Dawg and Pony Show

State of the Blog.

2009-06-24T13:56:00.001-04:00

Do You Know Him?

2009-04-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

The Death of Jesus

2009-04-10T11:59:00.001-04:00

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” - Matthew 26:27-28

It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” - Luke 23:44-47

Why did Jesus die? Christianity is nothing without Jesus the Christ. Jesus is not the Christ without His death. When Jesus died, even the earth mourned. His violent death was the exclamation mark of His suffering; He had taken a punishment He didn't deserve for sins He didn't commit so that ultimately His blood was poured out for the forgiveness of those sins, as Jesus said it would be. By His stripes, we are healed. By His death, we have reconciliation with God. But the confirmation of that forgiveness was yet to come.

The Breaking of Jesus

2009-04-09T09:45:00.003-04:00

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” - Luke 22:19

And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. - Luke 22:39-44

Easter is what might be called, the "Christian Christmas". Christmas has become the biggest secular holiday in this country, if not the world. The message of Christmas has become all but buried in a green-and-red-swirl of sappy sentimentalism. I enjoy Christmas, but Easter is THE Christian holiday. Jesus' birth pales in comparison to his death and resurrection. And it demands our attention and even our meditation. How often do we think about what Jesus went through BEFORE He was nailed to the cross?

The breaking of Jesus began the the night before his death - Thursday night. He went into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.

The breaking of Jesus was traumatic. And he sweat drops of blood. Jesus developed hematohidrosis - "a very rare condition in which a human being sweats blood. It may occur when a person is suffering extreme levels of stress, for example, facing his or her own death." (Wikipedia) He was in such deep inner turmoil because the cup He was about to drink was filled to the brim with God's wrath. His humanity didn't want to drink this boiling, stinking broth, but if that was the Father's will, He would do it. He was under such stress that it could have killed him there in the garden. That is why the angel appeared - to strengthen Him, so that He could continue to suffer that wrath and finally be murdered.

The breaking of Jesus began from the inside out. His heart was broken first. Why this agony? Because the Father was already turning His back on His Son. The wrath was already being poured our on the innocent Lamb. The Eternal Spotless Lamb was about to take the eternal punishment due to millions of sinful men and women.

The breaking of Jesus was for our benefit. He would suffer and die so that many would have eternal life.

Jesus Wants the Rose

2009-04-08T18:07:00.002-04:00

A Musical Rebuke.

2009-04-02T10:25:00.009-04:00

I have half-jokingly/half-seriously called my self a 'music snob' in the past. Yes, I do indeed like obscure music and relish the idea of having a music of my own. I think we all do that to an extent. Even the person who says, "I like all music", doesn't necessarily listen to all music. Whether they know it or not, they still prefer some music over other music. I've never known anybody to say that and have an appreciation for nu metal, bluegrass, crunk, klezmer and industrial music. I can also be very critical of other music. For instance, I've never liked the Eagles. I never understood the fascination with them or why their reunion was a big deal. I don't care for most R&B where the singer can't seem to find the right key. I'm not a fan of country or southern gospel - and the list could go on.

But what do our music prejudices say about us? Apparently, Bob Kauflin think they speak volumes about us and even do so in a spiritual sense. Bob has written an article entitled, "I Hate That Music" where he gives 10 reasons why 'musical forbearance' might be good for our souls. He says we should not be so quick to write off music we don't like and that being a music snob may be a sign of pride. Huh?

Here's what Bob says:

"Using exaggerated or biting words to put down certain songs, styles, or artists can be a symptom of selfishness, laziness, or arrogance. Music is a vast topic, and no one knows everything there is to know about it. I know at times I haven’t taken time to consider whether or not my assessment was accurate because I was busy sharing my opinions. (Prov. 18:2) "

Oh, really. Well, I'll stop bad-mouthing other music then and just enjoy my own tastes. Turns out Bob has something to say about that as well...

"Some of us derive a particular joy in finding and listening to obscure, undiscovered artists. I sure like coming across a great band I’ve never heard of. But finding an unknown artist isn’t admirable in and of itself. Some bands are undiscovered because they’re not very good. And if we do happen to discover a talented unknown band, it’s an opportunity to serve others, not look down on them. "

Hmmm. Perhaps I'm all together placing too much of a premium on music or my own sense of taste in music. Perhaps my attempt to 'judge' music I don't like (or other people who do like it) is a sign of a judgmental or prideful spirit that I need to squelch. Certainly music is a gift from God and as diverse as His people are. And despite the efforts of grown-ups from my youth to tell me different, there is no musical style or instrument that is inherently "of the devil", and there's nothing inherently sinful about music with a beat on the 2nd and 4th measure.

We have preferences. And those preferences turn into judgments if they are not kept in line. One of the ways that our preferences get in the way of serving God is in our worship. Worship may be hindered because we've let our preference become an absolute. Bob has something to say about that as well:

"How many times have you heard the first few bars of a worship song on Sunday and thought, 'Oh no…I can’t stand this song.' Or maybe you’re talking with a group of friends at lunch on Sunday, and you’re letting them know which songs you really didn’t like. In either case, we’re giving more value to our musical preferences than God’s command to sing his praise and to love him with all our hearts. Do we really want to let our musical opinions keep us from worshiping the God who gave us music in the first place? "

I happen to like the music our worship team puts together each week, but I sometimes notice some who do not sing a particular song, or maybe not at all. Could it be that our own musical tastes and opinions are stifling our worship? It's true that we are individuals with opinions of our own, but our worship belongs to God. If we don't worship God because we're heeding our own sense of style, then who are we really worshipping?

PS - Sorry about the Obama picture; it's the only one I could find of someone with their nose turned up.

Sign of the Times

2009-03-13T23:12:00.001-04:00

NOTE: 25 Things I Hate About Facebook

2009-03-09T13:37:00.000-04:00

Okay, I don't hate Facebook. I am however taking a Facebook fast for a couple of reasons. I'm spending too much time on it and I've been asked to do a seminar at church on Technology in the home. I think I need to get out of the pond for awhile so I can give a better perspective on what water is supposed to feel like from a Christian perspective. (i.e. - you can't ask a fish what water feels like... It makes sense in my head, don't question it.)

At any rate, I've seen this video posted to several blogs (that's another thing I may spend too much time doing... I've weeded out my feed reader, but I still skim about 50 blog posts a day...). It's quite humerous and makes you realize that even though Facebook CAN BE USEFUL, there are a lot of silly things associated with it.

WANTED: Leaders

2009-03-04T16:44:00.005-05:00

On February 27th, Dr. James Dobson officially stepped down as the Chairmen of the Board of Directors at Focus on the Family. Dr. Dobson is 72 and has been gradually relinquishing his duties. Six years ago he stepped down as President of the organization, but for now, he will still be a part of the “Focus on the Family” radio broadcast.

WORLD magazine’s blog is reporting that, as could be expected, the media is guessing at his successor. The Washington Times throws around several names. Tony Perkins seems to be high on the list, but they are not above guessing at a few others (Rick Warren and Mike Huckabee, for example) and at least mentioning some much wilder guesses at possible candidates to take on the mantle of conservative evangelicalism – Ravi Zacharias, Franklin Graham, Kirbyjon Caldwell, Joel Hunter, Bono. (Bono?)

WORLD magazine gleans from the article the fact that many American evangelical leaders have either passed on or have effectively stepped down from their ministry like Dr. Dobson has done.

Mr. Dobson, 72, who resigned last week as board chairman of one of the country’s most influential evangelical organizations, is one of the last of a great generation of evangelical leaders.
Some have died: the Rev. Jerry Falwell, Moral Majority founder; theologian Carl F.H. Henry; Florida pastor D. James Kennedy; Campus Crusade for Christ founder Bill Bright; and Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer, who founded L’Abri Fellowship.
Others have either retired or have passed on the bulk of their duties, such as the Rev. Billy Graham, 90; televangelist Pat Robertson, 78; author and activist Tim LaHaye, 83; and Prison Fellowship founder Chuck Colson, 77.

The WORLD blog piece goes on to point out what “mantles” need to be carried to galvanize Christians, i.e., a pro-life or gay rights stance, and then rightly shrugs at those and asks, “what about salvation, the poor, the widow, the hungry, the prisoners?” The piece closes with the question, “Who says conservative evangelicals are looking for a Dobson successor in the first place?”

I’d like to take it a step further. Why do we keep looking on a national level for leaders? So they can be on TV and have a name that is synonymous with “evangelicalism”, like branding a product? So we have have someone who thinks and speaks for us?

There are several men nationally known or at least in evangelical circles that I look up to as examples, but the example that they set for me is that I need to be the leader right where I am. Certainly we should respect our elders and submit ourselves to our leaders (Heb 13:17). But I believe the writer of Hebrews is talking about local church leadership because “they are keeping watch over your souls”. As much as I admire Al Mohler and John MacArcthur, they can’t keep watch over my soul. No, these soul-watching leaders have to be local. And what’s more, they need to be men and they need to be local Christian men in a particular church. If you’re a Christian and a man and are local to somewhere, then you have an obligation to LEAD in some respect.

Too many Christian men have determined that it’s easier to drift comfortably than to swim upstream. So they do “their thing” and let others lead in their place - or think that others are leading in their place. Too many Adam’s have allow their Eve to take whatever fruit they want as long as they can do “their thing.” Too many fathers, too many employees, etc. The point is that all men are called to lead in some capacity, not just the photogenic guys who can dish out a snappy answer on Larry King Live.

Above all, the local Christian male leader (should I really have to qualify?) is one who is pursuing godliness. This requires discipline – something that the average man is terrible at. We have to first of all be convinced that the goal of godliness is worth achieving – and according to scripture, it is:

Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. (1 Tim 4:7b-8)
Now there is great gain in godliness with contentment, (1 Tim 6:6)

Secondly, with the goal of godliness in mind, men can and should discipline themselves as to be leaders, not just for their own sake, but for the sake of everyone on every level of life. If a man earnestly engaged in spiritual disciplines, he would be a leader by virtue of the fact that the majority are not engaging in them.

I need to be the leader in my home - making wise decisions, providing for and serving my family and setting an example for my wife, children and even my neighbors for how godliness should look.

I need to be the leader at work – looking for opportunities to serve my co-workers and customers, not wasting company time and resources, seeing work as a calling and a gift from God and not drudgery.

I need to be the leader among my friends and acquaintances – not allowing my standards to be compromised for the sake of levity, being of service to them when they need something.

I need to be a leader in church – loving and serving the body of Christ in whatever way I’ve been gifted, being an example in prayer, worship and giving. And above all, exhibiting and proclaiming the Gospel of Christ.

Of course, I just made all that up on the fly, but the common thread of effective biblical leadership in all areas of life is servanthood. Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of servant leadership, who humbled himself to the point of death (Phil 2:8).

I’ve often heard that the best way to get a man to do anything is to dare him. So men, I double-dog dare you to discipline yourselves for godliness and be the leader God’s called you to be. Don Whitney’s Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life and Kent Hughes’ Disciplines of a Godly Man would be good places to start.

Pro-Life 12-Year Old Bucks the System

2009-02-19T17:59:00.000-05:00

From World Magazine's blog:
Lia, a 12-year-old girl from Toronto, was assigned to come up with a persuasive speech for her seventh grade class. Teachers told her the topic she chose was “too big,” “too mature,” “too controversial,” and if she went forward with it she would not be allowed to advance to the schoolwide competition or beyond.

Lia, however, would not be swayed, and once her teacher heard her presentation, she declared her the class winner. But when Lia spoke before the entire school she was initially disqualified because of her topic. Later, one of the judges who was offended by the speech stepped down, and the remaining judges reversed their earlier decision and declared Lia the school’s winner and representative in a regional competition. She didn’t win the next round, but later found out that her speech, which has been posted on YouTube, was a winner in another way.

Lia’s mom told Bound4Life:

“Lia wasn’t really that upset though, especially when she considered that the only difference between winning the competition and not winning was having a couple extra pictures taken and being given a small trophy. Lia has a much bigger trophy—somebody commented to us on our YouTube account that her aunt watched Lia’s video and decided to NOT have an abortion because of it. Yay God!
Others have commented that they either never thought of the issue before or were pro-choice—but now they have changed their opinions. So, having a life saved is the best trophy ever!”

And the Polka Grammy Goes To...

2009-02-09T12:14:00.001-05:00

I don't know how I got in the habit of doing this, but every year I look at the Grammy winners and I'm drawn to the Polka category. I don't listen to Polka. Truth be told, I don't even like Polka. But ever since I started this blog, I've posted the winner. For four years straight, the winner has been Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra. 2006, 2007, 2008 and now 2009.

What's the deal? Are there no other Polka bands out there? Is Jimmy and his band the only one in the category? I'm not much for conspiracy theories, but if the same artist won country album of the year every year, there would be a huge backlash. Come on Polka people, where's the outrage??? IF Jimmy's all you got, maybe it's time to shut down the category. We don't have a madrigal of the year anymore because they stopped making those about the time Black Plague ended.

Anyway, congratulations, Jimmy. I don't know if your slipping somebody a little extra for all these awards, but you got 'em.

Let The Whole World Sing

Van is... Blogging about Facebook.

2009-02-05T12:38:00.001-05:00

Like more than 150 million other people, I have been sucked into the world of Facebook. A friend - a real live, flesh and blood friend, not the facebook kind - told me that he had some pictures of me from the Peachtree Roadrace that he was going to post. I wanted to see them, so I joined specifically for that purpose. Within 24 hours, my college roommate, who I had not seen since our days at UGA, sent me a "friend request". I was amazed; flummoxed, even. If this guys out here, who else can I find? Or will find me?

Aside from the 90 or so friends who are associated with my church or I otherwise see on a regular basis, I've been friended by people from high school, college and 4-H that I haven't even thought about in years. I've even made peace with someone where a friendship had been severed.

I find myself checking Facebook several times a day, reading my friends status lines, reading the comments made to those status lines, looking at newly posted pictures of their vacation or trip to the store earlier that day. Many old friends have posted pictures from long ago - myself included. It's very easy to browse those pictures and get nostalgic. There are other diversions on Facebook like games, 'flair' and groups for common interests. I started a group last week for Berachah and to date have 66 members!

But the problem is that all of this takes time. How much time am I spending on Facebook a day? You don't even have to be on Facebook to be "facebooking". I spent about an hour creating a profile picture. There's even a possible "Facebook addiction". Another pitfall is the whole "friending" thing. I have 140 Facebook friends. I have one friend in particular who has over 2,000 friends. That means every time a status is posted - "Buffy is tired this morning..." - then ALL of their friends can see that. Steve Tuttle of Newsweek recently wrote:
"Being on Facebook is like volunteering to receive spam, and the more successful you are at finding friends, the more spam you get! In the end, Facebook is really the emptiest, loneliest place on the whole World Wide Web. It's all static and white noise, and the steady streams of status updates start to look like ASDF, ASDF, ASDF after a while."
To a point, I would have to agree. There's a kind of thrill in being contacted by a blast from the past. But after a while you realize that your life and theirs simply may not intersect anymore. And while it's great to catch up, unless you actually plan on seeing this person face to face, all you're left with is, "Buffy is tired this morning..." ASDF, ASDF, ASDF....

And what about people who you don't remember so fondly who send a friend request? Or don't remember at all? How do you handle that? What kind of message do we send when we ignore the request? Or even worse, what kind of message does "unfriending" send? This recently happened to me - someone unfriended me with no explantion and yet somehow we still retain many friends in common. Wierd.

So certainly Facebook can be a tool or a time-waster. Can we as Christians redeem our time on Facebook? Absolutely. We can start by not telling people how tired we are. Seriously, how is that edifying? Facebook is built around communication and according to scripture, we should be communicating only what is edifying (Eph 4:15, 29). This doesn't meant that you post Bible verses as your status. But we do need to be careful what emotions we are broadcasting to all our friends. It's easy to go with the idea that your status is all about you. And in a sense, your status is YOUR status, but what can we communicate about ourselves that would be helpful to others? Are we being courteous to others in direct communication?

I think we also need to consider how much time we're putting into it. Yes, I spent way too much time working on a profile picture. I will not do that again. Niether should we attempt to make our info page a mirror image of who we are in real life. It can't be done. And the messages and comments and friend requests can wait. They're not going anywhere; those messages will be there whenever you choose to log in. If you can't go an hour without checking Facebook, you probably need to consider how much time that takes (you also may need help!). There are ways to turn off the alerts so that you don't get all the e-mails and notices that Buffy commented on your status.

I find the Facebook phenomenon fascinating and other people have put a lot more thought into this than I have. Here are some other sources that I've found helpful (or humerous) on the subject:

Thoughts about Facebook
Facebook and You
Post Only What is Helpful
It's Just Facebook
Facebook and Friends
Facebook and Your Time
(These are all by Jay Younts from the Shepherds Press Blog)

You Can't Friend Me, I Quit! (or Why I'm Quitting Facebook)
Facebook Ruined My Life
Five Years of Facebook
Facebook for Oregonians

By the way, Albert Mohler is on Facebook and has 3,612 friends.

Practical Athiesm

2009-01-10T17:07:00.001-05:00

I often talk with other Christians who have this idea that once you make a confession of faith, you are saved no matter what type of lifestyle you choose to lead beyond that. It’s their version of ‘once saved, always saved’. I believe that credo is essentially true, although it carries a different meaning to me. I believe that no one will snatch us out of His hand once Jesus claims us (John 10:28-29). I believe that nothing will separate me from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39). And I believe that God is able to keep me until the end of time (2 Tim 1:12). However, I think a better term for that is eternal security. This has to do with the believer’s continuance in salvation through sanctification. Along side the idea that those who are saved will remain so is that believers will grow in their faith. You don’t have to read very far to find this. If you only searched for the word “grow” in the New Testament, you’d find 1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:18; Ephesians 4:15 among others that command us to “become who we are in Christ”.

So what about this idea that a person who’s made a profession of faith in Christ and lives like the devil can have assurance of Heaven? Let’s think about it this way. Is it possible for an atheist to claim faith in Christ and remain an atheist? Well, of course – he could simply be lying. Proclaiming belief when you do not really believe will not make you a Christian anymore than saying that I’m a log truck will give me 18 wheels and a ‘jake brake’. Compare that to someone who’s made a heartfelt profession of faith in front of a church and returns to a sinful lifestyle. They may have actually felt guilt and remorse. They had an experience and ‘felt’ like they were saved. And there may have been a time of piety and ‘sin-avoidance’. But they eventually return to their old ways. So what’s the difference between the atheist and the ‘heartfelt’ confessor? Well, not much. The atheist doesn’t believe in God or in Christ and may fool others with words; the other shows by his life that he doesn’t really believe but he’s fooling himself. If the scriptures tell us to grow and love and hate sin and do so continually and we continually don’t do that, then it’s a practical atheism. We’re no better off than the atheist who rejects Christ and gives his time and money to humanitarian causes.

Now this may be a flimsy analogy and we certainly can’t judge the hearts of men and women, but the point is this: to say one believes there’s a bus heading straight at them at 65 mph and NOT get out of the way means word and deed do not agree. Something’s wrong.

This is why the scriptures also tell us to examine our faith. We’ve heard that the unexamined life is not worth living. I’d say the unexamined faith is not worth having.
“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.”- 2 Cor. 13:5. We’re also told to examine ourselves before we take communion (1 Cor. 11:28). James warns that a faith without action is no faith at all (James 2:14-17).

So what does this mean? I think first we have no business giving assurance to those who claim Christ but live lives that do not reflect Him. As brothers and sisters we are told to confront over sin (Luke 17:3-4). Also, I think we need to periodically reflect on how our own lives show Jesus (Gal 6:3-5). We need to put off and put on (Eph 4:17-24). And we need to repent often (Rev. 2:5, 16; 3:3). However, we do not do this as a formula or a recipe that gives us perfect dishes if followed correctly. We do it out of LOVE. Our Savior is a person, not a program. He loves us, lived and died for us so that we might have abundant life and continually intercedes for us to the Father. Those things alone ought to give us a thankful heart that obey Him out of love, not obligation. Jesus said, “If you love me, obey my commandments.” If we do not obey, how can we say we love Him – much less even believe in Him?

Sin, Grace, Love and Faith

2008-11-19T00:27:00.000-05:00

"Sin, grace, love and faith, P.T. Forsyth said, have nothing but a superficial meaning until we see them in relation to the Holy, arising from it, and setting it forth. God's love is his holiness reaching out to sinners; grace is but the price that his love pays to his holiness; the cross is but its victory over sin and death; and faith is but the way in which we bring our worship to him who is holy."

- David Wells, The Courage to Be Protestant, p 130.

Love and Mercy at the Cross

2008-11-15T12:16:00.003-05:00

"Let me say this positively. What we see at the cross is the white-hot revelation of the character of God, of his love providing the price that his holiness requires. The cross was his means of redeeming lost sinners and reconciling them to himself, but it was also a profound disclosure of his mercy. It is, in Paul's words, an 'inexpressible gift' that leads us to wonder and worship, to praise and adore the God who has given himself to us in this way. This is what has led people to give themselves away, too, to give of themselves in service to others, to go to the mission field. It is what has impelled Christian believers to give of their substance, and to reach out in acts of mercy to those who need it, and in acts of courage against the injustices in society."

- David Wells, The Courage to Be Protestant, p. 129

Halloween Marketing Tie-In Term Overuse

2008-10-28T12:26:00.000-04:00

Can we officially retire the pseudo-word, "Spooktacular"?

And while were at it, we could do without "Rocktober" too.

One for the History Books

2008-09-04T00:08:00.000-04:00

Top Ten Ways to be a Miserable Christian

2008-07-23T17:31:00.000-04:00

This is blatantly stolen from The Irish Calvinist. He has written a four part series based on these "methods".

1. Try to Repay Jesus for the Cross
2. Neglect the Bible
3. Neglect Prayer
4. Be Selfish
5. Go to a church that does not preach expositionally
6. Resist Biblical Correction
7. Neglect Service in the body of Christ
8. Neglect Evangelism
9. Deny the Sovereignty of God
10. Think that every Christian must look and act like you

Read the series here:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Poison's Guitarist Becomes a Christian

2008-07-17T23:10:00.005-04:00

This is a very interesting video. If you're my age you remember when Poison was a big deal. I actually saw them in concert in 1988. Supposedly, C.C. Deville of Poison has become a Christian and after a recent concert some pastors spoke to him back stage. I don't hear a testimony or even a lot of "God talk" so I'll have to take their word for it. The video comes from this post from the "without wax" blog. If nothing else, it's neat to see him playing "Georgia on My Mind". I hope to hear more about C.C.'s conversion in the future. Now if he can just distance himself from Bret Michael's and his so-called Rock of Love.

Guitar Hero from Pete Wilson on Vimeo.

Postmodern Funeral Songs

2008-06-30T23:20:00.000-04:00

From the Daily Telegraph:

"Queen's The Show Must Go On, Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven and AC/DC's Highway to Hell top the list of South Australia's most unusual funeral songs, released by Centennial Park, the state's largest provider of cemetery, crematorium and memorial services."

Read the rest here.

Yay, me.

2008-05-22T16:32:00.000-04:00

You paid attention during 97% of high school!

85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz

Encouraging Unity Among Educational "Camps"

2008-05-03T19:34:00.002-04:00

Josh Harris addressed a very important issue regarding differences with the Education "Camps" within the church during a congregational meeting. I think this applies to all local assemblies.

Together for the Gospel Panel Discussions

2008-04-27T17:09:00.003-04:00

The Panel Discussions from Together for the Gospel '08 is now available:

Panel Discussion 1(Dever, Duncan, Mahaney, Mohler)
Panel Discussion 2(Anyabwile, Dever, Duncan, Mahaney, Mohler)
Panel Discussion 3(Dever, Duncan, MacArthur, Mahaney, Mohler)
Panel Discussion 4(Dever, Duncan, Mahaney, Mohler, Sproul)
Panel Discussion 5(Dever, Duncan, Mahaney, Mohler)
Panel Discussion 6(Dever, Duncan, Mahaney, Mohler, Piper)

Left-click to listen now or right-click and save for later.

Amazing Grace

2008-04-26T09:41:00.003-04:00

Okay, the Engineering Guide to Cats was cool, but this is good. It's Good good. I've often poked fun at the Bill Gaither Homecoming videos, but after seeing this clip from James White's website, I'm willing to cut them a little slack. Watch:

An Engineer's Guide to Cats

2008-04-25T13:25:00.001-04:00

One Conference Audio

2008-04-21T11:20:00.004-04:00

The Audio for Berachah's One Conference is up! If you missed any of the sessions with Dr. Don Whitney, you can go here to get them, however the sessions aren't titled. Maybe that will be fixed in the future (hint, hint). But here are links and descriptions for each session:

Why Go To Church?
Why Join a Church?
Why Witness with the Church?
Why Serve in the Church?
Why Fellowship with the Church?
Why Listen to Preaching in the Church?
Questions and Answers

Left-click to listen now or right click to save for later.

This was a very good conference for a very important subject. It was too short in my opinion, but to cover everything, Dr. Whitney could have taken a week or more. The more I read the scriptures and see Christ's love for the church, the more I love my own church. We are by no means perfect. We are still sinners who need to repent often and rededicate ourselves to Christ daily. Every Christian should realize that they have been forgiven of many sins. And to show our gratitude to our Savior, we should obey out of love - not to gain merit or look sanctified, but out of pure love and devotion to Christ. And Christ's word directs Christians to be among believers and under the protection and authority of Christian leadership. The apostle John says if you don't love the brethren, then how can you say you love God? (1 John 3:14-18) And how can you love the brethren if you don't want to be with them? The church is a small hint of the eternity that we will spend together with all believers in the presence of Jesus. And if that is the case, then why would we NOT treasure the church NOW as practice for what is to come???

Join a local church (if you haven't already). Participate in the local church. Worship with the local church. Love the church, because Christ loves His Church. Dr. Whitney said, "If you can miss church and not miss church, then you are in danger."

Together for the Gospel Audio

2008-04-20T21:08:00.007-04:00

Here's the Audio links for the Together for the Gospel Conference held last week:

Ligon Duncan - Sound Doctrine – Essential to Faithful Pastoral Ministry
Thabiti Anyabwile - Bearing the Image: Identity, the Work of Christ, and the Church
John MacArthur - The Sinner Neither Able Nor Willing: The Doctrine of Absolute Inability
Mark Dever - Improving the Gospel: Exercises in Unbiblical Theology
RC Sproul - The Curse Motif of the Atonement
Albert Mohler - Why Do They Hate It So? The Doctrine of Substitution
John Piper - How the Supremacy of Christ Creates Radical Christian Sacrifice
CJ Mahaney - Sustaining a Pastor's Soul

You can left-click to hear now or right click to save for later. The panel discussions have not been posted yet, but as soon as they are, I'll throw those links up as well. Also, you can go here to get the audio for the 2006 conference.

I need to listen to these again since hearing them one after the other was like drinking from a firehose. Right now, I can highly recommend R.C. Sproul's handling of The Curse Motif and Thabiti Anyabwile's talk on "Bearing the Image". Thabiti shattered the false category of 'race' in favor of the biblical view of ethinicity. All people regardless of color or physical differences are descendants of Adam and from there, we are able to find our common ground. We are all sinners in need of grace. Maybe, after I've listened to the again and reread my notes, I'll have something to post. But, this is not as easy as it looks. In the meantime, you can get a synopsis of each session from Challies website.

Right on the heels of the Together for the Gospel Conference, we had our "One Conference" at Berachah on Life in the Local Church with Dr. Don Whitney. As soon as that audio is available, I'll post those links. Dr. Whitney has a great website with numerous resources - http://www.biblicalspirituality.org/.

Why Me?

2008-04-04T01:02:00.002-04:00

I’m not asking this to question something bad that I don’t understand. Bad things happen all the time. This appears to be the norm. We should expect bad things to happen in a world full of police, insurance and seat belts. I watched my tire go flat while I ate lunch in Oxford, Alabama this week. Talk about dinner and a show. My inner cynic was only surprised it didn’t happen sooner in a more inconvenient place.

When I ask “Why me?” it’s because something good happened. “Why me?” is short for “Why did this happen to me?” And this thing happened to me because I did not do it to or for myself. Something acted upon me rather than me acting on my own behalf. I can only ask “why me?” because it’s not something that I chose to do myself. There would be no questions if I had decided that I was no longer going to be ruled by my sins and circumstances, that I was going to pull myself up by my bootstraps and do what I’m supposed to do and destine myself for great things. The question of “Why me?” would be replaced by the statement, “I did this.”

The good thing that happened is that I have been saved by the grace of God through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God’s grace is a strange to us because it’s the ultimate insurance policy – ironclad, no limitations or pre-qualifications and definitely not what you'd expect. If God is infinite and eternal, then so is His grace. God has more grace than we have sin. He has more grace than we have problems. He has more love for us than we have hatred of Him. And His grace is overwhelming. If we have been saved by grace through Jesus Christ then something should be quite evident: We don’t deserve it, can’t earn it and it should surprise us. We should be shocked by God’s grace and it should outweigh any ailment or flat tire that may loom large in our mind.

"But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." - Titus 3:4-7

A Pome in April

2008-04-02T13:11:00.004-04:00

This month is National Poetry Month. At least one of my favorite blogs is commemerating this and - even posting one of their favorite poems. To join in with this momentous month, I'd like to post one of my favorites in video format.

A Meeting of the Minds

2008-03-25T11:36:00.003-04:00

R.C. Sproul has a conversation with Ben Stein about his upcoming documentary, "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed."

Cool.

Questions for God

2008-03-25T07:39:00.001-04:00

“Do you want me to paint the bathroom?”
“Do you want us to adopt a puppy?”
“Should I stay late at work?”
“Should we go to the ranch this weekend?”
“What dates should we set aside to go hunting?”
“God, where is my watch?”
“Jesus, should I go fishing today?”
“Jesus, do you want to heal Scout?”

If you want to understand what these questions are about, I suggest you go here and read Tim Challies' review of the latest John Eldridge book.

Uh-Oh... Uh-Oh, Uh-Oh...

2008-03-08T07:54:00.002-05:00

God is Light and We're Too Heavy

2008-02-23T11:22:00.004-05:00

On a recent trip, I took a stack of 'lighter' books to read. One of those was Through Painted Deserts by Don Miller. Let me just say first of all that I can't recommend this book. This book is the epitome of 'light' in that it has no real substance. It's the story of a road trip taken by the author - also the author of Blue Like Jazz - from Texas to the Pacific Northwest via the Grand Canyon. Miller is a good writer: his prose and dialog are clear, except that in this book, he's got very little to say. By comparison, Blue Like Jazz is a theology book.

But speaking of 'light' in a different way, the subtitle of the book is "Light, God and Beauty on the Open Road". I found one passage on light that simply befuddled me. It seemed to be out of place in this book because it was, well, deep. Profound, even. Here is that passage. This is a meditation on the idea of light, God and ourselves.

"In the Hebrew tradition, which splintered off into the Christian tradition, which is how I was raised, light is a metaphor. God made a cosmos out of nothingness, a molecular composition, of which He is not and never has been, as anything is limiting, and God has no limits. In this way, He isn’t, and yet is. The poetic imagery is rather beautiful, stating that all we see and feel and touch, the hardness of dense atoms, the softness of a breeze (atoms perhaps loose as if in play) is the breath of God. And into this being, into this existence, God first creates light. This light is not to be confused with the sun and moon and stars, as they are not created until later. He simply creates light, a nonsubstance that is like a particle and like a wave, but perhaps neither, just some kind of traveling energy. A kind of magnetic wave. Light, then, becomes a fitting metaphor for a nonbeing who is. God, if like light, travels at the speed of light, and because space and time are mingled with speed, the speed of light is the magic, exact number that allows a kind of escape from time. Scientists have played with atomic clocks, matched exactly, setting one in a plane to fly around the world, and another motionless, waiting for the return of its partner. When they reunite, the one that traveled rests milliseconds behind the one fixed. The faster you move, physicists have found, the less you experience time. And if you move at the speed of light, you will never age; you are outside of time; you are an eternal creature. But before you strap on your running shoes, you should know scientists warn us that with speed, matter increases in density, so an attempt at the speed of light will have you imploded by the time you hit Wichita, your atoms as dense as bowling balls. And to make matters worse, your density increases on a curve; the faster you go, the greater the density, and though you can get close to the speed of light, matter and that magic speed can never meet; the faster you go, the steeper the trajectory on the graph. You and I, made from molecules, cannot travel at the speed of light and cannot escape time, at least not with a body. Consider the complexity of light in the light of the Hebrew metaphor: we don’t see light, we see what it touches. It is more or less invisible, made from nothing, just purposed and focused energy, infinite in its power (it will never tire if fired into a vacuum, going on forever). How fitting, then, for God to create an existence, then a metaphor, as if to say, here is something entirely unlike you, outside of time, infinite in its power and thrust: here is something you can experience but cannot understand. Throughout the remainder of the Bible, then, God calls Himself light."

- Don Miller, Through Painted Deserts, pp 59-60.

James Brown had a TV show!!!

2008-02-18T16:16:00.007-05:00

Looka-here, looka-here! Back in the 1970s, before James Brown fell out of favor and prior to WTCG becoming WTBS, somebody thought it would be a good idea to give James Brown a Soul Train-type TV show. The show was called James Brown's FUTURE SHOCK. Besides a few live performances (by James of course), it's mainly dancing, dance contests and, well, dancing to the hits of the day (mainly James Brown 'hits').

In fact the show was enough a mimic of Soul Train (goofy costumes, dancing the Line, etc) that near the end of this video, James feels the need to praise Soul Train as the first to do this kind of show. James watches Soul Train, and he's sure that Don Cornelius watched his show. (I doubt it, somehow) However, there did not appear to be a James Brown Scramble Board.

Anyway, someone has unearthed a few tapes and mashed them up into a small compilation. The video is embedded on the page of WFMU's Beware of the Blog.

Enjoy, if you're funky enough.

"I feel so funky, I don't know what to do with myself!"

Another Reason Why Cats Are Useless

2008-02-15T13:01:00.001-05:00

If this were a dog, the racoon would have drawn back a nub.

The Polka Grammy

2008-02-11T07:19:00.000-05:00

I don't know why I'm compelled to do this, but it has to be told:

For the fourth year in a row, and the third year for me to post it, the Grammy for Polka album goes to:

Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra, this year for Come Share the Wine.

2006

2007

Tornado Hits Union University

2008-02-07T00:27:00.000-05:00

Union University is a small 4-year Baptist school in Jackson, Tennessee. A tornado devestated parts of the campus during the storms that passed through late Tuesday night. Here is a Flickr Photo Gallery of the aftermath. You can read more about the events here, here and here.

Super Tuesday Fallout

2008-02-06T10:52:00.000-05:00

Joe Carter at The Evangelical Outpost opines on what happened yesterday and on the media's assumption of the role of "the conscience of voters." Even Rush Limbaugh is not immune to thinking too highly of his own opinion.

"What has happened to Rush? The reason he was once entertaining is because he'd tell us "Dittoheads" what we already knew was true (e.g., liberal are silly). That was his shtick and he did it well. But somewhere along the way he started taking himself too seriously. He seems to think that he is the adjudicator of who and what is considered to be "conservative." For him to give the impression that he is some sort of thought leader is both mildly amusing and moderately insulting. We're conservatives. Unlike the liberals we don’t take our guidance on how to vote from entertainers (and yes, Rush is first and foremost, an entertainer). "

A good read and I recommend reading the whole thing.

Deja Vu - Bad Weather Cancels Bad Weather Drill

2008-02-06T09:30:00.000-05:00

Storms expected Wednesday, tornado drill postponed
From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Published on: 02/05/08

"A statewide tornado drill scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed because of the actual threat of severe weather as a storm system building in Texas moves eastward.

"The drill, scheduled as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week, will be rescheduled for Friday morning, the National Weather Service said. In the drill, a test tornado warning will be issued around 9:10 a.m. over weather radio, and tornado sirens will be sounded."

This happened almost exactly a year ago. Georgia's children are not going to know what to do in case of bad weather! I guess they could do the same thing their parents do when there's a threat of snow - raid the grocery stores for bread, milk and eggs and drive like the car's on fire.

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

2008-02-04T17:45:00.000-05:00

“People who don’t climb mountains – the great majority of humankind, that is to say – tend to assume that the sport is a reckless, Dionysian pursuit of ever escalating thrills. But the notion that climbers are merely adrenaline junkies chasing a righteous fix is a fallacy, at least in the case of Everest. What I was doing up there had almost nothing in common with bungee jumping or skydiving or riding a motorcycle at 120 miles per hour.

“Above the comforts of Base Camp, the expedition in fact become an almost Calvinistic undertaking. The ration of misery to pleasure was greater by an order of magnitude than any other mountain I’d been on; I quickly came to understand that climbing Everest was primarily about enduring pain. And in subjecting ourselves to week after week of toil, tedium, and suffering, it struck me that most of us were probably seeking above all else, something like a state of grace.”

- Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air

Snow Part III

2008-01-21T06:22:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, the kids rolled up the huge snowballs, but before they could do anything with them, they realized that snow is wet. And wet and cold make an uncomfortable combination after a while. So on Sunday, we finished the work, although it was colder than the day before.
But the end result was a dirty old snow man.

Snow Part II

2008-01-19T21:39:00.000-05:00

The snow came back. This time it was personal.

Snow? In Fayetteville??

2008-01-16T18:07:00.001-05:00

Paper Airplane in the City

2008-01-06T08:18:00.000-05:00

In college, some friends and I lauched paper airplanes from a hotel room about 25 stories up. One of mine flew into the lobby of the hotel across the street. But it was amazing to watch them glide for the minute (give or take) that they were up. This video is something like that.

By the way...

2008-01-03T07:32:00.000-05:00

How about them Dawgs!!!!

Source: Athens Banner Herald

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T14:35:00.000-05:00

An UNholy Trinity

2007-12-29T20:29:00.000-05:00

If you have about 10 minutes, you may find this comparison enlightening (or frightening).

HT: Pros Apologian

Presence and Annoyance

2007-12-20T14:49:00.000-05:00

If you've ever been annoyed by someone talking on their cell-phone at the bookstore, you'll appreciate this:

"The idea of presence is an important one in Biblical religion. In his second letter, the Apostle John writes, "I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face." The Church is called the ekklesia, the assembly, the place where believers are present to one another to encourage one another to love and good works. By contrast, holding a telephone conversation while walking down the street or up an aisle at the supermarket pointedly ignores the presence of others. The importance of physical presence is thus de-valued. It also poses a kind of challenge to passers-by. In an earlier, less hectic time, when you wanted to make a phone call, you isolated yourself temporarily in a telephone booth (ask your parents if this is an unfamiliar term). This guaranteed privacy for yourself but also spared strangers the awkwardness of hearing half of your conversation, especially if the conversation involved intimate personal details. The more primitive technology imposed limits on where your body was when you made a call, but certain notions about presence and boundaries were also encouraged. Just because we are now able to make calls anywhere anytime doesn't mean that we should. Whether or not we should is a question that, to my knowledge, hasn't even been raised."

- Ken Myers from "How Would Jesus Call?"

HT:Josh Harris

For the person who has everything

2007-12-20T09:52:00.001-05:00

Finally, a worthwhile use for eBay.

"Your beloved friend or relative will try in vain to figure out who it is. Best of all, it can't possibly be you because you'll have the perfect alibi: you're not in Poland. "

Car Wash Crazy

2007-12-19T10:14:00.000-05:00

The Commodore 64 is 25 Years Old

2007-12-16T21:30:00.000-05:00

Article: Looking Back at the Commodore 64, the Ultimate 80s Computer.

Yeah, I had one.

Sweet Dark Precipitation

2007-12-01T11:41:00.000-05:00

Dr. Pepper has come out with Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr. Pepper. Let's see, who could they get to promote this drink for them? Someone who's fresh, who has recently found some success, who could tie in the whole liquid chocolate thing...

Meteorological Music

2007-11-29T06:01:00.000-05:00

We all know by now that MTV doesn't play videos any more. Instead of promoting new music, they promote selfish lifestyles. But there is another channel that's been around almost as long that's been consistently playing music since the beginning. You could make the case that they create "music videos", if you consider your local forecast to be the images that perfectly match the music. Of course I'm talking about The Weather Channel. And you know what I'm talking about. That "smooth jazz" that accompanies the week ahead and the local radar that makes you want to put on a silk bathrobe and sit in front of a fire with a glass of Zinfindel. Or at least make you think you're in an elevator.

This article presents three startling facts you probably didn't know or never cared to know:

1. The Weather Channel has a music guy - Steve Hurst - who programs the music that plays over "Local on the 8's". He's the one responsible for creating the perfect musical atmosphere for determining your next weather related moves. It's always instrumental. He plays light, upbeat music during the day and sultry slower selections at night.

2. There is a fanbase that calls or writes in to find out what song was playing at 12:38. Mr. Hurst published a monthly playlist for fans and some people even make requests or send in unsolicited tapes.

3. The fanbase is big enough that The Weather Channel has released a CD of some of the most requested songs played over the local forecasts. "The Weather Channel Presents: The Best of Smooth Jazz". No kidding. It's currently number 2 on Billboard's contemporary jazz chart. Now you can imagine your own forecast while listening to the likes of Dave Koz, Chick Corea and Najee.

Just in time for Christmas. (Or white elephant.)

"We Still Got This!"

2007-11-28T10:21:00.000-05:00

Georgia 31 - GT 17

What's amazing about these game highlights is that playing at Bobby Dodd Stadium, the Georgia fans are much louder than the Tech fans. Although the Tech fans had very little to cheer about. What's missing from the video are the end zone fumbles that could have changed the game if Tech could have capitalized on them. What is NOT missing is the vicious face mask on Thomas Brown that the officials missed.

I attended the Kentucky game two weeks ago and took this picture of the scoreboard.

It's near the end of the game, Georgia seems to have a lock on the win. But look at the lower part of the sign.
The crowd erupted at this score. Unfortunately, it wouldn't stick because Vanderbilt is still Vanderbilt. And then Kentucky couldn't kick a simple field goal in their second overtime so Tennessee goes on to play for the SEC title against LSU. So Georgia can only sit back to see which BCS Bowl we'll be invited to. Ho-Hum. Meanwhile, Les Miles is crying about Georgia playing in a BCS without even playing for their conference title. Just go to Michigan, already, Les. The match up I'd really like to see is Georgia v. Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, but I'm not too sure how realistic that is.

Other noteworthy videos:
A guard dog bites Auburn's Jerraud Powers' hand at the end of a play:

Or you could call it the sequel to this.

The Georgia Redcoat Band adds a new song to their repertoire:

One Day I'll blog again, but for now...

2007-11-20T09:37:00.000-05:00

If only I wrote anything here worth reading...

2007-11-13T11:07:00.000-05:00

Do You Knowshon?

2007-11-10T19:33:00.000-05:00

Auburn does...

The Greatest Scam in History

2007-11-09T12:59:00.000-05:00

"It is the greatest scam in history. I am amazed, appalled and highly offended by it. Global Warming; It is a SCAM. Some dastardly scientists with environmental and political motives manipulated long term scientific data to create an illusion of rapid global warming. Other scientists of the same environmental whacko type jumped into the circle to support and broaden the “research” to further enhance the totally slanted, bogus global warming claims."

"This is my field of life-long expertise. And I am telling you Global Warming is a non-event, a manufactured crisis and a total scam. I say this knowing you probably won’t believe a me, a mere TV weatherman, challenging a Nobel Prize, Academy Award and Emmy Award winning former Vice President of United States. So be it."

John Coleman,
Founder of the Weather Channel
read more here.

This Guy Wants to be President

2007-11-07T08:58:00.000-05:00

Good answer...

Endorsed by Randy Alcorn, Joe Carter, Matthew Anderson & Justin Taylor and Chuck Norris.

Schadenfreude

2007-10-27T21:28:00.000-04:00

UGA-42 UF-30

2007-10-17T10:39:00.000-04:00

Man Sues God

2007-09-24T17:49:00.000-04:00

I'm teaching through 1 Corinthians in Sunday School and this past Sunday I covered the first half of chapter 6. In chapter 6, Paul tells the Corinthians that it is shameful and a defeat for them to be suing each other in civil court. "I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you." (1 Cor 6:5-7a) And as application, we talked about conflicts between Christians, lawsuits between Christians and lawsuits with unbelievers.

What I didn't think to cover was lawsuits with God. What should you do if you have a grievance against the Almighty? Why you do what Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers did and sue Him. Chambers is suing God for a 'permanent injunction' due to the defendant (God) making 'terroristic threats' and causing "fearsome floods, egregious earthquakes, horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornados, pestilential plagues, devastating droughts, genocidal war, birth defects and the like."

Chambers claims to be an agnostic. But he also says he doesn't really have a specific beef with deity (which he apparently doesn't know exists or not). He filed his lawsuit in response to a particular federal lawsuit he considers frivolous. That lawsuit, he says, makes his appropriate.

I don't think Chambers' lawsuit is so much frivolous as stupid. But this is also a well-known agnostic in Nebraska who has made critical comments about Christians and Christianity and regularly skips morning prayer prior to legislative sessions. It sounds more like an excuse to fling more mud at religion. An agnostic is someone who claims to not know whether God exists. I'm not sure what the term is for someone who doesn't care if He exists.

This has also stimulated some other conversation at other blogs such as this one. Ben Witherington asks if God is really to blame for all the evil in the world and makes the case that because of God's permissive will, he can not be rightly blamed for all the bad things that happen here on earth. He takes particular exception to John Piper's reaction to the bridge collapse in Minnesota. Piper says, "God had a purpose for not holding up that bridge, knowing all that would happen, and he is infinitely wise in all that he wills."

But Witherington paraphrases Piper this way: "His view was that however random it might seem to us, that actually this was the will of God, and in essence we should just suck it up. God is sovereign and he disposes things as he will, and according to his sovereign pre-ordained plan. If you just happened to be on the raw end of the deal, so much the worse for you."

Witherington says that we should never attribute Satan's work to God and that Piper's view is unbiblical. Perhaps Witherington has bitten off more than he can chew here. I don't believe Piper was addressing sin but a calamity. Does God cause calamity? According to Isaiah 45:7 and Amos 3:6, He does. Does anything happen that is outside the sovereignty of God? According to Proverbs 16, No. In Genesis 7, did God cause the flood or did he sit back and "allow it to happen"?

The reason that evil is in the world and the earth is sometimes inhospitable and life is hard and things fall down and planes fly into towers and we think dirty thoughts is because of sin. Man's sin changed the world because God said it would. Is God the author of sin and evil? No! Is the state of the world now with all its evil and calamity the will of God? I believe it is ONLY in the sense that God's ultimate will is that His Glory be proclaimed, that the universe knows that God is not only loving but just and that sin is truly evil and only He is truly Good.

But, I would agree with Witherington that it is blasphemous to attribute sin and evil to God. Satan is the tempter and the author of sin. However, as Luther says, the devil is God's devil and he doesn't do anything without "permission".

As for Chambers and his frivolous lawsuit in protest against frivolous lawsuits, perhaps he could take some advice from Job: “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth." (Job 40:4)

The Gospel in Six Minutes

2007-09-21T09:29:00.000-04:00

HT(Desiring God Blog)

Chocolate Rain

2007-09-15T20:30:00.000-04:00

After checking out one of Ronald Jenkee's videos, I saw a link for Chocolate Rain. The idea of chocolate falling from the sky is intriguing to me so I had to click. But I had stumbled upon yet another of the internet's "successes". Tay Zonday's video is a one-take, one camera shot from his studio - 'his studio' being a microphone in front of a sheet and also signified by Tay wearing headphones.
Tay affects a voice that is obviously unnatural for him, but he sustains it through the entire song by his unique breathing method. Once Tay starts singing he takes no break, delivering short snippets of lyric between refrains of, you guessed it, "Chocolate Rain". Here's a sampling of Tay's lyrical stylings:

"Chocolate Rain

Forecast to be falling yesterday

Chocolate Rain

Only in the past is what they say
Chocolate Rain

Raised your neighborhood insurance rates

Chocolate Rain

Makes us happy 'livin in a gate."

Tangled Up in Blue it ain't. But here's Tay's video:

Here's how we know it's a internet phenomenom. First he's been featured on The Jimmy Kimmel Show. Secondly, if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Tay should be swelling with pride:
Chocolate Rain by Chad Vader
Chocolate Rain by Tre Cool of Green Day
Vanilla Snow by Peppergod

Tay has other songs available on Youtube:
Say No to Nightmares
Do the Can't Dance
Blue on the Fourth of July
Swing Low/Amazing Grace Medley

The Phat Beats of Ronald Jenkees

2007-09-05T17:05:00.000-04:00

You've probably not heard the name of Ronald Jenkees. Apart from the internet, you probably won't. Ronald is a nerd. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. His glasses are an inch thick, yet he still squints. He has no apparent self-awareness, he chuckles at his own feeble attempts at humor and he has no sense of style. Yet he is an internet phenomenon. He has a YouTube channel with over 6,000 subscribers. What does he do? Ronald writes, programs and plays music with his computer and Korg keyboard. He introduces each video with "Hello Youtubes!" and proceeds to explain his inspiration and how he envisions that particular tune's use.

You keep waiting for the joke to be revealed, for him to cut the nerd routine and suddenly say, "I'm just kidding, I don't really talk like that." But he doesn't. And here's the catch: he's good. And he's good enough that he has an album that can be bought on iTunes or you can order a real CD.

Here's an example of his mad skillz:

Here, Ronald plays Canon in D with a "nasty guitar sound":

But nobody wants to play Balderdash.

She's my little growth

2007-09-04T15:25:00.000-04:00

Found on another blog, it's the Benign Girl cell phone!

It'll still give you cancer, just not the bad kind.
Complete with pre-corroded batteries.

Dawg's Travelogue 4

2007-08-30T00:17:00.000-04:00

Washington state license plate. Georgia Bulldog window decal.

Click here for a larger picture.

Dawg's Travelogue 3

2007-08-29T13:38:00.000-04:00

Went walking through downtown Seattle this morning. Seattle is like the best parts of Atlanta combined with the best parts of Athens, GA. With coffee shops scattered liberally. Speaking of which, I walked into Seattle Coffee Works to get some espresso. The guy who took my order and money asked where I was from. I told him Atlanta, Georgia. He said, that's funny, I'm going to live in Savannah. I said, really, to go to school? He said, no, my boyfriend goes to SCAD and I'm going to be with him.

So there you go.

Another interesting tidbit is that no one makes eye contact here. Almost no one, that is. The only people I saw looking at me were panhandlers. Which is probably why no one else would make eye contact. Amazing.

Headed to the airport now. Very tired. Even after three cups of espresso.

Dawg's Travelogue 2

2007-08-29T10:55:00.000-04:00

Got lost running this morning. I went for a run around Union Lake, approximately 6 miles around. This is the picturesque lake from Sleepless in Seattle. I got around to the other side of the lake looking for the last bridge to cross back over and couldn't find it. I had already run more than 6 miles so now I'm running and looking. Then I'm walking and looking. Finally, over all the trees and buildings I see the Space Needle. My hotel is two blocks from the there.

So I kept my eye on the space needle and the lake on my right. I finally found my bridge by keeping the Space Needle in front of me. If I didn't have the Space Needle, I'd probably still be out there somewhere.

There's an analogy here somewhere...

Dawg's Travelogue

2007-08-29T01:05:00.000-04:00

I am not a big fan of flying. There's something unnatural about hurtling through the air in a metal tube, bursting through clouds, "cruising" precariously miles above the ground.

I'm sitting in an airplane shortly after take off - bursting through the clouds - and I'm sitting by the emergency door, no less. I have to be prepared to get this thing open in the event of an emergency. I used to enjoy flying. Now I loathe just being in the airport. If I have any anxieties at all it's the time leading up to a flight. I'm generally not an anxious person. Uptight, maybe; but not anxious.

Another irony of this trip is that I'm acting as a sort of guide for another fellow who hasn't flown in "maybe 15-20 years" and has never been to the West Coast. He is following me as if I'm the confident, expert traveler. If I'm an "expert", it's only because I've done this enough times to detest it. If I'm confident, it's only because I want to get this over with quickly and the way to do that is to plan ahead and be decisive.

I've written down the location of my vehicle in the Economy Lot - "66D, by the tree". I've brought a GPS device with all my destinations pre-programmed. I stuffed my belt in my computer bag so I wouldn't have to take it off in security. I've brought granola bars because I know they won't be serving a meal on the flight. (or any flight, unless you're in 1st Class) I bought a bottle of water in the concourse (because you can't get liquids through security) so I can drop my Airborne tablet in it. As I'm writing, a child is squealing across the plane - good thing I brought my MP3 player. I've got two books and a magazine. But here I am writing about anxiety.

But for all I know, this whole plane is full of anxious people; not necessarily about flying. Who knows what they could be worrying about. I'm sure my flying anxiety is nothing compared to some of the things these folks are dealing with. Then again, maybe they've got less to worry about, but they do anyway. Some people don't think they're alive unless they're worrying about something. There's no way of looking at these people and knowing who's got what problems. Or who's on medication for anxiety. Or who has put their faith in a Savior who said, "Do not worry about your life". (Matt. 6:25) Or knows that they should be anxious for nothing. (Phil 4:6-7) Or put their faith in a God who is both strong and loving. (Ps. 62:11-12) Or has cast all their anxieties on Him. (1 Peter 5:7)

Maybe I should do that.

****

"He knows me as a friend, one who loves me; and there is no moment when his eye is off me, or his attention distracted from me, and no moment, therefore, where his care falters. This is momentous knowledge. There is unspeakable comfort ... in knowing that God is constantly taking knowledge of me in love, and watching over me for my good." - J.I. Packer

****

The airplane lavatory has hardwood floors. All 4 square-feet of it. There's a $2,200 fine for tampering with the smoke detector in the airplane lavatory. The soap is fragrant and the water is scalding.

****

Does this give a hint as to where I'm headed?

Welcome to Middle of Nowhere Kentucky

2007-08-21T11:14:00.000-04:00

Horse and buggy in Pembroke, Kentucky. (Amish?)

Getting on (and off) an island

2007-08-20T09:40:00.000-04:00

A friend and coworker just barely made it out of Jamaica before Hurricane Dean hit. But for those who live there, they're going to have a very rough time. I'm not sure why anyone would want to live on a Caribbean island. Sure it's lush and tropical, but for "common" people who live there, that's probably where it ends. I would think most islanders are poor and welcome tourism as a means of feeding their families. And it seems many Americans are more than happy to accommodate. If there's a far off island, we'll figure out a way to get there. And the mad dash to get out of Jamaica somehow reminded me of this video of a plane landing on St. Maarten.

This is apparently a normal landing as this video and this one show. And by contrast, here's a video of a jet revving up for take off at the same beach/airport.

Getting a Leg Up (or off)

2007-08-15T09:26:00.000-04:00

TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) -- A Japanese biker failed to notice his leg had been severed below the knee when he hit a safety barrier, and rode on for 2 km (1.2 miles), leaving a friend to pick up the missing limb.
The 54-year-old office worker was out on his motorcycle with a group of friends in the city of Hamamatsu, west of Tokyo, on Monday, when he was unable to negotiate a curve in the road and bumped into the central barrier, the Mainichi Shimbun said.
He felt excruciating pain, but did not notice that his right leg was missing until he stopped at the next junction, the paper quoted local police as saying.
The man and his leg were taken to hospital, but the limb had been crushed in the collision, the paper said.
(Source)

Four Views of the Millennium Pt.4

2007-08-13T17:16:00.000-04:00

(This is the fourth and final segment. Parts 1, 2 & 3)

Lastly, Herman A. Hoyt explains dispensational premillennialism. The dominant dispensational position is that the millennial kingdom is the culmination of the larger biblical theme of the kingdom of God (p 64). Hoyt gives a brief description and history of the kingdom as revealed in Scripture, beginning with Genesis and working progressively through time. He distinguishes between the overarching universal kingdom rule of God and the mediatorial kingdom established on the earth, with a God-chosen mediator as overseer (p 73). The mediatorial kingdom was manifest on earth for a brief period, was prophesied to return by the Old Testament prophets after its fall, and was expected by Israel and Jesus’ apostles in the return of the Jewish Messiah. Jesus spent time before and after His death and resurrection expounding on the kingdom through parables and direct teaching.

Dispensational eschatology stems from a method of biblical interpretation that takes scripture at face value: scripture can be understood literally unless there is an obvious figurative sense, or the literal sense is impossible. The Bible is written from history and the knowledge of the Biblical writers is partially informed by their respective place in time. The Old Testament can be understood on its own and provides background for the New Testament, rather than the New reinterpreting the Old. Where an Old Testament passage is applied in the New, it does not change the meaning of the Old. Because the New Testament authors were inspired, their application of it in their writings is always correct. Thus, the dispensational view of the millennium is informed by all of scripture and no scripture need be reinterpreted to fit the theology. The meaning of the millennium does not rest on any single passage (p 71). The kingdom is foretold in Old Testament prophecy as coming suddenly and with great catastrophes, both natural and supernatural, so that all of mankind will know of its arrival (p 79). The earth will undergo physical transformation (p 83). The kingdom will be centered in Jerusalem and be ruled by a real king on a material throne (p 78). It will be a continuation of the Davidic kingdom and national Israel will be the seat and the beneficiary of this future kingdom (p 79). Jerusalem will become the political and spiritual center of the world, and all nations will pay homage to the king. The king will also be supernatural but a descendent of King David (p 80).

The New Testament expands on the kingdom theme. Jesus often used Daniel’s terminology to speak of the kingdom (p 85). Jesus prepared His apostles for Israel’s rejection of the kingdom, but that there would also be a future realization (p 86). In the intermediate time, Christ would build His church (p 87) and the church would reign with him in the kingdom (p 90).

Revelation is the book about the dramatic arrival of the kingdom in the future. A time of great tribulation will occur where the church is noticeably absent. Satan will rule the earth through an Antichrist figure. During that seven-year period, many will believe in Christ, including Jews and Gentiles, and many of those will be martyred. Various judgments will be unleashed on the earth. The new world order under the Antichrist will ultimately be destroyed by the returning King (p 91), who will establish this kingdom on David’s throne. The church will return with Him, and saints from throughout history, including the tribulation, will be resurrected (p 92). Satan will be bound for the duration of the new incarnation of this mediatorial kingdom on earth. Near the end of the thousand year physical reign of Christ on the earth, Satan will be loosed and he will incite rebellion among the unregenerate in the kingdom. The King will destroy Satan and death forever and turn the kingdom over to the Father, thus joining the mediatorial kingdom with the universal kingdom for all eternity.

With little exception, this way of understanding the biblical millennium is the most true to scripture because of its interpretive method and its use of the entirety of scripture in gathering information. The progressive nature of the Bible is left intact and no passage is reinterpreted based on more recent scripture. Even without the New Testament, elements of the millennial kingdom are clearly seen, even if, for example, the duration of this kingdom found in Revelation is not discernable. As Hoekema intimated in his chapter (pp 156,159) and Boettner admits in his response to dispensational premillennialism (p 95), interpreted literally, the scriptures lend themselves to this view.

Four Views of the Millennium Pt.3

2007-08-10T08:15:00.000-04:00

Amillennialism is presented by Anthony A. Hoekema. Hoekema suggests that since the term is markedly negative and that the central tenant of this view is that we are currently in the millennial period, a better title might be realized millennialism (p 155); however, the explanation is more important than what it’s called. The millennial period began at Christ’s first coming and extends to the time just prior to his return. This number, taken from Revelation 20, is symbolic of a “complete time” and actually means an indeterminate amount of time (p 161). During this millennium Satan is “bound”, meaning that his activity is curtailed so that the gospel can be preached to the nations (p 162). When Christ returns, there will be a general resurrection (p 171). The two resurrections mentioned in Revelation 20:4, 5 are both spiritual resurrections since Christ is not physically reigning on earth (p 169).

What brings Hoekema to this understanding of the millennium is his admittedly unique method of interpreting the book of Revelation. Hoekema admits that if this book were taken as a linear history of future events, then the thousand-year reign would have to commence after the second coming of Christ (p 156). Hoekema instead uses a method called progressive parallelism. The book of Revelation is actually a series of seven parallel accounts of the time between the first and second coming of Christ. One of those division points is between chapters 19 and 20. Christ’s return is depicted in 19, while the thousand year period is mentioned in 20. Because of their settings in their respective sections, the millennium is said to begin prior to Jesus return (p 160).

After Hoekema explains the interpretive methods and the amillennial position, he discusses two Old Testament passages from Isaiah that are generally pointed to by premillennialists as information about the millennium on earth. He states that these could just as easily be understood to depict the conditions in the eternal state, rather than a millennial kingdom (p 174).

What makes Hoekema’s amillennialism difficult to accept is the method of interpretation. There seems to be absolutely no basis for understanding Revelation as anything other than a generally linear account of future events yet to happen. Although Revelation is certainly a special book in the Bible, no other book can be treated as a progressive parallelism. The manufactured divisions seem to conveniently disconnect key events – specifically the physical return of Christ and an earthly millennial kingdom. More hermeneutical gymnastics must be performed to make both resurrections mentioned in Revelation 20 mean spiritual resurrections only, and to interpret the binding of Satan as in the present.

Although not specifically stated, the amillennial understanding of eschatology seems to come primarily from Revelation, while the Old Testament prophets are of little use because they are vague and the New Testament takes precedence. Like postmillennialism, the amillennial hermeneutic reads the Old Testament through the New. Passages such as Isaiah 65:17-20 are understood as speaking of the new earth to fit the amillennial mold, despite the fact that these new conditions include death at much older ages (v 20).

Hoekema says that his preferred system of interpretation is “not without its difficulties”(p 156). This seems to understate the problem. Because his interpretive method forces other passages to be spiritualized or even marginalized, this view does not seem faithful to the scriptures.

(Part 1 and 2.)

Four Views of the Millennium Pt.2

2007-08-08T18:42:00.000-04:00

Here's Part 2. Go here for part 1.

Loraine Boettner presents the evidence for a postmillennial view of eschatology. The Postmillennial position is that through the preaching of the gospel throughout the world and the work of the Holy Spirit through men, the world will become increasingly Christianized, ushering in a “golden age of spiritual prosperity” that will be the biblical millennium (p 117). Although referred to as a millennium, this future time is not necessarily to be a literal one thousand years. When Christ tells his disciples in the great commission that He would be with them until the end of the age, the postmillennialist understands this to mean that this worldwide evangelization would be effective and ultimately triumphant. Boettner, however, admits that the church has been “extremely negligent in her duty” (p 119).

The postmillennial kingdom will not be marked by a lack of sin. Sin and evil will still exist, but will be greatly curtailed. In fact, one need not be Christian to enjoy the benefits of the millennium. The postmillennial kingdom will be largely a kingdom of the heart (p 121). Boettner contrasts this with the premillennial expectation that resurrected saints will walk the same earth as men still in sinful bodies, which seems impossible.

Another aspect of the postmillennial kingdom is that the majority of mankind will be redeemed. This seems to coincide with biblical passages that depict the vastness of heaven and the relatively tight quarters of hell. According to Boettner, the majority of the human race will be saved.

Boettner states that in matters of interpretation, there is no problem with a figurative interpretation “if the evidence indicates it is preferable.” (p 134). He then gives an extended dismissal of literal interpretation methods, including obvious examples of passages that simply cannot be taken literally – God having eagle’s wings (Exodus 19:4) and a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8).

Boettner’s defense of postmillennialism is lacking any serious attempt at scriptural support. Instead, he gives examples of how the world has improved over time. This look at a pre-1977 world seems to disregard much and is obviously uninformed about tragic world events that have transpired since.

Postmillennialism is optimistic: Christians can change the world and bring about the kingdom, if only they have the fervor of the reformers or first century disciples. But this idea seems to overlook the fact that it did not take long after Christ’s commission to the apostles for them to experience imprisonment, torture and even death. Christian revival throughout history has not necessarily stemmed persecution, but shows that the church flourishes in spite of it. Postmillennialism also seems to ignore scripture’s warnings of apostasy in the church (Jude 4; 2 Thessalonians 2:3).

Regarding Boettner’s distaste for the premillennial idea of resurrected saints and sinful men coexisting on earth, the apostles seemed to have no problem relating to a risen Jesus in their time of training in Acts 1.

Because of Boettner’s lack of biblical support and overlooking of biblical and historical evidence regarding the state of the church and the world, postmillennialism does not appear to be a biblical view of the millennium.

Four Views of the Millennium Pt.1

2007-08-06T06:06:00.000-04:00

I haven't done a book review in a while, so why not a BIG book review!

The Meaning of the Millennium:

A Book Review

Within the Christian community there are many ongoing “in-house” theological debates, yet it seems more ink is spilled over the topic of eschatology than any other. The Meaning of the Millennium, edited by Robert G. Clouse, is an attempt to outline the major views of how theologians understand the future kingdom promised by Jesus and alluded to in the Old Testament Prophets, specifically Daniel and Isaiah, and especially the book of Revelation. The book consists of a different proponent of each system explaining the interpretation of these passages and how they expect the millennial kingdom to operate in relation to the historical kingdom, if a relationship exists. The other three writers then evaluate each other’s work.

George Allen Ladd presents the case for historic premillennialism. This view asserts that Jesus’ second coming will happen prior to a millennial period. Christ will appear on the earth at the height of world war and defeat his enemies, the Antichrist and Satan. Satan will be bound and Christ will set up His throne on earth as King. At the end of one thousand years, Satan will be loosed and incite rebellion against the King. This final rebellion will be crushed, and Satan, his allies and even death will be cast into hell.

There are several features of this system which set it apart from other forms of premillennialism. According to Ladd, Jesus is now sitting on David’s throne in heaven, since Peter transferred it from Jerusalem to Zion (p 31). His “revelation” will be one that reveals His sovereignty and lordship which is already His in heaven (p 32). It seems that Christ will not necessarily return bodily. The resurrection mentioned in Revelation 20:4 is a spiritual resurrection at the beginning of the millennium, while the one in verse 5 is physical at the end of it (p 36).

Although national Israel remains God’s elect and will somehow be saved at the second coming, the church has become “spiritual Israel”. Because of Israel’s disobedience, the church receives the promises originally made to them in the Old Testament (pp 24-28).

The most distinguishing mark of this system is Ladd’s hermeneutic. Ladd admits that since the New Testament interprets Old Testament prophecies in a manner which the Old Testament prophets could not have expected, the Old Testament should be reinterpreted in light of the New. This creates a dilemma for the historical premillennialist. As Ladd states at the end of his chapter, there are “serious theological problems with the doctrine of a millennium.”(p 40). These problems are manufactured by using the New Testament as the touchstone for interpretation. Since Old Testament references are reinterpreted to fit what is revealed in the New Testament, the promises to Israel are reassigned while other prophecies are ignored, since the “Old Testament did not clearly foresee how its own prophecies were to be fulfilled.” (p 27). While much of the New Testament is interpreted literally, the Old Testament is at the mercy of how the interpreter reads the New. Ladd states that the only scripture that mentions a millennial kingdom is Revelation 20, yet he finds support for it in Matthew 25 and I Corinthians 15. Unfortunately, due to his interpretation method, he is unable to see the Old Testament content regarding a future kingdom.

It is of interest that Ladd sees clear reference to a millennial kingdom in the New Testament. However, because of his use of the New Testament to interpret the Old Testament, his view of a millennium is flawed.

Pastoral Hip Hop

2007-08-03T07:41:00.000-04:00

John MacArthur is Jumping.

But, John Piper is BAD.

Zeppelin vs. Pterodactyls

2007-08-01T00:10:00.000-04:00

This is a movie poster from the 1930s for a film that, unfortunately, was never made. This comes from Slouching Towards Bethlehem. Quoting from another link : "The story was along the lines of THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT, with a German Zeppelin being blown off-course during a bombing raid on London and winding up at a "lost continent"-type place. Hammer was interested in the property during the production of WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH but developed misgivings about stop-motion animation, plus they couldn't raise the financial backing, so it was dropped." Oh, what could have been...

However, someone has created a "mash-up" of what they imagined a 1930's Zeppelin/Pterodactyl film would look like. They simply borrowed old movie clips and found a few with blimps and pterodactyls. (Actually it's quite awful. That's 6min 35 sec I'll never get back.)

On the subject of movies and borrowing things, have you ever heard "The Wilhelm Scream"? Chances are you have. Someone was making a movie called Distant Drums in 1951 and needed a scream to overdub in to the movie. The scream was then reused in countless films and continues to be used today. It's been used in the three original Star Wars movies and the Indiana Jones trilogy. Watch and listen for yourself:

The Kingdom of God Pt.3

2007-07-30T20:52:00.000-04:00

Here's the third and final installment. (Part 1, Part 2)

______________________________________________

This coming kingdom established by Christ and the circumstances surrounding its arrival are laid out in the Book of Revelation. This book relies heavily on Old Testament prophetic language, especially from Daniel. Where the Old Testament was limited in its depiction and understanding of the kingdom’s ruler, we can clearly see from Revelation that the king will be none other than the risen Lord Jesus.

Kingdom language is prominent throughout this record written by John. There is kingdom authority in the thrones, crowns and diadems that dot the apocalyptic landscape. The acts of a kingdom are displayed in reigning, ruling, judging and power. There are also multitudes that are spoken of in heaven and on earth who will have a role in the kingdom.

Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation are messages from Jesus addressed to specific New Testament churches. After these messages, the church (ekklesia) is not mentioned again until the very end of the book. As noted previously, the church is conspicuous by her absence during the events that occur on earth prior to the physical return of Christ. In fact, when speaking to the church at Philadelphia, Jesus says that He will keep them from “the hour of testing” (Rev 3:10). This “hour” would be one to test the earth, the likes of which the earth had never seen before.

Chapters 4 through 18 expound upon what will be Daniel’s seventieth week. Where Daniel speaks of the prince to come and the breaking of his covenant with the people, John is able to shed more light on the final seven-year period. John’s vision begins in heaven with the opening of the seals of the scroll, and he is able to see all that happens on the earth. The rider on the white horse (Rev 6:2) is the prince from Daniel 9 that conquers much of the world and destroys those who do not worship him. Those who are martyred include a great multitude (Rev 7:9,14) and all of the 144,000 (Rev 14:1). The progression of seals, trumpets and bowls bring this final period to its climax. In fact, the seventh trumpet is a proclamation of the Kingdom of God on earth coming from heaven (Rev 11:15). The Lamb of God, Jesus, returns and stands on Mount Zion (Rev 14:1). National Israel turns and repents, believing in their Messiah, welcoming His divine help while mourning that they didn’t believe in Him and in fact pierced Him at His first coming (Rev 1:7; Zech 12:10; 14:12).

As the beast, Daniel’s “prince” will gather the kings of the world to make war against the Lamb, then the seventh bowl will be poured out (Rev 16:13-17). Babylon will be destroyed and Jesus will defeat the armies of the beast by the “sword of His mouth” (Rev 19:19-21). Satan will be bound for 1,000 years (Rev 20:1-2) and thrones will be set up on the earth, from which Jesus and the resurrected martyred saints will reign (Rev 20:3-4). This is the first resurrection, including only saints that had died, been raptured or martyred during the tribulation. Thus begins the final chapter in the mediatorial kingdom of God on earth. This is the kingdom that Jesus offered, that the apostles taught and that Christians are to look for as an inheritance. The details of this kingdom are found in the Old Testament prophetic literature – specifically Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jeremiah. During His first advent, Jesus spoke frankly about the events that would occur in the last days. This discourse is recorded in Matthew 24 and 25. He describes the tribulation (Matt 24:21-26), His return (Matt 24:29-30), the establishment of His kingdom (Matt 25:31) and the judgment of the nations (Matt 25:32-46). If these accounts line up with the book of Revelation, then shortly after Christ begins to reign, the nations will be gathered and those who rebelled will be banished from the Kingdom, but those who are found faithful will enter into it.

In this kingdom will be believers in resurrection bodies and people still in the flesh. Initially, these fleshy inhabitants of the kingdom will be regenerate, but as they populate this new kingdom on earth, their offspring will be unregenerate men and women. After 1,000 years have passed, Satan will be unchained from the abyss (Rev 20:7,8) and will provoke the nations into another rebellion against the King. This uprising will be quickly ended with fire from heaven; Satan will be cast into the lake of fire along with death and Hades (Rev 20:10, 13). At this time the second resurrection will take place and the unbelieving dead will appear before the great white throne of judgment. If their name is not written in the book of life, they will be thrown into the lake of fire.

As the New Jerusalem is coming down from Heaven (Rev 21:2) and the new heaven and new earth replace the old, (Rev 21:1; 2 Peter 3:12-13) Jesus will hand over the kingdom to His Father (I Cor 15:24). The mediatorial kingdom is not ended but merged into the universal Kingdom of the Father. As John writes in the final chapter, the throne (singular) is to be occupied by God and the Lamb (Rev 22:3). This kingdom will be physical, being on the reconstituted and redeemed earth. But the heavens have also been redeemed and there is no need for a sun, since the Lord in His glory will dwell with men once again. As God was able to walk in the garden with Adam and Eve, He will be among His people in the culmination of the Universal Kingdom. Even the tree of life from the Garden of Eden will grow by the rivers that flow from the throne (Rev 22:1-2).

Once the evidence is gathered and considered, the Kingdom of God is revealed as a major theme throughout the pages of scripture. It is especially significant to the church in modern times as the current trends in modern evangelicalism tend toward earthly, even worldly, pursuits. The church must not forget that our rewards are related to the kingdom, which is our inheritance (I Cor 3:12-15). But lest we think that we detach ourselves from this world in favor of a coming kingdom, we would do well to reflect on Paul’s speech to the Ephesian elders (Acts 20:17-35). Even as he is reminding them of his teaching on the kingdom, (v. 25) he is about the business of proclaiming the Gospel, even if it means persecution and ultimately his death. As Paul stated elsewhere, we should walk in the works prepared for us (Eph 2:10). James reminds us to not only listen to the Word but to do what it says (James 1:22). Yet at the same time, we can say with John, “Come Lord Jesus” (Rev 22:20).

The Kingdom of God Pt.2

2007-07-27T16:45:00.000-04:00

Here's part 2, go here for part 1.

During the decline of the mediatorial kingdom and the captivity of Israel in Babylon, God’s prophets were proclaiming not only the downfall of Israel but a future revival of the kingdom under a descendent of David, the great king. The future king is said to be of the royal line of David (Jer 23:5), born in the town of Bethlehem (Mic 5:2) and born of a Jewish virgin (Isa 7:14). He would be human with divine qualities (Isa 9:6). This messianic mediatorial ruler would govern as prophet, priest and king – the three highest biblical “offices,” in the order of Melchezidek (Ps 110) and also in the mold of Moses (Deut 18:15). He would sit on David’s throne (Isa 9:7) in Jerusalem (Isa 24:23) in the land of Israel. However, many of the prophecies concerning this divine king declare that he will be cut off (Dan 9:25), bruised (Isa 53:10), a suffering servant (Isa 53:11) and smitten of God (Isa 53:4). Without the New Testament revelation, it would be difficult even for the prophets to understand that there would be two arrivals of this king.

This future kingdom will be in history, but will be established forever (Mic 4:7; Isa 60:20). Although national Israel will be dispersed across the globe, the nation will be gathered together prior to this new kingdom’s commencement (Isa 11:12; Jer 31:10). Although Israel will be its seat and the primary subjects, the kingdom will also reach out to and benefit other nations of the world (Isa 19:25; Zech 14:9). The spiritual nature of this kingdom will place the Word of God as its standard for living (Isa 2:3). Warfare will be unnecessary (Mic 4:3) and the inhabitants of the kingdom will enjoy a safety like none ever had in history (Zech 8:4-5).

The divine nature of this kingdom is illustrated by the changes in the physical nature of the earth. In connection with the establishment of the kingdom, the earth will tremble (Isa 2:19). In this kingdom, vegetation will grow where it didn’t before and drought will be no more (Isa 35:6-7). Animals will behave differently (Isa 11:6-8). Man will enjoy long life (Isa 60:22) and good health (Isa 35:5-6) on the earth. The climatic and physical conditions of the earth seem to mirror those found in pre-flood times.

Jerusalem will not only be the political center, but the religious capital where the Priest-King will rule (Zech 6:12-13). The king will be worshipped and those who do not will suffer consequences (Zech 14:17). In the Old Testament prophetic literature, one of the greatest points of contention among different schools of interpretation is Ezekiel’s vision of the new temple to be built in Jerusalem. Some would argue that this temple, with its reinstitution of animal sacrifices, contradicts other scripture (i.e., Hebrews 10, where Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice has put an end to the Old Covenant, specifically the sacrificial system); therefore, it must not be taken literally. Yet the sacrificial system did not take away sins and many of the sacrifices were specifically for cleansing. With this in mind, there should be no problem with the reestablishment of animal sacrifices, especially considering Old Testament prophecy’s track record of fulfillment.

The timing of this kingdom is marked by Daniel in his prophecies concerning the seventy weeks (Dan 9:24). From the time of the decree to rebuild the temple until the Messiah being cut off would be sixty-nine weeks (Dan 9:25-26). This leaves one week to “count down” the establishment of the new kingdom (Dan 9:27). The time between the sixty-nine weeks and the one week is uncertain and indiscernible from scripture.

It should be evident that the sixty-nine weeks have expired with the fulfillment of this prophecy in the cutting off of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. But prior to His crucifixion, the proclamation of the coming kingdom intensified during His life on earth and even prior to His birth to the virgin Mary. It was spoken of by the angels who visited Mary (Luke 1:26-35), Joseph (Matt 1:20-25), Zacharias (Luke 1:11-17) and the shepherds (Luke 2:8-15). It was proclaimed by John the Baptist (Matt 3:1-2), Jesus (Matt 4:17) and the apostles (Matt 10:5-7).

As most people understand the Gospel, Jesus lived a perfect life and died a sacrificial death for our sins. But this was not the only reason for His coming. He came offering the kingdom to Israel with miraculous signs to validate His claims. Jesus was the embodiment of the kingdom as its ruler. He told the Pharisees that the kingdom was “among you” (Luke 17:21) and “come near to you” (Luke 10:9). To His apostles, He stated that although John the Baptist was not Elijah, he could have been (Matt 17:10-13), which would have fulfilled Malachi’s prophecy about Elijah’s return preceding the Kingdom (4:5). In addition to the term “Kingdom of Heaven,” He often referred to Himself as ‘Son of Man,’ both terms used by Daniel (Dan 2:44; 7:13). Christ’s preaching about the kingdom mirrored much of what the Old Testament prophets predicted. Many of His parables were directly related to the kingdom, His rejection and death, and the time leading up to His return.

Because of His rejection, the kingdom was not bestowed on Israel due to their unbelief and it is now in abeyance, meaning that it is postponed until a time determined by the Father. After His resurrection, Jesus taught His disciples for forty days regarding the kingdom (Acts 1:3) before His ascension. Their responsibility was to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria and to the remotest parts of the earth (Acts 1:8). The church was established on the Day of Pentecost, yet shortly after, Peter reoffered the Kingdom to Israel if they would repent and put their faith in the one whom they had pierced, so that “times of refreshing” and the “restoration of all things” might come (Acts 3:17-21).

After this time and throughout the book of Acts, the church rises in prominence while talk about the kingdom fades. It is important to understand that just as the church has not replaced Israel, the church is not the kingdom either. The church is referred to as aliens and strangers (1 Peter 2:11) in this world and subject to humiliation and trials (James 1:2). Although Christ is head of the church, He is not “king” of the church – He does not “reign” in the sense that He is said to in Old and New Testament prophecies of the kingdom. The church enjoys certain benefits foretold in scripture, but they have no connection to the land promised to Israel in the Abrahamic Covenant. The church is said to inherit the kingdom (I Cor 6:9) and, those who come into the church while the kingdom is in abeyance are in effect “translated” and made part of the kingdom (Col 1:13). The church is said to reign with Christ, if she is faithful to Him (II Tim 2:12). The church during the present age is to walk by faith (II Cor 5:7), always looking for the return of her Lord and Savior (I Thess 5:2; I Cor 15:24). The church age will end when the dead in Christ rise first and, with the living church, meet the Lord in the air (I Thess 4:13-18). The church will remain with Him until she returns with Him when He comes to set up the great and final mediatorial kingdom on earth.

The Kingdom of God Pt.1

2007-07-25T13:28:00.000-04:00

What follows is a term paper. For those who've read past the first sentence, this is an overview of the Kingdom of God as portrayed in scripture. I'm aware that it won't interest everyone, but the Kingdom is a major plot-line in scripture. Enjoy...or at least try. And a word of warning: this is from a dispensational point of view. Later, I'll post my review of the four major views of the millennium.

The Kingdom of God in Scripture

The term “Kingdom of God” is one that is recognizable in spiritual, social and cultural settings, even though it’s misunderstood and misappropriated. We’ve heard it before, but most people couldn’t tell you what it really means. Sometimes referred to as the “Kingdom of Heaven”, it seems to take on a more celestial tone; one that is otherworldly. It’s often associated with political or moral movements, such as the Christian Reconstructionist Movement, which advocates government rule by biblical law. In the 2005 Ridley Scott movie Kingdom of Heaven, the crusade for the Holy Land is seen as a way to Christianize society to bring about a “kingdom of Heaven” on earth. Though most might guess it comes from the Bible, few understand what it really means and its significance, not only as a biblical theme, but as it pertains to the world around us.

The theme of a Kingdom ruled by God runs through the Bible from Genesis through the prophesied end of time and the eternal state in Revelation. The descriptions of this kingdom are varied depending on where it is found and in what context it is being described. Yet in each instance of this godly kingdom, there are three essential characteristics: 1) an authoritative ruler, 2) a “realm” with subjects to rule over, and 3) the functional rule of the king over the kingdom.

There is a sense in which the kingdom of God is already, but not yet. The scriptures often speak of God’s control over all things, that He does as He pleases, that He works His “good will” which no man can thwart, that He directs the paths of man and that nothing happens which He doesn’t allow or cause to happen. This rule is referred to as the Universal Kingdom of God. This rule of God is eternal, spiritual and invisible, though God may act supernaturally at times according to His will.

The story of the Bible, including the patriarchs, Israel, captivity, the Old Testament prophets, the first coming of Jesus, the Church age and the second coming of Jesus, is all related to one degree or another to a physical kingdom upon the earth. This kingdom is called the Mediatorial Kingdom. This kingdom exists in time and on earth with a divinely-chosen ruler or mediator, who speaks for God and represents the people of the kingdom before Him.

Adam was created by God to have dominion over the earth (Gen 1:26). When Adam sinned, that ruling power was negatively impacted and the kingdom was delayed. God made it clear through progressive revelation that the seed of the woman would destroy the tempter Satan (Gen 3:15), that from Abraham’s seed would come kings (Gen 17:6), that the land which He showed him would be an “everlasting possession” (Gen 17:8) and that through Jacob all the families of the earth would be blessed (Gen 28:14).

While in slavery to Egypt, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob multiplied. Moses was appointed by God to lead them out of slavery and to become the first mediatorial ruler. Moses became the voice of God to Israel (Ex 3:1-6), brought the Law (Ex 31:18) and the sacrificial system (Lev 1:2), established the priestly class through his brother Aaron (Ex 28:1) and was given authority by God to follow through with the consequences of breaking God’s Law. God promised to bring them into the land He promised to Abraham (Deut 30:5), to bless them if they obeyed (Deut 6:3; Deut 28:1-2) and to curse them if they disobeyed (Deut 28:15).

After the death of Moses, the mediatorial kingdom on earth was continued through Israel under the leadership of Joshua and various judges, then with Saul, the first king, and finally through the line of David, God’s chosen monarch. Although he was chosen by God, Saul became king as a result of Israel’s cry for a king to be like other nations, but God had predetermined His own kingly line to continue His kingdom plan and exercise His right over the kingdom.

By Israel’s relative obedience to God’s Law, the mediatorial kingdom of God in Israel enjoyed its heyday through David and Solomon. Among the benefits that God bestowed on them was His presence in the Shekinah glory. This manifestation of the Glory of God led the nation of Israel through the wilderness into their promised land. Also, Israel subdued their enemies and neighboring kingdoms paid homage to Israel. Israel also became a prosperous nation, dating back to the treasure secured in their departure from Egypt.

Even as the prophets were proclaiming the fall of the kingdom, the nation splintered, its rulers neglected to acknowledge God or His law, its people fell into disobedience and Israel became apostate, except for a godly remnant that remained faithful through out Old and New Testament times. Ultimately, the Shekinah glory departed and both kingdoms were taken into captivity. Ezekiel’s vision of the departure emphasizes God’s reluctance to leave His beloved people, yet there was no repentance and therefore God had to make good on His promise. The mediatorial kingdom subsequently ended. After the ensuing captivity, Israel returned to repopulate her land and rebuild the temple, but the presence of God did not return, nor did an earthy king.

For crying out loud, It's just a book.

2007-07-21T12:39:00.000-04:00

To all those people who dressed up and waited until midnight to fight for their copy of the new Harry Potter book...

The shortest concert ever

2007-07-19T12:45:00.000-04:00

The White Stripes played a one-note concert. Nobody seems to be too upset. Note the request for an encore - "one more note".

Here's another video from another perspective.

Living in a Television Culture

2007-07-17T21:55:00.000-04:00

[This is adapted from my notes on a chapter 4, “Set Apart to Save: Viewing Sensuality”, of Set Apart by Kent Hughes.]

It’s been said that the two biggest reasons we don’t know our neighbors is air-conditioning and Television. We can be comfortable and entertained simultaneously and immediately. We buy furniture for the television and for us to sit long hours in front of it. Al Mohler said that if archeologists excavated America in the future, they might determine that the television was our altar because our rooms are arranged around it as if we worship there.

But television in all its forms is also the single greatest unifying factor in our culture. In some ways it is the culture. So many things in our world are defined by television. One author writes, “In television, we live, and move and have our being.” (Ken Myers, All God’s Children and Blue Suede Shoes)

Back in high school, I remember a friend saying, “when I get married and have kids, I’m going to let them learn about sex the same way I did: from television”. It was an attempt at wit, but, as some would say, there’s truth in jest. We can certainly learn a lot about sex from television, but maybe in the same way that Eve learned about fruit from a talking serpent.

Kent Hughes shares statistics showing how the number of instances of sexual material that you can expect on television has dramatically increased. One poll from 1989 showed that in an average hour of prime time, you could expect 10 sexual innuendos and 1 or 2 references to intercourse. And that’s 1989. Portrayal of premarital or extramarital sex has increased over the years. Hughes quotes one television executive as saying, “married or celibate characters aren’t as much fun.”

References to homosexuality were rare in the eighties, but now they’re about 20 to 30 times more common. And we laugh at it. No doubt you’ve heard the phrase, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that”. Of course that was from Seinfeld. But do you remember the context? Someone wrote a story about Jerry inferring that he was gay and he and George tried to convince everyone that it was untrue – that such a thing was unthinkable. The show’s writers, not wanting to offend the gay community, came up with this line to diffuse any complaints, and through repetition, it became the joke of the show. So walking a politically correct line, they were able to make us laugh at the character’s repulsion but “acceptance” of that lifestyle.

The result of all this is that society’s view of sex has shifted. Hughes notes that television presents a world that is obsessed with it, but reality is not that way. The more sensualized television becomes the more the lines begin to blur.

The portrayal of sexuality is the biggest problem that Hughes sees but the problems with TV don’t end there. Hughes presents some other ways that television affects us.

Television promotes passivity. We live vicariously through the people and the characters on TV by simply sitting and watching. We don’t have to interact or get involved or even engage our minds to think. By doing nothing more than being awake in front of the TV, we can know the latest between Jim and Pam or Jack Bauer’s family history or what Paris Hilton learned in jail. But learning your neighbor’s names? What they do for a living? If and where they go to church? That takes more work.

Television shortens attention spans. Neil Postman compares modern televised presidential debates, which last about an hour, with the Lincoln-Douglas debate of 1854 which lasted for seven hours. And that wasn’t even a presidential debate. The average news story lasts about 45 seconds. Images change so rapidly on TV that we cannot adequately process them so we are simply conditioned not to. And for that reason…

Television inhibits thinking. One hundred years ago, we were a print based society. If you wanted information, you read it and you stopped, processed it, thought about it and formed an opinion or a course of action. Reading for comprehension requires an understanding of language and being able to think about abstract ideas. Television does very poorly with the abstract – love, truth or existence. Television shows you and tells you what you need to know quickly and in many cases what opinion you need to hold. If they want you to remember something, they do it with short catchy phrases and repetition. By the time you’ve stopped to deconstruct “apply directly to the forehead”, TV has moved on. The premise that TV works on is that you don’t need to think about it, you just need to remember it.

Television creates distance. Hughes quotes Ann Landers: “Television has proven that people will look at anything rather than each other.” Again, we tend to know television show characters better than our friends, children or spouses.

Television inculcates irreverence for God. One word: blasphemy. The name of God and Jesus Christ are thrown around flippantly and sometimes even for comic effect. It should offend the Christian. We hear it enough and soon we don’t hear it anymore. It can chip away at our adoration of Christ.

Lastly, television promotes worldviews that are “sub-Christian” or spiritually destructive. I’ve already mentioned how television portrays sexuality, but television can influence our entire lifestyle. When I was a teenager, I was enthralled with MTV. (That was when they actually played music videos.) The music became infused with the images of rock stars and how they dressed and lived. Also, almost every legal drama such as Law & Order or Boston Legal has an agenda that get played out in courtroom and there’s usually a moral verdict laid down regardless of the outcome of the legal battle. And you know what they are portraying as the right side by a musical flourish, the emotions expressed or how characters are portrayed. Pro-lifers, for example, are generally portrayed as religious fanatics.

We really need to bring the scriptures to bear on how we think about our television culture.

There’s an old computer term called GIGO – Garbage In, Garbage Out. Solomon was aware of this principle without the benefit of a computer. In Proverbs 23:7, he wrote: “For as he thinks within himself, so he is.” Whatever we take in, that’s what we are apt to become. Input determines output. Proverbs 4:23 “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” We need to be careful not to poison the stream.

The Apostle Paul wrote the grand principle for how we should think about all types of media in his letter to the Philippians: “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

This becomes a good test for what we watch on television. I dare say that “Desperate Housewives” probably doesn’t meet this standard. To “dwell on these things” means that we ponder them, think about them, meditate on them, and turn them over in our minds. The things that you watch, listen to and read go through your mind whether you are actively conscious of it or not. At some level, you are turning them over in your mind.

Television is additictive and may have a bigger hold on you than you can handle. Jesus had something to say about that:
Matthew 5:29 - “If the eye of your cathode ray tube offends you tear it out. Better to go through life with no TV than into hell with your remote in your hand.” (Hughes’ paraphrase)

We may be to the point where in order to get control of the situation we cut off the cable or the satellite, or get rid of our TV sets all together. But barring that, how can we as Christians be responsible television viewers?
- Watch deliberately. Limit and plan your viewing time. If you're not actively watching, turn it off.
- When someone comes over to visit, turn off the television. That's no way to get to know someone.
- Monitor what your kids are watching. Talk to them about what they are watching. Teach them to be discerning. There are some shows that ask good questions, but very few of them have the right answers. And don’t put televisions in your children’s room!
- Turn it off and go read a book or play a board game with the family. Or go outside.

The question is, can we watch television to the glory of God?

Miscellany 07-12-07

2007-07-12T08:58:00.000-04:00

- Please pray for Leslie as she's about to undergo surgery tomorrow. You can read her blog or Seth's for more information.

- Last night at church I taught on "viewing sensuality", which is a fancy way to say watching television. It was a chapter out of Kent Hughes book, Set Apart:Calling a Worldly Church to a Godly Life. Since I've been thinking a lot about television lately, these miscellaneous items will be mainly about television. I may clean up my notes and post them later.

- I mentioned a few books regarding television culture, such as Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman and All God's Children and Blue Suede Shoes by Kenneth Myers. I would also highly recommend Al Mohler's three part audio series, Raising Teens in the Media Culture. You can access it from this page.

- This Saturday at 5PM, ESPN2 will be bringing you the finest sports programming. Trey Wingo will be hosting the USA Rock Paper Scissors Championship. And isn't it about time? How can you not watch - it's the championship!

- You may remember I posted a news story in May about the Hamas "kids show" that featured a Mickey Mouse look-a-like named "Farfour" that preached Islamic world dominion and decried the Jewish occupation of Palestine. They finally took him off the air. It's not that they killed the idea, they killed Farfour. Literally. On the show. Farfour was "martyred" during an interrogation. Who's to blame? The Jews, of course. Here's the video.

- Last weekend, Al Gore tried to raise awareness for global warming by speeding it up a little bit. Somehow, he staged seven concerts on seven continents, but no one seemed to notice. This reporter from The National Review watched it from home and found it as silly as everyone else thought it would be.

Peachtree Road Race 2007

2007-07-05T18:14:00.001-04:00

I ran

the whole
thing.
in 67 minutes.

The Upside of Blogging

2007-07-01T06:46:00.000-04:00

So many blogs, so little time. So many things going on with our extended families, so what better way to keep us updated than by blogging it? This is exactly what's going on right now. Many of our good friends and church family members who are going through life "events" are using blogs to keep everyone posted on what's going on. This is a rundown of current events and the blogs they're using to broadcast updates and prayer requests.

Our good friends Seth and Leslie Wallace recently received news that Leslie may have cancer. Seth is blogging about their experiences on his blog Bovine Theology.

David Huether, an elder at Berachah and all around good guy is battling bone marrow cancer. This type of cancer cannot be stopped, but it can be slowed down. Dave is currently at Emory Hospital undergoing a stem cell transplant that zaps the immune system and his wife, Alma, is faithfully blogging everything that happens.

Our newest addition to the staff at Berachah is expecting the newest (and first) addition to his family. Wade and Natalie Grubbs are still in California and are expecting "baby Grubbs" any moment now. Wade is posting updates at Good to be a Grubbs. (I've suggested "Grubbs Bloggs", but I guess that'll do.)

A young family in our church with a heart for missions is blogging in lieu of sending out weekly or monthly letters on the process of candidating and interviewing to partner with a missions organization. The Flintoffs, Eric and Amanda, covet your prayers for this important work. You can read what's going on and where they are at The Flintoff Home.

Also from Berachah, Rick and Debbie Lute are adopting a baby in China and, while they're over there, they are blogging the trip complete with pictures. They expect to be officially united with their little girl on Monday. But, being in China, they are a day ahead of us, so it's like they're blogging from the future. Their website is password-protected and to allow them to maintain that privacy, I'm not giving out the password here.

All of these families are blogging because of something crucial going on in their lives. They are collectively experiencing joy, sorrow, expectation, uncertainty and anxiety. But every instance is under the complete sovereignty of God. He will use every episode to further His Own Glory and these folks are in prime position to be a part of that work. And I'm sure each family would appreciate your prayers.

Vacation Pictures

2007-06-30T15:48:00.000-04:00

Miscellany 06-25-07

2007-06-25T15:52:00.000-04:00

Back from vacation, relaxed and somewhat rested. I left my pillow at home and had to deal with what was available. Some pillows are deceptively fluffy until you lay your head on them. But my nose is peeling, so it at least looks like I was outside.

Here are some miscellaneous items that I've found on my return home. I'm not going to promise that I'll return to my "full" blogging schedule, but for the time being, here's something.

- Berachah Bible Church is very pleased to announce the addition of Wade Grubbs to our pastoral staff. Wade has just graduated from The Master's Seminary in California. Originally from Texas, Wade and his wife Natalie are expecting their first child at the end of this month. We expect them to join us here in Georgia by early October. We hope they will stay after they discover that we do not have IN-N-OUT.

- I did not know, until this vacation trip, that dogs can get carsick. Some say that dogs can actually suffer from motion sickness while others say it's just fear. Either way, it's unpleasant.

- Jesse Johnson, outreach pastor at Grace Community Church talks about "cold evangelism" and good evangelism principles on the Pulpit Magazine blog. I was sitting on the balcony over the beach last week when I noticed two young ladies apparently witnessing to another young lady who was just there to lay out on the beach. I couldn't determine what "method" they might be using. It looked as if they had 5X7 cards with verses printed on them.

- The Pulpit blog has several other good articles up including an updated blogroll of blogs worth reading (mine's not listed) and why the church and the world will always be at odds.

- 9Marks Ministry has started a blog. "Our intended audience, as with most of 9Marks material, is pastors, church leaders, and seminarians. At the same time, we hope that all Christians become more interested in church matters, because we believe the local church is the focal point of God’s plan for displaying his glory to the nations. That includes all of us who profess faith in Christ."

- Desiring God Ministries is have a $5 book sale on June 27-28. Shipping will be $45 per book.

- Two things I found on YouTube: 1. Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" played on a Theremin. 2. And if you can't play a musical instrument, there's always Stop Motion.

- Oh, the irony! The Georgia Tech Ramblin' Wreck gets wrecked!

- Finally, this is actually from March of this year, but I was featured in WORLD Magazine.

I've since pulled out of the race.

I'm a year older.

2007-06-21T07:52:00.000-04:00

Vacation

2007-06-15T22:32:00.000-04:00

Since I've already taken a vacation from blogging, it seems appropriate that I'll be going on an actual vacation next week. But Justin has been picking up my slack on his Word Pictures blog. Patrick is still M.I.A.

Georgia Wildfires

2007-06-12T09:39:00.000-04:00

The wildfire burning in southeast Georgia and north Florida is not quite out. Firefighters are still looking for hotspots at night. And the heavy rains forecast will hopefully put this thing to bed. I received some more pictures from the Waycross area. You can see them all here.

What's wrong with this picture?

2007-06-05T12:51:00.000-04:00

(Be nice)

Mississippi Meltdown

2007-06-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

Manager for the Braves AA team out of Mississippi goes nuts over a bad call. I especially enjoyed the "rosin bag hand grenade".

Another perspective of the same meltdown. This is a video from a fan in the stands. Notice Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" playing in the background.

Man, I'm getting old...

2007-06-01T16:45:00.000-04:00

We were talking at lunch today about the "worst-to-first" Atlanta Braves from 1991. That was sixteen years ago. Some of the players I watched while I was in college are now coaches. Terry Pendelton, third baseman and 91' NL MVP is now a hitting coach for the Braves. Eddie Perez, catcher in the 90s including the World Series Champion Braves (95) is a bullpen coach.

But wait, it gets worse. The original Star Wars just turned thirty years old. I was seven years old, the age of my oldest son, when I first saw this movie. Now ALL of my children can tell you all about the Millenium Falcon, Yoda, General Grievous, Jango Fett and "Bubba" Fett. (I correct them all the time but it's just not sticking. It's not a big deal, I guess. For years I thought it was "Star Trick".) But from that moment on, Star Wars has been a part of my world. I sometimes wonder if my children's early exposure to it will turn them into "laser brains" (Star Wars people will get that...)

But there's more. At the same age I saw Star Wars, I was listening to my brothers' records. "Records?", you ask. Yes, they were disks made of black vinyl about 12" in diameter that played on a turn table with a special needle that... Look, you're just going to have to take my word for it or Google it, okay? Anyway, not having an income or any formed musical taste of my own, I listened to their phonograph records: The Beatles, Beach Boys, Elton John, The Allman Brothers, Molly Hatchet (it was the south, after all) and The Commodores. I also remember a Willie Nelson and a Billy Joel 8-Track. (again, Google it.) Well the album I listened to more than any other just turned forty years old - The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's album. (Take the quiz.)

It's June and I have a birthday coming up. (Cash will do) Thankfully, my oldest son's birthday is the day after, so I've deferred all my birthdays over to him. So when someone wishes me a Happy Birthday, I'll reply, "I'll tell him you said so." I just pray that I'm getting wiser with age. Wiser, not more of a wiseacre. (again, Google it.)

Cultivating Holiness

2007-05-29T06:55:00.000-04:00

From Overcoming the World:Grace to Win the Daily Battle by Joel R. Beeke:

Live present-tense, total commitment to God. Form habits of holiness. Pursue harmony and symmetry in holy living. Root out all inconsistencies, by the grace of the Spirit, and enjoy godly activities. Be committed to not get dirty with this world's temptations and to remain clean by forgiveness from and consecration to your perfect Savior.

Don't fall prey to the "one-more-time" syndrome. Postponed obedience is disobedience. Tomorrow's holiness is impurity now. Tomorrow's faith is unbelief now. Aim not to sin at all (1 John 2:1); ask for divine strength to bring every thought into captivity to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5), for Scripture indicates that our "thought-lives" ultimately determine our character: "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23;7a). An old proverb says it this way:

Sow a thought, reap an act;

sow an act, reap a habit;

sow a habit, reap a character;

sow a character, reap a destiny.

Miscellany 05-24-07

2007-05-24T12:50:00.000-04:00

- About once a week I consider just shutting this thing down. And then I'll come up with an idea I want to write about and then I'm thankful to have somewhere to post it to share and for accountability's sake. Now that I'm teaching regularly again, I'm readjusting how I do things and once again, the blog feels like an albatross. Anyway, I don't know if I'll shut it down or just take a hiatus from it. Or maybe I'll just post funny pictures and videos. I don't know. What ever.

- Centuri0n, aka Frank Turk, dishes out an interesting series of posts (one, two, three, four so far) on leaving the local church (which dovetails nicely into my studies in 1 Corinthians) and I get a mysterious "blue ribbon".

- Christopher Hitchens, atheist and author of God is Not Great, is having an interesting online debate with Douglas Wilson on the subject, "Is Christianity Good for the World?" on Christianity Today's blog. Wilson charges Hitchens with not being able to accurately answer the question because, as an atheist, he has nothing to base "good" on.

- If Homosexuality is a normal and "natural" lifestyle, why can't they give blood?

- Hey, kids, how about a Wopburger?

- Oh, and have a Happy Memorial Day.

How to Give a Proper "Man Hug"

2007-05-21T07:09:00.000-04:00

Eschatalogical Motivation

2007-05-17T12:15:00.000-04:00

C'mon, you know its funny.

(HT: DJP)