Cutting Room Floor: Ecclesiastes 12:9-14

Did you know that almost 4 million books were published last year alone? You may think, “How is that even possible?” With the advent of e-books and self-publishing, an avalanche of fictional and non-fictional options are dumped upon us year in and year out. Many of these books are in the self-help category and promise results that they cannot possibly deliver. Lose 20 pounds by the end of the week without dieting or exercising. Become a multimillionaire in a few short months. And on and on and the false promises go. Millions and millions of these types of books are unwise, unhealthy, and unhelpful.

Sadly, a lot of books written by and marketed to Christians fall into the destructive column as well. Solomon speaks to this in Ecclesiastes 12:11-12, “The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.” Solomon isn’t saying that reading other books besides the Bible is wrong. He’s saying that many books are not worth reading and trying to keep up with the latest trends and philosophies is an exhausting waste of time. We should always be people of “The Book” but it’s a good thing to study other books that help you to better understand and apply God’s Word. Being a Christian reader will develop your discernment, sharpen your mind, and enrich your soul. But be very careful of what you choose to spend your time reading. Quick tip: if a “Christian” book has the author’s picture on the front cover, it’s probably not worth reading. I can think of very few exceptions to this rule. This picture on the front cover trend shows a desire to glorify the writer instead of the Lord. Don’t eat spiritual junk food that will hollow out your insides but instead, only consume the very best material. Don’t waste your time on authors that stray away from the wisdom of Scripture in order to make a quick buck or advance their own agenda. This word of advice also includes online articles and blog posts.

Maybe you’re newer to the faith or to reading Christian books and you don’t know where to start. Feel free to reach out to Pastor Jeff and me for recommendations. Below are a few of my personal favorites (in no particular order) that I think will benefit any brother or sister in Christ:

1. The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul

2. Knowing God by J.I. Packer

3. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney

4. Jesus on Every Page by David Murray

5. Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges

6. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

7. Heaven by Randy Alcorn

8. Everyone’s a Theologian by R.C. Sproul

9. The Prodigal God by Tim Keller

10. The Hole in Our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung

Cutting Room Floor: Ecclesiastes 7:15-8:1

The hardest part of being a preacher isn’t trying to fill your sermons with more content but having to cut things out to make sure that you don’t preach for 2 hours! Unfortunately, I had to cut a few things from my sermon this past Sunday morning that I want to quickly discuss here.

Firstly, I want to expound upon something that I was only able to briefly touch on during the first point of my message. Solomon writes something that hits very close to home in Ecclesiastes 7:21-22, “Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.” Be honest: have you ever eavesdropped on a conversation that you weren’t meant to hear or secretly looked at a loved one’s text messages to see what they are saying about you? We’ve all done something like this because we want others to think that we’re great and only say nice things about us. Is it bad to care what others think about you? Not at all; it would be foolish of me to not give any thought to what my wife, close friends, and mentors think of me. Caring about what others think isn’t bad; obsessing over and being controlled by what others think is bad and destructive. If your identity is tied up in public opinion then your worth will go on a topsy-turvy roller coaster ride on a daily basis. Instead, your identity and worth should be wrapped up in what your God says about you. He says that you are His son or daughter (1 John 3:1-2). He says that you are loved no matter what (Rom. 8:38-39). He says that you are His workmanship and destined to accomplish great things for His glorious kingdom (Eph. 2:10). What would happen if we began to care more about what God says about us than what other human beings say about us? Our lives would change and we would be much happier. Solomon wants us to understand that the wise don’t get easily offended or constantly obsess over what others may say because they are secure and comfortable in their own skin. The wise man or woman doesn’t get bent out of shape when others say rude things about them because they know how often they’ve said rude things out of turn about others as well.

Secondly, Solomon seems to go on a strange tirade in vs. 26-28, “And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things - which my soul has repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I have found, but a woman among all these I have not found.” Okay, what in the world is Solomon talking about here and why does he seem to be roasting the female population? If you read about the life of Solomon, it becomes very clear that he had romantic relationships with a lot of women (700 wives and 300 concubines) and a lot of them didn’t go very well. He sinfully chose to pursue relationships with pagan women who ensnared him in the worship of false gods and led him down the wrong path. All throughout the books of Proverbs, Solomon warns his male readers to avoid the temptress and to not fall prey to a woman’s beauty without paying attention to her inward character. Simply put, in these verses Solomon is emphasizing the sad reality that he has not come across many wise people of either gender. Wickedness and sin abound among men and women alike. He ends this chapter by saying, “See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes,” (7:29). Men are not better than women and women are not better than men. Man or woman, we have all strayed away from the Lord and are in desperate need of His saving grace.

Get to Know Pastor Taylor!

Working at Harvest has been a dream ten years in the making. In August of 2012, I was disillusioned with ministry after a horrible experience as an intern at a church that I invested my life into for years. I was discouraged and considered going down another career path until a family friend recommended that I meet up with the pastor of a new church plant called Harvest Bible Chapel Pittsburgh North. I reluctantly agreed to the meeting and had dinner with Pastor Jeff at the Double Wide Grill in Cranberry (R.I.P.). We became fast friends over a greasy plate of fried lugnuts and to my surprise, Jeff invited me to come onboard as his pastoral intern. Over the next year, I preached four sermons, co-led membership classes, and received solid training from a seasoned veteran. But I had to leave the internship after I graduated from Geneva College and moved down to Louisville, KY to begin my Master of Divinity at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Jeff and I remained close friends and he always made it clear that he would love to bring me onboard as his associate at some point in the future.  

I met my wife, Kate, at Geneva College a few months before my internship at Harvest began and she moved down to Louisville with me and lived with her cousin until we were married on July 26th, 2014. During our time down south, we both felt a sense of homesickness and desired to move back to Pittsburgh. I grew weary of filling my head with information in the classroom that I wasn’t putting into practice. We prayerfully submitted applications to churches back home and finally got a bite at North Park Church in Wexford. After a lengthy interview process, I was hired as their Director of Student Ministry. The average tenure for a youth pastor is a year and a half but by God’s grace, I served at NPC for seven and a half years. I finished up my master’s degree online as I served as a youth pastor. It was such a breath of fresh air to be able to apply my studies in the context of youth ministry.

Kate has her own photography business and she works part time at Bethany Christian Services in Wexford. The Lord has blessed us with two beautiful kids: Samuel Mason and Emmy Elise. Sam is a shy yet hilarious toddler and Emmy is a smiley and social 6-month-old who will definitely want to be your best friend. We also have a goofy and sweet golden retriever named Murdock who constantly keeps our kids entertained. Kate and I cannot express how thankful we are that the Lord has orchestrated the events of the past ten years to lead us to this church. Being the associate here is a massive answer to prayer and a privilege that I do not take lightly. We covet your prayers as we acclimate to a new ministry and season of life. We look forward to getting to know all of you!

P.S. Here is my favorite picture of the kids together.