Wow

I think I Agree With Mike

(HT: MTR)

The Glories of a Traveling Christian Musician

Shaun Groves reports on an interesting interaction he had with a couple people after a concert. This is one of the reasons why I am glad that God didn't allow me to be an artist in Christian music.

Part 1
Part 2

When I was on the road with Matthew West, we saw stuff like this happen all the time. People are being earnest and I think they just get kind of flustered and excited when they get around a "celebrity". Weird stuff just tends to come out of their mouths. I don't think they can really help themselves.

One story that I'll never forget from the road was when we were in Kalispell, MT. It was the first show of our fall tour and the church we played in was totally sold out. As a result Matthew had to sign autographs after the show for about an hour. This one guy roles up and gets an autograph on a CD or something and starts a bit of small talk with Matthew. This is pretty standard. He finds out that Matthew's wife is pregnant and then launches into this whole rant about the healing power of breastfeeding and the glories of a woman's breast. He was loud and there were tons of other people standing around waiting to talk to Matthew. Awkward. Matthew was always a champ in these kinds of situations but what do you say to that?

Air Guitar Nation

Potentially the greatest documentary ever made has just been released on iTunes. Air Guitar Nation. Check it out...

Here on Netflix.

Interview with JT

My buddy Justin Taylor has been interviewed by the folks at New Attitude blog. Here is a helpful excerpt from the interview:

I think with any bit of knowledge that we receive we have to ask “Why is it important for me to know this? What am I going to do with this truth?” And if I can’t move beyond that to practicals in my own life and my family’s life, to people in my church and my neighborhood, then I really have to ask “What’s the point of having that bit of knowledge?” Now some people would take that and say, “Well I don’t have to learn about the imputation of Christ’s righteousness.” But once you see that all of theology is application and that there is no true theology without application and that there is no application without a foundation in theology—then those two become so wed together it becomes almost impossible to separate them. So in my own ministry circles I try to avoid discussions about archaic points that have no practical significance. I try not to put things on my blog that are merely academically interesting that don’t have the potential to change someone’s life. So I do it imperfectly but those are some things I try to do.

So maybe I should publicly ask Justin when a blogstar such as him would be willing to be interviewed on my blog? These would be the questions:

1. Justin, why did you get so many parking tickets in college?
2. Justin, why did you almost burn down the whole house (I saved the day, thank you) with the toaster?
3. Justin, why did you set all the clocks in our house ahead two hours so that when I woke up in the morning and thought it was 8am and time to go to class it was really 6am?
4. Justin, do you still need help reading the Iowa map?
5. Justin, do you still make the high pitched squealing noise in your sleep?
6. Justin, do you still consider pizza to be the best source of all four food groups?
7. Justin, when we were in college, why did you make that one girl cry when she asked the honest question about Calvinism and you calmly quoted her "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated" and then looked at her like, "What's the problem?"

Nothing but love for my boy, JT. :)

CBD and Osteen

iMonk with a pointed and well written letter to Christian Book Distributors (CBD) about their featuring of Joel Osteen materials. He writes:

Why is Mr. Osteen pre-featured on your front page? Why is his book highlighted? Is it because Mr. Osteen’s power to create sales is the “golden goose” in publishing and you are going to ride his sales as far as possible? I can’t believe it’s because, as a business serving Christians, you actually believe that what’s best for us is the teaching of Mr. Osteen, who has said that the cross of Jesus and the historic orthodox Christian message are of no interest to him. I can’t believe it’s because Mr. Osteen represents a message that should be heard in every pulpit in America. I can’t believe it’s because Mr. Osteen’s prosperity Gospel is what we should be giving to our children and to new believers.

No, it must be because it’s going to make you a lot of money.

If CBD now believes that motivational speakers are communicating the Gospel, please say so, because millions of people trust your business and endorsement. If you believe Mr. Osteen is good for evangelicalism, despite his devotion to materialism, prosperity and self-improvement, perhaps you should explain who the “evangelicals” are that you are seeking to serve? I would assume that a whole warehouse of motivational, positive thinking, New Age books would now find a way to fit into CBD’s definition of “helpful.”

Read the whole post here.

A Look Into The Challenge of Songwriting

Speaking of songwriting... Max Hsu of the Christian group, Superchick, has written an interesting essay on the process of songwriting that in my experience is consistent with how it works for most of us who attempt to write anything meaningful. It's a cool look behind the curtain of how most bands or songwriters deal with the creation if their art.

He closes with a good admonition:

"Don't wait to be good, start now. Give yourself permission to make bad art."

POG - Fight

There is one last hold over from my Nashville days to report on. From my songwriting days with Word Entertainment I got a cut on the new Point of Grace CD. When I moved to Nashville I never thought I would get a cut on a POG record, but God works in mysterious ways! Their style isn't exactly my style of preference, but in Christian music you have to take what you are given since the market is so small and thus there is little money to go around. I got to write this song with a guy named Sam Mizell (one of Nashville's best songwriters...I rode his coattails) and it's called "Fight". I am thankful to have had the opportunities that I did while in Nashvegas.

You can find the song here on iTunes.

Tim Hughes - Holding Nothing Back

I just bought Tim Hughes' new record entitled "Holding Nothing Back". I would highly recommend this record for worship service music. Usually on a worship record if you can find one song that is usable you are doing good, but with this record (after just one listen through) I feel as though I could probably use 5-6 of these songs in corporate worship. In my opinion, this is highly unique. You can find it here on iTunes and here on Amazon.

Mac Rip Off Church Commercials

Jared at The Gospel-Driven Church summarizes well what I have been feeling about all these stupid mac rip off church commercials. In his rather direct style he writes:

This is total b.s. Complete and utter b.s.
This pitting of "real" against "lame" ones is spiritually bankrupt dreck from the pit of hell. The guy on the right calls himself "authentic," and the people who made these clearly have no clue what "authentic" means. For them, as for most pomo em-church poseurs, it means "cool." Do you see what they're doing here? They are saying the "authentic" Christian is the cool one. That's why the dude on the left has on a nerdy suit and has limp hair.

They could have made a statement about grace vs. works, and under the idiocy, I suppose it might be there, but what they are really doing is mocking fellow believers. We are the cool ones, we are the ones who have it figured out. Plus we have product in our hair.
This has got to stop. This cult of the cool in the church must stop. This fetishizing of hipness must stop. It is idolatry.

And the reality of it is, when you walk into one of these so-called "authentic" churches, you just get the same ol' works religion. Look at the sermon titles and message points. It's all about principles and steps and tips to what-not and hoo-ha. It's just the same behavioristic gospel . . . only cooler.
That's not authentic. That's works religion.

The interesting thing about the above linked videos is that they aren't even original. That's something else that irks me to no end -- the claiming of authenticity all the while ripping off everybody else. These are obviously parodies of the Mac/PC ads, which is admittedly a clever concept. Look, if you're gonna claim authenticity, at least be original.

Barney is Bad

I have been posting a lot recently on music stuff so I thought I would repost one I did a long long time ago when I was first getting started... I would love your take:

What is the deal with kid’s music? I don't want to sound an extremely judgmental tone here, but… I guess I will. I think most of it is pretty worthless. I am not trying to alienate myself from a whole myriad of parents who currently own "Barney's Funzone - Volumes 1-10" and currently are playing it in the family minivan, but I just want to ask the question, what would it be like if we exposed our kids to higher art forms, especially music, from the womb on out? Do we somehow think that our kids can't handle these things? Why should we dumb down their artistic tastes?

Is this child abuse? Perhaps, but all I know is that when I play Switchfoot, Coldplay, John Mayer, Willy Porter, Keith Jarret, or Miles Davis in the van, my three year old consistently says, "Dad, I want it loud!", and then he pretends to play his guitar or drums for the duration of the song.

What about spiritual content? I am all for my kids being exposed to great theology in the form of song. I would just much rather have their infusion of great thoughts of God come in a much better package than "Kiddie Praise". Again, my experience tells me that his ability to recite the lyrics from a MuteMath CD is just at keen and he seems to like it just at much as anything that he sees on "Sesame Street".

It's not that my 3-year-old son has never been exposed to music that is more marketed towards children his age; he gets it everyday on the kid's TV programming that we allow him to watch. I would submit that our kids are going to get enough material infused into their brains that is targeted for their age from all the different technological mediums that are out there, why not expose them to forms that have a bit more substance?

All this to say, opinions about music are subjective for sure, but there is a reason that Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue” has been around for over 50 years now and will probably still be in circulation in another 50 years. I think it would be a fair assumption to conclude that the same can’t be said of, “Barney Sings the Blues”.

Maybe I am just too much of a purist in terms of music and the thought of a Barney CD playing in our family van is about enough to force me to put a gun to my head. Maybe I am an abusive father for not bending to the cultural norms of music for most kids. Or, maybe we could be sowing the seeds of appreciation for art that is much more enduring than the latest song on "The Wiggles".

Could it be that exposure to more long—term artistic forms could be indirectly fostering a future career or at least a fine appreciation that will provide years of joy in listening and appreciation of God’s glory through his creative creatures? Maybe not, but I think it’s worth the effort on my part as a parent.

How do you see others/your kids?

Mark Lauterbach with a great confession and admonition for parents:

My children tell me I am very hard to please. I do not think I am -- I think I have very good standards and they need to measure up. I wake up in the morning and the first thing I see is what has not been done. I see faults all over. I am God's agent to make them excellent.

A few years ago a friend saw my sin and encouraged me to spend a whole summer doing nothing but encouraging my children. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Every day I would look for grace in them but find faults. I had to bite my tongue all the time. But the fruit on their lives and our relationship was amazing.

So -- as I lead my family, do they hear my criticism more than my commendation? Do I see myself as the great and indispensable fault-finder? As I relate to fellow-Christians, am I more aware of their sin or of their growth in sanctification?

I am learning this most crucial element of fellowship -- and seeing it as the first step. Until I see grace in others I am in no position to help them grow by pointing out their sin.

Read the whole piece. It's great.

10 Mph

From Wired.com:

Josh Caldwell and Hunter Weeks were bored with their cubicle-farm jobs, making good money but feeling empty and unfulfilled. Like many white-collar workers, they dreamed of a life beyond the veal-fattening pens. But unlike most, they found a unique way to bust out of their corporate prison: They rode a Segway, at 10 mph, from Seattle to Boston, and in the process turned themselves into filmmakers.

The movie they made of their trip, 10 MPH, came out on DVD earlier this summer. Now Caldwell and Weeks are spending a month retracing their path (this time in a car instead of on a Segway), showing the movie in theaters across the United States.

Read the whole article here.

The only thing that would make this movie WAY cooler is if Gob Bluth was the main character. At that point it would be the coolest movie of all time.


(HT: Relevant Mag)

Let's Have More Teen Pregnancy!

Here is a provocative article: Let’s Have More Teen Pregnancy. I think he makes some good points that are probably said in a hyperbolic way to make a point. I liked this excerpt:

Financial ability isn't our only concern, however; we're convinced that young people are simply incapable of adult responsibility. We expect that they will have poor control of their impulses, be self-centered and emotional, and be incapable of visualizing consequences. (It's odd that kids thought to be too irresponsible for marriage are expected instead to practice heroic abstinence or diligent contraception.) The assumption of teen irresponsibility has broader roots that just our estimation of the nature of adolescence; it involves our very idea of the purpose of childhood.

Until a century or so ago, it was presumed that children were in training to be adults. From early years children helped keep the house or tend the family business or farm, assuming more responsibility each day. By late teens, children were ready to graduate to full adulthood, a status they received as an honor. How early this transition might begin is indicated by the number of traditional religious and social coming-of-age ceremonies that are administered at ages as young as 12 or 13.

But we no longer think of children as adults-in-progress. Childhood is no longer a training ground but a playground, and because we love our children and feel nostalgia for our own childhoods, we want them to be able to linger there as long as possible. We cultivate the idea of idyllic, carefree childhood, and as the years for education have stretched so have the bounds of that playground, so that we expect even "kids" in their mid-to-late twenties to avoid settling down. Again, it's not that people that age couldn't be responsible; their ancestors were. It's that anyone, offered a chance to kick back and play, will generally seize the opportunity. If our culture assumed that 50-year-olds would take a year-long break from responsibility, have all their expenses paid by someone else, spend their time having fun and making forgivable mistakes, our malls would be overrun by middle-aged delinquents.

(HT: Ryesetter)

Mitt, that makes no sense...

Scott Klusendorf has a good post about the nature of "rights" when it comes to abortion. They are not defined by states, they are defined by being human. This discussion is in the context of some comments made by Mitt Romney.

He writes:

The moral logic of the pro-life view--apparently missed by Romney--is that elective abortion unjustly robs the unborn of his natural right to life and thus NO state can legitimately allow the practice. From California to Massachusetts, the natural rights of the unborn transcend any laws generated by the states.

With his latest abortion soundbite, the once pro-choice governor and current pro-life candidate appears to embrace the popular sovereignty of Stephen Douglas, a doctrine that once killed slaves because they were too black and now kills fetuses because they are too small.

Mitt, you gotta do better. Fire your speech writer and call Frank Beckwith, immediately.

(HT: STR)

Did he really say that?

Foxsports.com reports on an interesting take on the Michael Vick story. It comes from New York Knicks point guard, Stephon Marbury.

Embattled Atlanta Falcon Michael Vick has a friend — and fellow doggie disrespecter — in Stephon Marbury

"I think we don't say anything about people who shoot deer or shoot other animals," the Knick point guard told Capital News 9, an Albany TV station. "You know, from what I understand, dogfighting is a sport. It's just behind closed doors.

"I think it's tough that we build up Michael Vick and then we break him down."

?????????

Free Robbie Seay Band

Relevant Magazine is partnering with The Robbie Seay Band to give away his new record. You can check it out here.


**Update**

I just finished listening through this record and it's pretty cool. As far as "Christian" music goes this is pretty good. It's free. I would get it for sure.

Jazz for the New Listener

Often times jazz gets a bad rap. I know for the average music lover that goes into a coffee shop and hears jazz playing through the sound system, it just sounds like noise that is somewhat unintelligible. Like any language, spoken or musical, you have to spend time listening to comprehend patterns, themes, and the basic tenets of the structure. If you are a music lover but can't quite "hear" the jazz language yet, here is a record that I just got that would be a great place to start.

Hank Mobley's "Soul Station" featuring Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass and the recently deceased, Art Blakey on drums, is a jazz masterpiece but every song on this record is easy to hear and extremely "swingin'".

You can find this record by clicking on it in my new iTunes widget to the right that shows my recent purchases from iTunes.

Steve Jobs = Christian Hedonist?

Jon Bloom from Desiring God reports on yet another reason you need to support Mac products! He writes:

When Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, gave the 2005 Stanford commencement address, he essentially challenged the graduates to not waste their lives. Although his conclusions about how to not waste life fall short, it is interesting that Mr. Jobs tells his listeners to 1) trust in Providence, 2) see purpose in their suffering, and 3) reflect every day on the reality of death.

The Scran Ultimatum

Floratone

While we are on the topic of good music... I just bought this CD yesterday. It a project from drummer genius Matt Chamberlain and jazz guitar giant Bill Frisell. This seriously is some of the most interesting instrumental music I have ever heard. Great grooves, cool melodies and killer arrangements. (Am I prone to hyperbole?)

Here on Amazon

Here on iTunes

Minus the Bear - Planet of Ice

The new Minus the Bear record came out today. I bought my copy now it's time to get yours. They guys have some pretty interesting music.

You can buy it here at Amazon.

Here on iTunes.

For all you ABQ folks. They are coming to the Sunshine Theatre on Oct 31st. Mark your calendars.

Keeping it Real?

Jason Whitlock with another interesting take on the Michael Vick story:

For athletes and other people who experience professional success, keeping it real should mean offering your lifelong friends and family members an opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to join the mainstream.

This may sound naïve and a bit comical, but it’s the truth: Rather than financing dogfighting, Vick should’ve paid for educational opportunities. He should’ve tried to help establish his cousins and friends in a legitimate business.

If they were uninterested in that, Vick should’ve informed them that he had nothing but love for ’em. No matter the problem, you can’t help people who are uninterested in helping themselves. You have to develop the courage to stop someone else’s weakness from drowning you. Vick, to me, is a coward. He wasn’t man enough to define for his friends what was in his best interest and what he would and would not tolerate.

Helping a friend or family member wallow in stupidity or self-destructive behavior is not keeping it real. It’s enabling a problem, a problem that could eventually engulf you. Ask Michael Vick.

Soon it will be mine - Oh yes, it will be mine

This could be the deal you were waiting for...

Must... have... iPhone... Can't wait... Until... 2nd generation...

Wife... would... kill me...

Slow Down and Listen

Sacred Vapor with some good spiritual reflections (and a bit of jazz history) on the legendary album, Kind of Blue by Miles Davis. If you call yourself a musician and you don't own this record there is a fundamental disconnect present in your being. Buy it!

Vick - Why the hype?

Michael Vick will plead guilty on Monday to dogfighting charges. You can read about it here.

Here is what I don't get: Why all the hype?

Yeah, I love dogs too. I have one. A spaz girl named Molly. She stinks no matter how much we bath her and groans in her sleep like an old man on with a sinus problem. She is ours and we love her, but guys like Wojciechowski from ESPN.com are a bit over the line I think. He is all up in arms about Vick, but what about the hundreds of babies a day that get slaughtered in our country due to legal abortion? What about all the kids that get abused everyday in our country? You can't abuse your dog, but sucking the brains out of a baby that is partially delivered is just fine!?! To get further clarity on the situation, compare Vick's situation with that of Leonard Little from a few years back. Here is what one writer has penned:

At this point in time I'd like to remind you all of Leonard Little. I realize that at this point it seems like old hat but can we at least remember that Susan Gutweiler lost her life because Little decided to get behind the wheel of his car after a birthday party.Forget about dogs - I like them as much as the next guy but Little killed a human being. He received 90 days in jail, 1000 hours of community services and four years of probation in 1998 because he killed someone. Did Little lose his spot in the NFL? Of course not - in fact I have seen people during Sunday pre game shows wearing #91 St. Louis Rams jerseys. I repeat: Leonard Little KILLED someones mother, someones wife, someones daughter and not only did he not fail to play another snap in the NFL - he has actually gained in popularity. The insanity of the situation doesn't end there though - because Leonard Little was arrested again six years later for driving under the influence. The same man who six years prior had killed a human being was arrested again for drunk driving and was he then thrown out of the NFL? Actually he signed an extension with the St. Louis Rams. He was rewarded by the team he played for the same season he was arrested for the second time of drunk driving. But Michael Vick will never play another snap in the NFL because of the abuse of animals. Unfortunately for Vick he had two huge factors playing against him - the first was that he's a superstar athlete and whatever he did/does is magnified compared to what a lowly defensive lineman like Little does. The second problem that Vick runs into is what we already dealt with, that frankly society treats the abuse of animals worse then the abuse of humans.

What is your take? Why all the hype?

Scientists struggle to define life

Scientists are trying to define what "life" is through scientific experiments. You can read about it here.

Here is a scary statement from the article with loads of problematic implications:

"We are doing things which were thought to be the province, in some quarters, of God — like making new forms of life," Bedau said in a phone interview from Venice. "Life is very powerful, and if we can get it to do what we want ... there are all kinds of good things that can be done.

"Playing God is a good thing to do as long as you're doing it responsibly," he said.

(HT: Relevant Magazine)

Internet Addiction?

Recently one of my buddies from college posted 20 blog posts in one day. Wow. That's impressive, (or a sign of a disorder... :) )

I guess he probably needs to consider this story... My wife thinks I need to read it too.

Biblical Fellowship

Mark Lauterbach writes:

The reality of living in what the Gospel calls us to — in relationship with other believers in a local church with growing awareness of grace and sin, with growing exposure of my own pride and selfishness — all that spells “ouch” to me. Except that it is what God has designed for my good and his glory.

Candidly, the reason I find such intimacy difficult is that I prefer my comforts and self-deception to finding out the truth about myself before God. I am proud enough to think that the other person is the problem. I am proud enough to think that I know what I need in friends and I do not need them. I will surround myself with people of my own preference.

It is in the presence of another brother or sister that I am seen for what I am. And that is good. The Gospel begins with facing who I am. God uses his word and Spirit to show me that. Then he draws me into a community of fellow believers and uses them to continue to show me how amazing grace is to save someone like me.

(HT: Life Together Blog)

Despair.com

This is one of my favorites from despair.com. You can make your own posters here. It's super easy.

We Really Do Need More Disciples Like This

Click on the image to read:



(HT: JT)

Max Roach

Legendary jazz drummer Max Roach died today. He was 83. You can read about him here.

The New Sacrament?

The ever polemical (yet I love him) Doug Groothuis writes this today:

How many evangelical churches focus more attention on their coffee bar than on the sacrament of the Lord's Supper? What engenders greater community, the ersatz Starbucks or the Eucharist?

Having little culture of its own, evangelicalism tends to absorb the surrounding culture in ahistorical and undiscerning ways. Yes, coffee is a gift from God, and I find no reason to boycott Starbucks. But think about it.

Ouch.

Orgins of Christian Rock

Here is an article that I have not read yet, but looks intriguing...

I'd Like To Dedicate This Next Song to Jesus - The freaky origins of Christian rock

How long could you last?

Brant Hansen with a pretty stupid question, but yet one I thought was funny to consider since I have an almost five year old...

Why the Baby Bust?

Al Mohler comments today on the slow decline in population that is steadily taking place in Europe. To maintain population growth you have to have a fertility rate of at least 2.1. In Europe, the average rate is 1.38. You can imagine what kind of consequences this will have for the future of Europe.

But why is this the case? Mohler points to the writing of Noah Pollack in Azure for a diagnosis of the problem. Pollack writes:

The explanation for Europe's turn from reproducing its civilization is, in fact, as simple and self-contained as how children themselves are viewed. People avoid having children not because they are irreligious, lack financial means, fear the possibility of divorce, or carry university degrees. Rather, people do not have children because they do not want them: They find the curtailment of personal freedom and the assumption of the decades-long obligation inherent in parenthood unattractive, and they do not want to accept the basic restructuring of life that having a family requires. This is not a product of objective economic or social factors; rather, it is a subjective judgment about the meaning and purpose of one's life and the civilization in which that life is lived. It is, ultimately, a moral answer to a moral question: The question of the value people ascribe to their own families and their own heritage, in a broader cultural context.

Read Mohler's whole post here. Fascinating stuff.

The Painted Veil

Last night my wife and I finished watching a movie that I would like to commend to you all. It's called The Painted Veil and stars Ed Norton and Naomi Watts. Here is the movie description:

The third film version of Somerset Maughm’s 1925 novel--directed by John Curran--is ripe with stunning Chinese locales and a smart turn from Naomi Watts as Kitty Fane, the aging English socialite who must put herself in strange and turbulent surroundings before she finds her true self. A complex and beautiful international production, this adaptation benefits greatly from the lack of restrictions that inhibited its previous incarnations in 1925 (with Greta Garbo) and in 1957 (as THE SEVENTH SIN).

After pressure from her wealthy parents to settle down, Kitty marries mild-mannered bacteriologist Walter (Edward Norton), despite her lack of love for him. Shortly after their vows, he takes her to Shanghai, where she immediately has an affair with Charles Townsend (Liev Shrieber), an English Vice Consul. Walter becomes aware of Kitty’s indiscretion and promptly whisks her away to the mountain village of Mei-tan-fu, where they befriend another English expat, the secretly decadent Deputy Commissioner Waddington (Toby Jones, in an extremely likable performance). Walter begins working to hold an encroaching cholera epidemic at bay---leaving Kitty to ponder her role in the situation as death looms over the village like a specter

You can read some reviews here.

I found this movie to have a very redemptive message that Christians should support when seen coming from secular culture.

Biblical Canon: Open or Closed?

A friend who recently turned Catholic posed this question to me recently. Anyone want to weigh in on it?

Is the canon open, or closed? If open, how then is the Bible the final source for doctrine and practice of the Christian Church? Who knows but what some books may be in the future deleted, and others added in. We cannot have solid dogmatic foundation on such a provisional basis. Karl Barth saw this clearly.

If closed, when was it closed and by whom and by what authority? The position of the writer of the above article is clearly that there was only “provisional” agreement on the canon in the Western Church prior to the Reformation. He points out that Hippo and Carthage were only provisional councils and in this he is most absolutely correct. So then, I assume he means to infer by this that the decisions of those councils do not have universal binding authority. So then, the canon was open to debate even up to the Reformation. I do not deny this either – in a certain sense. But are we in any better of a position today? The question remains: Does or does not the Church catholic (catholic small ‘c’) have an closed canon of scripture? A sola scriptura Protestant, it seems to me, must answer unequivocally “yes”! And we see that most conservative Protestant theologians/pastors/scholars/laymen give this unqualified “yes”. So then, the writer of the above article finds himself in the minority position. If he says that the Protestant canon is correct, true, and closed, then he is leaning on the authority of Protestant concensus. If this authority is not infallible – as Protestants claim it is not – how then is the canon authoritatively closed? You see the dilemma here for advocates of sola scriptura. Leaning on the Bible as anything other than a “provisional authority” is simply unwarranted within the Protestant ecclesial/theological framework. This is the massive cognitive dissonance in Protestantism. In order to lean on the Bible the way that Protestants do, they cannot avoid an appeal to an infallible and unified Church – which is the LAST thing they can, as Protestants, admit. Protestantism is, at it’s heart, self-refuting. Of course, this is the perennial Catholic argument and it has never been more relevant than it is this very day. If the Bible is to be in any way an authoritative message then it is only as authoritative as the messenger. If the Bible is “The Message” of Almighty God and carries with it His total authority, then so must the Messenger who brings it have this same authority.

Charlie Hall at DSC

For all you living in ABQ:

This Thursday night at Desert Springs Church we will be hosting a Charlie Hall concert. It begins at 7:30 and tix are $5 at the door. Come check it out! It's going to be a great show.

Homer Hiccolm and the Rocket Boys

Here is a very cool band that you probably have not heard of yet. Homer Hiccolm and The Rocket Boys. Think Minus the Bear meets Explosions in the sky. For most of you that probably means nothing. Said a different way: It's cool ambient guitar rock. These guys are really good. I think you might diggy.

For all of you who are living in the great city of Albukracky, our home grown band, Soular, is going to be doing a show with Homer and the boys on Oct 12th at the Launchpad. This should be considered a must see show.

Speaking of Soular... They are trying to win a contest to get the chance to play at The Austin City Limits music festival. If you are a fan you can go here and vote for them.

click on fans: listen and vote
S for Soular
enter your email

You can vote once a day. Show your support!

My Needs In Marriage

Dave Harvey writes in "When Sinners Say I Do", p. 74-75:

Is it wrong to desire the gentle caress of a husband's hand or the kind words from a wife's tongue? Absolutely not. But even things that are good for a marriage can be corrupted if they are defined as needs. The problem is not that we desire - desire is completely natural; it's that our desires become juiced with steroids. Calvin called our desires "inordinate."

It's not wrong to desire appropriate things like respect or affection from our spouses. But it is very tempting to justify demands by thinking of them as needs and then to punish one another if those needs are not satisfied. A needs-based marriage does not testify to God's glory; it is focused on personal demands competing for supremacy. Two people, preoccupied with manipulating each other to meet needs, can drive their marriage down the path of "irreconcilable differences." This is cultural language that simply acknowledges that a marriage can no longer carry the weight of demands understood as needs.

Perhaps though, the saddest part of driving down the road of unmet needs is where we end up. The road of unmet needs leads to nowhere. It is a forlorn, one-lane stretch of me. All it leads to is more of me. It's worse than a dead end - its a circle that never ends.

But sinners who say "I do" have a different road to travel. It is the road of astonishing, undeserved grace - a grace so remarkable that it shows us the problem and then delivers the solution. Have you ever been on a scenic drive so beautiful that it was hard to keep your heard from spinning from one vista to the next? The road of undeserved grace is like that. It is distractingly beautiful, because all of our true needs are met in breathtaking array in Christ. But it is a road of constant surprises, because we drive it with full awareness of our sin in light of the cross.

Family Worship

Ligon Duncan with some good words about family worship:

But above all, there is the enemy of idealism. You have this picture of a Puritan family sitting around the table attentively and reverently reading the whole book of 1 Chronicles at a sitting, singing half the Psalter from memory, and praying for ninety minutes, and then you look around your table and your wife is rolling her eyes, your two-year old is throwing left-over spaghetti around the kitchen, your eight-year old is making faces at her sister and your teenager would rather do calculus. Don’t let the gap between the ideal and the reality stop you! Those unattentive children will grow up and thank you for persevering, and the memories of a father who loved them enough to make that kind of an effort will etch a permanent affection in their hearts.

What the heck is family worship anyway? When I first heard this term I pictured a Dad with an acoustic guitar leading his family in a rousing version of Shout to the Lord. This may or may not be the case. My understanding of "family worship" is that it is simply leading your family together in experiencing the various means of grace (Bible reading, prayer, worship through singing, Bible memorization, etc). We do our family worship time at bedtime and it usually consists of reading from this book or this book and praying together.

Dever on the Rise of Reformed Theology

For the past few months Mark Dever has been doing a series on why we have seen such a huge resurgence in Reformed Theology in the last few years. I think his 10th and final installment has been the most thought provoking. You can find it here.

Just In Case You Haven't Seen This Yet

It's worth every minute...

MuteMath New Fall Tour

I've said it like a hundred times on this blog before, but if you have not seen these guys live you need to get saved...



They have a new fall tour. Tons of dates. Check them out here.

iLife '08

For all you MacDorks like me, iLife '08 just came out today with cool upgrades on iMovie, Garageband, iPhoto, and iDVD. It's looks pretty cool. iLikey.

Love the sinner, hate the sin?

Brant Hansen shows how it is possible to "love the sinner and hate the sin". He writes:

They say you can't "love the sinner, and hate the sin." It's not possible. If you love someone, you cannot hate how they are to themselves or others. If you love someone, you must accept the entirety of who he is. All of it.

As a scholar, equipped with (that's right) a Bachelor's Degree from a Fully-Accredited institution, I humbly, respectfully, and collegially submit:

Bull.

Proof? Exhibit A: Me.

I hate some of the ways I am, and some of the things I do. I hate, hate, hate it. I do not approve. I cast aspersion. I think I'm a moral mess. I should wear the scarlet alphabet, plus some scarlet numbers and maybe some scarlet wingdings.

...but I don't hate me. No, I'm pretty taken with me, actually.

I loves me some me.

In spite of my moral failures, in spite of my sin, I still manage to want what's best for me. I'm rooting for me, big time. I'm in my corner. I'm on the me bandwagon. I carry around a picture of me in my wallet. I hate some stuff I do, some ways I am, but I'm here to tell you, I still manage to pray for blessings to be poured onto my head.

Devastation Hands

This is one of the coolest songs (iTunes) I have heard in awhile. Remember the band Tonic? This is from their former frontman, Emerson Hart. This song is really cool.

Shaun on Francais on Giving

Shaun Groves reports on a very inspiring approach to giving that is going on a Francais Chan's church. He writes,

The story is - correct me if I’m wrong - that his church was on track to spend 20 million dollars to build a new building. What happened, and I don’t know how, was that the decision was made to build an outdoor meeting place instead. Much cheaper. Much much cheaper. And the money that was saved would then go to the truly poor around the world. And, the story goes, meeting outside on rainy days or hot days would serve to remind folks in the church of the discomfort others live in every day.

Spend less. Create empathy. Mobilize to show mercy. Sounds like church to me.

You can watch the video that is from Francais' church dealing with this issue here:



I greatly resonate with this idea. I sometimes wonder about how we use money as a Church. I don't really have any good thoughts formulated on this one yet, but just wonderings. All I know is this: If as church leaders we teach and model sacrificial giving, our people will follow. What would the face of the world look like if all American church leaders did what Francais did at his church?

At our church we don't teach the tithe, we teach sacrificial giving. You have to define that for yourself. For some that might be 5% and for others that might be 25% or %50. You pray and figure it out.

I know that money issues in terms of actual dollars spent will always be what I call a "Holy Spirit issue". It's one that you have to get on your knees in prayer and seek the Lord on because we have no clear cut dollars and cents lines drawn for us in the Bible in terms of giving. I was talking to my wife about this a few weeks ago, specifically on the issue of sacrificial living and giving. My thought was similar to Francis' church's idea in the sense of having "altars to the Lord" all over the house that would be reminders to us of our sacrifice that ultimately points to Jesus' sacrifice.

For example, let's say we really need a new kitchen table. We could use the money that we would have used to buy a new table and give it away to someone in need in our community or beyond. Thus every time we sat down at our crappy table we would be reminded of why we don't have a new one and that would point us to the fact that we are making a sacrifice for a reason. We withhold a good that could have been ours for the sake of the good of someone else. We haven't consciously tried this yet, but I look forward to when we do as it will be a great reminder for us and also a great teaching point for our children.

Piper Responds to Kushner

Recently Rabbi Kushner was interviewed on public radio about the bridge disaster in MN. Basically Rabbi Kushner believes that God is not all-powerful and thus bad things that happen are simply random. Piper responds well here:

The other reason why the Rabbi’s pastoral approach is shortsighted is that sooner or later the anguished human heart does need some answers about the power, wisdom, and love of God. The Rabbi’s Bible (and my Bible)—the only authority he or I have for making any pronouncements about God at all—gives more comfort than the Rabbi is willing to offer. In Genesis 50:20, Joseph explains to his brothers why their murderous treatment of him is not meaningless: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” God did indeed (contrary to the Rabbi’s assertion) have an intention in this evil. “God meant it (the evil) for good.” (See also Genesis 45:7 and Psalm 105:17).

This is the final pastoral comfort, and I do not write this without 30 years of seeing it in people’s lives. From the hundreds that have testified with breathtaking faith, just two weeks ago a woman stood up at the Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, NC, during a testimony time in front of 450 people and spoke of throwing herself across the grave of her dead son. With tears, she thanked God that someone pointed her to the sovereign control of an all-wise, all-loving God. Her husband stood with her, and together they spoke of the strength and stability and hope and, finally, the joy that comes from knowing that they are not in a random world, but one where God assures them that the worst things will indeed work for the good of those who love God (Romans 8:28). This I have seen in the lives of hundreds of those who have suffered far more than I have.

Read the whole piece.

Carl Trueman at DSC

A few weeks ago Dr. Carl Trueman from Westminster Theological Seminary came to our church to preach for our weekend services and do a Sunday night seminar. It was a great time. If you have not had the chance to hear Dr. Trueman I would encourage you to go here to our Dr. Trueman resource page and check out his stuff.

Of specific interest to pastors and worship leaders might be his message that he preached on Sunday night entitled, The Futility of Reinventing the Faith Every Sunday (right click and "save as" to save to your computer). This may be a very helpful word for those of us who are charged with leading our people in worship on a weekly basis.

Dr. Trueman is an insightful commentator on our culture and a very astute preacher with loads of Biblical wisdom to share. We would recommend him highly.

The Borne Ultimatum

I am on "vacation" until next Tuesday, thus I planned to steer clear of the blog for a few days, but since I saw The Borne Ultimatum today I had to post on it. See this movie. It's amazing. It's the best actor movie that I have seen in a long time. It's basically non-stop action from start to finish with a slight breather here and there.

Matt Damon is an amazing actor seen in the fact that he can play a total dork in Ocean's 11 and 12 and then transform into some sort of human/robot killing machine in these movies. The ability to be believable in both (and every role in between) is a great testimony to his skill as an actor.

There are some actions scenes in this movie like I had never need before. The director made some amazing choices in terms of the cinematography. It's great to see Hollywood put out an action movie that is not gratuitous and actually communicates something of artistic value. Check this out. It's great.

You can read some reviews here from Rotten Tomatoes.

Vacation

Today my family and I will attempt to trek across the country to the great state of Virginia for my wife's brother's wedding. This will be sort of a mini vacation, thus blogging will be light until next Tuesday. Hopefully this won't happen again.

Cool Youth Ministry

The essence of cool youth ministry found right here:

An Ode to TV

Dr. Doug Groothuis' latest poem (or polemic) :)

[Sung to John Lennon's egregious, "Imagine"]

Imagine there's no television.
It isn't hard to do.
No screens around us.
In front of us, only books.

Imagine all the people
Thinking like humans.
Oh, oooh!

You may say I'm a dreamer.
But I'm not the only one
Some day they'll wake up.
And the world will think again.

Imagine there's no celebrity
It's easy if you try.
No Paris or Brittany
We might live before we die.

Imagine all the people
thinking for themselves.
Oh oooh!

You may say I'm a dreamer.
But I'm not the only one.
Some day they'll wake up,
And the world will think again.