Clarus Starts Tomorrow

This weekend our church is hosting a great conference called, Clarus. If you are in the New Mexico area we would encourage you to attend. All the info can be found here.

Here is a promo video:

I Know You Have Missed My John Mayer Posts...

Here is my favorite moment from his latest live DVD if you have not seen it. The lyrics here are so good. He captures the emotion so perfectly. Great melody, great guitar playing. So good.



(HT: Deek)

In Case of Emergency

Shaun Groves:

This past weekend - thanks to an e-mail from a blog reader - I listened to a sermon by Francis Chan (three times) called “Living To Display The Gospel” and was re-inspired by a new answer. In his message he told the story of how he decided to give away a large sum of money he earned. And he ended the story by saying that some people ask him if it’s wise to give it all away. “Shouldn’t you be more moderate in your generosity?” they essentially ask. “Shouldn’t you put some of it away in case of emergency?”

To which he answered, “Are you saying that what’s happening in ‘the developing world’ isn’t an emergency? ...Oh, you mean an emergency that involves me. Because if it doesn’t involve me then it’s not a real emergency.”

He explained passionately and gently that God is not moderate in his generosity toward us. Jesus didn’t look at the mess on Earth and say, “Well those problems aren’t my problems so I’m staying out of it.” No, he gave all because he loved the whole world. Love says your emergency is our emergency and then it sacrifices without moderation to intervene. Love, Francis believes, doesn’t save a sum so large for it’s own future needs when someone else is in tremendous need right now.

Francis reminded me that moderation isn’t a bad thing but even moderation must be pursued in moderation. And it’s thrown out the window entirely in case of emergency. And all over the world, this is an emergency.

Spiritual Alzheimer's - Part 3

It’s my claim that Christianity should be understood as a religion of remembrance, but not just remembrance for remembrance sake. Our remembrance is always for the sake of the future. This is a huge theme in the Old Testament and the New.

In the Old Testament there is a repeated refrain that goes something like this: "Remember, I am the God that brought you up out of Egypt". When God gives his people (Israel) ethical imperatives he very frequently makes the foundation of their obedience remembering what God did in their past. In essence he is saying, "As you (Israel) press into the future, I am calling you to live by faith. Remembering what did in your past should fuel this faith in me."

Here are some examples from the book of Deuteronomy:

7:18 ...you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt,

• As you move into the future, starting now, don’t fear! Remember what I did!

15:12 “If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. And when you let him go free from you, you shall not let him go empty-handed. You shall furnish him liberally out of your flock, out of your threshing floor, and out of your winepress. As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today.

• Don’t forget that you used to be a slave. As you move into the future, starting now with your slaves, treat them well!

24:18 - 17 “You shall not pervert the justice due to the sojourner or to the fatherless, or take a widow's garment in pledge, but you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this.

• If you remembered that you were once weak and defenseless too, how could you abuse those currently around you who are weak and defenseless? The foundation of your care for the weak and defenseless is the fact that you know what that’s like. Remember!

We could go on and on with many more examples like this from the book of Deuteronomy alone.
All these commands for obedient, joy-filled living are rooted in the fact that they are to remember what God did! So the point is that we see all through the OT, God commanding his people to remember for the sake of faith-filled obedience in present and future.

Let the looking back propel you into the future with faith.


Parts 1 and 2 can be found here.

Putting Real Images With The Word "Choice"

This clip from Lake of Fire shows the reality of abortion that few will ever see. This is part of the problem. Most people can rationalize away what they are not forced to actually come to terms with. I'm sure that most Christians who voted for Obama probably didn't visualize the clip below when they chose to align themselves with a guy who is in full support of the right of this to continue. To me, this is mind-boggling.

The first part of the clip shows clearly that these are not easy decisions as you hear from the mothers. Yes, it is complex and very difficult, but this reality does not excuse murder.

**Warning** - This clip contains some non-sexual, medical nudity. I know this might offend some of you, but I feel as though it's worth the risk. If you don't want to see it please at least watch from 1:50 to the end. We have to come face to face with the horror that is abortion. We can't allow people to hide behind the words "choice". Always make them finish the statement. Choose to do what?

Watch this clip and be grieved. Pray. Repent of self-righteousness. Pass it along.



If that was not enough, read this. I cannot wrap my mind around our culture of death.

MacBrick Pro

Yes, you all know I am a huge Mac fan. I am getting a new hard drive installed today (thank you Apple Care). But I can take a joke and I found this story quite amusing (but certainly not if I was on the receiving end!)

Check it out here.

Spiritual Alzheimer's - Part 2

Yesterday I wrote about the fact that most of us have a memory problem. Call it spiritual Alzheimer's disease if you want. If I forget what God has done in my past, how can I expect to be full of faith for the future?

What do I mean? Real practically... Imagine....

What would happen if we forget (or failed to meditate on the fact) that Christ died for our sins?

• Death looks really scary as I face God with no hope
• Evangelism has no point
  
• I have no assurance of forgiveness (etc.)
  

What would happen if we forgot (or failed to meditate on the fact that) that Jesus said he will return to one day make all things right?

• We would be crushed by the current weight of evil in our world. Genocide, sex-trafficking, abortion, etc. You are left with a "life sucks and then you die" view of the world.
  

What would happen if we forgot (or failed to meditate on the fact that) the resurrection of Jesus was true?

• Paul says that if Christ is not raised then you have no hope of being raised and you are still in your sins
• Our churches are a joke and should be abandoned immediately
  

I have to admit that sometimes I am tempted to believe these bullet points above. So is not remembrance of the great truths of our faith completely essential to our sanity in the present as we move into the unknown future?

Here is the problem: We don’t remember as we should. I don’t mediate on what God has done in the past. My faith is crippled at times. But God knows this, and his words demonstrates this as he stoops to help us in our weakness. He continually exhorts us to REMEMBER.

Tomorrow we'll look at how he does this.

How Much is TV Costing You?

Very interesting article here.


(HT: Challies)

Social Engineering and the Dark Side of American Liberalism

This article will give you nightmares: Social Engineering and the Dark Side of American Liberalism.

It begins with this:

To an outsider, the Fernald school in Waltham Massachusetts looked like any other educational institution. During the school’s hay day in the 1920’s and 30’s, few passers-by would have guessed the dark secret lurking behind the brick walls – a secret penetrating to the heart of American liberalism.

Fernald was no ordinary school. Set up in 1848 with funds from the Massachusetts State Legislature, the institution was designed for the incarceration of “feeble-minded” children. Throughout the early 1900s, hundreds of thousands of low-intelligence (though not necessarily retarded) children were warehoused at Fernald in unspeakable conditions.

Treated like animals and denied any affection, these “human weeds” were considered genetically inferior from the rest of society. In his book The State Boys Rebellion, Michael D'Antonio shows that one of the purposes behind the Fernald school was to prevent these “idiots” from reproducing and diluting the gene pool. Margaret Sanger, icon of the American left and founder of Planned Parenthood, put it even more succinctly: “The undeniably feeble-minded should, indeed, not only be discouraged but prevented from propagating their kind.” It was not until the 1960s that the school began releasing their children to live in the outside world.

The ideology behind Fernald was supplied by the American Eugenics movement. It was customary for American liberals of the 1920s and 30s to identify human beings as either hereditarily valuable or inferior. Taking Darwin’s theory of natural selection and applying it to human society, they typically classed Jews, Gypsies, Blacks, Native Americans and those of low-IQ as harmful to the human gene pool.

“People were told, we can be rid of all disease, we can lower the crime rate, we can increase the wealth of our nation, if we only keep certain people from having babies,” said Michael D'Antonio.
In his New York Times bestseller Liberal Fascism, Jonah Goldberg shows that before Hitler gave eugenics a bad name, almost all the leading progressive intellectuals of the early 20th century interpreted Darwin’s theory as a writ to “interfere” with human natural selection. Indeed, when the National Socialist sterilized over 50,000 “unfit” Germans, a former advisor to Teddy Roosevelt exclaimed, “The Germans are beating us at our own game.”

Although contemporary left-wingers have tried to hush it up, it is a fact of history that the National Academy of Sciences, the American Medical Association, the National Research Council, Planned Parenthood and the pre-1960's Democratic Party, all supported the right of the US government to engage in Eugenic selection, while thirty states adopted legislation aimed at compulsory sterilization of certain individuals or classes. Conservatives, orthodox Roman Catholics and radical libertarians, on the other hand, were routinely ridiculed for their opposition to such policies.

The underlining premise behind the American eugenics movement was the view that irresponsible individualism in breeding would act as a cancer on the human gene pool, harming posterity. Government held the future of the human race in its reigns and could improve the evolutionary direction of the nation – and indeed the world - through strategic intervention.

The Fernald school is no longer operating and by the 1960’s all the states had canceled their sterilization laws. After Hitler gave the politics of race hygiene a bad name, American and British “progressives” stopped defending government’s right to direct the gene pool.

Nevertheless, the ideological coordinates behind these abuses remain as intact as ever within the minds of American left, although they have found a myriad of different expressions.

Read the rest.

Why People Leave the Church

I just found this graphic on a post today from Think Christian. You can check out their post here.

I wanted to comment on the #1 reason they cite above as "just gradually drifted away from the religion". What this screams out to me is the need for authentic community life in our churches. We need to teach it and model it. People usually don't tend to drift away (generally speaking) when they feel loved, needed and cared for.

Are we simply doing the great commandment of loving God and loving people? How does the second part of that command flesh itself out in your context? My hunch (matched with some experience) is that if we worked harder at making people feel loved through real relationships we would see the number of people "who drift gradually away" decrease.

Sounds pretty simple, right? Yeah, like most things in the Christian life are: very simple, yet very hard to actually implement and live out. Let's keep fighting for the truth to be tangible and real!

Another Under-Cover Planned Parenthood Video

It grieves me that after 5 or so of these videos have been released, Planned Parenthood seems to not be dealing with this problem.

AmazonMP3 Daily Deal

My One And Only Thrill
by Melody Gardot

Price:

$3.99

Sounds fun and jazzy.

A Great "Get Out Of Debt" Story

Recently my sister Annelie and her husband Matt were featured on the Dave Ramsey television show telling their dramatic story of becoming debt free. You can watch this short clip here. In short, they paid off well over 120K in debt in about 5 years. It's really an amazing story.

For more info on the Dave Ramsey plan you can click here.

Reflections Upon Returning From The Gospel Coalition

Thabiti Anyabwile has some good reflections upon his return from The Gospel Coalition. You can read them here.

Obama's Budget Cuts

Enlightening illustration:



(HT: JT)

A pro-life Oakland pastor chooses jail over a plea bargain

This really is an amazing story. Read about it here.

The full article is below:

For 19 days in March and April, Walter Hoye was locked in a cell with 29 other prisoners at the Santa Rita jail near Oakland, Calif. There were times when he wished he could have stayed longer.

When the metal door first clanged shut behind him on March 20, Hoye, 52, decided the space was really more of a cage than a cell. A metal grid penning in prisoners. Fifteen bunks lining two walls. Two toilets and a urinal for all 30 men, and a shower that inmates had gradually transformed into a pornographic shrine.

As Hoye made his way to an empty bunk, a few prisoners, mostly black and Latino, dogged his path. "You smuggle in any drugs, man?" one of them asked.

"No," Hoye said quietly.

Then the veteran inmates left him alone, he told me, except for "one of the brothers who was kind enough to help me make up my bed."

A few minutes later, another man walked over to Hoye's bunk and jabbed his finger at a newspaper he was holding. "This you?" he said, eyeing Hoye skeptically.

Hoye peered at the Oakland Tribune headline: "Anti-abortion pastor chooses jail."

"Yeah, that's me," he said.

In the next moment, the inmate was striding up and down the length of the cell, announcing, "Hey, he don't have to be here! He turned down probation! He doing straight time for what he believed in!"

It was true: On Feb. 19, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Stuart Hing sentenced Walter Hoye, a Missionary Baptist minister, to 30 days in jail after Hoye refused a plea deal that included three years' probation, a small fine, and an order that he stay at least 100 yards away from Family Planning Specialists, an Oakland abortion clinic.

Passionate about the sky-high abortion rate among African-Americans, Hoye began offering men and women assistance at the clinic in 2006. About one in three Oakland residents is black, compared with a statewide African-American population of 6 percent. And though blacks make up only 12 percent of the U.S. population, they account for one-third of all abortions performed in the United States. More than three in 10 black women abort their unborn children.

According to the 2006 census, deaths now exceed live births among African-Americans. "We're no longer replacing ourselves," Hoye said. "So we're not using terms like holocaust and genocide just to elicit a response. It's the truth."

In response, once a week Hoye stood quietly outside Family Planning Specialists with a sign that said, "Jesus loves you and your baby. Let us help." When people approached the clinic, Hoye would ask their permission to speak with them about abortion alternatives; he also offered them pamphlets describing available help.

In 2007, pro-abortion clinic "escorts" began to show up in groups, surrounding Hoye and impeding his movement. They blocked his sign with sheets of blank cardboard and shouted down his low-key offers of help. When that didn't scare Hoye off, clinic managers lobbied the Oakland city council and in December 2007, the council instituted a "bubble-zone" ordinance applicable within a 100-foot radius of any Oakland abortion clinic. The law made it a crime to "approach within eight feet of any person seeking to enter" a "reproductive health care facility" in order to offer literature, display a sign, or engage in "oral protest, education, or counseling."

"This law is horribly unconstitutional," Hoye said. "It allows abortion clinics to decide which U.S. citizens are allowed to retain their constitutional right to free speech."

Represented by Life Legal Defense Fund (LLDF), Hoye challenged the ordinance in court. The case is still pending, but in May 2008, Oakland public attorneys acting in cooperation with clinic managers charged Hoye with "unlawful approaches" to women, and "force, threat of force, or physical obstruction."

What prosecutors did not know was that LLDF attorneys possessed four hours of uncut videotape documenting Hoye's activities outside the clinic on the dates in question. At trial in January 2009, the tapes impeached the testimony of clinic director Jackie Barbic, who claimed that Hoye repeatedly broke the 8-foot rule and that she and a patient had to put up their hands to fend him off. Instead, the tapes showed Hoye standing still as Barbic approached him; then they showed Hoye walking away. No incident shown on the tape matched Barbic's testimony, and even clinic escorts testified that Hoye was always cordial and never obstructed anyone's path or used threats or force.

Inexplicably, the jury still found Hoye guilty. At sentencing, the prosecutor recommended the probation and the clinic stay-away order—or two years in jail. When Hoye refused the stay-away order, Judge Hing appeared "surprised," Hoye said. "The judge was essentially asking me to stop trying to help men and women outside an abortion clinic, and I just would not voluntarily give up my First Amendment rights."

In February, Hing levied a sentence of 30 days and Hoye reported to the Santa Rita jail a month later. After the newspaper-reading inmate touted the Tribune article to the other prisoners—many of them inner-city drug dealers whose highest aspiration was to stay out of prison, they clamored to know why a man would choose jail over freedom. From that moment on, Hoye found himself in constant demand.

"I would be holding court with about 30 guys, explaining why I did what I did," he said. "I explained what an abortion actually does, that it takes an innocent human life. We held prayer vigils, we had Bible studies. I must have counseled and mentored guys all day and all night. It got to the point where we started talking seriously about Christ."

Most of the men in the cage at first mouthed pro-choice slogans, Hoye said. "But when I forced them to complete the sentence, 'I believe that a woman has a right to choose to kill an innocent life,' they couldn't do it."

One morning at about 2:30 a.m., a good-looking young man named Terrell approached Hoye's bunk and asked what actually goes on during an abortion. Using his fingers to simulate a woman's legs spreading, Hoye showed Terrell how the abortionist inserts a vacuum aspirator and sucks out the developing child.

Terrell, 18, told Hoye he had gotten his girlfriend pregnant and that she had aborted. "She made the decision," he said. "It was her choice."

"Yes, I know that, but what did you do?" Hoye replied. "Did you offer to marry her?"

Terrell shook his head. "No, I didn't."

"Did you offer to help her raise the child?"

"No, I didn't."

"Did you tell her that you love her and that you were going to go the distance with her as a man should, even if she decided to give the child up for adoption?"

"No, no, I didn't," Terrell said, his eyes filling with tears. "I never knew. No one ever told me what an abortion is. No one ever made it plain."

When Terrell understood that he had, "perhaps because of his own lack of participation, been complicit in the murder of his own child, it really broke him," Hoye said.

Before Terrell went back to his own bunk that night, Hoye prayed with him. "I told him God could forgive him, that what he'd done wasn't an unforgivable sin."

But the conversation didn't end then. Terrell continued to visit with Hoye. "He began to understand that men have a responsibility to women, and vowed that, for him, an abortion would never happen again. He came to me a young man in jail for dealing drugs, trying to make some money and live the large life. I began to see him grow up."

Released from jail on April 7, Hoye rejoined his wife, Lori, in their Oakland home. Today, he is not sorry for his choice. "I've been a jail chaplain in jail before, and even had the privilege of being a guest preacher at San Quentin. Being an inmate is completely different. I was actually one of them and it gave me a different kind of credibility. I'm sure my adversary meant my incarceration for evil, but God used it for good."

Decreasing the Surplus Population

Chuck Colson:

The last time that Britain’s population was cut in half was the 14th century. The cause was the Black Death.

Seven centuries later, a leading British environmentalist is urging a similar decrease in what Ebenezer Scrooge famously called “the surplus population.” Only this time, he’s asking for volunteers.

In February, Jonathan Porritt, the chairman of the UK’s Sustainable Development Commission, said that couples with more than two children were placing an “‘irresponsible’ burden of the environment.”

He accused his fellow environmentalists of “betraying the interests of [their] members” by not telling people to be responsible for “their total environmental footprint.”

Not surprisingly, Porritt’s comments didn’t sit very well with a lot of Britons. But he’s convinced, as he wrote on his website, that “logic” and “sound evidence” are on his side.

So, six weeks later, he upped the ante: he declared that the UK must cut its population from its current 61 million to 30 million “if it is to build a sustainable society.”

Read the rest.

Spiritual Alzheimer's - Part 1

Some of my earliest memories as a child are of my Grandpa Nielsen. He had Alzheimer's disease. I remember when we would stay with my Grandma and Grandpa while my parents were out of town he would ask me about every 5 minutes what my name was and why I was staying with them. He would frequently get lost in the neighborhood when he went out for a walk. He had a hard time staying on task for any significant length of time.

Soon enough the time came for him to be taken to a nursing home. I remember that day. It was the first time I had ever seen my Grandma cry. She was a stoic child of the depression and emotions were easily concealed. Not on this night. This night she knew her partner of over 40 years was not going to be living with her anymore. In a way it was a sort of death. I saw her cry.

Alzheimer's is not a fun way to die. For my Grandpa it took about 15 years as he slowly lost his mind and ability to function. The memory is the first thing to go and a person with this disease goes downhill from there.

I think many of us suffer from a form of spiritual Alzheimer's disease. We fail to remember. Our memory is lost and we can die a slow spiritual death if we are not careful. In the coming days I'll flesh out what I mean by this. I think it will encourage you.

Bonhoeffer on Abortion

From Bonhoeffer’s unfinished Ethics (Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Vol. 6):

Destruction of the embryo in the mother’s womb is a violation of the right to live which God has bestowed upon this nascent life. To raise the question of whether we are here concerned already with a human being or not is merely to confuse the issue. The simple fact is that God certainly intended to create a human being and that this nascent human being has been deliberately deprived of its life. And that is nothing but murder.

A great many motives may lead to an action of this kind; indeed in cases where it is an act of despair, performed in circumstances of extreme human or economic destitution and misery, the guilt may often lie rather with the community than with the individual. Precisely in this connection money may conceal many a wanton deed, while the poor man’s more reluctant lapse may far more easily be disclosed. All these considerations must no doubt have a quite decisive influence on our personal and pastoral attitude towards the person concerned, but they cannot in any way alter the fact of murder.

(HT: James Grant)

"The Soloist" - "My Favorite 2009 Film, So Far"

John Armstrong writes:

The other very moving thing about this movie is the point about it all. Lopez becomes Ayers friend. As a friend he must learn that he cannot fix his buddy just because he wants to do it. In the end the film is a musical feast while it celebrates the power of friendship. I predict serious musicians who are over 18 years of age will love the film. I confess that this tribute to friendship moved me to sit in silence and shed tears like few movies I have seen in a long time. Critics have been fairly favorable to this film but I give it four stars out of four. See it. I believe regular readers of this blog will truly love it, even if you do not dig Bach or Beethoven.

Read the rest of his review.

The iPhone Draws Nearer To My Grasp

Do I lust for an iPhone? Perhaps... My Crackberry is doing fine for now. But this news is pretty exciting (if you are into this sort of thing) on the iPhone front.

(HT: Scooter)

Snapshots of Religious Life

John Ortberg:

Snapshot: In the entertainment section of The San Francisco Chronicle recently, someone asked Mick LaSalle, the movie critic, what kind of movie will never be re-made. He answered by pointing to films like Going My Way, and forties films that starred Bing Crosby as a young parish priest. Religion is simply no longer accepted as part of the national fabric, he said. The one kind of movie that is most unlikely to be re-made today is one that assumes faith as a kind of national backdrop.

Snapshot: I was talking to some young church leaders recently about how, twenty years ago, if someone wanted to look for a model of what an effective church might look like in the future, they would generally go to a place like Willow Creek or Saddleback. But these younger leaders said it was no longer apparent where they should go to see what church might look like in another twenty years.

Snapshot: Tom Klegg and Warren Bird noted that if the unchurched population in the US were its own nation, it would be the fifth most populated nation on the planet, after China, the former Soviet Union, India, and Brazil.

Snapshot: A religion reporter for the LA Times wrote an article, and later a book, describing how he lost his faith in the process of covering his beat. He said that article brought in exponentially more positive emails than anything else he’d ever written.

All of which leads me to ask: Are we witnessing the process of secularization here in America similar to what Europe experienced in the middle of the twentieth century?

It’s not a matter of new evidence being introduced that makes the message of Jesus less likely to be true. What makes a living faith cease to be a live option is much more subtle and complex. It often has more to do with cultural shifts and attitudes that move gradually over time until a tipping point suddenly reveals them.

The question is not one of Kingdom Anxiety. The Kingdom of God has been doing very well, and will continue to flourish no matter the ebbs of flows from one century and continent to another. Phillip Jenkins has aptly chronicled how the explosion of the church in our day has shifted East and South.

He has also, in his most recent fascinating book, chronicled how Christianity was deeply rooted in much of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa for over 800 years, only to die out over centuries.

I hope what we are witnessing in the United States is not such a trend. I don’t have any magic answers if it is. But it’s a good thing to lift our heads up out of our own churches and projects, and look around the neighborhood.

By the way, if you’re involved in helping to lead a church, and you wonder whether giving it the best you have to offer matters—it does.

Read the rest.

Anger - A Biblical Solution

Jonathan Dodson with another good one here: Anger: The Image of Satan. He starts his post with this:

My second year of marriage was a mess.

I had bottled up discontent from a lack of emotional intimacy with my wife from the first year. In immaturity and a gross lack of understanding, I exploded in episodes of anger. Shouting, name-calling, and T-shirt ripping. Yeah, I would grab the collar of my t-shirt with two hands and pull down in angst, ripping the shirt in two. My wife had no idea she was marrying the Incredible Hulk when she said "I do."

And here is the weird thing; I wasn't even an "angry person" before I got married.

Read the rest of this very helpful article.

(HT: JT)

The Irony Here is Sickening

Reflection on "The Soloist"

Jonathan Dodson writes a good post reflecting on his recent viewing of the new movie, The Soloist. He writes:

Watching The Soloist made me proud to be human, to possess the capacity to create music, to capture stirring stories with words, to experience the brokenness of our own lives and the lives of others with imperfect compassion. The Soloist is a movie based on a true encounter between L.A. Times columnist Steve Lopez and Nathaniel Ayers. Mr. Ayers is a former Julliard student turned homeless at the hands of mental illness. After meeting Mr. Ayers, Lopez befriends him, leading to a journey of personal discovery and change as he learns to see something of the beauty that Ayers sees, when hearing Beethoven.

You can watch the trailer for this movie here. I'm sure I'll be taking this one in. I am a huge fan of Jamie Foxx's work.

Free Cell Phones!

Anthony Bradley writes about this new government program. Seems pretty wild to me.

Mac Attack and Other Notes

Sorry that blogging has been a bit light lately. Been very very busy and on top of that it seems that my Kingdom of the Zach Mac may be crumbling to the ground. Meaning, my computer has not been playing nice lately. Spent a total of 10 hours last week sitting at the Genius Bar at our local Mac store. I have another appointment tomorrow. Not cool.

Thanks for staying with me.

On a more positive note, this morning we had a powerful baptism service at DSC. 8 people were baptized and gave powerful witness to the reality of their faith. I never fails to move me when I see God's picture of baptism enacted among his people.

Have a great rest of your Sunday!

AmazonMP3 Daily Deal

I have heard this record is GREAT.

Armchair Apocrypha
by Andrew Bird

Price:

$1.99

Have A High Water Bill?

"Jennifer and Jim kept getting huge water bills. They knew beyond a doubt that the bills weren't representative of their actual usage, and no matter how they tried to conserve, the high bills continued.

Although they could see nothing wrong, they had everything checked for leaks or problems: first the water meter, then outdoor pipes, indoor pipes, underground pipes, faucets, toilets, washer, ice maker, etc. -- all to no avail.

One day Jim was sick and stayed home in bed, but kept hearing water running downstairs. He finally tore himself from his sick bed to investigate, and stumbled onto the cause of such high water bills.

Apparently this was happening all day long when they were not at home. Knowing that few would believe him, he taped a segment of the 'problem' for posterity -- see attached video."



(HT: Jer)

An Awakening?

Ray Ortlund reflects on his experience at The Gospel Coalition conference:

Clearly, the Lord is at work. He is creating new conditions for the future. In the 90s, we had nothing of the magnitude of The Gospel Coalition, Together For The Gospel, Acts 29 and other obvious indicators of a new movement of God. We did have, say, Promise Keepers, which helped many. But PK was not explicitly gospel-centered, not aggressively theological. Its impact was unsustainable. But now the Lord is giving us something new, something better. Let's be thankful to him. This doesn't come along every day. Let's steward the blessing well. If we bungle this, I doubt we will see it again in our time. But if we are wise, not intruding our own self-centered complications but humbly putting Christ first, the blessing will grow. And maybe, in the mercy of God, we will see awakening in our time.

May it be so!

Just Do Something!

I have started reading Kevin DeYoung's, Just Do Something. In the beginning section of the book he makes the case that most of us in our current culture of mind-boggling choices and options, (can you say, Internet?) become paralyzed with a lack of ability to make a choice. For Christians, this reality can sometimes be shrouded in language of, "I just don't know what God's wants for me right now."

Kevin writes:

We can't stand the thought of cutting off any of our options. If we choose A, we feel the sting of not having B and C and D. As a result, every choice feels worse than no choice at all and when we do make an important choice, we end up with buyers' remorse, wondering if we are settling for second best. Or, worse yet, we end up living in our parents' basement indefinitely as we try to find ourselves and hear God's voice. Our freedom to do anything and go anywhere ends up feeling like bondage more than liberty, because decision making feels like pain, not pleasure.

To many young people today have no stability, no certainty, no predictability, little decisiveness, and lots of self-doubt. It takes longer and longer for people to settle down. And some never do. I'm not advocating that everyone move back to his hometown and take whatever job is available (though that would be at least a step toward something for some people). Some of you should go overseas and others will move to new places. But I am advocating floundering less, making a difference for God sooner, and - above all - not spiritualizing, year after year, our inability to make decisions in the elusive quest to discover God's will. I'm arguing that our eagerness to know God's will is probably less indicative of a heart desperately wanting to obey God and more about our heads spinning with all the choices to be made.

The Gospel Coalition MP3's

All the messages from The Gospel Coalition can be found here.

Spurgeon On The Need To Read

Scott Sterner:

Today at the Gospel Coalition Conference I heard Ligon Duncan, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, Mississippi preach from 2 Timothy 4:6-22. In the opening of his message he shared this quote from Charles Spurgeon regarding Paul's request to Timothy in the final weeks of his life (4:13) to bring his books to him so he can read.

As the apostle says to Timothy, so also he says to every-one, 'Give yourself to reading.' ... He who will not use the thoughts of other men's brains proves that he has no brains of his own... You need to read. Renounce as much as you will all light literature, but study as much as possible sound theological works, especially the Puritanic writers, and expositions of the Bible... the best way for you to spend your leisure is to be either reading or praying.

The fact that the apostle Paul, who knew he was in his final days, was still concerned about reading and writing, gives us a great insight into his life-practices that advanced His influence for the advance of the Gospel and building of the Kingdom of God. May his example influence us to do the same.

Looking Back For The Sake Of The Future

If anyone is interested, here is the audio of the message I gave last night at our Lord's Supper service. The title of my message was, "Looking Back for the Sake of the Future". It's about 33 min. long.

We celebrate the Lord's Supper every last Wednesday of the month as a special service dedicated to remembering the Lord's death on our behalf. It is always a very meaningful time for our church body.

Bono on Grace vs. Karma and Other Thoughts

A few years ago a book was released called Bono In Conversation, by Michka Assayas. Gene Veith wrote an article for World Magazine that commented on a very interesting section of the book where Bono basically witnesses to the interviewer.

Gene Edward Veith writes:

Is Bono, the lead singer and songwriter for the rock group U2, a Christian? He says he is and writes about Christianity in his lyrics. Yet many people question whether Bono is "really" a Christian, due to his notoriously bad language, liberal politics, and rock star antics (though he has been faithfully married for 23 years). But in a new book of interviews, Bono in Conversation by Michka Assayas, Bono, though using some salty language, makes an explicit confession of faith.

The interviewer, Mr. Assayas, begins by asking Bono, Doesn't he think "appalling things" happen when people become religious? Bono counters, "It's a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the Universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma."

The interviewer asks, What's that? "At the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics -- in physical laws -- every action is met by an equal or an opposite one," explains Bono. "And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that...Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff."

The interviewer asks, Like what? "That's between me and God. But I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge," says Bono. "It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity."

Then the interviewer marvels, "The Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that."

"The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death," replies Bono. "It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of Heaven."

The interviewer marvels some more: "That's a great idea, no denying it. Such great hope is wonderful, even though it's close to lunacy, in my view. Christ has His rank among the world's great thinkers. But Son of God, isn't that farfetched?"

Bono comes back, "Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: He was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says, No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: 'I'm the Messiah.' I'm saying: 'I am God incarnate'...So what you're left with is either Christ was who He said He was -- the Messiah -- or a complete nutcase...The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me that's farfetched."

What is most interesting in this exchange is the reaction of the interviewer, to whom Bono is, in effect, witnessing. This hip rock journalist starts by scorning what he thinks is Christianity. But it is as if he had never heard of grace, the atonement, the deity of Christ, the gospel. And he probably hadn't. But when he hears what Christianity is actually all about, he is amazed.

(HT: Matt C.)

Friendship As Antidote To Self-Preoccupation

Since I got to preach at our Lord's Supper service last night, this was good for me to read.

John Piper:

The abundance of audio and video recordings of preaching today tempts pastors to listen to themselves and look at themselves. One might improve a few things that way. But in general it's a bad idea. John Stott explains why:

If you look at yourself in the mirror, and listen to yourself on tape, or do both simultaneously on videotape, I fear you may find that you continue to look at yourself and listen to yourself when you are in the pulpit. In that case you will condemn yourself to the cramping bondage of preoccupation with yourself just at the time when, in the pulpit, it is essential to cultivate self-forgetfulness through a growing awareness of the God for whom and the people to whom you are speaking.

I know actors make use of glass and tape, but preachers are not actors, nor is the pulpit at a stage. So beware! It may be more valuable to ask a friend to be candid with you about your voice and mannerisms, especially if they need correction. An Indian proverb says "He who has a good friend needs no mirror." Then you can be yourself and forget yourself.

ABQ People, Come Out This Saturday Night!

7-10pm, April 25th
Brickyard Pizza on Central

Zach Nielsen - Keys
Colin Deuble - Bass
Cal Haines - Drums

Click here for directions to the Brickyard.

Prager and Perez Talk About Same-Sex Marriage

Sacrifice in Parenting

A helpful nugget for parents by way of summary from this guy. Taken from Tim Keller's recent Gospel Coalition message:

When we are raising children, if we push them away and keep them at arm’s length in order to preserve our freedom and independence, they will grow up emotionally dependent and damaged. The only way our children can grow up with freedom and independence is if we sacrifice our freedom and independence, for years on end. Once again, it’s them or you.

(HT: B-Lo)

P*RN Problems

In a recent discussion with some other church leaders, the issue of p*rn came up and how pervasive it is even among church goers. We live in a society that worships fleshly idols so the fact that people who love Jesus struggle with these sins is not surprising at all. In light of this, what I would like to hear from some of you is this:

At your church, do you have a formal ministry that helps people who want to fight to defeat this sin in their lives? If so, what form does it take and how has it been going?

Please let me know.

It Was His Task...

"For the same reason it was also imperative that he who was to become our Redeemer be true God and true man. It was his task to swallow up death. Who but the Life could do this? It was his task to conquer sin. Who but very Righteousness could do this? It was his task to rout the powers of world and air. Who but a power higher than world and air could do this? Now where does life or righteousness, or lordship and authority of heaven lie but with God alone? Therefore our most merciful God, when he willed that we be redeemed, made himself our Redeemer in the person of his only begotten Son."

- John Calvin, Institutes of The Christian Religion, p. 466, vol. 1

New MuteMath Video - "Spotlight"

I love this song and I love this video. These guys are so energetic and creative. You'll see what I mean when you watch the video. Their bass player reports on the making of it:

It was a painful and exhausting process to shoot this video but amazingly fulfilling. We filmed it in our actual band van in one take, one shot, and at 60% slower speed; so, it took us about 10 minutes of actual filming "trying to hold ourselves up while performing" as the van rode around its carefully planned route. The result: lots of bruises and scraps and an energetic video.

You can buy this song here.

Connections Between Slavery and Abortion

John Piper:

We should seek to stigmatize abortion by associating it with racism as closely as the truth warrants.

People today don't oppose the enslavement of blacks merely because they think it's wrong. They oppose it because otherwise they would be viewed as Neanderthals. It's easy to oppose it because to do so is fashionable.

That's a good thing. It always helps when the right thing happens to be P.C.

So let's be wise in showing the way abortion is closer to racism and slavery than people see.

The Supreme Court in the Dred Scott case of 1857 held that black slaves were property without rights as persons, yet today we view that as unthinkable. So the Supreme Court in the case of Roe v. Wade (1973) held that the unborn did not have rights as persons, yet we should hope and work that the day may come when that too is viewed as unthinkable.

So here's one connection for starters:

Racism might—and often did—result in the killing of innocent humans. In our history, it often did. But there is no "might" about abortion. It always results in the killing of innocent humans.

Between 1882 and 1968, 3,446 black people were lynched in America. Today more black babies are killed by white abortionists every three days than all who were lynched in those years (L.E.A.R.N.).

Tony Dungy - A New Ministry

Read about it here.

Doug Wilson Profiled in CT

Christianity Today has an interesting piece profiling Idaho, debater, pastor, writer, musician, and classical Christian educator, (I'm probably forgetting some other titles as well) Doug Wilson. If you have not heard of Doug you might want to check out this article. He certainly is a very unique individual.

A Reflection On Colombine - 10 Years Later

Walt Mueller has a good reflection on the Columbine shootings that took place 10 years ago today. His conclusion:

So don't turn your eyes away from the ten-year old images that are sure to be all over the papers and TV today. Let them serve as reminders of what we've all been called to do. Let them serve as reminders that all creation is crying out for redemption. Let them serve as reminders of our calling as signposts pointing to the Cross. Let them serve as reminders of our need to pray for all kids and their families. . . . families and kids represented by people with last names like Scott, Bernall, Mauser, and Rohrbough. And families and kids represented by people with last names like Klebold and Harris.

Read the whole thing.

Yesterday We Lost A Member Of Our Church Family

His name was Matt. He had a very unique and amazing story.

Matt was born in January to a 15 year old girl at the University of New Mexico hospital. The doctor who performed the delivery was Steffen Brown. He and his wife Rachael are friends of ours at Desert Springs Church where I work.

Being so young and single, the birth mom immediately decided that she was going to put the baby up for adoption. Steffen and Rachael quickly decided that they would try to adopt this baby. A very courageous and beautiful decision quickly turned very scary.

After about 24 hours they found out that Matt had a rare condition known as hydranencephaly. This is a brain disorder where the brain fails to develop correctly. The front part of the brain is fluid instead of functioning tissue. The disease is a terminal, which gave Matt roughly 4-12 months to live. This condition technically deemed him unadoptable; normally one with this condition would become the property of the state where he would be institutionalized and made comfortable until he passed.

This placed the Browns in a very difficult situation. Do they go the hard road of the cross, knowing the gut-wrenching pain that would soon ensue from having to watch this child die or should they turn him back over to the state? They chose the former and I know today they can joyfully say with tears in their eyes that without a doubt that the phrase "it was worth it" doesn't do justice. It was beyond "worth it". It was true Christianity in action and provides a bittersweet joy that is beyond words.

My wife and I have learned much from the Browns. Oh how I long for more families like them! What would it look like in our culture of death for more Christians to be willing to take the hard road of the cross and lay down their lives for the poor, weak and defenseless?! This is not to say that all are called to adoption, but all are called to lay down their lives by taking up their cross and following Jesus on the road to Golgotha. We know that Golgotha is not the final stop! The resurrection is true, for Jesus and for us. There is a "joy set before us" that can move radical obedience to a place where it is no longer seen as "radical", but rather, "normal".

I am so glad that the Browns were willing to take this courageous step. Make no mistake, this was not an easy road for them. Among other challenges, Matt did not sleep well at all and they have two other older (but still young) children. Any parent knows that sleep deprivation can drive a person completely nuts while you try to care for the needs of your other children. Steffen is also a very busy OB resident and his very demanding schedule was also a challenge. Toward the end of Matt's life he suffered greatly as his body began to shut down. I can think of nothing worse that watching one of your children die and knowing there was nothing you could do about it.

Yet I am convinced that when Christians take courageous, faith-filled steps like this, the positive ripple effect throughout the kingdom of God continues to radiate out beyond our comprehension. This ripple will be seen by believers and unbelievers alike with corresponding impact in different ways for each group. Unbelievers are perplexed as to why one would do such a thing and believers are challenged to do similar acts of loving sacrifice. We need more of this.

And what an opportunity for the Church to step up! When a family bears a cross such as this, do we not all bear this cross together (Gal. 6:2)? This bonds us together as one. This is what we are called to be. I know that DSC exhibited this oneness with the Browns. I am very proud of our church today.

Would you remember the Browns in prayer? Maybe stop and pray for them now. Also, I think we should pray for ourselves that when faced with a situation such at they did, we would joyfully say yes to the hard path knowing that it is more blessed to give than receive (Acts 20:35). May we seek a real, lasting blessing!

This section from one of their blog posts was especially moving for me. I think it will encourage you as well:

Matt doesn't respond positively to all the love and care we shower on him, and despite the fact that I knew in my head he wouldn't, I still want him to smile back at me. Instead of smiling, he either stares at me blankly or screams in response to my best efforts to communicate with him. The discouragment I feel at his failure to thrive only evidences the selfishness of my endeavors. Before Matt, I was tempted to believe I loved my children with at least an inkling of selflessness. I now know that I expect at least some return for my investment. At the very least, I would like a two-month smile and a 3-month squeal of delight in response for the long nights and endless feedings. I am humbled further to think of the earthly reward I am tempted to expect from my older children. Each day with Matt, it looks more and more like all of our reward is being deposited in heaven (or not, because God loves a cheerful giver, and sometimes, I am just not). Frankly, I am not all that happy about the choice of accounts. While I may have previously thought I wanted to deposit all of my treasure in heaven, I now know I am more or a 50/50 or even 75/25 kind of girl; I would like some treasure in heaven and most of it here.

It may be this very realization of further indwelling sin that God seeks to remedy in part through our love of Matt. I once thought we were called to care for orphans and widows in their distress because by caring for them, we would see buckets of fruit in our own lives. I now believe, we are called to selfless acts because in our attempt to selflessness, our selifishness is exposed. I am utterly incapable of selfless love apart from Christ at work in me. So, exposed and helpless in the wake of selfishness, we have no choice but to rest completely in Christ for salvation. By faith alone, we are saved. Through our attempts at "good" works, we become all the more aware of our need for salvation. Praise God that His grace and love cover us completely and instill in us the hope of heaven!

It is sin to seek self above the good that God has willed for our lives. Sin seprates us from the love that Christ has for us. It is this very separation--the separation that death embodies--that Christ died to overcome. Death stinks. We all hate it, but God more than hated death. He did something about it. Jesus came to overcome death once and for all at the cross. Our hope isn't in life now. Our hope, like it or not, is in heaven. Our hope is not in miracle cures, our hope is in a sound doctrine of suffering that begins and ends in the cross.

So, I am thankful for Matt because he has further exposed the blackness in my heart and my need for the the forgiveness found in Jesus. I am sick because I seek physical healing, signs and wonders, rather than the One to whom the signs point. Jesus is our hope. Spiritual healing is our calling and our destiny in Christ. Someday I will watch Matt run and play and laugh. Until we finally make it home, we rest in His finished work and long for its realization in heaven.

For those of you from DSC or otherwise, in lieu of sending flowers or something of that sort, the family wishes that a donation be giving to the Desert Springs Church adoption fund. This fund exists to help families attain interest-free loans to be used toward adoption costs. If you would be interested in giving toward this end on behalf of the family, please click here and then hit the button in the top sidebar to donate.

AmazonMP3 Daily Deal

Live At The Lyceum
by Bob Marley

Price:

$1.99

What To Do With Criticism?

Scott Sterner with some good counsel here on taking criticism:

Having worked in different aspects of music ministry for almost 15 years, I am no stranger to criticism. It has come from people who are very close to me as well as people who prefer to remain anonymous. Some criticisms are delivered in the context of anger and others are thoughtful and constructive. Here’s a few things I try to think about when criticism comes my way:

1. What can I learn?

Though it is humbling to have someone critique your work, it is important to maintain a teachable attitude.

2. Always assume the best

Unless it is substantiated that this is not the case, it is important to always assume that people have good intention when they share their concerns.

3. Validate people’s concerns

In most cases, the person sharing the concern is very sincere. Try your best to “walk in their shoes” and empathize with them.

4. Rebuke when needed

If people are sinning in how they confront (critical spirit, arrogance, etc.), then call them on their sin. If they are complaining about someone else then ask them to take that concern directly to the person before speaking with you.

5. Consider subjectivity

Remember that people’s opinions are often subjective. Sometimes you simply have to agree to disagree.

6. Educate

Often people disagree with a decision because they aren’t aware of all the information that went into making the decision. Do your best to inform them so they can get your perspective on the issue.

7. Empower

Sometimes our strongest critics can become our greatest ally if we get them involved in the process of coming up with solutions. If someone doesn’t like the way a specific ministry operates, then get them involved in a group working to reform or guide that ministry.

8. Let it go

Try your best to not take criticism personally. If our identity is too tied into our work, then we will allow criticism to paralyze us, making us ineffective for the Kingdom. Once you’ve received and learned all you can from criticism, the next step is to move on.

"You Have Never Heard of Michael Jordan?!?"

As readers of this blog know, I like to play basketball with my 6-year-old son. We were sitting around yesterday watching a game and I said something about Michael Jordan and I said to him, "You know who Michael Jordan is right?" He was like, "No".

What?!?

Oh yeah, you are six. Your earliest basketball memories will probably be Kobe and Lebron. Wow.

It was clear that I needed to help this poor little guy out who had never taken in the special grace from God that was gifted to MJ in the form of insane basketball skillz. (That's right, skillz)

So we just watched this short highlight reel. Check it.

I had never seen some of these highlights. I forgot how freak nasty he was, especially when he was younger.

After we watched this he didn't seem that impressed. A six-year-old probably doesn't have the context to be able to appreciate this level of play and also because he sees me dunk like that in the backyard all the time...

Should I tell him it's a bit easier to do on an 8 ft. hoop? I'll probably wait on that one.

Big Truths for Young Hearts

Owen Strachan draws attention to a new systematic Theology book for kids (6-14) by Dr. Bruce Ware called, Big Truths for Young Hearts. I'm sure we'll be picking up a copy for our kids. Some of you might be interested as well.

Here is a description from Amazon.com:

Sure, it’s easy to teach your children the essentials of Christian theology when you’re a theology professor. But what about the rest of us?

With Big Truths for Little Hearts, Bruce Ware, (you guessed it!) a theology professor, encourages and enables parents of children 6–14 years of age to teach through the whole of systematic theology at a level their children can understand. Parents can teach their children the great truths of the faith and shape their worldviews early, based on these truths.

The book covers ten topics of systematic theology, devoting several brief chapters to each subject, making it possible for parents to read one chapter per day with their children. With this non-intimidating format, parents will be emboldened to be their children’s primary faith trainers—and perhaps learn a few things themselves along the way.

The Obama Burger

I don't comment too much about Obama apart from abortion, but I found this at least a bit funny and clever.

Ray Fowler:

I have been pretty quiet around here on anything Obama related, but I got a laugh out of this report from yesterday’s Tea Party in Greenville, South Carolina. Apparently, they were selling Obama Burgers — you pay for one and they cut it in half and give the rest to the guy behind you for free!!

The Onion (satire) pokes a little fun at BO as well: Media Having Trouble Finding Right Angle On Obama's Double-Homicide.


(HT: Ray Fowler via National Review)

John Piper Interviews Matt Chandler

A great discussion here between John Piper and Matt Chandler. Very helpful thoughts.

I think this one is my favorite of the four parts:

Dude! God Has A Facebook Page!

I hope he accepts me as a friend! He doesn't seem to interact much on his wall. That's too bad.

Good to see that he has over 900,000 "friends". That must be a big encouragement to him. Way to go God!

Christian Nation?

Books and books have been written on why the above picture is a really bad idea (having a Christian nation) but I'll just give you one.

If you pick up any reputable book on church history you'll see that union of church and government has been nothing but a centuries long train-wreck.

If you want to consider Christian political engagement, heed the counsel of this essay.

The gospel will move forward through the witness of God's people (the church), not through the power of the state.

A Bell Ringer from Matt Chandler

My buddy and co-worker Carlos quotes Matt Chandler:

If this quote from Matt Chandler's Easter Sermon does not encourage and devastate you all at once, read it again...

"Ladies how many bible studies are we going to do, I am just saying, can we maybe run some of the plays instead of just studying them? Men, how many bible studies we gonna do, how much you going to study before you start to play? I mean that’s what makes the thing so stupid down here. Everybody can talk it, nobody wants to engage anybody with it. Or at least very few of us do. Why? Well cause I have a lust issue. Well OK, submit to Christ, get in recovery, and live on mission, it will reveal all that stuff, it will be horrible, God will just rip it out of you and replace it with His grace and mercy, it will be awesome in the end. I mean if you’re waiting till you’re perfect to live life on mission you’re going to die without much mission. It’s coming! Do you get this? Do you get that 2000 years ago, in fact farther back than than He told Abram, “This is how it’s going down.” and it has stayed true to the line right up till now where a massive portion of Africa has become believers, a massive portion of China has become believers, South America blowing up with the gospel. The gospel is penetrating the world, do you know how this ends? With you and me in front of Him with the Kingdom of God, new heaven, new earth coming down, no more injustice, no more pain, no more sorrow, God’s redeemed, God’s elect, God’s Kingdom, Kingdom of God, established! Now do you think anybody is going to give a trash how much money you have right now? How much comfort you have right now? Who’s cool and who’s not? Who drove what and who didn’t? Who was well liked in the neighborhood and who wasn’t? You think ANY of that is going to matter? No one will care! But a lot of people will be embarrassed."

Matt is the lead pastor of The Village Church in Texas.

Click Here to Download the entire sermon, it is well worth your time!

I Dig This

An Interview with Ed Stetzer

Trevin Wax interviews Ed Stetzer concerning his new book, Lost and Found. Check it out here.

Ed has a great blog that might interest most of you.

John Calvin The Comedian

Well, he isn't exactly Chris Rock, but I found this statement a bit funny for the normally staid Calvin. In his section where is discussing the faith and trials of the patriarchs, he comments on a particular trials that Noah had to endure:

Besides the fact that the arc was a sort of grave for him for ten months, there can be nothing more unpleasant than to be confined so long - almost immersed in the dung of animals! (p. 436, 437 in McNeill)

Good point! I never thought of Noah's trial in those fecal terms. Just struck me as kind of funny and uncharacteristic in light of the previous 400 pages.