A natural expression of faith

“Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life; and to say a man lives a life of faith, and yet lives a prayerless life, is every whit as inconsistent and incredible, as to say, that a man lives without breathing. ”

- Jonathan Edwards, Hypocrites Deficient in the Duty of Prayer

Worship

Midnight Yell. Texas A&M. 40,000 strong. This brought back good memories. And, I can't help but think that this is the closest picture that I can fathom of worship on this side of eternity. And, at that, it's only a shadow... a dim shadow of a stronger throng singing the song of the redeemed.

Redemption

I just love this classic scene from Les Misérables. Like any analogy, it only resembles an inkling of our own redemption, failing in many points... but it's enough of a whisper of God's outrageous grace to the undeserved, that it beckons our ears back to the table to hear more...

Secret Things

“ought we to be surprised when we find ourselves for the moment baffled by what God is doing? Surely not. We must not forget what we are. We are not gods; we are creatures, and no more than creatures; and, as creatures, we have no right or reason to expect that at every point we shall be able to comprehend the wisdom of our Creator. He Himself has reminded us, “My thoughts are not your thoughts . . . as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are . . . my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:9). Furthermore, the King has made it clear to us that it is not His pleasure to disclose all the details of His policy to His human subjects. As Moses declared, when he had finished expounding to Israel what God had revealed of His will for them — “the secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us . . . that we may do all the words of this law” (Deut. 29:29).

The principle illustrated here is that God has disclosed His mind and will so far as we need to know it for practical purposes, and we are to take what He has disclosed as a complete and adequate rule for our faith and life. But there still remain “secret things” which He has not made known and which, in this life at least, He does not intend us to discover. And the reasons behind God’s providential dealings sometimes fall into this category. ”

- J.I. Packer, The Plan of God

How to not enable entitlement

Found today's FLT program to be extremely helpful -->
Advice From a Former Enabler

A Nice Looking, Dead Branch

“Nothing will break your relationship with Jesus for eternity. But, in time we are kind of interesting branches. We can go off and decide we want to draw life somewhere else. We want to rely on ourselves. We want to turn to success. We want to see that money is everything. We want to get power… We wander around like branches with a plug hanging out. Plugging into this; plugging in that, … And wonder why instead of life we only have death. It’s very interesting; you can look really good and not be connected to the Vine. ”

- Dr. Bill Lawrence, How to get your prayers answered, August 2009

A quote worth memorizing...

“There is no member of a household whose individual piety is of such importance to all the rest as the father or head. And there is no one whose soul is so directly influenced by the exercise of domestic worship. Where the head of the family is lukewarm or worldly, he will send the chill through the whole house. And if any happy exception occur and one and another surpass him in faithfulness, it will be in spite of his evil example.”

- James Alexander, Thoughts on Family Worship

Wisdom from a Rough Rider

This is not particular a Christian quote, but it is one that has spared me many an argument when taking on a battery of heavy handed criticism. It has also given me pause when I feel the urge to lobby criticism another's direction. And, yes, there is wisdom in this. I memorized this in high school, and I have quoted it to myself many a time...

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat"

- Theodore Roosevelt, "Citizenship in a Republic

Disappointment, Failure, Tears, Gain

“…therefore it is strangely possible for us to be apparently influential and successful and yet on that day of reckoning to discover that all of our proud boasts and all of our affirmations and all of our numbers and all of our significance and apparent success amounted to just trash from the economy of heaven…That’s why more success is made – more gain is made in our lives through disappointment, through failure, through difficulty, and through tears than is made through success and through laughter. And, that in seeking to shun trials, we miss blessings. And in seeking to gather around us the rudiments that would regard us as aptly ready to face the challenges, we miss the ability to be useful in the challenge.”

- Allistair Begg, "Gideon, God's Choice"

"Curiosity" Marsscapes...

...or just photos of Joshua Tree National Park? Hmmm... "Hey, kids, want to go to Mars this weekend?"

Featherweight

“Whatever troubles are weighing you down are not chains. They are featherweight when compared to the glory yet to come. With a sweep of a prayer and the praise of a child's heart, God can strip away any cobweb"

- Joni Eareckson Tada

A tell-tale sign of bad counsel...

...is when the solution to a problem as communicated by the counselor is 2x+ the verbiage as compared the volume of words used by the one seeking counsel in describing the original problem. I often find it amusing (if not sad) listening to the counseling programs on Christian radio. It's amazing that someone in 5 minutes time can ascertain a situation, read into it (yes eisegesis) and provide a nicely wrapped bow on a hastily crafted - though nice sounding - solution. Really? This is analogous to the surgeon who decides one requires knee surgery before ever touching or seeing the knee of the patient. When is it no longer about counseling and more about selling books?

“He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him.” [Proverbs 18:13]

Want to pick a 'life verse'?

If so, I would probably not pick Jeremiah 29:11. Look deeper at the context, and you will discover that the meaning of this verse is not in line with the promises applied in so many of our greeting cards and graduation speeches...

Hardship - God's mortar in the path to advancing His Kingdom agenda

“Would God allow us to experience a painful situation in order to advance His mission? Would He use hardship to prepare us to play a greater role in accomplishing that mission? We need look no farther than God's only Son, Jesus, to answer these questions. God allowed Him to suffer pain, rejections and humiliation, all culminating in the horrific public death by crucifixion to finish the work and God's mission for His life...[satisfying] the just penalty for our sins..."

- Ron Wagley, Finding Strength in Tough Times

“You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier."

- The Apostle Paul, 2 Timothy 2:3-4

“Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches."

- The Apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 11:23-28

Confusion vs. Information

Found this "confusion plot" both amusing and insightful --> Needles and Haystacks

from Jessica Hagy's blog, thisisindexed.com

An Other-Worldly Thought Life

“If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this."

- C.S. Lewis

Breakers & Waves

Enjoyed this recent post from Dane Ortlund's blog -->Depth With God

Don't Focus on the Family

As one who grew up listening to "Focus on the Family" radio programs in my parent's car, the title of this talk intrigued me. This is one of the best talks that I have heard on the role of the family in a long time.

Seas of blood

“The good bark of the church has had to plough her way through seas of blood, and those who have manned her have been bespattered with the bloody spray; yea, they have had to man her and keep her in motion by laying down their lives unto the death.”

- C.H. Spurgeon

Those who think...

“Those who think too much of themselves don’t think enough"

- Amy Carmichael

AND Gates, OR Gates and Boolean Logic as applied in Marriage

A Leash of Love

Want an illustration for the Christian life? Watch this...

Then listen to this: The Breadth, Depth, Width and Height of Puppy Love..

"Illegitimate Totality Transfer"

No, that's not the name of a band or of a Soviet era military coup attempt. It's a hermeneutical error to avoid...

“The error that arises, when the ‘meaning’ of a word (understood as the total series of relations in which it is used in the literature) is read into a particular case as its sense and implication there may be called ‘illegitimate totality transfer’."

- James Barr, The Semantics of Biblical Language

It seems we should approach the NT with this understanding: words have a range of meaning. And different Biblical authors can employ a different range of meanings for the same word (or root word). As such, it is a fallacy to take the full, pregnant 'meaning' of a particular word and 'plug' that 'meaning' into a specific instance where it is found. Rather, the context - in conjunction with understanding the author's range of use - must drive our interpretation.

Saved from what?

Ok... I'm back to thinking about James 2. I have heard this text cited at least 5 times this last week as a proof-text that a genuine faith unto salvation is a faith that works (i.e. will inevitably produce sustaining good works). Is James 2:14-26 a proof-text that a genuine faith unto salvation (legal justification in the sight of God) is a faith that will inevitably produce works? I am becoming more and more convinced that the answer is "no." Skeptical? Listen to this...

What is His is ours

“We often say that what is ours belongs to Christ. Do we remember the opposite: that what is His is ours? That seems to me a wonderful truth, almost an incredible truth. If it is so, how can we really 'lose' anything?"

- Elisabeth Elliot, Discipline, the Glad Surrender

The Philosophy of the World...

Tune your radio dial to most any FM station, watch a Disney movie, read Rielle Hunter’s new book or simply go for a drive in sunny Southern California (see license plate above) and you are hit with this “pearl” of worldly wisdom: “Listen to your heart.”

The wisdom from above, in stark contrast, would say that such advice is folly, antithetical to the victorious Christian life, and, in the end, a recipe for disaster.

"For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander"[Matthew 15:19]

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding...“ [Proverbs 3:5]

The anecdote for pettiness…

...for the Christian, is gazing back at the cross and reflecting anew upon the exchange of ground shifting proportions that transpired…

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,” [Colossians 1:13]

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.“ [Ephesians 4:32]

The Heart of the Father

Father's day...had Luke 15 rattling in my head all day. More than a story about a prodigal son or even a bitter older brother, it's a story about the crazy, outrageous, dare I say, nonsensical pursuing love and grace of a Father.

Insiders Out, Outsiders In

Enjoying Dane Ortlund's recent book, Defiant Grace. In Chapter 3, Ortlund beautifully outlines how Jesus' community is counterintuitive...the great reversal...those on the inside are on the outside, and those on the outside are on the inside.

Luke 2 - the shepherds are highlighted as the recipients of the news of Christ's birth, not the wise men

Luke 3 - "it is those of direct descent from Abraham who are designated by John the Baptist as a 'brood of vipers' to be replaced, if need be, by the versy stones underfoot."

Luke 4 - "Jesus outrages his hearers by reminding them that two of the ultimate Jewish insiders, Elijah and Elisha, healed not the Israelites, but the outsiders of the day"

Luke 5 - "Jesus invites a tax collector named Levi to become an insider, and then eats with him at his house..."

Luke 6 - "Jesus blesses...the poor, the weeping and reviled, while pronouncing woes on the rich, the laughing and those about who others speak well..."

Luke 8 - "Jesus dubs the common crowd his 'mother' and 'brothers', leaving his actual mother and brothers outside"

Luke 9 - "a young child is picked up by Jesus and placed among the disciples as an example of whom they should receive..."

Luke 10 - "a socially despised Samaritan is the hero of the famous parable, rather than the socially revered priest or Levite."

Luke 11 - "Jesus says the men of Ninevah, outsiders if ever there were any, will rise up and condemn the crowds listening so attentively to him."

Luke 12 - "describes the rejection of a rich man, contrasted with the abundant treasures belonging to those who sell their possessions and give to the needy."

Luke 15 - The prodigal is 'in', while the bitter older brother, fuming in his anger, is on the 'outside' of the celebration.

Luke 17 - "it is only the despised Samaritan who returns to express gratitude to Jesus among the ten lepers who are healed."

Luke 20 - "describes the transfer of a 'vineyard'...to other (Gentile) tenants"

Luke 21 - "praises the offering of a poverty stricken woman instead of the gifts of the rich"

Kneelers or Lappers?

Much has been made about God’s methodology in the 2nd sifting of Gideon’s army down from now 10,000 men (after the initial sifting) to a mere 300 men. Too often this line of commentary goes beyond the text. As Alistair Begg rightly notes, “God wasn’t looking for Marines.” Indeed; in focus is not so much reaching a particular kind of soldier as much as an outlandish reduction in the number of troops.

“The object was to reduce Gideon’s army to a force not of a particular kind, but of a particular number. A small corps of crack troops is precisely what God does not want. The three hundred are meant to be not an elite, but a group so inadequate that when the battle is won (God declares) it cannot be a case of Israel’s saying “My own hand has delivered me.” Until the numbers are reduced to the level at which it is clearly the Lord and not Israel who wins the battle, they are too many."

- J. Alec Motyer

Drawing Straws

Life Exchange

“How many of us reason that if we can only change our habits, ways, thoughts, acts, and so forth, we will be all right. Not so, however; for there must be a complete exchange of life. We must be displaced and replaced with Christ"

- Watchman Nee

Formative Correction

Really enjoyed this talk by Voddie Bauchum.  Liked his balanced perspective on this issue--> discipline and reproof

What Exactly is a "God thing"?

You hear it all the time in Christian circles: "Oh, it was just such a 'God thing'!" Really? What do folks mean by that? I don't mean to feign confusion; I think that I know what people mean when they say this. Usually, in context, it conveys this idea that something so improbable occurred (usually perceived as favorable for multiple parties) that it can only be attributed to the hand of God. I get that. God moves in miraculous ways in the lives of His children, and we are left breathless, awestruck when it is so clear and tangible to us. Still, I don't like this phrase. It somehow - in a subtle way - implies that it's only on special, unique circumstances where God interacts with His people. It's only on special moments where He takes back the reigns of the Universe - that every once in a while this unique "God thing" takes place. No, such a description is wanting in view of God's sovereignty. Isn't all of life a "God thing"? Isn't the next breath that you and I inhale ordained by His hand? Moreover, is He not sovereign and just as much imminent in the negatively perceived circumstances of our lives? On the day that the sky turned black, none of the disciples would have termed the crucifixion a "God thing." And, yet, it was safely in the eternal plan and purposes of God. I don't know where a "God thing" begins and where it ends. All of life is held in His hand, there is nothing hidden from Him, and there is nothing outside of His control. And, in that sense, everything is a "God thing"!

Foolishness, Wisdom, Weakness and the Power of God

Really loved this tissue paper collage that my friend's kiddos made. Snapped a picture of it with my phone and a text came to mind...

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" [1 Cor 1:18-25]

Assets and Liabilities in God's Economy

“My mind began to drift back in time… to scholarships and honors earned, cases argued and won, great decisions made from lofty government offices. My life had been the perfect success story, the great American dream fulfilled. But all at once I realized that it was not my success God had used to enable me to help those in this prison, or in hundreds of others just like it. My life of success was not what made this morning so glorious - all of my achievements meant nothing in God’s economy. No, the real legacy of my life was my biggest failure - that I was an ex-convict. My greatest humiliation - being sent to prison - was the beginning of God’s greatest use of my life. He chose the one experience in which I could not glory for His glory. "

- Chuck Colson, Loving God

Beauty from Ashes

Change the world with...

Fisherman? Thought this was an insightful article... not sure about the Jimmy Carter reference, but nevertheless a good read-->Counterintuitive

A Dead Giveaway...

“One of the great subthemes of the Book of Acts is the joy those early disciples had in their worship and service to the Lord. The apostles even came away from a flogging at the hands of the Jewish council “rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name” (Acts 5:41).

The apostles had been preaching the name of Jesus, the gospel that we now have contained in written form in the Bible. God’s Word rejoices the heart. According to the first half of Psalm 19:8, “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.” The presence or absence of joy is a dead giveaway as to the impact, or lack of impact, the Word of God is having in your life. "

- Dr. Stanley Toussaint, Dallas Seminary

Defending to Attack

Random post here... but I really love Joo Se Hyuk's defensive style table tennis play. It's very rare for a player to consistently rank as high as he does playing a defensive style, but it's very cool to watch...

Ehrman Interrupted

Probably spent too much time this last week listening to debates between a host of folks and Bart Ehrman. The title of this post, of course, is a play on the title of Ehrman’s book “Jesus, Interrupted.” It’s not unique to me; multiple bloggers have made the same word play. I debated about even drawing yet more attention to him or his books… I hesitate now to give the search engines even one more piece of fodder to buoy his name to the top of a search. Nonetheless, his position has consumed a good bit of my thinking this week.

Rather than undertaking a new discussion here on Ehrman’s teachings (there is an abundance of material on the internet and ironically enough, one can perhaps find as many pieces about Ehrman on the internet as there are NT Greek manuscripts.) …but, alas, rather than give another long diatribe, let me link to a few clips/debates I found most interesting.

A few comments… there is no doubt that Ehrman is brilliant. His wit and clear presentation are admirable. He is obviously a fantastic communicator. And, truly, were it not for the grace of God, I could easily run down a similar deviant path in my own thinking that he has taken. Maybe that’s why I have been so intrigued by these debates; the questions that he poses resonate with questions that I have also deeply wrestled with. And, as something of a purist/idealist, I can too easily be swayed into a false dichotomy…. when my ideals are crushed, the danger is to “throw out the baby with the bath water.” And, at a fundamental level, it seems to me that this is where Ehrman errs. I am exceedingly thankful and praise God for men like Dan Wallace - textual critics who give reasoned rebuttals to the claims of Ehrman. Wallace’s scholarship is a gift to the church, and it seems to me that our conservative seminaries should strive to churn out more dedicated scholars and scholarship in the area of textual criticism. Here is a link to one of the more recent debates between Ehrman and Wallace on the UNC campus →  

Interestingly enough, by his own admission, what led to Erhman’s ultimate apostasy was not his work on NT textual criticism, but his wrestling with the problem of suffering. I recall many years ago hearing him on NPR’s “Fresh Air” (which is generally anything but fresh air) where he expressed these sentiments and discussed his path to abandoning the faith. This was and is interesting to me because it is here where I find his arguments to be far more weak and simplistic than his arguments in the realm of textual criticism. I think Dinesh D’Souza engages him in an excellent dialog in this debate that bears some light on these issues →

Finally, what should be our stance on Ehrman? I certainly think that it is a good thing that the Christian community has engaged him in debate. His challenges need to be addressed and opposed – perhaps vigorously. And, yet, I am not sure that we should get too distracted by the Bart Ehrmans of the world. His ilk will always exist (indeed it has existed), but it could be argued that the far greater threats to the church are from within...the subtle distractions or the “gentle slope” as CS Lewis describes.

More importantly, perhaps our greatest response to Bart Ehrman is to fervently get on our knees and pray for the man – pray that God is His mercy might restore him to sight (were that possible). Can you imagine the story if Ehrman came back into the fold and repented of the wasted years? Can you just imagine an Ehrman lecture on his return to faith? Would it not be thrilling to see him return to Wheaton to deliver that kind of lecture?

He Himself Fulfills

“The Law requires much, but offers no help in the carrying out of its requirements. The Lord Jesus requires just as much, yea even more (Matt. 5:21-48), but what He requires from us He himself carries out in us. The law makes demands and leaves us helpless to fulfill them; Christ makes demands, but He Himself fulfills in us the very demands he makes."

- Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life

God didn't want a seminary graduate

Speaking of the wickedness that reigned in the Northern ten tribes of Israel during the time of the divided kingdom and specifically when Elijah entered the scene as God's prophet to confront wicked king Ahab...

“They're so far down in the pit, a city boy isn't up for that kind of job. God didn't want a seminary graduate. God didn't want anybody too refined. God wanted somebody cut from rough cloth, somebody who didn't mind wearing burlap, somebody with calloused hands, somebody whose nouns and verbs might not always agree. God wanted a man raised in the mountains who was not scared of wicked King Ahab, that evil toad squatting on the throne of Israel. When God wanted a man to go up against that evil king and his evil wife, he had to go to the mountains to find him."

- Ray Pritchard, Fire and Rain, the wild-hearted faith of Elijah

Some Trust in Monoclonal Antibodies...

With powerful chemotherapy payloads. Very anxious for the FDA to approve this molecule, but with a caveat...

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God." [Psalm 20:7]

The Greatest Weakness

“I think the greatest weakness in the church today is that almost no one believes that God invests His power in the Bible. Everyone is looking for power in a program, in a methodology, in a technique, in anything and everything but that in which God has placed it—His Word. He alone has the power to change lives for eternity, and that power is focused on the Scriptures"

- RC Sproul, The Prayer of the Lord

Give... Lose... Submit...

“Your real, new self (which is Christ's and also yours, and yours just because it is His) will not come as long as you are looking for it. It will come when you are looking for Him. Does that sound strange? The same principle holds, you know, for more everyday matters. Even in social life, you will never make a good impression on other people until you stop thinking about what sort of impression you are making. Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it. The principle runs through all life from top to bottom, Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in."

- CS Lewis, Mere Christianity

Amazing Grace 古筝

The Indictment of Albert Einstein

“Quoting here Charles Misner a rather eminent physicist that spent a career at the University of Maryland: He says...

‘He must have looked at what the preacher said about God and felt that they were blaspheming. He had seen much more majesty than they had every imagined, and they were just not talking about the real thing... That is why Einstein had so little use for organized religion although he strikes me as basically a very religion man.’

Now, that was from a man who lived in flourished in the 20’s. What would say today when the Hubble telescope is sending back to us infrared images from among the 124 billion galaxies, images from perhaps 14 billion light years away? That is 14 billion x 6 trillion miles, containing some 100 billion x 125 billion stars. God spoke that into being. It is a plaything for the Almighty…

While Einstein had seen glimpses of the real thing, we are trying to pawn off imitation Rolexes or cheap cubic zirconium rings and we don’t even know that they are cheap substitutes. We have domesticated of the Almighty and we stand under the indictment of Albert Einstein."

--  "Plan to Finish Well", Oct. 11, 2011, Dallas Theological Seminary Chapel

Near to the Brokenhearted

Stumbled upon this article today and found it strangely encouraging-> nishbar lev

Apart from God Speaking...

“Who can tell us whether this awful and mysterious silence, in which the Infinite One has wrapped himself, portends mercy or wrath? Who can say to the troubled conscience whether He, whose laws in nature are inflexible and remorseless, will pardon sin? Who can answer the anxious inquiry whether the dying live on or whether they cease to be? Is there a future state? And if so, what is the nature of that untried condition of being? If there be immortal happiness, how can I attain it? If there be an everlasting woe, how can it be escaped? Let the reader close his Bible and ask himself seriously what he knows upon these momentous questions apart from its teachings. What solid foundation has he to rest upon in regard to matters which so absolutely transcend all earthly experience and are so entirely out of the reach of our unassisted faculties? A man of facile faith may perhaps delude himself into the belief of what he wishes to believe... But this is all a dream. He knows nothing, he can know nothing about it, except by direct revelation from heaven."

- William Henry Green, The Pentateuch (as quoted in Isaiah: God Saves Sinners by Ray Ortlund Jr.

Praise God for we are not left to the best opinions of men.
He has spoken... In His Word, in His Son.

Opportunity in the Wilderness?

Liked this talk from Trinity Seminary Chapel -->(dated 3/16/12) Psalm 63

Bach's Cantata 147 like you've never heard before...

Remembering the Miracle of Passover...

and the ultimate Sacrifice that it whispers of...

A verse that gives me unspeakable comfort...

“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." [Romans 11:29]

This is the climax of Paul's response to the unseen 'objector' who raises his hand between chapters 8 and 9 to pose the question, "Alright, Paul, if all the glorious things of Romans 8 are indeed true - nothing can separate us from God's love - then what about the nation of Israel? It seems that God has turned His back on the 'apple of His eye'?" Romans 9-11 is Paul's answer to the lurking 'objector' and the climax is this great statement, "the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable." God has not forsaken His people Israel, and He will not forsake His people the Church. His promises and gifts are irrevocable.

General Revelation...

“The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world.” [Psalm 19:1-2]

Ferocious as a Lion

My wife loves folk music...so recently she took me to a David Wilcox concert. I'm not a big concert groupie, but was really surprised with how much I thoroughly enjoyed this one...a rare combination of phenomenal guitar work with heartwarming (and rather insightful) lyrics. Here is a taste. (We didn't hear this one, but I thought this very sweet...) 

 

The central theme of the book of Romans...

The child can appropriate that which the philosopher cannot comprehend...

“As simple as the Bible is its message of sin and of free salvation through Christ, an incredible subtlety and profundity underlies all its doctrines. Even a child can receive Christ as his Savior, thereby appropriating the free gift of eternal life. Yet no philosopher has more than scratched the surface regarding the things that happened at the Cross. The Bible forces any reader to crash into the ceiling of his own comprehension, beyond which he cannot go until he sees the Lord face-to-face.”

-Ken Boa, Unraveling the Big Questions About God

A serendipitous blessing...

in the labor for the gospel...

“In his [Paul's] letters, we are immediately struck by the range of his friendships and the warmth of his affection. I once counted the names of about 70 people who are immortalized simply because they are mentioned as Paul’s friends. Not only was he devoted to them, willing, as he said, “to spend and be spent” for their sakes, they showed an equal devotion to him. He paid special tribute to two of them, a married couple, who risked their lives for him—Priscilla and Aquila of Corinth (Romans 16:3-4). ”

-FF Bruce, The Enigma of Paul:

One can never find this kind of friendship at the Lion's club, the PTA, the soccer team, or the grief recovery group. Only laboring in the gospel can forge the deepness of friendships that the Apostle Paul knew.

Japan Playground Slides >> US Playground Slides

And to think I thought the tunnel slide in our neighborhood park was cool...

Losing to Win

Want to read something counterintuitive?   Check out this very helpful article from Dr. Kelly Flannigan --> Marriage is for Losers.

"What are you going to do for the families?"

This is fascinating dialog from Brian Fisher (pastor of Grace Bible Church in College Station, Texas). He describes fielding a question while going through a rather lengthy round of questioning in the process of interviewing for the pastor position.

Note that Grace Bible is a 'battleship', mission focussed church with fingerprints throughout the far reaches of the world. Located only a few miles from the campus of Texas A&M University (45,000+ student enrollment), Grace is a church largely composed of college students.

“I remember at one meeting… it’s Q&A…ask him anything you want to ask him [format]… so [someone] stands up and says, 'If you become senior pastor, what are you going to do for the families? You know because the families get here a little late and they can’t park, and they’ve got kids that they can't haul in. And the families they are giving all the money to the church... they are making the budget happen. And they get here a little late and there is nowhere for them to sit because there are all the students. What are you going to do for the families?'

What I remember saying [in response] was, 'This is what I want to do for your family. I want to help you equip your family to stop thinking about itself…I want to equip you to help your family realize that it is not all about your family. That you would not be looking internally all the time, but that you would train your children to look out - to look out at their neighbors, to look out at their friends who are at school, to look out at the nations. I want to train you to get over yourself because the biggest problem with you and your family and with every family in this church is [self] - because we are born so self-centered... So when you come to church you say, ‘serve me, give to me, make programs for me and my family. What are you going to do for the family?’ I want to make your family a great commission family that does not worry about itself, but you sacrifice and you serve and you love it.' ”

-Brian Fisher, Properly Paranoid, Dallas Seminary Chapel, March 10, 2009

Whose is the Loss?

Question:   In the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15), who is the main character in the parable?   The prodigal son or the older brother?

Neither.

“In reading the story of the prodigal son most people are impressed with all the troubles the prodigal meets; they are occupied in thinking what a bad time he is having.   But that is not the point of the parable.   'My son ... was lost, and is found' - there is the heart of the story.   It is not a question of what the son suffers but what the father loses.   He is the sufferer; he is the loser.   A sheep is lost; whose is the loss?   The shepherd's.   A coin is lost; whose is the loss?   The woman's.   A son is lost; whose is the loss?   The father's.   That is the lesson of Luke chapter 15. ”

-Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life

His Sustained Initiative

“He knows me. I am graven on the palms of His hands. I am never out of His mind. All my knowledge of Him depends on His sustained initiative in knowing me. I know Him, because He first knew me, and continues to know me. He knows me as a friend, One who loves me; and there is no moment when His eye is off me, or His attention distracted from me, and no moment, therefore, when His care falters."

-J.I. Packer, Knowing God

Hitler, Madonna, Billy Graham and Jesus

In college, I distinctly remember a powerful sermon illustration that has held with me. In an auditorium of roughly 700 to 800 people, the pastor engaged the auditorium something like this…

“Ok, let me ask a question… by a show of hands, how many here think you are as righteous as Hitler?”

Most all the hands went up. The unspoken general sentiment might have gone something like this: “Dictator. Mass murderer. This is a ‘no brainer’ question; who wouldn’t be more righteous than Hitler?” Nearly all the hands went up.

“Very good… again by a show of hands, how many think you are as righteous as Madonna?”

Again, most of the hands went up. “Sexually promiscuous. Anti-Christian. Morally reprehensible. No reason to think that I am not more righteous than Madonna. Again, most all the hands went up.

“Ok,” said the pastor, “How many think that they are as righteous as Billy Graham?”

This time, only a smattering of hands were raised. “Hmmm…Billy Graham… man of conviction, integrity, faithfulness, has preached the gospel to millions. Reality set in around the room. “No, probably am not worthy to shine his shoe. Got to put my hand down on this one.” Not many hands were lifted.

“Finally, how many think that they are as righteous as Jesus Christ?”

Silence… “Whoa… he did not just ask that. Seriously?? Who would be so bold, so arrogant as to lay hold of that claim??? To say you are as righteous as Jesus borders on blasphemy… right?!?“

Two Christian’s boldly raised their hands.

At that, you could feel a tension. How would the pastor address this? Would he call these two arrogant fellows out??? Would he reprimand them for their pride on display?

Just the opposite - he commended them. They were the only two who got it right! As Christians, they actually saw themselves - their identity - in the same way that God the Father truly sees us… as the very righteousness of His own Son! Dear Christian, do you know that God is for you? Do you know that He sees you as the very white hot righteousness of His own Son? Do you know that knowing your true identity is essential to a victorious Christian life?

The Alps...The Rockies

Saw the Alps and the Rockies in the same day. How many people can say that?? Ok, maybe anyone who has flown from Milan to LAX via Frankfurt (during daylight hours and a clear day) can say that. Nevertheless... Dankeschön, Lufthansa!

The Doctrine of Revelation

A very simple, yet incredibly profound doctrine...

"Theologians might hesitate over this concentration on knowledge, for some of them would certainly prefer to define revelation in terms of the disclosure of a person. But the point on which we fasten our attention is the word 'disclosure'. Revelation is not concerned with knowledge we once had but have forgotten for the time being. Nor does it refer to the kind of knowledge that we might attain by diligent research. It is knowledge that comes to us from outside ourselves and beyond our own ability to discover."

- Leon Morris

Luther's Theology of the Cross

Drove through Heidelberg Germany today, and it brought to mind a recommendation that my brother had given to me several months ago... mainly to go back to April 1518 and study Luther's "Theology of the Cross." Wow, he was right; I've only 'dipped my toe in the water' but feel that I have stumbled upon a treasure trove.

One Sufficient Answer

"It does not matter what your personal deficiency, or whether it be a hundred and one different things, God has always one sufficient answer, His Son Jesus Christ, and he is the answer to every need.”

- Watchman Nee (倪柝聲), The Normal Christian Life

Philippians 1:6 and Progressive Sanctification

"...being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; [Philippians 1:6]

Does Philippians 1:6 guarantee progressive sanctification? I had always grown up with this view. And even today, I can hardly listen to Christian radio, a sermon, or just conversation with fellow believers and go very long without hearing Philippians 1:6 cited in this very sense. In fact, at the local fellowship I attend, our pastor cited this verse in this very sense this last Sunday.

The classic interpretation is that the "good work" that God has begun in the individual believer (salvation) will continue and carry on to culmination until the day of Christ. In essence, sanctification is progressive. And, God is bringing this to fruition in the life of the individual believer.

It was not until college, that some other brothers challenged my view on Philippians 1:6. And, as I looked and thought more about this text over the years, I have come to the position that there is definitely another viable interpretation. While it is certainly true that God is the author of our salvation from A to Z (justification, sanctification and ultimately glorification), I am not sure that this verse teaches that idea. It all hinges on what Paul is referring to by the "good work" that God has begun.

Check out this article for a more technical discussion on why there is quite possibly a better interpretation --> Phillipians 1:6

High-Octane Grace

Eager to get my hands on a copy of this book -->  Defiant Grace

"Law feels safe; grace feels risky. Rule-keeping breeds a sense of manageability; grace feels like moral vertigo. After all, if all that we are is by grace, then there is no limit to what God can ask of us. But if some corner of our virtue is due to personal contribution, there is a ceiling on what God can ask of us. He can bring us only so far. He can only ask so much...

It’s time to enjoy grace anew — not the decaffeinated grace that pats us on the hand, ignores our deepest rebellions and doesn’t change us, but the high-octane grace that takes our conscience by the scruff of the neck and breathes new life into us with a pardon so scandalous that we cannot help but be changed. It’s time to blow aside the hazy cloud of condemnation that hangs over us throughout the day with the strong wind of gospel grace. You ‘are not under law but under grace’ (Rom. 6:14). Jesus is real; grace is defiant; life is short; risk is good. For many of us the time has come to abandon once and for all our play-it-safe, toe-dabbling Christianity and dive in. It’s time, as Capon put it, to get drunk on grace — 200-hundred-proof, defiant grace."

- Dane Ortlund, Defiant Grace: The Surprising Message and Mission of Jesus

The Mitotic Spindle

I would dare to say that there is not a scientist on the planet that can fully explain this. Oh, some may be able to describe the action of the mitotic spindle, no doubt, and maybe even publish papers or develop targeted drugs to the cell. But, can this most basic mystery of life be truly understood apart from the Divine? Surely our conception of God is far, far too small!

Nero, Paul, Canines, Sons... and the great reversal of power and glory

"... bearing in mind T. R. Glover's comment on a Roman Emperor's condemnation of the Apostle to the Gentiles - that the day was to come when men would call their dogs Nero and their sons Paul."

- F.F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free.

Far more than an emotional salve...

One of the great difficulties is to keep before the audience’s mind the question of Truth. They always think you are recommending Christianity not because it is true but because it good. And in the discussion they will at every moment try escape from the issue ‘True or False’ into stuff about good society, or morals, or the incomes of Bishops, or the Spanish Inquisition, or France, or Poland — or anything whatever. You have to keep forcing them back, and again back, the real point. Only thus will you be able to undermine their belief that a certain amount of ‘religion’ is desirable but one mustn’t carry it too far. One must keep on pointing out that Christianity is a statement which, if false, is of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance.

- C.S. Lewis, Christian Apologetics 

I am currently in a place circumstantially where there is an abundance of opportunity to speak of God's goodness and His sovereignty to those outside of Christianity. And, what I so often hear in reply is something to the effect of, "You know, I am so glad that you have God/religion in your life that can give you comfort and peace." As if to say, "I am glad that this thing you believe 'greases the wheels of your life' and acts as an emotional salve in your distress."

And, while Christianity surely affords peace and comfort that the world cannot know, to stop there is to tragically miss the main thing. We do not cling to God because He gives an emotional balm or even because He is what sustains us through the fiercest gail (though as a loving Father, He does this)... we cling to Him and trust in Him because we are convinced Christianity is true - a Savior died a substitutionary death on a cruel cross and a grave is empty because He rose in power and Victory. We have become convinced that this is far more than a salve, it is true.

S-RT: Bon Jovi, Glory, and Playing it Safe

Really enjoyed this post today from Dane Ortlund's blog.   If you are not a frequenter to "Strawberry-Rhubarb Theology," you ought to be...

Strawberry-Rhubarb Theology: Bon Jovi, Glory, and Playing it Safe: Bon Jovi : It's my life It's now or never I ain't gonna live forever The Apostle Paul: Your life is hidden with Christ in God. (Col 3:3) ...

Singing the Blues in Chapel Hill

Duke, Carolina down to the wire... doesn't get any better than this...

A Heavy Dab of Lipstick and Mascara on an Unpopular Word

Submission is an unpopular word today, but if there ever were a characteristic that marked the believer and set his or her life in utter distinction to those around them, submission has to be at the top of the list. It’s such an unpopular word that we so often in deriving an understanding put a heavy dab of ‘cultural lipstick’ and ‘what we want to hear’ mascara on the concept.

Just to illustrate this, as I think back on the many sermons that I have heard on submission (and I mean many sermons) particularly as related to marriage, I have probably heard more content on what submission does not mean rather than what it actually means. This is telling. What is so carefully explained from the pulpit is what submission does not look like, what it surely must not involve and where the clear boundaries are to be drawn. I get it on one level; we live in a world where there has been a lot of abuse of authority. Still, it is rare to hear from even the best teachers of our day what submission means.

We do not like yielding control to authority. We rebel against this… I rebel against this. We rationalize this word and muse more about it’s boundaries, limitations and exceptions rather than the heart of submission and what is pleasing to God. And, yet, submission is fundamental to the victorious Christian life… as the Bride to Christ, as the wife to the husband, as the employee to the boss, and as the child to the parent. The fragrance of Christ must include submission. For He our ultimate example: submissive to His father even to the point of death.

“...He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross...”. [Philippians 2:8]

If you want a life that is going to stand out, submit to your authority. When all others disagree, submit and do it with a glad heart. While others are undermining, questioning, and even grabbing for the reigns of control, do just the opposite. By your very submission, your life will stand apart and give testimony that the God you serve is altogether different.

The Reproach of Christ > Riches of Egypt

A favorite of mine...

By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. [Hebrews 11:24-26]

One of my great fears is that I will come to the end of my life and reflect on the 'crossroad moments' where the opportunity to abandon self and serve God unreservedly presented in a unique way. And, realize the opportunity was there to in essence 'throw my life away' from the world's perspective and to grab hold of God's agenda, only to find that I squandered such moments and failed to esteem the reward - choosing instead to grip on ever so tightly to the transient "riches of Egypt." It's only in the abandonment that life is truly found.

Competing Passions

Very stirred by a message last Sunday by Dr. Erik Thoennes. Here is a quote he referenced that has been ringing in my head this week...

We live in a world of competing passions. If we do not die to self and fill our lives with the consuming passion of the worship of God in the nations, we will end up with other passions. It's possible to deceive ourselves into thinking we have Biblical passions when, in reality, all we have done is to baptize the values of our culture and give them Christian names. We will have chosen apostolic passion only when our hearts are filled with God's desire for His Son to be worshiped in the nations.

- Floyd McClung

God's mercies through a veil of tears

Really touched by this video -->Scott Hamilton

Quality Time?

"There is no such thing as [scheduled] quality time. You never know with your spouse or with your kids when the quality time is going to be. So it's a lot of quantity time, and then some of that time becomes quality time because the conversation opens up and the heart opens up. But, you can't schedule that - Tuesday 3:15-:3:45 we're going to have earnest, heartfelt communication."

- Mark Driscoll

111...

...the number of laps our son ran around a make shift "track" between our kitchen and living room.  To encourage our little marathon runner into a deep and restful 12 hours of slumber tonight, my clever bride decided to host a 'track event.'    The object being to see how many laps he could run... 111.   And as for a good night of sleep, it worked like a charm; he only needed 11.1 seconds after crossing the tape to sail blissfully off to a somnolent dreamland!   

新年快乐！

The Ways of God

"The ways of God are counterintuitive...true spirituality is not what we might think. God sent Isaiah to us with an improbable message. This prophet came saying that our only hope is in abandoning every other hope, however obvious. And our only truth is in disbelieving every other truth, however widely accepted. Our only safety is in trust. Our only stability is in yielding control. Our only freedom is in surrender. God is saying that the conventional wisdom of our culture that magnifies human potential and human virtue and human smarts is stupid. He is saying that the inner fullness we all desire comes from outside ourselves. He is saying that our initial reaction to real spirituality might be irritation and disbelief. God directs our eyes to a bloodied mass of human flesh, a man beaten beyond recognition, rejected by the elites and opinion shapers and even the religious leaders, a man suffering on the cross out of love for us, and God says He is the giver of the Spirit and that cross is the secret to authentic spirituality.

- Ray Ortlund Jr., The Counterintuitive Ways of God