The Friday Five (5.15.26)
A Few Things for My Friends
Hey! Every week, I share five things to encourage and equip in life with God.
This week:
Free Theology Courses
Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends | Carmen Joy Imes
Reading with the Whole Church | Kevin Vanhoozer
Shining as Stars
Not Dead Yet
Enjoy!
MK
⬇️ Attention, Emotions, & Limits. That’s what we offer to God. ⬇️
Read the forward and introduction | Grab a copy here | Here’s a Discussion Guide
1. Free Theology Courses
For the last decade, I’ve taught theology in the local church. I remember interviewing for the job, watching my friend JT teach a lecture on baptism to a room of a 120 church members, sitting next to one of our missionaries who was on furlough from their time in Poland. When the table discussion ended, this missionary couldn’t stop talking about the beauty of the ordinance, how much had taken for granted or misunderstood, and how thankful he was for the night. Right then, I knew this was a place I had been looking for, and so we packed up and moved - and I’m grateful we did. Through covid, I taught to a camera weekly, recording lectures and sending them out into the ether, only to hear the same refrain from church members long after: I didn’t know theology could be so practical, so helpful, so beautiful.
Knowledge of God is necessary for life with God. Knowledge of God feeds our affections for God and is not a rival for communion with Him, it empowers right dependence upon Him.
This week, I learned about Passion Equip Classes, free online theology courses that cover essential theology (think your church’s doctrinal statement) and the narrative of Scripture. They’re free and on demand. The Bible Project also has courses available to you, centered around portions and themes of Scripture to help you explore the Bible, no matter your starting point.
What if you grabbed some friends and talked through a few videos at a time over the summer? You could watch them on your own, take notes - and then visit in community and chase rabbit trails. It just costs your time and attention - and I guarantee the benefit is worth it.
And if you’re in the Flower Mound area and want to join us for year 11 of The Training Program, we’d love to have you this fall.
2. Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends
I got a copy of Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends in the mail this week, and am pretty excited about it. Carmen Joy Imes has produced a work that pairs a short passage from the great tradition with each psalm.
We’re teaching through the Psalms in Bible Study this fall, and I’m excited to have such a resource to pair with it.
You can check it out here.
3. Reading with the Whole Church
I learned about The Alexandrian Institute this week, and man, it made me want to start another degree program (don’t tell Carly!). Watch this video from Dr. Kevin Vanhoozer and tell me you don’t get excited about learning the Scriptures. We have a great inheritance from Christian history, and we need to learn to read them as our ancestors did, not as we’ve been shaped by modernity to read them.
You don’t have to go to seminary to do this. Listen below, and consider picking up Interpreting Scripture with the Great Tradition: Recovering the Genius of Premodern Exegesis to get started.
4. Shining as Stars
We’re going through Philippians as a church this spring, and as my friend Trevor was preaching through chapter 2, I thought of sitting at The Door in Downtown Dallas circa 2003, listening to Kenny Meeks play Shining as Stars. You can listen to Trevor’s sermon here, Kenny’s song is below.
5. Not Dead Yet
Last week, I shared a clip from John Piper as he responded to a Ben Sasse interview. I was reminded that Ben is doing a podcast, and listened to an episode with Chris Pratt while at the gym. So far he’s interviewed individuals such as Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Mike Rowe, Al Michaels, Walter Russell Mead, and Clint Black.
That may feel like out of left field, that a former politician is interviewing James Reese while undergoing chemo treatment. The conversation was thoughtful, poignant, and instructive.
In my little blue book, I write on the importance of embracing your limits, and how living in light of the end gives greater perspective to your choices and relationships. Sasse is living this way in public righ now, and inviting us in as he says the true things out loud.
Give it a listen here.
Thanks for Reading
If someone forwarded this to you, I write two kinds of emails: one on select Tuesdays about life with God and the other every Friday, where I share things I’ve found during the week. If you want to subscribe but can’t afford it, email me, and I’ll take care of it—no questions asked.
I pastor, teach, and lead at The Village Church, serving as an Elder and the Executive Director of Discipleship. In my spare time (ha!), I’m working on a Ph.D. in Church History, studying Jonathan Edwards and character formation. Also, I’ve written A Short Guide to Spiritual Disciplines: How to Become a Healthy Christian.
Thank you for reading and supporting my work as I seek to shepherd with compassion and wisdom, equipping people to embody God’s truth for all of life.
Talk soon,
Mason