Zondervan Blog

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January Blog Highlights: Top 7 Posts, other Posts of Note Posted: 31 Jan 2012 02:07 PM PST   January saw a flurry of activity on this blog, and I (Adam) will be doing my best to keep it up. Here are highlights from the month.     Top 7 Posts from January Ranked by reader traffic and feedback. 1. Does Fiction Lie? Thoughts on Truth & Christian Storytelling This post caused a bit of a stir. A reader submitted a question about whether fiction is valid for Christians, and the story-lover in blogger Adam Forrest was unleashed... 2. King Jesus, His Gospel, and Us - Coverage of N.T. Wright's provocative session at the January Series of Calvin College. Basically, Wright says, we're not listening to the whole song... 3. Small Group Videos Galore - Over 50 of our small group videos are on YouTube for free. Learn where to find them.   4. Plan B: My Secret Terra Cotta Army - Mark Hall (@MarkHallCC) tells the bizarre true story of Chinese emperor Qin, and how he's not so different from you and me. Excerpt from The Well. 5.  History-Making Prayer & the Legend of the Circle-Maker - Mark Batterson (@MarkBatterson) tells the legend of Honi, the circle-drawing, history-changing pray-er. Excerpt from The Circle Maker. 6. The Hitchhiker and the Blue Jeans (A Surprise Blessing) Author Andrea Palpant Dilley shares a hitch-hiking story she'll never forget. (I bet you won't, either.) Excerpt from Faith and Other Flat Tires. 7. Do Not Judge? Jesus on "Using a Good Measure"  Lois Tverberg (@LoisTverberg) on what Jesus really meant when he talked about judging others. Excerpt from her new book Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus. 10 More Posts of Note 1. Martin Luther King & Jeremiah the Prophet - The similarites between the prophet and MLK are considerable, as shown by Jeremiah experts Tremper Longman III and David E. 2. Sloth, aka "The Noonday Demon" An experiment in personifying sloth, so we may more easily detect it in ourselves and resist it. 3. Eight Surprising Ideas about Humility + Joe Louis's Punching Power A post inspired by the boxing champion and the writing of John Dickson (@johnpauldickson), whom I personally believe is on his way to becoming a heavyweight champion of biblical scholarship.   4. Grappling with Spiritual Dark Forces - On "the full armor of God" and principalities & powers. Via Ephesians expert, Klyne Snodgrass 5. Disciples of Distraction: Reflectin on Technology, Hope & Despair thanks to the insights of Prof. Sherry Turkle, and Zondervan authors Tim Challies and Mike Wittmer. 6. Four Bold Ideas about Compassion via Brandon Hatmaker (@brandonhatmaker) 7. Winter of the Soul: 5 Insights for Traversing Tough Seasons For those who feel like they're in a spiritual winter. Via Mark Buchanan's book, Spiritual Rhythm. 8. A Prayer for the Grace to Serve - Feel like you have no energy left to be gracious? Here's an encouraging prayer from Common Prayer Pocket Edition by Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. 9. Victory Over Our Cravings, One Mini-Goal at a Time Encouraging words for those days when victory feels impossible. Excerpt by Lysa TerKeurst (@LysaTerKeurst), from Made to Crave Devotional.  10. When We Don't Have the Answers and Can It Be Evil to Tell the Truth? Are two other good posts via Lois Tverberg.  (Okay, so that's eleven posts...)   Re:Word Weekly Posts In mid January we launched our new weekly Re:Word column for disciples who read, write, and create. Each Re:Word post collects stories from the week that Zondervan Blog finds useful and enriching, and every story regards words or the Word. (See that pun, there?) Re:Word Week 3 - The man/boy problem, hubbub over evolution, tips for blog SEO. Re:Word Week 2 - Lysa TerKeurst's letter to husbands, Scot McKnight picks favorite quotes about writing, and myths about Arab Spring get busted. Sort of. Re:Word Week 1 - Philip Yancy shares a great example of disarming a religious argument; and is looking at porn a form of cheating? Also the "emote chart" tool is suggested for pacing your story.   True or False: Your January was just like this image. Leave your answer in a comment.    Thanks for spending your time with Zondervan Blog. See you in February! - Adam Forrest, Zondervan   (Image: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer shares these personal opinions for information purposes only. To receive new blogposts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

Do Not Judge? Jesus on Using a Good Measure [Excerpt by Lois Tverberg] Posted: 31 Jan 2012 11:07 AM PST   (Excerpt from Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewish Words of Jesus Can Change Your Life by Lois Tverberg.)    Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Mt 7:1 NIV Few sayings of Jesus have caused more frustration than his words about judging. From everything else Jesus taught, we know Jesus wasn't telling us just to turn a blind eye to sin. So we struggle to find a way to sort out sin without actually calling it that, so that we won't sin by judging. Or we just file this line in the "impossible" category, like "love your enemy" — it sounds great and preaches well, but it's well nigh impossible to actually live out.   Learn More But this teaching of Jesus grows much more applicable when we hear how it fits into the wider conversation going on among Jewish thinkers. From centuries before Jesus was born "judging" has been a topic of discussion, filtering down through the millennia to inform Jewish practice right up to today. Jesus was, in fact, building on some wise thinking and bringing it to a new level.   "Judging" in Jewish Thought In about 120 BC, Yehoshua ben Perachia, one of the earliest rabbinic sages, shared the following wisdom: "Judge each person with the scales weighted in their favor." The saying evokes the imagery of the ancient marketplace, where a merchant measures out grain by pouring it into one pan of a hanging scale until it swings level with the weighted side. A friendly shopkeeper will heap a little extra on, letting the pans tilt past the balance point. The idea is that you should "weigh" the deeds of others on the side of generosity. Simply put, give others the benefit of the doubt...   Vintage balance scales in Spain. Image by L.Miguel Bugallo Sánchez, more info in footer.   Jesus employed a similar metaphor about judging: "A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" (Luke 6:38). Jesus too says that we should let our scales of justice fall past the balance point, bestowing on others a little more than they deserve... In almost every situation, a person can either look for a good or a bad motive behind other people's behavior. The way you choose to interpret others' motives has a profound effect on the way you react to them. Personally, I've found that when I make a habit of trying to "judge favorably," it transforms me into a kinder, more patient person. My attitude grows more loving when I assume the best instead of the worst about the people around me. Jesus too says that we should let our scales of justice fall past the balance point, bestowing on others a little more than they deserve... I'm still working on putting this into practice, but imagine the possibilities if I consistently looked at other people in the best possible light... When I heard someone insulting my faith, I might say, "That person must have had a bad experience with the church in order to make him feel that way."    Truly, this small practice can change your entire outlook on life.   Question: What's your gut reaction to Jesus' words about judging others favorably? (A) It's not fair! (B) Jesus wasn't talking about the jerk I'm dealing with... (C) It's a sobering lesson. (D) I can vouch that this brings joy. Leave your thoughts in a comment on this post.   Learn More Learn more about Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus. Follow Lois Tverberg on Twitter (@LoisTverberg) - Adam Forrest, Zondervan (Images & some styling above are web-exclusive features not included in the text of Walking in the Dust... Image attribution: By L.Miguel Bugallo Sánchez. (http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Lmbuga) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons. This post does not represent the views of Zondervan or any of its representatives. The writer's personal opinions are shared only for information purposes. To receive new Zondervan Blog posts in your reader or email inbox, subscribe to Zondervan Blog.)

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