The Puritans: pilgrims and warriors

What do you think of when you hear the word “Puritan”? Gloomy men in black clothes and black, peaked hats with buckles, and their wives in white head scarves and demure dresses? Strait-laced kill-joys, opposed to dancing, theatre, and sport?

Maybe it’s vaguer for you than that. Maybe you think of the word “puritanical”, which the Online Dictionary says is “usually disparaging”, meaning “strict in moral or religious outlook”, with synonyms like “severe, disapproving, stuffy, fanatical, bigoted, prim, narrow-minded, prudish, strait-laced, rigorous, proper”. Not exactly an attractive portrait, is it? ...

Let me give you a different picture. The Puritans were our forbears, the evangelicals of 16th and 17th England, who wanted to reform the English church further. Their clothes were normal, and often brightly coloured; they opposed many things we would also oppose, like bear-baiting and gambling; and they moved organs from churches into their homes, where they enjoyed music and dancing. ...

But the Puritans have an immense amount to teach us. Here are some of the things we can learn from them: ...

Read the rest at EQUIP book club today.

lightsabers r us

We're going through a bit of a Star Wars revival in our house. So if you come over, you just might see some younger members of the family carrying lightsabers once again ...




That's Lizzy in the last picture, if you were wondering.

online meanderings: self-control

Here's a quick guide to my posts, other people's posts, and some talks and books on self-control:

Some general posts on the subject:

1. 15 things I've learned about self-control
2. John MacArthur with some excellent tips for self discipline

Some posts on self-control and managing our thoughts and emotions:

1. how to fight for joy
2. self-control: thoughts and feelings
3. Nicole's discussion of Carolyn Mahaney's chapter on self-control in Feminine Appeal

My posts on self-control and spending:

1. my opening post - the attack of the killer credit card
2. a follow-up - the attack of the killer credit card continues
3. reflections on hard-won self-control - the joy of Christmas (shopping)
4. some recent reflections on self-control and spending - online meanderings: self-control and spending

My series on dieting and gluttony:

1. the day I went on a diet and decided to write about this topic - is dieting Christian
2. some unhelpful approaches to dieting - the bizarre and the beautiful
3. where I ask myself whether the Bible word "self-control" relates to food - in search of self-control
4. where I learn what the Bible teaches about food, gluttony and moderation - what God says about food (a), (b) and (c) (and some musings on moderation)
5. quotes on gluttony, dieting and self-control by Os Guiness, C.S.Lewis, Richard Gibson, Graham Tomlin, Henry Fairlie, Jerry Bridges, Carolyn Mahaney and John Piper
6. where I talk about the effect this series has had on my own attitude to gluttony and dieting - my experience
7. my review of Elyse Fitzpatrick's Love to Eat, Hate to Eat

Still on the topic of gluttony and dieting, I really appreciated these honest, thoughtful posts by other bloggers:

1. Heather on self-control, gluttony and dieting
2. Sophie on choosing godliness over being thin
3. Cathy on fighting desire disorder

Some other posts on self-control:

1. Noel Piper on bossiness
2. Nicole on gossip
3. Nicole on spiritual disciplines

Talks:

1. Carolyn Mahaney on self-control
2. Crystal Muson on gluttony (I haven't heard this one, just going on Heather's recommendation)

Books:

1. on gluttony and dieting - Elyse Fitzpatrick's Love to Eat, Hate to Eat
2. chapters on gluttony and dieting - see excerpts from Os Guiness, C.S.Lewis, Richard Gibson, Graham Tomlin, Henry Fairlie
3. chapters on self-control - see excerpts from Jerry Bridges, Carolyn Mahaney
4. on how eating affects our ability to glorify and enjoy God - see excerpt from John Piper

dieting and gluttony (7) Love to Eat, Hate to Eat by Elyse Fitzpatrick

If you came to me asking for advice about compulsive eating, obsessive dieting or exercising, food abuse, anorexia or bulimia, or simply lack of self-control around food, Elyse Fitzpatrick's Love to Eat, Hate to Eat is the book I would encourage you to read, or even better, read with you.

Elyse Fitzpatrick is an experienced Biblical counsellor, who fights her own daily battle against compulsive eating. Her book is so far beyond any other Christian book you're likely to find on this topic, which has probably produced more nonsense than just about any other issue, that it might be from another planet!

She quickly makes it clear that this is not another dieting book. While she does include food diaries and practical suggestions, her main goal is not to influence behaviour, but to change the heart.

She takes destructive eating back to its most basic level: enslavement to idolatry. Instead of seeking mere outward change, aiming for weight-loss or even healthy eating, or settling for a fad diet, she calls us to pursue inner rather than outer beauty, to change sinful thinking patterns, and to glorify and enjoy God in our eating, with the confidence that God, by his Spirit, can change even our most deeply ingrained habits.

She encourages us not to blame our poor eating habits on upbringing, illness, or low self-esteem, as if it's someone else's fault. Instead, we need to realise that our behaviour stems from the sinful desires of our heart (James 1:14). So, for example, we may eat in an ungodly way because we want to be in control, or because we love pleasure, or because we think satisfaction lies in earthly things.

Her solution is four-fold, and she emphasises that each of these can only be done with the help of God's Spirit:

1. Become convinced that your present method of eating is (not just unhealthy or embarrassing but) sinful (enslaving, idolatrous, disobedient, gluttonous) and cease from it (repent and resist);
2. Become convinced that God's methods for disciplined eating (self-control) are right and begin practising them (see the DISCIPLINED Eating acronym below);
3. Seek diligently to change your mind and become conformed to God's thinking, especially in the area of your eating habits (she outlines the relationship between body, mind and emotions, and how to influence feelings through behaviour and thoughts, for example by putting off wrong thinking and putting on godly thinking); and
4. Continue to practice these new thoughts and behaviours, even when the struggle gets hard (she calls us to the long haul, to slow, steady growth, to a daily, painful battle, to developing new habits, and gives some very practical guidelines).

I found her book a bit rambly at times (I like my points neat and in order!) but when I stopped taking notes and started reading, it was easy to follow and enjoyable to read. Her theological points and use of the Bible weren't always as tight as I would have liked: for example, I think God's call to be a "temple of the Spirit" is about avoiding defiling our bodies with (sexual) immorality (1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19-20), although at least her focus was less on health, and more on not using our bodies for sin, and caring for our bodies so we can use them in God's service. But the book's overall theological structure was excellent.

I particularly liked her chapter on anorexia, bulemia and compulsive eating. She refuses to call these behaviours "diseases", although they are so powerful and seemingly so involuntary that they mimic diseases. Instead, she calls them "chosen, life-dominating behaviours" which can be changed with the help of God's Spirit.

She explores in detail the kinds of idolatrous, unbelieving, self-focussed thoughts which can lead to such self-destructive behaviours - perhaps "I must be thin so I can have worth", or "I need to be in control", or "I deserve comfort and love" - and shows how to replace these thoughts with God's truth.

I appreciated the way she exposed my own temptation to create an idol out of control, develop commandments to serve it, fail these false standards, give in to despair, and give up trying: the cycle of the dieter. Her answers aren't slick or superficial, but I'll leave you to read the chapter and see for yourself!

Let me share with you her very practical DISCIPLINED Eating acronym, which you can learn, and use to determine whether eating a certain food is godly or not:

Doubt - am I eating even though I'm not sure it's sinful (Rom. 14:23)?
Idolatry - am I serving control, pleasure, or comfort (Ex. 20:3)?
Stumble - will I cause someone to stumble (Rom. 14:21)?
Covet - am I eating because I'm discontent and wanting something someone else has (Ex. 20:17)?
Inroad - will eating or doing this lead to sinful behaviour (Rom. 13:14)?
Praise - can I eat this with thanksgiving (1 Tim. 4:4)?
Life - will eating this harm my health (Ex. 20:13)?
Illustrate - am I setting a good example for others, including my family (1 Tim. 4:12)?
No - can I say no? is my body under my control (1 Cor. 9:27)?
Emotions - am I eating out of anger, fear, frustration or depression (Gen. 4:7)?
Distract - will this distract me from something better e.g. time with guests or God (Lk. 10:41-2)?
Enslaved - will this lead to bondage to something I can't say no to (1 Cor. 6:12)?

If you struggle with destructive eating habits, I recommend Elyse Fitzpatrick's Love to Eat, Hate to Eat to you. It will encourage you to feast on God, not on mud-pies.

The opening scenes of Pilgrim's Progress: Conversion and Assurance

As I've delved more deeply into Pilgrim's Progress, I've been fascinated to find that the Puritans had very different views to us about conversion and assurance. This made the opening scenes of Pilgrim's Progress hard for me to understand at first. But the more I read and reflected, the more I realised we have a lot to learn from the Puritans (and they something from us!) at this point. Here's some highlights from my article on conversion and assurance in Pilgrim's Progress today at EQUIP book club:

So I saw in my dream that the man began to run. Now he had not run far from his own door when his wife and children, perceiving it, began to cry after him to return; but the man put his fingers in his ears, and ran on crying, Life! life! eternal life! So he looked not behind him, but fled towards the middle of the plain.

If you're anything like me, the opening scenes of Pilgrim’s Progress left you with lots of questions. When exactly does Christian become, well, Christian? What’s the parchment roll he has to carry to gain entry into heaven? The Slough of Despond sounds like something from Harry Potter, but what’s it all about?

We're confused because we often think of conversion as a simple process, a human decision made in response to an alter call or a Two Ways to Live gospel presentation: “You can be 100% sure of going to heaven! Just pray this prayer!” But for the Puritans, conversion was more like a natural birth than an induction, and the pastor the mid-wife overseeing God's sovereign work in the heart. Conversion was generally a slow process, following certain stages, and it was often necessary to humbly wait on God for his gift of assurance. ...

So what can we learn from Pilgrim's Progress about conversion? We learn that conversion is sometimes simple and quick, and sometimes long and drawn-out: we shouldn’t expect every conversion to follow the same pattern. We learn that every conversion includes conviction for sin, and if modern converts don't experience guilt or fear, this may be because we fail to preach God’s holiness and judgement. We learn that it may take time to gain assurance, and that we will gain it by looking to the cross of Christ. We learn that conversion is God's work, and takes place with his timing and in his way: our job is not to pressure people into the kingdom, but to support God's work in their hearts. ...

Now it's over to you. What was your experience of becoming a Christian? Was conversion a simple process for you, or a long and complex one? Do you identify more with Bunyan, Christian and Hopeful, who had to wait for assurance, or with Christiana, who received assurance immediately? Do you think it's common for people today to experience "conviction of sin"? What is your assurance based on? Have you ever lost it, and why?

Read the rest at EQUIP book club today.

dieting and gluttony (6) my experience

I've written plenty about self-control in this blog, and I'm not sure much more needs to be said! So I thought I'd take this opportunity to wrap up a series I started many, many moons ago, on gluttony and dieting (remember that one?), and tell you how I'm going with this in my own life.

When I look back over my series, I find it interesting that it started with a diet, which I must admit was fairly short-lived, motivated mainly by vanity and/or discomfort (i.e. not fitting into certain pairs of jeans). But as I looked at the Bible more closely, I discovered some far more significant motivations for eating carefully.

I discovered that self-control does have something to do with food; that we are called to glorify God with our eating; that gluttony is idolatrous, unloving and unwise; and that moderation is a bad master, but a useful tool. And I was deeply challenged and encouraged by the wise words of Os Guiness, C.S.Lewis, Richard Gibson, Graham Tomlin, Henry Fairlie, Jerry Bridges, Carolyn Mahaney and John Piper.

Self-control in eating has always been an issue for me. I'm naturally a perfectionist, and I like to be in control, but my body takes revenge on my mind, so I'm also impulsive: I find it easy to spend too much, read too much, and eat too much.

You wouldn't necessarily know it if you saw me. I'm not blessed with a great metabolism (unlike a dear friend of mine, who loves to eat anything sweet with coloured sprinkles, and who stays far thinner than I will ever be) but I weighed myself recently, and I'm (barely!) within the healthy weight-range.

Which was actually a little annoying, because I wanted an excuse to put myself on a diet and lose the spare tyre around my middle (product of 4 children), but health obviously wasn't going to do it for me, I don't want to be motivated by vanity, and I don't need to lose weight to please my husband (I asked).

But I fit Elyse Fitzpatrick's qualifications for "compulsive eating", which she puts right up there with "anorexia" and "bulimia" as dangerous and idolatrous "life-dominating behaviours":

• habitually overeating when not hungry
• feeling "out of control" around food
• eating large amounts of food without tasting or enjoying it
• habitually eating when emotionally upset or to nurture yourself

Maybe not life-threatening in my case. But certainly idolatrous.

You see, I know perfectly well that I eat even when I know it's unwise. I eat when I know I'll feel sick for the rest of the day. I eat because there's a open packet of chocolates on the shelf and I can't stop myself. I eat when it's unloving, when I know I'll be sluggish and irritable with my family for hours afterwards. I eat when I feel tired, anxious, or stressed, because it's easier than turning to God and dealing with my heart before him, and it makes me feel (very briefly) comforted.

Diets are not the solution. I've been on a few, and they don't last for long. I've never been a great fan of diets anyway, because I like to have my head and heart matching, and I've always thought diets are a bit of a distraction for Christians, more likely to be the product of vanity, and a source of obsession, rather than any great help to long-term godliness.

Strict rules aren't the solution either. Control-freak that I am, I've always been a great one for self-improvement programs: cleaning schedules to help me stay on top of the housework, quiet-time schedules to keep me praying, child-rearing schedules to make me a better mum. I know these programs tend to end in pride, then failure, then despair.

Instead, I'm choosing repentance. Because for me, over-eating is idolatrous, unloving, and unwise. I'm not going on a diet, although I've put a few flexible guidelines for self-discipline in place. I'm choosing moderation over stuffing myself, thoughtful eating over impulsive eating, loving eating over selfish indulgence. I suspect that if more of us ate like this, diets wouldn't be necessary for most of us anyway (and yes, I know this won't be true for everyone).

I expect the struggle for self-control in eating to be a life-long battle, but one worth fighting. I know that self-control in a small area tends to spread to more important areas. I know from experience that the first 6 months are the hardest. I know it gets easier after that, but not necessarily a whole lot easier. I know that if you let indulgence back in the door, it has a way of taking over. So I'm not aiming for some arbitrary goal weight. I'm in for the long haul.

I know there'll be benefits along the way. Losing that spare tyre would be nice. I'll obviously stay healthier this way. I might have more energy. More importantly, I'll be able to make choices about what to eat with wisdom. I'll set a good example for my children. I'll love my family by avoiding food-induced irritability. I'll depend on God, not food, for comfort when I'm stressed or anxious.

I can't do any of this in my own power: I've failed far too many times to believe that! I'm depending on God, because I know his Spirit is producing self-control in me, and that he gives all his children "everything we need for life and godliness" through Christ (2 Cor. 1:3).

John Bunyan's journey

In many ways, the story of Christian in Pilgrim's Progress is John Bunyan's story. You can't understand one without getting to know the other. So let me tell you the story of John Bunyan.

John was born in 1628 in the town of Elstow in England, in the white cottage on the left. His father was a tinker, a mender of pots and pans, and Bunyan inherited his trade.

It's hard to imagine more difficult teenage years: Bunyan's mother died when he was 15, his sister a month later, and his father remarried within a month. In his spiritual autobiography, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners, he says "I was the ringleader of all the youth ... in all manner of vice and ungodliness" like "cursing, swearing, lying, and blaspheming the holy name of God". ...

read the rest at EQUIP book club

Just how sovereign is God?

I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes—that every particle of spray that dashes against the steamboat has its orbit as well as the sun in the heavens—that the chaff from the hand of the winnower is steered as the stars in their courses. The creeping of an aphid over the rosebud is as much fixed as the march of the devastating pestilence—the fall of sear leaves from a poplar is as fully ordained as the tumbling of an avalanche. (Charles Spurgeon, ‘God's Providence’, sermon on Ezekiel 1:15-19, 1908.)

In one of his sermons, John Piper tells the story of a couple who approached him one day, and shared that they had learned more about God's sovereignty during six months at his church than in their whole Christian lives previously. Some time later, their family went through a time of terrible suffering. The mother thanked Pastor John with tears in her eyes, saying that they could never have made it through this time without the conviction of God's sovereignty.

I find God's sovereignty immensely comforting. It enables me to face the future with courage, bear small trials with patience, and entrust my family to God. But when I was at university, an older Christian shared the view that God controls the big history events, not the small, everyday occurrences of life. In other words, God is sovereign, but perhaps not sovereign over the day my son has no friends to play with in the playground, or the day my daughter struggles with an unknown sickness, or the day my car runs out of fuel and I'm stuck miles from a petrol station with four young children. God is sovereign, but not entirely sovereign.

I'm uncomfortable with this idea:

• theologically: It seems to me that God is either sovereign, or he isn't. If God is only half sovereign, his power and glory are vastly diminished: “For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps” (Ps 135:5-6).
• philosophically: Since big occurrences are a collection of small ones, I'm not sure it's possible to control a tsunami without controlling every drop of water within it, or ordain all the days of a life, but not the small happenings (Ps 135:6-7, 139:16). It seems unlikely to me that there's a certain point at which God's sovereign control comes to an end.
• biblically. When the Bible says ‘everything’, I assume it means everything (Eph 1:11, Dan 4:35, Ps 115:3). Jesus tells us that not even a tiny sparrow will “fall to the ground apart from your Father“ (Matt 10:29).
• pastorally: I need to be assured of God's loving providence when I catch a cold, not just when I get cancer. If not, how can I respond with patience, joy and confidence that God is bringing good out of my suffering (Rom 8:28, Heb 11:5-11)? How can I encourage my fellow believers to endure faithfully, trust God, and hope in him during their trials?

So I give thanks to God that when I meet him in the Bible, he not only sustains the universe, but counts every hair on my head (Heb 1:3, Luke 12:7, 21:18); that he directs not only the hearts of kings, but the outcome of every roll of dice (Prov 21:1, 16:33); that he determines not only the fate of nations, but every one of my days (Job 12:23, Ps 139:16).

Every atom, every electron, every quark and undiscovered subatomic particle, every unseen thought and feeling of the human heart is under God's sovereign command. I can face every moment of every day, and every moment of every future day with confidence, knowing that my loving Father guides every circumstance for his glory, my good and the good of the gospel.

This post first appeared at Sola Panel.

Biblical womanhood (4) self-control and your thoughts and emo

I have been reminded recently, once again, of the importance of preaching the gospel to myself every day, as I bring my thoughts and emotions under the blessed control of God's truth.

At the start of this term, my shoulder muscles were stiff with stress, I was wading breathless through a bewildering sea of responsibilities, and when I stopped to think about it, I could feel a tightening band of anxiety around my chest.

I was struggling with feelings of discouragement, worry and guilt. Discouragement over my lack of organisation last term (funny how a couple of forgotten committee meetings and un-run errands can plunge me into despair!). Worry about all the tasks I've committed to this term (Sunday School, Equip books, Sola Panel, a certain series on Biblical womanhood). Guilt about the burden these things place on our family (mostly false guilt, since I was fulfilling my responsibilities to my family, according to my husband, who ought to know).

For several memorable mornings, right at the start of the term, I woke at 6.00 and prayed in the lovely early-morning silence which rests on a house at that hour of the day. I spent a good 20 minutes or so praying through the unhelpful thoughts I was listening to: the guilt, the worry, the discouragement. I battled my unbelieving, doubting, anxious thoughts one-by-one, wrestling them into submission, taking each one captive to God's truth.

I can't begin to tell you the difference it's made! As I meditated on God's character - my Father's loving sovereignty, and how he is in control of all my responsibilities; my Saviour's sacrifice, and how I have been forgiven for all my sinful failings; the Spirit's empowering, and how I do everything in his strength - and as I praised God for his grace, and prayed about my anxieties - a burden was lifted, and my days were permeated with a sense of peace.

I'm swallowed up in busy-ness at the moment, and anxiety is threatening to creep up on me, but I'm finding that the inner assurance of God's sovereign love, which I fought so hard for at the start of this term, still remains with me, holding it at bay.

God won't ask me to do anything he doesn't give the time, energy, strength, and grace to do. He will be patient with me as I struggle with all the sins I'm so painfully aware of, and he will give me the grace to overcome them, slowly but surely. I can take each day as it comes, with its own particular responsibilities, and give myself to them fully and joyfully, rather than allowing the weight of the next 30 days to rest on my shoulders.

I am reminded of Jesus' "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matt. 11:29).

In his service is perfect freedom.

For more on self-control as it relates to our thoughts and emotions, see chapter 4 of Carolyn Mahaney's Feminine Appeal, and Nicole's helpful discussion of the issues raised at EQUIP book club.

image is from stock.xchng

Entering the world of Pilgrim's Progress

Imagine you're about to go on a journey. You're not travelling in the padded seat of an aeroplane, across the globe to a foreign country, but in a time-machine, to another culture in another century. What's more, you're moving across dimensions into a spiritual plane, where everything happens on the level of the human soul.

Opening the first page of Pilgrim's Progress is like entering another world. Not just the mysterious world of a story, with its own characters and landscape, but also the world of another time, when Christians thought and wrote differently from us. It's a fascinating world, but because there might be a bit of culture shock, I'll give you a few hints about entering the world of Pilgrim's Progress: you'll find them here ...

... I'd love to hear from you about how you're finding Pilgrim's Progress so far. If you haven't started reading yet, what are you looking forward to (or not looking forward to!)? If you have started, how have you found the book so far? What are you enjoying about the way it's written? What are you finding difficult? Any questions so far? Add your comments and questions here.

read the rest at EQUIP book club today