"Well, you know, most of the differences in religion don't matter. The main point is that God just wants all is just to love each other, right?"

Derek Rishmawy:

It was in my freshman composition class at the University of California, Irvine, that I first heard a professor say, "Well, you know, most of the differences in religion don't matter. The main point is that God just wants all is just to love each other, right?" It's a claim that's become increasingly familiar to me ever since. 

Further on...

Keller recounts the story of a young man he encountered who insisted that the differences between the various religions didn't matter since they all worshiped the same God:

But when I asked him who that God was, he described him as an all-loving Spirit in the universe. The problem with this position is its inconsistency. It insists that doctrine is unimportant, but at the same time assumes doctrinal beliefs about the nature of God that are at loggerheads with those of the all the major faiths. . . . Ironically, the insistence that doctrines do not matter is really a doctrine itself. It holds a specific view of God, which is touted as superior and more enlightened than the beliefs of most major religions. So the proponents of this view do the very thing they forbid in others. (5-6)

Read the rest.

Dear Future Mom...

Our next door neighbor has Down Syndrome. She is an absolute delight. Tragically, we legally abort these children at an alarming rate. There simply are not as many of them around compared with 20-30 years ago. If these children don't have a right to exist, who's next?

Idolatry in Corporate Worship

Bob Kauflin lists some possible options.

• Musical Excellence
• Musical Preference
• Preaching Skill
• Creativity
• Experiences
• Liturgy

Read the rest for his explanations.  Very helpful.  

Dunks of the Year in College Basketball

God is Not Dead

Fascinating video here.

Why We Argue Like Jerks

Bradford Davis:

The other day, I found myself flipping through channels in the ninth circle of Hell, otherwise known as cable news. Two guests were debating about the latest public policy or gossip column. Pundit A let me know that Pundit B hates the truth. Pundit B told me about the secret ‘WAR on _____’ (You haven’t heard of that war yet? Because you’re probably fighting it.) The host “moderates” the discussion by provoking one or both guests, stating something that’s phrased as a question, but I’m not too sure is an actually query (e.g. ‘How could a decent human being possibly support what you believe?’). . . . What’s most painful for me is when I find myself ironically cussing at the tube. Or, writing a 2,000 word essay telling someone on the internet that they are wrong. As much as I hate it, I am very much the problem that I want to solve.

Read the rest.  

(HT:  JD)

Some Practical Pointers for Making Plodding Progress

Jon Bloom:

Purpose to be a plodder. A plodder keeps moving. A plodder perseveres. A plodder presses on. A plodder knows the disappointment of unrealized ideals, feels the fear of failure and exposed deficiencies, and the ambiguity of too many demands, options, and tasks. But a plodder isn’t immobilized by them. He or she presses on in the faith that God will supply the needed strength (1 Peter 4:11), wisdom (James 1:5), and direction (Proverbs 3:6).

Read the rest.  

Just Hit a Single

J. Warner Wallace:

Our private conversations with non-believers are similarly analogous to baseball. In every conversation I have with unbelieving friends, I am ever mindful of the value of singles. I don’t have to “win” every encounter. I don’t necessarily have to offer the Gospel or describe the Christian view of Salvation. If I get the right pitch, I’m happy to swing. But most of the time I’m lucky to get on base at all. With reasonable expectations in mind, I am happy to overcome a single objection or advance someone’s understanding just a base or two. In fact, sometimes the most important thing I can do is reflect the nature of Jesus as I listen and gently respond. I may not even get the chance to offer a defense or make a point, but my character will speak for me as I make the effort to get on base. 

When I share the truth with unbelievers, I sometimes act as though I’m playing a singles tennis match. I’m on one side of the net, and my opponent is on the other. I’m all alone out there on the court, it’s hot and the entire world is watching on ESPN. Whatever I do (or don’t do), whatever I say (or don’t say), will all come down to my individual effort. If I’m going to be successful, it’s all on me. But that’s not the reality of my situation. I’m part of a much deeper team called the Church. I’m not alone on the court; I’m just one in a series of batters. I come to the plate, I get a sense of what the pitcher is throwing, and I make an appropriate decision on how to respond. On rare occasions I may swing for the fences, but sometimes the wiser choice will be to make contact with the ball, get on base if possible, or take a “walk” if the pitcher is throwing wildly. It’s not all on me. I don’t have to win the game by myself. Evangelism and Christian Case Making is often just like baseball. Remember your place in the line-up. Drive in a run if you can, or just get on base for the next player at bat. Remember you’re not alone. If each of us can get a single, we’ll eventually succeed as a team.

Read the rest.  

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The Triumph is Sure

John Piper:

Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you. (Isaiah 25:3) 

Isaiah sees the day coming when all the nations — representatives from all the people groups — will no longer be at odds with Yahweh, the God of Israel and his Messiah, whom we know to be Jesus. 

They will no longer worship Bel or Nebo or Molech or Allah or Buddha or utopian social programs or capitalistic growth possibilities or ancestors or animistic spirits. Instead they will come in faith to the banquet on God’s mountain. 

And they will have the veil of sorrow removed and death shall be swallowed up and the reproach of God's people will be removed and tears shall be gone forever. 

That's the setting for understanding the vision of verse 3: “Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you.” In other words God is stronger than the “strong people” and he is so powerful and so gracious that in the end he will turn ruthless nations to revere him. 

So the picture Isaiah gives us is one of all nations turned to God in worship, a great banquet for all the peoples, the removal of all suffering and grief and reproach from the nations who have become his people, and the final putting away of death forever. 

This triumph is sure because God is doing it. Therefore we can be certain of it. 

Not one life spent in the cause of world evangelization is spent in vain. Not one prayer or one dollar or one sermon or one letter of encouragement mailed or one little light shining in some dark place — nothing in the cause of the advancing kingdom is in vain. 

The triumph is sure.

The Beauty and War of True Fellowship

David Mathis with a great post on fellowship.

His intro:

It’s a shame the word “fellowship” has fallen on hard times in some circles, and is dying the death of domestication and triviality. It is an electric reality in the New Testament, an indispensable ingredient in the Christian faith, and one of God’s chief means of grace in our lives. 

The koinonia — the commonality, partnership, fellowship — which the first Christians shared wasn’t a common love for pizza, pop, and a nice clean evening of fun among the fellow churchified. It was their common Christ, and their common life-or-death mission together in his summons to take the faith worldwide in the face of impending persecution. 

Rightly did Tolkien call his nine a “Fellowship of the Ring.” This is no chummy hobnob with apps and drinks and a game on the tube. It is an all-in, life-or-death collective venture in the face of great evil and overwhelming opposition. True fellowship is less like friends gathered to watch the Super Bowl, and more like players on the field in blood, sweat, and tears, huddled in the backfield only in preparation for the next down. True fellowship is more the invading troops side by side on the beach at Normandy, than it is the gleeful revelers in the street on V.E. Day.

His conclusion:

Fellowship may be the often forgotten middle child of the spiritual disciplines, but she may save your life in the dark night of your soul. As you pass through the valley of the shadow of death, and the Shepherd comforts you with his staff, you will discover that he has fashioned his people to act as his rod of rescue. When the desire has dried up to avail yourself of hearing his voice (the word), and when your spiritual energy is gone to speak into his ear (prayer), he sends his body to bring you back. It’s typically not the wanderer’s own efforts that prompt his return to the fold, but his brothers’ (James 5:19–20), being to him a priceless means of God’s grace — the invaluable backstop. 

It is not only God’s word and prayer that are the means of his ongoing grace, but true fellowship among those who have in common the one who is Grace incarnate (Titus 2:11). The grace of God cannot be quarantined to individuals. The healthy Christian, introverted or not, of whatever temperament, in whatever season, seeks not to minimize relationships with his fellows in Christ, but maximize them. 

God has given us each other in the church, not just for company and co-belligerency, not just to chase away loneliness and lethargy, but to be to each other an indispensable means of his divine favor. We are for each other an essential element of the good work God has begun in us and promises to bring to completion (Philippians 1:6). Such is true fellowship.

Read the rest.

"Centering an entire day around productivity or effectiveness as a goal equaled very little focus on other people. On relationships."

This is a needed challenge to me and all others who are concerned with "productivity".

What's it all really for?

Will we lay on our death bed and be thankful that we were so "productive"?  Maybe in reference to certain things, but I feel many of the things that we orbit around in the name of "productivity" are rather meaningless in the long run.

Ann Voskamp:

If we want to put others first, like Jesus? Then we must. slow. down. It’s the only way we as a Body can survive, thrive, be who we are meant to be in this rapid, rapid world.

My mind drifts frequently back to our life in the Middle East. Sure, my glasses are rose-colored, but what I remember most is how I felt. I felt… slower. More contemplative. More at rest with myself and those put purposely around me.

A dear friend and fellow expat American there said after several months of living in Turkey, “If someone were to look at my calendar, they would think I died six months ago.” There, we could equate our life’s measure not by boxes filled with pencil scratches, but by how much freedom in our days we had to linger over çay with neighbors. With people. In relationship.

I think a slow life can happen anywhere, in any culture.

But it’s harder, and it requires swimming upstream, when we live in one where the default setting is lightning fast.

And we have to be vigilantly aware of this so that our fingers continually twist the dial on our life to slower, slower, slower.

A slower-paced life isn’t just a good idea, or hip, or wishful thinking.

It’s essential if we want to have time to be the Body of Christ.

Read the rest.

And yes, there is a way to be sinfully lazy in the name of "slowing down". But I would guess that for many of us, we are so far from that extreme that some intentional thinking on how to push back the other way would be wise.

Another way to frame this discussion would be to center it on priorities.  If the Great Commandment is to love God and love people, is my busyness getting in the way of that?  Why am I making other things the priority over these two?

How to Keep Falling in Love with Your Husband

This post is intended for women, but completely applies in the opposite direction for men.

Carolyn Mahaney writes:

The other night, my girls and I met with a group of women for an informal question and answer time. One of the women asked about marriage: “How do you keep falling in love with your husband through the years?”

We talked about the eighty/twenty rule, and about looking for ways to show love to our husbands that are meaningful to them. Last week here on the blog we considered the importance of not being so busy serving them that we don’t cultivate affectionate love.

But one of the biggest love-killers in a marriage is sinful comparison.

Read the rest.

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What You Really Need In Marriage

Mark Altrogge:

Our culture is extremely self-oriented. We are continually bombarded by messages that tell us we need greater self-esteem. We begin to think, I need to do this for me, I need to be validated, I need to feel good about myself, I need to think about my desires for a change, etc.

It’s so easy to bring this mentality into marriage. We can think we “need” certain things from our spouse. But in reality, we often take our desires, which may not be wrong in themselves, and elevate them to the level of “need.” “I want” becomes “I won’t be happy unless I get…”

Of course, there’s a place for talking to your spouse about your desires. There are things husbands and wives should do for one another. They should serve one another. They should seek to bless each other. Each should bear their share of the load of caring for the children and household chores.

But be careful with desires. But what if your spouse fails to meet your desires?

Read the rest.

Plays of the Day

#1, #5, and #6.  Oh my.

Resurrection and Repetance

Geoff Ashley:

How many times is the love of God explicitly mentioned in the book of Acts? 

Zero. 

Let that sink in for a moment. In all the sermons and speeches throughout 28 detailed chapters, not once do the Apostles mention the love of God. So what do they consistently and clearly proclaim? 

Resurrection and repentance. 

Unfortunately, neither resurrection nor repentance is central in the mindset of modern evangelicalism. Think about it. How often do those two words enter your head when asked to define or describe the gospel? We focus on the crucifixion, but overlook the resurrection. We love to talk about faith, but ignore repentance. 

Yet, there is no gospel without resurrection and repentance. 

The message of Acts is that Jesus has risen from the dead. This justifies His claim to be the Christ—not only the prophesied King of Israel—but indeed the Lord of all the world. As a consequence, He now “commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). The resurrection of Jesus Christ demands the response of repentance.

Read the rest.  Very important stuff here.  

Piper On The Importance of Sleep

Thinking we can outsmart or outwork how God made us never ends well for the creatures.  It's just a subtle desire to be God and of course that never ends well either.

” … I am emotionally less resilient when I lose sleep. There were early days when I could work without regard to sleep and feel energized and motivated. In more recent years my threshold for despondency is lower on less sleep. For me, adequate sleep is not just a matter of staying healthy. It’s a matter of staying in the ministry – I’m tempted to say it’s a matter of persevering as a Christian. I know it is irrational that my future should look so bleak when I get only four or five hours of sleep several nights in a row. But rational or irrational, that is a fact. And I must live within the limits of fact. Therefore we must watch the changes in our bodies.”

John Piper, When I Don’t Desire God, 205

The Gospel of the Cross and the Grace to Disagree

Very interesting insights here.

Derek Rishmawy:

Pick a hot subject (gay marriage, the environment, healthcare, and so on) and scroll through your Facebook feed to find someone updating vociferously on the subject, trumpeting his position and damning the opposition in bold, apocalyptic terms. It's not just that people are wrong, confused, and perhaps in need of correction; no, they're downright wicked. As younger generations increasingly identify as "nones" (no religious affiliation), it's not that they have no moral or spiritual bearings, just that they find them elsewhere. 

It's increasingly popular to eschew any explicit religious system and take that bearing from the reigning "Causes" linked to the benevolence demands of the day ("love," "justice," "equality"). This is why our political skirmishes aren't just about the issues. They're about a much-deeper justification of the Self. If I'm defined, say, by my healthcare position and corresponding self-image as a moral, caring (or pragmatic and free) person, then when I argue with you, I'm defending my raison-d'etre. You don't simply have a different opinion on a subject; you threaten my very being. 

What's more, if supporting this Cause is what makes me righteous and pure, your opposition demonstrates your impurity and wickedness, possibly even your inhumanity. You must be opposed, hopefully only through argument. But if you persist in your perversity, other stronger means of enforcement may need to be employed. This is modern/postmodern ideological moralism. 

None of this moralism is new, of course. Postmodern thinkers have been describing the way we construct such oppositional identities for years. What's interesting today, though, is how this sort of logic works out in the lives of my peers and contemporaries. Of course, posting aggressive memes on Facebook isn't exactly coercion or fanatic violence, but the language used and, at times, the political measures advocated by partisans verges on it. Ideological self-justification is alive and well. 

The Gospel of the Cross and the Grace to Disagree 

Christians reading this analysis might be tempted to take it as a simple condemnation of secularists, saying, "See, look what happens when you don't have God." Perhaps, but that problem doesn't let religious believers off the hook. As a friend of mine observed, this is simply the logic of Holy War, sublimated and secularized. Again, we see how the whole dichotomy of "religious" versus "secular" breaks down at the functional level. Get rid of God and something else fills the existential vacuum. At this point secularists are only doing what religious people, including "Christians," have done with their gods for years. 

Actually, this observation should prompt Christians to examine where we're getting our sense of self, our purity, and our wholeness. Is it from the righteousness of our moral positions? Or from the righteousness we have in Christ by grace apart from our moral achievements? If the former, we're in the same boat as secularists. If the latter, we're positioned to disagree, even forcefully, without our entire sense of self feeling threatened. Even if others oppose us not only on moral issues but actually set themselves in vocal opposition to Christianity itself, how can we look on them as totally different from ourselves? For is this not precisely who we were apart from God's condescending grace—enemies of God in need of redemption (Rom. 5:6-11)? And are we not secure no matter what accusation or charge is brought against us (Rom. 8:30-39)?

In short, there's a visible, practical difference we observe in the lives of those who trust in the Christian gospel as opposed to those who merely subscribe to its morals. Indeed, unless you believe the former you won't be able to practice the core of the latter—the command to love our enemies the way Christ has loved us. Moralism—secular or "religious"—can only lead to demonizing the enemy. And only the gospel of grace can lead us to the true benevolence that moralism fumblingly strives toward.

Read the rest.

What is Going on in Ukraine?

My daughter asked me this last night.  I didn't have a good answer.  I doubt she would be able to follow this video, but you probably will.