The Friday Five (6.12.26)
A Few Things for My Friends
Hey! Every week, I share five things to encourage and equip in life with God.
This week:
Pastoral Confessions | Jamin Goggin
Dying Trees | Andrew Osenga
Reading :: Training | Harp
Listening to the Groans | Trevor Hudson
If God Be Mine | Thomas Watson
Enjoy,
MK
⬇️ Looking for something to read this summer?
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1. Pastoral Confessions
Our son has gotten into baseball, and during batting practice this week, I picked up Jamin Goggin’s recent work, Pastoral Confessions: The Healing Path to Faithful Ministry. I came to Goggin’s writing when he and Kyle Strobel published Beloved Dust, and then The Way of the Dragon or The Way of the Lamb.
The introduction to this work set a strong tone, as Jamin is inviting active confession and repentance for the reader, and leading the way through his own confessional writing on each topic. I immediately texted a few pastoral brothers and asked if they’d join me in reading (and practicing confession) as we go.
Here’s an excerpt from the book from Gospel Centered Discipleship.
2. Dying Trees
Andrew Osenga writes about the importance of fallen trees in the forest - and the parts of our lives we leave behind to move forward.
Here’s a snippet:
In the end, it’s not that we don’t mourn the losses. You grieve the death of anything you love, and I hope I love more and more the older I get. So I’ll grieve more and more, as well.
But we do not grieve as those who have no hope. (1 Thess 4:13) That’s the difference. Hope.
We know the world is round. We know that we ourselves are trees that won’t live forever. And we know that in the arms of Jesus death is never the end, for death has no victory. Life and love will always win.
Something new is always going to grow. And there’s always more just over the horizon.
We’ll never see it until we set sail.
Read the whole thing here.
3. Reading :: Training
Harp shares 5 reasons why he reads, 5 kinds of books every man should read, and then 5 specific books to get started with. I loved it, start to finish.
Here’s a stat and a thought from Harp that should sober you:
Roughly 40% of American adults will not read a single book this year. Among those who do read, most will finish only one to three books. Even more striking, less than 20% of adults account for the vast majority of books consumed in America.
And then there are women. The average American woman reads approximately 14 books per year, exponentially more than the average man.
Brothers, we can do better. We must do better. Reading is not merely a hobby; it is training. It is discipleship. It is how we best connect with the “great cloud of witnesses” [Heb. 12:1], and it is the best way for young men to learn to “prophesy and see visions…” [Acts 2:17]. Essentially, reading is borrowing wisdom from those who have gone before us. A man who refuses to read is confined to his own experiences, mistakes, and blind spots. But a man who reads stands on the shoulders of giants.
Read the rest here.
4. Listening to the Groans
Trevor Hudson has a series at Conversatio entitled Retreat: A Time to Listen to the Groans. Hudson writes about how entering stillness and solitude allows us to listen to the groaning of creation, ourselves, and the Spirit of God. Framed by Romans 8, this is a good space to consider what it might look like for you to set aside time to listen to the groans of life, and then engage with God over what you hear.
Speaking about our groaning, Trevor writes:
On our retreat we can share [our] tears with God. Many of the Psalms teach us to do this. They show us how to talk simply and honestly to God about the deep groanings of our hearts and lives. Too often we only think about our pain in God’s presence. We need to tell God about it. The psalmist repeatedly encourages us to speak aloud to God about the painful things we are going through.
I needed that reminder, as I can think about things a great deal and not actually bring them to the Lord in prayer. My ruminating on something is far different than my handing it over and asking for the Lord to move. That’s a subtle one.
Take some time to read through Trevor’s counsel here.
5. If God Be Mine
I’m preaching Philippians 4:10-20 this weekend, and in my study the last few weeks, I’ve spent time with Jeremiah Burroughs and Thomas Watson, two puritans who wrote on the topic of Christian contentment within a decade of each other in the mid-17th century.
One: I said this last week, and I’ll double down today: studying this passage has been a painful endeavor, because it’s shined a light into my own heart and discontents.
Two: I’m thankful for the clarity of how Christian contentment reminds us to value Christ rightly, which is to treasure him above all else.
Here’s Watson:
“If God be mine,” saith the contented spirit, “it is enough; though I have no lands or tenements, his smile makes heaven; his loves are better than wine; better is the gleaning of Ephraim than the vintage of Abiezar; (Ju. 8. 2) I have little in hand, but much in hope; my livelihood is short, but this is his promise, even eternal life; I am persecuted by malice, but better is persecuted godliness, than prosperous wickedness.” Thus divine contentment is a spiritual antidote both against sin and temptation.
You can read more in Boston’s The Art of Divine Contentment (in modern English).
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
Thanks Mason for mentioning the article in Conversatio- appreciate!