Dave Dishman

Guidance from Overlooked Men and Women of the Bible

Category: Books (Page 7 of 15)

Eat This Book

April 1, 2019 / / 0 Comments

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the importance of the Scriptures in our lives as followers of Jesus. The world we live in does not lead to stability in any form. Cultural changes assault us daily. Those who mock and denigrate the Christian faith do so from a variety of public platforms. Scandals among those who claim to represent Christ, like the Catholic priests sex debacle, only lend credence to those voices claiming that our faith is repressive and harmful. However, we know that the world has it all wrong, that there is great value and hope in the Christian faith. How did we become unmoored?

I’m not sure how to cure the ills of our culture, but I do know that as a follower of Jesus, there is one place where I go to find solid ground, truth and hope. That’s the Bible. Without a firm foundation, how do we stand against any force that opposes us? I try to open my Bible daily, to read something, even a couple of verses. Because, what else do I have in life to counter the often oppressive nature of the world in which we live?

Eat This Book, by Eugene Peterson, pushes us to remember that the scriptures are the primary text for Christian spirituality. We set aside the holy scriptures and replace them with our experience or the world’s seeming knowledge at our peril. God speaks to us through the Bible, and Peterson teaches us to read this Bible in ways that help us better hear what God is trying to tell us.

This is a book to be read a bit at a time. Like all the other books I’ve read by Eugene Peterson (he translated The Message, if you’re wondering why his name is familiar), it takes time to roll through his thoughts. But it’s worth it. I recommend this book to anyone interested in getting more out of your Bible and learning to go deeper in your faith journey.

Dropping In

March 28, 2019 / / 0 Comments

When you grow up in the Ozarks you don’t get to the ocean often, so I didn’t know much about surfing at all when I started Dropping In. However, since finishing the book I realize that I’ve missed one of life’s great experiences. I also didn’t know many surfing terms, like stoke, before picking up this work, except to know it referred to a good feeling. Now I understand the meaning is much deeper than that.

My friend, Shane Sebastian, has written an excellent book about living the Christian life in the way God intends. You don’t need to be a surfer to enjoy his thoughts, but surfing makes an exciting metaphor for discovering and walking with God.

I especially appreciated Shane’s chapter on Eternity. We seldom talk about this today, yet those we influence need to wake up to the reality that this life is not all there is. We need an anchor in this life and the next, and Shane reminds us beautifully of that fact.

So, pick up this book. It would make for a great small group Bible study, especially for a group of guys looking for adventure. You’ll enjoy Shane’s enthusiasm for surfing, for life, and for the Lord. You’ll learn practical lessons for living a life pleasing to God. When you’re finished you might even try your hand at surfing and experience stoke as only a surfer can.

12 Rules for Life

March 4, 2019 / / 0 Comments

Plain talk. Wisdom from the old school. Jordan Peterson has sold 2 million copies of his book (a million more than when this book cover was printed). Many of his fans are young men. What’s the big deal? Why is Peterson so popular?

Peterson himself has a simple explanation for his extraordinary popularity: In a culture that sanctifies victimhood, he proposes that people confront life’s inevitable pain unflinchingly. So here is Peterson in a nutshell: Life is suffering. We can only bear it if it has meaning. And meaning is created when you take responsibility – by confronting hardship and firmly steering your ship forward, even against waves that will, ultimately, overwhelm it. This is a message people are “hungry for” in our times, he says (from an article on Haaretz.com).

Peterson covers a lot of ground in his book. I found the ongoing topic of growing into adulthood especially fascinating. I resonated with this passage from Rule 11: Do Not Bother Children When They Are Skateboarding. Peterson is describing how men like to work with each other: “Men enforce a code of behavior on each other, when working together. Do your work. Pull your weight. Stay awake and pay attention. Don’t whine or be touchy. Stand up for your friends. Don’t suck up and don’t snitch. Don’t be a slave to stupid rules. Don’t, in the immortal words of Arnold Schwarzenegger, be a girlie man. Don’t be dependent. At all. Ever. Period. …are you tough, entertaining, competent and reliable? If not, go away. Simple as that. We don’t need to feel sorry for you. We don’t want to put up with your narcissism, and we don’t want to do your work.

I’ve worked with groups of men in various situations, both in ministry and non-ministry arenas, and I find this description accurate and freeing. Add to this Peterson’s profound respect for truth as found in the Bible and you find a guru that many young men find attractive. And one this older man finds compelling as well.


Disruptively Witnessing

February 4, 2019 / / 1 Comment

“Being more prosperous has allowed Americans to more effectively hide from their thoughts.”

Alan Noble’s book, Disruptive Witness, is filled with quotes like the one above. I started reading it as part of a Cru book club. On occasion I read something that strikes a chord with how our historic faith intersects with our modern world. Noble’s book fits into that genre. It’s a book to read and dissect.

Noble looks at the issue in our society of our always distracted self. We don’t think deep thoughts, and if we get close to one, then we turn away from it quickly because of the constant barrage of distraction our world provides. Phones, computer, TVs, screens of all sizes and variety constantly pull our attention away from the divine. It’s hard for us to think in this environment, so how do we think we can communicate the deep truths of our faith?

Noble shares ways for us to engage in witnessing disruptively. One primary way involves what he calls the “double movement.” This is the “practice of first acknowledging goodness, beauty, and blessing wherever we encounter them in life, and then turning the goodness outward to glorify God and love our neighbor.” By speaking of the goodness and blessing of God in our lives, we help our friends and neighbors see that this material world is not all there is, and a transcendent God also exists and cares for us.

There’s a scratch on the surface of this book. Noble’s thoughts are worth our time as we consider communicating our faith into a distracted world.

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