Balancing Literary Nature and Historicity

"Literary" just means there's a style to it, there's an artistry to it, it has a literary form to it. It does not at all need to be contrary to a robust sense of biblical history. For me, it's like a lot of things in the Christian life and in theology - it's a both-and. If you try to force a dichotomy - it's got [to] be this or it's got [to] be that, it's like the two natures of Christ, or it's like human freedom and divine sovereignty - when you pit them against one another where one gets to win and the other has to absolutely lose, you're not going to be a good theologian.

I think we ought to approach all of the Scriptures in the same way and that is to recognise it's a very human book full of human failings, in terms of the characters that are presented, human in terms of the personalities of the authors that come through very strongly, and the experiences of the authors that come through very strongly all the way through the Bible. But at the same time, the Scripture itself says these men who were authors of Scripture were carried along by the Holy Spirit. There's an impetus and a divine agency so that this truly is not merely human words about God, but this is God's word to humanity. There is no reason in the world that we can't fully appreciate both of those aspects. I think if we take one at the expense of the other, we're not going to understand Scripture in all of its richness.

- Phil Ryken, How to Become a Better Bible Reader

Legalism vs Discipline

Underlying much of the conscious rejection of spiritual discipline is the fear of legalism. For many, spiritual discipline means putting oneself back under the law with a series of draconian rules that no one can live up to - and which spawn frustration and spiritual death.

But nothing could be further from the truth if you understand what discipline and legalism are. The difference is one of motivation: legalism is self-centred; discipline is God-centred. The legalistic heart says, "I will do this thing to gain merit with God." The disciplined heart says, "I will do this thing because I love God and want to please Him."

There is an infinite difference between the motivation of legalism and discipline! Paul knew this implicitly and fought the legalists bare-knuckled all the way across Asia Minor, never giving an inch. Now he shouts to us, "Train [discipline] yourself for godliness!" If we confuse legalism and discipline, we do so to our soul's peril.

- R Kent Hughes, Disciplines of a Godly Man

Life Lessons from Bridge

1. You can only play the hand you are dealt.

2. Count the cost before bidding.

3. Partners must be on the same page.

4. Having a good fit is as important as having many points.

5. Know when to take control and when to transfer control or exit.

Best Practices

It is not just WHAT or HOW you do things that matters; what matters more is that WHAT and HOW you do things is consistent with your WHY. Only then will your practices indeed be best. There is nothing inherently wrong with looking to others to learn what they do, the challenge is knowing what practices or advice to follow.

- Simon Sinek, Start With Why

Start With Why

If the people inside a company are told to come to work and just do their job, that's all they will do. If they are constantly reminded WHY the company was founded and told to always look for ways to bring that cause to life while performing their job, however, then they will do more than their job.

- Simon Sinek, Start With Why