Who Needs English, Anyway?

Mel Gibson (yes, that man with the huge beard IS Mel Gibson!) is now working on directing a new film. This one is not a religious one however, it is more along the lines of his other films like The Patriot and Braveheart. It's epic, historical, bloody, and violent, but it has a new twist. It is entirely done in a Mayan language! I guess since using another language worked so well in The Passion, Gibson decided to try it out in a movie not so charged with public emotions. Or maybe he is trying to get people to start reading again, so he is forcing them to read when they watch TV (an interesting idea...hmm..) Either way, I love Gibson's other epic movies and at least right now, I'm looking forward to this one too.

Speaking of Fish.

Everybody should take a good long look at that picture, and then close your eyes and view that picture in your imagination. Now, put me standing just in front of that rock in the center, casting my fly pole up into that shady little pool. Ahhh yes. In one more week, that will be me. For just a couple of splendid hours I will be enjoying God's wonderful creation and worshipping Him by partaking in the beautiful nature He designed. Of course, the trees will be a little more red and yellow but that's fine by me. Maybe when I come back, I'll have a fish that only someone truly devoted could swallow!

PETA Determines Modern Evangelism!

Well there you have it! Do you remember the post I made a month ago concerning the Assembly of God church that made swallowing fish an integral part of it's evangelistic training? I am sorry that our archives aren't working right now but here is the follow up article.

Rather than responding to Biblical content the pastor, Greg Woodall, responds to PETA. Notice the conformity in his statement replying to PETAs request:

"My views are a reflection of yours. We love God's creatures and would never want to show them harm."

How about that? Rather than standing our ground and defending this obviously Biblical practice of swallowing goldfish to practice doing the hard things in Christianity we will cower before the ever-present and oh so ethical group of animal freaks.

How about that? Why don't we get back to the Word and practice what the Word preaches!

In order to be honest though... my family has made it a practice to use these Swedish fish in all of our family rituals: card games, movies, reading, shopping, just about anything!

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!

Obviously I don't have enough time to scour the web looking for pictures....
Where in the world did C-train find this? I cannot believe it! I am literally dying here!!!! Oh... oh... oh... oh... ooohhhhhh... my!!!


What in the world?!?!?!

"...let not the strong man glory in his strength!" Jeremiah 9:23

I'm A' Gonna Get You!

A couple of months ago, I wrote about a conversation I had with a non- Christian in which he told me that he was amazed that I was a Southern Baptist, and yet I was still able to wear shorts. Well, a few weeks back I was having some conversations with someone else and I got a whole new side of witnessing. To begin with, I asked a few innocent questions about himself. We were stuck in each other's company for quite a while you see, and so I knew I had plenty of time to work with. Anyways, we were talking, and i got the conversation around to him. I'd already told him I was a seminary student, and a Christian. I asked where he went to church around here, and he said "Oh, I live about thirty minutes from here." So I thought to myself "okay, that's not what I asked but I'll keep going."

To make a long story short, every time I asked him about anything religious, or spiritual, or that had to do with the deeper things of life, I got the same reaction. He would either completely ignore the question, or he would pretend that I had asked something entirely different! I was pretty confused by this point, because this had been going on for several conversations, and we hadn''t gotten anywhere. We talked about a lot of other stuff, and he's a really nice guy, but i could not broach this subject with him.

Finally, the moment of truth came. I had recently attended a catholic mass for one of my classes at school, and the day in question we were going to be discussing that visit. Casually, I mentioned that I was looking forward to this class, and why. When I told him I had gone to a Catholic mass, and it was my first time to do so, I asked him if he had ever been to one. He said, "Oh, I'm Catholic!" I was in shock. He had never said anything about being Catholic the entire time we had been talking, and he had many opportunities to do so. i asked him about it and come to find out that he had grown up Catholic, and had hated it. Now, his wife still goes to church, but he is in hiding, as it were. Every now and then, his church calls him up to talk to him, and he is terrified of them, because he doesn't want to go back, but he thinks he is in trouble for not wanting to return! the best part is that he thought I was part of that interregation squad or something! So now I am able to explain that I am not, but he is still leary of anything religious. Thinking about that, I realize that Americans really are very superstitious people, aren't they?

Claiming to be wise...FOOLS!

So what do you think about this gentleman?

When I read about this yesterday, prior to the wrong prediction, I wondered what would happen. It's kinda morbid, don't you think?

The article goes on to tell us that millions of Indians consult these kinds of mediums every year. At first I was surprised at the number. I thought about how these uneducated third-world nations just don't get it. They are all pagans anyway... but then I thought about the milions and millions of Americans who spent over $10 million THIS WEEK in Tennessee alone this week on the Powerball scam. I thought of all the times I hear the mediums on the national network news programs quoted as though they have some kind of connection with the future. What about Oprah? What about Dr. Phil? What about our parents and grandparents? What about that teacher or professor? What about that old pastor?

What about all of these (and all of us) who look to something extra, something other, to bring answers, to bring solutions, to bring...salvation.

What about the Word of God? It says in Deuteronomy 18:22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.

God has a personal perogative to eztablish the Truth... He is the Truth! He never lies. He will cause the Truth to prevail. Stop looking at 'other' sources of truth...come to THE TRUTH!

When ANYONE presumes to tell you something true...We must, always, check it with the Truth Himself! ANYONE!

We spend way too much time fearing those whose only claim on us is our ignorance and our sinfulness. Let's look to the Truth today!

Having rights and being right are two different things!

Well it looks like some church has been 'right' and still stepped on someone else's 'rights'.

This story just sorta rubbed me the wrong way.

1. Is passing out literature that contains 'controversial' subject matter without connecting it to a personal relationship the most effective means of communication? You know that the lady has no problems with Halloween (her house is covered with Halloween decorations) so to leave the material there so that she can interpret it herself leads to her misunderstanding in the first place.

2. Isn't it odd that the lady didn't defend her practice. She felt 'threatened' but didn't speak about right or wrong. She doesn't care about that. How PoMo. What she did defend was her 'right' to do whatever she wanted.

We need to learn from this as we throw the Word everyday:

1. Without compromising the 'right'ness of the Truth we need to make a personal effort to address the issue of someone's heart.

2. We need to take the individual past their 'rights' to the reality of the grace that gives them those 'rights'. This won't happen by focusing on the individual wrongs but the individual's 'wrongness'. We need to address the heart. The only 'right' a dead heart has is sin and eventually Hell.

Let's keep the main thing the main thing shall we?

Don't you hate it when....

Don't you hate it when you say something about someone and they are standing right behind you?

Word of warning to all you pastors: Be careful when using personal experiences in your sermons.

I have a good friend who has been the subject of several illustrations during the course of the past couple years. He has been divorced a few times and so he made a good illustration. The problem was when he wanted to listen to some of my sermons as he travelled. I gave them to him and ...guess what? He called later that week and asked if I remembered what I had preached on? Him!!

How embarrassing! He took it fine (as a matter of fact he will probably read this blog and recognize himself).

I have a list of those that I don't mention by name or by too many details:
Former churches
Former church members
Wife (though I usually do mention her...she is my life!)
Children (can't help it but I am trying!)
Parents
Siblings (though little brothers make great preaching fodder!)
Mother-in-law
Other-in-laws


I always think of Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 "Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. Your heart knows that many times you have yourself cursed others."

Oh Lord forgive me for speaking words other than words of truth in love!

Ravi Zacharias Is One Of My Favorites!

I just got Ravi's new book:The Lamb and the Fuhrer. He has a way of writing that both confounds and confronts me. Who thinks like that?

This book is one of his 'Great Conversations' books and it is just as good as the other 2. His closing scene has given me much to think about over the past week. What would it look like for Hitler to stand before the Sovereign of the Universe?

The lack of confrontation between Hitler and Christ as Hitler decends into Hell strikes me as incomplete. It has somewhat of a C.S. Lewis feel to it; that Hitler, not so much Christ, sends himself to Hell. I don't necessarily agree (but then again...I am not Ravi!)

Read it and tell me what you think.

Okay kids, just stay home with the folks instead..

I read this article and was encouraged for a second. Then I reread it again, and realized it was more confusing than anything else. The principal says there is to be no more prom because of "financial decadence", but not because of the decadent and immoral activity that goes on after the event. One parent denies the immoral activities while, later in the article, a senior at the high school affirms these activities when he says: "it's what an average 17 or 18 year old is doing, but it's not necessarily what they should be doing." And the underlying theme throughout is that even without the prom, these kids will still be doing what they're doing. The issue really seems to be the abuse of money in this society, not the decrepit moral behavior.

How difficult it is to take a stand on anything when you have no real foundation to make your stand upon...

Secret Weapon Against the Devil?

Apparently exorcism is big business. As a pastor I probably need to practice my Latin and hone my skills.

Does anyone else have any questions about the claim that Catholicism is 'Christian'? In this article about the Roman Catholic practice of exorcism (the article covers a Vatican conference at the Rome's Pontifical Regina Apostolorum University, training priests to cast out demons) we see plenty of "Roman traditions" and little Christianity.

If Christ is even mentioned I missed it on my initial reading. I did not miss the devotion to the Madonna which is imperative to "successful" exorcisation. Nor did I miss the secret weapon. Yes there is a secret weapon!

According to Italian exorcist Andrea Gemma; The Demon hates Latin! If you want to be successful in the spiritual realm...refresh your Latin! (I have been wondering why my wife is so determined to teach my children this; maybe there is more going on at home than I thought!)

I am sure that we treat this way too cavalierly, but can't we look to the only rule of faith and practice and call on the only Name given under Heaven by which men must be saved?

A little more on worship

In light of my trip to the megachurch, I have done some thinking on the subject of worship (not to mention that I am taking a class on the subject). I've been reading a book by Ron Owens called Return to Worship. I've only read through the first few chapters but I've been really impressed by what Owens has to say. His book is all about putting God at the center of worship.



The real issue in worship is not if we will worship or how we will worship, but whom we will worship.

That is the main point in the book. Real worship is not concerned with the lights and sounds. It is not even concerned with the music, and everything we so often equate with the worship experience. He critiques the idea that worship is about us having a good experience when he says:

We live in a day when this seeking after experiences is as much a part of the life of the evangelical as the New Ager.

Wow. How true is that? I think he has hit the mark with that statement but he doesn't stop there. As I said, his point in this book is Who we should be worshipping. Real Worship involves the real God of the Bible. He continues to do an excellent job of recognizing the prevalent mistake in the worship of the majority of evangelicalism:

It may not be an exaggeration to say that most people know God today for what He does for them rather than for who He is. That was the basic difference between Israel's knowledge of God, and Moses' knowledge of Him. Israel knew God's acts, but Moses knew His ways. If we are going to be worshippers who delight the heart of God, we must become so by understanding His ways and by loving Him for who He is, not just what He does for us.

This statement really pierces through a lot of the fog that has built up around worship in our church services. Our focus as the worshipper is still upon ourselves when we are simply focusing on what God has done for us. Where is the shift to a focus on God as God? He is the Creator who is not only worthy but deserving of all our worship because, quite simply, He is God and we are not. In the next chapter Ron Owens continues this idea in the context of the slipping standards in churches:

He [God] didn't pull any punches in establishing the fact that He is God and He is their [Israel's] God. They seemed to be forever forgetting this. This lack of understanding was at the root of all their departures from Him. We have the same problem today, don't we? ... Much of today's controversy in the area of worship would be resoved if God's people would settle once and for all that God alone is God, the He is the same God who is revealed in the Bible, and that He has not changed.

It is so important that we keep God at the forefront of our worship. What am I saying?!? We shouldn't just keep God at the the forefront of our worship. He should be the foundation, background, and entirety of our worship! After all, He is the reason we worship, isn't He?

Tomorrow, I'll talk about what Owens says about how culture affects the church, and when I read this chapter it reminded me exactly of some of the churches I have been to recently.

Prophecy concerning the SBC?

Michael Spencer has a profound assessment of the future of the SBC as he sees the next two generations. As one of the 'Younger Pastors' I definitely see myself meeting him at the Theology Pub. You will recognize me also by the smell of Calvinism on my breath!

My New Heroes!

Jim and Michele Duggar of Arkansas have just become my newest competition. Michelle gave birth to their youngest daughter yesterday morning bringing the total of their children to 16! Count them: Joshua, 17; John David, 15; Janna, 15; Jill, 14; Jessa, 12; Jinger, 11; Joseph, 10; Josiah, 9; Joy-Anna, 8; Jeremiah, 6; Jedidiah, 6; Jason, 5; James, 4; Justin, 2; and Jackson Levi, 1.

Isn't that amazing? Praise the Lord!

Is that all?

They hope not!

Wow! Isn't God so good? I pray that each of them comes to know the most important name that also begins with 'J': Jesus Christ.

Michell and Jim...you are in our prayers!

Have it your Way!

I'm finally returning from the pit of school work, and the weight on my shoulders is decreased for a few brief days. This being the case, I decided to write about an experience I had this past weekend. My wife, a friend, and I went to a megachurch near where we live. When I say megachurch, I guess I mean a church with about 21,000 people attending. It was quite an experience for this lowly student. We arrived at the parking lot which was several football fields large. The building itself was a monstrosity, and there was work being done on another monstrosity on the other side of the parking lot. I can only imagine what that was for. The youth at the church had their own separate building which was easily two or three times the size of the First Baptist Church I grew up in. Fortunately we got to park in the first or second time visitors parking lot, which was packed. This was good because if we had had to park elsewhere,we would have had to ride in one of their buses which cruised the parking lot picking up members.

When we walked into the lobby, I was distinctly reminded of the last time I walked into an airport. In a word, it was huge. There was a central desk in the middle of the lobby. On one end there was a help desk which looked exactly like the rental car desks at an airport. It ran for about 100 feet along the wall. There were escalators going up three or four levels. It was really something (I don't know what, but something).

The auditorium was as enormous as everything else, with several balconies that each held more than most churches I've been to. The best part was the jumbotron that was centered over the stage and pulpit.

I had three major issues with the experience at this megachurch.

1. Visiting this church distinctly reminded me of the several conventions that I have attended. After the service, there were about 30 + classes that you could attend, many of which were designed for people just like you. While leaving, I watched the several thousand people filing quietly out, not speaking to the worshipper on the right or the left. The efficiency that was present was spectacular, but that was the most prevalent thing about it. There was no fellowship. The entire service appealed to the individual, not the worship of the church as a whole. There was no corporate worship. There was no accountability.

2. The main thing I noticed about the service was the efficiency. Efficiency ruled over everything. Of course, it has to because with several thousand people present, you have to make sure everything is running properly. it really seemed like efficiency was the most important thing about the experience. Get in. Get your worship done. Get out. I don't mean to sound crass, but that was what it boiled down to.

3. The final thing I noticed was the "have it your way" attitude of the church. The church had a class for every single type of person, and every single type of problem. If you couldn't find one you liked, well then talk to the leaders and they'll put one together for you. As I said, the worship was geared much more to the individual rather than the church as a unity. They had services on four different days of the week, and they had all different kinds of services as well, just so you could go to the one that fits your mood.
The best (or worst) example of this was found in the sermon. The sermon was on tithing, but the part I'm referring to came as an aside. The preacher explained that the church had recently decided to give the members the option of tithing to the church online. Then, the preacher said that he disagreed with the program, and he thought people should tithe in the service as an act of worship but, since the members wanted it, they could have it!

Yikes! So if you want it your way, then churches like this are for you, and I fear that since more and more churches are seeing how "successful" these megachurches are, they will try and emulate them. My question is, does a church like that reflect the picture we get of a local church in the Bible?

Isn't Romans the best book ever!!??

Martin Luther writes in the preface to his commentary on the Epistle to the Romans that:

This letter is truly the most important piece in the New Testament. It is purest Gospel. It is well worth a Christian's while not only to memorize it word for word but also to occupy himself with it daily, as though it were the daily bread of the soul. It is impossible to read or to meditate on this letter too much or too well. The more one deals with it, the more precious it becomes and the better it tastes.

Romans is my favorite book in the Bible. It is the book that has carried me the farthest so far! It has been my daily bread for a year now and I haven't even begun to understand.

As I meditated on the first 11 verses of the fifth chapter this morning I was struck again by the magnitude of the work of God, through Christ, on our behalf. Everything about our salvation proceeds from God Himself.

Therefore, since we have been justified....

We didn't justify ourselves. We have been justified by Someone else!

...by faith...

He has spoken, He has promised, He has already done the work and so we believe!

...we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Even the peace we have comes from someone else! We aren't qualified to approach the Sovereign of the Universe to appeal for peace! We must have it brought to us!

As I thought of this this morning I was brought low and humbled. Without Christ the wrath of God would still be revealed from heaven against th ungodliness and unrighteousness That filled my heart prior to my resurrection in Christ!

Look to Him today and believe!

Message from the Dungeon

...am chained to a stone wall of schoolwork and assignments. when i have been delivered from these captors, i shall return.

Something Fishy is going on in Modern Evangelism

What in the world is this?

It is just another example of having to go further and further and further into the realm of 'experience' and excitment in order to accomplish the work of the Word.

How come we can't simply let the Word be the offense? How come we can't approach our 'youth' ministries with this extreme:

"For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?" 2 Corinthians 2:15

If we want to really get someone's attention, in the words of Sulley (from Monster's Inc): Let's "stink it up!" (Yes I have 9 children). Let's stink it up by spreading the knowledge of Him everywhere (2 Corinthians 2:14) not by contriving things to demonstrate extremity.

Christ is extreme all by Himself. Let's just trust that!

Who Gets More Offended?

My wife made quite a statement the other day when we were discussing the different reactions that I get when I share the Gospel with someone. She said "Why is it that church members get more offended when you talk about sharing the gospel with people (their family and friends) than their family and friends usually get?"

Have you found that to be true? I guess it depends on what you share as the gospel and how you share it. I tend to keep it simple and straight-forward. I want them to understand that they need to be regenerated because they happen to be dreadfully wicked deep inside themselves, dead in their tresspasses and sins. When we talk I try to keep them from justifying themselves with comparisons to others or even themselves in the past.

Only after they come to a realization of their total depravity can they understand God's grace.

Why is it that so many church members rebel against the first part? When I discuss it with the lost around me they get upset but for the most part they have a much better attitude towards me about it than longtime church members because they understand the reality of their sinfullness.

To whom does the gospel seem most offensive? The church? What a shame!

Guest Blogger: Amy Morse

My wife was reading several blogs this morning: I See Daylight , Doulogos' blog on Humility, and a blog called Bugizzy or something and she wanted a venue to respond so I thought it would be interesting to let her have this format. Let me introduce you to my favorite woman and mother in the whole world: Amy Morse.

I am a mother who is constantly being reminded of my own selfishness, pride (in regard to providing my family's needs), feelings of discontent, vanity, coveting of things, and the list could go on of more sinful behaviors or battles of the flesh that are my struggle.... or should I say my sanctification?

Since I do stay at home and am not out and about very much, I have come to understand that my home is my pilgrimage even though the destination is the same. More specifically, my Lord is with me from room to room, my mountain to run to for solace and prayer may be my bed loaded with laundry, and my mission field is my children. I don't think that any mother who trusts Christ as their savior would have a problem identifying with this description of a day in the life of a Christian who happens to be a mother. This mother could have one child or many, but the work of the Holy Spirit will usually manifest itself in the same way since we know what our ( a woman's) struggles will be as recorded in scripture for us. I only speak for myself and I realize that my husband could list his struggles just as readily and specifically as I have in regard to being a parent. Our participation in their lives from conception until death, if God wills, is,I believe, "...for His good pleasure." Phillipians 2:14. Please don't forsake the context of this verse in Phillipians as a whole.

Leaving the control of the birth of children up to God without interfering or without human activity cannot be compared to Hyper-Calvinism if saying that God can override the human activity of birth control and He is just as much in control as if birth control was not used is also compared using the same logic. Either way God causes a couple to have children or not when He wants. In regard to salvation and Hyper-Calvinism, we Calvinists (do not read hyper) consider it a priviledge to be a part of the saving work that God does in the heart of a new believer. This is why it is right to seek Him where He is working and join Him there. Using birth control, especially for the reason that a vast majority would give, does not seem to join God at His work but to delay or set at a time deemed more appropriate by us. Our human activity in this regard should not be compared to the work of salvation by God that we should be a part of. Since having a child when we think it best has also been compared to preventing cancer with sunscreen or by referencing John Piper's comparisons of planning our haircut or where we plant seeds, a child seems to be less of a heritage from the Lord than the Bible proclaims them to be, or even as a curse rather than the blessings they are.

I admire John Piper greatly, yet it seems we disagree. He also states, in the referenced paper, that we should maintain the right to steward the time for when we will or will not come into possession of such gifts whether it be a wife, child etc.

I say, that maybe stewardship of the blessings and gifts given should be the thing to pursue wisdom for. Piper suggests that the pursuit of wisdom for our prioritizing one good thing from another is"... best for Kingdom purposes...".

Surely another thing to consider is the source of the "wisdom" for using birth control as we know it most commonly today, that is, artificial and in the form of a pill. This method has a dark history when linked backward to the people involved in producing the product originally and in the promoting of its benefits. The goal of those individuals was certainly not to encourage people to be a better steward of what they can reasonably manage, but rather to encourage the self centered life that they believed we all deserve. How does that line up with our goal as God-pleasing Christians? Is that the wisdom we need to utilize or pervert with Christian-like lingo?

Again, the comparisons made earlier to preventative health care, shorter, more manageble hair, and to our participation in the the saving of souls, of which the wisdom for such things seems to have a more positive and even God-like source, are not good comparisons at all. There is no comparison to the heritage our Lord gives in the form of children. We, as parents must utilize our time with our children to understand ourselves, our children, and everyone else in the light of Scripture's message to sinners. Those who are not parents must understand their position as a child of someone who was parented and, praise God, will come to know the part they play in the heritage Psalm 127 speaks of. As a mother of nine children who never conceived of the work God would perform in my heart before I had them, I still marvel at the person He will make me by the time they are no longer at home. Could it be a mother of 18? God only knows.

Mark Dever is a friend to the church

Sitting here this morning I am being forced to admit, the more I read Dever's Deliberate Church, that Mark is the friend of Proverbs 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend.

Time and time again as I make my way through this book I can feel him tearing away presuppositions and tendencies that I have used over the years to try and accomplish God's work my own way.

Even in my position I see the truth of the statement that: the gospel is inherently and irreucibly confrontational. It cuts against our perceived righteousness and self-sufficiency, demanding that we forsake cherished sin and trust in someone else to justify us.

He goes on to say that: the gospel is not ultimately about me. It is about God's glory, and gathering worshipers for Himself who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. It is about God vindicating His holiness by punishing Christ for the sins of all those who repent and believe. It is about making a name for Himself in the world by gathering a people and separating them to Himself for the spread of His fame to the nations.

It seems that more and more ministers and seminary students that I meet are more concerned, my self included, with the spread of their own name and building their own fame. I pray that God will use this tool and our surrender to the message of the powerful Gospel to spread His Powerful Word to the nations starting right here, right now!

I like books...but at least I'm not this bad!

Follow the link on the title to read about a guy who broke into a protected book case and stole a book just to read an article in it!
I tell my wife that as long as I don't reach this point, I'm okay.