Dave Dishman

Guidance from Overlooked Men and Women of the Bible

Category: Books (Page 1 of 14)

lamy of Santa Fe

Wise Words From the Bishop

November 27, 2022 / / 0 Comments

I just finished the book Lamy of Santa Fe, about the missionary bishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy, who arrived in New Mexico in 1851. Lamy served in the wild west, traveling thousand of miles by horseback, burro and wagon. He went hungry and thirsty at times, fought off bands of raiders and buried co-workers. All to carry the good news to all the peoples of the Southwest.

His quote after years of arduous ministry life caught my eye:

The divine word is a mirror that discloses to the ambitious all the infidelity of the world which he serves. It lets him see his ingratitude
toward God, whom he has rejected, abandoned. This divine word is a mirror without taint that shows the impenitent sinner the danger to which he exposes himself in falling into the hands of the terrible justice of God.

Jean-Baptiste Lamy

The entire time Lamy traveled and taught and encouraged he emphasized the Scriptures. The divine word, a mirror without taint, reflects clearly our issues before the Lord, and Lamy unhesitatingly showed people their reflection.

The divine word works the same for us today, when we’ll willing to give it a look.

books

Old News and Stale Doughnuts

August 17, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Day-old news is a lot like day-old doughnuts. Stale and ready to be tossed. In past years venders sold fish wrapped in yesterday’s newspaper, while others wadded up newsprint to pad boxes. I’ve even seen old houses with newspapers used as insulation. History emerges as plaster falls from the walls.

Few things written last more than a couple days, hours even. One and a half million books were published globally last year. How many of those are being read today as another 1.5 million hit the shelves? (As an author, I find this disconcerting). Books, like doughnuts, grow stale. Only a tiny handful get picked up by following generations.

So if I want to read something of long term value, thoughts that don’t molder, I turn to the words of Jesus. Jesus taught his disciples: Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

It’s not just our words that fade, but all the world around us will eventually collapse as well. What lasts forever? God, the souls of men and women, and the words of Jesus.

I love to read. Novels, history, politics, news, sports, classics—I dabble in most anything. But every day I make it a point to read something Jesus said. I read his words, try to follow and apply them, and know eventually their truth will bear out.

One thing’s for sure—I’m not wrapping any fish in the words of Jesus.

Matthew 24 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Cristina Gottardi

grandma

Grandma’s Got It Going On

July 4, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Genuine faith never appears out of thin air. Timothy absorbed it from his mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois. Paul knew them both and perceived their faith as the spring that watered the flowering of Timothy’s commitment to the Lord. The text mentions neither Timothy’s father, who was thought to be Greek, nor Timothy’s grandfather. Timothy’s faith developed from his matriarchal lineage.

A strong and sincere faith is not guaranteed from one generation to the next. Many well-meaning parents apply all the religious parenting techniques currently in vogue only to see their children reject the faith, or ignore the faith, or quietly set the faith aside. Christianity is only one generation deep. Every generation must believe afresh. Lois did something right. Too bad we don’t know her practices as we could use them to develop a series of books, podcasts and video guides on how to raise children of faith. We could dub it the “Lois-ization” of our children. I would have bought it when my kids were little. However, we do own one clue about her methodology—her faith is described as sincere.

Sincere is defined as being free from pretenses or deceit; not hypocritical, genuine, whole-hearted, real, honest, frank, upfront, candid, on the level, pure. Our children sniff out hypocrisy in our lives and our words as parents. When we act one way in front of others and a totally different way at home, the kids notice. They start to surmise that the Christian faith that their parents profess is not fully realized, not efficacious, and not deeply meaningful. Kids correctly deduce that if that’s all there is to the Christian faith, then no need to waste their time here. Plenty of other good things to pursue on a Sunday morning.

This was not true of Lois—her faith molded Timothy. You are never alone as you live out your faith. Our sincerity does not fade away in vain, even if we do not see the results. Two old sayings come to mind when I think of Lois and the many godly grandmothers who followed in her path. The first reminds us that the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world. Good grand-parenting imprints qualities on the following generations. If another old saying is true, that our most important contributions are the ones we leave behind, then the legacy left by Lois will be hard to surpass.

Forever stamped in Scripture, this quiet grandmother’s endowment offers us much to ponder as parents, grandparents and leaders.

From Seers, Sayers, Schemers & Saints and 2 Timothy 1

Photo by Raul Petri

things written to teach us

A Hike Reflects the Things Written to Teach Us

June 13, 2021 / / 0 Comments

A few days ago my wife and I decided to reinstitute a summer ritual for us—the weekly hike. We drove to Rocky Mountain National park early in the morning and set out on the trail. I started up the mountain with energy and bounce, but after the first uphill pull, my legs elected a rhythm of slower, steadier steps.

This particular trail borders a river, so the sounds of water and promises of cascades pulled us along. Multiple stream crossings encouraged us to go higher. At the payoff, Ouzel Falls, we rested in the mist and enjoyed our PB&J sandwiches.

In Paul’s closing remarks to the Roman church, he reminds us of the value of the Scriptures. Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

Paul reveals three brilliant gemstones gained from the Scriptures—endurance, encouragement, and hope.

I need endurance to stay true to the path. Eugene Peterson wrote an exceptional book on this topic that I recommend, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society. Like hiking to the falls, my life in the Christian faith requires commitment to step the same direction, day after day, year after year.

At one point I turned a corner on the trail and laid eyes on the summits of snow-capped Long’s Peak and Mount Meeker, glorious in the blue sky above. They encouraged me to keep going, mirroring another valuable life lesson—just keep going.

Encouragement and endurance cultivate hope, that most blessed gift from the Lord. Like wildflowers along the trail, hope emerges despite less than ideal conditions, often when I least expect it, yet arriving when most needed.

Endurance, encouragement, hope—aspects of a good hike, and even better, qualities of a fulfilling life available though the Scriptures.

Romans 15 in week twenty-four of reading the Bible cover to cover

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