For All You Who Live In The ABQ

Should be a fun night of music. Matt is a great guy. If you live in the area come out and pick up a copy of Matt's new CD. I am sitting in with the band on electric guitar as well (if you care).

Interview with Brian McLaren

Here is an interesting interview with Brian McLaren. This dude gets some seriously bad press (on the blogs I read). I found myself not so taken aback by much of this interview. Check it out for yourself. I didn't read the whole thing and have never read any of his books so I can't really give a truly informed opinion, but just wanted you to have an opportunity to judge for yourself.

The Character of a Disciple

T-Wax reviews Dan Doriani's (former NT prof. at Covenant Seminary) new book, The Sermon on the Mount - The Character of a Disciple. He sums up by saying:

Whether you’re looking for a book that will help you understand the more difficult parts of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount or a book that will serve as a devotional guide as you work your way through the Sermon, you won’t be disappointed by Doriani’s work. The Character of a Disciple is one of the better books on the Sermon to appear in recent years.

Here is another great book by Dr. Doriani.

The Bible and Postmodernity

What we (Christians) have to offer, I contend, is a missional hermeneutic of the Bible. The Bible got there before postmodernity was dreamed of- the Bible which glories in diversity and celebrates multiple human cultures, the Bible which builds its most elevated theological claims on utterly particular and sometimes very local events, the Bible which sees everything in relational, not abstract, terms, and the Bible which does the bulk of its works through the medium of stories.

All of these features of the Bible-cultural, local, relational, narrative-are welcome to the postmodern mind. Where the missional hermeneutic will part company with radical postmodernity, is in its insistence that through all this variety, locality, particularity and diversity, the Bible is nevertheless actually the story. This is the way it is. This is the grand narrative that constitutes truth for all. And within this story, as narrated or anticipated by the Bible, there is at work the God whose mission is evident from creation to new creation. This is the story of God’s mission. It is a coherent story with a universal claim. But it is also a story that affirms humanity in all its particular cultural variety. This is the universal story that gives a place in the sun to all the little stories. (p. 47, The Mission of God, by Christopher Wright)

(HT: Los)

This is Huge For Pastoral Leadership or Any Other Leadership

Most people are more aware of the absence of God than the presence of God. Most people are more aware of the presence of sin than evidences of grace. What a privilege and joy it is in pastoral ministry and small-group ministry to turn one’s attention to ways in which God is at work, because so often people are unaware of God’s work. And much of God’s work in our lives is quiet; it’s not “spectacular.” It’s rarely obvious to the individual, and normally it’s incremental and takes place over a lengthy period of time.

So, informed by Paul’s leadership I want to interact with everybody by identifying an evidence of grace, because if they are Christian I know God is at work in their lives. What a joy it is to discern where and how God is at work, draw people’s attention to it, and celebrate God’s grace in their lives! The fact that we get to do this—how cool is this?

And I also know this is critical preparation for any correction that genuinely needs to take place in their lives. Because identifying God’s work in their lives gives them faith for the correction they might be in need of, and they can consider that correction without collapsing under that correction being unaware that God is at work in their life.

See, Paul’s correction of the Corinthian church is effective because he has faith for this church. When we correct people, they can tell whether we have affection for them and faith for them. I sadly know what it’s like to correct somebody where I neither had affection for nor faith for—as if the correction alone was sufficient and most important. That is not true. This is not an expression of the character of God and that is not biblical leadership.

-C.J. Mahaney, addressing the small-group leaders of KingsWay Community Church in Midlothian, VA (January 27, 2008).

(HT: Tony)

Kenya

This is an image of a family burned to death in Kenya.

Pray for the violence in Kenya to cease.

Read more here.

Thoughts on Teaching in Church

As I am gearing up to do some prolonged (8 weeks) teaching at our church in the form of a membership class, this post was helpful to me.

1. Teach people, not lessons (it’s people we’re called to serve)
2. Teach more by teaching less (don’t cover material, uncover the main point)
3. Teach using a plan (fail to plan, plan to fail)
4. Teach for life change (this is the goal)
5. Teach only after you’ve gained attention (don’t assume they’re with you)
6. Teach what the Bible teaches (context is king)
7. Teach in ways appropriate to your age group (know your audience)
8. Teach using relevant issues (The Bible speaks to our times)
9. Teach heart to heart (share your passion)
10. Teach with a humble heart (keep growing and learning)

* Taken from Creative Bible Teaching, by Lawrence O. Richards and Gary J. Bredfeldt

(HT: Doug)

The Domination Continues

When I got home as soon as I walked through the door my 5-year-old son was on me to play cards with him. Our conversation went like this:

Taylor: Daddy, let's play memory!

Me: Why do you always want to play me in memory? I always lose to you.

Taylor: Yeah, I like you losing.

At least he is honest.

We played a few games. I lost of course. On the last game I was up 6 matches to his 0 and I thought I was going to win. Then Taylor rattled off like 12 in a row. I don't know where he gets this. I think we have given birth to Rainman.

You would think with a brain this size that I could dominate. But sadly that's not the case.

Review - There Will Be Blood

A review of There Will Be Blood:

Though not a political film in the traditional sense, Blood nevertheless captures the blood-oil-Iraq-evangelicals-capitalism zeitgeist far better than the countless lions for lambs-type films have this year. It got me thinking about the presidential election, and how—like Plainview and his “conversion” to Sunday’s church—so many candidates are pandering to religion not out of spiritual need but material necessity. Like Plainview, it’s not that they necessarily want God on their side; they want God’s people—and the money and support that comes with them. This sort of melding of sacred and secular purposes, however, proves toxic for all involved. There Will Be Blood is a stunning, thoroughly modern work of art that paints a stark picture of what happens when greedy capitalism and power-mongering is bedfellow with something so contrary as Christianity. As the title forebodes, the results—for all parties involved—will not be pretty.

I have heard from almost everyone who has seen this that it is one of the best movies to come out in a long time. "Best", in terms of a work of art. Not in terms of "Gee, I want to go see a movie that is going to make me feel all warm and snuggly at the end."

Priorities?

Dan Edelen writes:

I want to believe that a man can work a sixty-hour week, spend quality time with his wife and kids, be involved in his community, find time for leisure, and still be an effective disciple of Jesus Christ. The kind of man who prays big prayers and knows God intimately for those prayers. The kind of man who readily leads many others to his Savior and disciples those same people to maturity. I want to believe, but I don’t know any men like that.

The Times, They Are A Changin'

A new form of Christian cultural engagement is upon us. I think these stats about Focus on the Family point to this. As our culture changes our methods will adapt as well, but like I said a few days back, but knowing people and communicating to them love in word (gospel) and deed won't change.

How is your neighbor? And I don't mean in the impersonal, "Hey, neighbor means everyone right?" sense. I mean your actual neighbor. Do you know them. Have them into your home? If not, why not?

This is Powerful

(HT: Los)

Osteen on White Horse Inn

The latest edition of The White Horse Inn deals with Joel Osteen. I know this is kind of hashed to death in blogs and in the media, etc, but I felt like they brought something new to the table that I have not heard before: Actually excerpts from his books. Dr. Horton reads a long excerpt from Osteens latest book and it's really staggering how unorthodox it is. This guy is really preaching a different religion that Christianity. Scary stuff. The White Horse Guys do a good job breaking it down.

I think Joel has good intentions. I think he is horribly misinformed and honestly doesn't know what he is doing. I just wish he would call it something other than Christianity.

Check out the podcast here.

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

So I was reading Brad's blog and toward the end of the year he did a round up of his favorite records of the year. His #1 record for 2007 was Arcade Fire's - Neon Bible. I thought to myself, "I have never heard these guys, so I might as well give it a shot and see what all the hype is about". So I did.

Here is my report... I don't get it.

Sorry Brad. This music sounds completely unaccessible to me. Perhaps I am not that arty or something. I am open to that possibility. I think I am just a sucker for a good groove and a good melody. I just don't hear that in this record.

All that to say that I was two years behind Nirvana when they come out. I thought it was the wackest stuff ever when I first heard Smells Like Teen Spirit at a high school dance in 9th grade. Now I think they are genius. Perhaps I'll feel the same about Arcade Fire in the next few years.

Sorry Brad... I gave it a shot. I hope you still like me.

I guess I'll go and listen to John Mayer now.

Gutsy Guilt

Christianity Today has posted a shorter, written version of a talk that John Piper gave at last year's Passion conference. You can read his essay called, Gutsy Guilt: Don't let shame over sexual sin destroy you, here.

"It May In Fact Be a Moth"

Danger Chris reports:

I love home shopping channel bloopers. This guy is so super commited to his material that he never doubts his cards/teleprompter. Oh, and the way he recovers. Classic professionalism if I've ever seen it. This guy will be around for a long time in the world of televised home shopping. Mark my words, a long time. Take the jump for the video.

My take: The more you watch it the funnier it gets.

What Worship Is

An attitude of worship comes upon us when we begin to see God as he is and then respond to his presence. Even in heaven the seraphim who behold God’s glory cry out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory” (Is. 6:3). When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, and then saw the wind cease when he got into the boat, “those in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God’” (Matt. 14:33). The author of Hebrews knows that when we come into the presence of God (Heb. 12:18-24), the proper response is to “offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28-29). Therefore genuine worship is not something that is self-generated or that can be worked up within ourselves. It must rather be the outpouring of our hearts in response to a realization of who God is

-Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology

Rain

I woke up this morning at about 5:30 to rain coming down hard here in Albuquerque. It has not rained like that 'round these part in many months. As I left the house the rain had slowed and it smelled like Spring. Experiencing this in January is a new one for me. I dig Albuquerque.

The Entertainment Driven Church

C. Michael Patton has a great post called "The Entertainment Driven Church". He outlines his experience visiting different churches from different traditions. It's a pretty interesting read. There is much quotable material, but just read it for yourself. I believer it's worth your time to think through these issues.

iMonk has a commentary on Michael's post as well. He might be a bit more doom and gloom than I would prefer, but I certainly lean towards what he is saying. He sums up:

This isn’t about kickin’ worship bands or big screens. Take them, take them. I don’t care. What I want to know is if we recognize that the disease is overtaking the evangelical body, and the time has come to think like people upon whom an evangelical dark age has come? The barbarians aren’t at the gates. They are running the city. We can’t shut the gates. We have to find places to survive. We can debate how big the hole in the side of the ship is all we want. The fact is: this ship is going down.

Christ’s church will survive and triumph. But in America and the West, the entertainment driven “church” is going to dominate. For those who will not be absorbed, for whom resistance is not futile, there are choices to be made.

Yes Michael, it was entertaining. But be afraid. Be very afraid.

The bus to Rome is leaving now, and it seems that every seat is filled. Oh…what’s that? Seems that a much larger bus to Atheism is pulling into the lot, and there are plenty of seats available.

Remember when this was cool?

Please tell me this ain't so...

(HT: Emily)

Confession is Huge

He who is alone with his sin is utterly alone. …The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner. So, everybody must conceal his sin from himself and from the fellowship. We dare not be sinners. Many Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among the righteous. So we remain alone with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy. The fact is that we are sinners!

--Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together.

Worship

Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of the mind by His truth; the purifying of the imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of the will to His purpose -- and all of this gathered up in adoration....It is the chief remedy for that self-centeredness that is the source of all sin. Yes, worship is the way to be liberated from sin.

--William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury

Friday Funnies

This is very funny. Watch the fall, the lip-syncing and the reaction. This guy is a true professional.



(HT: Relevant)

Why Can't We Have Album Covers Like This Anymore?

(HT: Purgatorio)

Juno and Roe vs. Wade

Phil Cooke writes on his blog and asks an interesting question relating the movie Juno and Roe vs. Wade:

While at Sundance this week, I’m thinking about the film “Juno” which has been nominated for the Academy Awards. As Diane Winson at the USC Knight Chair for Media and Religion points out, “Juno” gets an Oscar nod on the 35th anniversary of Roe versus Wade. What's Hollywood telling us about the younger generation and the national consensus on abortion? Is the culture changing? Is that change happening based on compelling stories like “Juno” rather than the more hostile (or at least confrontational) rhetoric of religious leaders of the last 35 years? Should the pro-life movement consider changing strategy? What do you think?

Conviction Falls Hard Today In Class

My seminary prof. for the week, Dr. Greg Perry, just asked us a convicting question. He told us to open up our calendars (most of us have laptops) and to tell him (rhetorically) how many appointments with non-Christians are on the schedule.

Uh...

Awkward silence.

How would you answer this question?


This leads me to something some friends and I were talking about last night:

In the past 10-15 years we have seen the restructuring of our basic ecclesiology in most churches and this predominantly came in the form of our musical expression. This is no longer the case. My kids are not going to be impressed with the music in church in the same way that I was when things changed when I was a kid. Attractional church is dead these days (I know this is an overstatement) or will be in the next 10-15 years.

We are going to have to get back actual gospel conversion (who would have thunk it) and not just "hey come and check out my cool church!" Evangelism is going to have to take a primary place in our churches through actual people doing real life with actual non-Christians. If we don't the church is going to dry up and look more and more like Europe in the next few decades. I think it is already happening. Church attendance is down all over the country.

That's my prophetic rant for the day. Nothing new, but you can listen in as I remind myself.

So, again, do you (do I) have any friends that don't know Jesus? When do you ( do I) hang out with them? Where does the gospel of the reign of God over all of life (Kingdom) intersect?

Real people, real relationships, real death, real life, real truth, real hope.

Why You Should Pay Off Your Credit Cards - Then Don't Use Them

(HT: Blogging Away Debt)

Overall Health

Dan Edelen has a helpful post listing some thing that could help us be more healthy in body, mind, soul and spirit.

School 1967 vs. School 2007

This is more politically charged than I would usually post and obviously these issues are more complex, but I thought it was kind of funny.

It was an email forward so I don't know who wrote it.

Scenario: Jack goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lot with shotgun in gun rack.
1967 - Vice principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his car and gets his own shotgun to show Jack.
2007 - School goes into lockdown, the FBI is called, and Jack is hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors are called in to assist traumatized students and teachers.

Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school.
1967 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2007 - Police are called; SWAT team arrives and arrests Johnny and Mark. They are charged with assault and both are expelled even though Johnny started it.

Scenario: Jeffrey won't sit still in class, disrupts other students.
1967 - Jeffrey is sent to the principal's office and given a good paddling. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2007 - Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. School gets extra state funding because Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1967 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2007 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang. State psychologist tells Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has an affair with the psychologist.

Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some Aspirin to school.
1967 - Mark shares Aspirin with the school principal out on the smoking dock.
2007 - Police are called and Mark is expelled from School for drug violations. His car is searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario: Pedro fails high-school English.
1967 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, and goes to college.
2007 - Pedro's cause is taken up by local human rights group. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that making English a requirement for graduation is racist. US Civil Liberties Association files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English is banned from core curriculum. Pedro is given his diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.

Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover Independence Day firecrackers, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle and blows up an anthill.
1967 - Ants die.
2007 - Homeland Security and the FBI are called and Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism. Teams investigate parents, siblings are removed from the home, computers are confiscated, and Johnny's dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario: Johnny falls during recess and scrapes his knee. His teacher, Mary, finds him crying, and gives him a hug to comfort him.
1967 - Johnny soon feels better and goes back to playing.
2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces three years in a federal prison. Johnny undergoes five years of therapy.

Review of U2 in 3D

Here is a review of U2's new movie in 3D.

(HT: Relevant)

The Elephant Speaks!

We may all be, by nature, like blind men touching the elephant without knowing whether what we are feeling is a trunk, tail, or ear. But what if the elephant spoke and said ‘Quit calling me crocodile, or peacock, or paradox. I’m an elephant for crying out loud! That long thing is my trunk. That little frayed thing is my tail. That big floppy thing is my ear.’ And what if the elephant gave us ears to hear his voice and a mind to understand his message (cf. 1 Cor. 2:14-15)? Would our professed ignorance about the elephant and our unwillingness to make any confident assertions about his nature mean we were especially humble, or just deaf?

Because of the emerging church’s implied doctrine of God’s unknowability, the word ‘mystery,’ a perfectly good word in its own right, has become downright annoying. Let me be very clear: I don’t understand everything about God or the Bible. I don’t fully understand how God can be three in one. I don’t completely grasp how divine sovereignty works alongside human responsibility. The Christian faith is mysterious. But when we talk about Christianity, we don’t start with mystery. It’s some combination of pious confusion and intellectual laziness to claim that living in mystery is at the heart of Christianity (37-38).

Excerpt taken from:

Why We’re Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be is due out April, 1st.

(HT: The Shepherd’s Scrapbook)

An Alternative to Dr. Phil

Dr. David Powlison is a member of the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation as well as an adjunct professor at Westminster Theological Seminary. He has been counseling for 30 + years. I recently reread a great article/post from Powlison where he responds to the common objection that biblical counseling is not as helpful as secular psychology (aka: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT).

The critique he was responding to was:
"CBT has been proven to be decidedly successful in treating symptoms of anxiety and clinical depression, something for which Biblical counseling alone is unfortunately not very effective. However, I do think Biblical counseling can play a great role in addressing the causes of those disorders, an area that CBT specifically chooses not to enter into."

Powlison's response:
"First, it’s important to recognize that any number of things can treat symptoms successfully. Give your life to some cause (any cause). Get better exercise. Cut out the caffeine. Hang out with more constructive friends. Volunteer to help needy people. Take a vacation in a beautiful place. Become a Hindu or Buddhist, and learn calming meditation techniques. Take psychoactive medications. Become schooled in ANY therapy. Any organized worldview and constructively purposeful lifestyle “works” better than a disorganized worldview that has no sense of bigger meaning and purpose. If I had to choose from that list of options for managing a fallen world in a psychologically-successful way, I’d pick Buddhism combined with finding a good cause. But God wants us to become part of his redemption of a fallen world, not simply to manage our reactions. And God calls us to give ourselves to the best cause. So wise biblical counseling will “treat symptoms” effectively, but on a more substantial foundation.

Second, symptom alleviation, per se, is never proof that something is right and true. For example, any and all therapies can teach you to manage your emotions and make better choices. They all tend to be "ascetic" – calling you to step back from the morass of experience and instinctive reactions. They teach you categories to reinterpret your life and experience. In other words, all therapies are theological and ministerial. CBT’s particular practical theology alleviates symptoms by teaching people Stoic philosophy. (Martha Nussbaum’s The Therapy of Desire gives a wonderful scholarly treatment of the "discipleship" processes of the Stoics and other Greek philosophers.) The Stoic world view disciples you to be less upset by what’s happening to you. How? You become more internally centered on self-reliance, and retain a certain detachment from what happens to you. You become more "philosophical," rather than becoming swallowed up in the disappointment, angst, anger, and fear caused by disappointed desires. That’s one kind of discipleship.

Christianity disciples you a different way. Christ teaches us to be more engaged with what’s going on, and with what’s wrong, but to view it and engage it through the eyes of redemptive love in Christ. We don’t quell our desires (the apatheia of Stoicism); we turn from the rule of our desires to the rule of God. Thus we redeem and retune our desires to function as they are meant to function. Wise biblical counseling also “successfully treats symptoms of anxiety and clinical depression,” but via a dynamic that generates faith and love, not a dynamic of self-reliance.

Third, CBT is certainly one option in the supermarket of ways to feel somewhat better and be less upset by life. It happens to be the option of choice currently, but if history is any guide (and it is!), that hegemony will eventually fade as the flaws in CBT become widely obvious to the culture, and something else appears more compelling. But, sticking with our cultural moment, what is the cash-value of a form of symptom-alleviation whose essential process is to inculcate a more psychologically-successful form of “leaning on your own understanding”? It does not teach a person to “trust in the Lord with all your heart,” to live in relationship to Him-with-whom-we-have-to-do. So it calms people down, but at the cost of becoming anesthetized to fundamental realities. By contrast, the psalms can be very upset – filled with anguish, anxiety, apprehension, pain – but it is an upset qualified and shaped by faith and love. So the psalms also know the peace-in-relationship of psalms 23 and 131, and the relational joys of the royal psalms and the hallulujah psalms. Psalms are far more “psychologically healthy” than a successful CBT patient, whose equanimity is successfully self-referential. And of course they are far more “psychologically healthy” than a prospective CBT client who is a nervous wreck, whose upset is unsuccessfully self-referential.

Fourth, I think it’s a mistake to think we can detach symptom alleviation from what any therapy/cure is doing at the level of the human heart. CBT in fact does “enter into the causes,” but in a way pointedly contrary to Christian faith. Any professed cure has implications for the heart’s loyalties and trusts. But a biblical gaze helps us see how Stoicism misdisciples the human heart into a false trust. False trust in a false message is why CBT "works." No therapist of any kind can escape being an evangelist for what he or she believes is true. In CBT you feel better because you trust yourself more, and affirm your basic OKness more consistently. That’s entering into causes (unwittingly, while pretending that your answer is "objective/realistic," and that you are theologically neutral). CBT carefully rewrites the inner script by making autonomy from God more successful and less frustrating.

Finally, I’m not sure what Elliot means by “biblical counseling alone.” I suspect he means citing Bible verses, doing Bible study, practicing the means of grace (prayer, preaching, sacrament, worship, small groups, accountability). (???) But to reduce wisdom to religious activities and theological words is exactly what actual biblical counseling aims to blow up and rebuild. Such spiritualizing is why the church usually lacks a vision for real counseling ministry, and thus is so vulnerable to things like CBT that pretend to operate in a different sphere (“symptoms,” not “causes”). If biblical counseling is a comprehensive wisdom, just as CBT is a comprehensive wisdom (founded on a different faith), then why can’t wise Biblical counseling accomplish everything CBT accomplishes – and far more? It will do so on a sound rather than faulty basis, creating reliance on Christ rather than reliance on self. If something really deals with causes, it will also deal with symptoms, by definition. Morphine eases the pain of cancer; removing the tumor also eases the pain of cancer. If our worst cancers are operable by the means of mere words communicated in a relationship of trust, then why not skillfully employ the words of Christian faith rather than the words of Stoic faith?"

If you're interested in more free resources from Dr. Powlison, you can find them here.

Holiness by Grace

I just bought this book today at the Seminary bookstore here at Covenant Theological Seminary. I have not read a page of it but when I asked my close buddy who is a 2nd year MDiv student, "If I could only buy one book in the seminary bookstore what should it be?", he said, Holiness by Grace by seminary president Bryan Chapell was the one to get. So I did. I bet he would tell you the same. Check it out.

He Looks Like A Vampire, But Don't Hold That Against Him

Kevin Max (formerly of DC Talk) has a new record out called, The Blood. You can find it here (iTunes). You can read about it here. Perhaps I'll post a review once I get a chance to listen to it.

U2 in 3D

Read about U2's new movie in 3D.

(HT: Relevant Blog)

Stone on Bush

This looks interesting...

Oliver Stone is going to make a movie about President George W. Bush. He says:

"Here, I'm the referee, and I want a fair, true portrait of the man. How did Bush go from an alcoholic bum to the most powerful figure in the world? It's like Frank Capra territory on one hand, but I'll also cover the demons in his private life, his bouts with his dad and his conversion to Christianity, which explains a lot of where he is coming from. It includes his belief that God personally chose him to be president of the United States, and his coming into his own with the stunning, preemptive attack on Iraq. It will contain surprises for Bush supporters and his detractors."

Read the whole article here.

(HT: Relevant Mag)

True

(HT: Joe Thorn)

Everything Hasn't Changed

Writing for Christianity Today, John Wilson writes this in reference to Brian McClaren's new book, Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope:

McLaren is particularly misleading when he's suggesting, as he does quite emphatically at times, that somehow the church went off the rails early on, and that only now are (some) Christians beginning to understand what Jesus was really saying. While McLaren occasionally adds nuances and qualifiers, this ahistorical account runs through the book. In this respect, his message is oddly reminiscent of the ahistorical narrative of church history that dominated the evangelical/fundamentalist churches of my youth. Between an idealized first-century church and the present moment, when the preacher was calling on you to make a decision for Christ, there loomed a great wasteland—all those centuries in which the church failed to heed the plain words of Scripture.

Read the whole review.

Seminary for a Week

Today I leave for a week to take a seminary class at Covenant Seminary in St. Louis, MO. We are taking NT Survey with Dr. Greg Perry. Should be a great class. I'll report on any reflections along the way.

Part of the classwork was to be done before we get there. The majority of this was our assignment to read the whole NT in 30 days (10 chapters a day or so) and respond to various reflection questions. Up until now I had never read the Bible this way and it has proved very helpful. Reading 10 chapters at a time (in one sitting) really gives you a chance to follow the author's train of thought and think his thoughts after him. The big themes can be seen with clarity and you really get a sense that you grasp his main points. Give it a shot sometime, it's a great exercise. I fear that we tend too often to read little portions of scripture which certainly can glean truth, but out of context does not lead us to how one verse can fit into the whole of the author's intent. Context, context, context...

Lovedrug - Updated Release

Lovedrug - Everything Starts Where It Ends

This record is one of my favorite rock records of the last couple of years. It was just rereleased in iTunes plus format and for a lower price of $5.99. Might want to buy this one for sure or at least give it a listen.

We Were Not Made For Mirrors

We are currently leading our home group through a study called, The Blazing Center by John Piper. This quote struck me in a unique way:

Why do we watch the world series? Why do we watch gymnastics when the Olympics roll around? Why do we go to the Grand Canyon? Why do we go to the Alps? Why do we go to the ocean? Why do we want to get near bigness and beauty and magnificence and excellence? It’s because that’s what we were made for. We were not made for mirrors. We were made for standing in front of what is infinitely beautiful having it so satisfy us.

-John Piper, quoted in The Blazing Center, session 2.

Pray for Christians in India

Read about their persecution here.

Glad To Be Living In Albuquerque

High temperature today in Albuquerque, NM:






High temperature today in my hometown of Cedar Falls, IA:

Future of the Music Biz

As someone who used to be fairly invested in the music biz I thought this article from Seth Godin was very interesting. If you are interested in the future of music you might find it interesting as well. Favorite two quotes:

Many musicians have understood that all they need to make a (very good) living is to have 10,000 fans. 10,000 people who look forward to the next record, who are willing to trek out to the next concert. Add 7 fans a day and you’re done in 5 years. Set for life. A life making music for your fans, not finding fans for your music.

and...

Instead, in an age when it’s cheaper than ever to design something, to make something, to bring something to market, the smart strategy is to have a dumb strategy. Keep your costs low and go with your instincts, even when everyone says you’re wrong. Do a great job, not a perfect one. Bring things to market, the right market, and let them find their audience.

(HT: SHLOG)

What Does It Mean To Care for Those Who Have Had Abortions?

Steve, writing for the str.org blog, writes a needed post called, "What Does It Mean to Care for Those Who Have Had Abortions?"

His four points are:

1. Offer Forgiveness and Healing

2. Clarify the Need for Forgiveness

3. Be Patient Comforters

4. Partner with the Local Pregnancy Resource Center

Read the whole thing.

Cloverfield Review

Steve McCoy reviews the new movie, "Cloverfield". He sums up:

Two days before seeing Cloverfield I checked Rotten Tomatoes and found it was getting mixed reviews. That was disappointing since I already own the T-shirt. But after seeing the movie I was very, very satisfied. I've also noticed the reviews are getting much better. I give it a big thumbs-up and encourage you to see it! Seriously. Go now.

Let The "Lost" Games Begin Again

Relevant Blog reports:

The producers of Lost are at it again. The show doesn’t start back up for a couple of weeks, but ABC has released this poster that is stirring up debate on fan sites. The poster shows the gang standing on the island, but a city’s reflection can be seen on the surface of the water. Is it L.A., Chicago, New York?! What are they trying to tell us? …

Derek Webb Interview

I just finished listening to part 2 of Said at Southern's interview of Derek Webb. It's a pretty interesting conversation. I found myself saying "Amen" to much of what Derek had to say. I had some reservations about other things, but on the whole it's worth checking out and considering what he has to say. He's a pretty interesting dude.

(HT: Zack Reisland)

Abortion Numbers

A great report, but a very sad report all at the same time.

1.2 million... Try and let that one sink in.

(HT: Relevant)

Irony of Seeker Worship

Jared Wilson writes well here:

Seeker-centered churches will say that because their worship services are for seekers or newer Christians, the sermons cannot engage in as much biblical depth as would be appropriate for more mature Christians, yet what is preached in such services is typically not the milk of the gospel but a meat-and-potatoes sort of "application of the Bible." Stuff to do. Why would we expect nonChristians and new Christians to have the framework from which to really apply the Bible?

What I mean is, what benefit is a series on "How to Win at Work" if the people expected to carry out the principles therein don't really understand the point of the Christian life is Jesus? It seems to be a feeding of meat to people who aren't ready for it anyway.

Read the whole post. It's good for our ecclesiology.

**Update** - Jared has posted a short list of things that the seeker movement has done well. I found myself agreeing with all five. It's a good read as well.

Things Not to Say To Your Wife When She Is Ready To Pop From Pregnancy

1. Honey, I don’t mean to alarm you, but have you ever read about anyone actually popping from being so big?
2. Hey Babe, is it OK that I invited some of the guys from work over to see how big you are? They won’t believe me.
3. Honey, come in here and see this horse giving birth on TV. Oh, man that looks like that’s gotta hurt.
4. I challenge you in a touch your toes contest.
5. Honey, I was just straightening up the bedroom…can you tell me if this is a fitted sheet or a pair of your underwear?
6. You’re dreading labor?! Do you know how sore my feet get from standing beside you that whole time?
7. Boy it would be really nice if you went a week or two late so I could watch the six-part mini-series on PBS.
8. No, I couldn’t eat another bite honey. I ate so much I feel…like you.
9. Why don’t you go take a nice, relaxing, hot bath? But don’t put much water in the tub because it’ll overflow when you get in.
10. No, you don’t look huge. “Huge” is such a harsh word…I prefer the term “healthy.”

(HT: Challies)

The Gospel for Mormons

Dan Phillips has a great gospel-centered post reporting how he talked with the Mormons that came aknockin'.

American Christians

My primary assessment would be because American Christians tend to be incredibly self-indulgent so they see the church as a place there for them to meet their needs and to express faith in a way that is meaningful for them...there is almost no genuine compassion or urgency about serving and reaching people who don’t know Christ.

I think the bottom line really is our own spiritual narcissism. There are methods and you can talk about style, structure and music, but in the end it really comes down to your heart and what you care about.

-Erwin McManus

Do you agree? Is this issue even on the radar?

(HT: MMI)

MercyMe Blog

MercyMe has started a blog. Might want to check it out.

Tom Brady and Emptiness

(HT: Mark Wolter)

SHLOGing in Uganda

Shaun Groves is embarking on a really cool new project with Compassion International and various bloggers. You can read about it here.

Humility Via My 5-Year-Old

My wife is a genius. She is the kind of gal who I used to make fun when I was a kid because I was deep down very jealous. She has never gotten a grade less than an A. She is a 4.0 all the way through every level of school that she has experienced. She graduated top of her class in grad school. Needless to say, she is smart. Super smart. Off the chart smart. Mind like a steel trap smart. You get the picture...

There is a story that her Dad would always tell about her when she was very little, like 4 or 5 years old. She had a knack for the game of memory. You know that simple card game? She would destroy anyone who dared to challenge her genius.

Well, I discovered today that this gift has been passed on to our 5-year-old. When I got home he said, "Dad, let's play cards!" I was like, ok, I'll just go easy on the little guy and we'll have fun.

It was not fun.

I got worked. Destroyed. Systematically dismantled by my 5 year old son at the game of memory.

Twice. And I was actually trying.

Maybe I am a bit slow. I am open to this possibility. But come on!!!! He is in pre-school. I am in grad school. He can't tie his shoes. I can. He can't color inside the lines. I can. He can't wash his own hair. I can.

This list is simply for the boosting of my self-esteem.

I think I read about humility in the Bible somewhere... It hurts. Hurts bad.

**Update** - I guess I would get beat by a chimp too

Jon Foreman - Winter

In case you have not heard, Jon Foreman, the frontman for Switchfoot is releasing a series of EP's with seasonal themes. I was not a huge fan of Fall, but I just got Winter today and I totally love it. It has sparse production, but cool songs with great melodies. Check it out.

Politics...Blah Blah Blah

(**Warning**: This is my yearly political rant)

I watched the Democratic debate last night and I was reminded of why I hate politics.

Perhaps one of the downsides of living in the information age (though much better than being spoon fed propaganda from a communist government) is that there are so many different voices of opinion that we have to attempt to sort through in the attempt to make an informed judgment about how we think things should really be.

Recently in a conversation with my sister I asked her to consider something I passed along dealing with Obama's view on abortion. She said she would not accept it since it was from a "extremely conservative" publication with a clear agenda. I then asked her what her criteria was for discerning what really is the case when it comes to anything you read from any source having to do with Obama. In essence, how does she go about discerning objectivity? She didn't offer a response.

I really don't think there is one unless as a Christian we appeal to what God's view is through revealed scripture. The problem with this is that neither political party is Christian nor are they seeking to see the kingdom of God manifest itself through politics. Nor should they! As a result, politics is low on the totem poll for me.

Take all the talk about the war in Iraq that I heard the three democrats throw around last night. I was sitting there thinking, "I don't have the slightest clue as to what is really going on in Iraq right now. How in the world could I make a responsible judgment about what I think we should do and then align myself to that candidate?" Bush could be the biggest idiot in the world in terms of what we are doing in Iraq right now, but how could I ever know? How could I ever attain the appropriate information to make a responsible judgment? I can't...

In the end I would much rather have democracy than dictatorship (or any other form of gov) because the likelihood of living in a totally screwed up country by giving the "power" to a country full of voting idiots is less likely than when you give the power to one guy who might be a total idiot. I'm thankful for democracy in that sense.

So I guess I'll just keep voting pro-life and from there grab the guy (or gal) I would like to invite to go on vacation with my family.

To all you political scientists out there: Feel free to adjust and attack my ignorance with polemics in the comment section.

Anyone for the church rising up in our culture as a more ubiquitous presence than our politicians? May his kingdom come...

Matthew West - Something To Say

Matthew West's new record "Something to Say" was released yesterday. You can find it here on iTunes. Here on Amazon. Here on Amazon Mp3 Download ($8.99!).


You can read some reviews below:

Jesus Freak Hideout

CCM Magazine

Christian Music Today

Apple Stuff is Cool

Check it out here.

Sticking it to the Music Industry "Man"

The music industry as we know it is not doing well. Touring is harder, CD sales are down, labels are folding, and I really don't care. We will always have music as it is a reflection of our image bearing of God who is the ultimate Creator.

Bring on the youtube.com indies and spotting musical geniuses on your friend's blog. Grassroots, direct to you from the creator is the new way and you could have seen this coming 10 years ago. I am excited about it as it cuts out the middle man (labels) who can "spin" an artist to us with waves of marketing to sort through before you really know if you like an artist or not. There are many other reasons as well, but the internet is basically the biggest one in my opinion.

Of course a lot of this downfall of the corporate industry is due to people stealing music and I don't condone that, but on the whole I think this is going to purify musical art for the masses.

(HT: SHLOG)

Who Are You?

Ray Ortlund recounts:

In a counseling conversation, a friend of Eric Clapton's asked him a good question:

"Chris's first question to me, at our very first session, was, 'Tell me who you are,' a very simple question you would think, but I felt the blood rush up to my face and wanted to yell at her, 'How dare you! Don't you know who I am?' Of course, I had no idea who I was, and I was ashamed to admit it."
- Eric Clapton, Clapton: The Autobiography, page 257.

"Nearly all the wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves."
- John Calvin, The Institutes, 1.1.1.

Who Should The Church Have As Leaders?

Most churches make the mistake of selecting as leaders the confident, the competent, and the successful. But what you most need in a leader is someone who has been broken by the knowledge of his or her sin, and even greater knowledge of Jesus' costly grace. The number one leaders in every church ought to be the people who repent the most fully without excuses, because you don't need any now; the most easily without bitterness; the most publicly and the most joyfully. They know their standing isn't based on their performance.

-- Tim Keller

(HT: Jared)

Buster Quote of the Day

“We have unlimited juice? (Laughs.) This party is going to be off the hook!”

-Buster

Teaching Kids to Pray as Reason to Baptize Them?

Dr. Sean Lucas uses an article from Baptist pastor, John Piper, on teaching kids to pray to reason for infant baptism. He writes:

This is an interesting set of reflections from John Piper. They actually strike me as providing a pretty strong case for applying the sign of the covenant (baptism) to a child.

After all, if you are going to 1) admit that you cannot know when a child is regenerate; and 2) treat the child as though they have covenant responsibilities which arise from belonging to a Christian family (or in Piper's language "treat them as a believer"); then 3) applying the sign of entrance into the covenant community (i.e. baptism), a sign that authenticates (or "seals") God's gospel promises for him and invites him to respond by faith, makes a whole lot of biblical sense.

Groothuis Reviews Dawkins

Dr. Doug G with a good review of Richard Dawkins', "The God Delusion". In reference to Dawkins' understanding of the Bible, Groothuis writes:

The tone does not change when Dawkins addresses the Bible. On his view, the Bible can be little more than a collec­tion of pious fictions, since its principle character God does not exist. Dawkins's approach is that any biblical text with a historical problem must be a palpable falsehood. Any miracle story, moreover, is false, since there is no God to perform such feats. In other words, the Bible is guilty until proven innocent; but it is never proven innocent, since God does not exist. This is a neat and convenient system of dismissal, but one lacking in academic integrity.

A good study Bible and sources by con­servative biblical scholars can easily answer most of Dawkins's overheated objections." For example, he dismisses the historicity of the Gospel accounts of Jesus' early life because they differ in various ways, such as in their genealogies. Rather than realizing that they were written by different authors with different audiences to emphasize different aspects, he infers that they are contradictory and are the result of theological agendas that invented pious fictions. Christian thinkers have noted these kinds of issues for centuries, and the plausible solutions they discovered are readily available, if one is concerned to study the issue carefully."

Biblical Theology and Suffering

Dr. Peter Enns, from Westminster Seminary (Philly), has started a blog that you might want to check out. I have just read one post, but I can already tell I am going to like this guy. Here is his concluding remarks on what Biblical Theology (the grand narrative of God's working in history, basically the big picture of the Bible) has to do with suffering. He writes:

What is also very important here is not so much what we might say in certain circumstances, but what churches teach their people day in and day out. What I would like to see is God’s people, who through years of preaching and teaching, are so immersed in the grand narrative, who have a Biblical Theological foundation laid already, so that when the rough times come, they are prepared to see their very painful, very real, very horrible suffering not apart from God, but in him. Such a perspective should not lead us to minimize the pain, but should, I think, enable us to look the person squarely in the eye and, without flinching, say “Remember now, especially now, who you are. We will walk this together and remind each other.”

Maybe that is a lot to ask, and I am not there yet. But, too bad. I do feel that this is a model amply demonstrated throughout the NT, and it requires tremendous maturity and wisdom. The degree to which we are not captured by the enormity of this biblical model is an indication of how very far we have to go on our journey to reflect the image of the risen Christ.

At any rate, a young girl is dying. We all have so many chances to minister God’s love to people every day, if we just take the time to look around. And what we say, if given the opportunity, will reflect God’s story to the extent that we ourselves are captured by it.

Read the whole thing.

John's Take On Justin

As a fan of Justin Timberlake (never thought I would say that a few years back when he was in N'Sync) and John Mayer I thought this video was really cool.

My favorite moment on Justin's latest record is his I Think That She Knows interlude. It's great. It would be cool to see Justin take on more of this tone in an upcoming project. Evidently, John thought it was really cool too and gave it his own spin. It won't mean much to you if you are not familiar with the original. You can find it here.

Zach's Mac Gets Me Jacked And That's A Fact - I'm Wack

Here is what is on the horizon for Mac products. Daddy likey...

(HT: Los)