It looks like Paul Tripp is back to blogging again. I found this post on Envy to be especially helpful to me. Here’s an excerpt:
You must understand that envy is an interpretation. Envy is not an emotional response to what is. It is a particular interpretation of what is. Envy is a way of looking at and assessing what is that results in particular emotions and actions. But this needs to be said even more strongly; envy is not only an interpretation of what is, it is a distorted interpretation of what is. Envy is looking at life through a rippled window that will always distort whatever you see. In that way envy is madness. In its own way, envy separates you from reality. Envy expands certain facts, it neglects certain facts, and it reshapes certain facts; all the while presenting itself as a valid, accurate and reliable view of life. It makes you like the crazy guy on the street. What makes him crazy is that he doesn’t know he is crazy. He looks, speaks and acts weirdly because what he thinks is real simply isn’t real. Such is the world of envy. Envy is rooted in a distorted interpretation of life that will make you mad. Let me explain.
1. The distorted interpretation of envy makes it all about you. Envy always puts you at the center of your universe…
2. The distorted interpretation of envy is always idolatrous. Envy always puts the creation in the place of the Creator…
3. The distorted interpretation of envy is self-righteous. What is the fundamental perspective of envy? Here it is; "I deserve better!…
4. The distorted interpretation of envy is always short-sighted. Envy simply forgets that this is not all there is…
5. The distorted interpretation of envy is the soil of other sins. Envy never stops with envy…
August 18 2010 | Blog | No Comments »
Let me suggest in very functional, practical terms what it means to be committed to being an instrument of cross-shaped love:
It means not keeping yourself so busy with you and yours that you haven no practical time to love others.
It means being committed to knowing people, because you can minister only in very limited ways to those whom you do not know.
It means being willing to have your life complicated by the needs and struggles of others.
It means being willing to live with an open home.
It means overlooking minor offenses and fighting the temptation to become bitter or cynical.
It means being lovingly and humbly honest in moments of misunderstanding; more committed to reconciliation than to being right.
It means not judging the success of your life by the size of your house or bank account, or by the quality of your car, but by the quality of your love for God and others.
It means moving beyond simply surrounding yourself with people whom you find comfortable and likeable.
It means being willing to have your schedule and plans interrupted or altered.
It means not allowing yourself plausible excuses that seemingly free you from love’s call.
It means loving people in such a way that they never feel like they are in debt to you.
Paul Tripp, Broken Down House
June 28 2010 | Blog | No Comments »
I’ve certainly been reading a lot of Paul Tripp books lately, which is probably a testimony to how much I love his work. There are very few authors who I’ve decided to attempt to read all of their writings, but Paul Tripp is quickly becoming one of those authors.
My latest Paul Tripp book is War of Words. Tripp begins with these words:
“Sometimes authors write because of expertise…An author may also write out of desperation. In his life there is a weakness or struggle that needs to be addressed. He examines, studies, meditates, and applies what he has learned to help himself grow. He then puts the fruit of his labors down on paper in the hope that others will benefit as he has.
I have not written this book out of expertise, but out of desperation. I have told many people during the writing process that I did not write this book, it wrote me!”
As you read through War of Words you can tell that this was a very personal book for Tripp to write. Each chapter is peppered with personal stories, some humorous, some serious but all very helpful.
One of the number one relational problems that people deal with is communication, which is what makes War of Words such a helpful book. Tripp, in his characteristic style, speaks directly to what’s wrong with our communication, which is idolatry. Tripp writes,
Idolatry is when my heart is controlled or rule by anything other than God.
This happens to us more than we would tend to think. The desire for success at work becomes a demand for appreciation from the boss. The desire to have enough money to pay the bills morphs into a lust for affluence. The desire to be a good parent becomes a desire to have children who enhance my reputation. The desire for friendship becomes a demand to be accepted and anger when I’m not. What was once a healthy desire takes control, and when this happens, the desire that originally motivated me changes into something very different. Rather than being motivated by a love for God and my neighbor, I am motivated by a pursuit of what will bring me pleasure, and I am angry at anyone who stands in the way.”
An idolatrous heart will produce idol words, words that serve the idol that grips us. It is hard for us to hold our desires loosely. Instead, they tend to take hold of us. Our desires tend to get elevated to a position where they should never be. Here is what happens: A desire battles for control until it becomes a demand. The demand is then expressed (and usually experienced) as a need. (“I need sex.” “I need respect.”) My sense of need sets up my expectation. Expectation when unfulfilled leads to disappointment. Disappointment leads to some kind of punishment. “You want something, but you cannot get it. You quarrel and fight.” So when James says, “You adulterous people,” he is not changing the subject. He is saying something very significant. Adultery takes place when I give the love I have promised one person to someone else. Spiritual adultery occurs when I give the love that belongs to God alone to something or someone else. James is saying that human conflict is rooted in spiritual adultery.!
War of Words is one of those books that you need to read and re-read in order to really glean all of what’s there. I thoroughly enjoyed my first read through and am confident that I will enjoy my next read even more. If you are married or any kind of a relationship with anyone, this book will help you. I highly recommend it.
June 16 2010 | Blog | No Comments »
“You don’t show wisdom by demonstrating what you know. You reveal wisdom by the way you think, desire, choose, act, react, speak, and respond to the situations and relationships around you." – Paul Tripp
April 30 2010 | Blog | No Comments »
”To the degree that you have based your life on something other than the Lord, to that degree God’s love and the hope of the gospel will not comfort you.” – Paul Tripp
April 07 2010 | Blog | No Comments »
I was introduced to the ministry of Paul Tripp when I was in seminary. At the time I liked what he had to say, but to be honest I was either too interested in catching up on the latest happenings at ETS or too busy trying to memorize Hebrew vocabulary to really appreciate all of what he had to offer. Having been in full-time ministry for over 8 years now I have come to appreciate Paul Tripp far more than I did in seminary. What I love about Paul Tripp is that he writes and speaks on a level that every person can understand and about topics that every person is familiar with. In other words, Paul Tripp is very real and writes about very real things. Yet he does so in such a way that the reader cannot help but see life as it is, but more importantly life as God intended it to be. Paul Tripp frequently opens my eyes to help me see God’s perspective on my “real life.”
Whiter Than Snow is an excellent example of Tripp’s ability to take the themes of Scripture (specifically Psalm 51) and to illuminate everyday life with them. In describing the purpose of the book Tripp writes,
Think about it. This is exactly how you live your life as a Christian. God hasn’t given you in the Bible the exact notes to play in every situation of your life. No, in the Bible, he gives you a divinely inspired musical structure…and invites you to improvise harmoniously with him. In this way, the life of a believer is more like jazz than it is like playing off sheet music. So, what you have in your hands is devotional jazz, designed to help you improvise more harmoniously with the Great Composer.
Throughout the 52 short devotions in Whiter Than Snow Tripp plays this “devotional jazz” beautifully.
Whiter Than Snow is a series of 52 devotions (2 pages at the most) on Psalm 51. The book actually began as a series of blog posts that eventually turned into this devotional. At 150 pages Whiter Than Snow could easily be read in one sitting, but the purpose of the book makes it much better suited for a 52 day or 52 week devotional.
If you’re looking for a new devotional or if you would simply like more exposure to Paul Tripp, this would be great place to start. It, like all of his other books, was tremendously helpful to me.
December 30 2009 | Blog | No Comments »
I began reading Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands in January for the second time, along with the rest of the Youth Staff here at the church. I was truly stunned by the immediate impact I began to notice it having on my own life as well as the lives of the men and women who were reading it with me. All of a sudden we were much more aware of our sin and our need for repentance, as well as the preciousness of Christ and His death for us. Much of this is summed up in Tripp’s words on page 16.
The good news of the kingdom is not freedom from hardship, suffering, and loss. It is the news of a Redeemer who has come to rescue me from myself. His rescue produces change that fundamentally alters my response to these inescapable realities. The Redeemer turns rebels into disciples, fools into humble listeners. He makes cripples walk again. In him we can face life and respond with faith, love, and hope. And as he changes us, he allows us to be part of what he is doing in the lives of others. As you respond to the Redeemer’s work in your life, you can learn to be an instrument in his hands.
Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands is broken down into four basic sections which represent the four phases of Biblical Personal Ministry that Tripp expounds upon, 1) Love People, 2) Know Them, 3) Speak Truth into Their Lives, 4) Help them do what God has called them to do. On page 274 he writes, “It is basically just a call to biblical friendship! It is almost embarassingly simple.” This embarassingly simple form of personal ministry has revolutionized the lives of many of my Youth Staff and it has reinvigorated me with a love for Biblical Counseling. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
May 21 2008 | Blog | No Comments »
The following quote is taken from Paul Tripp’s “Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands.” It’s especially for anyone involved in ministry. I’ll warn you ahead of time that it is very convicting.
If we do not deal with the common temptations of ministry (self-righteousness, unbiblical judgment and condemnation, bitterness and anger, impatience, a lack of gentleness) we will subvert the confession process. Have you ever noticed that the way we sin against people in ministry has a pseudo-confessional quality to it? Harboring bitterness against people is actually confessing their sin to God, dissatisfied that he hasn’t done something and placing myself in his position as judge. Gossip is confessing their sin to someone else. Each of these can exist in subtle form in our hearts, subverting the ministry God wants to do through us. We aren’t always heartened by the fact that God will convict people, lead them to repentance, forgive them, and draw them into renewed communion with him. There are times when we are like Jonah, who became angry after the repentance of Nineveh.
April 07 2008 | Blog | No Comments »
