Torn to Heal’s Intended Audience

Every author writes for an intended audience. Or at least he/she should. Whenever I am training young men in preaching I tell them to preach with a rifle instead of a shotgun. Writing is the same. If you aim too broadly you might hit a good number of people but the impact will not be very deep.

When I sat down to write Torn to Heal I had to decide whether I wanted it to impact scholars/pastors or lay people. I chose to write the book on a popular level. One of the most encouraging blurbs on the back was written by David Murray:

“Torn to Heal is the most concise, readable, and helpful theology of suffering I’ve come across. The content, length, and tone is just perfect for those who are in the furnace of affliction screaming ‘Why’?”

I did not write Torn to Heal for scholars to debate suffering and evil. I wrote it for people in the furnace of affliction that need a helpful theology of suffering and they need it yesterday. I wrote this book because I want to help suffering people give glory to God in the midst of life’s difficulties.

I wanted to write a book that a pastor or counselor could give to somebody in the midst of suffering. Something that is short enough that they could read it in a day or two if they desired. And something that is simple enough and practical enough that almost anybody could easily read.

My hope is that this book gets into the hands of pastors/counselors and that from there the book gets into the hands of struggling people. I really do believe that this book can help people. But it cannot help people unless they get it into their hands. I’ve been praying from the beginning that the Lord would put the book into the hands of anyone that needs it. Ultimately, I pray that the Lord leads suffering people into His own hands for healing and redemption. If that happens through other means then I’m happy—but I do believe that this can be a means to that end.

One of the reasons that I published with Cruciform Press is because their books are inexpensive and can be purchased in bulk for a relatively inexpensive rate. If you are a pastor/counselor/bookstore person let me know and I will try to hook you up with a copy. You can read through it and decide whether or not your congregation would benefit from it.

Buy your copy of Torn to Heal today.

10 Books that Shaped My Theology of Suffering

In Torn to Heal I encourage readers to develop a robust theology of suffering and to not be surprised to have to use it. This language comes from Peter’s exhortation in 1 Peter 4. As I’ve sought to obey Peter’s exhortation I’ve found a few books very helpful in this quest.

Certainly the Scriptures are the most helpful. If our theology of suffering doesn’t match up to Scripture then it isn’t worth much. There have also been a few other books that have helped me greatly:

1. D.A. Carson, How Long, O Lord? provides a biblical and theological framework for understanding suffering and evil. If you want a book that is a little more intellectual to help you think through issues related to human suffering then this is your book.
2. Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed, absolutely broke me and healed me at the same time. Sibbes has a way of opening up wounds and then pouring the gospel in.
3. Wesley Hill, Washed and Waiting, is the reflections of a man that is suffering and struggling with unwanted sexual desires. More than many others this book helped me see how the gospel not only heals us but it also afflicts our fallen inclinations.
4. Randy Alcorn, The Goodness of God, is a helpful little book that really shines in giving anecdotes and illustrations to give life to a book like D.A. Carson’s. I owe a great deal to Carson in providing the framework for my theology of suffering. But I owe a great debt to Alcorn in helping me put words to that framework.
5. John Piper, Desiring God, along with many other works from Piper were influential in laying a God-centered foundation of a theology of suffering
6. Christopher J.H. Wright, The God I Don’t Understand, gave me permission to be comfortable with mystery and questions that remain unanswered.
7. Samuel Rutherford, Letters of Rutherford, was used by God several years ago to awaken in me a desire to value Christ above comfort. Reading the passionate letters written from prison by this man of God caused me to question my own devotion to Christ.
8. William Bridge, A Lifting Up for the Downcast, has been personally beneficial in my own battle with depression and discouragement. He not only diagnosis the reason for our depressive episodes but provides sweet counsel.
9. David Murray, Christians Get Depressed Too, put words to my developing thoughts that things like suffering/depression can still be used for God’s glory.
10. Robert M. McCheyne, Memoirs and Remains, modeled for me what humble brokenness looks like. His dedication to Jesus assisted me in thinking through the trials that come with mission and ministry.

If you want to develop a theology of suffering I would suggest getting these 10 books. (Of course I’d also be honored for you to give my book a read as well).

Why I Wrote a Book on Suffering

My first book, Torn to Heal, has been released for almost a month now. I’ve had a few conversations with people as a result. One question seems to keep coming up. “Why did you write a book on suffering?”

A partial answer is that I wrote this book to myself. It’s not that I have suffered more than other people. I haven’t. But I’m also not ignorant of personal suffering. I have had my fair share of pain. There are wounds from my past that still seethe at times. Add to all of this that a black dog is perpetually chasing me and sometimes he catches me. Going through seasons of depression as a pastor has forced me to not only develop a theology of suffering but also to use it. 

For years I tried dealing with my pain through the superficial remedies often hailed by the church. I found myself as the bleeding woman who had “spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse”. Superficial answers don’t help in the face of deep suffering. My superficial answers couldn’t hide from the glaring words of Scripture. Nor would my inner turmoil be calmed.

While at a break point, I asked myself one question that changed everything. “What if this suffering isn’t solely from the hand of the devil, but is actually from a good God?”

I no longer had to run from verses like Philippians 1:29 that seems to view suffering as a gift of grace. But what would this mean for my battles with depression? What would it mean for the things that I’ve endured in the past? What if suffering is actually “a means that God uses to draw believers into greater conformity with Jesus Christ”? And not just “uses” as in “makes something beautiful out of a mess that Satan created”—but what if the Sovereign Creator actually orchestrated the mess as a God-ordained means of lasting joy?

That’s raw. That hurts.

And so I turned to the Psalms. And here I found that the Scriptures do not shy away from emotion. This is where I came up with “the gospel-driven path between dualism that acts as if God has lost control of his world and fatalism/stoicism that tires to bury our pain beneath an emotionless acceptance of whatever happens*.”

Neither dualism or stoicism helped me. And neither help the church. This leads to the full answer to why I wrote this book:

I want to see believers obey 1 Peter 4…Here Peter commands us to develop a Christ-exalting theology of suffering and then to not be shocked when we actually have to use it. My passion is that the church might learn to suffer well by modeling deep and abiding faith in God in the midst of suffering. I want to see a church that choosing suffering over ungodliness, a church that stares down the darkness of a lost world and says, ‘I’ll take the gospel to them,’ even if the only way to do that is to embrace difficulty, struggle, and suffering. (Torn to Heal, 55)

I believe this book can be very helpful to the church. One of the reasons that I chose Cruciform Press is because of the length of their books. This forced me to write a book on suffering that would be “concise and readable”. I believe folks that are currently in the furnace of affliction will be helped by this book. But I also believe you need this book even if you are not at present suffering—in fact you might want to read it even more in that season.

So I need your help. Here are four ways that you can help with this project.

1. Buy the book. Read the book. Give it to others.
2. Write an honest review on Amazon.
3. If you have a blog, join the blog tour scheduled for June 10-14
4. Get the word out. Tweet about the book. Share it on Facebook.

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*That quote is from Dr. Jones’ endorsement on the back. I was very encouraged by his endorsement because it meant that I had been clear. He echoed perfectly my intentions for the book.

Tornadoes and Theology

Yesterday a tornado devastated Moore, Oklahoma. Leaving 51 dead, with nearly half of that number being children. Events like this leave those effected with a myriad of questions and a flood of emotions. One article I read described survivors as in a zombie-like state.

What would you say to those grieving in Oklahoma?

Mostly nothing. There is a time and a season for everything. This is not the season to theologize. At present we weep with them. Job’s friends were good counselors until they opened their mouths and tried to give an answer to Job’s questions. In the midst of a sorrowing event, heeding James 1:19 is a necessity. Slow to speak and quick to hear.

Those directly affected by these storms will experience a range of emotions. These emotions will be expressed within a whole range of theological positions. Ranging from this to varying atheistic expressions. In times like this one of the best things that we can do is direct people to use the Psalms to give words to the emotions of their hearts.

And just be there. Give a shoulder to cry on or a shoulder to punch. There might be a time to teach and help with theology…that is probably not today.

But there are also those that are not directly effected by the Oklahoma tragedies. We grieve. We weep with them. We ask questions as well. And at times events like this trigger our own pain. But we are in a much different position in regards to teaching. Our emotions are not as raw. Thinking through events like this will assist us in times when we are the ones with tears streaming down our face, filled with raw emotion.

What do you say to those watching the events in Oklahoma?

In Torn to Heal, I present a bare bones biblical theology of suffering.

1. God is not evil and does not do evil.
2. God is executing his long-term plan to eradicate all evil.
3. God is sovereign, and everything that happens comes from his hand (whether directly or indirectly).
4. As autonomous human beings we are personally responsible for our own evil acts (that is, we cannot evade responsibility for our actions by claiming they
   were caused by God, Satan, circumstances, our past, our limitations, or other people).
5. God ultimately does all things for his glory.
6. God is ever working all things together for the greatest good of his adopted children (and this redounds to his glory).
7. Ultimately, our greatest good is conformity to Christ, which gives us the capacity for an eternal enjoyment of God himself.

I respond to that biblical theology of suffering by saying this:

To be honest, not everything in this list makes me theologically comfortable. It’s hard for me to see how these pieces combine into a picture that is both complete and fully coherent. But that’s okay; the Bible was not written to make us theologically comfortable or satisfy our curiosity. The Scriptures exist for a far more important purpose—to point us to the living God who provides eternal comfort. This God, after all, is infinitely beyond our ability to fully comprehend. That’s one reason eternity will be endlessly revelatory and fascinating. So it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that the God who is about the business of working out our redemption can, in our fallen and limited sensibilities, sometimes make us uncomfortable.

The truth is I don’t know specific answers to what God is doing in Moore, Oklahoma. As Samuel Rutherford once said from his prison cell, “I see not the other side of my cross, or what my Lord will bring out of it”. All we can say is that the Lord is good and the Lord is sovereign. Denying either of those is not helpful. I agree with Sam Storms that “it will not accomplish anything good to deny what Scripture so clearly asserts, that God is absolutely sovereign over all of nature”.

We must boldly assert everything that Scriptures say about suffering and evil and pain. Therefore we can say that God is sovereign and He is good. Somehow the events of Moore, Oklahoma will work together for the good of His children and to the furtherance of His glory. But we are not wise enough to connect the dots. Any pontificating about “why” this happened is likely foolish.

Someday we will no longer have tornados. Today we do. May we trust Him with the mystery that is in between.

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One of the things that we can do in the “in-between” is give and serve. One of the best organizations as far as responding to disasters is the SBC Disaster Relief. You can donate here.

Timothy Paul Jones (@timothywashere) Endorses Torn to Heal for #Royals Fans

According to Timothy Paul Jones, Torn to Heal is a great book for Royals fans:

"As two of the few remaining fans of the Kansas City Royals, Mike Leake and I know what you're talking about when you talk about suffering. After two decades in the tomb of the American League, it is true of the Royals what was true of Lazarus: 'Lord, they stinketh.' And verily, we are tempted to become Stoics or dualists about it. Books like this, however, may help Royals fans to see a purpose in their suffering. Purchase a copy for the Royals fan in your life, even though it's highly unlikely that you have any Royals fans in your life since most people have assumed for several years that the Royals have turned into a high school team. And last year, they played like it--but they're still officially Major League and, thus far this year, they're almost playing like a professional team but we're not holding our collective breath. Even if you don't know any Royals fans, this book may work for Cleveland Indians fans too and maybe even Cubs fans, if you know any. So buy it for them."

He also seriously endorsed the book:

"Mike Leake takes us on a gospel-driven path between dualism that acts as if God has lost control of his world and fatalism/stoicism that tries to bury pain beneath emotionless acceptance of whatever happens. The result is a brief but potent primer for ordinary people on the purpose of suffering."

Dr. Jones is one of my favorite professors at SBTS. I’m honored that he took the time to not only endorse the book once but twice. The book is scheduled to release tomorrow. Be sure to get your copy today. (For those of you that asked it should be available on Amazon in the next couple days).

Houston, We Have a Cover

Thanks to your help the design team at Cruciform Press has decided on the cover for Torn to Heal. Here it is in all of its glory:

Thanks for all of your votes. Be sure to pre-order the book, it releases on May 1st.

Help Select the Final Cover for Torn to Heal

Thanks for all of your support last week. Thanks to your votes the design team at Cruciform Press has narrowed down their selection to the top 5 covers. Here they are:

Go here to vote.

You can also read a sample chapter. And preorder your copy.

I appreciate all of your support and help in getting this book off the ground. Though I do not personally know some of my readers—you guys are tremendous. I appreciate your readership.

Help Select Torn to Heal’s Book Cover

My first book, Torn to Heal, is releasing on May 1st. We need your help designing the cover. Our design team has narrowed their options down to these 11:

Which do you like the best?

You can read a sample chapter here: Torn to Heal Chapter One. After reading that chapter which cover do you feel best captures the books intention?

Go here and vote!!

Torn to Heal; Or What My Monday’s Look Like

Lord willing, every Monday until it is complete I am working on writing a book.  I hope to self publish this book through Amazon unless something else comes up before it is completed.  Because the book is not yet completed I cannot really “pitch it” to you but I will provide you a brief summary and the potential chapters. 

The major thesis or theme is simply this:

Redemption is painful and God will stop at nothing to bring it about. Completely. And that is what this book is about. All things, both good and ill, work together for our greatest good—conformity to Jesus. This includes our pain. It is the argument of this book that the Lord in his goodness will rip us to shreds to replace idols with lasting joy. He will stop at nothing to fully redeem us--which means He will have to fully change our desires. And this is good.

The chapter break down as of now looks like this:

Chapter One: God makes sweeping promises.  We like the fruit of the promise but not the labor of trust needed to enjoy them.  So we hew out for ourselves broken cisterns and try to find rest in lesser promises. 

Chapter Two: Because God is supremely loving and good He will not allow us to rest in an inferior promise.  He will expose the emptiness of our idols and even allow profound brokenness so that our restlessness draws us to resting in His superior promise. 

Chapter Three:  But does God really do this?  Is it really true that everything that happens comes from His hand?  Does God really tear in order to heal? 

Chapter Four: God tears to heal.  He breaks to dance, He leaves naked to woo.  What happens in Hosea and Zephaniah serves as a grid for understanding much of our own pain and brokenness.  God is providing redemption. 

Chapter Five: The already, not yet of healing.  What does healing look like this side of Eden.  Yes we are healed, but not fully, not yet.  We still go back to our idols.  Yet, thankfully God is radically committed to our joy in Him.  This process of tearing to heal happens often.  And someday it will be complete.  God completes what He begins.

Chapter Six: Tearing and Healing in the context of the local church.  You alone are not the bride of Christ.  This rescue plan involves all of His children.  What does this look like lived out in a local church? 

Chapter Seven/Conclusion: So What?  What does this mean for our every day lives?  Why even bother writing this book?

Needs:

My goal is to make this book about 144 pages and to be written on a somewhat popular level (Think Crossway titles and not Joel Osteen type of popular).  I could certainly use your prayers, this is a huge undertaking and I constantly question my ability to even write cogently.  At the end of the day pray that even if this book never hits the press that God uses my labor on Monday’s for His glory.  Everyone can pray.

I also will need some pre-editors.  If you would be willing to look through this book once I get it “finished” and try to find grammar and punctuation mistakes it would be much appreciated. 

I also need a cover designer.  This is not a picture book but it would be very helpful to have a good cover.  I am not all that creative or artistic, but I need something to capture the major concept of the book; namely, Torn to Heal.

Lastly, I will need reviewers once the book is completed.  If you want to help out in any of these please let me know via comment, email, or social media comment.