Are You "Casket Ready"???
Friends! Has anyone ever said a funny phrase to you to where you STOP and write it down so you won’t forget it? Such was the case recently at our favorite restaurant here in Louisville, Volare a/k/a Volare Italian Ristorante. (www.volare-restaurant.com. Call Jonathan and tell him the Hoaglands sent you.😎)
We have several favorite servers, so it’s always a treat to go and see who’s on for that particular night. One friend/server, named Darrell, is always gracious, always praising us for something, never missing a detail. One night, he noticed John’s shoes and let out a whistle proclaiming, “Well, would you look at that!!! Those babies are casket ready!!!” We burst out laughing, never having heard such a phrase. And yes, you can bet I wrote that down knowing it would make a fun blog title some day.
So to pair the phrase with a book, because you know I have to talk about a book, a really excellent one popped in my head, however it’s bittersweet, in that the person the book is about is now in Heaven. Oh, but was he ever casket ready. Or better put, he was Heaven ready…
The book? Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation by Collin Hansen
I suspect there are many of you who have admired and respected Tim Keller, his plethora of books, and his sermons from his church, Redeemer Presbyterian, in New York City over the years. What got me hunting for more of his messages recently, along with discovering Collin’s new-to-me book (it released in 2023), was another book which mentions Tim more than once.
A group of us just read Savannah Guthrie’s newest book: Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere.
Savannah loved to hear Tim Keller preach as she lives in NYC. Savannah’s book has an entire chapter called Send Me Home, which is all about Tim along with some of his last words. Here’s what he said,
He even told his son, “There is no downside to me leaving—none.” He was that sure of where he was going and who he was going to see. Tim had been fighting pancreatic cancer and sadly died at seventy-two years of age.
What I love about Savannah’s book is she reveals how Tim’s preaching affected her. The first time she heard him speak she said,
“Out came pouring a brilliant exposition of biblical teachings that was somehow both scholarly and emotional. Your heart and your mind came alive. The feeling was reminiscent of the two disciples on the way to Emmaus:
She adds,
“…Hearts burned when Tim preached the Word.”
This is so true. Tim was a captivating preacher with a super dry sense of humor. Recently while on the elliptical (don’t be impressed, it’s one way I stay on the awful machine IF I have something to watch) I watched a sermon by Tim. He said something and it took me a few minutes to figure out what he was alluding to…suddenly I burst out laughing. I said out loud, “Now that is funny!!!”
Tim causes us to want to see Jesus by the very act of his preaching the Word and/or his writing in his books. Not only was he well versed in theology and Scripture, apologetics, etc., he stayed current through books and newspapers and magazines he read. He wanted to know what was happening in his world, namely in New York City. And he peppered these current events throughout his sermons masterfully.
What’s fun about Collin’s book on Tim’s “spiritual and intellectual formation” is we readers get to watch Tim meet and marry Kathy, go to seminary, get his first church, work tirelessly in ministry, gain mentors, gain an audience of students eager to learn from him, etc. all the while he keeps learning.
He defines being teachable. Collin tells us Tim had “unquenchable curiosity” which would “spill over with friends and family his whole life.”
At the same time I was reading this book on Tim’s life, a friend recommended a book on suffering by Elisabeth Elliot. (Suffering is Never for Nothing). As God would orchestrate, a chapter of Elisabeth’s and a chapter of Collin’s happened to collide with the SAME people!
Would you believe Elisabeth’s second husband, Addison Leitch, taught a class where both Tim and Kathy attended. Apparently Addison was one of Gordon-Conwell’s “biggest draws” as a professor. Sadly Addison’s cancer returned and he died at only sixty-four years of age the following fall semester. He and Elisabeth had only been married for four years, Addison being her second husband to lose.
Tim and Kathy tell of Elisabeth speaking at her husband’s funeral with a “steely faith,” warning the funeral attendees not to question God’s judgments and to keep total trust in the sovereignty of God.
As much as Collin’s book is mostly of a serious nature, we learn Elisabeth taught Tim and Kathy in her class called “Christian Expression in Speech, Writing, and Behavior.” Classmates amusingly dubbed it “Betty Elliot’s Class on Manners.”
Don’t miss what Elisabeth does with one of Kathy’s homework assignments! You’ll love it! (Not spoiling it for you! This is in chapter 8, Table Talk.)
Elisabeth is one of dozens of well known writers, speakers and preachers who make memorable appearances in the book. We also see John Stott, Martyn Lloyd Jones, Rebecca Manley Pippert (a/k/a “Becky”—a friend of mine who was blessed with several opportunities to speak with Tim all over the world), Francis Schaeffer, and R.C. Sproul, just to name a few—the interactions of which are fascinating! Not to mention how these legendary people influenced Tim.
But, my most favorite sentence in the whole book (only because I’m sentimental!) has to do with Tim and Kathy and their marriage. It’s found in Chapter 4, Kathy the Valiant: “Even before Kathy Kristy took the name Keller, she would become the most formative intellectual and spiritual influence on Tim Keller’s life.”
By the way, Tim and Kathy authored a still popular book on marriage and there’s also a devotional that would be a great gift for married couples:
One more amazing feat the Kellers pull off is raising their three boys. They almost didn’t move to New York City for that very reason, even tho’ God was clearly calling them to plant Redeemer Presbyterian. Painful struggles finally led to a breakthrough in prayer. This stretch in their lives is truly remarkable. They were blessed with insightful and diligent prayer warriors and mentors.
Don’t miss their experience and don’t miss all the books Tim recommends along the way. In my lifetime, I don’t think I could touch his lengthy list.
Collin’s book is divided into four parts. It’s difficult to try to pick a favorite part, but I believe the book truly crescendos throughout part four involving New York, the birth of Redeemer, all that happened from 9/11, etc. You find yourself shaking your head numerous times, in awe of the resilience of the Kellers and their devoted friends.
Finally Collin obviously did an enormous amount of research (you should see the extensive notes section!), interviews, etc. to put this book together. He also worked for The Gospel Coalition, cofounded by Keller. (See www.thegospelcoalition.org ) We learn he had countless opportunities to talk with Tim about what he was reading or what he was learning and also with Kathy and the support of their family. Don’t miss the fun photo section in the middle of the book. Many of the pictures will warm your heart.
May you be inspired to keep the faith, to press on, to read on, and praise the Lord for Tim Keller’s life and influence on us all. To God be the GLORY.
Now run, don’t walk to your nearest bookstore and grab Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation by Collin Hansen to add to your library!
‘Til next time!
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the page above are “affiliate links.”