"Counterfeit Gods" by Tim Keller

We worship at First Presbyterian Church of Jackson and one of the many great ministries that the church offers is the Discipleship Groups that meet on Wednesday nights. (The supper that they offer on Wednesday night's is pretty dang good too!)

Typically, we pick a book to read and study in our Dicipleship Group. The church does a great job of recommending different reading materials and they've never steered us wrong. We've read and studied several Tim Keller books and I'd recommend any and all of them for you to read.

This semester, we started on Keller's "Counterfeit Gods" and it's REALLY compelling! Essentially, he goes over the way that mankind creates idols out of very real and legitimate parts of our lives. Many times, folks think of little golden statues when the subject of idols is discussed. But, really, anything that we love more than God is an idol for us. It becomes a "conterfeit god" and we worship it in many ways -- with time, money, energy, devotion, etc.

I've not finished it yet but what I've read so far has really drilled down into my soul and spoken to me about my own idols. I recognize that, throughout my life, I've had any number of idols stand in the way of my relationship with God. In my youth, it was acceptance by friends, popularity, girls, athletic success, etc. In my young adulthood, it was partying, status, money, women, my work, or my pleasures. In recent years, it's been my wife, my marriage, my children, my job, or my security.

Keller says that things are all "good" and positive until they become more important than my God. As it is so often for us humans, we can turn a good thing into a bad thing with the turn of a head or a heart. We can take a God-created, God-given beauty and make it the center of our universe, thus making it destructive instead of awe-inspiring.

As I read this book, I hope to discover ways to turn my heart away from my own idols and toward God's beauty and joy. I want these wonderful things in my life, but not at the cost of my relationship with my Creator and Savior. I know I can have them and cherish them but only if I see them through the prism of God and his saving, redeeming Grace. I can only imagine how beautiful they will be when I begin to see them fully in His light.

If you want to hear a bit about the book from the author, check out this link: "Counterfeit Gods" on YouTube.

Mississippi Blues Marathon

Tomorrow is the third running of the Mississippi Blues Marathon, an urban full and half marathon through the streets of Jackson and Flowood. It has been my pleasure to lend a hand in this race every year. This year, the start/finish area will be practically on the front steps of our beautiful Old Capitol Museum in downtown Jackson.

I am so proud to play a tiny little part in a really great downtown Jackson event. I want this downtown area to re-emerge and become the vibrant urban place that it should be. It's going to take events like this and visionaries like this team of race organizers to accomplish it. It is such a worthy cause!

Please take the opportunity to find a music spot on the route and enjoy the festivities. Yes, it's going to be cold but good blues music and the act of cheering on dedicated athletes is sure to warm your heart and your body.

Come out and enjoy!

 Mississippi Blues Marathon