Minor Mutterings

Another High Profile Preacher Failure

2010-07-28T09:44:00.002-06:00

Ted Haggard Over-Repents.

He has that right. Instead of stopping at 180 degrees he continued until he had completed a full 360.

Some Call it Sedition

2010-07-03T08:44:00.002-06:00

The Unanimous Declaration
of the Thirteen United States of America

Adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.

He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature.

He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:

For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.

New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

More Encouragement for Those Who Struggle

2010-06-08T16:14:00.002-06:00

This Song From NEXT2010 for Those Battling the Effects of Sin

Lyrics:

Not a single spot
Not a single stain
Not a single blemish
Now remains
You have been washed clean
With the blood of Jesus Christ
And if your trust is in Him
You are righteous in my eyes

And though there is a battle
Though you fight the war
There are temporary pleasures
That’s not what you were made for
There are everlasting pleasures
That are waiting at my hand
And I only give joy
That will never ever end.

And if you fall again
My forgiveness will remain
For your debt is paid in full
And my love will never change
So trust in me each moment
For what you cannot do
For I’ll give you strength to conquer
For your life has been made new
I’ll give you strength to conquer
For your life has been made new.

And even more encouragement here.

An Encouragement to All Who Struggle

2010-06-08T15:42:00.004-06:00

John Newton, writing to his good friend, the Rev. William Bull, gives this description of his struggle with an unwelcome "lodger":

I have many pleasant and kind connections; but I have a troublesome inmate, a lodger, who assumes as if the house were his own, and is a perpetual incumbrance, and spoils all. He has long been noted for his evil ways; but though generally known, is not easily avoided. He lodged with one Saul of Tarsus long before I was born, and made him groan and cry out lustily. Time was when I thought I would shut the door, to keep him out of my house, but my precaution came too late; he was already within ; and to turn him out by head and shoulders is beyond my power; nay, I cannot interdict him from any one single apartment. If I think of retiring into the closest corner, he is there before me. We often meet and jostle and snarl at each other; but sometimes (would you believe it ?) I lose all my suspicion, and am disposed to treat him as an intimate friend. This inconsistency of mine I believe greatly encourages him, for I verily believe he would be ashamed and afraid to be seen by me, if I always kept him at a proper distance. However, we both lay such a strong claim to the same dwelling, that I believe the only way of settling the dispute will be (which the Landlord himself has spoken of) to pull down the house over our heads. There seems something disagreeable in this mode of proceeding ; but from what I have read in an old book, I form a hope that when things come to this crisis, I shall escape, and my enemy will be crushed in the ruins.

June 7, 1783

If the author of "Amazing Grace" experienced the constant struggle against the sin nature (as described in Romans 7), why would we think that we would be exempt? Oh for that day when the building is pulled down and we are lifted up!

I am not a prophet, or the son of a prophet, but...

2010-06-05T12:45:00.003-06:00

The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. - Revelation 8:8,9, ESV

Self-Knowledge

2010-04-25T14:57:00.002-06:00

Searcher of hearts,

It is a good day to me when thou givest me
a glimpse of myself;

Sin is my greatest evil,
but thou art my greatest good;
I have cause to loathe myself,
and not to seek self-honour,
for no one desires to commend his own dung-hill.
My country, family, church
fare worse because of my sins,
for sinners bring judgment in thinking
sins are small,
or that God is not angry with them.

Let me not take other good man as my example,
and think I am good because I am like them,
For all good men are not so good as thou desirest,
and not always consistent,
do not always follow holiness,
do not feel eternal good in sore affliction.
Show me how to know when a thing is evil
which I think is right and good,
how to know when what is lawful
comes from an evil principle,
such as desire for reputation or wealth by usury.

Give me grace to recall my needs,
my lack of knowing thy will in scripture,
of wisdom to guide others,
of daily repentance, want of which keeps thee
at bay,
of the spirit of prayer, having words
without love,
of zeal for thy glory, seeking my own ends,
of joy of thee and thy will,
of love to others.

And let me not lay my pipe
too short of the fountain,
never touching the eternal spring,
never drawing down water from above.

—The Valley of Vision, Arthur Bennett, editor (Banner of Truth Trust, 2002).

More Than Two Months?

2010-04-04T20:04:00.003-06:00

Since I posted anything here?

Yeah, I have been lazy.

I cleaned up some of the sidebar, and will find some new content to post. For now, though:

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

(1 Corinthians 15:1-8, ESV)

Who Takes the Blame for Haiti?

2010-01-18T19:10:00.003-07:00

Who Takes the Blame for Haiti?
by Todd Friel

Rick Warren is wrong when he tweets that God does not judge the world through catastrophes (Romans 1:18).

Pat Robertson is wrong when he claims to know why the Haitian earthquake happened (Deut.29:29).

Perhaps these principles will help us figure out why tragedies happen and who is responsible.

God

God controls everything directly or indirectly by restraining His grace or allowing the devil a little more leash. Either way, God is sovereign over everything and happily accepts responsibility for both good and bad (but not sin).

The devil

The devil does not control the weather or rule the nations.

Humans

There are only two groups of people on the earth: pagans and Christians.

Why?

When God sends/allows disaster to the pagans, He does so for two reasons: as judgment or as a call to repentance. A disaster is not enough wrath for the pagans as it is merely a taste of God’s eternal punishment if they do not repent and trust the Savior.

When God sends/allows disaster to Christians, He does so for two reasons: to prune us or kill us and take us home. A disaster is never too much or too little for the Christian, the Pruner causes/allows just the right amount for our good and His glory.

While God may be sending judgment to an entire nation, each individual (pagan and Christian) should seek to determine why God caused/allowed himself to be hurt.

Christians are not victims of collateral damage. While there may be a primary reason God sends/allows a catastrophe, God orchestrates every detail in every situation.

Catastrophes happen to heathens as an act of God’s judgment, but they happen to Christians as an act of severe mercy.

God sends/causes a disaster for the onlookers to respond with apathy or kindness.

Biblical Support

Jesus gave us the definitive statement on catastrophes in Luke 13:1-5. Please take a moment to read that text and you will never make the mistake of Rick Warren or Pat Robertson.

Trick Question

God is not to blame for the earthquake as it was the exact right thing to do. While God gets the credit for the earthquake, He is never to blame for anything. Charles Wesley wrote a number of hymns thanking God for two earthquakes that rocked England in 1751; we should do the same.

The Bottom Line

While each individual should endeavor to learn the lesson that God has in the storm, there is an ultimate purpose (forty days or otherwise): God is endeavoring to glorify His Son. God sends a taste of His wrath to the heathens that they might look to the cross and be saved. God prunes Christians that we will live in greater gratitude for what Jesus has done to rescue us from eternal destruction.

Catastrophes, like everything, are about the cross.

How Soon We Forget

2010-01-17T14:22:00.004-07:00

I was saddened to see that the Haiti earthquake dropped to page A8 of the Sunday Albuquerque Journal. What was so much more important that it needed to be on the front page? State budget problems and the New Mexico film industry.

The people of Haiti are going to need our assistance long after the world has lost interest and considers its troubles to be yesterday's news.

Pray

Give

Pray

Update, January 18th: Today's Albuquerque Journal? Page C4, a quarter page, just above the obituaries. Keep on praying, keep on giving, keep on praying.

Haiti Earthquake Response

2010-01-13T21:36:00.002-07:00

1) Pray

2) Give

SBC Disaster Relief

Samaritan's Purse

3) Pray

Win Books

2010-01-05T18:23:00.001-07:00

Good books from Micheal Horton (via Nathan Bingham).

Simply subscribe to Nathan W. Bingham's Microblog and fill out his easy form.

It is NOT the end of the Decade...

2009-12-31T08:16:00.004-07:00

...or the beginning of a new one until January 1, 2011.

Let's all count together:

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10

NOT:

0 - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9

So, you have another whole year before you do your "Wrap-up of the Decade", "Best and Worst of the Decade", and "First Ten Years of the New Millennium" TV specials.

(As you can probably tell, this is one of my personal pet peeves.)

Happy New Year, the beginning of the 10th year of this decade!

Happy Birthday Rudyard Kipling!

2009-12-30T18:58:00.005-07:00

Rudyard Kipling, December 30, 1865 - 18 January 1936

Born in Bombay (Mumbai), India, he bridged the time between the mid-Victorian era and latter Edwardian times, and served as a chronicler of British Imperialism. Many of his works have fallen out of favor today, due to the fact that they present a very un-PC view of the world.

Here is my favorite of his poems:

Tommy

I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o'beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:

O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
But it's ``Thank you, Mister Atkins,'' when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it's ``Thank you, Mr. Atkins,'' when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,
The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.

Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy how's yer soul?"
But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints:
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;

While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind,"
But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind,
There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.

For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
But it's "Saviour of 'is country," when the guns begin to shoot;
An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
But Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees!

New Year Prayer

2009-12-30T17:06:00.002-07:00

O Lord,

Length of days does not profit me except the days are passed in thy presence, in thy service, to thy glory.

Give me a grace that precedes, follows, guides, sustains, sanctifies, aids every hour,
that I may not be one moment apart from thee,
but may rely on thy Spirit,
to supply every thought,
speak in every word,
direct every step,
prosper every work,
build up every mote of faith,
and give me a desire
to show forth thy praise,
testify thy love,
advance thy kingdom.

I launch my bark on the unknown waters of this year,
with thee, O Father, as my harbour,
thee, O Son, at my helm,
thee O Holy Spirit, filling my sails.

Guide me to heaven with my loins girt,
my lamp burning,
my ear open to thy calls,
my heart full of love,
my soul free.

Give me grace to sanctify me,
thy comforts to cheer,
thy wisdom to watch,
thy right hand to guide,
thy counsel to instruct,
thy law to judge,
thy presence to stabilize.

May thy fear be my awe,
thy triumphs my joy.

from: Valley of Vision

302 Years Ago Today

2009-12-18T08:06:00.005-07:00

Charles Wesley was born.

Younger brother of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, Charles is best known as the author of over 6,000 hymns, many of which continue to be favorites today.

My personal favorite:

And Can It Be That I Should Gain?

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior's blood!
Died he for me, who caused his pain!
For me? who him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
That thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be
That thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

'Tis mystery all: th' Immortal dies!
Who can explore his strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more.
'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left his Father's throne above
So free, so infinite his grace!
Emptied himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam's helpless race.
'Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
'Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned sprit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.

Still the small inward voice I hear,
That whispers all my sins forgiven;
Still the atoning blood is near,
That quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in him, is mine;
Alive in him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th' eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th' eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Another one, appropriate to the season:

Hark! the Herald Angels Sing

Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new born King,
peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!"
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
join the triumph of the skies;
with th' angelic host proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem!"
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new born King!"

Christ, by highest heaven adored;
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
late in time behold him come,
offspring of a virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
hail th' incarnate Deity,
pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new born King!"

Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
risen with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that man no more may die,
born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give us second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new born King!"

Come, Desire of nations, come,
fix in us thy humble home;
rise, the woman's conquering Seed,
bruise in us the serpent's head.
Adam's likeness, Lord, efface;
stamp thine image in its place.
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in thy love.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the new born King!"

Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Sixty-Five Years Ago

2009-12-17T15:52:00.004-07:00

The Malmedy Massacre occurred on this date, December 17, in 1944. This atrocity took place during the German encircling operations as part of the Battle of the Bulge which began the day before.

The Battle of the Bulge was the last offensive action undertaken by the Germans on the Western front. Their defeat, and the subsequent destruction of German reserves, led to the total capitulation of the 3rd Reich within six months.

The Birth of Jesus Christ

2009-12-16T20:47:00.003-07:00

This paper by Daniel Wallace is from 1996, but it is still an important reminder of the details surrounding the birth of Christ.

Here is Wallace' conclusion:

We've been looking at several aspects of the birth of Jesus Christ in this short study. Now, we want to put it all together.

In the winter of 5 or 4 B.C., God invaded history by taking on the form of a man. He was born in a small town just south of Jerusalem. Bethlehem, which means 'the house of bread,' indeed became worthy of its name one lonely winter night. For there, in that town, was born the Bread of Life . . .

His mother placed the infant king in a manger--or feeding trough--because the guest room where they were to stay was occupied. The birth of this king was celebrated that night only by his mother, her husband, and a handful of shepherds. The shepherds had been in the fields around Bethlehem, guarding the lambs which would die at the next Passover. An angel appeared to them and gave them the birth announcement: "today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (). In their simple faith, they rushed to see their newborn king.

Shortly after the birth of the Messiah, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem and inquired of king Herod where the real king of the Jews was to be born. The theologians of Herod's court knew the Scriptures well--in 'Bethlehem' they recited. Ironically, though they knew the Scriptures, they did not believe them! They did not even bother to travel the five or six miles to Bethlehem to see their Messiah.

But Herod believed the Scriptures! That is why he sent a corps of butchers to Bethlehem to slaughter innocent children, in hopes of destroying this rival to his throne. But he was too late. The magi had come and gone and Jesus was by now safe in Egypt.

And the magi believed the Scriptures. They had traveled several hundred miles to worship this Babe. They were guided to Bethlehem by a supernatural celestial phenomenon--and by the Scriptures. Apparently, their ancestors had been instructed by Daniel the prophet about the coming Messiah. . . When they saw the child, they fell down and worshiped him. This was God in the flesh. They could do no other.

Yet Another False Prophet...

2009-12-15T16:01:00.003-07:00

...goes to his reward.

I guess that he has finally discovered that Jesus is much greater than the 900 foot tall version that he described seeing.

Update:

More background on his heresy.

This looks like a good book...

2009-12-10T08:07:00.001-07:00

...to prepare you for Christmas:

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus: Experiencing the Peace and Promise of Christmas

Plus, you have a chnace to win a copy.

Zero Tolerance = Zero Common Sense

2009-11-23T13:04:00.004-07:00

Once again, the dictum of "zero tolerance" is wielded like a clumsy club.

Note that the student was parked off campus.

Note that the school used an "ammunition sniffing" dog to uncover the shotgun. (and to think that they tell us that California has a budget crisis.)

Note that he did nothing wrong.

I want my country back. In High School, not only did we keep our rifles and shotguns in our cars and trucks in the school parking lot (some displayed in open gun racks) so as to hunt before and after school, we were also permitted to check out .22 rifles at the ROTC armory so as to shoot on the 50' indoor range without adult supervision. And to think that none of us ever thought once about shooting up our school.

What are you prepared to do?

2009-11-23T12:05:00.003-07:00

What are you prepared to do when they:

Force you to pay for elective abortion with your tax dollars?

Tell your church that it must perform same sex weddings or lose its 501(c)(3) tax status?

Threaten to jail you if you proclaim Biblical truth?

None of these are outside of the realm of possibility in today's cultural and political environment.

Something to think about: When these things happen, will you acquiesce, or will you engage in civil disobedience, knowing that you will suffer the consequences? I am afraid that too many will decide to take the safe route and "burn the pinch of incense" so as to stay on good terms with the Emperor.

May I recommend that you begin to allow your voice to be heard by signing The Manhattan Declaration. (Not the one on "climate change".)

False Prophet Update

2009-11-13T10:49:00.002-07:00

Another false prophet/preacher gets partial justice. Tony Alamo sentenced to 175 years in prison for molesting children.

The judge in the case told him that he would one day face "a greater judge". Let us remember that we too will stand before the Judge of the universe one day and give account for our stewardship.

Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary

2009-11-06T18:12:00.007-07:00

Zondervan has just released the five volume Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary of the Old Testament (ZIBBCOT), and I was able to get my hands on an advance copy of Volume 1, Genesis-Deuteronomy. When I received this book I immediately experienced a case of deja vu, remembering the day in 1991 when I first held a copy of the Holman Bible Dictionary in my hands.

Recognize that I am not equating the Holman Bible Dictionary with the new Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, since the differences are greater than the similarities, but both of these produced in me the same response when I first opened them: Wow! Both of these publications provide a view of the historical background of the Bible that would be helpful for all serious students.

Here is a brief comparison of the Holman Bible Dictionary (HBD) with the ZIBBCOT:

Content - The HBD is a Dictionary of Biblical words, people, events, and places presented alphabetically. The ZIBBCOT follows the biblical text, giving commentary on the people, events, and places along with a presentation of extra-biblical background material.

Format - The HBD is a single volume for the entire Bible, and always felt like it wasn't going to hold up to regular use due to a poor binding and questionable paper. The ZIBBCOT is a multi-volume work (there are also NT volumes, see my comment below), and feels like a quality binding with decent paper. It feels and handles like an expensive college textbook. Additionally, while both publications contain numerous photographs, those in the ZIBBCOT are of better quality, possibly as a result of advances in digital photography since 1991.

Philosophy - The HBD is published by Broadman & Holman, the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. It is unapologetically conservative, and takes pains to avoid controversy. Zondervan caters to a "bigger tent" customer base, and is less afraid to present material that might be questionable to some readers, as seen by the first words of the introduction to Genesis:

Inferences drawn from the whole of the biblical text suggest that Moses was considered responsible for the shape and content of Genesis from early times. The Israelites in the wilderness, in roughly the third quarter of the second millennium B.C., are then the initial audience of the book. Many scholars unconvinced of the connection to Moses are more inclined to view the book against a mid-first millennium B.C. backdrop. The discussion is not without significance, but its impact on background issues will not often be felt. (ZIBBCOT, Volume 1, page 3)

Now, on to some of my Conclusionss concerning the ZIBBCOT:

I intend to get the remaining volumes of this set for my library. While it may not serve as a primary textual commentary in my studies it is going to be very useful for providing both background and context. Other background materials in my possession, such as the HBD and Lifeway's Biblical Illustrator, while sometimes useful, are not tied directly to the biblical text, causing one to spend additional time looking for relevant entries, or just choosing to ignore them altogether. I anticipate that the ZIBBCOT is going to provide a wealth of background information to support my preaching and preparation of Bible Studies. After discovering this work I learned that Zondervan also publishes similar volumes on the New Testament. Since I have just begun preaching through Matthew, I obtained the volume for that Gospel, and it has already proved helpful.

Here are two videos produced by Zondervan on the ZIBBCOT;

Comical:

More serious:

Reformation Day

2009-10-30T20:26:00.003-06:00

Lost in the celebration of Halloween is the fact that October 31st is Reformation Day, commemorating Martin Luther's nailing of his 95 Theses to the door of the castle church at Wittenberg in 1517, thus marking the official start of the Protestant Reformation. As can be seen in the content of Luther's Theses (presented below), he desired that debate and discussion commence concerning problems in the Roman Catholic church. He had no earthly inkling that God would use this event to bring such radical changes, to both the church and the world.

Out of love for the truth and the desire to bring it to light, the following propositions will be discussed at Wittenberg, under the presidency of the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and of Sacred Theology, and Lecturer in Ordinary on the same at that place. Wherefore he requests that those who are unable to be present and debate orally with us, may do so by letter.

In the Name our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

1. Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said Poenitentiam agite, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance.
2. This word cannot be understood to mean sacramental penance, i.e., confession and satisfaction, which is administered by the priests.
3. Yet it means not inward repentance only; nay, there is no inward repentance which does not outwardly work divers mortifications of the flesh.
4. The penalty [of sin], therefore, continues so long as hatred of self continues; for this is the true inward repentance, and continues until our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.
5. The pope does not intend to remit, and cannot remit any penalties other than those which he has imposed either by his own authority or by that of the Canons.
6. The pope cannot remit any guilt, except by declaring that it has been remitted by God and by assenting to God's remission; though, to be sure, he may grant remission in cases reserved to his judgment. If his right to grant remission in such cases were despised, the guilt would remain entirely unforgiven.
7. God remits guilt to no one whom He does not, at the same time, humble in all things and bring into subjection to His vicar, the priest.
8. The penitential canons are imposed only on the living, and, according to them, nothing should be imposed on the dying.
9. Therefore the Holy Spirit in the pope is kind to us, because in his decrees he always makes exception of the article of death and of necessity.
10. Ignorant and wicked are the doings of those priests who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penances for purgatory.
11. This changing of the canonical penalty to the penalty of purgatory is quite evidently one of the tares that were sown while the bishops slept.
12. In former times the canonical penalties were imposed not after, but before absolution, as tests of true contrition.
13. The dying are freed by death from all penalties; they are already dead to canonical rules, and have a right to be released from them.
14. The imperfect health [of soul], that is to say, the imperfect love, of the dying brings with it, of necessity, great fear; and the smaller the love, the greater is the fear.
15. This fear and horror is sufficient of itself alone (to say nothing of other things) to constitute the penalty of purgatory, since it is very near to the horror of despair.
16. Hell, purgatory, and heaven seem to differ as do despair, almost-despair, and the assurance of safety.
17. With souls in purgatory it seems necessary that horror should grow less and love increase.
18. It seems unproved, either by reason or Scripture, that they are outside the state of merit, that is to say, of increasing love.
19. Again, it seems unproved that they, or at least that all of them, are certain or assured of their own blessedness, though we may be quite certain of it.
20. Therefore by "full remission of all penalties" the pope means not actually "of all," but only of those imposed by himself.
21. Therefore those preachers of indulgences are in error, who say that by the pope's indulgences a man is freed from every penalty, and saved;
22. Whereas he remits to souls in purgatory no penalty which, according to the canons, they would have had to pay in this life.
23. If it is at all possible to grant to any one the remission of all penalties whatsoever, it is certain that this remission can be granted only to the most perfect, that is, to the very fewest.
24. It must needs be, therefore, that the greater part of the people are deceived by that indiscriminate and highsounding promise of release from penalty.
25. The power which the pope has, in a general way, over purgatory, is just like the power which any bishop or curate has, in a special way, within his own diocese or parish.
26. The pope does well when he grants remission to souls [in purgatory], not by the power of the keys (which he does not possess), but by way of intercession.
27. They preach man who say that so soon as the penny jingles into the money-box, the soul flies out [of purgatory].
28. It is certain that when the penny jingles into the money-box, gain and avarice can be increased, but the result of the intercession of the Church is in the power of God alone.
29. Who knows whether all the souls in purgatory wish to be bought out of it, as in the legend of Sts. Severinus and Paschal.
30. No one is sure that his own contrition is sincere; much less that he has attained full remission.
31. Rare as is the man that is truly penitent, so rare is also the man who truly buys indulgences, i.e., such men are most rare.
32. They will be condemned eternally, together with their teachers, who believe themselves sure of their salvation because they have letters of pardon.
33. Men must be on their guard against those who say that the pope's pardons are that inestimable gift of God by which man is reconciled to Him;
34. For these "graces of pardon" concern only the penalties of sacramental satisfaction, and these are appointed by man.
35. They preach no Christian doctrine who teach that contrition is not necessary in those who intend to buy souls out of purgatory or to buy confessionalia.
36. Every truly repentant Christian has a right to full remission of penalty and guilt, even without letters of pardon.
37. Every true Christian, whether living or dead, has part in all the blessings of Christ and the Church; and this is granted him by God, even without letters of pardon.
38. Nevertheless, the remission and participation [in the blessings of the Church] which are granted by the pope are in no way to be despised, for they are, as I have said, the declaration of divine remission.
39. It is most difficult, even for the very keenest theologians, at one and the same time to commend to the people the abundance of pardons and [the need of] true contrition.
40. True contrition seeks and loves penalties, but liberal pardons only relax penalties and cause them to be hated, or at least, furnish an occasion [for hating them].
41. Apostolic pardons are to be preached with caution, lest the people may falsely think them preferable to other good works of love.
42. Christians are to be taught that the pope does not intend the buying of pardons to be compared in any way to works of mercy.
43. Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better work than buying pardons;
44. Because love grows by works of love, and man becomes better; but by pardons man does not grow better, only more free from penalty.
45. 45. Christians are to be taught that he who sees a man in need, and passes him by, and gives [his money] for pardons, purchases not the indulgences of the pope, but the indignation of God.
46. Christians are to be taught that unless they have more than they need, they are bound to keep back what is necessary for their own families, and by no means to squander it on pardons.
47. Christians are to be taught that the buying of pardons is a matter of free will, and not of commandment.
48. Christians are to be taught that the pope, in granting pardons, needs, and therefore desires, their devout prayer for him more than the money they bring.
49. Christians are to be taught that the pope's pardons are useful, if they do not put their trust in them; but altogether harmful, if through them they lose their fear of God.
50. Christians are to be taught that if the pope knew the exactions of the pardon-preachers, he would rather that St. Peter's church should go to ashes, than that it should be built up with the skin, flesh and bones of his sheep.
51. Christians are to be taught that it would be the pope's wish, as it is his duty, to give of his own money to very many of those from whom certain hawkers of pardons cajole money, even though the church of St. Peter might have to be sold.
52. The assurance of salvation by letters of pardon is vain, even though the commissary, nay, even though the pope himself, were to stake his soul upon it.
53. They are enemies of Christ and of the pope, who bid the Word of God be altogether silent in some Churches, in order that pardons may be preached in others.
54. Injury is done the Word of God when, in the same sermon, an equal or a longer time is spent on pardons than on this Word.
55. It must be the intention of the pope that if pardons, which are a very small thing, are celebrated with one bell, with single processions and ceremonies, then the Gospel, which is the very greatest thing, should be preached with a hundred bells, a hundred processions, a hundred ceremonies.
56. The "treasures of the Church," out of which the pope. grants indulgences, are not sufficiently named or known among the people of Christ.
57. That they are not temporal treasures is certainly evident, for many of the vendors do not pour out such treasures so easily, but only gather them.
58. Nor are they the merits of Christ and the Saints, for even without the pope, these always work grace for the inner man, and the cross, death, and hell for the outward man.
59. St. Lawrence said that the treasures of the Church were the Church's poor, but he spoke according to the usage of the word in his own time.
60. Without rashness we say that the keys of the Church, given by Christ's merit, are that treasure;
61. For it is clear that for the remission of penalties and of reserved cases, the power of the pope is of itself sufficient.
62. The true treasure of the Church is the Most Holy Gospel of the glory and the grace of God.
63. But this treasure is naturally most odious, for it makes the first to be last.
64. On the other hand, the treasure of indulgences is naturally most acceptable, for it makes the last to be first.
65. Therefore the treasures of the Gospel are nets with which they formerly were wont to fish for men of riches.
66. The treasures of the indulgences are nets with which they now fish for the riches of men.
67. The indulgences which the preachers cry as the "greatest graces" are known to be truly such, in so far as they promote gain.
68. Yet they are in truth the very smallest graces compared with the grace of God and the piety of the Cross.
69. Bishops and curates are bound to admit the commissaries of apostolic pardons, with all reverence.
70. But still more are they bound to strain all their eyes and attend with all their ears, lest these men preach their own dreams instead of the commission of the pope.
71. He who speaks against the truth of apostolic pardons, let him be anathema and accursed!
72. But he who guards against the lust and license of the pardon-preachers, let him be blessed!
73. The pope justly thunders against those who, by any art, contrive the injury of the traffic in pardons.
74. But much more does he intend to thunder against those who use the pretext of pardons to contrive the injury of holy love and truth.
75. To think the papal pardons so great that they could absolve a man even if he had committed an impossible sin and violated the Mother of God -- this is madness.
76. We say, on the contrary, that the papal pardons are not able to remove the very least of venial sins, so far as its guilt is concerned.
77. It is said that even St. Peter, if he were now Pope, could not bestow greater graces; this is blasphemy against St. Peter and against the pope.
78. We say, on the contrary, that even the present pope, and any pope at all, has greater graces at his disposal; to wit, the Gospel, powers, gifts of healing, etc., as it is written in I. Corinthians xii.
79. To say that the cross, emblazoned with the papal arms, which is set up [by the preachers of indulgences], is of equal worth with the Cross of Christ, is blasphemy.
80. The bishops, curates and theologians who allow such talk to be spread among the people, will have an account to render.
81. This unbridled preaching of pardons makes it no easy matter, even for learned men, to rescue the reverence due to the pope from slander, or even from the shrewd questionings of the laity.
82. To wit: -- "Why does not the pope empty purgatory, for the sake of holy love and of the dire need of the souls that are there, if he redeems an infinite number of souls for the sake of miserable money with which to build a Church? The former reasons would be most just; the latter is most trivial."
83. Again: -- "Why are mortuary and anniversary masses for the dead continued, and why does he not return or permit the withdrawal of the endowments founded on their behalf, since it is wrong to pray for the redeemed?"
84. Again: -- "What is this new piety of God and the pope, that for money they allow a man who is impious and their enemy to buy out of purgatory the pious soul of a friend of God, and do not rather, because of that pious and beloved soul's own need, free it for pure love's sake?"
85. Again: -- "Why are the penitential canons long since in actual fact and through disuse abrogated and dead, now satisfied by the granting of indulgences, as though they were still alive and in force?"
86. Again: -- "Why does not the pope, whose wealth is to-day greater than the riches of the richest, build just this one church of St. Peter with his own money, rather than with the money of poor believers?"
87. Again: -- "What is it that the pope remits, and what participation does he grant to those who, by perfect contrition, have a right to full remission and participation?"
88. Again: -- "What greater blessing could come to the Church than if the pope were to do a hundred times a day what he now does once, and bestow on every believer these remissions and participations?"
89. "Since the pope, by his pardons, seeks the salvation of souls rather than money, why does he suspend the indulgences and pardons granted heretofore, since these have equal efficacy?"
90. To repress these arguments and scruples of the laity by force alone, and not to resolve them by giving reasons, is to expose the Church and the pope to the ridicule of their enemies, and to make Christians unhappy.
91. If, therefore, pardons were preached according to the spirit and mind of the pope, all these doubts would be readily resolved; nay, they would not exist.
92. Away, then, with all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, "Peace, peace," and there is no peace!
93. Blessed be all those prophets who say to the people of Christ, "Cross, cross," and there is no cross!
94. Christians are to be exhorted that they be diligent in following Christ, their Head, through penalties, deaths, and hell;
95. And thus be confident of entering into heaven rather through many tribulations, than through the assurance of peace.

Operating System Upgrade Updates

2009-10-27T17:40:00.003-06:00

This past weekend was devoted to upgrading computers. My Dell Mini 9 netbook received an upgrade from Ubuntu 9.04 ("Jaunty Jackalope") to the release candidate of 9.10 ("Karmic Koala"), which has to be the best Linux version ever produced. All went well, as expected. The official roll-out of "Karmic Koala" will be this Thursday. I have been playing with Linux in various flavors (Suse, Puppy, Freespire, Ubuntu) for several years now, and this is the first distribution that I think is ready for a mass audience. Canonical has done a very good job of making a nice, useful operating system.

The big surprise, however, was Windows 7. I have a Compaq laptop that shipped with Vista, and I absolutely hated it. Sam's Club had a Win7 upgrade package of three Home Premium licenses for about $123, which I purchased Saturday morning. Some of the Compaq proprietary hardware was problematic with Linux, especially wireless networking, so I needed to keep it in the Windows world, and it only made sense to purchase the 3-pack for $123 when the individual licenses were $109.

I performed the upgrade of the Vista laptop, and all went smoothly. The machine is much faster, the OS uses far less RAM, and this laptop is finally a pleasure to use. Windows 7 has a fresh, clean feel to it, and all of my software works without any problems.

As a result, I also decided to try out Win7 on my wife's Acer Aspire One XP netbook, and it works great. I was not able to upgrade directly from XP, but needed to perform a fresh install. That was no problem since I back up files nightly on a networked external 1 TB drive and also have all of the installation software for her configuration loaded on a USB jump drive. In fact, doing a fresh install, re-loading her software, and restoring her files was quicker than the upgrade from Vista on the Compaq.

I am sure glad that Microsoft got it right this time. I still have the one extra Windows 7 license, but the other machines don't really meet the requirements, and are happy running either Ubuntu or XP, depending upon their roles. We don't seem to ever get rid of computers, I just find a way to deploy them in other capacities, such as one old XP laptop which is used exclusively for our Magic jack VOIP and another somewhat newer XP machine that serves as an amateur radio RMS gateway into the Winlink2000 network.

I am so glad when things work well!

Free Books, Lot's of Free Books

2009-10-22T21:12:00.003-06:00

As part of their relaunch, Devotional Christian is giving away 22 devotional books worth $258.00.

Details of this amazing give-away are found here.

This Day in History, 1536

2009-10-06T12:19:00.004-06:00

October 6, 1536, the date of the martyrdom of William Tyndale.

"I defy the Pope, and all his laws; and if God spares my life, I will cause the boy that drives the plow in England to know more of the Scriptures than the Pope himself!"

The plow boy, the merchant, and even the clergyman now know the Scriptures better as a result of the life and work of this brave hero of the faith. I have recently received a facsimile copy of Tyndale's 1526 New Testament, and it is quite remarkable in its beauty. While those who cherished Tyndale's original work did so at threat to their lives, my copy joins many other copies of the Bible on my bookshelves.

I just bet...

2009-09-30T11:38:00.003-06:00

...that this makes the oppressed Christians in China feel all "warm and fuzzy""

Empire State Building goes Red to honor 60th Anniversary of Communist China.

Tell me again what we stand for.

Strange Stuff Today

2009-09-15T17:16:00.003-06:00

Several odd items in the news today:

1. Bernanke says that the recession is very likely over.

But unemployment will continue to rise? Don't pay any attention to the man behind the curtain.

2. "You Lie!" = racism?

It looks like the race baiters know no depth to their depravity.

3. Shreveport Mayor pulled over by phony cop.

This might not seem like it fits in the same post as the previous two items, but this Mayor recently argued that motorists have no rights when pulled over the police. It seems a bit ironic that he expects to have his rights preserved. (Never mind that somebody needs to give this Mayor a lesson on civics. Suspend your rights? I am sure glad that I don't live in Shreveport!)

ACORN = Organized Crime

2009-09-12T12:34:00.003-06:00

When are the bigwigs at ACORN going to be prosecuted for racketeering?

Yes, ACORN is no longer associated with the Census Bureau, but I am guessing that this is a "carrot" to keep the news media from digging too deep into the guts of this criminal enterprise. They are still receiving millions of HUD dollars, and are probably going to get a whole lot more from the "Community Organizer in Chief".

A few low level peons get fired and or prosecuted when ACORN abuses come to light, but when is the Justice Department going to go after the ring leaders, the fat cats who are running this scam?

9-11

2009-09-11T16:03:00.001-06:00

Never forget.

(RSS & Facebook, click on the original post to view the video.)

TAP

2009-09-11T08:45:00.003-06:00

Toss All Politicians

Effective today I am beginning a new movement to "Toss All Politicians" (TAP).

Our Founding Fathers understood human nature, recognized that government was a necessary evil, and determined that the people should hold their elected representatives accountable. However, over the years we have grown a crop of professional politicians who are more interested in their elected positions than they are in their constituents.

I don't care if they are Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, Socialist, or Independent, if they are a "Politician" instead of a "Representative", then you need to toss them.

How do you know that they are a "Politician"? Here are a few examples:

City Council members who make decisions based upon keeping their posts? Toss 'em!

County Commissioners who get "perks" from developers rather than protecting neighborhoods? Give 'em the boot!

Mayors who wink at corruption instead of guiding their cities? Fire 'em!

State representatives and senators who are more interested in appeasing special interests than on keeping an eye on the taxpayers money? Vote 'em out!

Governors who engage in "pay for play" instead of providing wise leadership? Throw the bums out!

Congressional Representatives and Senators who approve "bridges to nowhere" and "airports with no passengers"? Give 'em the bums rush!

Presidents who violate their oaths of office? Replace them!

Start looking around for people who will put principle before privilege, conscience before connection, and trust before trappings. You may not always agree with them on every issue, but if they are principled and thoughtful then you will be far better off than we are today. Look for those who will listen, engage in honest debate and discussion, and act based upon personal conviction. If you do this, then you won't need to worry about their party affiliation.

As this message is disseminated throughout this land maybe those who agree with me can take up the challenge to TAP. If you find yourself in close proximity to a "Politician" then TAP out a message to them. TAP your feet on the floor, TAP your fingers on the table, or TAP your pen against your palm. Let's remember to TAP, Toss All Politicians.

Sometimes, good things come out of New Mexico

2009-09-10T14:41:00.004-06:00

Including this Federal District Court decision.

This is a very important decision for law abiding citizens who choose to openly carry firearms for self-defense. Even though I have a New Mexico Concealed Handgun permit, there are times that I choose to openly carry one of my handguns. I have never been hassled for doing so, in fact most people don't even notice, but I have heard plenty of horror stories of those who have been detained and forcibly disarmed while engaged in lawful conduct.

From the decision:

In sum, Defendants had no reason for seizing Mr. St. John other than the fact that he was lawfully carrying a weapon in a public place. Because New Mexico law allows individuals to openly carry weapons in public—and Mr. St. John had done nothing to arouse suspicion, create tumult or endanger anyone's well-being—there were no articulable facts to indicate either criminal activity or a threat to safety. Accordingly, Defendants' seizure of Mr. St. John violated his Fourth Amendment rights.

Looks like somebody forgot Rule # 4

2009-09-04T08:55:00.003-06:00

There are Four Rules of safe firearms handling. They are:

1) Always treat all firearms as if they are loaded.
2) Never point a firearm at anything that you don't want to destroy.
3) Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on your target.
4) Always be sure of your target, and what lies beyond it.

This story shows why all of these rules are important. Yikes!

Men are from Mars...

2009-09-02T17:56:00.000-06:00

...Women are from Venus?

Seventy Years Ago Today

2009-09-01T16:32:00.003-06:00

September 1, 1939, the beginning of World War II, as German forces invaded Poland.

Before it ended in Tokyo harbor on September 2, 1945 some 50 to 70 million people died.

The Ode

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

- Laurence Binyon

Praying for the President

2009-08-31T19:18:00.007-06:00

I am praying that our President will be converted by the power of God to salvation and the knowledge of the truth:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. - 1 Timothy 2:1-4 (ESV)

This misguided "minister" has a different idea. Where does he get the Scriptural support for that? How is that "godly and dignified in every way"?

Ted Kennedy deserves more attention than any Republican?

2009-08-30T16:26:00.003-06:00

Even living Presidents? That is what this "journalist" thinks:

(Facebook or RSS, view original post to see video.)

This might just be true. How many Republicans:

Oh wait, they weren't talking about these things in the halls of the MSM this past week.

We are going for a ride!

2009-08-27T16:50:00.001-06:00

Whee!

(Facebook and RSS click on the original post to see the video.)

Does this guy belong anywhere near the White House?

2009-08-25T17:31:00.002-06:00

But in jail, he said, "I met all these young radical people of color -- I mean really radical, communists and anarchists. And it was, like, 'This is what I need to be a part of.'" Although he already had a plane ticket, he decided to stay in San Francisco. "I spent the next ten years of my life working with a lot of those people I met in jail, trying to be a revolutionary." In the months that followed, he let go of any lingering thoughts that he might fit in with the status quo. "I was a rowdy nationalist on April 28th, and then the verdicts came down on April 29th," he said. "By August, I was a communist." Van Jones, Obama administration "Green Jobs" Czar.

This guy is scary, and shouldn't be within 10 million miles of the White House, let alone a close advisor to the President. I am afraid that the "enemies domestic" are more dangerous than the "enemies foreign" these days.

William Wilberforce

2009-08-24T17:22:00.002-06:00

Today is the 250th birthday of William Wilberforce.

"So enormous, so dreadful, so irremediable did the [slave] trade's wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for abolition. Let the consequences be what they would: I from this time determined that I would never rest until I had effected its abolition."

Send in the Marines

2009-08-24T16:21:00.001-06:00

(Facebook and RSS viewers , click on the original post to see the video.)

"Stay away from my kids!"

Do You Have Two Minutes?

2009-08-22T19:06:00.003-06:00

Watch this video. It could make an eternal difference.

(Facebook or RSS viewers, make sure to go to the original post to see the video.)

Honor Killings in America?

2009-08-21T15:15:00.002-06:00

"I want to be free, I want to worship Jesus, I want to go to church on Sundays, and read my Bible and say that Jesus is alive... I don't have that."

Please pray for Rifqa and for others in her situation.

Rev. Ike goes to his reward

2009-08-18T05:51:00.003-06:00

Prosperity preacher "Rev Ike" dies at age 74 on July 28, 2009.

“If it’s that difficult for a rich man to get into heaven,” he would often say, citing Matthew, “think how terrible it must be for a poor man to get in. He doesn’t even have a bribe for the gatekeeper.”

I don't imagine that he had any success bribing the gatekeeper, even with his many Rolls Royces.

An Important Birthday Today

2009-08-17T18:04:00.004-06:00

And the world would never again be the same.

William Carey August 17, 1761 - June 9, 1834

"Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God."

Just wait...

2009-08-16T17:50:00.004-06:00

...until the Federal Government is "paying" for your health care.

If they can't even manage the "Cash for Clunkers" program why would anyone think that they can manage a program that has life and death consequences? Only 2% of car dealers paid so far, and 4 out of 5 claims denied for "minor oversight"? Not enough staffing, complicated forms and requirements? It sounds like normal bureaucratic bungling. No one is going to die if the clunkers don't get paid on time, but what happens when you can't get needed surgery or cancer treatment?

A Cup of Cold Water

2009-08-12T20:55:00.002-06:00

Regardless of one's views on illegal immigration it would be hard for me to believe that anyone would see this article as anything but troubling. There is something wrong when someone is punished for providing water for travelers in the southwest desert.

"And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward." - Matthew 10:42 (ESV)

Christian Freedom

2009-08-08T14:38:00.004-06:00

"We must now discuss Christian freedom." - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 1536 edition, pg. 176.

You don't know how happy I was to read those words the other day.

As part of my year long celebration of John Calvin's 500th birthday on July 19th I have been reading from and about John Calvin. I had previously read the 1559 Institutes but wanted to compare Calvin's thought as a young man. What is remarkable is the fact that the Calvin of 1536 is very much the same man in 1559. I know that I have changed greatly, especially in theological matters, in the past 23 years, and especially since I was age 27, the age that Calvin was when the Institutes was first published.

The happiness that I express above was due to the fact that I have come to what I consider to be the most important part of Calvin's work, his treatise on Christian freedom. Truthfully, the past several weeks reading left me cold. Not that Calvin's argument against the errors of Roman Catholic sacramental system wasn't both excellent and important, it just wasn't that important to me. Having never been subject to that system as a Baptist, and possibly because we live in a post-counter-reformation, post-Vatican II world, I haven't lost much sleep worrying about sacramentalism.

Yet, it is because of the above that Calvin's material on Christian freedom is so important. The world he lived in was very much different, both politically and religiously than ours today. Men are still the same now as then, but the majority of Calvin's readers had no experience with the political and religious freedom that we have come to know today. Calvin's writings opened up new possibilities, leading to new ways of thinking and eventually to new forms of government. It is no exaggeration to call Calvin the "spiritual father" of America, so radical was his thought.

Maybe it is time, once again, for us to seriously discuss Christian freedom.

Islam once again demonstrates that it is the "Religion of Peace"

2009-08-08T12:52:00.005-06:00

Three Nigerian pastors beheaded by Islamic extremists in Nigeria.

I expect that "moderate" Muslims world-wide will quickly denounce this act.........Not.

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 “Therefore they are before the throne of God,
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.

- Revelation 7:9-15 (ESV)

Easy Believism Kills

2009-08-07T20:10:00.005-06:00

From the online blog of mass murderer George Sodini:

Maybe soon, I will see God and Jesus. At least that is what I was told. Eternal life does NOT depend on works. If it did, we will all be in hell. Christ paid for EVERY sin, so how can I or you be judged BY GOD for a sin when the penalty was ALREADY paid. People judge but that does not matter. I was reading the Bible and The Integrity of God beginning yesterday, because soon I will see them.

We do not what he was actually told, and it might be that Sodini distorted the gospel message that he received in the church he attended. However, one can only wonder if we are seeing the fruit of a "gospel" that says "pray this prayer" instead of "repent and follow Jesus". Yes, Sodini was a disturbed, delusional, outcast, but one has to wonder if belief in an easy believism didn't embolden him in this massacre.

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. -Romans 6:1-14 (ESV)

5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. - 1 John 1:5-10 (ESV)

1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. - 1 John 2:1-6 (ESV)

Letting people believe that anything is an acceptable substitute for true new birth conversion resulting in obedience to Christ, whether it be a prayer, a baptism, a walk down a church aisle, the handshake of a preacher, or anything else, leads to false converts and sometimes horrific events like this.

Followup:

“Cheap grace is the enemy of the church. It means forgiveness of sins proclaimed as a general truth . . . an intellectual assent to that idea is held to be sufficient to secure remission of sins. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without repentance. . . grace without discipleship, grace without a cross . . . Costly grace is the gospel [of the church] . . . It is costly because it costs a man his life, and grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his son . . . it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God . . . When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.”

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (New York, NY: MacMillan, 1959), 45-48.

Grasping at Straws

2009-08-07T09:45:00.002-06:00

I am tempted to say "so what?" about this news story. This is about as relevant as a news story that said something like the following:

Police have revealed today that last night's drunk driver was driving an automobile manufactured by the same company that sold a car to the driver of last month's horrific tragedy. More at 11:00.

Accessories? He bought accessories? What, like maybe a holster? An extra magazine? A gunbelt? Shooting glasses and earmuffs?

Journalism, don't you love it?

More from the "Religion of Peace"

2009-08-03T08:26:00.002-06:00

Christian Family burned alive in Pakistan.

Pray for your persecuted brothers and sisters.

It's August...

2009-08-01T08:13:00.001-06:00

...and Logos is still giving away great Bibles.

Logos Bible Software is celebrating the launch of their new online Bible by giving away 72 ultra-premium print Bibles at a rate of 12 per month for six months. The Bible giveaway is being held at Bible.Logos.com and you can get up to five different entries each month! After you enter, be sure to check out Logos and see how it can revolutionize your Bible study.

Do you really want...

2009-07-30T18:34:00.002-06:00

...these folks running your health care?

Repeat after me: "Government is never the answer."

Government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them. - Ronald Reagan

Update: Typical government solution, just keep throwing cash at a problem. A billion here and a billion there, and pretty soon you are talking about real money. Real money? Where do our esteemed lawmakers think that it comes from?

Jimmy Carter Quits (Again)

2009-07-30T12:13:00.004-06:00

Jimmy Carter states that he is severing ties with the Southern Baptist Convention due to rampant sexism.

Excuse me, but didn't he already do this in 2000?

Would somebody please lock the door behind him this time? Maybe he can find a new spiritual home with the LDS.

Buh bye.

Looks like your average Christian bookstore

2009-07-28T06:04:00.003-06:00

HT: The Sacred Sandwich

Antipsalm 23

2009-07-25T13:29:00.002-06:00

David Powlison writes an Antipsalm 23:

I'm on my own.
No one looks out for me or protects me.
I experience a continual sense of need. Nothing's quite right.
I'm always restless. I'm easily frustrated and often disappointed.
It's a jungle — I feel overwhelmed. It's a desert — I'm thirsty.
My soul feels broken, twisted, and stuck. I can't fix myself.
I stumble down some dark paths.
Still, I insist: I want to do what I want, when I want, how I want.
But life's confusing. Why don't things ever really work out?
I'm haunted by emptiness and futility — shadows of death.
I fear the big hurt and final loss.
Death is waiting for me at the end of every road,
but I'd rather not think about that.
I spend my life protecting myself. Bad things can happen.
I find no lasting comfort.
I'm alone ... facing everything that could hurt me.
Are my friends really friends?
Other people use me for their own ends.
I can't really trust anyone. No one has my back.
No one is really for me — except me.
And I'm so much all about ME, sometimes it's sickening.
I belong to no one except myself.
My cup is never quite full enough. I'm left empty.
Disappointment follows me all the days of my life.
Will I just be obliterated into nothingness?
Will I be alone forever, homeless, free-falling into void?
Sartre said, "Hell is other people."
I have to add, "Hell is also myself."
It's a living death,
and then I die.

It is sad that this characterizes the viewpoint of so many when God offers:

A Psalm of David.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

(Psalm 23, ESV)

Hey you, Federal Criminal. That's right, you!

2009-07-25T12:47:00.004-06:00

"Every year, thousands of upstanding, responsible Americans run afoul of some incomprehensible federal law or regulation and end up serving time in federal prison."

There has been an explosion in the number of federal crimes added to the books the past couple of years. Many of these are felonies, and will get you hard time in a federal prison as well as strip away your rights to vote and possess firearms. Pretty soon we might see more laws against "hate crimes" that could be used to criminalize the public reading of portions of the Bible.

Don't think that persecution is coming? Better think again.

(I won't get on my soapbox (much) at this point, But what were "conservatives" thinking when they proposed infringements upon our freedoms in the name of stopping terrorism or waging war on drugs. Don't they know that governments can't be trusted, which is the whole reason why the Founding Fathers limited government and codified the protection of civil liberties in the first place?)

Pray for our Persecuted Brothers and Sisters

2009-07-24T08:52:00.002-06:00

This sad news story today from Fox News:

North Korea Publicly Executes Christian Woman for Distributing Bible.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:31-39 (ESV)

Ri Hyon Ok is now more than a conqueror. Pray for her family and fellow believers in North Korea as they face tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger and sword.

(You may also want to see my previous post about the dangers of attempting escape from North Korea.)

If it was the Qur'an...

2009-07-24T08:33:00.003-06:00

...there would be wide-spread, world-wide rioting. Not to mention the outcry denunciation of this exhibit as a "hate crime".

Art Show Encourages People to Deface the Bible.

It appears that we are to now be tolerant of everything except the Truth.

(And, that sound coming from Scotland? That is John Knox spinning in his grave.)

Henry McCarty...

2009-07-23T16:13:00.004-06:00

...AKA Billy the Kid.

There have been few other characters in New Mexico history who have evoked as much mystery and intrigue. Two years ago my wife and I were fortunate to attend a special exhibition of historic artifacts, artwork, and pop culture memorabilia related to "the Kid" at the Albuquerque Museum of Art & History.

Now the New Mexico Tourism Department unveils a new website containing lots of neat information, including information about the photograph that led many to believe that Bilyl was left handed for many years. They did a very good job, make sure to check it out.

July 20, 1969

2009-07-20T18:14:00.003-06:00

Has it really been 40 years since a teenage boy huddled with his family around the B&W TV in El Paso, Texas? The Boston Globe has an excellent pictorial commemorating Apollo 11.

Here is a list of little known facts about the Apollo 11 mission, including the fact that Buzz Aldrin participated in a personal communion service:

It was interesting for me to think: the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the very first food eaten there, were the communion elements. (Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, who also had another first.)

Yearning to be Free

2009-07-17T08:12:00.005-06:00

We take our freedom for granted while there are millions who live under despotic regimes. Probably the worst dictatorship in the world is North Korea. Many risk imprisonment, torture, and even death to escape this "workers' paradise".

This PBS documentary is well worth an hour of your time:

(If in Facebook or via RSS, go to the original post. For HD, click on"Full Screen".)

Do you think...

2009-07-13T20:12:00.005-06:00

...that the ACLU will file suit to stop this egregious violation of rights?

(if viewing on Facebook or via RSS, view the original post to see the video.)

Nah, I didn't think so either.

I wonder how many folks will plant a cheap gun on the property of an unsuspecting neighbor in order to collect $1,000.00? For them this might be the "best program in the country".

Isn't it just wonderful...

2009-07-13T17:40:00.003-06:00

...that John Holdren is President Obama's "Science Czar"?

In 1969, writing with Paul R. Ehrlich, Holdren claimed that, "if the population control measures are not initiated immediately, and effectively, all the technology man can bring to bear will not fend off the misery to come."^[9] In 1973 Holdren encouraged a decline in fertility to well below replacement in the United States, because "210 million now is too many and 280 million in 2040 is likely to be much too many"^[10]. Currently, the U.S. population is 306,892,000^[11]. In 1977 he co-authored (with Paul R. Ehrlich and Anne H. Ehrlich) Ecoscience^[12], which discussed the possible role of a "planetary regime" in enforcing population control. Also discussed was the possibility of adding a sterilant to drinking water; "Adding a sterilant to drinking water or staple foods is a suggestion that seems to horrify people more than most proposals for involuntary fertility control. Indeed, this would pose some very difficult political, legal, and social questions, to say nothing of the technical problems. No such sterilant exists today, nor does one appear to be under development. To be acceptable, such a substance would have to meet some rather stiff requirements: it must be uniformly effective, despite widely varying doses received by individuals, and despite varying degrees of fertility and sensitivity among individuals; it must be free of dangerous or unpleasant side effects; and it must have no effect on members of the opposite sex, children, old people, pets, or livestock.".

This is scary stuff.

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” - Luke 21:25-28, ESV

There aren't many left

2009-07-13T16:30:00.006-06:00

I received an email today telling me that Darrell "Shifty" Powers of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division passed away on June 17th of this year at age 86.

This is from the email:

An American Hero

Darrell "Shifty" Powers

Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you've seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them. I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn't know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the "Screaming Eagle", the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat. Making conversation, I asked him if he'd been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He said quietly that he had been in the 101st. I thanked him for his service, then asked him when he served, and how many jumps he made. Quietly and humbly, he said "Well, I guess I signed up in 1941 or so, and was in until sometime in 1945 . . . " at which point my heart skipped.

At that point, again, very humbly, he said "I made the 5 training jumps at Toccoa, and then jumped into Normandy . . . . do you know where Normandy is?" At this point my heart stopped. I told him yes, I know exactly where Normandy was, and I know what D-Day was. At that point he said "I also made a second jump into Holland, into Arnhem." I was standing with a genuine war hero

. . . . and then I realized that it was June, just after the anniversary of D-Day.

I asked Shifty if he was on his way back from France, and he said "Yes. And it's real sad because these days so few of the guys are left, and those that are, lots of them can't make the trip." My heart was in my throat and I didn't know what to say. I helped Shifty get onto the plane and then realized he was back in Coach, while I was in First Class. I sent the flight attendant back to get him and said that I wanted to switch seats. When Shifty came forward, I got up out of the seat and told him I wanted him to have it, that I'd take his in coach. He said "No, son, you enjoy that seat. Just knowing that there are still some who remember what we did and still care is enough to make an old man very happy." His eyes were filling up as he said it. And mine are brimming up now as I write this.

Shifty died on June 17 after fighting cancer.

There was no parade.

No big event in Staples Center.

No wall to wall back to back 24x7 news coverage.

No weeping fans on television.

Let's give Shifty his own Memorial Service, online, in our own quiet way.

Coming soon to a neighborhood near you...

2009-07-13T15:48:00.006-06:00

Remember the anarchist riots in France in the Fall of 2005? Did you think then that it could never happen here? Don't kid yourself.

If I had a tinfoil hat mentality I would almost believe that much of what is happening in our government today is specifically designed to lead to the level of disaffection and unrest witnessed in France. Whether or not it is intentional, many of the Obama administration's actions are putting us on the same road.

In an attempt to "know your enemy", I have recently obtained an electronic copy of the English translation of The Coming Insurrection, written by an anonymous group of French anarchists who are calling for a violent uprising against all structures. It is a chilling read, and I may have more comments later. For now, the following excerpt was interesting:

The West is a civilization that has survived all the prophecies of its collapse with a singular stratagem. Just as the bourgeoisie had to deny itself as a class in order to permit the bourgeoisification of society as a whole, from the worker to the baron; just as capital had to sacrifice itself as a wage relation in order to impose itself as a social relation – becoming cultural capital and health capital in addition to finance capital; just as Christianity had to sacrifice itself as a religion in order to survive as an affective structure – as a vague injunction to humility, compassion, and weakness; so the West has sacrificed itself as a particular civilization in order to impose itself as a universal culture. The operation can be summarized like this: an entity in its death throws sacrifices itself as a content in order to survive as a form. -pg. 60, The Coming Insurrection, by "The Invisible Committee"

As far as the writers of this tome are concerned, Christianity is on the ash heap, and only functions as an "affective structure" without power or substance. Unfortunately, this is 100% true of much of Western European "Christianity", and also describes much of American "Christianity" from main-line churches to evangelical circuses.

Have we sacrificed Christianity as a religion in order to survive as an affective structure? It would be difficult to argue against this point based upon an examination of the sorry state of the visible church.

Yet, we know that the true Church, the Body of Christ, transcends worldly structures: I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18b, ESV). While this is true, it might be that we will be called upon to testify for Christ in the midst of great turmoil: Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake (Matthew 24:9, ESV). Remember: But the one who endures to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13, ESV) and:

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

(Romans 8:31-39, ESV)

More Pennies

2009-07-12T17:39:00.004-06:00

From the same folks who demonstrated budget cuts using pennies, here is another visual concerning unemployment:

We would be better off doing nothing at all...

Amazing Bravery

2009-07-10T10:45:00.002-06:00

This is an incredible story of bravery.

Video here (warning graphic and some rough language).

This is a reminder that we need to pray everyday for those who defend freedom.

“I don’t think there has been a day in the last year and a half that I haven’t thought about them, that I haven’t prayed for them. They saved my life,” said Moss, 24, whose slender 135-pound frame belies the hearty young man who went to war 55 pounds heavier.

“I knew it was love of country and brothers in arms. I hope God watches over them if they get deployed.”

- American Hero, Spc. Channing Moss

Happy 500th Birthday, John Calvin

2009-07-10T05:00:00.000-06:00

John Calvin
July 10, 1509 - May 27, 1564

Without the gospel
All of us are useless and empty;
Without the gospel
We are not Christians;
Without the gospel
All wealth is poverty,
Wisdom is foolishness before God,
Strength is weakness,
All human justice is condemned of God,
But by the knowledge of the gospel,
We are made children of God,
Brothers of Jesus Christ,
Fellow citizens of the saints,
Citizens of the kingdom of heaven,
Heirs of God with Jesus Christ,
By whom the poor become rich,
the weak powerful,
the fools wise,
the sinners justified,
the desolate comforted,
the doubting certain,
the slaves set free.
It is the power of God
For the salvation of all believers
And the key to the knowledge of God
Which opens the door of the kingdom of heaven
To unbelievers lying in their sins.

Happy are all those
Who hear and keep it.
For by that they show
That they are children of God.
Miserable are those
Who wish neither to hear nor follow it:
For they are children of the devil.

Taken from John Calvin's preface to Pierre Robert's French translation of the New Testament (1535), as recorded in The Piety of John Calvin: A Collection of His Spiritual Prose, Poems, and Hymns (page 206), translated by Ford Lewis Battles (1915-1979)

Two days, two funerals

2009-07-07T13:09:00.004-06:00

Today, thousands will gather and millions will watch as celebrities glorify Micheal Jackson.

"As long as we remember him, he will always be there to comfort us." - 'Pastor' Lucious W. Smith of the Friendship Baptist Church in Pasadena.

"Michael made us love each other. Michael taught us to stand with each other" - 'Rev.' Al Sharpton.

Tomorrow, hundreds will gather to glorify God.

"My body has betrayed me and I have no control. When I am lying in bed, I can do none of the things that I mistakenly think give me value or purpose. I can’t take care of my kids. I can’t make a meal for my husband. I can’t work to make money. Clinging to Him is all I can do. He is my comfort. He is my strength. He is the one who can heal me. He is my hope that things will be better. He is the one who will bring good from my suffering. It’s not bravery. It’s desperation. And it’s exactly where I should be. Clinging.

Sometimes when I think about Jesus coming back, I imagine I am suddenly 7 years old running towards him and throwing my arms around his waist. As he reaches down to embrace me, I hear him say, “Well done, daughter. Welcome home.”

And so I cling." - Rachel Barkey, September 19, 2004

I Dare You...

2009-07-04T18:12:00.002-06:00

...to laugh at this guy.

A brave guy: As for a bright red T-shirt he also was wearing, Boyd said he wasn't overly worried about drawing fire that day. "The enemy already knew where I was," Boyd said. "If they want to shoot at me, then that's less fire they put on the guys that are pinned down, so that's fine with me."

I don't think his buddies really cared what he was wearing, he was in the fight with them.

His boxers will be displayed in the 1st Infantry Division museum at Fort Riley, Kansas. I am sure that they will be drawing attention for years to come.

I am glad that he is now at home, and I hope that all of you will join me in thanking him for his service.

Maybe she just wants to be a Mom

2009-07-03T17:25:00.004-06:00

At the time of this writing, Google shows 9,621 news items about Sarah Palin for the past hour. I also heard about an hour's worth of TV news coverage of her resignation. All of the talking heads and pundits seem to be trying to figure out what she is up to. Will this help/hurt her in a Presidential run in 2012? In 2016? Has she committed political suicide? Will she spend the next two years writing a book/boning up on foreign affairs/raising money/ building support/etc? Was she run out of office by the criticism/family attacks/ethics complaints/etc? Is there some deep dark secret or scandal that she is trying to keep from coming to light? I actually heard one joke that possibly she had recently been to Argentina (!?!)

Maybe, just maybe, she is resigning so that she can be Mom. Maybe she recognizes that the most important task she will ever have is to invest herself in the lives of her children. Maybe she really does have her priorities straight.

If so, then she has my renewed respect.

Premium Bibles Giveaway

2009-07-02T16:43:00.002-06:00

Logos Bible Software is giving away 72 premium Bibles from some of the best publishers over the next six months. They even give you five different ways to enter each and every month.

That is $11,500.00 worth of Bibles.

Aren't you glad...

2009-06-30T20:49:00.003-06:00

...that we can trust our leaders for our security?

As anyone who knows the rudiments of firearms safety can tell you, Mayor Nagin is practicing very poor muzzle control. Maybe it is a really good idea that they got 600 bullet-proof vests, so that they can double or triple them up, seeing as a 5.56 slug at that range is going to punch through multiple layers of Kevlar.

Of course, this is the same man who found it necessary to disarm law-abiding gun owners following Hurricane Katrina, telling them that only the authorities were professional enough to be armed.

Fleecing the Sheep

2009-06-30T18:34:00.004-06:00

Yet another "Pastor" who needs a lesson in the fear of the Lord.

"This case goes far beyond simple theft," Rokita said in a statement. "The Reeveses allegedly targeted their victims through their faith, and then exploited their religious convictions in order to hide their elaborate Ponzi scheme from potential investors."

Sin makes you stupid.

Lord, allow me to finish well in your service, and keep me from dishonoring you and the trust that you have placed in me as your servant.

(Update: Here is another minister gone astray. It seems that not a single day goes by without something like this. Could it be that our modern "feel good/I'm OK, you're OK" faith leads ministers to disregard their depravity and fail to mortify the flesh daily?)

Belief and Suffering

2009-06-30T16:43:00.008-06:00

Skeptics often frame their disagreement with Christianity by saying something to the effect of: "How can God be loving and yet allow suffering" (or some variation thereof).

For more than 30 years I have been using the Our Daily Bread devotional booklets from Radio Bible Class. They have been uniformly good, and I have had little to quibble with their content during this long period of time. They are the first thing that I read in the morning, followed by my daily readings in the ESV Daily Reading Bible.

Following the daily reading for today there was a small section entitled Ten Reasons To Believe in a God Who Allows Suffering. This excellent material is also available online, and provides a Biblically balanced view as to why God allows us to experience pain and suffering.

This is the one that resonated most with me:

Suffering Takes Us To The Edge Of Eternity

If death is the end of everything, then a life filled with suffering isn't fair. But if the end of this life brings us to the threshold of eternity, then the most fortunate people in the universe are those who discover, through suffering, that this life is not all we have to live for. Those who find themselves and their eternal God through suffering have not wasted their pain. They have let their poverty, grief, and hunger drive them to the Lord of eternity. They are the ones who will discover to their own unending joy why Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:1-12; Romans 8:18-19).

June is almost over...

2009-06-30T16:08:00.003-06:00

...and yet many of us are still clinging to "old attitudes".

I think that I will keep my "old attitudes" along with the "old, old story".

Latayne Scott Blog Tour - Mormon Mirage

2009-06-30T08:22:00.003-06:00

Latayne Scott is answering questions today about her book The Mormon Mirage.

Here is one question from me:

Latayne, in conversations with Mormons they trumpet their "family friendly" lifestyle. I get the impression that this is the glue that holds many Mormons to their erroneous beliefs. How can we convince them that the "forever family" of orthodox Christianity is superior to what they believe? I often get the impression that Mormons fear family abandonment if they leave their faith.

(Update: Latayne's answer is contained in the comments below.)

Cap & Trade Insanity

2009-06-29T15:40:00.002-06:00

Are we really planning on destroying what is left of America's economy when even some within the EPA think that the planet is cooling?

You mean that our politicians aren't looking out for our best interests? Say it ain't so.

It is truly scary...

2009-06-28T20:10:00.004-06:00

...what a tyrannical government is capable of doing, as seen in this item about how the Iranian security apparatus has been able to shut down the Internet and social networking sites.

"The high-end apparatus, installed in late 2008 by the German Siemens AG and Finnish Nokia Corp. cell phone giant, gave Iranian intelligence the most advanced tools anywhere for controlling, inspecting, censoring and altering Internet and cell phone messaging. Those tools were being used weeks before the poll to identify penetrations by alien spy services, their local agents and dissident activists."

Of course, none of this would have been possible for the Iranian government without technology acquired from Siemens and Nokia. I wonder how their executives can sleep at night?

It is important to note how the enemies of freedom operate, and not take for granted that our government couldn't do the same, or worse.

Two Things That I Learned This Past Week

2009-06-27T15:18:00.004-06:00

1) Since 1929, pedestrians have had the right-of-way in Connecticut. (Courtesy of an editorial in the Danbury News-Record.)

2) You cannot buy postcards in Connecticut. (Courtesy of personal experience.)

*****

We spent the past week in Connecticut, visiting the graves of my ancestors (nine generations in three cemeteries), took a side trip to the Boston area to visit my wife's mother's cousin, and also visited with my Dad's cousin. Whenever we visit somewhere on vacation my wife makes it a point to buy a fistful of postcards and then mail them out to family and friends. Most of our travels are in the south or the west, and you can always find postcards at drug stores, grocery stores, tourist traps, etc. However, it appears that this is not the case in Connecticut. Asking clerks in stores resulted in puzzled looks, and one young lady in the Rite-Aide drug store in Danbury told us: "I don't think that I have ever seen a Connecticut post card. We don't get many tourists here."

We also discovered a bit of my wife's family history:

Breaking news?

2009-06-27T09:47:00.001-06:00

God's Priorites For Us

2009-06-22T04:50:00.002-06:00

We quickly learn that God is more interested in our holiness than in our comfort. He more greatly delights in the integrity and purity of his church than in the material well-being of its members. He shows himself more clearly to men and women who enjoy him and obey him than to men and women whose horizons revolve around good jobs, nice houses, and reasonable health. He is far more committed to building a corporate "temple" in which his Spirit dwells than he is in preserving our reputations. He is more vitally disposed to display his grace than to flatter our intelligence. He is more concerned for justice than for our ease. He is more deeply committed to stretching our faith than our popularity. He prefers that his people live in disciplined gratitude and holy joy rather than in pushy self-reliance and glitzy happiness. He wants us to pursue daily death, not self-fulfillment, for the latter leads to death, while the former leads to life.

These essential values of the gospel must shape our praying...

D.A Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers, page 200

Yes, ma'am, that's my baby...

2009-06-18T13:03:00.006-06:00

...no ma'am, I don't mean maybe:

Senator Boxer pitches a hissy fit when politely addressed by a Brigadier General.

Grow up, ma'am.

(Update: More Boxer petulance.)

(Another Update: Senator Boxer & Dr. Evil)

The Times, They Are A Changing...

2009-06-17T16:52:00.003-06:00

...and not for the better.

Today we find out about a new attack on the First Amendment.

As a "Right Wing Domestic Terrorist" , I will once again engage in "low-level terrorism" on July 4th.

Anti-Semitism Raises It's Ugly Head Again

2009-06-12T12:50:00.003-06:00

Two items in the news this week:

First, the tragic shooting at the National Holocaust Museum by racist and holocaust denier, James W. von Brunn.

Second, these comments from Jeremiah Wright:

"Them Jews aren't going to let him talk to me. I told my baby daughter, that he'll talk to me in five years when he's a lame duck, or in eight years when he's out of office."

Both are evil, both should be denounced.

Win BibleWorks 8

2009-06-12T08:35:00.005-06:00

Cal.vini.st has a first anniversary contest going on to win one of two copies of BibleWorks 8.

By letting you know about htis contest I earn another chance at winning myself, and there aren't enough of you (my faithful readers) to decrease my chances appreciably.

Update: It appears that there are problems with the domain name of the Cal.vini.st blog. My link is correct, but you cannot access the site right now. Maybe things will be fixed soon.

Additional update: The Cal.vini.st blog is once again available.

Gangster Government

2009-06-11T17:08:00.002-06:00

Unfortunately, the video clip speaks for itself:

My Best Thought

2009-06-07T15:15:00.002-06:00

The following is a video of my favorite hymn, including the oft neglected third verse:

May Christ always be our "best thought".

Social Networking Explained

2009-06-05T08:19:00.003-06:00

In one easy to understand graphic:

Where?

2009-06-02T16:08:00.003-06:00

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2009 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.

Is there anyone who can tell me where in the US Constitution a President would find the "authority" to declare such an abomination? I have carefully read Article II, and can find no such "authority" there. I guess that if the President doesn't have to prove that he is a "natural born citizen" then anything goes.

Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a reproach to any people.
- Proverbs 14:34(ESV)

The Russians Understand, Why Don't We?

2009-05-30T15:26:00.002-06:00

Pravda has recently run an opinion piece entitled American capitalism gone with a whimper, in which they describe the sorry state to which we in the United States have sunk. Maybe they are onto something, as seen in this excerpt:

Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different "branches and denominations" were for the most part little more then Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more then happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the "winning" side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the "winning" side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America.

-----

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:1-5, ESV)

Paul's Prayers

2009-05-28T21:19:00.002-06:00

D.A. Carson in A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities From Paul and His Prayers, lists the various prayers of the Apostle Paul as contained in his epistles (pages 67-74), and then challenges his readers to review them daily for 30 days. While Carson uses the NIV, I have given the text of the same passages from the ESV.

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.

(Romans 1:8)

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.

(Romans 10:1)

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

(Romans 12:12)

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus,that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Romans 15:5-6)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

(Romans 15:13)

I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints,so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

(Romans 15:30-33)

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge—even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you—so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ,who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

(1 Corinthians 1:4-9)

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.

(1 Corinthians 16:23)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

(2 Corinthians 1:3-7)

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

(2 Corinthians 2:14-16)

For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others,while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

(2 Corinthians 9:12-15)

So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

(2 Corinthians 12:7-9a)

But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for.

(2 Corinthians 13:7-9)

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

(Galatians 6:18)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight

(Ephesians 1:3-8)

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

(Ephesians 1:15-23)

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

(Ephesians 3:14-21)

(Praying) and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

(Ephesians 6:19-20)

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ

(Philippians 1:3-6)

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

(Philippians 1:9-11)

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 4:6-7)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

(Philippians 4:23)

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy,giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

(Colossians 1:3-14)

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison—that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

(Colossians 4:2-4)

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

(1 Thessalonians 1:2-3)

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews,who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But God's wrath has come upon them at last!

(1 Thessalonians 2:13-16)

For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God,as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you,and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

(1 Thessalonians 3:9-13)

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

(1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

(1 Thessalonians 5:28)

We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring.

(2 Thessalonians 1:3-4)

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power,so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

(2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

(2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord about you, that you are doing and will do the things that we command. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.

(2 Thessalonians 3:2-5)

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

(2 Thessalonians 3:16)

I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service,

(1 Timothy 1:12)

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

(1 Timothy 2:1-6)

I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

(2 Timothy 1:3-7)

May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains,but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me—may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that Day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.

(2 Timothy 1:16-18)

The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you.

(2 Timothy 4:22)

I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers,because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and all the saints,and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

(Philemon 4-7)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

(Philemon 25)

Affirmation

2009-05-28T17:02:00.002-06:00

D.A. Carson, in A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities From Paul and His Prayers, speaks of the two extremes of offering praise to fellow Christians. There are those who heap accolades and "atta boys" to the extent that they appear phony. There are also those who believe that the only thanks that we should receive is the Lord's "well done" in the judgment.

Carson offers a middle-ground:

Paul's approach in many of his epistles, and not least here (1 Thessalonians 3:9-13) , is radically different from both of these extremes. He encourages Christians by thanking God for his grace in their lives. More precisely, he encourages Christians by telling them that he thanks God for the grace in their lives. Thus he has simultaneously drawn attention to the Thessalonians' spiritual growth, thereby encouraging them, and insisted that God is the one to be thanked for it, thereby humbling them. There is simply no way that these believers can thoughtfully listen to what Paul says and then smugly pat themselves on the back: God, and God alone, is to be praised for the signs of grace in their lives. yet nonetheless they cannot help but feel encouraged to learn that the apostle himself has observed God's work in their lives and rejoices bacause of it. ( pg. 87)

Are we in the habit of looking for signs of God's grace in others, thanking Him for it, and letting them know of our thankfulness?

Offensive?

2009-05-28T15:33:00.002-06:00

I am constantly amazed at some of the things that some people find offensive, but this takes the cake! And in Texas of all places!

I guess that causing offense is now the gravest of crimes, and it doesn't matter just how loony the "offendee" is.

Supreme Court: Words of Wisdom

2009-05-26T11:50:00.002-06:00

John Mark Reynolds offers some cogent thoughts about President Obama's selection of Sonia Soyomayor to replace Justice Souter on the Supreme Court.

So Much for "Choice"

2009-05-22T16:31:00.003-06:00

It might just be the case of a gold-digging mother who has bought suit against a Christian school in Arkansas for counseling her pregnant teenager without her permission, but does anyone else see the irony in this situation? We don't know all of the details about this specific case, but it does illustrate some of the absurdity of our day.

Many "pro-choice" folks think that it is perfectly acceptable for schools to provide abortion counseling, and even direct teens to abortion services, without parental notification. If this is OK, then why not allow for other counseling without parental notification?

Maybe it really isn't about choice after all.

Much Ado Over Ida (Nothing)

2009-05-20T17:01:00.005-06:00

Unless you have been asleep for the last 48 hours you have probably heard of Ida, the so-called "8th Wonder of the World" and the "Missing Link". Reading some of the hype you would think that Ida was found clutching a document detailing her evolutionary journey towards humanity.

Even Google got into the act, changing their logo:

However, even with all the "Darwin Bicentennial" hoopla, not everyone is impressed. Maybe they remember frauds like Piltdown man, and are waiting for the other shoe to drop. Possibly they have been fooled too many times in the past.

And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:24, 25, ESV)

Update: Answers in Genesis has a concise review of Ida.

Additional Update: This is the best response I have have seen.

Minor Mutterings

Another High Profile Preacher Failure

Some Call it Sedition

The Unanimous Declarationof the Thirteen United States of America

More Encouragement for Those Who Struggle

An Encouragement to All Who Struggle

I am not a prophet, or the son of a prophet, but...

Self-Knowledge

More Than Two Months?

Who Takes the Blame for Haiti?

How Soon We Forget

Haiti Earthquake Response

Win Books

It is NOT the end of the Decade...

Happy Birthday Rudyard Kipling!

Tommy

New Year Prayer

302 Years Ago Today

Sixty-Five Years Ago

The Birth of Jesus Christ

Yet Another False Prophet...

This looks like a good book...

Zero Tolerance = Zero Common Sense

What are you prepared to do?

False Prophet Update

Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary

Reformation Day

Operating System Upgrade Updates

Free Books, Lot's of Free Books

This Day in History, 1536

I just bet...

Strange Stuff Today

ACORN = Organized Crime

9-11

TAP

Sometimes, good things come out of New Mexico

Looks like somebody forgot Rule # 4

Men are from Mars...

Seventy Years Ago Today

Praying for the President

Ted Kennedy deserves more attention than any Republican?

We are going for a ride!

Does this guy belong anywhere near the White House?

William Wilberforce

Send in the Marines

Do You Have Two Minutes?

Honor Killings in America?

Rev. Ike goes to his reward

An Important Birthday Today

Just wait...

A Cup of Cold Water

Christian Freedom

Islam once again demonstrates that it is the "Religion of Peace"

Easy Believism Kills

Grasping at Straws

More from the "Religion of Peace"

It's August...

Do you really want...

Jimmy Carter Quits (Again)

Looks like your average Christian bookstore

Antipsalm 23

Hey you, Federal Criminal. That's right, you!

Pray for our Persecuted Brothers and Sisters

If it was the Qur'an...

Henry McCarty...

July 20, 1969

Yearning to be Free

Do you think...

Isn't it just wonderful...

There aren't many left

Coming soon to a neighborhood near you...

More Pennies

Amazing Bravery

Happy 500th Birthday, John Calvin

Two days, two funerals

I Dare You...

Maybe she just wants to be a Mom

Premium Bibles Giveaway

Aren't you glad...

Fleecing the Sheep

The Unanimous Declaration
of the Thirteen United States of America