General Index
achievement, and identity, 173–74
Adam and Eve: AWN of, 27–28, 54–55; disobedience of, 82–85
addiction, 60–61, 113, 126, 142
admonishing, 153
adultery, 45, 87–88; spiritual adultery, 81, 85–88
affluence, and identity, 176–77
“already” and “not yet,” and the journey between them, 25–26, 44–45, 91, 113, 120–21, 127, 138, 184
“American dream,” the, and Christianity, 150
anger, 19–20, 57, 72–73, 91, 126, 151–52
anxiety, 50, 113, 139, 141
atheism, of Christians, 137, 138
autonomy, lie of, 161
awe: horizontal awe, 21, 49, 60, 155; as a longing for eternity, 184–85; remembrance awe, 114–15; vertical awe, 21, 60, 69, 99, 109, 155; what awe does, 90–91; worship awe, 115. See also awe, helicopter view of
awe, helicopter view of: awe is everyone’s lifelong pursuit, 17–18; awe stimulates the greatest joys and deepest sorrows in us all, 19–20; awesome stuff never satisfies, 21; every created awe is meant to point you to the Creator, 20–21; God created an awesome world, 18; God created you with an awe capacity, 18–19; misplaced awe keeps us perennially dissatisfied, 20; where you look for awe will shape the direction of your life, 19
awe amnesia, 31, 44–45, 51, 60, 61, 65, 88, 91, 173, 177. See also blind amnesia
awe capacity, 18–19, 25–26, 154–55
awe problems: adultery, 45, 87–88; control, 32, 45, 71, 103, 141–42, 174–75; debt, 45, 113, 143, 176; fear of man, 45, 50, 143; gluttony, 45; materialism, 19, 26, 45, 107–8, 112–13, 143, 176–77; obesity, 45, 113; power, 45, 51, 174–75. See also awe problems, principles of
awe problems, principles of: awe amnesia always leads to awe replacement, 60; only grace can give us back our awe of God again, 61–64; we quickly replace awe of God with awe of self, 61; we replace vertical awe with horizontal addiction, 60–61; your emotional life is always a window into what has captured your awe, 59–60
awe replacement, 26, 29–30, 45, 48, 53–56, 60, 61, 63, 84, 100, 122, 125; and replacement angst, 56–59; the role of awe amnesia in, 60, 61, 91
awe wrongedness (AWN), biblical theme of, 26–39 passim, 62–63; Adam and Eve, 27–28; AWN as attributing to something in physical creation what only God could do, 31; AWN as the root of every horrible act of man’s inhumanity, 36–37, 62; AWN as why Jesus had to come, 39, 63–64; the book of Judges, 35; Cain, 29; the core of AWN, 33; the disciples, 37; Herod, 36; Israel’s refusal to face Goliath in battle, 31–32; Israel’s leaders, 35–36; Israel’s replacement of God with the golden calf, 30–31; Moses, 30; Nebuchadnezzar, 32–34; Saul, 34–35; summary of AWN and its results in Romans 1, 37–38
awelessness. See awe, vertical awe
Bible, the, study of, 152–53
blind amnesia, 68–69. See also blind amnesia, symptoms of
blind amnesia, symptoms of: anger, 19–20, 57, 72–73, 91, 126, 151–52; control, 32, 45, 71, 103, 141–42, 174–75; discontent, 70; doubt, 75, 102; drivenness, 74; entitlement, 69–70, 128; envy, 58, 73–74, 110, 126; exhaustion, 74–75; fear, 32, 48, 58, 72, 103, 104; relational dysfunction, 70–71; self-centeredness, 69; spiritual coldness, 75
Cain, AWN of in his act of worship and murder of Abel, 29
Calvin, John, 65
Chambers, Oswald, 119
Chesterton, G. K., 53, 95
children: embracing of the lie of autonomy and the lie of self-sufficiency, 161–62; God’s employment of the law to help them see how spiritually needy they are, 162; heart problem of, 160–61
Christian ministry lifestyle, commitment to: be a committed student of God’s Word, 152–53; look for ministry opportunities (teaching and admonishing moments), 153; recognize that your life no longer belongs to you, 154–56; rest in the peace of the gospel, 152; take your local-church relationships seriously, 151–52
churches: and attachment of Christianity to the “American dream,” 150; and Christian atheism, 137, 138; and Christian consumerism and spiritual shoppers, 148–50; and lack of believers’ personal commitment to ministry, 150; and “pubship,” 149–50
complaining, 56–57, 95–96, 128; as antipraise, 98; as awelessness verbalized, 98–99; Israel’s complaining in the wilderness, 96–99; why we complain, 96, 105. See also complaining, and five questions that steal your hope
complaining, and five questions that steal your hope, 99–100: does God care about me? 104–5; does God have the needed power? 103–4; is God in control? 102–3; is God good? 100–101; will God do what he promised? 101–2
compromise, of ideals, 51
confession, 76–77, 156; of Nebuchadnezzar, 34
conflict, 128
contentment, 70, 106
control, 32, 45, 71, 103, 141–42; and identity, 174–75
courage, 49, 72, 101, 104
creation. See world, the
Daniel, book of: central theme in (God’s sovereignty), 32–33; the contrast between the central theme of the book and the story of Nebuchadnezzar in, 33–34
David, correct spiritual assessment of the battle with Goliath of, 31–32
debt, 45, 113, 143, 176
denial, 32, 104
depression, 57–58, 142–43
disappointment, 57
disciples (of Jesus): AWN of, 37; inaccurate view of God of, 138
discontent, 70
disobedience, 80–81, 91; of Adam and Eve, 82–85; as spiritual adultery, 81, 85–88
dissatisfaction, 16, 20, 144
dissension, 126
doubt, 75, 102
drivenness, 74
emotions, 19–20, 59–60
enmity, 126
entitlement, 69–70, 128
envy, 58, 73–74, 110, 126
eternity, 183–85
excusing, 104
exhaustion, 74–75
fall, the. See Adam and Eve
fear, 32, 48, 58, 72, 103, 104; fear of God, 48, 72; fear of man, 45, 50, 143
flesh (sinful nature), weakness of, 93
fools, 62
fruit of the Spirit, 126–29; as character items that result in a whole catalog of behaviors, 128–29; our lack of an inherent ability to produce these things, 127
frustration, 58
Galatians 5, awe portraits in, 125; portrait #1 (the awe breaker), 125–26; portrait #2, 126–29 (see also fruit of the Spirit)
Getty, Keith, 11
Getty, Kristyn, 11
Gideon, inaccurate view of God of, 138
gluttony, 45
God: care of, 104–5; as a dimension of one’s calling, 171; forgiveness of, 123; glory of, 30, 35, 50, 51–52, 66–67, 138, 142, 144; goodness of, 100–101; grace of, 26, 39, 52, 61–64, 81, 82, 91, 102, 106, 113–14, 117, 123, 123–24, 127, 129, 144, 168, 172–73, 180–81, 185; indictment of humanity in Genesis 6:5–6, 29–30; power of, 103–4; promises of, 101–2, 121; sovereignty of, 32–33, 34, 71, 102–3, 144; as Wisdom, 85
gospel, the, 127; resting in the peace of the gospel, 152
gratitude, 106, 128
“here’s your God” worldview (Isaiah 40), 131–35, 136–40; addressing of Christians who remember God as small, distant, disconnected, uncaring, and seemingly unwise, 137–38; confronting of any worldview that doesn’t place God in the middle of it, 136–37; and one-drawer living, 138–39; as the only worldview that has eternal hope embedded in it, 140
Herod, jealous act of infanticide of, 36
hiding, 104
Holy Spirit, 124, 128–29. See also fruit of the Spirit; sanctification
hope, 49, 104, 105. See also hope, and five questions that steal your hope
hope, and five questions that steal your hope, 99–100: does God care about me? 104–5; does God have the needed power? 103–4; is God in control? 102–3; is God good? 100–101; will God do what he promised? 101–2
hopelessness, 59, 142–43
humility, 49
hurt feelings, 57
Israel: Amos’s description of the AWN of Israel’s leaders, 35–36; as the chosen children of God, 97; complaining of in the wilderness, 96–99; fear of facing Goliath in battle, 31–32; inaccurate view of God of, 138; and the Mosaic law, 80; replacement of God with the golden calf by, 30–31
jealousy, 126
Jesus, 26; our need for Jesus as our Redeemer, 39, 62, 63–64, 77, 92–93, 127, 168
joy, 106, 128
Judges, book of, AWN cycle in, 35
justification, 120–21; the reconciliation of justification, 124
law, the, 80; as a concrete expression of God’s love, 80; powerlessness of, 63, 92; purpose of, 63, 92, 162; what produces a law problem (an awe problem), 81, 84, 91. See also Ten Commandments, the
leadership culture, in the twenty-first century, and AWN, 36
Lewis, C. S., 183
lies: the lie of autonomy, 161; the lie of self-sufficiency, 161–62; Satan’s use of lies in Eden, 54, 162
life: everyone is searching for life, 109; material things are a miserable place to look for life, 110–11; material things can never give you life, 115–17; you will be in awe of what you think will give you life, 109–10
loners, 58–59
Lord’s Prayer, the, 46–47; as an “awe prayer,” 46; as following the right order for prayer, 47
love, 127–28
material things, God’s purpose for: material things are for your pleasure, 111–14; material things are for your remembrance, 114–15; material things are for your sustenance, 111; material things can never give you life, 115–17
materialism, 19, 26, 45, 107–8, 112–13, 143; and identity, 19, 176–77. See also materialism, and the spiritual dynamics of our struggle with material things
materialism, and the spiritual dynamics of our struggle with material things: everyone is searching for life, 109; material things are a miserable place to look for life, 110–11; you will be in awe of what you think will give you life, 109–10
ministry, and the awe of God as personal protection, 47–52; awe of God is the only lens through which we can see ministry successes and hardships accurately, 50–51; the big bad danger that lurks in the shadows of the life of every ministry person is familiarity, 51–52; in ministry you are supposed to feel small, weak, and unable, 48–49; ministry is meant to be something bigger than completing a list of tasks, 49–50; the spiritual warfare of ministry is all about awe, 50; your ministry is supposed to be shaped by the fear of God, 48; your ministry lifestyle always reveals what has captured your awe, 51
ministry, bad agendas for, 41–42
ministry, grand agenda for (Psalm 145), 42–47; goal of (“one generation shall commend your works to another,” v. 4), 44; and the intentional inspiration of awe, 46; the Lord’s Prayer as a model, 46–47
Moses: fear of, 30; inaccurate view of God of, 138
Nebuchadnezzar, AWN of, 32–34; and God’s deliverance, 34; and Nebuchadnezzar’s confession, 34
obedience, 81–82; as growing in the soil of worship, 89
obesity, 45, 113
parenting with the big picture, 160–68; parents as representatives of the authority of God on earth in the lives of their children, 46, 166–67; and the recognition that children come into the world embracing the lie of autonomy and the lie of self-sufficiency, 161–62; and the recognition that children have not just a behavior problem but a heart problem, 160–61, 162, 162–63; and the recognition that God employs the law to help children see how spiritually needy they are, 162; and talking about God every day to children, 163–65
parenting without the big picture (reactive parenting), 159–60, 166–67; as determined by the emotion or mood of the parents, 160; the insufficiency of a law system as the model for parenting, 162; and leaving children with nothing when they leave home, 160; using God as the ultimate threat, 163
parents/parenting. See parenting with the big picture; parenting without the big picture (reactive parenting)
patience, 128
peace, 101–2, 104, 128; the peace of Christ, 152
Piper, John, 145
power, 45, 51; and identity, 174–75
praise, 98
prayer, and AWN, 47
pride, 26, 49
Reagon, Bernice Johnson, 79
reconciliation, 124; reconciliation of justification, 124; reconciliation of sanctification, 124
relationships: the consequences of a personal-happiness agenda for relationships, 151–52; as a dimension of one’s calling, 171; the qualities God expects believers to nurture in relationships, 151, 152; relational dysfunction, 70–71
respect, of others, 26
rest, 103, 142; resting in God’s covenantal commitment to meet every one of your needs, 180–81; resting in God’s power, 180; resting in the peace of Christ, 152
rivalry, 126
running away, 104
Sabbath, the, 90
sanctification, 121, 123, 129; the reconciliation of sanctification, 124
Saul, disobedience of, 34–35
self-assuredness, 49
self-centeredness, 69
self-sufficiency, lie of, 161–62
sexual immorality, 123. See also adultery
sin, 26, 55–56, 62, 112, 124, 126; what sin does (makes us all lawbreakers and awe breakers), 121–23, 126
spiritual adultery, 81, 85–88
spiritual blindness, 164, 165
spiritual coldness, 75
spiritual growth. See sanctification
strife, 126
success: and identity, 173–74; as not about accruing power but about resting in God’s power, 180
Swift, Jonathan, 107
teaching, 153
temptation, 55, 84, 85; universal temptations, 177–78
Ten Commandments, the, 88–91; essential order of, 89; the fourth commandment as a gift of grace, 90
theology: influence of on our daily living, 99–100; as a lens through which you examine life, 99; purpose of, 92
timidity, 104
“total involvement paradigm,” 151
transgression. See disobedience
“two-drawer” living, 135–36, 138–39; as more natural to us, 139–40; the real-life drawer, 135, 139; the spiritual-life drawer, 135–36, 139. See also “two-drawer” living, signs of
“two-drawer” living, signs of, 140–41; addiction, 60–61, 113, 126, 142; anxiety, 50, 113, 139, 141; control, 32, 45, 71, 103, 141–42, 174–75; debt, 45, 113, 143, 176; depression, 57–58, 142–43; dissatisfaction, 16, 20, 144; fear of man, 45, 50, 143; workaholism, 51, 143–44, 170–71, 178
vengeance, 59
wisdom: autonomous wisdom, 85; God as Wisdom, 85
work: as a dimension of one’s calling, 171; and identity, 172–73; and the limits of time, 170–72; and universal temptations, 177–78. See also work, horizontal identities of; work, what the awe of God teaches you about it
work, horizontal identities of: identity in achievement/success, 173–74; identity in affluence/possessions, 176–77; identity in power/control, 174–75
work, what the awe of God teaches you about it: by grace, God welcomes you to rest in the knowledge that you will find everything you need in him, 180–81; the gifts that you employ in your work come from and belong to God, 179; God is too wise and loving ever to call you to one area of responsibility that will necessitate you being irresponsible in another, 180; success is not about accruing power but about resting in God’s power, 180; the time that you invest in work belongs to God, 179; you are called to live for something bigger than yourself, 179
workaholism, 51, 143–44, 170–71, 178
world, the: as awesome, 18, 20–21; as designed to point us to God, 20–21, 114–15, 163; as a gloryscape, 66–67, 76, 163, 164–65; as God’s good gift to us, 111; as mnemonic, 67–68, 76; as pleasurable, 111–12; the proper relationship to the physical world, 111; as a reminder of God, 114
worry, 32, 113
worship, 75; AWN in acts of worship, 29; in the first four commandments, 89–90; and reservation of the Sabbath to God, 90; worship awe, 90–91, 113