Jim Martin's Resources and Reflections

(In this one, I managed to slip in a picture of Elsie, our five year old granddaughter.)

Try one of these live videos for a relaxing few moments. I love this site - Monterey Bay Aquarium. See the Live Jelly Cam, or the Live Sea Otter Cam, or the Live Monterey Bay Cam, or the Live Shark Cam or the Open Sea Cam.

What a compelling piece! I found it difficult to stop before finishing the article. “‘I Found Your Dad’ - The Mystery of a Missing Climber” by Ryan Hokensmith (April 17, ESPN) - This is such a powerful story! The story of Bill Stampfl and his two friends who vanished climbing Peru's highest mountain 22 years ago. A hiker, Ryan Cooper, found his body and brought closure to Stampfl's family.

When you lose all books. Meghan Daum is a writer who, like a number of other writers, lost all of her books, including her house, in the Los Angeles fires. In an interview in the New York Times, she speaks of a group of Christians who came to the area to help residents. I love how she describes them. She speaks of receiving a Bible from the group after they assisted her:

The most recent book was a copy of the Billy Graham Training Center Bible from a group of church volunteers who helped my neighbors and me sift through the ashes of what used to be our houses before the L.A. wildfires. I haven’t read it yet, but they were some of the kindest and most physically resilient people I’ve ever met. And hats off to them for getting so many secular Angelenos to hold hands and pray!

This is an early morning joy for me. I have been slowly reading I Samuel. It has been powerful to read again of God’s work in the lives of Hannah, Samuel, Saul, and David. Typically, when I read, I highlight (yellow) what seems important, reoccurring themes, etc. This time, I am reading from a Bible that I used to teach/preach from a decade ago. I am using a color (purple) that I rarely use to highlight. It has helped me focus on phrases and paragraphs that did not stand out to me previously.

A conversation that was really interesting. I listened to the excellent conversation between John Eldridge and Carey Nieuwhof regarding being a man today (thank you Lantz Howard). I particularly resonated with Eldridge’s words regarding the need to care for one’s inner world. Far too often we (both men and women) are focused on the outer world (accomplishments, status, possessions, appearance, etc).

An important beginning place. I read Gordon McDonald’s Ordering Your Private World at a very formative time in my life. I needed to hear his admonition to take care of the inner self. I then read books by J. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual Leadership; Thomas R. Kelly’s A Testament of Devotion, Dallas Willard’s The Spirit of the Disciplines, and so many, many others. I continued to do much reading in the spiritual disciplines which became a huge formative piece of my spiritual life. Bottom line, there will always be pressure to focus on the exterior world. However, a life of spiritual and emotional rigor can only come by being attentive to the inner world.

I’m particularly concerned about young men and the issues facing some of them. I recently listened to Justin Brierley’s podcast - an episode entitled “The Male Identity Crisis: Why young men are searching for meaning again.” Excellent!

I am grateful for my friend, Donny Lee of Harding University, and conversations we have shared regarding this. (Also, just read Brant Hansen’s The Men We Need. A very helpful book.)

You might enjoy reading the brief piece I wrote especially for my grandsons. You can find this here — “What You Need to Know to Make Life Work #1”

This quote from Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964): "The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it." (From Flannery O'Connor's collection of correspondence titled "The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O'Connor," which was published posthumously in 1979). I first became aware of Flannery O’Connor through talks, sermons by William Willimon. Recently I enjoyed reading portions of Flannery O’Connor’s Why Do the Heathen Rage? by Jessica Hooten Wilson.

“I want to be famous in my home” - See this brief video clip from Buzz Williams, University of Maryland basketball coach. Excellent!

I formerly served as Vice President of Harding School of Theology, Memphis, Tennessee. Prior to this, I served as a minister in various congregations for 36 years.

I am a husband, father, and grandfather. One of my favorite things to do is to come alongside another person and encourage her or him.

Every other Monday morning, I publish this “Encouragement Note.” You can subscribe at jimmartin.substack.com. You can also find me on Facebook - @jim.martin or Instagram - @jimmartin.jm. My e-mail address is: jmartin9669@gmail.com. Feel free to write. I would love to hear what is encouraging. — Jim Martin