Blogergism

Finally, Some Sanity in a Courtroom

2012-02-01T09:57:00.000-06:00

I can't say anymore or any better than what this article says.

The Dangers of YA Novels (It's Not the Vampire That Will Hurt You)

2012-01-30T15:01:00.000-06:00

I found this review/commentary on YA novels and was drawn to it because it makes so much sense.

I'd love to have some feedback from some other parents as to your thoughts on this.

Marriage and the Gospel- A Poetic Look

2012-01-27T10:45:00.000-06:00

This young man posted a video that went viral a while back; now he's posted this one, which gets toward the heart of marriage as a picture of the gospel. He's getting better every time.

He Died of a Broken Heart

2012-01-22T15:05:00.000-06:00

So much sadness today with the passing of one of the men I respected most over many years, Joe Paterno. There's a lot of anger on my part at how he was so poorly treated that I'd had really better be careful what I write.

I'll try to be more retrospective later; right now, I'm hoping every trustee who voted to fire him is unemployed by the end of the year.

There's a lot of talk already about legacy. I don't think the recent events will tarnish his legacy among anyone who has an ounce of fairness or decency in them. I do hope the one legacy that comes out of this is that John Surma, the trustee who was so happy to go on camera and announce the firing of Paterno, carries that video clip with him for the rest of his life. (Like I said, still a lot of anger.)

We'll miss you, JoPa.

All Authority Really Means 'All'

2012-01-12T11:57:00.001-06:00

An interesting set of quotes from Michael Horton's, The Gospel Commission-

“Not even the new birth is the result of human decision or effort. We are not given steps for ‘How to Be Born Again’. Jesus’s statement in John 3, that one must be born from above in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, is not an imperative (i.e., command) but an indicative (i.e., statement of fact). That is, it simply declares the state of affairs…The gospel is for us, not about us. It isn’t about anything that we do, feel, or choose. It is the Good News about Jesus Christ and what he has accomplished for us. Of course, the new birth evidences itself in conversion: a lifelong response of repentance and faith.” (p. 30)

“We often speak of ‘making Jesus our personal Lord and Savior’, but this obscures two important points. First, we do not make Jesus anything, especially Lord and Savior. It is because he already is Lord and Savior that we are freed from the fear of death and hell. All authority belongs to him already.” (p. 32)

“The early Christians were not fed to wild beasts or dipped in wax and set ablaze as lamps in Nero’s garden because they thought Jesus was a helpful life coach or role model but because they witnessed to him as the only Lord and Savior of the world. Jesus Christ doesn’t just live in the private hearts of individuals as the source of an inner peace. He is the Creator, Ruler, Redeemer, and Judge of all the earth.” (p. 33)

What part of, 'all authority' do we not get?

Tim Tebow's Fire

2012-01-12T09:21:00.002-06:00

This one is just for fun!

How To Be A Team Player

2012-01-11T11:14:00.000-06:00

Here is Lance Berkman accepting the Sports Personality of the Year award from the Missouri Athletic Club.

Lance Berkman

He explains the how and the why of his success as a team player. This is an outstanding few moments for anyone to watch. I highly recommend it! He tells some stories to make his points, and they are a lot of fun to hear.

I found this on Pete Scribner's Sola Gratia blog (recommended!) and that's where the link takes you. You can also pull it up in YouTube if you prefer. Thanks for posting this, Pete!

'The Mature Worshiper is Easily Edified'

2012-01-06T09:54:00.000-06:00

"The mature worshiper is easily edified." When hearing lackluster (even if biblical) preaching, immature worshipers will typically not listen to the message because they wish the messenger was more exciting. Conversely, mature worshipers eagerly receive the truth as it is proclaimed, even if it sounds like the preacher is reading a phone book.

- Steve Burchette

2011 Buzzwords

2012-01-04T10:05:00.000-06:00

Here are Time's top ten (or eleven) buzzwords from 2011. As Challies suggests, that's a good reason to stop using them. The list is a bit underwhelming as it is.

1. Occupy
2. Winning/Winner
3. Planking
4. Carmageddon
5. SuperPAC
6. Cone of Uncertainty/Haboob (weather words...a tie)
7. Arab Spring
8. Man- as a prefix
9. Hacktivist
10. Leading from behind

If Ephesians 5:12 Had Never Been Written

2012-01-04T09:27:00.000-06:00

Watching the flurry of posts recently on Driscoll's new book on marriage, I rather enjoyed this quote by Carl Trueman on the Ref21 blog-

I have often in the past stood with those who laughed at what we regarded as the ignorant, unsophisticated taboos of the older generation. But now I worry about the ease with which the rising generation talks explicitly of 'the fruitless deeds of darkness' in the name of cultural engagement, fear of being thought passé or simply a desire to slough off the legalisms of their fathers in the faith. You can, after all, get to heaven without ever having seen an R-Rated art house movie or having enjoyed a spectacular love life.

Here's a question: would it make any difference to you, any difference at all to the way you talk, to what you watch, to the wayyou 'engage culture', if Eph. 5:12 had never been written?

Would it?

Retractable Roof?

2012-01-03T23:52:00.000-06:00

Based on my previous post today, I had to pass this one along, as it is going around the interweb. This is the proposed retractable roof for Cowboys stadium, according to Cowboys fans-

If'n God's Name Was 'Jerry'

2012-01-03T16:14:00.000-06:00

Living in Texas, one can be overwhelmed by the amount of football in the culture. It's certainly not all bad, and I enjoy a great deal of it, especially the nicer side of 'Friday Night Lights' (the high-school football world) and college football.

Will Boren (my son), Canyon HS 2011 WR/FS

The whole high school football culture here (yes, it is a culture: when I was in high school, the coaches said, 'There's only two sports in Texas...football and spring football') is fun. Small towns of a thousand people have stadiums that seat three thousand, they they are full every Friday night. The backroads, sometimes thirty or forty miles between towns, are bumper-to-bumper at 5pm and again at 10pm on Fridays. It's a sight to see. (Yes, there are some bad aspects, but for the most part, sanity reigns and it is a lot of fun.) The Class 4A state championship game was played in front of over 43,000 fans!

Southlake Carroll Dragons- Class 5A State Champs

College football in Texas can also be fun. Texas is different than many other states, as there are more Division I programs here than most states can boast. Some of the best are less than a hundred miles apart (shoutin' distance in Texas), much like the 'golden triangle' of basketball near Raleigh, NC. The most recent brouhaha with Texas A&M leaving the Big 12 for the SEC has certainly upset some of this, and mostly for the negative for Texans, but that's another story.

Pro football, on the other hand, isn't quite so much fun. The Houston Texans have finally made the playoffs, which is great, but they'll go in without some key players and likely won't last long. In any case, the Texans will always play second fiddle to the team in Dallas.

As Matt Chandler once put it, the largest pagan temple in America sits in Dallas. Every other Sunday, a hundred thousand people show up to worship there. People that would be loathe to put $20 in the plate at their 'other' church will throw down six- or eight-hundred bucks at their worship service at Cowboys' Stadium. Those who would complain about sitting through a 15- minute sermonette will sit for four-plus hours absorbing the sex and violence before them at the pagan temple. If you've ever been to Jerry's house, you know that the scantily-clad Cowboys' cheerleaders on the largest TV screen in the world does indeed qualify as, 'sex'. I'd tell you what my 12-year-old daughter said about it, but this is a family venue, and I'd be embarrassed to print it.

All that's to say, I've gotten a pretty big kick out of the angry rhetoric coming out of Cowboys' fans the past few days. The 'Pokes lost to the Giants and will miss the playoffs. People are angry at Jerry, the god they seem to worship (follow the money!), for not stepping back and letting a GM run the team. Everything he touches seems to turn to gold, albeit with a bit of an amoral slant. His team just gets worse. (They still make him a fortune, though.) If Jerry Jones is really interested in fixing the Cowboys' woes, he needs to treat himself just like he treated Tom Landry back in 1989 (he fired him unceremoniously).

The irony is, these folks will still plunk down their kids' college-money to watch Jerry's team (and line Jerry's pockets) Sunday after Sunday. The level of commitment is staggering. Just imagine if Jerry actually did something good for them. It makes me wonder why we don't see the same level of commitment from those who claim to worship Yahweh, who has indeed done good for us. In fact, many who worship Jerry every Sunday are some of the same folks who claim to worship Yahweh, but if you look at where they attend fellowship on Sundays, and where they spend their money, it's hard to accept the claims.

I've stepped on enough Texas toes for now. We'll see how the off-season goes.

At least with the God I worship, He'll never need to fire himself to make things better.

The Sunsets in West Texas

2011-12-29T22:59:00.000-06:00

There are a lot of things about the weather in West Texas that can be rightly complained about, but the sunsets make up for most of them. Here's one, taken tonight from my back porch.

Family Photo Epic Fails

2011-12-13T18:37:00.000-06:00

Here's proof there's no bad time to stop and take a family photo-

What Really Happened to AF447?

2011-12-13T13:49:00.000-06:00

This is a fascinating account of what happened to Air France Flight 447.

Rarely do the comments to an article offer anything of value. In fact, I almost never read more than a few anymore, as they are usually a waste of time. However, this article is different. Several experienced pilots and pilot trainers commented on the story, and this added a great deal to what I learned.

Fascinating. And scary.

I Think He Was Serious

2011-12-09T09:55:00.000-06:00

Here's how to write a letter to the editor and make yourself look like a complete moron. The pic says it all-

HT: Richard Mann

The $254 Million Man

2011-12-08T14:09:00.000-06:00

I just posted this on FB (to the tune of Admiral Halsey by Paul McCartney)-

We're so sorry, uncle Albert,
We're so sorry that you've caused us any pain.
We're so sorry, uncle Albert,
But there's no one left at home
And I believe I'm gonna scream!

We're so sorry but we just heard you signed with them,
We're so sorry, uncle Albert,
But if you can't get any pitching
We sure won't give a dang!

It could have been better, but I was in a hurry. Feel free to suggest more lyrics.

Two hundred fifty-four million dollars, for swinging a big stick. Who'da thunk it?

Top Ten Book of All Time- And It's FREE Right Now

2011-12-07T12:48:00.000-06:00

The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul is one of the top all-time books I've ever read. Right now, for a short time, you can get a copy free for your Kindle.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001C36CEW?tag=kiq-free-e-20

Not a Lot of Posts These Days

2011-12-07T12:21:00.000-06:00

I haven't been posting as many blog posts the last couple weeks. I haven't had the free time to do so, and I'm not trying to generate a giant audience that daily postings require. So please don't be disappointed that there's not something new here every day!

I've also been trying to wean myself off the internet a bit, as I have begun giving up reading time to browse the various blogs and whatnot that comes with blogging; I need to do less browsing and more reading. As a result, I probably won't have quite as many links to post or funny videos to send you to.

Anyway, go find a good book and read it.

Pearl Harbor Day

2011-12-07T12:17:00.000-06:00

Today is the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Still, there were several hundred veterans of the event who were able to make the trip and commemorate the event with each other.

I honor these men, not as much for what happened to them as what they did with their lives subsequent to the event. I've only met a couple of Pearl Harbor veterans in my life. If you haven't met any, you'd better get busy, because they are getting fewer and further between. (Aside: I've also met a Bataan Death-March survivor...even more rare these days.)

God bless 'em all!

Black (and Blue) Friday

2011-11-29T14:03:00.000-06:00

Google the phrase, 'black friday incidents' and start reading.

Gun control? I think shoppers should have to attend a two-day training course, sort of like a hunter-safety course, but for shoppers. Maybe we could cut down on the injuries and criminal behavior. It might be safer to go hunting with Dick Cheney than to go to Wal-Mart on black friday.

Sheesh!

Family Time

2011-11-23T21:49:00.002-06:00

Enjoying the evening; my sister and her family are here and Mom will be over in the morning. Having a houseful of family is lots of fun!

Happy thanksgiving to everyone!

Book Review: Colder than Hell by Joe Owens

2011-11-18T15:33:00.000-06:00

Colder Than Hell: A Marine Rifle Company at Chosin Reservoir by Joseph R. Owen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great account of Baker-1-7 and their actions in North Korea in the Winter of 1950.

View all my reviews

"God Won't Give You More Than You Can Handle" Really?

2011-11-17T12:14:00.000-06:00

This post from Michael Kelley was too good not to pass on.

Why We Didn't Hear About the Death of Dick Winters

2011-11-14T09:46:00.000-06:00

I'm not unlike just about everyone who read Ambrose's books on WWII, or saw the mini-series Band of Brothers: Maj. Dick Winters is a hero in our eyes. He was the longest-surviving officer of the 506th PIR, and died this past January at the age of 92. I wrote about it here.

Almost no one heard about his death. Here is a great article from the National Review on why.

Apologetics Study Bible Giveaway

2011-11-14T09:15:00.001-06:00

I'm giving away a copy of the Apologetics Study Bible (HCSB version). It is a brown, bonded-leather edition.

To enter, submit your name and email in the form below. I'll randomly draw a winner on Saturday, Nov. 19th.

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A Thought for the Day

2011-11-14T09:09:00.000-06:00

"The issue for Christians is not whether we are going to be theologians but whether we are going to be good theologians or bad ones." -R. C. Sproul, from Knowing Scripture.

11.11.11

2011-11-11T13:48:00.002-06:00

For all those who paid the penultimate price-

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Then there's this.

Happy Birthday, USMC!

2011-11-10T08:24:00.000-06:00

(HT: Sgt Grit)

Today is the 236th birthday of the United States Marine Corps. My hat is off to all who served, and especially today to those who wore the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor.

If you don't read the Sgt Grit Newsletter, you should. It comes by email once a week, and is full of stories sent in by Marines of all eras. Here's where to sign up for it.

Semper Fi!

Four More Reasons to Blog

2011-11-09T14:32:00.002-06:00

Justin Taylor has these quotes from notables about writing, and the effect it has on our thinking.

Sproul-Mates

2011-11-08T16:14:00.000-06:00

I can't even begin to count the number of people I've met, many in the blogosphere, who have something in common with me. We were all once stuck in some form of humanistic understanding of God, our theology peppered with nice phrases about God's sovereignty and authority, but in practical reality, we all acted as though we, and not God, were really sovereign.

Then something changed.

The thing that happened to all of us was an introduction to reformed theology. Not the dry academic kind, but the gospel-focused, mission-oriented, God-glorifying kind. We were introduced, often accidentally (of course, we now know it was providential, not accidental!), by faithful men proclaiming God's word in its fullness. There are many names that come up in these discussions and some appear much more commonly than others. Names like Boice, Kennedy, Piper, Mahaney, Dever, Horton, Ferguson, and Mohler are usually mentioned. Lately I'm hearing more and more Chandlers and Chans, and even a few Driscolls. But there are two names heard more often than any other: MacArthur and Sproul. And Sproul is usually universally mentioned.

Sproul gets the slight edge most likely due to his ability to take complex doctrinal issues and make them understandable, all the while engaging us with edge-of-the-seat stories that are filled with gospel truth have made him the key figure in almost everyone's story that is like mine.

I know there's been a bit of a backlash against 'celebrity pastors' recently, and rightfully so. But I've never heard Dr. Sproul's name mentioned as one of these, because he isn't a celebrity, he's a leader and a teacher. He may be well-known, but he's well-known for reasons primarily focused around respect, not glamor. And he's appreciated not because he has a famous face or a national radio program (he has both), but because he's a father-figure to so many of us who have come into the light of the reformed faith late (or lately) in our lives. I don't know how much longer Dr. Sproul will continue in active ministry, though I hope it is many years. What I do know is, there are a great many of us 'Sproul-mates' out here who hold a tremendous appreciation and respect for Dr. Sproul for his faithful ministry over the last four-plus decades. It's really funny; who would have imagined a baseball player from Pittsburgh amounting to anything!

Thank you for your service, Dr. Sproul!

Weird Al is Not Only Appropriate, He's Necessary

2011-11-04T10:07:00.000-05:00

I mentioned to some of you that Wednesday was double-Palindromic Day (11-1-11 and 11-02-2011); the second only occurs every twenty thousand years, I've heard.

What I forgot to mention was one of my favorite Weird Al videos. Fellow blogger Pete Scribner posted a link to the video on his blog...go watch it. It's funny, if you like ironic humor.

So Weird Al is necessary to fully enjoy the double-Palindrome day!

(I might add- Weird Al often bases his songs on oldies and recent pop hits...this one is no different. For those of you under the age of about 40, he's spoofing a 60s singer named Bob Dylan. Here's the video of the Dylan song that Weird Al took 'Bob' from. Here's the video of a Dylan song that sounds much like Yankovic's Bob.)

You may not appreciate Weird Al's work as much as I do, but you can't deny he's a creative genius. (Each of these link to a video on YouTube.)

Weird Al as MJ in 'Eat It'-

Weird Al as 'Gump'-

Weird Al as a contestant in, 'I Lost on Jeopardy'-

Weird Al as Obi-Wan Kenobi in 'The Saga Begins' (one of his most creative works)-

Weird Al as an Amish in 'Amish Paradise'-

Weird Al as MJ in 'Fat'-

Once Upon a Time...

2011-11-04T08:54:00.000-05:00

Jonathan Parnell wrote this story over on the Desiring God blog. It was too good not to repost. (Sorry, Rangers fans!)

A Better Way to Handle The Question

2011-11-03T09:13:00.000-05:00

I've lampooned Joel Osteen here several times, most recently over his mishandling of the question of Mormonism. But I haven't given an alternative, mostly because I hadn't seen one in the media that was worth mentioning. I still haven't seen one in the US media (imagine that!), but thanks to the Ref21 blog, I found a pastor doing a pretty good job of it in the British media.

Here's the link.

I especially liked his comment that we (humans) won't be going to heaven or hell in groups. Our eternity depends on what we do with Jesus' question in Matt 16:15, "Who do YOU say that I am?" (emphasis mine)

Real Beauty

2011-11-01T09:37:00.000-05:00

I love this vid trailer-

A Thousand Words (Give or Take)

2011-11-01T09:05:00.000-05:00

This is a blog post without much text. I'll let the following pictures make their own statements.

On politics-

On TV- (HT: Dan Phillips)

On sports-

On sacrifice-

On culture- (HT: Tim Challies)

Two Views of October 31- One Thoughtful, One Fun

2011-10-31T10:17:00.001-05:00

Today is both Reformation Day and Halloween. In honor of the former, and in retrospect of the latter, here are two YouTube videos.

John Piper on Halloween.

Piper is introspective and balanced...well worth hearing in you have radicals on either side of the issue screaming at you.

Manic Monday Luther.

This one is just fun, but it is very much historically accurate.

HT: Dan Phillips, DG Blog

Another Reason to Abandon the NIV 2011

2011-10-27T21:12:00.000-05:00

Jim Hamilton (Southern Seminary) has this short article on one more reason why the NIV 2011 is just not the same animal as it's predecessor, the NIV 1984. Here's the gist of his argument-

"...you could adopt the NIV 2011 as your Bible and it will lessen those

unpleasant confrontations with things you don’t recognize from

your own culture. After all, your culture is determinative, right?"

By the way, here's Dr. Hamilton's book. I'm making my way through it slowly. It's not a fast read, but it's a keeper.

Thud!

2011-10-21T14:22:00.000-05:00

If I recall, the world (according to Harold Camping) was supposed to end today, for the second time this year. (One blogger called this the end of Camping's Reign of Error). I guess it isn't midnight yet, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

The surprising part isn't, of course, the fact that we're all still here, the surprising part is how much the Christian blogosphere has completely ignored the day. Maybe they are on eggshells and it will be all over the place tomorrow. But I doubt it. Kinda squirrely.

I think this is the thud heard round the blogosphere. Or not.

Loyalty

2011-10-21T13:21:00.000-05:00

Here's real loyalty- this is my 12-y-o daughter, Callie, being loyal to her Cardinals, amidst all the Rangers fans here in Texas.

HT: Coach Land for the photo!

Free Book! World Tilting Gospel Giveaway

2011-10-19T15:48:00.002-05:00

I have a free copy of Dan Phillips' book The World Tilting Gospel for a lucky reader. This is the first time I've tried a giveaway on this blog, so hopefully all goes well. Since I don't exactly have a giant audience yet, you have a pretty decent chance of winning!

I'll leave this open for a week or so, so get your entry in soon.

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NIV 2011 and Women

2011-10-17T09:18:00.000-05:00

I've commented here in the past about the new NIV bible (NIV 2011) and why I don't like it. Here is an interesting article by Mary Kassian. It gives ten reasons, from a woman's perspective, of why the NIV 2011 is bad for women.

Here's a quote: "Poor little girls. The translators need to change the words of the Bible so our feelings don't get hurt. Boo hoo. Women are so easily offended. Sorry, . . . but changing the words of the Bible because you think some women might be offended by its language is downright patronizing."

How 'Bout Them Cards!!

2011-10-16T23:02:00.000-05:00

It's going to be a tough world series. My family is all Cardinals fans, but we live in big-time Rangers country. My youngest was only three when we left St. Louis, so he's the only one who's ambivalent about for which team to root; we'll see how it shakes out.

The Cardinals gear comes out this week. We'll be unpopular down here, but some loyalties last forever!

GO CARDS!!!!

Bounded Sets

2011-10-11T14:48:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday, my SS class started chapter 2 of Galatians. In the first section, we saw how important it is for us to confront changes to the gospel, while not being confrontational people over non-essential issues.

Chebyshev center

The Housewife Theologian posted a blog article today that explains very clearly this concept, along with a logical reason why it is both true and important. She cites a lecture by Don Carson on how we should view fellow believers with whom we don't fully agree on all issues regarding our church practices. Carson uses a 'sets' illustration from mathematics to create an image of orthodoxy. It was immensely helpful to me; I wish I'd seen it before the lesson last weekend.

Here's her post.

I highly recommend this blog. You should be reading it regularly. If you only have time for one blog, dump mine and read hers instead. I bet she won't put scary math equations up, there.

Not Creative, But Faithful

2011-10-10T15:07:00.001-05:00

I love this paragraph from Michael Horton's The Gospel Commission:

We must never take Christ's work for granted. The gospel is not merely something we take to unbelievers; it is the Word that created and continues to sustain the whole church in its earthly pilgrimage. In addition, we must never confuse Christ's work with our own. There is a lot of loose talk these days about our "living the gospel" or even "being the gospel," as if our lives were the Good News. We even hear it said that the church is an extension of Christ's incarnation and redeeming work, as if Jesus came to provide the moral example or template and we are called to complete his work. But there is one Savior and one head of the church. To him alone all authority is given in heaven and on earth. There is only one incarnation of God in history, and he finished the work of fulfilling all righteousness, bearing the curse, and triumphing over sin and death.

Sometimes I think one of the biggest problems of evangelicalism in our culture is our own emphasis on individuality that leads us to all kinds of creative ways of expressing what we think the Bible teaches. The problem with this is, we are fallen creatures and what we think the Bible teaches is more often than not flawed. If we ignore the faithful witness of church history (and who even cares about church history anymore...we can't even respect a hymn if it was written more than sixty days ago!), we are not only prone, but defaulted, to err in our creativity.

We, as witnesses to Christ's kingdom, are not called to be creative, but faithful. We absolutely cannot be faithful unless we are saturated in the Word (scripture) and diligent in the study of our history of thought. Those who ignore their theological history are doomed to (heretically) repeat it.

Finally, A Reformed Theolgian Speaks in the Panhandle

2011-10-09T22:38:00.001-05:00

I had what I consider the privilege to hear Dr. Carl Trueman give four lectures on Martin Luther this weekend in Amarillo. Dr. Trueman is the Academic Dean and Professor of History and Historical Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.

Dr. Trueman is a gifted story-teller and fascinating speaker. We rarely get this caliber of reformed speaker here. The Texas Panhandle is the heart of arminian theology (hey, TX is the state that produced Joel Osteen...to our shame). There aren't any reformed seminaries in this area, and the only ones I know of down-state are extensions of bigger seminaries. So it is a rare treat to have someone of Dr. Trueman's ability here.

Funny anecdote: I gave Dr. Trueman one of my Wayland pens I had printed up with Luther's slogan, simul iustus et peccator. He seemed to like it and told me it would end up on his, 'Luther artifacts' shelf in his office. I find that funny, in a good sort of way.

He has all the skills necessary to become a 'celebrity pastor'. I don't think he'll be pursuing that pedigree, though.

Wanna Have Nightmares?

2011-10-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

Halloween draws nigh. If you want to have really messed-up sleep for the next few weeks, watch this video clip.

(HT: Biblical Christianity blog)

A Funny Feeling

2011-10-06T13:11:00.000-05:00

Why do I get the funny feeling that the level and depth of theology in this book-

is no different than what's found in this video, which may or may not be of similar title by coincidence?

He Opened His Mouth

2011-10-06T11:47:00.000-05:00

Sometimes adversaries are clever; one has to do his homework before he can find evidence of wrongdoing. On the other hand, there's Joel Osteen. It appears that no one need do any digging at all; in fact, all that needs to happen for there to be empirical evidence that Osteen has no clue what the gospel is, is for him to open his mouth.

I'm not looking for a fight here, but there's a serious problem when the pastor of the largest church in America is teaching something other than the gospel. My Sunday School class is going through the book of Galatians right now, and we are just starting chapter 2. We've seen something important in chapter 1, particularly with regard to getting the gospel right.

If you look at the combination of Paul's writings and information found in the gospels, it is easy to conclude that we are much better off preaching the right gospel with the wrong motives than we are preaching the wrong gospel with the right motives. On the one hand, when the gospel is preached by those seeking gain, the apostles praised God, saying, "The gospel is preached!" On the other, the purveyors of the wrong gospel are clearly in danger of condemnation to hell.

Here's more, if you need it: Al Mohler's Blog

Barack Obama is not nearly the threat to the church in this country as is Joel Osteen.

Living in West Texas

2011-10-03T12:02:00.000-05:00

I found this short video on YouTube while doing some random searches. It is an aerial view of parts of Amarillo along with some similar shots of the Palo Duro Canyon. Most people think Amarillo is completely flat, and the city itself is. But as soon as you leave to the north, you drive through the Canadian River breaks for an hour (all the way to Dumas) before you hit the high plains again.

The Palo Duro Canyon itself is the second largest canyon in the US (according to the State Park folks here). It is about 20 miles southeast of Amarillo, and only 8 miles east of my house.

Of course, no post on this topic would be complete without a link to Jason Aldean's song, Amarillo Sky. So here you go.

Religion or Relationship?

2011-09-30T09:40:00.001-05:00

I've often heard Christianity dichotomized into these two choices, with the right answer being, 'relationship' of course. But that sentiment has always bothered me, particularly in light of James 1:26-7, and even 1 Tim 5:4 (and a few others, if you dig for them).

How about a tertium quid?* Stephen Lutz posted this blog post over on the Gospel Coalition this morning, and it makes a lot of sense. He says,

"Both religion and relationship capture helpful aspects of what

Christianity is, but neither word is strong enough to fully encapsulate

what Christianity is about. Only gospel can do that. The gospel alone is

the power of salvation for all who believe (Romans 1:16); no amount of

our religious observance or relational feeling has the power to save."

His blog is about college ministry, but this make sense for ministry at any level. Chalk one more up for gospel centeredness.

* literally, the 'third this'...Latin for third option

A Funny Thumbnail

2011-09-29T10:33:00.000-05:00

I was reading Dane Ortlund's blog this morning and found a funny irony. Dane had posted a song clip. You just have to see what I saw in Google Reader to get it-

You can see from the truncated title why it got my attention!

Credit Where It Is Due

2011-09-28T22:56:00.000-05:00

I erred in not giving credit in my last post as to where I first saw the Voca People video. I saw it on the Sola Gratia blog (Pete Scribner). What's worse, Pete is a fellow St. Louis Cardinals fan, and one shouldn't steal stuff from a fellow Cards fan...it's been a hard year. But we are happy tonight!!

Sorry for stealing your stuff, Pete!

Singing on the Brain

2011-09-23T11:39:00.000-05:00

While the Christian group Acapella (and here) was doing some stuff like this 25 years ago, the Voca People have taken it to a whole new level (albeit not Christian).

Enjoy it while you try to figure out how they do it.

Where's the Gospel in Hater Vids?

2011-09-22T09:17:00.000-05:00

Stephen Furtick, a 'pastor' of a large culturally-relevant gathering called Elevation Church, posted this video a while back. It's as full of, if not more full of, hate than anything said by those he accuses in the video.

Finally, Frank Turk posted this video response. It is tremendous. Watch it, even if you choose not to watch the first one by Furtick (which really isn't bad advice).

Christian Love vs Self-Love

2011-09-16T11:03:00.000-05:00

Recently, the bumbling buffoon Pat Robertson, who calls himself a pastor, but is rather more a pester than a pastor, made an idiotic remark that a man was justified in divorcing his wife after she became ill with alzheimer's disease, and he was lonely.

I agree with another blogger: this is a repudiation of the gospel of Christ.

In contrast, watch this video about a man who left his job to spend all of his time with his stricken wife.

If there's any divorce to happen, it needs to be the divorce between the church as a whole and Pat Robertson (and all the other prosperity-gospel nuts like him).

I made the following comment in my Sunday School lesson last Sunday: "Barack Obama is not nearly the threat to the church in America as is Joel Osteen." I thought there might be some disagreement (you see, Obama isn't very popular here in Texas). There was none. The first comment I heard was, "Amen. Preach it."

Now I think I'd be almost as correct to go back and re-state the comment with Robertson's name in place of Osteen's.

How a Low View of God's Sovereignty Results in Bad Theology

2011-09-15T14:57:00.001-05:00

Many years ago, the church I was attending offered a Wednesday-evening 'Bible study' course called Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. At the time, I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about my faith and took the course. Even then, in my immature state of faith, some of what the book taught seemed odd to me. I couldn't put a finger on why, and certainly couldn't articulate the details of what was theologically amiss, but I know something didn't add up.

Over the years, I've heard many good testimonies from people about the Experiencing God study, and I've not usually said much, good or bad, about the study. But when asked my thoughts on it, I usually tried to steer people away. Over time, I started to figure out some of the theological details that were amiss, but hadn't really developed a full big-picture view of why an otherwise orthodox believer such as Blackaby could come up with such illogical teachings.

I think I'm starting to understand why now. I think the biggest problem is a view of God which makes him less than the sovereign God that he is. It turns him from the creator of the universe into a little guy sitting on your shoulder whispering suggestions into your ear. I know that Blackaby would deny that he belittles God and would certainly not appreciate the caricature I just made, and like almost everyone who practices a low-view of God, would say that he holds God as sovereign. But in practice, and as his books teach, he does not.

A recent pair of blog posts over on the Pyromanics blog has helped me put 2 and 2 together on this topic. Here's the first post, and here's the second. Dan Phillips spells out the details much better than I can, so read them both (especially if you've ever done the E-G study or were tempted to buy the book these are posted about). Here's a quote from the second post summarizing the problem-

"After pro forma niceties about Scripture, the Blackabys assure Christians that what

they really need for a dynamic, personal, God-pleasing relationship is not to be found

there. They would send them on a lifelong rabbit chase for which Scripture can offer

no guidance, because it envisions no such pursuit."

If you want a testimony to what kind of damage the Blackaby theology can cause, read this.

My guess is, there are thousands of other stories out there about how this kind of unbiblical thinking has steered people astray.

Our focus cannot be on experientialism. It must be on the study of God's word instead. Our faith has a content; a focus. That focus is Jesus Christ. We cannot have faith in something ethereal. We have faith in Christ, and we therefore must know something about the character and nature of Christ. The only place we legitimately get that is from Holy Scripture. Any other source of revelation can at best point toward Him; it cannot explain Him. Many of these other sources will point elsewhere.

They are like the 7'4", 320 lb. woman. This is a photo that was circulated a few years ago on the internet. It was photoshopped, of course, but this was before many people know about the abilities of editing software. It fooled a lot of folks because it was just odd enough (and interesting enough) that they chose to believe it. Now, there's no real harm (I suppose) in believing in seven-foot women. But there is indeed real harm in believing bad theology. R. C. Sproul spells it out very well in one of his Renewing Your Mind broadcasts- being mistaken in your theology is sin.

So be careful where you choose to get your theology. Other than natural revelation, most everything else other than Scripture will look good, have some esoteric appeal, or be touted by a hot-shot celebrity, but will not be what it claims to be. Of this we are explicitly warned in Scripture.

Rushing Through the Reading

2011-09-15T13:09:00.000-05:00

Michael Kelley posted a caution on rushing through a one-year Bible reading plan (taken from Spurgeon and augmented). I agree. I tend to either rush to keep up, or skip taking the time I need to take to ask and answer questions and meditate on what I'm reading when I follow a one-year Bible reading plan.

For this reason, I came up with a 180-week (that's three-and-a-half years) Bible reading plan. It moves slow enough I can stop to ask questions (and answer them) as needed. If I knew how to attach a copy to this blog, I would. As it is, I don't know how to do that, or how to upload the file to a web server and link to it. (Where's a teenager when you need one?)

Not knowing how to do this makes everything below an experiment with a high probability of (as my boys would say) an 'epic fail'. But I'll try anyway.

If this works because I'm lucky, here are two files. The first is a PDF file of a generic bible reading checklist. The second is an MS Excel file of my 180-week reading plan. (I like the Excel version the best for printing...it is easier to format to fit on a page.)

File 1- PDF generic Bible reading plan

File 2- MS Excel file- Time, Times, and Half a Time

I sure hope these work. If the links don't work, send me a comment saying so, and I'll try plan B (when I think of what it might be). If they do work, send me a comment saying so, and I'll try to remember how I did this the first time for the next time it happens.

When Writing Seems Futile

2011-09-08T11:27:00.001-05:00

I've been digesting quite a few of the bloggers' takes on the 10-year anniversary of the 9-11 attacks. I've tried to think of something wise or useful to add to the discussion, but remembering back to what I was thinking on that day, I really don't think I have anything to say that would raise the bar for anybody. It seems futile to try to make sense of the events even ten years later, at least in a communicable way that people can understand and appreciate.

If I can think of something beneficial to add, I'll post it Sunday. If you don't see anything here, I couldn't.

In My Seat

2011-09-07T08:45:00.000-05:00

Here's a short video of a Pilot, Steve Schiebner, who was supposed to be flying AA Flight 11 on September 11, 2001. Another pilot took his place. Incredible story.

Secularization as a Christian Heresy

2011-09-02T14:45:00.000-05:00

“Secularization—that is, the gradual conformity of our thinking, beliefs, commitments, and practices to the pattern of this fading age—is not just something that happens to the church; it is something that happens in the church. In fact, it’s difficult to think of secularism as anything other than a Christian heresy.”

When I read Michael Horton, the going is usually slow, and every couple pages, I have to put the book in my lap, lean my head back, and think. The above quote is from the introduction to his recent book, The Gospel Commission: Recovering God's Strategy for Making Disciples.

It shall be an interesting read.

Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal

2011-09-01T11:08:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to the book trailer (or click through below) for a new book coming out in few months by Canyon, TX native (and current Nashville resident) Michael Kelley.

The Kelley's two-year-old son Joshua was diagnosed with leukemia; this is the story of what it was like to live in and battle through those days, and how the grace of God was revealed to them in diverse ways through the process.

Michael has preached in my church on numerous occasions, and is the real deal...I can highly recommend this book even though I haven't seen a copy yet because I know Michael and know his strength of character and love for the Lord.

Run, don't walk, to get this book when it is available.

How To Be A Legitimate Continuationist

2011-08-23T09:27:00.000-05:00

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you really are My disciples." (Jn 8:31, HCSB, emphasis added)

It's about the word, not the gifts.

(More, later.)

Sola Mortalis (Justification by Death Alone)

2011-08-19T12:55:00.000-05:00

As R. C. Sproul has pointed out in numerous places, the prevalent belief in America today about the mode of justification is not sola fida, nor is it justification by works, or some combination of the two. It is in fact sola mortalis, or justification by death. That is, the only thing most people believe is required to be ushered into the glory of heaven after we die is to, well...die.

How did this come to be so? Where did our culture adopt such a non-biblical idea of justification in the face of contrary claims of scripture and of pretty much every church, conservative or liberal, up until very recently?

I think it is the innate humanism that resides in the heart of all of us. We continually walk away from the stated claims of the gospel and back into our natural state of, I-can-do-this-for-myself. It is the antithesis of the gospel to rely on ourselves for our own justification, yet it is our natural tendency. As one author put it recently, we don't need heretics in the church to pull us away from the gospel...all we need is a good night's sleep. Our natural character (fallen souls) pull us away from the gospel unless we are continually reminded of what it says and what it means.

So what conclusions can we draw from this, given it is true?

One, we need fellowship with other believers. Christianity is not a go-it-alone religion, as going-it-alone usually results in a therapeutic religion rather than a relationship with Christ.

Two, study of history, particularly historical theology and church history, is critical if we are to avoid making the same mistakes over and over again. It seems like anytime a new controversy turns up in Christianity, its not long before someone points out that this controversy has happened before, and was dealt with by some council about fifteen-hundred years ago. As G. K. Chesterton once said, 'The wit of man is insufficient to invent a new heresy.' I think he's right.

Three, we need to hear solid biblical exposition, especially from our pulpits on Sunday mornings. Deistic therapeutic moralism won't cut it. (Yes, I renamed that...see this post for why.) We need to hear the word of God and see the Word of God in our worship. In many places, that's not happening.

Four, we must always reforming. We must constantly test ourselves against what orthodox Christianity has always believed and be less enamored with innovation and more enamored with faithfulness. God doesn't change. Why is it that we always desire change, even when change isn't warranted?

Five, we need to stop talking about justification as sola mortalis. This is the hardest for many of us, especially if we have family and friends who are not believers. If you spent much time on my blog, you know of the respect I have for the US Marine Corps. They are all honorable men. Yet there is a common belief, spoken openly amongst Marines, that when a Marine dies, he goes to guard Heaven's gates. Even Marines need Christ if they hope to guard Heaven's gates. I pray they all heard the gospel, but I fear it is not so. We can't continue to talk like semper fidelis is the same thing as sola fide. (Though I'm sure that is a tradition that will not change.)

And six, in order to accomplish number five, we need to start talking about these things before someone dies. We need to proclaim the good news of Christ- sola gratia through sola fide, and why it is vitally important (pun intended). And in conjunction, we need to keep praying for those we know who are not believers, so that when they come to faith in Christ, we can rejoice with them that they no longer hold the view of sola mortalis.

A Factor of Twelve

2011-08-17T15:20:00.000-05:00

A year or so ago, one of the earlier blog posts in this blog was about jumping into the world of Kindle.

I've just discovered an empirical bit of information of some interest, since I've been reading Tim Challies wonderful book, The Next Story. The information is-

I acquire books on my Kindle at twelve times the rate at which I read them.

Do the math. I average reading about three books a month (shameful, I know, but I have four kids at home and a real job I have to do). That means I'm acquiring about 36 books a month. In just five years, I'll have 2160 books on the Kindle, but I'll only have read 180 of them. (In case my wife reads this, about 8 out of 10 of the books are acquired for free, by paying attention to publisher's tweets on Twitter, and the rest are under $2, by paying attention to a couple of free/cheap book blogs on Google Reader.)

I either need more time for reading, or need to stop acquiring books so quickly.

Depressing.

Harry Potter...Who Woulda Thunk It?

2011-08-10T10:44:00.000-05:00

Was all the brouhaha over Harry Potter over the last ten or twelve years a tempest in a teapot? Or was it something worse, an example of law-based parenting over gospel-based parenting, and the legalistic foundation therein?

Jerram Barrs has this fascinating review (on YouTube) of the last book and movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

J. K. Rowling a Christian. Who woulda thunk it?

Why Is My Church So White?

2011-08-10T10:33:00.000-05:00

Here's a very moving post from the Gospel Coalition blog...it is worth the read.

Why Theology Shouldn't Be, and Can't Be, Boring

2011-08-08T11:16:00.000-05:00

Carl Trueman posted this blog entry on why we must fire boring teachers and preachers (taken from his recent sermon on 1 Timothy 1).

Now, I'm a Sunday School teacher. Something like this can be threatening to someone like me. Yet it is important that I not run away from the threat.

I fear that I often vacillate between the two extremes- being interesting without saying much, and saying a lot, dryly. The first I'll call the Obama effect. He is a very interesting speaker, but when you listen to the words, he doesn't say much. (But then, most politicians don't...that's not necessarily a personal problem for the President.) The second I'll call the Pinhead position. Most pinheads (dry academic types) really do know their stuff, but they make everyone with whom they come in contact very uninterested in their stuff by the way they present it.

There's a third way- I'll call it the Reagan method (sorry, no clever alliteration there...suggestions welcome). Ronald Reagan could say a great deal of meaningful things in a most concise and efficient manner, and do it in an engaging and fascinating manner. He wasn't called, The Great Communicator for no reason. That's how I need to do what I do on Sunday mornings, and if Trueman is right, that's how our pastors should be doing what they do.

But let's not get Descartes before the horse*. I'm not suggestion that I (or your pastor) come up with a false method of engaging the respective audience for the purpose of being interesting. And that's not Trueman's point either. The point is, doctrine (what the scripture is telling us about God) should be engaging and interesting by its very nature. Here's how Trueman puts it in his blog-

"...making providence...as dull as ditch water is false teaching as sure as open theism is."

I've been trying to establish the principle for a couple months in our SS class this summer. We've taken a short break from our expositional book study to look at some theology. Specifically, we are looking at the attributes of God, both communicable and incommunicable, trying to get a better understanding of God's nature and character. I keep telling my folks that this is a worthwhile endeavor, and is God-honoring. I think most of them agree, but a few have dropped off the map the last couple weeks. I don't know if it is due to last-moment-summer-vacation-before-school-starts, or the sometimes dryness of the topic. You see, I'm not John Piper, and I can stumble over this material and not communicate the passion I have for it if I'm not careful. That's unfortunate, because this can tend to make the material less engaging to the average SS student.

I continue to pray that all of us would find the character and nature of God a thing that fascinates us. Because if it bores us, we need a serious (as it were) check-up from the neck-up.

____________

* For those of you who didn't take a philosophy class, his name is pronounced, "Day-cart". My mixed metaphor comes from this old joke-

One day a man wandered in to his veterinarian's office and asked about having his horse put down.

"Why," asked the vet.

"Well, he won't pull my milk cart any more."

"How's that?", asked the vet.

"He's an unusual horse," the milkman explained. "He loves to read philosophy. Instead of dangling a carrot from a stick to make him go, I'd just tie a book by Thales or Hume or Sartre on the stick and he'd follow wherever I lead. But now, he wont' move."

"Let's take a look," said the vet. Upon examining the setup, the vet said, "I think I've found the problem."

"What is it?" asked the milkman.

"You've got Descartes before the horse," explained the vet.

[rimshot]

Why Do Youth Stay in Church?

2011-07-29T12:12:00.000-05:00

We've talked about why youth leave the church on this blog several times (here, here, and here).

But why do they stay? Jon Nielson gives this review and three critical points about why...every youth pastor in the country ought to reflect on these points, even if briefly.

1. They are converted.
2. They have been equipped, not entertained.
3. Their parents preach the gospel to them.

How Could God Ask Abraham to Sacrifice His Son?

2011-07-29T11:57:00.000-05:00

I've heard this one thrown around a lot of different ways, and most often as a criticism of God and His character.

Nancy Guthrie has a very good post on the Gospel Coalition blog today- "How Could God Ask That?"

Here's a quote- "Why would God ask Abraham to offer his son as a sacrifice? Is God trying to teach us that we should be willing sacrifice what is most precious to us? No. This story is not recorded to inspire sacrifice to God. Instead, it paints in vivid colors the sacrifice of God. The point of this story is not to convince you that you must be willing to sacrifice to God what is most precious to you, but rather to prepare you to take in the magnitude of the gift when you see that God was willing to sacrifice what was most precious to him—his own beloved Son—for you."

Kinda changes the perspective, no?

Jimpressions

2011-07-26T14:45:00.000-05:00

This guy is impressive. No, I'm not talking about his impressions...memorizing that much Shakespeare is impressive!

"Romantic Pornography"

2011-07-22T09:48:00.001-05:00

Catchy title, not what you think.

The Gospel Coalition blog ran this article by Betsy Hart today. It was a very interesting look at another way culture tries to influence our children, particularly our girls, away from the biblical model of dealing with one another gracefully. Yes, we know how culture pulls at boys. But are we aware of the ways it tries to influence our daughters?

Here's a quote-

"Mainstream culture tolerates this insidious expectation for men to act like women. Any doubts? A married couple goes to a counselor, Christian or otherwise. The husband is steeped in sexual porn and dissatisfied with his wife. Is there a chance the counselor is going to encourage the wife to act more like the women her husband finds attractive online? Of course not.

Now let’s say she’s steeped in romantic films and dissatisfied with her husband. There’s an almost 100 percent chance the counselor will encourage the fellow to be more romantic and sensitive. Which might be a fine thing, except that typically it will be “sensitive” according to his wife’s definition, even if that’s not what he is wired for."

That's just a teaser...read the whole thing...it is worth the time.

More, "I Feel..."

2011-07-21T10:16:00.000-05:00

I just read this blog post over on Housewife Theologian. I wish I had it a couple days ago when I was writing the first installment of, "I Feel...".

Dorothy L. Sayers

Read Amiee's post, and pay particular attention to the Dorothy Sayers quote in the middle. It is a good synopsis, though written before much of the I Feel movement, of why I Feel doesn't cut the mustard.

Good stuff.

Some More on Age-Segregation in the Church

2011-07-20T11:38:00.000-05:00

I've posted on this topic, age-segregation in the church, in both April and August of 2010.

Now, Tim Challies has posted this very interesting review of a movie made by a group opposed to age-segregation in churches. Its a great example of how to take a good idea and add an 'ism' and make it a bad philosophy.

It is also clear from the comments posted after Tim's article that a lot of people think the division of the church by age is a bad idea. I agree. But dividing the church over a division in the church is also a bad idea. Making age-integrated church an exclusive thing, with no separate programs ever for kids, teens, moms, middle-aged vegetarian lego-lovers, etc., is a form of legalism* that will be as destructive, long-run, as teen-exclusive worship services have been in the recent past.

It was also a nice eye-opener to me about how things I say could be taken to an extreme, even unintentionally. We all have a bit of that fundamentalist thought pattern rooted into us, even liberals, and I'm no different. So I hope what I've said about this in public isn't so extreme as to make it a test of faith or fellowship. Its not. It is important, but not a test of faith or fellowship.

All things in moderation, as they say.

*Legalism- making firm prohibitions where there are no biblical prohibitions...R. C. Sproul's definition.

"I Feel..."

2011-07-19T11:33:00.001-05:00

I've noticed a trend lately (past few years or so) that is a reflection of our society, and not a good one, I fear. While it isn't all that new a phenomenon, it may be growing. I was grading position papers (essays, essentially) for one of my online courses, and noticed an uptick in how often the word 'feel' is used when cognitive processes are intended. Instead of writing, "I think..." or, "I believe...", the students more and more write, "I feel...".

Now some of you might find this innocuous and my pointing it out to be a bit picky. But it is a reflection of how our society emphasizes emotionalism over rationalism; pleasure over principle. I read a recent survey (sorry, lost the link) where a bunch of folks were given an ethical dilemma and asked how they'd solve it given no other information. A large majority picked, "the solution that would make them happiest".

I've heard some complain that this is a symptom of what they call, "The Chickification" of culture. Maybe, maybe not. Its true that women express emotion more readily and more often than men (in general). But its not true that men are without emotion. I don't find in general that women are less likely to use cognitive processes to solve problems, though I can't say I always understand the cognitive process they do use. (I hope I'm not being unfair to my wife here!) What I find to be true is, certain people use emotions to make decisions and certain people don't (at least, not as much). In other words, our ability to think and reason, and how we are taught to do these things, is more important than our gender, though gender has an effect.

Emotions always have some impact on decisions, and indeed are a necessary part of the cognitive reasoning in coming up with a solution. But when logic is disregarded in order to do what feels best, poor decisions are often the result. This is true whether the decision maker is a man or a woman, even when the display of the emotions are handled differently. Emotional considerations are important in making decisions, but facts are critical.

As for my students, I've considered posting in my grading rubric that I'll take off a point every time the word 'feel' is used (unless it is referring to a sensory input, of course), but that might be too harsh. I don't know if I have time to comment on it every time it happens, or if I did, how much a difference it would make in society. I suppose every little bit helps. I've always believed (not felt!) that part of my job as a professor is to teach people how to think, not just what to think, and to teach people to communicate what they think effectively. (Say what you mean, mean what you say, etc.)

More philosophically, I wonder how much less a political issue we'd have with things like government control of health care, or so-called gay marriage, or the reality of hell (as a recent hot topic) if people primarily thought instead of felt about the issues.

A Few Tidbits

2011-07-19T11:31:00.000-05:00

This was a good summary of the CJ Mahaney 'fiasco' that occurred last week.

Here is a great synopsis of the decline in numbers in the Southern Baptist Convention in the past couple years. I think it is spot on for the most part. Having been a member of several SBC churches in the past 20 years, some of which had some of these specific problems, I agree with the conclusions of the author.

Michael Kelly posted this picture of someone's re-creation of Middle Earth (Tolkien) in Legos. I love Legos.

In the spirit of the 'Darwin Awards', here's one of the risks of being a copper thief.

The Finished Work of Christ in Our Lives

2011-07-13T12:42:00.000-05:00

Here is a great post by Dane Ortlund over on the Gospel Coalition blog. It is a story of how Francis Schaeffer realized (pun intended, but you won't get it until you read the post) the importance of the gospel in our lives.

Dan Phillips Needs 'Influencers'

2011-07-08T09:53:00.000-05:00

If you have some influence over what certain people read, Dan Phillips needs you. You might even get an advance copy of his forthcoming book in return.

Even if you don't, and you want to see how a blog should be illustrated, check out Pyromaniacs at the above link. (No, I don't know how they do it, and no, I don't have time to figure it out...this blog will remain primarily text.)

270th Anniversary

2011-07-08T09:24:00.000-05:00

It was today, July 8th, 1741, that Jonathan Edwards preached what some have called the most famous sermon (or the greatest sermon) ever preached on American soil: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.

I wonder how that sermon would go over in one of our megachurches today?

The Christian and Education (Homeschool, Private School, or Public School?)

2011-07-05T16:26:00.000-05:00

Tim Challies has written this post about homeschooling versus public schooling, and of course the post elicited quite a few responses, including some nasty ones. A lot has been written on the subject of how Christians should see to the education of their children, and much of it has been polemic.

I think the solution to the problematic question is rather simple. It goes something like this- if you raise your kids with mostly biblical imperatives and few biblical indicatives (in other words, with mostly the law and little of the gospel), sending them to a public school would be a very bad idea. If you raise them focused on the gospel (the indicatives), not sending them to public school would be a very sinful idea.

I understand there will be exceptions based on locale. Our own kids have attended both private Christian schools and public schools. When they were in second grade in Rio Rancho, NM, and the secretary's lesbian partner came to the office and sat in her lap while they made out, we decided that private school might be important in that locale. When we lived outside St. Louis, MO and here in Canyon, TX, the public schools have worked fine. So in general, I think kids raised on the indicatives of the gospel will approach their secular world (still as sinners, of course) with the right attitude of being witnesses of their Lord and savior first rather than serving themselves. Of course there will be mistakes. But learning to live in a secular world will be fraught with mistakes no matter which direction you choose for them, and this way (living in light of the indicatives of the gospel) will give them a much better path and foundation to choose what is right based on what's in their heart rather than because it's the cultural thing to do.

There's a spectrum somewhere between the tiger mom and the dad in, 'A Boy Named Sue' where raising kids works best. But I don't think it's a narrow line nor hard to find. I do think we are all prone to extremes one way or the other, however, and that's what makes raising them difficult.

Murdering to Cover Up Lies

2011-07-02T12:53:00.000-05:00

I just found an interesting account in 1 Samuel that I don't remember ever noticing before. If I understand the story line correctly, it is telling us that Uriah wasn't the first time David committed murder (or at least killed) to cover up another sin.

In 1 Samuel 27:8-12, David has gone to live with the enemy, the Philistines in Gath with Achish. While there, David was given Ziklag as a town and place to live along with his followers. According to 1 Sam 27:8, David made raids against the various Canaanite tribes in the region and lied to Achish about where he had made raids. When Achish questioned David, David lied and told him the raids had been in Judah or against other parts of Israel (1 Sam 27:10). Then verse 11 gets pretty graphic: "David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath..." (1 Sam 27:11).

This raises a lot of questions about God's purpose and how much leeway David had on his way to becoming king of Israel. I've got some study and some thinking to do to figure it all out, especially how this points to Christ.

But it is clear that the events surrounding Bathsheba were not the first time David had used violence to cover up his actions.

Should Christians be Patriotic?

2011-06-30T10:18:00.000-05:00

Yes, with a caveat.

When I hear stories about the corruption in our government or the evils apparent in our society, I feel ashamed for our country. But when I hear stories of our soldiers using themselves as cover for civilians (often children) in Afghanistan, I can't help but feel patriotic.

I've seen quite a few opinion pieces about this topic, and many of them were not very helpful. However, one posted today was both helpful (in that he took a stance instead of waffling) and useful (in the the author has the credibility to speak on the subject...in my opinion of course). This article can be found here.

I suppose this is a topic where anyone can make a point of their choosing with facts of their choosing. This always seems to lead to either the idolization or demonization of America, however. When we hold the state up as our god, that's the only route we have left to take. But when we view the nation in light of God's revelation, we can see it for what it is in history a bit more clearly, good and bad.

I'll still feel patriotic this weekend, and sing the Battle Hymn and all that, but I'll also worship God in church on Sunday, in spite of the patriotic music.

Here's the caveat.
1. Worship God.
2. Be thankful for his providence in our national heritage.

Don't reverse these two things and end up worshiping America and being thankful for God in our national heritage. If you own one of those "Patriot's Bibles", you may have already done this.

Just sayin'.

First-World Problems

2011-06-28T15:53:00.000-05:00

This is a very funny-but-mainly-because-it's-so-true look at how hard our lives are.

First World Rap

Multi-Site Churches...Good or Bad?

2011-06-28T10:38:00.000-05:00

The whole idea of these multi-campus, multi-site churches is a confusing one. I can see some very strong positives and some very strong negatives, mixed in with a whole bunch of gray area 'what-ifs' in the concept.

On the one hand, I'd love to sit and hear a Matt Chandler or RC Sproul or Mark Dever sermon on Sunday mornings at my local church. We continue to be without a pastor fourteen months ongoing, and we've had fill-ins, guest speakers, an interim pastor (for a short time), and so on. Not all the sermons have been bad, but all have been somewhat disconnected (and some of them have been pretty close to sleep medication). We've had a few that have been gospel-centered, encouraging, and provoking (thank you, Michael Kelley...want a full-time pastorate?). So the idea of listening to one of these types of pastors on a weekly basis is very interesting.

On the other hand, it looks to me like we are headed toward a situation with megachurches that looks like the cola wars of the 80s...a few really big churches spending millions of dollars on top celebrities trying to coax huge segments of the population to attend one of their local satellite campuses. We'll see which pop star goes with which church. (Hopefully, no one's hair will catch fire this time.)

You have Driscoll's church with campuses in multiple cities (mouse over the 'Locations' drop-down), expanding to more; you have Lifechurch with around fourteen campuses now (click on the 'Select Campus drop-down), and other megachurches interested in getting into the mix. What happens when Joel Osteen decides to compete with these folks for headcount? (Just think of the advertising budget he'd have.) How many lost souls would that facilitate?

I still haven't decided one way or the other on the worth of these multi-site churches, but my gut feeling about them is not good. We need pastors who know their local members. But we also need preachers who engage their congregations with in-depth gospel preaching. Are these two things mutually exclusive?

The Unpardonable Sin

2011-06-28T00:58:00.000-05:00

I think I may have figured out the one thing that could keep someone from ever getting into Heaven...being a card-carrying member of the TSA.

While this is a bit tongue-in-cheek, every time I read another story of the TSA harrassing American citizens, my anger at the whole mess grows. I can only hope that at some point in time, those responsible for the kinds of decisions they've made and the kinds of anti-constitutional acts they've committed will answer for their crimes...behind bars.

But God...

2011-06-23T15:41:00.000-05:00

R. C. Sproul has said several times that the most important word in the Bible is the word, 'but'.

I'm reading Trevin Wax's book, Counterfeit Gospels. On page 98, he illustrates Dr. Sproul's point with this section of text-

"Because Jesus was filled with horror and cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" we are filled with wonder and cry, "My God, my God, why have you accepted me?

Because Jesus cried, "Father, forgive!" the taunts we hurled at Him on the cross are transformed into praise for His generous mercy.

Because Jesus said, "I thirst," we can drink from the fountain of living water and never thirst again.

Because Jesus said, "Woman, behold your son," and felt the pain of separation from His earthly family, we can experience the blessing of being united with a heavenly family.

Because Jesus cried, "It is finished!" our new life can begin.

Because Jesus committed His spirit into the Father's hands, God commits His Spirit into our hearts."

...but God, who is rich in mercy...

Outstanding stuff.

Creating a Custom Reading List on Logos 4

2011-06-20T16:01:00.000-05:00

Here's my first attempt at a training video. Low-budget, no production experience, and all that. It's an attempt to explain how to create a custom reading list in Logos 4.

Unable to display content. Adobe Flash is required.

This is more of an experiment than a finished product...I need a lot of work before I start putting these out for public consumption. But the way of things seems to be toward multimedia instruction, so I'd might as well get good at it now rather than be behind the curve.

The software I used to create this was free. It is called Jing, and can be found at techsmith.com.

Youth Ministry From a Youth's Perspective

2011-06-20T13:41:00.000-05:00

Here's a great post on the perception of youth ministry from a youth. Unfortunately, it is a caricature of too many youth programs.

LeBron and the Insanity of Professional Sports

2011-06-20T08:54:00.000-05:00

There's a lot of gold hidden in this little YouTube rant. Get past the first minute or two, and it's well worth the watch.

A New Blog I've Enjoyed Reading

2011-06-16T11:06:00.000-05:00

Sometimes we need to get away from the usual for something different. I have about 20 blogs I read regularly, and most of them are well-established and popular sites. A couple aren't that big (yet). I've pointed you to Pete Scribner's blog in the past, and I'd like to point you to another one now. I think both will grow, because both are very good.

Aimee Byrd is writing a relatively new blog called, The Housewife Theologian. I really like the direction she's taking (finding how the gospel interrupts the ordinary in life), and she's a talented writer. Go check it out.

Preaching Through the Entire New Testament, Verse-by-Verse

2011-06-14T14:40:00.000-05:00

This past week, John MacArthur did it. He finished, after 42 years at it, preaching through the entire New Testament verse-by-verse.

Click this link and hear Dr. MacArthur talk about what it means to him.

Why Don't We Know What the Gospel Is?

2011-06-09T16:38:00.000-05:00

Last month, Dane Ortlund, an editor at Crossway Books, wrote this blog on 'Do We Need All These Books on the Gospel?'

Well, coming from an editor at a publisher of books, one would expect the answer to be, 'yes'. After all, they sell those books at a profit, which is the reason the publisher is in business in the first place, right? Right.

But it's not that simple.

First, just because a book is published does not mean that it will sell. And if it doesn't sell, it costs the publisher much more than not having published it in the first place. In other words, the books need a market that has a demand for that particular product.

Dane gives us the reasons why such a market with such demands exists. I'd summarize his points like this-

1. The gospel is of first importance.
2. We default to law, not gospel.
3. Our culture disputes what exactly the gospel is.
4. The church is always one generation from losing the gospel.
5. There are a lot of other books which distract us from or obscure the gospel.
6. The gospel is the central message of the entire Bible.

Maybe you can roll point six into point one for brevity. I like what he says in his second point best, because it hits home the hardest:

"Because you’re going to roll out of bed tomorrow a functional Pharisee. The instincts beneath your instincts, the impulses way down deep inside you, are law, not gospel. A good night’s sleep, not a heretical sermon, is all it takes to forget the gospel of grace."

This whole thing is a good reminder of how so many contemporary churches and denominations have moved away from the centrality of the gospel toward a more 'practical' form of preaching and theology. This is the result of our own innate humanism, even when we make it look like an application of our religious beliefs.

I like to look for 'keys' or 'fall-backs' when I teach. I have used these for years in my secular calling (college professor) successfully, and I am finding them more-and-more useful in my Sunday School class lately. As an example, most of us are familiar with the 'Sunday school answer' of Jesus to any question we don't know the answer. This one is a bit silly, but the principle is valid. In my adult SS class, I've started having the class members fall back on God's sovereignty when they are dealing with a difficult passage of scripture that is hard to understand and apply.

This innate humanism is a perfect example of what happens when we fall back on the wrong key. Any theological disposition which has us (mankind) at the center will always fall back on some humanistic mis-interpretation of scripture, including the purpose of the gospel. If we think the gospel is primarily about us getting to heaven, our theology will shift toward a humanistic interpretation of everything we find in scripture. But if we keep God at the center of the gospel, we don't find ourselves slipping down the slippery slope of self-glorification.

I'll have more to say on this later.

Joplin, MO From the Eyes of an Emergency Department Doc

2011-06-07T10:12:00.000-05:00

Incredible story, here.

D-Day

2011-06-06T17:34:00.000-05:00

This video is worth watching, again. Remember when our country had a real president?

Sicka Cicadas

2011-06-06T14:50:00.000-05:00

Apparently the whole cicada thing in Tennessee is much bigger than we desert-bound folks can appreciate. I enjoyed this video of the phenomenon.

"You're a good man, Bill Boren!"

2011-05-27T23:43:00.000-05:00

She said loudly, "You're a good man, Bill Boren!" These were the last words to which my dad was able to respond. When Maggie, the speech pathologist at BSA hollered them at my dad, he opened his eyes a little and shrugged his shoulders. Maggie smiled and said, "Does that mean you already knew that?" Dad nodded his head, with a bit of a sly grin on his lips.

This happened on Monday morning, May 23rd. On the previous Friday, about lunch, Mom heard dad fall in the living room, and ran in to find him on the floor, paralyzed and unable to speak. He'd had what the doctors later called, "A very large stroke." I was on the road back to Amarillo from some meetings in Albuquerque when she called. I made it back to Amarillo and BSA hospital just a few minutes before the life-flight helicopter landed with Dad. He was unconscious, having been sedated by the flight crew for being 'combative.' I don't doubt it. He's pretty feisty. He was a fighter, and continually kept fooling the medical people on his prognoses.

Corporal Bill Boren, ca. 1955

He made some gradual progression in the ER and they moved him up to a regular floor on Saturday morning. He was able to awaken himself for a few minutes at a time, and by Sunday, was able to stay awake and alert for fifteen to thirty minutes at a time, and could recognize his grandkids and hold their hands. He also recovered some movement in his right side. Things were looking positive.

But on Monday, things went downhill. He could only stay awake for about an hour total on Monday, and was less responsive. By Tuesday, he was only awake for about 5 minutes total, and even the Doc doing a knuckle-rub on his sternum could not waken him by Tuesday night. We had been talking about long-term rehab; now we started talking about hospice. Because of the damage (immediate and residual) from the stroke, he was now functioning at what the doctors called, "a brain-stem level".

We moved him to hospice care on Wednesday evening. The doctor and nurses at hospice all said they didn't expect him to make it through the night. I bet them he would, and of course I won. He just won't give up. He never has given up on anything in his life.

When he was in high school, he was an outstanding pitcher. He threw nine no-hitters his senior year. He went off to college at West Texas State College and played both basketball and baseball there, briefly. He was a math major and had straight As, but decided college wasn't for him and took off for a job. He met my Mom the next year and married; they bought a piece of land on Saddle Mountain, west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and settled in to ranching. He had been hoping to be drafted into Major League Baseball, and actually had scouts from the St. Louis Cardinals at a few of his games, but unfortunately and fortunately (at the same time), Uncle Sam did the drafting before the Cards came calling.

He spent two years in the Army, and was headed for Korea when just a week before the end of basic training, the cease-fire accords were signed at Panmunjom. He did the rest of his tour at Fort Bliss in the anti-aircraft artillery. He wasn't a slacker in the army, either. He did so well in basic he was made squad leader, and promoted to Corporal upon graduation. Instead of one of the mundane jobs that most privates got, he ended up as the driver for a General.

The ranch they bought in Colorado would be worth millions of dollars today had they kept it, but upon being inducted into the US Army, his pay wouldn't allow him to make the payments on the note, and the ranch was sold. So, he went into farming for himself, eventually ending up on his Dad's land near Kerrick, Texas. He was still farming as of a few weeks ago, his health notwithstanding. Not a quitter. He never considered full retirement...it just wasn't an option.

Dad working his garden, Spring 2000

As tough as he was, he didn't have enough gas left in the tank to keep fighting the damage from the stroke. He spent most of the week in a terrific struggle just to draw a breath...thirty or forty seconds of Cheyne-Stokes breathing followed by twenty to thirty seconds of apnea. I don't care how tough you are, that's impossible to sustain for long. He went on to glory about 7:30 a.m. on Friday, May 27th. Here's a link to his obituary.

He wanted things simple, and we are keeping to that wish. We'll have a grave-side service with military honors at the Stratford Cemetery on Tuesday the 31st at 11 a.m.

My kids have been a bit curious why I haven't been emotional and crying and upset and all those things you see on TV when someone dies. I've tried to use this as a teaching moment. As I explained to them, I really do believe all those things you hear in church about heaven and grace and faith. Dad was a believer. His kids are all believers, and his grandkids are all believers. He did his job, and did it well. I have no doubt about where he is now, and the thought of that excites me for him rather than makes me sad. He's struggled with his health (heart disease, the onset of Alzheimer's, all the stuff that goes with being nearly 80 years old in a body worn out by years of hard work on a farm, etc.) for a long time. He isn't having to fight that battle now. He spent the last week expending tremendous amounts of energy just trying to breathe...that's over with as well. And ever greater (and hard to comprehend), he's no longer struggling with sin. In the sermon on the mount, Christ told us that, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Because of Christ's work on the cross, and his perfect sinless life, imputed to us upon our saving faith in him, we will one day be 'pure in heart', as Dad is now. That's how he can stand in the presence of the Lamb in glory. I'm happy for him!

I'm sure there will be times of nostalgia and memories that will bring tears to my heart, if not my eyes, but those are mostly selfish in that I am impatient to see him again. But see him again I know I shall, because of the faith that unites us as not only father-and-son, but brother-to-brother. Wow.

Yes, Bill Boren was a good man. He was a great dad, a good friend, a wise confidant, and a loving Grandpa. But now, he's not only posse non peccare, he's non posse peccare, standing in the presence of the Lord and praising Him face-to-face...showing us how relative the term 'good' is. I always hoped I'd be as good a man as my dad. Now, he's set the standard pretty high, and the only way I'll ever achieve it is through the righteousness of Christ, because I certainly can't measure up on my own, as if I ever could have in the first place. This process just completes the picture for us.

I'll close with this verse from a favorite hymn, "Valley of the Shadow"-

For the child of God, resting in Jesus

It's just a journey to a heavenly place;

And the sting of death has been defeated

Through the blood of Jesus and amazing grace!

In the valley of the shadow, death will hold no sting for me,

I'll be resting in the arms of Jesus, and with him I'll ever be;

And with him I'll ever be.

.

Not Much

2011-05-24T22:16:00.000-05:00

I haven't been able to post much this month. Dad is in ICU after having a stroke, and I've spent most of my time there and at work.

His prognosis isn't very good, and I appreciate any prayers anyone can offer.

I Hate It When I Do That!

2011-05-14T00:13:00.000-05:00

I thought of a brilliant idea today for a blog post. It was a witty way to start a serious conversation about something important. It would have been original, which is unusual in the blog world (which tends to be a giant echo chamber).

I didn't write it down. As Tom Clancy made famous in one of his books, "If you don't write it down, it never happened." As I get older, that fact becomes more clear. I guess I must have forgotten it when I had the thought, or I'd have followed my own advice and written it down.

Oh, well. Maybe I'll think of it later. (Probably when I'm not near the computer and don't have a pen and paper to write it down.)

This brings to mind another idea- is the fall (as in Genesis, Adam and Eve, etc.) partially or totally responsible for our poor memories? If so, in what ways? At least I'll be able to look back at this this blog post to see what I forgot I was to write about later.

At least, I can if I remember where I wrote it down.

The Microburst

2011-05-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

We had our first thunderstorm here since last Fall. Tuesday night, about 1 am, a storm moved through. Unfortunately, we got about 0.07" of rain instead of the three or four we needed. We did get the wind and damage. Here's the big tree in front of my office.

Sorry about the rotation...no idea how to make the blog editor fix that.

Fortunately, nothing other than the tree itself was broken. This makes me think of how much damage the Alabama storms did. According to the weather folks, we had a microburst as one of the thunderstorms was breaking up. It produced a wind gust of 84 mph. That's less than half what the EF-4 twister did in Alabama. Wow.

It's all about perspective.

What We Need (Obscure Lectures)

2011-05-05T10:02:00.000-05:00

I just ran across a set of three talks given by Sinclair Ferguson at a Desiring God conference way back in 1990. It was on universalism, by the way, which is a hot topic right now...probably a lot hotter than it was in 1990. There was no way to know about these talks other than finding them by chance.

What we need- a web site that lists links to all these 'lost' talks by good folks like Dr. Ferguson, and like Carson/Dever/Piper/Sproul/Chandler/Keller/Tchividjian/Horton/Ortlund/and-so-on. I almost never get to hear any of these things live, and can usually only find stuff if it's on a particular person's (or his ministry's) web site. These talks that get put in obscure places are effectively lost except to those who put them there.

Any of you who read this blog (not many, I know!) and can get the word out to the YRR blogger types please do so. I'd love to have a way to access these hard-to-find talks, sermons, and conference messages. These messages are too valuable to lose in the vast expanses of the internet.