The 10 Commandments of Steve Jobs

There is wisdom here.

A Post For Women Who Have a Husband Who is Struggling

Jen Schmit:

Some of my most scary moments as a wife have been when my husband has struggled. Some of my most intimate encounters with Jesus have been when my husband has struggled. As a wife, each of us has faced or will encounter one of these scenarios:

* Your husband has just confessed sexual or financial sin.
* His company has downsized and his position terminated.
* Usually a solid rock, he is filled with doubt and questioning God.

What does a wife do when her husband is caught in sin? Reveals an area of vulnerability or is just plain weak for a time?

Read the rest.  

Identity, Expectation and the Run-First Quarterback

Gregg Doyel:

Even a 7-year-old wouldn’t try to fit Tim Tebow into a typical NFL offense. Because Tim Tebow isn’t a typical quarterback. All of these guys are unique little snowflakes, bigger or smaller or faster or slower than this guy or that guy, but Tebow is one of the most unique snowflakes in the history of NFL quarterbacks. (Michael Vick also comes to mind.) He’s a little bit Bart Starr, and a lot Bronko Nagurski.

And the Broncos want to wedge him into their Kyle Orton-sized slot at quarterback? It’s not going to happen. Brady Quinn has a better chance of succeeding in that role than Tim Tebow, and what do you know — Quinn appears to be ahead of Tebow on the depth chart.

This isn’t Tebow’s fault. It’s Denver’s fault. It’s the NFL’s fault, too, this unimaginative league taking some of the best, most unique talents the college football feeder system has to offer — and then ruining those talents. Instead of nurturing Tebow in a system where he can bull-rush here and throw the ball on the run there and improvise everywhere, the Broncos want Tebow to take snaps under center (which he’s never done), do a three- or five- or seven-step drop (which he’s never done), then step into the pocket and deliver a classic NFL strike (which he’s never done).

Sounds perfectly reasonable, doesn’t it?

No. It does not. It sounds stupid, even if NFL teams are smartly trying to protect their investment at the most expensive position in the league — reasoning that a “running” quarterback will soon be an “injured” quarterback. On paper it sounds like a solid theory, but in real life? Not so much.

Some of the best quarterbacks in NFL history ran, and ran a lot. And never paid the ultimate price. Roger Staubach. Fran Tarkenton. Steve Young. Steve McNair. Michael Vick. Those guys could throw the ball, yes, but they could run and their teams maximized those unique gifts.

Read the rest.  

(HT: The Mockingbird Blog)

Always Reforming - A Challenge to the Young, Restless, and Reformed

John MacArthur:

I’m grateful for the widespread response this series of blogposts has generated, including all the feedback we have received from people who disagree about certain points. Yes, a few vocal critics have replied with mocking or misrepresentation, as if to illustrate the validity of some of my central concerns. But most of the response we have received (including a lot of the dissent) encourages me—because it comes from young people who seem genuinely thoughtful about the dangers I have tried to highlight, and I trust they are genuinely committed to cultivating a thoroughly biblical worldview. 

That being said, I’d like to give a final word of encouragement to my Young, Restless, Reformed friends: Keep reforming. 

Semper reformanda (“always reforming”) is one of the enduring slogans often associated with the Protestant Reformation. The origins of the phrase are murky and probably date from the late 1600s. But the kernel of the idea is true enough: Until we are glorified—until we are fully, finally, perfectly conformed to the exact likeness of Christ—we as saints individually, and the whole church collectively, must always be reforming. . .

Read the rest here.

(HT:  Chris Brauns)

People Want a Pastor - Keller, Horton, and Chandler

People Want a Pastor from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

Today's Pharisees

The religious elite had created a sys- tem of moral respectability that only the wealthy could ever hope to maintain. Only the rich had the time and money to do all the required ritual cleansing. You can’t be ritually clean in a slum. This was bourgeois spirituality. We can do this too. Our expectations of clothing, behavior, literacy, and punctuality can exclude the poor. These verses also speak to a professionalized church ministry—a life seen as the epitome of godliness, but all but impossible for those not in full-time ministry.

The teachers of the law created a system that allowed them to feel superior, and then lifted not one finger to help others. Think how this might play out today. Today’s Pharisees might condemn the poor for their dysfunctional families, but lift not one finger to help. Today’s Pharisees might condemn the poor for their excessive drinking, but lift not one finger to ease their pain. Today’s Pharisees might condemn the poor for their laziness, but lift not one finger to provide employment. Today’s Pharisees might condemn the poor for their abortions, but lift not one finger to adopt unwanted children. I’m not defending dysfunctional families, drunkenness, and so on. But we can’t condemn these things at a distance. That’s legalism. We must come alongside, proclaiming and demonstrating the transforming grace of God.

- Tim Chester, A Meal with Jesus: Discovering Grace, Community, and Mission around the Table, p. 22

One of the Coolest Trees in Madison

Click image to see larger.

I Don't Even Come in Second!

The more I read of this book the more I love it.

Ed Welch:

Watch the way Jesus walks through the kingdom.  He is always moving toward the marginalized, the physically broken, the oppressed, and the poor.  We already know that the rich are reluctant to believe in Jesus because they know it will cost them.  Jesus and his followers prefer those who can never help us get a better job or increase the church budget. 

Just when your storehouses had enough for tomorrow, you notice some desperate needs around you.  The King is close enough to put his hand into your pocketbook and, for most Westerners, that is far too intrusive and impolite.  "Go ahead and require public niceness and regular attendance at church, Lord, but remember that my money is my own!" 

We get the impression that the Father prefers to keep us on the edge.  This is what got us worried in the first place!  His plan is to liberate us from our defensive, hoarding, tight-fisted, miserly ways, and to teach us that when we have been given the kingdom - the kingdom! - stinginess is unnatural and unbecoming.  We might prefer a different strategy, but if God is molding us to be chips off the old block, his strategy makes sense.  It is exactly what we need, because our greatest need is to be what we were intended to be - to be like him. 

So, the Kingdom is God's and God targets the needs of those who have less than we do.  In other words, not only is the kingdom about God, and not me, I don't even come in second!  I am to consider others more important than myself in the kingdom.  This seems like too much to ask until the King calls us his treasured possession (Ex. 19:5).  He is seeking my allegiance with love, not with force and power.  The reason we are called to lay up our treasures in heaven is because we are his treasure.  When you are confident that you are the Father's treasured possession, you are also confident that his loving care will continue forever.  Building warehouses is a waste of time and space.  His gifts to you become things you want to give him back in gratitude.  Then he give you even more.

- Ed Welch, Running Scared: Fear, Worry & the God of Rest, p.  133, 134

New John Piper Book Coming Out Soon

John Piper has a new book coming out on Sept. 30th called Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian.  It is available now for pre-order.  Read more about this book here.

Here is a description:

Racism, hatred, and claims to ethnic superiority have been tragic elements of the human condition since the Fall. In every manifestation, the root of racial sin is an unbelieving heart resistant to the grace and mercy of God. The gospel of Jesus Christ, therefore, is the only hope for any meaningful racial solutions.

John Piper brings the light of the gospel to bear on racial issues in this groundbreaking book. Bloodlines begins with Piper’s confession of his own sins and experience with racial tensions, along with how God has been transforming him and his church. He enables readers to grasp the reality and extent of racism, and then he demonstrates from Scripture how the light of the gospel penetrates the darkness of this destructive sin. The book concludes with sections on what Jesus's atoning death means for racial issues, interracial marriage, and prejudice.

With great sensitivity and compassion, along with a careful reading of the Scriptures, Piper helps readers navigate the painful landscape of racial sin, showing that in the gospel we all have a common bloodline and that through the blood of Jesus, race and ethnicity become secondary for a common people of God.

(HT:  Matt Perman)

When People See Death Approaching...

When people see death approaching, no one yet has said that they wished they had worked longer hours or amassed more goods.  A colleague of mine was trying to motivate another colleague to write more books.  He was saying, "At the end of your life, what do you really want?  Lots of people at your funeral or a shelf full of books?"  The one speaking, as you can imagine, was a bit full of himself.  He had never really considered the end of life.  But when he heard the words come out of his mouth, he realized that people were more important than productivity.   

Talk to someone with wisdom and you will hear that friends and family are what's important.  How much more important is a relationship with the King himself! With that in mind, only an immature child would be disappointed to hear that his parent, who had been away for some time, would be the big Christmas gift.  

- Ed Welch, Running Scared: Fear, Worry & the God of Rest, p.122, 123

Using The Force in Home Schooling

Yesterday was the first day of our last year of homeschooling.  Next year (God willing) we'll start Charis Classical Academy.  Anyway, as I was leaving the house I overheard my wife ask the kids, "What do you guys want to learn this year in school?"  Quickly my oldest son (8) piped up and said, "I want to learn to use The Force!"

My wife is pretty much a Jedi Knight already so I wouldn't be surprised if I come home one of these days and find the kids levitating objects all around the house.

When assigning a difficult task, my wife is bound to hear the usual response of, "Ok, I guess I'll try."  In that case I have instructed her to give the clear response of "Do or do not, there is no try."

Twelve Reasons to Give Up Porn

Tim Chester in Closing the Window: Steps to Living Porn Free:

Porn wrecks your view of sex. 

Porn wrecks your view of women. 

Porn wrecks women’s view of themselves. 

The porn industry abuses women. 

Porn is a sin against your wife. . . . If you’re not yet married, porn is a sin against your future wife. 

Porn wrecks families. 

Porn is enslaving. 

Porn erodes your character. 

Porn wastes your time, energy, and money. 

Porn weakens your relationship with God. 

Porn weakens your service. 

God’s wrath is against people who use porn.

But many people know all these things to be true and still look at porn on a regular basis.  How can we structure our lives beyond just knowing these things to be true and actually fighting for purity from the lies of porn?

Chester has this important graph:

(HT:  Andy Naselli)

NY Times: Readers Register Discomfort Over “Pregnancy Reduction”

Owen Strachan:

Those who read about the New York Times magazine story on “pregnancy reductions” (a euphemism for the abortion of one or more gestating babies) on this and other blogs might find this graphic from the NYT interesting.

It’s a bit hard to make out (click here for the link to the graphic), but it shows that a majority of commenters on the Times‘s website found the story hard to bear. The commenters are undoubtedly from a wide range of backgrounds, but the range of responses recorded to the left show a profound discomfort with the practice of “reducing” twins from a mother’s womb. This response is heartening. Part of comprehending the world aright is being unsettled by ghastly things.

Read the rest.  

Winners of the Together for Adoption Registrations!

And the winners are....

Bryan and Sherry Lopez

Renee Skibinski

I'll be live-blogging this conference again this year.  It stands to be a great conference!

The Connection Between Worry and Giving

One way to test our kingdom allegiances is to look at our budget.  For example, do you tithe?  Do you freely give ten percent of your income to God's work in its many forms?  That was the Old Testament guideline.  And when we get to the New Testament, when the riches of the kingdom are unveiled, Jesus invited people to give God everything:  "Sell your possession and give to the poor.  Provide purses for yourself that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys" (Luke 12:33).

If you don't tithe, your faith is more than likely small.  You hoard because you don't believe the Father is generous.  You don't share in the king's heart of self-sacrifice.  As a result, worry and fear will be an uneasy undercurrent in your life.

Ththing, of course, is not the central issue in the kingdom.  The kingdom is first about what God gives, not what we give.  Giving is merely our response to his ongoing generosity.  We already know that his generosity to us is boundless - it is the kingdom itself (Luke 12:32).  But what is this kingdom that he is giving us?

The answer, like his promises to us, is a list that is endless.  He gives forgiveness, reconciliation, love, power, meaning. purpose, sanctification, glorification, peace, and more.  But all the gifts of the kingdom are gathered together in Jesus the King.

- Ed Welch, Running Scared: Fear, Worry & the God of Rest, p. 121, 122

A Sweep of the Whole Bible in Two Weeks

This would be an interesting exercise for anyone wanting to glean what the Bible is all about.  Dane Ortlund writes:

If a freshman in college or stay-at-home mom or aspiring deacon or friend from work or anyone else asked me how they might get a rough grasp of the macro-storyline of the Bible in a few weeks, I'd send them not to any secondary resource but to the Bible itself for a reading plan that might look something like this.

Week 1 Sunday - Genesis 1-3
Monday - Genesis 12-17
Tuesday - Exodus 1-3, 12
Wednesday - Exodus 14, 19-20
Thursday - Joshua 23-24; Judges 1-2
Friday - 1 Samuel 8, 16; 2 Samuel 7, 11; Psalm 105
Saturday - Isaiah 7, 9, 11, 35, 52-53, 65 

Week 2 Sunday - Jeremiah 30-33; Ezekiel 36-37, Zechariah 9; Malachi 3-4
Monday - Matt. 1:1; Mark 1:1-15; John 1:1-18; 5:39-46; Luke 24
Tuesday - Mark 14:1-16:8
Wednesday - Acts 1-2; 13:13-49
Thursday - Rom. 1:1-6; 16-17; 3:9-31; 5:12-21; 8:18-23; 1 Cor. 15:1-23
Friday - Heb. 1:1-4; 10:19-12:2
Saturday - Revelation 1; 20-22

On Not Watching the MTV Video Music Awards

Walt Mueller writes about why he couldn't watch the VMAs this year.  Walt is a great youth culture analyst and always watches the VMAs for some very wise commentary about current youth culture.  But this year he couldn't watch.  It's a good read.

Advice from Steve Jobs

From Steve Job's commencement speech at Stanford:

For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.

I love this quote, but I doubt my grandparents ever asked this question and I doubt that most people in the world today have the ability to even comprehend this question.  That doesn't mean that all of us shouldn't pursue it.  It's just to say that for some it will be much easier than others.  We should be careful to not look down on those who don't have the resources to muster the kind of self-creation that Steve Jobs has.  As as people of God, we should be more than willing to help those in those challenging situations to rise out of them.  But I sure am thankful that Steve had those resources, motivation, and privilege as I type this on my MacBook Pro!

(HT:  Darryl Dash)

A Great Post on How To Critique Well

Read it here.

Bible Autographed by God

The God of Suspense

The God of suspense is delivering left and right.

For his daily, less noticeable deliverances I want the Spirit to open my eyes so I can be thankful.

For his mighty acts that appear at the eleventh hour, I want grace to trust him.  I want to learn how to express faith in simple obedience amid uncertain situations.

But these after-the-fact deliverances?  I hardly know what to ask.  What if you actually went through your worst nightmare - sexual violation, death of a loved one, divorce?  What then?  Where was the deliverance?  What difference does the after-the-fact deliverance make then?

It means that there will be lots of sorrow as we walk through life, but we aspire to know sorrow that is mingled with hope.  For subjects of King Jesus, death and tragedy are never the last word.  The goodness of our God is certain.  He has given up his very Son for our redemption.  There is no reason to doubt him.  The resurrection punctuates how the last word is one of blessing and joy.   

The resurrection of Jesus issues the surprising command:  don't be afraid.  Because the God who made the world is the God who raised Jesus from the dead and calls you now to follow him.... Believing in this God means believing that it is going to be all right, and this belief is ultimately incompatible with fear.  (source) 

- Ed Welch, Running Scared: Fear, Worry & the God of Rest, p.  91, 92

Singing in Church Isn't Just About You and God

Greg Gilbert on singing in church:

I think we ought to encourage every member of our churches to sing every song in the service with gusto, even if they don’t particularly resonate with the song. Every Christian has a certain set of hymns and songs that deeply resonate with them—the melody, the words, an experience they had when they first heard it—and our natural tendency is to give those favorites everything we’ve got . . . but then sort of check out when the next song is one we don’t particularly like.

But here’s the thing: When you sing in a congregation, you’re not just singing for yourself; you’re singing for every other member of the congregation, for their edification and building up in Christ, too. In I Corinthians 14:26, Paul tells us that when we come together, everything we do—including our singing—is done for each other. Singing hymns is not just an opportunity for each of us, as individuals, to worship God in our own way. It’s an opportunity for the church, as a whole, to worship God together. That means that even if you don’t like a particular song, it’s likely that someone else in the congregation resonates with it deeply—they feel about it the same way you feel about your favorites—and so you have a responsibility to love that person by singing that song with all the heart you can muster. In other words, don’t check out on songs that aren’t your favorites; sing them! And sing them loud and heartily, not because you particularly like them, but because you may be helping to edify another brother or sister whose heart is engaged deeply with those songs. Worship isn’t finally an individual experience; it’s corporate. And everything we do—everything, Paul tells us, including our singing—should be done for the building up of the saints.

Read the rest.

(HT: JT)

Are You Willing To Be a "Nobody"?

Michael Oh:

Why choose to be a nobody when you could be a somebody? Because life is not about us. It’s not about how much money you can make; it’s not about how secure and comfortable you can be; it’s not even about living a quiet life and being a consistent church attender. And not only is it not about us, it’s also not even about the nations that are lost without the gospel. Ultimately it really is about God. God is worthy to hear from each of his servants for whom he died – "Lord I would go anywhere for you. Lord, I would do anything for you."

We must realize that we have absolutely no right to tell God, “I’ll do this for you, but not that.” We must understand how globally worthy he is to be loved and adored, how incredibly hard the task of making him known is, and how great are the sacrifices needed to see that happen. This is how much we want to see Jesus worshiped by every tribe, language, people, and nation — we are willing to be nobodies to see it happen.

Read the rest.

Giving Away Four Registrations for Together for Adoption 2011

Interested in going to the Together for Adoption conference Oct. 21 and 22 in Phoenix?  Today I am pleased to announce that I am giving away four registrations for the conference (two couples, four singles, one couple and two single, etc).

All you have to do is...

1.  Post a link (http://www.togetherforadoption.org/?page_id=11) to the conference website via Twitter or FB 3 times over the next 3 days.  Or tweet something about the conference with a link.  Get creative.

2. "Like" the T4A Facebook page  (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Together-for-Adoption/117901198296180).

3.  Then leave a comment here with your email address and I'll pick the winners on Monday.

Hope to see you there!  I'll be live-blogging it.

A Couple of Engaging Documentaries for Your Health

Yesterday I wrote about Whole 30, the diet challenge for 30 days to recalibrate your system, help you lose weight, have more energy, diagnose your food idols, and care for what God has said is "very good".

Recently my wife and I have watched a couple of documentaries that have been quite enlightening and interesting.

First, Food Inc.

Here is a description:

For most Americans, the ideal meal is fast, cheap, and tasty. Food, Inc. examines the costs of putting value and convenience over nutrition and environmental impact. Director Robert Kenner explores the subject from all angles, talking to authors, advocates, farmers, and CEOs, like co-producer Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma), Gary Hirschberg (Stonyfield Farms), and Barbara Kowalcyk, who's been lobbying for more rigorous standards since E. coli claimed the life of her two-year-old son. The filmmaker takes his camera into slaughterhouses and factory farms where chickens grow too fast to walk properly, cows eat feed pumped with toxic chemicals, and illegal immigrants risk life and limb to bring these products to market at an affordable cost. If eco-docs tends to preach to the converted, Kenner presents his findings in such an engaging fashion that Food, Inc. may well reach the very viewers who could benefit from it the most: harried workers who don't have the time or income to read every book and eat non-genetically modified produce every day. Though he covers some of the same ground as Super-Size Me and King Corn, Food Inc. presents a broader picture of the problem, and if Kenner takes an understandably tough stance on particular politicians and corporations, he's just as quick to praise those who are trying to be responsible--even Wal-Mart, which now carries organic products. That development may have more to do with economics than empathy, but the consumer still benefits, and every little bit counts.

The second, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, is also a "must see".  It's very funny and quite motivating.

Here is a description:

100 pounds overweight, loaded up on steroids and suffering from a debilitating autoimmune disease, Joe Cross is at the end of his rope and the end of his hope. In the mirror he saw a 310lb man whose gut was bigger than a beach ball and a path laid out before him that wouldn't end well- with one foot already in the grave, the other wasn't far behind. FAT, SICK & NEARLY DEAD is an inspiring film that chronicles Joe's personal mission to regain his health. With doctors and conventional medicines unable to help long- term, Joe turns to the only option left, the body's ability to heal itself. He trades in the junk food and hits the road with juicer and generator in tow, vowing only to drink fresh fruit and vegetable juice for the next 60 days. Across 3,000 miles Joe has one goal in mind: To get off his pills and achieve a balanced lifestyle. While talking to more than 500 Americans about food, health and longevity, it's at a truck stop in Arizona where Joe meets a truck driver who suffers from the same rare condition. Phil Staples is morbidly obese weighing in at 429 lbs; a cheeseburger away from a heart-attack. As Joe is recovering his health, Phil begins his own epic journey to get well. What emerges is nothing short of amazing - an inspiring tale of healing and human connection. Part road trip, part self-help manifesto, FAT, SICK & NEARLY DEAD defies the traditional documentary format to present an unconventional and uplifting story of two men from different worlds who each realize that the only person who can save them is themselves.

If you have Netflix, you can watch both of these via instant streaming.

Evolution of a Flip

The kids have this new thing they love to do.  They take the sprinkler and place it squarely under the trampoline and it makes a crazy fun fountain jumper.  My oldest is getting the hang of doing flips.  I thought these pics turned out pretty cool.

What Matters to Steve Jobs

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.”

- Steve Jobs, The Wall Street Journal, 1993

Whole 30 - I Challenge You To Try It

I recently spent a week with my buddy Eric Weaver in the Black Hills for our yearly Father/Son trip.  I had not seen him probably 8-12 months.  Last time I saw him he was a bit... uh... how you say?... portly?  Rounded edges?  Er...  You get the point.

When I ran into him a few weeks ago and saw him I was taken aback by how much weight he had lost.  My first thought was, "Dude, are you ok?"  He looked great but the weight loss was quite dramatic.  He told me he has been on this crazy diet called, Whole 30.   I dare you to click over and take a look.

Basically it's a 30 day eating challenge (I love challenges) where you eat only meat, fish, eggs, tons of vegetables, some fruit, and plenty of good fats.  No sugar AT ALL.  (You probably have no idea how much of what you eat contains sugar.)

Sounds crazy, I know.  But since my wife and I both love a good challenge and based on the obvious results of our friend Eric and his wife, we thought we better give it a try.

Don't get me wrong.  I am the last dude in the world who is going to be shopping at Whole Foods, marching in the next tree hugger parade, or turning down my nose on all those "unenlightened" who don't feed their kids strictly organic.  I don't have any weight to lose and I exercise a lot already.

But I am interested in having higher energy levels and not experiencing the late afternoon energy crash where a 20 minute nap feels irresistible.  I am interested in not dying an early death by heart disease.  I am interested in looking amazing with my shirt off... Oh wait....

After five days I can say that it has been hard (dare I say, REALLY hard?) but I do have noticeablly  more energy and my workouts have felt really strong.

But for the Christian, Whole 30, also has a theological side.  God loves our bodies.  He made them.  He loves his creation and in contrast with everything else that was deemed"good", God said humans and their bodies were "very good".  It stands to reason that we should take care of the temple of the Holy Spirit that he has entrusted to us.

In addition, food is not amoral.  After being five days in on the program, it already has exposed food idols that I have in my life that I never knew existed.  Take some desserts away for a few days and see how grumpy you get.  We always get grumpy when our idols are taken away.

I am not going to say that I'll do this the rest of my life but I am seeing how placing more intentionality behind what I consume may be a huge blessing to me in the long run.  I dare you to give it a shot for 30 days.

Can God Forgive a Serial Killer?

ALBANY - Notorious "Son of Sam" serial killer David Berkowitz has no interest in getting out of jail.

Berkowitz said prison is "not a good place" but he has no plans to seek his release because God has already made him a "free man" by forgiving him.

"Jesus Christ has already forgiven and pardoned me," Berkowitz wrote in a recent letter to a Fox News reporter. "He has given me a whole new life, which I do not deserve."

Berkowitz added that "while society will never forgive me, God has."

The famed serial killer is serving six consecutive 25-years-to-life sentences at the maximum-security Sullivan Correctional Facility in the Catskills for a string of killings that terrorized the city during the 1970s.

Berkowitz, a former Yonkers resident, has been denied parole five times and has been in prison 34 years.

He is eligible for a sixth parole hearing next year.

"I would do anything if I could go back and change things and have prevented the tragedy from happening," Berkowitz wrote.

How you respond to this story can tell you a lot about your view of God,  sin, and the Gospel.

Be honest. What was your immediate thought when reading him say, "while society will never forgive me, God has"?

Most honest, for me, it was, a quick thought of, "Really?  Wow.  That is pretty scandalous."

Exactly.  Quite scandalous.  What this reaction exposes is that I am still in process to believe that my justification is truly by grace through faith.  Completely a work of Jesus' righteousness given to me.  I still like to contribute a little here and there.

If God can't forgive a serial killer, why should be forgive you?  On what basis?

Everyone Has Faith. Where Do You Place Yours?

Jonathan Dodson:

In the end, you have to decide where to place your faith. Both religious pluralism and Chrisitianity require faith. Leslie Newbigin said: “Doubt is not autonomous.” What he meant is that you can’t doubt alone. We can’t doubt one thing without placing our faith in another. You doubt Jesus and trust pluralism, or you trust Jesus and doubt pluralism. You can't say “I believe Jesus is the only way” and say “I believe all religions lead to God.” So, will you place faith in Jesus who is the way, truth, and life? Or will you place your faith religious pluralism? I hope you’ll choose Jesus.

Read the rest of this very important article. It will help equip you to share you faith with your neighbors.

What Does "Fearing The Lord" Mean?

John Piper on what it means to fear the Lord (Exodus 20:20):

Noël and the boys and I went out to Dick and Irene Tiegen's place last week. They have a big dog as tall as Benjamin which greeted us with barks and growls from where he was chained. But after we were there and in the house with the dog, he was friendly. 

Then we went outside again and Irene gave the warning: Don't run from him. But as Karsten was heading out to the car, the dog came trotting up behind, and instead of slowing down and petting the dog, Karsten started to run, and immediately the dog barked and growled. 

What a lesson in the fear of God. Irene was Moses and she says to us Israelites, the Piper family, "Do not fear to draw near, but keep the fear of the dog (the fear of the Lord) before your eyes, lest you try to run away (lest you start to fall into sin)." God is a joy to be near and a terror to those who flee. The comparison breaks down, however: Irene put the dog in the basement, but nobody puts God in the basement.

Fewer Doctors Willing to Perform Abortions

This is encouraging news.

LifeNews reports:

The new report, published today in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, finds 97 percent of physicians surveyed say they have encountered patients wanting an abortion while only 14 percent of doctors are willing to do an abortion. That’s lower than the 22 percent of doctors who said they would do an abortion in the last poll, from 2008.

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What It Means to Honor Your Parents

James MacDonald:

If we take the Bible seriously (you do, right?), then we know that finding a way to honor our parents, no matter who they have been, no matter what they have done, is a very significant action. I’m serious. The Bible is filled with stories of people who honored their parents and succeeded and of those who did not honor their parents and failed. If you’re alive, you’ve got parents (even if they are no longer living)—and God’s command is to honor them (see Exodus 20:12).

Now you may think, “If this guy thinks for a moment that I’m going to honor my old man, he has got another thing coming!” Well, let me try to get by your resistance. Honoring our parents does not mean several things.

First, honoring our parents does not mean to go back groveling and seeking their approval (again). Children need to get freed from my-parents’-approval bondage.

Secondly, it does not mean to make yourself vulnerable to their hurtful behavior. Sometimes appropriate boundaries between children and abusive parents are necessary. But the need for that boundary does not free us from the obligation of honoring our parents.

Thirdly, honoring our parents does not mean ignoring or denying the past.

Here is what honoring does mean. It means choosing to place great value upon our relationship with them. It means not kidding myself into thinking that my parents don’t matter to me. It involves taking the initiative to improve the relationship whatever its current condition. And it means recognizing what they have done right. You say, “They haven’t done a lot right.” They have done something right, even if it’s little more than giving you life (that’s big). So, express that recognition. Acknowledge the sacrifices that they have made for you. Honoring includes seeing them as Christ does, with compassion and mercy. It means forgiving them as Christ has forgiven you.

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Jerram Barrs on Harry Potter, The Final Book

If you have not been introduced to Jerram Barrs, I would quickly get some of his books. Here are a few:

Learning Evangelism from Jesus

The Heart of Evangelism

Through His Eyes: God's Perspective on Women in the Bible

Heart of Prayer