Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Preview

John Piper: A First Glimpse at 'Look at the Book'

This is not the launch of Look at the Book. It’s a preview. It’s a ten-minute demonstration of the kind of thing I will be doing at our National Conference this September, and then with several texts each week when we launch Look at the Book online this fall.
Some of you may recall from my legacy post that I feel an excited sense of calling for this next chapter of my life to take people with me into the kitchen. That is, the place where sermon-food is prepared. Presentation is one thing; preparation is another.
One of the differences between presentation (preaching) and preparation is that presentation is well-ordered, and preparation is messy. Banquet tables are clean. Kitchens are cluttered. My kitchen gets so messy that sometimes I can hardly find the ingredients. You’ll see what I mean.
But this is real. This is how I do it.
Without circling things, and underlining, and drawing lines, and making notes, and doodling in the margins, and making connections, and marking repetitions, I would be utterly adrift in a biblical text. My mind is a muddle until I make the muddle visible on paper, and then begin to sort it out with the pencil.
So if you ever feel muddle-headed about Bible passages, you might be encouraged to join me in the process of sorting things out.
Let’s take 2 Timothy 3:14–17 in this preview, and look at the Book.
A discounted rate for our twelfth and final National Conference is available when you register by this Friday, July 25.

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