I'm looking forward to speaking at the Give Me an Answer High School Conference, next week March 19th & 20th in Louisville, KY. I'll be joining Dr. Albert Mohler, Dr. Russell Moore and musical guests Shane & Shane and hip-hop artist Flame. Event details.

"Humility imports a deep sense of our own meaness, with a hearty and affectionate acknowledgment of our owing all that we are to the Divine bounty; which is always accompanied with a profound submission to the will of God, and great deadness toward the glory of the world, and applause of men." - Henry Scougal (1650-1678).

(Via my friend Diane Ward)

"Jesus' example teaches us that prayer is about relationship. When he prays, he is not performing a duty; he is getting close to his Father.

Any relationship, if it is going to grow, needs private space, time together without an agenda, where you can get to know each other. This creates an environment where closeness happen, where we can begin to understand each other's hearts.

You don't create intimacy; you make room for it. This is true whether you are talking about your spouse, your friend, or God. You need space to be together. Efficiency, multitasking, and busyness all kill intimacy. In short, you can't get to know God on the fly.

If Jesus has to pull away from people and noise in order to pray, then it makes sense that we need to as well."

- Paul Miller, A Praying Life, page 47

It's been said that humility is not only thinking less of yourself but also thinking less about yourself. And I guess you could add that humility is assuming that others are thinking less about you, too.

One person (besides me) who could use a dose of that kind of humility is Lindsay Lohan. The Washington Post reports, "Lindsay Lohan filed a lawsuit Monday against financial giant E-Trade for its commercial about a "milkaholic" baby she claims is named for her -- and wants $100 million for pain and suffering, reports the New York Post. The actress filed papers in Nassau County Supreme Court over the 30-second spot that opens with a boy baby apologizing to his girlfriend for not calling the night before. "That milkaholic Lindsay wasn't over?" she asks. A lawyer for Lohan says she's a one-name celeb just like Oprah or Madonna, and that the commercial is a "subliminal message." A spokesman for the agency that created the ad said "Lindsay" happened to be the name "of someone on the account team."

I'm sorry, Lindsay, but when I saw this commercial I didn't think about you at all. Not even subliminally.

Last week I drove up to Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia to speak at a weekend conference they were hosting. The highlight for me was having dinner with Paul Tripp and his wife Luella. What a great couple! I learned so much from them and enjoyed hearing all the ways God has guided them over the years.

I have to admit I was distracted when I was with Paul by the sweet pair of retro kicks he was wearing (pictured above). I'm not used to coveting the shoes of a 59-year-old guy. But I confessed my jealousy to Paul and he forgave me. He also told me that his son does marketing work for Nike and so he gets free shoes. (That didn't really help me.)

During dinner I asked Paul to list the books he has written. As he listed off the 11 books (the latest of which is about to be released), I was amazed at how many of these books have played a key part in equipping and encouraging members of our church. God has used this man in a big way to build up the church. If you're not familiar with Paul's books I'd encourage you to acquaint yourself. Here's the list:

1. Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens, Second Edition (Resources for Changing Lives)

2. War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Resources for Changing Lives)

3. Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change (Resources for Changing Lives)

4. Lost in the Middle: Midlife and the Grace of God

5. How People Change (co-author)

6. Relationships: A Mess Worth Making (co-author)

7. A Quest for More: Living for Something Bigger Than You

8. Whiter Than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy

9. A Shelter in the Time of Storm: Meditations on God and Trouble

10. Broken-Down House: Living Productively in a World Gone Bad

11. What Did You Expect?: Redeeming the Realities of Marriage

Visit the website for Paul Tripp Ministries to learn more about Paul's work and writing.

Recently my friend Thabiti Anyabwile interviewed me on his blog about my new book Dug Down Deep.

Thabiti: Brother, thank you for writing this book. I really enjoyed reading it. Tell us, why did you write this book and what are your hopes for it now that it's published and available?

Josh: I wrote it to try and reach people who are turned off by or indifferent toward theology. I wanted to share my own story of learning the importance of building your life on truth about God. So I hope it will the first step for a lot of people of a deeper, more grounded faith and knowledge of the gospel.

Thabiti: As I read Dug Down Deep, I thought of a number of people and categories of people that it would be useful to give a copy to. One category were the youth and youth leaders at our church. Any hopes for the book to be used with that audience? Any tips for using it with teenagers?

Josh: You know, I've been pleasantly surprised how many people have had that same response. They say, "I'm going to give this to my teenager," or "I'm going to lead my youth group through this." And that thrills me. Teens can handle doctrine--and they need it just like the rest of us. The book isn't specifically written for teens, but I actually think that might be a benefit. I think teenagers are sometimes turned off when they feel a book is talking down to them or trying too hard to "speak their language." So I guess I'd encourage anyone teaching teens from it to give it to them straight and let God's truth do its work.

Thabiti: As I read the book, I was struck by how well you blended rich theological truth with your own life story in a very conversational style. It's kind of a "theological autobiography," your life interpreted by God's truth. Is that a fair assessment? What did you learn about yourself and about God as your wrote this way?

Josh: I think that is a fair assessment. Part of my way of trying to connect theological truth with people who might not be used to it, was to go back in my own story and retell my own first encounters. So I didn't try to write as a pastor. I wrote as that guy in his early twenties who was first encountering teaching on justification, first hearing John Piper preach about God's passion for his glory.

For those of us who are a little further along in our faith, it's easy to forget that we haven't always known everything we know today about God and his word. It's been a process and journey for all of us. I found it very encouraging to revisit my own story. It was humbling. It reminded me of God's faithfulness. And I think it has encouraged me to be patient with people I meet who are in process. God has been and continues to be patient with me, so I should do the same for others.

Thabiti: On page 31, you write that, "Doctrine can never take the place of Jesus himself, but we can't know him and relate to him in the right way without doctrine." Why does knowing Jesus and knowing doctrine go together?

Josh: Doctrine is the explanation not only of how God has acted in the world, but what that means for us. You can't truly know Jesus apart from the doctrine (or teaching) of God's word about who he is and what his life, death and resurrection have accomplished. This is such an important point because so many people today separate truth and theology from devotion and relationship. And they can't be separated. You can't have one without the other.

Thabiti: Many Christians struggle with getting the truth from God's word from their heads down into their hearts, a struggle to not only know but to treasure and trust the word. It seems to me Dug Down Deep is a real help to people who have that struggle. What lessons have you learned from the Lord that might be helpful to people with this challenge?

Josh: I think we all struggle with this. This really is the fight of faith isn't it? To believe God's promises and that all he's done in Jesus really is for us. I love to quote what CJ Mahaney taught me: "If you want to feel deeply, you need to be willing to think deeply." Getting truth into our heart starts with meditating on truth. And I'd fill that out by saying that this thinking deeply needs to be done in dependence on the Holy Spirit and focused on the work of Christ for us. We need the Holy Spirit to set our hearts aflame with the truth we read in Scripture (Eph. 3:14-19). So prayerful, Spirit-dependent, word-centered, gospel-focused study seems to be the recipe for that head-to-heart transfer.

Thabiti: Dug Down Deep really models how, by God's grace, you grew both in your knowledge of the truth and in humility. What kinds of things do you practice in order to maintain a grasp on both truth and humility, to hold those things together?

Josh: There's no better way than pastoring in a local church! Expository preaching of God's word will deepen your grasp of biblical truth. And daily mistakes, blunders and bad sermons will keep you humble! But in all seriousness, trying to live out truth in community--and realizing how much you need other believers and how far you have to go--is such an important part of this. I'm so grateful I'm not just a writer or speaker. I love living life in a community of believers.

Thabiti: You define "humble orthodoxy" as "standing for truth with a tear in our eye" (p. 225). What do you mean by that, and what are some ways to develop and protect this kind of humble orthodoxy?

Josh: That's a phrase I borrowed from D. A. Carson's description of Francis Schaeffer. I love that image and I hope to live that in my own life. It means a willingness to oppose the culture of sin around us, but doing so with the heart of our Savior. We need both the truth of Jesus and the compassion of Jesus if we would rightly represent him to a lost world.

I think we develop and protect this kind of humble orthodoxy by rooting ourselves in the gospel of grace. If you truly believe that you've earned nothing from God, it restrains you from self-righteousness toward others. This is just one example of why gospel-centeredness is not just a matter of being doctrinaire. It's essential for Christian living and Christian mission and cultural engagement.

Thabiti: One final comment and question. I loved the cartoons that illustrate the process of sanctification, starving the flesh. Great stuff. It's the first time I've read either a biography or a book of theology with cartoons in it! That alone was worth the price of the book and the time to read. So, inquiring minds want to know: Any chance of writing/drawing a book of cartoons?

Josh: I'm glad you liked those. I love to doodle. I actually get in trouble with the pastors at my church for doodling during meetings. I'm trying to convince them that I listen better when I'm drawing. But, yes, I would definitely consider doing a book of cartoons. My kids keep asking me to do a children's book. So maybe that will be the outlet.

I saw the book In the Land of Believers at Barnes & Noble the other day and thought "Another inside glimpse of evangelicalism? Are we really that interesting?" But this review by Denny Burke and the interview of the author on Morning Joe makes me want to read it. The author, Gina Welch, is an atheist. The book is the story of how she faked a religious conversion and went undercover for two years at a church. Burke writes, "I find her deception and manipulation of the people of Thomas Road to be unconscionable. Nevertheless, there's still some compelling stuff in this book...In short, she views evangelicals like any coastal elitist would. But by the end of it, she actually comes to believe that evangelicals are people too."

In an interview Gina shares that she hopes the book will "humanize conservative Christians for people for whom they seem like a mob. I think that the reason that somebody like me might read it is implicit in the book, but I think that the reason that Evangelicals might come to the book is a little subtler. I think it would be good for them to know how a person who doesn't agree with them on anything interacts with their ideas instead of just writing them off as misguided."

Gina, if you happen to come across this post, I'd like to read your book and will swap you a copy of my book if you're interested. You're also welcome to visit our church if you're starting to miss being surrounded by wacky evangelicals.

How does a mother of young kids find time to read the Bible? My friend Ryan Kelly shares a helpful quote from Don Whitney who writes, "you may be in a situation that curtails many of your spiritual activities. You may be looking at many months or even years of such limitations. Do what you can. God does not love us more when we do more, nor less when we do less. He accepts us, not because of what we do for Him, but because of what He's done for us in Christ." I love the simplicity of that advice. Do what you can. Read the full quote.

Here's a sample of what people are saying about and quoting from Dug Down Deep on Twitter. To everyone who tweeted, thanks for reading the book and letting others know about it. That means a lot to me.  

@Jillyalexis learning a lot from your latest "Dug Down Deep". Thanks for keeping the cross consistently at it's center.

@D_Gibson  "Only the great commandments to love God and to love our neighbor can push us outside ourselves and our narrow self interests." - Dug Down Deep

@jjphilligin reading Dug Down Deep by @HarrisJosh. So many great quotes.

@JTaylorLLC On the top floor of B&N in Union Square, reading @HarrisJosh's new book: Dug Down Deep.

@preachershane Just got Dug Down Deep for my Kindle and I am excited about reading it.

@davidstarlingm Doctrine cannot take the place of Jesus Himself, but we can't know Him without it. #dugdowndeep

@midlandjack Digging "Dug Down Deep"!: Joshua Harris' "Dug Down Deep" is a fantastic book, filled with challenge! Here are a co... http://bit.ly/940QpW

@bekahcubed "[The church] is a huge party for losers. Losers who realize that only Jesus can save them." Joshua Harris in "Dug Down Deep" p214 

@_MattGiles Okay, so u r my long lost brother.Dug Down Deep was amazing! I am recommending it from the pulipit tomorrow.

@junkerjorg Outside reading Dug Down Deep and watching Samantha slide. Is there anything better?

@jtwinner To my friends who are unsure how God intends gifts of Holy Spirit for today- read Josh Harris' newest book "DugDown Deep"- outstanding!

@JaysonByrd Just finished Dug Down Deep http://bit.ly/cM5dGf recommend the chapter on "Humble Orthodoxy"

@Ammanfordpastor My favourite book of 2010...so far: http://veryrandomthoughts.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/book-review-dug-down-deep/#more-1027

@thegospelforoc We should strive to hold our beliefs with a charity and kindness that won't embarrass us in heaven. -Josh Harris (@joshharris) #DugDownDeep

@BentBombs "If you pretend, blame, and excuse all sin away, sanctification gets replaced by therapy." #dugdowndeep

This week we kicked off our sermon series, "The Path to the Cross." This series will retrace the final days before Jesus' death leading up to our celebration of the resurrection. Yesterday I taught from Matthew 26:1-29, on the plot to kill Jesus, his anointing at Bethany, Judas' betrayal and the institution of the Lord's Supper. Yes, it was a lot to cover in one message but our schedule got messed up because of the Sunday we lost to the snowstorm.

You can visit our church blog to listen online or to download a summary outline with discussion questions.

After reading about them on the Girltalk website, I bought the Building on the Rock Series for my kids. Since then my two oldest (ages 10 and 8) have been enjoying the books during their morning times of devotion. Each of the books in the five part series features engaging stories with a strong gospel and biblical message. They can be used as part of family worship, or for children's talks at church, Sunday school, or Bible class.

Each story has at least one scripture reference, two prayer points, and a question and discussion section at the end where the message of the story can either be applied to the reader's life or where a direct question is asked regarding the story itself or a related passage of Scripture. They're written for children ages 6-12. You can order them from Amazon. And they're available as a set for a good deal at Reformation Heritage Books.

Shannon and I liked this commercial. Moms are the best.

I've been listening to and enjoying Mark Dever's interview with Matt Chandler. In introducing the interview Dever writes, ""This past August, Matt shared an hour with us to talk about his ministry. In light of what has happened to Matt in recent days (his cancer diagnosis), we contacted him about publishing this interview. He said he was very happy for us to present it, and that he was continuing to trust in God for the future. As you listen to this interview, thank God for our brother and pray for him." Listen online.

And for those attending the Together for the Gospel Conference, Mark Dever just emailed this announcement: "I have some news for you about the upcoming T4G conference. Our brother Matt Chandler (pastor of the Village Church near Dallas, TX) has graciously agreed, health permitting, to be with us. During CJ's slot on Thursday, CJ will introduce Matt, and Matt will then share with us about what God has been teaching him through his recent struggles. CJ will then ask him some questions, and exhort us as we conclude our time together. Pray for him and for us, that God would use this time for His glory."

Last week, a quote I shared by Rick Warren about the importance of commitment to a local church rubbed a few people the wrong way. I think some read his phrase "spiritual adultery" as a statement that you can never leave a church once you join. I don't think that's Warren's point and I certainly don't believe that myself. Though there can be bad reasons for leaving a church, I believe it's perfectly acceptable and sometimes even important to leave a church if the teaching and practice isn't shaped by scripture (not to mention practical issues like moving to a new town, etc.). The point I wanted to make by sharing the quote is that commitment to a local church is a vital part of growth as a follower of Jesus Christ. If we're hopping around or attending with no real commitment of our heart, time and gifts, we're cheating ourselves and other Christians. That's the big point of my book Stop Dating the Church. The following is a quote from that book that I hope will stimulate some thought:

Is belonging to a church really just a formality? When asked what church she belonged to, one Sunday-morning visitor told a pastor, "The universal body of Christ."

Technically, she may be right. As we saw in the last chapter, every authentic Christian does belong to Christ--and that's wonderful! But is it either wise or right for a person to be linked spiritually to the universal Church yet have no connection to a local church? Is it even possible?

Wouldn't that be like telling your new bride that while your love is true, you have other priorities? Your heart of course is all hers, but as for the rest of you...well, you'll be in and out.

I propose that for sincere followers of Christ, the Bible allows no such disconnect. If you and I identify with and love the idea of church, we must consider how we can identify with and love an actual church.

A local church is a visible, tangible, real-world expression of the body of Christ. "Of course every believer is part of the universal church," writes Chuck Colson. "But for any Christian who has a choice in the matter, failure to cleave to a particular church is failure to obey Christ."

Charles Spurgeon agreed that for a Christian failure to join a church is disobedience. He combined piercing truth and humor when he compared such disconnected Christians to "good-for-nothing" bricks:

I know there are some who say, "Well, I have given myself to the Lord, but I do not intend to give myself to the church."

Now why not?

"Because I can be a Christian without it."

Are you quite clear about that? You can be as good a Christian by disobedience to your Lord's commands as be being obedient?

What is a brick made for? To help build a house. It is of no use for that brick to tell you that it is just as good a brick while it is kicking about on the ground as it would be in the house. It is a good-for-nothing brick.

So you rolling-stone Christians, I do not believe that you are answering your purpose. You are living contrary to the life which Christ would have you live, and you are much to blame for the injury you do.

Only by joining a local church can Christians avoid "kicking about on the ground" like a brick. It's in the local church that we are attached to God's work around the world.

Authors Brian Habig and Les Newsom, in The Enduring Community, make a helpful recommendation. Borrowing from the bumper sticker, they recommend that Christians should "Think globally, love locally." "All of us should concern ourselves with the challenges that face all people everywhere," they write. "But that concern cannot be expressed everywhere. We demonstrate our concern by acting and living where we are."

We see this combination of a global mindset with a local focus throughout the New Testament. The apostles weren't just caught up with the universal Church--they were busy planting and caring for individual local churches. Most of their epistles were written to specific churches in cities like Galatia, Ephesus, Corinth, and Philippi. Almost every time the word church appears in the New Testament it means a particular gathering of Christians.

They saw the big picture, but they understood that you could never separate God's big-picture plan from everyday service and involvement with people.

Excerpted from Stop Dating the Church.