanning into a flame my love and passion for following Jesus.
- John Bunyan – I first read “The Pilgrim’s Progress” simply because it was a classic. It has since become my favorite book of all time. I love “The Pilgrim’s Progress” because it paints such a clear picture of what it is to follow Christ. It shows that the Christian walk is a journey that, despite it’s peril, is fully worth the cost.
- Jonathan Edwards – I was recently introduced to Jonathan Edwards by means of my continued readings of John Piper. Let me say, if all you know of Jonathan Edwards is the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” you have not yet experienced the depth of Jonathan Edwards. I am not exaggerating when I say he probably had the greatest mind in American History. His writings on the nature of God have lead me into a much deeper state of understanding and awe of the majesty, sovereignty, and holiness of God. He has forever altered the way I understand God.
~Matthew Wynne~
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
~1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV)~
Twitter 6x6 (Photo credit: Steve Woolf)
If every generation must be remembered for something, I think ours just might be remembered for the rise of social media networks. Don’t get me wrong there are many many things that have happened in this generation that will go down in the history books. Yet, I think that the advent of social media is a concept that is completely unique to this generation in particular. After all, at what other time in history have people on opposite sides of the globe been so easily connected? And even though some would argue their existence has served to disconnect people within the home, they have also provided a very unique and valuable opportunity. In order to explain what I mean let me go back to the beginning of my experience with Twitter.
A year and a half ago I signed on to Twitter for the first time. I signed on not to follow MLB or my favorite celebrities, but to follow pastors (and a few friends and family members too). My thought was that if I was going to be bombarded by messages from the media, then why not let Twitter add some spiritual nourishment to that bombardment. Now while I initially signed up for the sole purpose of receiving tweets, it wasn’t long before I started tweeting some of my own thoughts. All along my motivation to utilize Twitter had been spiritual in nature. However, around that same time I read a blog post by John Piper that really solidified for me the unique opportunity that the social media was providing. His statement, partially repeated below, was a reaction to John Mayer’s lament that tweeting had crippled his ability to form complete thoughts:
“…My experience of publishing three Tweets a day (usually written and scheduled a week or two ahead of time) is different. Mayer said, “I couldn’t have a complete thought anymore.” To me this is almost the opposite of what happens. But that may depend on what we aim to do with Twitter. Two aims drive my writing of Tweets: One is theological and the other is aesthetic. I aim to say important theological things. And I aim to say them in a compelling way. Whether I succeed is not mine to judge. This means that Tweets do not diminish my ability to have a complete thought, they demand it. That’s what a Tweet is—a thought that is complete enough to press some God-focused truth into someone’s consciousness. This kind of tweeting does not distract from thinking. It demands thinking. A peculiar kind of thinking—thinking that is capacious, concise, and compelling. The aim is to pack much into little. Big into small. Great into ordinary. Truth into language. God into space and time…” (the emphasis that’s added is mine)
That’s it! That statement really excites me! That is the opportunity that we have been afforded with social media, pressing God-focused truth into someone’s consciousness. As I said before, what makes it extra unique is that with this new form of communication our influence is not bound by geography. And of course, the statement is not limited to Twitter either. Its implication can be easily applied to any and all of the social networks available. That’s what blogging is about for me! It is about about pressing God-focused truth into the lives of others!
~Matthew Wynne~
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A joy of immense proportion
Between God in His triune form
Welled up and overflowed
Into the dawn of the day creation was born
A creation expressing the glory
Of it’s Architect, the Lord Almighty
Then He created man as a conduit
To receive this joy shared by the Trinity
For the expression of joy is made complete
When the expression has been received
But Satan tried to thwart God’s plans
When Adam and Eve he deceived
Yet, like a nuclear reaction out of control
God’s joy it burns too hot
For the likes of Satan or his minions
To call it’s expansion to a stop
For God out of love sent His Son
To be a sacrifice
Who bore our sins upon the cross
And paid the ultimate price
For the sin that served to break
The bond of fellowship with our Creator
So I implore you, submit your life to the Son
That you may find yourself in His joyous favor
~A Poem by Matthew Wynne~
WOW! Thank you so much to Kate Kreese from Believe Anyway for honoring me with such an award! It is incredibly humbling to be recognized in such a manner, especially after a relatively short time blogging. However, as I said when I received the Candle Lighter Award, any value that is found in this blog is due entirely to the incredible grace of Jesus. It is for His glory that I write.
Now, in compliance with the rules of this particular award I have listed 7 things about myself below 
It is also expected in receiving the VBA to list 15 bloggers also deserving of such a recognition. However, as I have not been blogging for a great length of time I have listed 7 blogs that I find myself gravitating back to the most consistently. While there are many more wonderful blogs out there, these are the ones with which I am most familiar. If yours is one of the blogs I have listed you can check out the details of the VBA here.
~Matthew Wynne~
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I am currently reading “Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God” by John Piper. I’m about half way through it at this point, and as with all of Piper’s books I would highly recommend it. In short it is a exhortation to not neglect the engagement of our mind as we strive to glorify God in our Christian walk. Rather than giving you an in depth recount of the specifics (I don’t want to give away too much), I’d like to leave you with a couple of quotes that give an idea as to where he is going, and hopefully peak your interest.
“Musing. Brooding. Pondering. Thinking. That has been for me the pathway to seeing and savoring and singing and speaking – and staying…. Thinking is indispensable on the path to passion for God. Thinking is not an end in itself. Nothing but God himself is finally an end in itself. Thinking is not the goal of life. Thinking, like non-thinking, can be the ground for boasting. Thinking, without prayer, without the Holy Spirit, without obedience, without love, will puff up and destroy (1 Cor. 1:8). But thinking under the mighty hand of God, thinking soaked in prayer, thinking carried by the Holy Spirit, thinking tethered to the Bible, thinking in pursuit of more reasons to praise and proclaim the glories of God, thinking in the service of love – such thinking is indispensable in a life of fullest praise to God.”
“The fires of love for God need fuel. And the fires of love for God drive the engines of thought and deed. There is a circle. Thinking feeds the fire, and the fire fuels more thinking and doing. I love God because I know him. And I want to know him more because I love him.”
This is the fifth book I have read by John Piper, in addition to a daily devotional he wrote, and as I said above I would highly recommend all of them. In fact, I would suggest you read more than one, as the more of them you read the better you will understand exactly where he is coming from. However, if you could only read one I would have to suggest “Desiring God” as it teases out the central theme for which all his other works revolve. Below is a list of the Piper books I have read:
- “Desiring God”
- “Don’t Waste Your Life”
- “Fifty Reason Jesus Came to Die” (This is the devotional I mentioned.)
- “God’s Passion for His Glory”
- “Let The Nation’s Be Glad”
- “Think”
On my “to read list are” “The Passions of God” and “Bloodlines”. That’s as far as Piper goes anyway, there are many more on my general to read list If I have peaked you interest and you would like a further taste of what this book is about check out the typography introduction to the book below:
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God is glorified not only by His glory’s being seen, but by its being rejoiced in. When those that see it delight in it, God is more glorified than if they only see it. His glory is then received by the whole soul, both by the understanding and by the heart. God made the world that He might communicate, and the creature receive, His glory; and that it might [be] received both by the mind and heart. He that testifies his idea of God’s glory [doesn't] glorify God so much as he that testifies also his approbation of it and his delight in it.
~By Jonathan Edwards~
