A Gentryman's Tale

Okay, one last thing....

2010-12-02T23:04:00.001-05:00

This is the first part in the 14 part series from Don Carson's "The God Who is There".
All 14 parts are now free to watch or even download from Vimeo.
I will be watching and probably downloading them all.
I recommend you do at least the former, if not the latter.
Enjoy, and peace...

The God Who Is There - Part 1. The God Who Made Everything from The Gospel Coalition on Vimeo.

Into the Hiatus

2010-11-18T10:24:00.000-05:00

Until further notice this blog is defunct.
There may be a time where it starts up again.
But likely not for awhile.

Fulfillment of a nearly forgotten promise: The Gentryman's Tale

2010-10-14T17:20:00.001-04:00

When I changed the name of this blog from Gregology to The Gentryman's Tale, I mentioned a Canterbury Tale that I had written by the same name with the promise that one day I would post it here for your reading pleasure. Today that promise is fulfilled in your midst. I give you The Gentryman's Tale, written by me in the Spring of 1993.

THE GENTRYMAN'S TALE

In a far away place, not in distnace, but time
in a town called East Stroudsburg -well know for this rhyme-
In a structure called High School, where knowledge was bred
where they fought not with guns but their minds were instead
used to build up good morals and give students a guide
through a world filled with horrors on which none had relied,
studied a young student (among more in his class)
who chose not to work until the last
moment he had to spare for his work.
And this my good friends was his most hated quirk.
Others of these he had quite a few
but this one's among the highest of two.
The other strong vice which he hid in his mind
was a self-centeredness no one took to real kind.
But of this last vice I'll no longer speak
For he hid it quite well and twas balanced by peaks
of talents and ability of which few do share-
his voice was outstanding -but he took of it no care-
he sang with a heart matched by no other man
but was robbed out of Districts for twas not in the plan.
His feet brought him places of two extremes -
made him dance with great grace and make the football team.
He wrote poems and sonnets that caused women to melt
and could act on a stage better than most, he felt.
His looks were impeccable, or so he was told-
And if he was not, he knew and was bold.
His grades were top notch, had no job to be paid
which was just as well so honor role he always made.
Of his persona enough has been told,
so back to my tale before I'm too old.
A senior he ranked, in his twelfth year,
but ne'er in his schooling did his potential come fully clear.
He passed every class save for one in 8th grade
but ne'er was he pushed by himself nor his aides
to his fullest potential where all wish'd he would go
but lacked self motivation so his conscience said, "no."
His classes were fundamental with the exception of three
for two dealt with music and one, psychology.
But these are not where his vice had shown through
but twas in English it made its debut.
Since childhood he put off this day for the next
and never once learned for even now he is vexed.
A project was due in a group to be done.
A video for Canterbury of the choices was one.
So he made up a group of 5-6 friends
to produce a good show and meet all its ends.
The project, in passing, was brought up time again
but no plans were made not even where to begin.
So our student went on, (let's call him, "Craig")
and followed his routine which for weeks had him dredged.
Every night on the stage if not there, the chorus room
he and others sang, danced, to perfect the performance boom.
But his project could wait at least, so he thought,
until the last week arrived and no time could be bought.
So plans then were made for the weekend ahead
to produce a video that would keep him his head.
But on the very next day much to his surprise
came a long distance call which would seal his demise.
"Hello!" said the voice, light and so full of cheer,
"Come quick to Virginia. It's your grandparents 50th year!"
So Craig came to school to explain to his group
of his situation and departure from the troop.
They were disappointed but they understood,
for these were his friends, and his friends, they were good.
So off to Virginia Craig went with no plan
to save 200 points and his quarter grade if he can.
He thought of it little until he got home
where the thought raided his senses like fermented cologne.
He said to himself, "Oh what shall I do?
my procrastination has now done me through!"
To class the next day Craig took his excuse
and apologized for his 'put off' attitude.
Mr. Catrillo (his teacher) with a heart big as life,
a calm disposition, and impregnated wife,
gave him a chance to redeem his grade
if only his own tale could be made.
One with moral setting to be told once and again,
to teach others something, to keep them from pain.
So Craig took his chance -although not with great speed,
still put off a bit, but he finished this deed.
He wrote a tale of himself and his horrible vice.
Catrillo loved it so much that he read at least twice.
So Craig learned his lesson in a valuable way:
Never put off til tomorrow what you can do today.

- Gregory Rather Gentry 1993

Life Together - or Maybe Not

2010-09-01T23:40:00.000-04:00

Great article by Carl Trueman on being a proper churchman, and by implication, a proper brother/sister in Christ.

You're just going to have to go read it.

I always felt that what he describes was my greatest strength when I was a pastor. Luckily you don't have to be a pastor to do it.

How Hyper is your Calvinism?

2010-09-01T10:53:00.000-04:00

Another golden nugget from Ray Ortlund Jr.'s blog.

Click through to be nice.

In Spurgeon v. Hyper-Calvinism, Iain Murray draws four lessons from that conflict:

1. “Genuine evangelical Christianity is never of an exclusive spirit. Any view of the truth which undermines catholicity has gone astray from Scripture.” Spurgeon regretfully disagreed with hyper-Calvinists who “made faith in election a part of saving faith and thus either denied the Christianity of all professed Christians who did not so believe or at least treated such profession with much suspicion.”

2. Spurgeon “wanted to see both divine sovereignty and human responsibility upheld, but when it came to gospel preaching he believed that there needed to be a greater concentration upon responsibility. The tendency of Hyper-Calvinism was to make sinners want to understand theology before they could believe in Christ.”

3. “This controversy directs us to our need for profound humility before God. It reminds us forcefully of questions about which we can only say, ‘Behold, God is great, and we know him not’ (Job 36:26).” “It is to be feared that sharp contentions between Christians on these issues have too often arisen from a wrong confidence in our powers of reasoning and our assumed ability to draw logical inferences.” Spurgeon saw “how a system which sought to attribute all to the grace of God had itself too much confidence in the powers of reason.”

4. “The final conclusion has to be that when Calvinism ceases to be evangelistic, when it becomes more concerned with theory than with the salvation of men and women, when acceptance of doctrines seems to become more important than acceptance of Christ, then it is a system going to seed and it will invariably lose its attractive power.”

Iain H. Murray, Spurgeon v. Hyper-Calvinism (Edinburgh, 1995), pages 110-122. Italics added.

What surprised me in reading this is how often we lean towards Hyper-Calvinism. I always knew that it was a danger, but I was struck, particularly in #2, by the strict angle of the lean... it's pretty acute. It may not be a theological lean, but it sure is a practical one.

Romans 1 FTW

2010-08-27T14:22:00.004-04:00

This is such a great post from JT. He basically takes you through the second half of Romans one in a Q&A type format. It really lays out the argument in completely clear terms... of course, it really is just scripture in sections, so what JT is really doing is highlighting the clarity of Paul's thinking and the direction of what he is arguing here.

I hope you'll click through and give JT the love he deserves, but in case you are anything like me, here's the post below:

What Are We Apart from Christ?

We sometimes think of the second half of the first chapter of Romans as a discourse about atheists. (And indeed, according to Romans 1 the answer to the question “Does God believe in atheists?” is “no.”)

But in reality, it’s a universal text that applies to all of us apart from Christ—what we are, what we do, and what we would do apart from God’s restraining and redeeming grace, with graphic examples to illustrate our truth-suppression and idolatrous identity.

Here’s an attempt to start to think through this sobering section of Romans.

What do all of us know?

(1) We know God himself.

(2) We know God’s decree.

(3) We know God’s judgment—that those who practice sinful things deserve death.

What is our responsibility?

We are without excuse.

How clear is the evidence for God’s knowability?

What can be known about God is plain.

Who showed us the evidence for God?

God himself has shown us what can be known about him.

What is it about God that every one of us knows?

We have clearly perceived God’s invisible attributes (= his eternal power and divine nature).

Where do we see God’s invisible attributes?

In the things that God has made.

What do we fail to do in response?

(1) We fail to honor God as God.

(2) We fail to give thanks to God.

(2) We fail to acknowledge God.

What do we do instead of honoring and thanking God?

We suppress the truth.

How?

By our unrighteousness.

What do we claim about our thinking?

We claim to be wise.

What are we in reality?

We are fools.

What happened to our minds?

We became futile in our thinking.

What happened to our hearts?

Our foolish hearts were darkened.

What is the result?

We exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling

mortal man
birds
animals
creeping things

We exchanged the truth of God for a lie.

What did we do with created things?

(1) We worshiped the creature rather than the Creator.

(2) We served the creature rather than the Creator.

What is the result of this idolatry?

God gave us up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity.

What kind of impurity?

The dishonoring of our bodies among ourselves.

How did we become entangled in dishonorable passions?

God gave us up to dishonorable passions.

Which dishonorable passions did women commit?

Women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature.

Which dishonorable passions did men commit?

The men gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

What does God do to us for failing to acknowledge him?

God gave us up to a debased mind.

To do what?

To do what ought not to be done.

What are we filled with?

All manner of

unrighteousness
evil
covetousness
malice

We are full of

envy
murder
strife
deceit
maliciousness

What are we?

We are

gossips
slanderers
haters of God
insolent
haughty
boastful
inventors of evil
disobedient to parents
foolish
faithless
heartless
ruthless

What do we know?

God’s decree.

What is God’s decree?

Those who practice such sinful things deserve to die.

What do we do?

(1) We do these sinful things.

(2) We give approval to those who practice these sinful things.

What does God do in response?

God reveals his wrath from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.

Is there any hope?

The gospel.

What is the gospel?

The power of God for salvation.

For who?

To everyone who believes—to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

What is revealed in the gospel?

The righteousness of God, from faith to faith.

As Habakkuk 2:4 says, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Romans 1:16-32

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Addendum

For those who struggle to see why Paul would use homosexuality as his prime example of idolatry, I’d recommend this sermon from John Piper. Piper’s most profound insight here is that Paul sees a “dramatization” of Christ and the Church in Christ-centered heterosexual marriage, and that he also sees a dramatization of idolatry in same-sex sexual behavior, as men and women unite with images of themselves.

The reason Paul focuses on homosexuality in these verses is because it is the most vivid dramatization in life of the profoundest connection between the disordering of heart-worship and the disordering of our sexual lives. I’ll try to say it simply, though it is weighty beyond words.
We learn from Paul in Ephesians 5:31-32 that, from the beginning, manhood and womanhood existed to represent or dramatize God’s relation to his people and then Christ’s relation to his bride, the church. In this drama, the man represents God or Christ and is to love his wife as Christ loved the church. The woman represents God’s people or the church. And sexual union in the covenant of marriage represents pure, undefiled, intense heart-worship. That is, God means for the beauty of worship to be dramatized in the right ordering of our sexual lives.
But instead, we have exchanged the glory of God for images, especially of ourselves. The beauty of heart-worship has been destroyed. Therefore, in judgment, God decrees that this disordering of our relation to him be dramatized in the disordering of our sexual relations with each other. And since the right ordering of our relationship to God in heart-worship was dramatized by heterosexual union in the covenant of marriage, the disordering of our relationship to God is dramatized by the breakdown of that heterosexual union.
Homosexuality is the most vivid form of that breakdown. God and man in covenant worship are represented by male and female in covenant sexual union. Therefore, when man turns from God to images of himself, God hands us over to what we have chosen and dramatizes it by male and female turning to images of themselves for sexual union, namely their own sex. Homosexuality is the judgment of God dramatizing the exchange of the glory of God for images of ourselves. (See the parallel uses of “exchange” in verses 25 and 26.)

Piper’s entire sermon is worth reading or listening to, especially as he gives counsel to those struggling with same-sex desire, as well as advice to parents.

Are Christian's under the Ten Commandments?

2010-08-08T00:34:00.000-04:00

What is the believer's relationship to the Ten Commandments?
I think John Piper hits it on the head in the following video. We might say it a little different, but we mean the same thing.

I love these ask Pastor John segments. They are great. There are literally hundred of them, check them out on you tube or at desiringgod.org

We do something similar with our High School kids. They get to ask our pastor any question they want once or twice a year. I think it should happen more often with a wider audience. That Piper does this with a global audience is fantastic.

While you're at it...

2010-08-03T02:19:00.001-04:00

If you happen to be over at The Gospel Coalition Blog check out this post.

D.A. Carson, one of if not my favorite contemporary preacher/theologians, has put together 14 messages to introduce Christianity and the Bible; who God is and what He says. It is geared towards seekers, but is simultaneously robust and simple enough to engage and remind seasoned Christians.

In my opinion, Carson, better than just about anybody I have heard or read not named Spurgeon - is able to speak simply and yet profoundly - he gets to the meat of things without dumbing it down, and yet makes it easily understandable for anyone who might be listening. He is very gifted.

If you know my senior pastor and have heard him preach, you will hear some similarities in style, I think it's the Canadian backgrounds. If you have opportunity to watch Carson, the similarities multiply. :-)

In any case, these messages are part of Carson's book, "The God Who is There"
If you like the messages, pass them on, or buy the book to give to your seeking friends.
I think the videos are forthcoming - not sure if they will be free online or just by purchasing DVD's - but there are previews available at the title link above, and you can check out the book by clicking below.

The Evangelical Reformed Movement: A Comeback

2010-08-03T01:56:00.002-04:00

This is a great article about the re-emergence of Reformed Christianity, the incredible opportunity it presents to the church and some of the dangers that are lurking as well.
All in all it seems there is a hopeful future for "evangelicalism" in our country and around the world - IF we handle it well and make sure our trust is in the right place. This is not about us - it's about our God getting the greatest possible amount of glory.

I'm not going to post the article here - go to Kevin DeYoung's blog and bookmark it or add it to your feed-reader, it's worth your daily read.

For the fellas...

2010-07-22T00:16:00.000-04:00

Days away now... try to focus. I will do the same.
It IS just a game... right?

Only a select few will care, but that just gave me nerd chills right there...

You Are Your Secrets

2010-06-30T18:11:00.000-04:00

I found this post by Ray Ortlund to be right on the money: Go visit him.
But in case you won't, here is his post:

O. Hobart Mowrer, the psychologist, set himself to understand more deeply our hollowed-out emotional lives. He noted that, commonly, when we perform a good deed, we advertise it, display it, draw attention to it, at least hint at it, hoping to collect on the emotional credit of it then and there. But when we do something cheap, evil or stupid, we hide it, deny it, minimize it. But the emotional discredit from that stays with us and even accumulates with each further hypocrisy. This is how we make ourselves chronically bankrupt in conscience and heart. Our lives are required of us, and we are found wanting. No felt “net worth.” Lost confidence, pizzazz. Our positive energies are depleted by fugitive concealing and pretending.

Then Mowrer wondered, what if we reversed our strategy? What if we spent our lives admitting our weaknesses, owning up to our failures, naming our idiot-moments, confessing our follies, errors and debts, while also hiding away from everyone’s view our smart ideas, heroic sacrifices, kind deeds, charities and virtues? What if, instead of throwing back at the other guy his worst failure while trotting out our best moment, we put up our worst against his best? What would happen then? Our hearts might start filling up.

He entitled his essay “You are your secrets.” It is in his book The New Group Therapy(New York, 1964), pages 65-71.

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. . . . Your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:1, 4).

WOOT!

2010-06-12T11:16:00.003-04:00

Two for the Price of One

2010-06-08T18:23:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure when he wrote them, but Kevin DeYoung has come out with two top notch writings, one a blog post, and the other an article for Ligonier Ministries.

The first is an article that goes hard against the current American Evangelical trend against the 'institutional church' and the post modern 'revolutionaries' of emergent and 'social gospel' stripe.

A taste:

What we need are fewer revolutionaries and a few more plodding visionaries. That’s my dream for the church — a multitude of faithful, risktaking plodders. The best churches are full of gospel-saturated people holding tenaciously to a vision of godly obedience and God’s glory, and pursuing that godliness and glory with relentless, often unnoticed, plodding consistency.

He says our generation all want to be Bono, a lone, rich, social justice machine, when we really just need to be faithful everyday where God has placed us. He calls us back to the church, WHERE LIFE HAPPENS (my words, not his), instead of trying to become a rock star revolutionary.

He closes

Don’t give up on the church. The New Testament knows nothing of churchless Christianity. The invisible church is for invisible Christians. The visible church is for you and me. Put away the Che Guevara t-shirts, stop the revolution, and join the rest of the plodders. Fifty years from now you’ll be glad you did.

Read the whole thing.

The blog post is equally good, and maybe even more practical than the article. It has to do with humility, how we interact with one another, and the role that talking plays in both. It's a really great insight that as I read, brought to mind people I know who really exemplify the humility he describes and who are masterful at drawing people out in order to learn about them and love them. He has a great quote by CS Lewis to start things off:

Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call “humble” nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him.

Read the whole thing.

I have a little more to say about this one I think... not because I disagree with him at all, but there is an aspect of this that there needs to be a warning about. As with most virtues, they can be manipulated and can become a vice. Using questions to deflect the light of conversation away from yourself and shine it on others is a wonderful tool and does indeed show a very humble heart - however, if the person wielding that tool uses it to the point where he is disengaged himself and refuses to allow others in to engage him and to know and to love him, then it is not humility at all - in fact it is pride. It is a false humility that says 'you need me more than I need you.' And is nearly as bad as one who only talks about himself.

One anothering is exactly that - it requires giving and receiving. Too much of either leaves people weak and vulnerable. Love others, indeed! But you must also allow others to love you.

Truly Reformed

2010-06-07T20:54:00.001-04:00

This is an incredible post by Ray Ortlund for everyone who claims Christ, but particularly those of the Reformed Faith.

It's one of those times when someone else clearly elucidates thoughts you have been having, and at the same time. As JT qualifies, it doesn't say everything. But it says much that must be said, and much that needs to be heard.

If you applauded for blog posts, this one would get a standing O'.

I' going to recommend that you go and read it on his blog. Swim around over there and maybe add him to your feed reader. He is usually short and poignant and is consistently worth reading. This post is longer than his usual, but it's length is proportionate to the worth of the read... go get it...

For those of you who I know will not click over, I will post the whole thing below, but you really should check our Mr. Ortlund.

I believe in the sovereignty of God, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Solas of the Reformation, I believe that grace precedes faith in regeneration. Theologically, I am Reformed. Sociologically, I am simply a Christian – or at least I want to be. The tricky thing about our hearts is that they can turn even a good thing into an engine of oppression. It happens when our theological distinctives make us aloof from other Christians. That’s when, functionally, we relocate ourselves outside the gospel and inside Galatianism.

The Judaizers in Galatia did not see their distinctive – the rite of circumcision – as problematic. They could claim biblical authority for it in Genesis 17 and the Abrahamic covenant. But their distinctive functioned as an addition to the all-sufficiency of Jesus himself. Today the flash point is not circumcision. It can be Reformed theology. But no matter how well argued our position is biblically, if it functions in our hearts as an addition to Jesus, it ends up as a form of legalistic divisiveness.

Paul answered the theological aspects of the Galatian error with solid theology. But the “whiff test” that something was wrong in those Galatian churches was more subtle than theology alone. The problem was also sociological. “They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them” (Galatians 4:17). In other words, “The legalists want to ‘disciple’ you. But really, they’re manipulating you. By emphasizing their distinctive, they want you to feel excluded so that you will conform to them.” It’s like chapter two of Tom Sawyer. Remember how Tom got the other boys to whitewash the fence for him? Mark Twain explained: “In order to make a man or boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.” Paul saw it happening in Galatia. But the gospel makes full inclusion in the church easy to attain. It re-sets everyone’s status in terms of God’s grace alone. God’s grace in Christ crucified, and nothing more. He alone makes us kosher. He himself.

The Judaizers would probably have answered at this point, “We love Jesus too. But how can you be a first-rate believer, really set apart to God, without circumcision, so plainly commanded right here in the Bible? This isn’t an add-on. It’s the full-meal deal. God says so.”

Their misuse of the Bible showed up in social dysfunction. “It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised. . . . They desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh” (Galatians 6:12-13). In other words, “When Christians, whatever the label or badge or shibboleth, start pressuring you to come into line with their distinctive, you know something’s wrong. They want to enhance their own significance by your conformity to them: ‘See? We’re better. We’re superior. People are moving our way. They are becoming like us. We’re the buzz.’” What is this, but deep emotional emptiness medicating itself by relational manipulation? This is not about Christ. This is about Self. Even Peter fell into this hypocrisy (Galatians 2:11-14). But no matter who is involved, this is not the ministry of the gospel. Even if a biblical argument can be made for a certain position, and we all want to be biblical, the proof of what’s really happening is not in the theological argumentation but in the sociological integration.

Paul had thought it through. He made a decision that the bedrock of his emotional okayness would forever lie here: “Far be it from me to boast [establish my personal significance] except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation” (Galatians 6:14-15). In other words, “Here is all I need for my deepest sense of myself: Jesus Christ crucified. His cross has deconstructed me and remade me, and I am happy. Everything else is at best secondary, possibly irrelevant, even counterproductive. Let Jesus alone stand forth in my theology, in my emotional well-being and in my relationships with other Christians!” This settledness in Paul’s heart made him a life-giving man for other people. He was a free man, setting others free (Galatians 5:1). This is the acid test of a truly Reformed ministry – that other believers need not be Reformed in order to be respected and included in our hearts.

Whatever divides us emotionally from other Bible-believing, Christ-honoring Christians is a “plus” we’re adding to the gospel. It is the Galatian impulse of self-exaltation. It can even become a club with which we bash other Christians, at least in our thoughts, to punish, to exclude and to force into line with us.

What unifies the church is the gospel. What defines the gospel is the Bible. What interprets the Bible correctly is a hermeneutic centered on Jesus Christ crucified, the all-sufficient Savior of sinners, who gives himself away on terms of radical grace to all alike. What proves that that gospel hermeneutic has captured our hearts is that we are not looking down on other believers but lifting them up, not seeing ourselves as better but grateful for their contribution to the cause, not standing aloof but embracing them freely, not wishing they would become like us but serving them in love (Galatians 5:13).

My Reformed friend, can you move among other Christian groups and really enjoy them? Do you admire them? Even if you disagree with them in some ways, do you learn from them? What is the emotional tilt of your heart – toward them or away from them? If your Reformed theology has morphed functionally into Galatian sociology, the remedy is not to abandon your Reformed theology. The remedy is to take your Reformed theology to a deeper level. Let it reduce you to Jesus only. Let it humble you. Let this gracious doctrine make you a fun person to be around. The proof that we are Reformed will be all the wonderful Christians we discover around us who are not Reformed. Amazing people. Heroic people. Blood-bought people. People with whom we are eternally one – in Christ alone.

I think he may have posted this before. I think I may have quoted him posting it before... but either way it's awesome and needs to be read probably once a month, or once a week maybe. It's that important.

Ask Paul Tripp

2010-05-31T02:41:00.003-04:00

This is a great Q&A session with perhaps the best parenting and marriage counselor of this generation. I always find him helpful and insightful. His approach is merciful, and always encourages me to action in my own life and family. Paul Tripp is a gift. Use him liberally.

I tried to make the video fit right, but it refused... que lastima. So I altered the width of my entire blog to accommodate it... that's me - moving my world for you.
;-)

Enjoy... it's long, but worth every minute in my opinion. Take notes...

'Nuff Said...

2010-05-24T22:48:00.000-04:00

Most Popular Hits

2010-05-13T11:27:00.000-04:00

Like most bloggers, I keep track of the hits that come in to the site. I use Sitemeter, which I like a lot. I like to see where people are coming to my blog from in the webiverse, and sitemeter has a great referral page.

If I am active in a particular week, I usually see between 30-50 unique hits, which, while always a nice surprise, is by no means a huge feat. I am humbled that anyone would be interest enough to read this blog, which is mostly a few comments on what someone else is talking about, if that, and/or fewer and fewer family updates.

So I was surprised when my sitemeter showed that this week I had 90 unique visitors to this blog.
I don't think it's the first time I've gotten that high, but the last time it was because I got a random link on an MSNBC blog (Clicked) because I posted a random you tube video. I think I got over 100 visits that time...

But anyway, I wanted to know where these hits came from. Here is the breakdown:

17 were "unknown." Which means they likely came from feed readers.
(Bloglines, google reader, etc)

48 (!) were for this post on a sermon I wrote on Proverbs 31. This is the page that consistently gets the most hits each week. Some weeks it is the only page that gets any hits. If you do a google search on "proverbs 31 sermon" that page is ranked like #3 or something. Pretty cool.

A little less inspiring, 13 of the 90 were for this post. Which is the post that gets the second most hits of all pages on this blog. It is the series of humorous promotional commercials that SNY released last year to promote the network. (Which I have re-embedded, since people looking for them were not getting to see them!)

The remaining 12 hits were from other friends blogs and from facebook, where I recently piggybacked this blog.

I have been encouraged to find that, since I posted it, so many people have seen the ending of the sermon on Proverbs 31. My encouragement is (knowing my own heart) probably at least a bit self-serving, but it's not often as a pastor that you say something potentially original about a text. I say 'potentially' because I haven't read or heard every sermon ever given on that text, nor every commentary, but as far as I know, that is an original approach to that text. And after 2000 years of preaching and commentary, things like that just don't happen very often. So I am thankful to God for the thought, and more thankful that others are seeing it and perhaps even using it in their own sermons on the text.

But those are the most popular pages so far. Strange and Cool.

O the Guilt!

2010-05-11T15:53:00.000-04:00

Kevin DeYoung has a great post for Christians who feel guilty a lot.

Guilt has it's place in the lives of Christians, mostly because we SIN, but as DeYoung says, "I don’t believe God redeemed us through the blood of his Son that we might feel like constant failures."

He gives 4 reasons why we DO feel that way, and some consequences...

Highly recommended read for the guilty and the ignorant alike.

A Contemporvant Service

2010-05-08T00:11:00.002-04:00

This from JTs blog at the gospel coalition:

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

There are so many obvious pokes at real people in this video that make it even funnier than it is intended to be (I think). I hope they have a sense of humor.
Beyond that however, it's kind of sad that this phenomenon is so prevalent and so popular that it can satire itself in the same way that this movie genre does and arguably do a better job...

I've never been in that church. But I know me, and I ought not ever be in that church.
But I'll post some of their you tube videos. ;-)

Make War (2 Cor. 10:3)

2010-05-06T16:53:00.000-04:00

It's a little on the harder side of rap for my usual tastes, but I think that's appropriate for the subject matter... and I love the Piper quote...

Devotions Aren't Magic

2010-05-04T08:26:00.002-04:00

This is a great post from the Desiring God Blog - It doesn't need my commentary.

Devotions Aren't Magic
(Author: Jon Bloom)

We know that—for the most part. But still, we can be tempted to think that if we just figure out the secret formula—the right mixture of Bible meditation and prayer—we will experience euphoric moments of rapturous communion with the Lord. And if that doesn't happen, our formula must be wrong.

The danger of this misconception is that it can produce chronic disappointment and discouragement. Cynicism sets in and we give up because devotions don't seem to work for us.

The longing for intimate communion with God is God-given. He will satisfy it fully some day. And the Spirit gives us occasional tastes. But God has other purposes for us in our daily Bible meditation and prayer. Here are a few:

Soul Exercise (1 Corinthians 9:24, Romans 15:4): We exercise our bodies to increase strength, endurance, promote general health, and keep unnecessary weight off. Devotions are like exercise for our souls. They force our attention off of self-indulgent distractions and pursuits and on to God's purposes and promises. If we neglect this exercise we will go to pot.

Soul Shaping (Romans 12:2): The body will generally take the shape of how we exercise it. Running shapes one way, weight training shapes another way. The same is true for the soul. It will conform to how we exercise (or don't exercise) it.

Bible Copiousness (Psalm 119:11, Psalm 119:97, Proverbs 23:12): A thorough, repeated, soaking in the Bible over the course of years increases our body of biblical knowledge, providing fuel for the fire of worship and increasing our ability to draw from all parts of the Bible in applying God's wisdom to life.

Fight Training (Ephesians 6:10-17): Marines undergo rigorous training in order to so ingrain their weapons knowledge that when suddenly faced with the chaos of combat they instinctively know what to do. Similarly, devotions make us more skilled warriors.

Delight Cultivation (Psalm 37:3-4, James 4:8, Psalm 130:5): When a couple falls in love there are hormonal fireworks. But in marriage they must cultivate delight in one another. It is the consistent, persistent, faithful, intentional, affectionate pursuit of one another during better and worse, richer and poorer, sickness and healthy times that cultivates a capacity for delight in each other far deeper and richer than the fireworks phase. Similarly, devotions are one of the ways we cultivate delight in God. Many days it may seem mundane. But we will be surprised at the cumulative power they have to deepen our love for and awareness of Him.

More Francis Chan for your Disillusionment

2010-04-30T15:05:00.000-04:00

Watch with care...

That sinking feeling.. that - right there... that feeling you have?

That's called conviction.

Drink Deep.

What are you wrapped around?

2010-04-25T08:38:00.000-04:00

This has been making the rounds and I found it challenging and refreshing.

I think our whole American Christian culture is tightly wrapped around the beam, and it's gonna take some serious prying to get us unlatched - myself included. But let's get started...

A Great Heart

2010-04-06T23:05:00.001-04:00

Can't get enough Spurgeon...

“A man who is to do much with men must love them and feel at home with them. An individual who has no geniality about him had better be an undertaker and bury the dead, for he will never succeed in influencing the living. . . . A man must have a great heart, if he would have a great congregation. His heart should be as capacious as those noble harbors along our coast, which contain sea-room for a fleet. When a man has a large, loving heart, men go to him as ships to a haven and feel at peace when they have anchored under the lee of his friendship. Such a man is hearty in private as well as in public; his blood is not cold and fishy but he is warm as your own fireside. No pride and selfishness chill you when you approach him; he has his doors all open to receive you, and you are home with him at once. Such men I would persuade you to be, every one of you.”

C. H. Spurgeon, Lectures to my Students (Grand Rapids, 1970), page 169.

HT: Ray Ortlund

Sunday's Coming!

2010-04-01T17:21:00.002-04:00

Not as good as the last one, but powerful because it's true.
And tomorrow's FRIDAY! .... But Sunday's Comin...

I could watch/listen to this 100 times

2010-04-01T17:12:00.001-04:00

and I bet I would weep each time...

Glory to God!

Quiet Fanatics

2010-03-18T14:08:00.002-04:00

Not sure where Ray Ortlund Jr. finds these guys in order to quote them, but this one smacked me in the face today...

“It is a growing conviction of mine that no parish can fulfill its true function unless there is at the very center of its leadership life a small community of quietly fanatic, changed and truly converted Christians. The trouble with most parishes is that nobody, including the pastor, is really greatly changed. . . .

We do not want ordinary men. Ordinary men cannot win the brutally pagan life of a city like New York for Christ. We want quiet fanatics.”

John Heuss, Our Christian Vocation (Greenwish, 1955), pages 15-16.

Lord, please make me what you need me to be for your kingdom.

Great sermon... Paul Washer

2010-03-04T23:49:00.006-05:00

I've heard of Paul Washer, but this is the first of his sermons that I have listened to from beginning to end. It's fantastic. The title of the you-tube clip is what made me listen, because looking at Paul Washer does not make me think about rap music. :-)

But I love reformed rap, and it is becoming more and more lovely to me, and Mr. Washer gives good warnings to these guys at this conference, but what he does later in the sermon shutting down carnal Christianity and after that with 1 John is worth the hour.

Dig in and be challenged and be fed.

How to Wreck Your Church in Three Weeks

2010-01-26T00:48:00.004-05:00

The above link to the below blog post will reveal that this post has been pulled from Ray Ortlund's blog over at the Gospel Coalition. I hope it's just temporary because I found it to be one of the most timely and insightful blog posts I've read in a long time.

I'm going to post it in its entirety here, but you should check out Mr. Ortlund's blog, it's quite good.

Here's his now missing post:

How to wreck your church in three weeks

Week One: Walk into church today and think about how long you’ve been a member, how much you’ve sacrificed, how under-appreciated you are. Take note of every way you’re dissatisfied with your church now. Take note of every person who displeases you.

Meet for coffee this week with another member and “share your heart.” Discuss how your church is changing, how you are being left out. Ask your friend who else in the church has “concerns.” Agree together that you must “pray about it.”

Week Two: Send an email to a few other “concerned” members. Inform them that a groundswell of grievance is surfacing in your church. Problems have gone unaddressed for too long. Ask them to keep the matter to themselves “for the sake of the body.”

As complaints come in, form them into a petition to demand an accounting from the leaders of the church. Circulate the petition quietly. Gathering support will be easy. Even happy members can be used if you appeal to their sense of fairness – that your side deserves a hearing. Be sure to proceed in a way that conforms to your church constitution, so that your petition is procedurally correct.

Week Three: When the growing moral fervor, ill-defined but powerful, reaches critical mass, confront the elders with your demands. Inform them of all the woundedness in the church, which leaves you with no choice but to put your petition forward. Inform them that, for the sake of reconciliation, the concerns of the body must be satisfied.

Whatever happens from this point on, you have won. You have changed the subject in your church from gospel advance to your own grievances. To some degree, you will get your way. Your church will need three or four years for recovery. But at any future time, you can do it all again. It only takes three weeks.

Just one question. Even if you are being wronged, “Why not rather suffer wrong?” (1 Corinthians 6:7).

This is Making the Rounds...

2010-01-21T17:08:00.002-05:00

... so I thought I'd jump on the interwebs bandwagon. The message is excellent because it is true - but not true of all messages! :-)

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.

Hit the Link in the Title for more animation from Ronnie Bruce.

For more poetry from Taylor Malin: Go Here

I could hat tip this from about 25 places, so nobody gets credit. Boast in the Lord!

;-)

The Anti-Psalm 131

2009-12-24T21:35:00.005-05:00

Here’s Anti-Psalm 131:

Self,

my heart is proud (I’m absorbed in myself),
and my eyes are haughty (I look down on other people),
and I chase after things too great and too difficult for me.

So of course I’m noisy and restless inside, it comes naturally,

like a hungry infant fussing on his mother’s lap,
like a hungry infant, I’m restless with my demands and worries.
I scatter my hopes onto anything and everybody all the time.

Contrast that with the real Psalm 131:

O Lord,

my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.

But I have calmed and quieted my soul,

like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.

Me:
conviction=1
repentance=1
guilt=0
shame=0
condemnation=0
contentment=1

at least that's how it oughtta be...

HT: JT

Haven't laughed this hard in awhile...

2009-12-23T21:46:00.002-05:00

This is now my favorite internet movie of all time...
If you don't think its funny, don't tell me. It'll cause a rift in our relationship.
J/K (no, seriously...)

Star Wars: Retold (By Someone Who Hasn't Seen It)

Atom.com: Funny Videos | Spoofs | Star Wars Fan Movie Champions

A Newly Realized Argument for a Definite (Limited) Atonement

2009-12-09T20:49:00.008-05:00

He's back, ladies and gentlemen! But don't get too excited, because who knows if or when I will ever have (or take) the time to post again?!

And aren't you glad I chose a heady theological topic for my re-entrance into the blogosphere after an absence of over 4 months? I could have eased you in with updated photos of my daughter...

Or I could have sucked you right in with cutesy pictures of our new puppy, Tobiwan Kenobi... or just Toby if you prefer...

But no... I'm coming right at you with a mind bending discussion of one of the most heated topics in Christendom... For whom, exactly, did Christ die?

Now, I'm not going to spend a lot of time rehashing all the arguments on both sides (Arminianism vs Calvinism) of the issue, I really just want to point out an argument that was new to me.

Notice I did not say new. Just new to me... The biblical arguments for a definite or limited atonement are profuse and irrefutable as far as I am concerned, but recently I heard an argument that was both simple and profound, and I heard it from a not unlikely, but unexpected source.

Awhile ago I posted on the rising of new Christian rap artist Lecrae, and in passing mentioned Shai Linne as well. Well at first I couldn't get enough of Lecrae, but Shai Linne has far surpassed him in time spent in my ear over the last few months. His blog is titled "Lyrical Theology" and it is more than fitting for what this man does on the mic...

There is one song in particular, called "Mission Accomplished" that brought out this particular argument about Limited, or Definite Atonement. The song lyrics discuss how (and then Shai Linne explicitly explains, as do the Scriptures) that the Godhead is unified, and all three persons of the Trinity have been working together from the foundation of the world in order to bring about the salvation of God's people, for His glory.

Now, it seems both sides of the argument would agree that The Father, from eternity, chooses specific individuals to save (be it conditionally or unconditionally - that's another argument), that's called election. And both sides also agree that there are specific individuals to whom the Holy Spirit actually gives the new birth, applying what Christ did on the cross (And amazingly, at the end of the day, they happen to be the same people! Go figure!). But if God is unified in His being and in His work, why would Christ's work on the cross be applied universally if what the Father did in eternity, and what the Holy Spirit does now, is limited only to specific individuals? Doesn't that put the Godhead at odds with itself? Why would the Son's work in salvation be for everyone, when the Father's and the Spirit's work in salvation is decidedly not for everyone universally?

Of course the answer is that it is not. Christ's atonement is only for those whom God has chosen from all eternity and those to whom the Holy Spirit effectually applies it in history.

OK, not exactly mind bending... and maybe not even clear. :-)

Here is the song if you want to here it for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-jl6jFn86k

Please disregard the images, as they do not really apply and some could be considered offensive.

Now, back into the void....

The Anti-Psalm 23

2009-07-25T21:04:00.005-04:00

David Powlison writes an inversion of the great Psalm 23 in an article @ boundless.org

Go here for the context...

Here is the darkest song I've ever heard:

I'm on my own.
No one looks out for me or protects me.
I experience a continual sense of need. Nothing's quite right.
I'm always restless. I'm easily frustrated and often disappointed.
It's a jungle — I feel overwhelmed. It's a desert — I'm thirsty.
My soul feels broken, twisted, and stuck. I can't fix myself.
I stumble down some dark paths.
Still, I insist: I want to do what I want, when I want, how I want.
But life's confusing. Why don't things ever really work out?
I'm haunted by emptiness and futility — shadows of death.
I fear the big hurt and final loss.
Death is waiting for me at the end of every road,
but I'd rather not think about that.
I spend my life protecting myself. Bad things can happen.
I find no lasting comfort.
I'm alone ... facing everything that could hurt me.
Are my friends really friends?
Other people use me for their own ends.
I can't trust anyone. No one has my back.
No one is really for me — except me.
And I'm so much all about ME, sometimes it's sickening.
I belong to no one except myself.
My cup is never quite full enough. I'm left empty.
Disappointment follows me all the days of my life.
Will I just be obliterated into nothingness?
Will I be alone forever, homeless, free-falling into void?
Sartre said, "Hell is other people."
I have to add, "Hell is also myself."
It's a living death,
and then I die.

What song are you singing?

HT: Justin Taylor

And the Winner is.....

2009-07-01T01:52:00.002-04:00

I have been having some serious browser issues lately.

Just like everyone else, I grew up (since the internet started in the early 90's) using Internet Explorer. This was fine. I didn't know any better, didn't know any different. For many years there was nothing different. So I blithely went along with IE until I very slowly and somewhat reluctantly (I am a rare early adopter) made the switch to Firefox while in seminary, around 2003 I believe. I don't even think I had seen it until one of my roommates showed me the light.

Since then, I love Firefox. I have loved how far superior it is to IE for so long, and all the add-ons and customization. It's been a wonderful 6 years together so far, it really has.

However, lately, Firefox has been letting me down. It uses so much RAM, even for a single tab, that it will at times force me to shut it down just to clear some room for the next page. But that is not even the worst part. Now, every time I load the browser, for about 2 and a half minutes it completely hogs all CPU, virtually making the computer unusable, after which it runs normal - which is to say it slowly uses all the other resources. I have tried just about everything for these issues, even completely wiping my install and starting over with no add-ons... no dice.

I got so frustrated with Firefox that I even tried making the switch back to IE with their new piece of garbage, IE8. It started out OK, until of course it never worked. 7 out of 10 times it would simply refuse to connect to a server. Had a headache or something I guess... whatever, that got tired real quick and IE8 was kicked to the curb with its garbage predecessor.

I was so desparate, I even downloaded SAFARI, and I am an avowed MAC hater... this shows how bad things had truly gotten. But I must say that Safari, for being all Mac and crap, was not terrible. It was definitely NOT the fastest broswer, as advertised, but apart from it's poor layout, (which for mac users is probably home) it got the job done. But I just couldn't stomach using it... I barely kept lunch down installing the thing...

Enter my knight in shining armor... Goggle Chrome.

I never would have guessed it, but this has been the best upgrade I could have asked for. It runs on almost no RAM (like 30K for each instance or tab, not bad at all). It uses very little CPU, even to render heavy pages. It's fast. It is by far the best browser I have used to date. I have to give great thanks and kudos to my brother from another mother Aron for pointing me in this direction. So far it is the clear winner. All the best add-ons I would need to install on Firefox are already in Chrome without the extra weight. When you're not using it, it basically doesn't exist as far as your computer is concerned. It's been a great experience so far and I am almost completely on board the Google gravytrain. I recommend you jump on for a ride!

But now, Firefox has release 3.5 .... What to do?
I will have to download it and give it a test drive, but it will be hard pressed, even after 6 years of loving companionship, to get me to come back at this point. Hard pressed indeed.

I-Pod alert: Listen to this...

2009-06-26T13:09:00.000-04:00

I have been preaching on suffering and God's sovereignty (as an overarching theme) in that last half of Romans 8 for what seems like a year now... It's been some of the most helpful study I've done (for me, I mean) thus far in my short time in the ministry.

But I just listened to one of if not the best sermon I've ever heard on the subject of suffering and God's sovereignty, and I wanted to share it with anyone who will hear it:

All the Good that Is Ours in Christ: Seeing God's Gracious Hand in the Hurts Others Do to Us

It is a sermon by Mark Talbot that was preached at the 2005 Desiring God National Conference. Talbot is returning to the conference this year, and this sermon is being linked on a lot of reformed blogs out there.

Be warned: This is not for the faint of heart. It will challenge you intellectually and spiritually. (It's also pretty long at 1:16ish) So gird up the loins of your mind and strap this one into your ipod and be stretched, and be edified.

How to Be in More Than One Place at One Time - The Phenomenon of the Sattelite Church

2009-06-10T12:21:00.002-04:00

Mark Driscoll just posted this the other day on how amazing it will be when he is able to preach eight sermons at the same time.

I don't know how Mars Hill structures its satellite campuses. Maybe they are so blessed with good elders to lead, but none of them can teach? Maybe they have a team of counselors at each site to deal with the day to day issues of the flock? Maybe God has blessed them with so many deacons and other gifted men and women that all their "pastor" has to do is pipe his sermon in on Sunday morning/afternoon/evening and then not have anything else to do with the life of those believers...

I know that Driscoll is a gifted teacher, as is John Piper, whose church has similar satellite campuses... and I'm sure if I vetted my own emotions I would find some dark motives for why I feel this way - I am a human being after all - but something just straight up irks me about the whole satallite campus thing. I mean it REALLY bothers me.

I'm sure no small part of it is that I recently had someone leave a very strong, loving, vibrant local congregation for a 'church' ... err ... a place with no real leadership and no ordained men, that pipes a biblically deficient church service into its christian 'ghetto'.

Somehow this flies in the face of Paul going into each town and training up men to be leaders and pastors in order to lead Gods people in the way they shold go. It just doesn't seem to fit from where I sit.

But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe if Paul had the technological and financial means to do so he would have piped his own message into each of the churches he sweat blood to build up. And especially since he was an apostle, and inspired, perhaps all the other leaders would have preferred that. But there are serious issues that arise from 'doing church' this way. I'm sure I have not thought of all of them, but here are a few that come to mind:

1 - Pastoral care - As gifted as these men are as teachers (and believe me, I eat up their teaching for the most part), they have no other influence or engagement in the lives of their people. And without that, I'm not even sure you can call them pastors, by definition, because they aren't pastoring. They are teaching. Its great teaching, but they are not pastoring. Pastoring goes miles and miles beyond the pulpit.

2 - Cult of Personality - A lot of people will talk about this as a problem for these "mega-churches". And it is a legitimate concern. Many people will flock to the church to hear the 'famous guy' or the gifted guy, and maybe that is not the motivation you want people to have to be coming - but if they are hearing the gospel, then I'm with Paul: Who cares about the motivation as long as Christ is preached? (paraphrase) But I think an even bigger concern is what happens when John Piper goes to be with the Lord? What if Mark Driscoll has an accident (God forbid...)? It's not pleasant to think about these things, but what happens when the 'cult leader' (to be overly dramatic) isn't there anymore? Hopefully they have instilled a love for the church and a love for Gods people that is strong enough to keep them together, but again, we are dealing with human beings here...

3 - Definition of the Church - What is it? What is it meant to be? Where do we draw the line on our use of technology for the good of the church, and where the benefits may no longer outweigh the possible detriments? And on a whole different aspect, how do you grow the church? Are you actively planting new satellites? How far from 'ground zero' do you allow them to reach? And again - what happens to those far off churches after the leader is gone?

4 - Incarnational Ministry - The call for the leadership of the body of Christ is to 'be Christ' for their people. It's the same call as each church member to be Christ to one another, just with higher stakes. The pastor and elders are shouldered with divine accountablility on a mass scale. How are the 'pastors' of satellite churches able to properly incarnate Christ to their people if they rarely if ever see them, let alone actually meet them?

Those are just a few things that come to mind. I realize that I am painting with broad strokes, and admittedly do not know the details of how these particular satellite campuses are set up. I presume that both Piper and Driscoll understand what the church is and have very likely set up the necessary structure to care for the people that come to their satellite campuses. But I am also certain that there are many other churches that are doing these satellites that are not nearly as careful.

Many of these concerns would be repeated in a post about regular "mega-churches", and these satellites take those concerns up a notch further because at least Allistair Begg can actually meet, greet and get to know a few of the 5,000 people he preaches to on a given Sunday.

And that really is the big issue isn't it? The predominant metaphor in Scripture that shows God's care for His people is that of a Shepherd and His sheep. Pastors (keep saying it and you'll understand where the term comes from) are to be the 'under-shepherds' of THE Good Shepherd. We are to emulate that care. Ancient near eastern sheepherding wasn't about butchery. Yes, they had the sacrificial system, but the majority of the livestock, particularly the sheeps, were used for milk and wool. They didn't kill their sheep willy-nilly. In fact, most of the time the shepherd and the sheep had very tight knit relationships. The shepherd cared for the sheep as his own children (which brings a whole new level to the understanding of the sacrifice - and ultimately more so, Christ's sacrifice). When Jesus said "I am the door", he wasn't just being all mystical, he wasn't even talking about heaven overtly - shepherds in those days lay down at the front of their sheep pens in order to keep their sheep inside. They were the protectors, they were the shield, the literal door - and literally 'laying down their life for the sheep' each night. The relationship between the sheep and the shepherd is to be an intimiate one of care and protection and nurture. You can't do that via uplink...

Total Eclipse of the Heart... Reconsidered

2009-06-05T10:09:00.001-04:00

If, like me, you grew up in the 80's then you know the song mentioned in the title of this post. I admit that I enjoyed this song quite a bit in those days of leg warmers, florescent colors and huge hair...

That being said, I had completely forgotten about the video... I recall having seen it numerous times when the song was popular, yet I do not remember it being so completely off the wall and nonsensical. The song may tell a story, but whatever that story may be is completely lost is the insanity that is the video, and some folks have helped to make that unequivocally clear.

Enjoy - I thought this was HILARIOUS.

Good Song, Great Message

2009-05-22T20:32:00.000-04:00

This song is about Nick Cannon's real life experience in utero, and just how close he came to not getting out alive. Powerful stuff.

Found this Particularly Powerful

2009-05-15T13:16:00.002-04:00

Don't read into this... my wife loves me, very much I think. If anything, it is my love (evidenced by my actions, not my words or even my emotions) that is so undeserving of her.

But what I thought was so powerful was the connection JP made between this man's struggle to find favor with his wife, and how we respond to our Lord on a daily basis. I am a pastor who spends hours and hours a day right "next to" Jesus... but like many marriages, there are lots of times we can be sitting right next to our spouses and still be miles away. Let us all recommit to responding to our Savior with love and joy every time an opportunity arises... Let's love Him more than the worlds distractions. (Our spouses too!)

SNY Commercials are Pretty Funny

2009-05-15T12:26:00.004-04:00

The Mets cable network channel, covering all NY Sports, has released several new commercials.
I don't have cable, so I have never seen them during an actual game, but luckily there is the interwebs. These are lots of fun, the last one is undoubtedly the best.
Of course, if you don't like sports, and particularly if you don't like NY Sports, you probably won't enjoy them nearly as much as I do... but I digress...

These are all courtesy of SNY.tv

Mandeep and Sharvarish, the owners of the souvenir store "NY NY Sports Sports" in SNY's latest TV campaign, learn about the city's passionate rivalries from the fans that frequent their store.

"The Cable Guy"
Mandeep & Sharvarish install a new television.

"Lessons Learned"
SNY teaches Mandeep and Sharvarish valuable lessons.

"Charades"
A Giants fan takes care of a Jets-dressed mannequin.

"Keith Day"
A Yankees fan faces off with Keith Hernandez.

No, Mr. President: John Piper's Response to President Obama on Abortion

2009-05-14T03:42:00.002-04:00

No comment necessary.

Forms of Government 101

2009-04-29T23:26:00.001-04:00

10 good minutes

Wow! 100 Million from the budget? ... not so Wow...

2009-04-28T22:02:00.001-04:00

HT: Between Two Worlds

OH BOY...... I can hear it now.... THE END IS NEAR!

2009-04-27T13:22:00.003-04:00

In Obama's defense... (wait, did I just type that?) I'm certain he had nothing personally to do with this person painting this picture. At least as far as we know he didn't... (cue conspiratorial theme music)

So before we get on the phone to Tim LaHaye about what comes next at the end of time and whether or not we've all been 'Left Behind', that the scripture says that the Anti-Christ (big A) will set himself up as God, and declare himself to be so (2 Thess 2:3-4). You can decide whether that is a literal declaration, or the implicit declaration we all make whenever we sin and set ourselves upon God's throne and against His authority, claiming ourselves to be God...

So, while personally disgusted and angry that this painting exists, and all of the implications for the one who painted it (can't bring myself to say 'the artist'), I will hold all the dispensationalists (and sensationalists) at bay from overreacting. At least for now... (cue dramatic suspense effect)

Thanks to Aron for bringing this to my attention, and worldnet daily for bringing it to everyone's.

My Sister Stephanie's Senior Recital

2009-04-22T17:10:00.004-04:00

These will eventually be updated with the names and composers of the pieces, but I don't have them handy. Most of them are in other languages. If you can only listen to English, the last one in is the mother tongue.

We are very proud of Stephanie and are praising God for the gifts He's given her. Enjoy them with us.

Lecrae's Video - Don't Waste Your Life

2009-04-20T01:13:00.002-04:00

Great Song. Desiring God Ministries actually produced this video. Enjoy.

Hide and Seek

2009-04-10T10:52:00.004-04:00

I posted these on facebook, but not everyone who reads this is on facebook, so I wanted to post them here as well. Abby has begun a love affair with the game of Hide and Seek. Big Fun!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

6, 7, 8, 9, 10!

READY OR NOT, HERE I COME!!

Where could Daddy be?

There He is!

I FOUND YOU DADDA!

I Got You!

She's got me...

How Can We Create Communities of Grace?

2009-04-06T18:07:00.006-04:00

I Appreciated this post by Tim Chester over at the Mars Hill Blog today:

How can we create communities of grace? Let me suggest seven ideas:

1. Make the connections

We need to teach, speak, sing, and pray grace. But we also need to make connections for people. We can believe in justification by faith for the final day, but doubt justification by faith for the next day. On a Monday morning in the workplace we are still trying to prove ourselves, to find identity in our achievements.

2. Welcome the mess

Welcome messy people. Don’t suppress conflict. Don’t hide problems.

3. Stop pretending

Don’t hide your own problems. You’ll need to exercise some discretion: let everyone know you struggle and let some people know what you struggle with.

4. Stop performing

Don’t put on a show. Don’t push people to perform, to produce results, to get it right all the time. Give people permission to fail. We’ve realized, for example, that polished Bible studies and articulate prayers disenfranchise semi-literate people.

5. Eat and drink with broken people

Jesus eats and drinks with sinners. It’s a powerful expression of community. We think we’re enacting grace if we run projects for the poor, but we’re only halfway there. We still act from a position of superiority, proclaiming that we are able and they are unable. The dynamic is totally different when we eat together. We meet as equals, share together, affirm one another, enjoy one another.

6. Give people time to change

How long did it take for you to become perfectly like Jesus? Of course, you’re still changing. There seem to be some sins we’re prepared to work on over a lifetime, but others where we demand instant change. Why is this? The answer, of course, is that we want people to be respectable. We don’t want a messy community.

7. Focus on the heart

All too often we focus on the behaviors we would like someone to stop or start. But Jesus says our behavior comes from the heart (Mark 7:20-23). Our focus needs to be on the heart. Our job is help people find joy in Christ.

No commentary from me... Let's get to it!

:-)

Why hasn't anyone said this?

2009-03-30T02:16:00.003-04:00

Anyone who knows me for very long, particularly between the months of March and November, will find out that I am a pretty big New York Mets fan. If you search the archives of the Gentryman's Tale, you'll find in depth off-season and pre-season posts from previous seasons that I just simply do not have the time to invest in these days... but of course that certainly does not mean I'm not paying attention.

You may have heard that the Mets are opening their new stadium this year: Citifield. Affectionately known by me as "taxpayer field" - but that's another post... the thing I want to point out seems to me to be so obvious that I am somewhat astounded that no one has picked up on it. It has to do with Jackie Robinson.

Now, if you have even a moderate interest in baseball you know that Jackie Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers before they got shuttled off to LA LA land. Now, while I have questioned the Wilpon's (owners of the NYMets) decision to make this new stadium have so many nods to those brooklyn days, no one can really blame them for wanting to honor Jackie Robinson for his contribution to the great game of baseball and to the civil rights movement. They did so by creating the Jackie Robinson Rotunda pictured below.

It's not a great picture - but I'm not trying to show off how pretty it is...
What I want to point out is the quote that Mr. Robinson has left behind, and that the Wilpon's have decided to emblazen around the rotunda:

"A life is not important except for the impact it has on other lives."

It isn't? Are you sure?

I mean... I think I understand the idea. You want your life to impact other people. Jackie Robinson's life impacted many people for the better. But would Jackie Robinson's life been less 'important' if he decided he didn't want to deal with all the harassment and abuse he took coming to the majors? Comparitively speaking it would have certainly been less impactful... but less important?

This to me seems to go against the whole idea of civil rights, doesn't it? The whole idea of human rights? Not to mention the impact on so-called reproductive rights...

I suppose it's fine if you only judge the life through the lense of history in order to determine its impact, and then quantify its importance... I mean we do that all the time - just read history books. But it seems to me that if this is what Mr. Robsinson meant, it is not how it will be read today.

I am probably being nit-picky about this; beating up a straw man perhaps... but it seems like an odd thing to put in the front door of a baseball stadium.

It's been a long day... I may just be sleepy.

Only one has satisfied justice

2009-03-26T01:11:00.002-04:00

“There was only one, and there will not need to be another, who bore the full weight of the divine judgment upon sin and bore it so as to end it. The lost will eternally suffer in the satisfaction of justice. But they will never satisfy it. Christ satisfied justice.”

—John Murray, Redemption Accomplished and Applied (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1955), 77

They will never satisfy it... Christ did. mind = blown

HT: First Importance

Calvinism: New or Old?

2009-03-13T03:35:00.003-04:00

Mark Driscoll's blog (or is it Mars Hill's blog?...) posted these distinctions between the old 'stereotypical' Calvinist, and what is being styled by many as New Calvinism. All this out of TIME Magazine's proclamation that this "New Calvinism" is 3rd among ideas currently changing the world.

Well - here are the distinctions:

Old Calvinism was fundamental or liberal and separated from or syncretized with culture. New Calvinism is missional and seeks to create and redeem culture.
Old Calvinism fled from the cities. New Calvinism is flooding into cities.
Old Calvinism was cessationistic and fearful of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. New Calvinism is continuationist and joyful in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
Old Calvinism was fearful and suspicious of other Christians and burned bridges. New Calvinism loves all Christians and builds bridges between them.

Now, I don't know if my head has been in a fog or something... but I had heard of neo-Calvinism, but not in these terms. (Don't ask me to remember what terms...these kind of things would have kept me up at night in seminary, now not so much...) But I am out of the 'controversy' loop, and I try to stay away from internet theological flame wars these days... so who knows.

But if the above is an accurate juxtaposition, then I have a couple comments:

First of all, 1 and 4 are stereotypical nonsense. But of course, stereotypes are based in experiential and anecdotal truths, so take them for what they are. I have known incredibly culturally "relevant" (to use a post-modern buzzword), as well as incredibly gracious Calvinists in my time - and like I said, I didn't even know they were Old Calvinists... Having great doctrine can very easily lead into pride, undoubtedly, but the heart of Calvinism, correctly understood, will bring about such a profound humility that it should be impossible not to be gracious and loving towards other believers... of course, Calvinists are still sinners (just ask them!) so they fall down a lot in this area...

Now, on 2 and 3... 2 is just great. I love seeing it and am so happy about it. And it is 100% truthful. Not sure if it was purely an American phenomenon that saw the reformed church retreating into the suburbs, but it has been a real blessing to see the church slowly seeing that this is where they are most called because this is where there is most need.

3... 3 is gonna be a problem for me... but maybe simply because I need some clarification. I have always styled myself as a cessationist. But I realize there are some difficult texts in the Bible dealing with these things. I have always said that I am 95% cessationist, because I bleieve we must leave room for the Holy Spirit to do whatever He wants, and we must leave room for new revelation (or at the very least, new understanding) at the coming of Christ. That being said, I would need to know what is meant by the "presence and power of the Holy Spirit"... The Holy Spirit (HS) has always been central to Calvinism - He is the monergistic mover in salvation. It is the Spirit's work and power that not only draws a person to Christ, but sustains him in Christ, and changes him to be more like Christ. This is powerful stuff, and demands His presence... I believe it is the HS that draws us into worship before the Father on the Lord's Day. It is the HS that filters our prayers, our singing and all vertical aspects of our worship to make them pleasing to the Father, He is the medium through which the horizontal aspects of the worship edify and grow hungry believers... This is powerful stuff, and requires His presence...
So if we are talking about emphasis on the HS, I'm cool with that. The HS should get His props (though he prefers to be in the background, like a deacon, reflecting all glory to Christ). But if they mean welcoming back into the corporate worship things like Speaking in tongues and prophesy, I think I have to fold my hand. Though I wouldn't leave the table...

To use Driscoll's terms, this is a state border, not a national one. I would have no problem fellowshipping and loving up a believer who held to these things. They are so far in the periphery that they do not even enter my mind - though I suppose it might make corporate worship together kinda awkward... But it would take some serious scriptural convincing for me to embrace it fully.

So am I a New Calvinist? Maybe 3 for 4? 75% New?

Actually it's kind of silly... There is nothing new here. We've just put a nice dress on an old friend and softened up some of the rough spots. In any case - for the world to notice this movement is great, and I thank the Lord for what He is doing in His Church.

Piper on Premarital Sex... great stuff.

2009-03-12T03:40:00.004-04:00

I wish someone had this conversation with me when I was a young man...

I also wish I was plugged in enough, or trusting enough, or maybe just straight up cared enough about Jesus Christ for a talk like this to make a difference.

This is something I have been harping on a little, and it's because I'm not sure there is a more necessary topic to be discussed with our young people today than the dangers of sexual sin... And I am not talking about unwanted pregnancy or disease - both of which are serious realities... but they are nothing... NOTHING compared to the damage done to your life through sexual sin.

We preach all day about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse to our kids - but very few people talk about the lasting effects of sex outside of marriage. Let me say loud and clear that when I was outside of Christ I did a lot of sinful things. But none of them - NONE of them has affected my life as deeply or as far reaching as the sexual sins.

I rarely ever think about the partying I used to do. I have no noticeable negative effects from the things I used to put in my body. But my sexual sin haunts me DAILY, in almost every aspect of my life... it is the easiest and most readily available tool that Satan has to use against me and he is constantly putting it to work.

Learn from me, my brothers - learn from Mr. Piper... SAVE IT.

Chillin' With the Baby... literally

2009-03-05T03:56:00.005-05:00

My little snow angel...

at least its not yellow, right?

More Dr. Carson

2009-02-06T01:02:00.000-05:00

Half of the stuff he teaches out of John 11 I had never heard before...

This is excellent stuff:

I'm becoming a bigger and bigger fan of D.A.C.

HT: Resurgence

Dr. Carson at Mars Hill

2009-01-29T17:02:00.001-05:00

Awhile ago Don Carson spent a couple of days at Mars Hill church in Seattle and gave some seminars and messages. There are five them, all which can be found at the Mars Hill Resurgence website.

I just wanted to post session 2 here for your marvel and enjoyment. It's a sermon on Revelation chapter 12. There is some incredible stuff here. Carson is preaching a tremendous God, and an incredible savior.

Clowney Quote

2009-01-26T16:28:00.002-05:00

“There is no call to the ministry that is not first a call to Christ. You dare not lift your hands to place God’s name in blessing on people until you have first clasped them in penitent petition for his saving grace. Until you have done that the issue you face is not really your call to the ministry. It is your call to Christ… Don’t seek the ministry to save your soul…A man cannot earn his salvation by preaching that salvation cannot be earned.”

(Edmund Clowney, Called to the Ministry, p 5)

HT: Unashamed Workman

The Origin of Evil

2009-01-26T14:53:00.004-05:00

No, I'm not going to try and solve this one on my blog... but it came up in a 'conversation' with my friend (and uncle) on facebook today and I wanted to bring it here because it made me think about a Sunday School class from a few years ago when we talked about this same topic. (That and facebook only gives you a certain # of characters to comment on things) In that class a man, who has also become a dear friend, told me something I had not heard before in regards to the origin of evil... The bottom line is that it is 'extra-biblical' and so we put no confidence in it, but I thought it was interesting nonetheless, and have added what I think is a very interesting aspect to it...

That morning he said something along the lines that: When God, the perfect being, created something that was not-God, the potential for evil (or at least imperfection) came into being as a necessary consequence of creation itself.

In thinking about this again this morning, I have added: This is not to say that God was surprised by evil entering the world, but perhaps it was an acceptable consequence of achieving the greater glory He planned for Himself through His creative work. A glory that ends with the destruction of that evil by drawing His creation into Himself in His Son Jesus Christ, thereby erasing not-God aspect of creation, and therefore the necessary consequence of evil.

Now, "acceptable consequence" doesn't sound very sovereign - so feel free to insert your own phrase there, as I am having trouble coming up with one.

Anyway... feel free to continue the conversation

I Just Wanna Fly....

2009-01-16T17:23:00.001-05:00

This is sick sick sick sick sick sick sick...

and I am sooo jealous.

HT: Molly

Mars Hill in the New York Times

2009-01-10T14:35:00.004-05:00

JT points out that Mars Hill and Mark Driscoll were profiled recently in the New York Times.

I found the piece pretty well done... ok, maybe surprisingly well done, since it is the NYT we're talking about...

Molly Worthen did not make many attempts to judge Driscoll and his Calvinism, and did not do an awful job of explaining it. But it is the NYT, so it was not free of undermining and subtle slights. But overall I think she does a commendable job.

One thing to note that I found interesting was one rather overt jibe which ends the article and lays bare the express misunderstanding of Calvinism (read: biblical Christianity) and the doctrine of Total Depravity in particular. In closing her article, Worthen says,

Driscoll’s New Calvinism underscores a curious fact: the doctrine of total human depravity has always had a funny way of emboldening, rather than humbling, its adherents.

In context she meant this as a poke in the eye, but what she, and many others, do not get is that this should be the exact response of a proper view of Total Depravity (not to mention God's Sovereignty). Because if I am completely and utterly sinful in and of myself - and it is in Christ that I am placing my own worth and my own merit for salvation, and I am united to Him by faith - then it isn't about me. I am emboldened, I am given tremendous confidence, I am empowered exponentially due to the fact that it is not me that is at the source of that confidence, but Christ - because it is He who is being exalted. In Him we are freed from all human fear and self-deprecating (when preaching and teaching the gospel) because it is not about the man preaching, but the message being preached. And if you believe in a God who is Sovereign over every aspect of your life than there is no aspect of your life that cannot be approached in utter confidence and comfort because our God has promised that "for those who love Him, all things work together for good." Not our definition of good - but His - the only definition that matters.

Biblical Illiteracy

2009-01-06T20:14:00.002-05:00

Ray Ortland points out some very sad poll results as shared by Al Mohler Jr. and then gives some solutions.

Here is the sadness:

"Researchers George Gallup and Jim Castelli put the problem squarely: 'Americans revere the Bible--but, by and large, they don't read it. And because they don't read it, they have become a nation of biblical illiterates.' How bad is it? Researchers tell us that it's worse than most could imagine.

Fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels. Many Christians cannot identify more than two or three of the disciples. According to data from the Barna Research Group, 60 percent of Americans can't name even five of the Ten Commandments. . .

According to 82 percent of Americans, 'God helps those who help themselves,' is a Bible verse. Those identified as born-again Christians did better--by one percent. A majority of adults think the Bible teaches that the most important purpose in life is taking care of one's family. . . .

A Barna poll indicated that at least 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife. Another survey of graduating high school seniors revealed that over 50 percent thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife. A considerable number of respondents to one poll indicated that the Sermon on the Mount was preached by Billy Graham. We are in big trouble."

As a pastor, this is pretty devastating.

Click through to read what Rev. Ortlund suggests we do about it.

Trueman is at it again...

2009-01-06T15:03:00.004-05:00

If this blog is one of only 4 or 5 websites you ever look at, you probably haven't seen this before. However, if, like me, you have a reasonably long blog roll in your feed reader, than this will likely be the 4th or 5th time you've come across a link to this article.

My esteemed former professor of Church History and now Dean of Academic affairs over at WTS has hit another bombastic home run with this very timely rebuke of the 'culture-centered' movement in evangelicalism. Sadly, that 'movement' is barely discernible from the whole, as I found the article clawing at a few of my own self-justified practices as it laid waste to the growing disregard for universal and central (not to mention biblical) Truth.

Articles like this are one of the many reasons why Dr. Trueman was one of my favorite professors at WTS and continues to be one of my favorite "middle aged gits".

Enjoy, be challenged, come back and talk about it if you want.

Start it Off with a Little Psalm 19

2009-01-01T11:52:00.002-05:00

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Psalm 19:1

Don't believe me? See for yourself:

HT: APOD

What is the gospel?

2008-12-22T06:24:00.002-05:00

“The Christian gospel is that I am so flawed that Jesus had to die for me, yet I am so loved and valued that Jesus was glad to die for me. This leads to deep humility and deep confidence at the same time. It undermines both swaggering and sniveling. I cannot feel superior to anyone, and yet I have nothing to prove to anyone. I do not think more of myself nor less of myself. Instead, I think of myself less.”

- Timothy Keller

HT: First Importance

New Blog Title

2008-12-18T04:57:00.003-05:00

Well, I had to make a change...
I hated to do it, but I simply can't be associated with some of what comes up in the search engines when you type in "gregology".

Hopefully those that know me will not even need to consider whether I am connected in any way to those with whom I, up until this morning, shared the former name of this site - but I didn't want to take the chance. Frankly, I didn't even dig deep, but just reading some of the captions of the other sites was enough to get outta dodge... I know some of you will be curious, so it was the stumbleupon page that broke the proverbial camels back... I just don't need that kind of speculation.

And so it goes... with the chagrin of losing the nickname given to me by the great Nigerian pastor Raymond Chikwura, I am moving forward.

Now, the name above may only be a place holder. I chose it in honor of a Canterbury Tale I wrote in high school by the same name. Ask me and I'll let you read it. (If I can find it) Maybe I'll even post it. :-)

I'll also take suggestions on a new name for the blog if you can think of something better. I won't burn to much energy on it, but if something good comes along (my mind or yours) I will revisit.

For now, welcome to The Gentryman's Tale.

Abortion ---> Anarchy?

2008-12-18T00:07:00.001-05:00

Over at Between Two Worlds, JT posts a few things RE: abortion that are worth looking at.

I thought the most poignant thing was his reference to a John Piper quote that I will re-post along with the context:

In response to a document urging President Elect Obama to advance "reproductive rights"...

James Grant writes:

It is hard to believe that while my wife and I are desperately doing everything we can to make sure our baby, at 23 weeks, survives and continues to grow in the womb for the next few months, there are others who in this country actually have abortions at this stage.

Think for a minute about what James writes above. What is the difference between the baby growing inside [Mrs. Grants] womb, and a baby growing inside the womb of a mother undergoing abortion?

The difference comes down to one word: want. Few words carry more power in the world today than these: I do not want this child at this time.

Listen to John Piper address this issue:

. . . in a world without God, the will of the strong creates (or nullifies) the personhood of the weak. . . . And the awesome thing is that we endow her will not just with sovereignty over her unborn baby, but with the authority to define it: If she wants it, it is a baby, a person. If she does not want it, it is not a baby, not a person. In other words, in our laws we have now made room for some killing to be justified not on the basis of the rights or crimes of the one killed, but decisively on the basis of the will, the desire, of a stronger person. The decisive criterion of personhood and non-personhood, what is right and wrong, what is legal and what is illegal, is the will of the strong. Might makes right. Might makes personhood. Might makes legal. This is the ultimate statement of anarchy. It is the essence of the original insurrection against God, and against objective truth and right and beauty.

No culture can survive this kind of anarchical thinking indefinitely. Part of the remedy is to spread the truth: Might does not make right. Desire does not define duty. Wanting does not create worth. All of us know intuitively that if someone desires our destruction, that desire does not justify our murder. We know this. We should say it over and over again.
[emphasis Greg's]

Greg: I had not thought about the issue on these terms before. Kinda scary... </understatement as a means of emphasis>

Another Lighter 'Note'

2008-12-16T22:55:00.001-05:00

This is probably more important an issue than these folks make it, but I would like to see more of this kind of thing.

Now, in my church we don't have a praise band, and I am thankful for that. There is nothing wrong with a praise band per say, but my preference is for hymns and psalms. I am definitely not opposed to new hymns, but I would certainly want to stay away from the emotionally driven, repeated choruses that for many are the only way to 'tap-in' to the Holy Spirit... That being said... These guys do a great thing... the music falls apart, and they stop playing... They don't trudge through it, trying to make something happen that is clearly not working. But they stop, they reset and do it with the excellence that God deserves for His worship.

Now, again, we don't have a praise band - but if we are singing a hymn that few people know, or the accompanist is going to slow or too fast, why can't we stop and do the same? Switch to a new hymn if it is not making the cut, tell the musicians to slow it down or pick it up - and then just start again. We should be able to do this without embarrassment or condescension - we are talking about the worship of God. If it is not all that it can be, should we not take the necessary steps to make it so?

Of course, you have to be judicious about these things - what happened in the above video was clearly a train wreck - nobody could worship or follow with that going on... the pint being you don't stop for every little thing. But if you are singing a difficult hymn that no one is following and you are trying to open a worship service for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords... stop. Pick another joyful hymn and start again... it's not about us. It's about God's glory.

Comments?

HT: Pure Church

What I Know Now That I Wish I Knew Then...

2008-12-16T22:43:00.002-05:00

I wish an older brother would have pulled me aside when I was a young teen and talked to me like this...

I can't say for sure if I would have listened; I didn't listen to much back then... But perhaps something like this would have made a difference. This, coupled with a warning for how sexual sin can destroy your mind, your memories, and make what is meant to be a wonderful gift into a source of deep pain, confusion and difficulty later in your life when you actually want to use the gift of sexuality like God wants you to...

If any young man reads this, take heed...

HT: Desiring God Blog

Had to Share This Too

2008-12-15T23:53:00.001-05:00

The awesomeness speaks for itself...

I just absolutely love the people who take the gospel into the culture and let it do its thing. Thanks Shai Linne for the great example. As Thabiti says in the post where I found this,

No altar call. No manipulation. No mood lighting. Just Jesus crucified, resurrected, reigning. Just the call to repent and believe. Could it be that simple?

HT: Pure Church

Never Thought I'd See it...

2008-12-15T23:37:00.001-05:00

John MacArthur on TBN!
And amazingly, it seems like they love him! Then again, I don't watch much TBN, so it's quite possible that the people who are making noise are only a small fraction of the audience... but anyway, this is good stuff, so I thought I'd share. Each video is about 10 minutes, but well worth it.

Praise God that even TBN gets the goods sometimes. I've actually seen a lot of Kirk Cameron recently that is much better than I recall in recent years. He may be getting more reformed as he grows as a Christian. It can only be good for TBN, so long as they keep him around.

HT: Pure Church

Why We Protestants Are Still Protesting...

2008-12-12T17:50:00.003-05:00

This is from Reformation Theology ... I am just going to re-post it here because a link simply will not do.

So many people over the years have asked me what the difference is between the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Church. It's not a short answer, but this article briefly points out some of the major ones. Obviously you can't get into all the theology behind these things in a brief synopsis like this, but I wanted to post it here both for myself as a go to reference if I ever need it, and for you, in case you do. (Whoever 'you' might be.)

Here is the post:

Ten Differences Between the Reformation and Rome

This article by Guy Davies appeared in the September/October issue of Protestant Truth. Guy is Joint-Pastor of Penknap Providence Church and Ebenezer Baptist Church in Wiltshire, England.

1. The Roman Catholic Church believes that its traditions and teaching are as authoritative as Scripture. The Reformed value tradition, but accept the Bible alone as their authority, and sole rule of faith and practice.

2. The Roman Catholic Church believes that the Pope, as successor of Peter and Bishop of Rome, is head of the visible Church. The Reformed believe that Christ alone is head of the Church and that no man may claim universal primacy over the people of God.

3. The Roman Catholic Church believes that the Bible cannot be properly understood apart from the official interpretation of Rome (the Magisterium). The Reformed believe that Christians have a responsibility to judge the truth of all teaching by the extent of its conformity to the teaching of the Bible as it has been commonly accepted with the help of responsible exegesis and the witness of the Spirit.

4. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that we are justified by baptism and that justification must be supplemented and improved by works. The Reformed hold that the Bible teaches that justification is God's declaration that a sinner is righteous in his sight, on the basis of faith in the finished work of Christ, apart from works. We are justified by faith alone. Baptism does not effect justification; it is the sign of it, as well as of the believer’s cleansing from sin and reception of new life in Christ.

5. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the Lord's Supper is a re-offering of the sacrifice of Christ and that the bread and wine are actually changed into the body and blood of the Saviour. The Reformed hold that that in Scripture the Lord's Supper is a fellowship meal that is to be kept by believers in remembrance of the finished work of Christ. The bread and wine are significant symbols to believers of Christ's body and blood. At the Lord's Supper, they enjoy communion with the risen Christ, who is present at the Table by his Spirit.

6. The Roman Catholic Church regards its ministers as priests. They re-offer the sacrifice of Christ at the Mass and act as mediators between God and the faithful, taking Christ’s role. The Reformed teach that all Christians are priests, who offer a sacrifice of praise and worship to the Lord. Some, called to be teachers and pastors, are ministers of the Word. Their task is to give themselves to prayer, the preaching of the gospel, and to care for the flock.

7. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that after death the souls of departed believers who have not made sufficient satisfaction for their sins in their lifetime go to purgatory in order to do that prior to going to heaven. The living can affect how long the departed have to spend in purgatory by observing Mass, obtaining indulgences, and praying for them. The Reformed hold that purgatory is not taught in Scripture. They believe, in accord with Scripture, that at death the souls of believers will depart from the body to be with Christ in heaven, awaiting the resurrection to life, glory and immortality.

8. The Roman Catholic Church believes that Mary can be invoked as mediatrix with Christ and that the faithful should pray to her and show devotion to her. Rome also teaches that believers should pray for themselves and for the dead to the faithful departed whom the Pope has designated as saints. The Reformed honour Mary as the mother of our Lord and see her as an example of obedience and love to God. They maintain that there is only one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, and that, despite the protestations of Rome, its teaching takes away from the sole mediatorship of Christ. Prayer and worship is to be offered to God through him alone.

9. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that there are seven sacraments and that these sacraments work ex opere operato, effectively conveying grace to those who receive them. For example, baptism regenerates and justifies, and participants in the Mass actually feed on the body and drink the blood of Christ. The Reformed find only two sacraments or ordinances in Scripture, baptism and the Lord's Supper. These are means of grace that are only effective when received by faith.

10. The Roman Catholic Church regards herself as the one true Church through the apostolic succession of her bishops. Non-Roman Catholic Christians are regarded as 'separated brethren' who have schismatically divided the body of Christ. Reformed ministers are not truly ordained to the apostolic ministry. The Reformed define the Church not institutionally, but as a company of believing, godly people where the gospel is truly preached, baptism and the Lord's Supper rightly administered and Church discipline graciously applied. The true apostolic succession consists not in the physical laying on of hands as understood by Rome, but in believing and preaching the gospel proclaimed by the apostles and recorded in Scripture.

Me again: Now, there are some in the RCC who will argue that some of these things have passed out of the church and are no longer held as doctrines, but the fact of the matter is that the councils that put these doctrines in place have never been overturned, and so in the highest orders of the RCC, they still stand.

Disclaimer: I very much love my Roman Catholic friends and believe that they are just as able to be saved by God's grace as I am, in spite of whatever bad theology they hold to - I'm sure mine isn't perfect either.

This Post is Already Obsolete...

2008-12-12T17:21:00.002-05:00

This is an amazing video on how fast the world is changing and how technology is affecting our lives.
This generation is in for a roller coaster ride - but I suppose we are already somewhat used to it...

Just thinking back 15 years to when I entered college - even in those 4 years everything changed so drastically - the world was truly a different place when I came out. I went in having never heard of the internet, and I got to watch it be born (commercially) and blossom right before my eyes. I left college with a desktop PC, having easily logged thousands of hours on the web and having started a website advertising business with a friend.

I entered college having never desired or even conceptualized having a cell phone, and left college having owned two different ones... I'm sure those are the two big ones so far in my lifetime - as far as commercially usable products. Both of them have advanced beyond anything I dreamed of even back then - and it looks like that trend will continue.

I thought the most intriguing idea asserted in the video was that by the time I am 70 (if the Lord wills I make it that far), a $1000 PC (which today is NOT a top of the line PC) will have more computing power than the brainpower of the entire human race combined.

I hope we use it for more than surfing porn...

HT: Reformation Theology

Tempered Excitement....

2008-12-11T22:52:00.003-05:00

It's been a very long time since I posted something sports related (I think it had something to do with the GIANTS winning the SUPER BOWL - remember that?). And while the Giants are not so quietly rolling over the rest of the NFL in defense of their championship, the Mets are quietly busy frying up deals on the Hot Stove at the Winter Meetings in Vegas.

After two disappointing ends to consecutive seasons, whose blame can likely be laid solely at the feet of the Mets bullpen, I am pretty excited to see that the late innings will now be patrolled by what (if healthy) is being called the best 1-2 relief tandem in the game.

Welcome to New York Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz.

I am glad to have you, but this is New York - so don't expect me to pack up my TUMS just yet. I am excited, but it's still December and my heart is still broken from '07 and '08. But here is to hoping that '09 and the new "Bailout Field" (which is very impressive) will set my mending heart aflame once more. Spring seems that much closer...

Follow Up from a Recent Post

2008-12-09T17:53:00.003-05:00

Just more from Rev. Piper to help fill in the blanks of his so called "Christian Hedonism".

“God is the one Being in the entire universe for whom self-centeredness, or the pursuit of his own glory, is the ultimately loving act. For him, self-exaltation is the highest virtue. When he
does all things ‘for the praise of his glory,’ he preserves for us and offers to us, the only thing in the entire world, which can satisfy our longings. God is for us, and therefore has been, is now and always will be, first, for himself. I urge you not to resent the centrality of God in his own affections, but to experience it as the fountain of your everlasting joy.”

- John Piper, “Is God for Us or for Himself?“

HT: Of First Importance

Please, Do Yourself a Favor...

2008-12-06T18:49:00.000-05:00

LISTEN TO THIS

Do it. You will thank me... well, no... you will thank God.

HT: Unashamed Workman

What Does it Mean to Love My Enemy?

2008-12-06T01:56:00.000-05:00

I have not been privy to the TV talking heads in the last couple weeks, or even those on the radio that I used to enjoy listening to, but have gotten away from in recent years. So I don't have any first hand exposure to what has been said regarding the recent terrorist attacks in India...

However, apparently there is still a lot of talking going on regardless of whether or not I am listening, which is why I am grateful to those who are listening and writing about it... which brings me to the content of this post.

Go and Read this post by Greg Gilbert on the 9Marks blog.

It is reacting to some of the response on TV and radio by a prominent Orthodox Jewish Rabbi, and how some Christian's have taken it up and embraced it. It's good stuff, and I think extremely important to think over and reflect on in our current global-political atmosphere, and particularly in light of how terrorism has become a main stream part of our everyday lives.

Here are the concluding thoughts if that trigger finger ain't so itchy:

Not many of us will ever have the opportunity to sit face to face with a terrorist and have to decide what loving that person might look like. But we do have to decide whether we’ll take pleasure in the thought of that person being in hell—or whether we’ll pray and genuinely hope for that person’s salvation and forgiveness. Putting it all together, I think the best and most Christian response is probably this: to be glad when a terrorist is brought to justice and punished, even executed, by the state, but at the same time to pray that someone, somehow, in those final moments is telling him the Gospel of Jesus, and to hope that one day you’ll stand next to him praising Christ as two forgiven sinners who, if it weren’t for him, would both be in hell.
What you simply can’t do, though, is decide that you’re worthy of God’s grace but that other guy is not.

Even if you don't read the whole thing - take that last line to the bank... all day long.

And Speaking of John Piper...

2008-12-04T15:13:00.001-05:00

Here is a recent transcript of a short talk he gave at ETS where he basically outlined, in 7 thesis, what he has spent the last 25 years of his life saying.

It was the spring board for a time of Q&A, which, if the audio does surface, I will try to post here.

But here is what Mr. Piper had to say.

Feel free to discuss.

While we are here... or there, as it were...

2008-12-04T14:50:00.001-05:00

While you are over at Pure Church check out these vids from John Piper on retirement:

Now, I'm nowhere near retirement - but I do feel the squeeze of the entertainment lifestyle pressing me in on all sides. I find it hard to imagine that it could get more difficult than it is to fight it - but I suppose with more time on your hands, all temptation becomes more difficult to fight.

so FIGHT!

How Should A Member Respond to a Divisive Elder?

2008-12-04T14:34:00.002-05:00

I thought this post over at Pure Church was very helpful...

Not that the issue they are discussing over there has any bearing on anything happening at our church, but I thought it was helpful in shaping how to think about divisions in leadership at the local church level.

See, every session/board is going to have differences. Even though we all hold to the same confession of faith, there will still be differences among the leadership - differences in Eschatology, in Apologetic approaches, worship preferences, music styles, etc... the list could go on and on - some issues, of course, will be more or less important and serious than others.

But the important thing that Paul stresses through his letters and that is brought out in the aforementioned post, is the united front that the leadership needs to have before the members of the congregation. Now, I always knew this to be the case, but it never really struck me as to how important and how serious it is for the Elders not to promote those differences among the congregation.

Now, I am sure that does not mean that if someone asks you, that you should not be allowed to speak what you believe. But we must be careful how we do so - so that it does not undermine the unity of the leadership or, as Thabiti puts it "draw disciples after you". It takes real discernment to speak about these issues to those outside of leadership, and great care and wisdom when you do.

In case you are too lazy to click over, here are the important parts of the post:

Basically, a person commented asking what they should do about an Elder who was promoting a view of preaching that was divergent from the churches commitment to Expository preaching. I'm sure you can use your imagination and plug in any other serious concern. Here is part of the response:

1. Insist that he raise these issues with the elders directly (Matt. 5:22-25; 18:15) and immediately cease talking with others outside the elders about this(Rom. 16:17; Titus 3:10). If the eldership is advancing one view of teaching and preaching, and he another, that should be addressed inside the eldership so that unity may be maintained (Eph. 4) and the sheep led in a consistent and healthy direction.

If he has integrity, he should resign from the eldership if he finds himself out of keeping with the ministry commitments of that church and its leaders. If this is beyond the bounds of acceptable divergence, he should step down cheerfully and voluntarily, if he loves the church and has godly integrity.

2. If he refuses to address things with the eldership, let him know that you will go directly to the other elders along with two or three witnesses, others who can testify to his spreading his basic disagreement with the rest of the leadership (1 Tim. 5:19). Demonstrate your support of the entire leadership by helping them to keep short accounts with one another and pointing out difficulties of this nature that they may not be aware of.

Essentially, you want to close the court of public opinion and limit the potential for this man to "draw disciples after himself" by bringing this to light in the court of the eldership. As a member, you shouldn't have to try and address these things alone with someone charged to watch over you. Insist that he speak with the other elders. If he will not, yet holds to his contrary convictions, involve the other elders immediately. Let them judge the matter and keep the unity of the church.

3. Pray for and support your elders if they must rebuke this man publicly and sharply. That will be to the benefit of the entire body (1 Tim. 5:20) and help to make this man sound in the faith (Titus 1:13). Your elders may find this a difficult thing to do, so your prayers for wisdom and courage are needed. Hold them up before the Lord so that they would be able to teach, care, and lead their fellow elder well, and shepherd the congregation through the process as well. Since this man has been quietly spreading his views with others, at the least the elders may need to address this publicly for concern stemming from not knowing how far the comments have gone.

5. In all of your interactions and reactions, seek to love deeply from the heart (Col. 2:14), watch and continue in prayer (Col. 4:2), and joyfully submit to those in authority (Heb. 13:17). Be a model of joyful membership in the church. Do everything to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4).

Again, my perspective here is the big picture. How do the members of the congregation respond to an elder who they feel has overstepped their authority or is undermining the rest of the leadership? I'm not sure I have taken these questions as seriously as I should have in the past. As I think on it, perhaps I myself have spoken ill-advisedly in matters where I disagree with the session I am a part of and need to repent? These are matters to be taken seriously, and I am not sure I have done that to the extent that I ought as I execute the office I have been called to. Let's all be more mindful of these things in our churches and encourage our leadership to be the best leaders they can be under the light of the gospel.

The Pastor and Evangelism

2008-11-29T00:09:00.001-05:00

This video is helpful in thinking about your pastor and evangelism. I know many people who have been frustrated by their pastor's lack of immediate involvement in the evangelism ministry in the local church, and I think Mark Dever gives some insight into the pastor's role in evangelism and why you may not see your pastor on the front lines...

Now, that being said - we ought now to seek to take what our pastor's have equipped us with each week, and apply that to our own evangelism ministry in and outside of the church. Much of the pastor's job is to equip YOU to do the things you wish he was doing for you. And don't assume that if you don't see it, it isn't happening!

HT: Unashamed Workman

First Snow of 2008

2008-11-12T15:22:00.006-05:00

It's a little after the fact, but it's been awhile since I posted here and I wanted to share these.
So there it is. :-)

It was an unexpected storm... we got about 8 inches or so. But not the damage that occurred in other ares near us. Where we used to live, a tree fell across the street and crushed 4 cars!
It was a very heavy and very wet snow...

Abby didn't care about any of that. She was absolutely thrilled to be out in it. She knew what a snowball was somehow, since even before she was dressed to go out she was yelling "snowball! snowball!" And she was throwing them at us as soon as she could get it in her hands.

A fun morning...

hoo boy... Convicting

2008-10-13T14:33:00.003-04:00

HT to JT

I confess I have had mornings like that and then stepped into the pulpit... it's sad, it's wrong, and I take full responsibility. May God have mercy on me to love my family better, and not just Sunday mornings... and thanks be to God through the Lord Jesus Christ that His grace abounds to cover far more than bad mornings.

Ask and You Shall Receive...

2008-10-07T22:37:00.007-04:00

Me No Speak - You Watch, Listen... Run 'Way

2008-10-07T17:39:00.001-04:00

Surpised by ... Hip Hop?

2008-10-01T16:57:00.003-04:00

I have not listened to rap music in quite some time. I was seriously into in my last year or two of High School (think Special Ed, Heavy D, and just on the scene gansta rap NWA... wow). I got back to my Rock roots in college, but rap was not off the table, and I still listen to some of my favorite tracks every once in a while (protect ya neck - Wu-Tang - clean version of course), but hip hop has not been on my radar very much at all in the last few years. Even the Christian Rap I had heard in recent years, while decent in content has not really grabbed my attention musically.

Now, because of my exit from the rap music scene, I apparently have missed out on a few really good Christian Rap artists. I could not list them here, but here is something I came across through JT's Blog (where else?) that I really like.

Enjoy this track from Lecrae - I just bought the album on iTunes. (Thanks to the Siebolds!)

If you have given up on Rap for one reason or another, you might want to peek in again. The 1:16 Clique is probably the first place you should look, which includes Lecrae, Trip-Lee and others.
(Romans 1:16)

There is a short written interview and a longer video interview with Lecrae here.

The 2:4 Principle

2008-09-09T14:22:00.004-04:00

Below I am just going to repost Justine Taylor's recent blog.

I have posted before on this and similar topics - but again, in my opinion, what Piper and Welch are getting at is the biggest obstacle to really engaging in the life of the church, and therefore, really accessing the Christian experience. I've said it before, Life in Christ IS life in the church. There is no other place to learn to be who we are called to be, or better place to actually try to live it out.
Anyone who is in the church that does not have this mindset will be continually disappointed, and hurt, and lonely - never satisfied with any body of believers they join, no matter what is available for them in the church. But enough from me, here is the post:

John Piper's latest sermon, The Mind of Christ: Looking Out for the Interests of Others, is well worth your time. Here's an excerpt:

Why do Christians walk through life feeling a humble sense that we owe service to people, rather than them owing us? The answer is that Christ loved us and died for us and forgave us and accepted us and justified us and gave us eternal life and made us heirs of the world when he owed us nothing. He treated us as worthy of his service, when we were not worthy of his service. He took thought not only for his own interests but for ours. He counted us as greater than himself: “Who is the greater,” he said, “one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves” (Luke 22:27).
That is where our humility comes from. We feel overwhelmed by God’s grace: bygone grace in the cross and moment-by-moment arriving grace promised for our everlasting future. Christians are stunned into lowliness. Freely you have been served, freely serve.

So the crucial relational mark of the culture of our church should be Philippians 2:4: “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” This is the “mind” or the “mindset” that we should have in life together. This is the relational atmosphere where God will grant wisdom for the perplexing work of living in this world.

I was reminded of a quote from Ed Welch’s book, Running Scared:Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest (pp. 184-185), which I've excerpted here before:

Which do we really need—to give love or to receive it? We resist the question because we want to say both.

Yet Scripture seems to favor the imbalance. Not that we aspire to have our friend or spouse love us less, but that “in humility [we] consider others better than [our]selves” (Phil. 3:4). When the kingdom of God is ruling our hearts, we aspire more to serve than to be served, honor more than to be honored, and love more than be loved. This doesn’t mean that we don’t care about being loved; it simply means that we always want to outdo others in love.

Do we run the risk of a lopsided relationship? Absolutely. That is the relationship we have with God—he always loves first and most. . . . Throughout Scripture God is the one who loves more than he is loved. He always makes the first move. He advertises his extravagant affection for us even when we are indifferent or opposed to him.

When Jesus Christ, God incarnate, walked the earth, the pattern continued. Through his life Jesus was rejected by his people and misunderstood by his disciples. At the most difficult point of his life, he was betrayed, denied, and abandoned. But through it all his love was unwavering. In this, he established the pattern for true humanness. This is the way we were intended to be. This is life in the kingdom. It wants love, but it wants even more to love others deeply. Its treasure is to grow in the fruits of the Spirit, foremost of which is to love others.

This is Greg again: If we as a people, in our churches, in our marriages, in any other relationship we find ourselves in... If we could really live this out we would be far more content, far more at peace, and far more in tune with the life that God would like for us to live. We'd probably suffer a lot more too - another positive.

People Will Get Mad at You if You Do it Right

2008-08-25T14:09:00.002-04:00

Here is an interesting clip from an interview with Tim Keller on the Pastor and his family.

This is probably one of the hardest aspects of being a pastor. I can see it from my own perspective, just starting out as a husband (our 4 year anniversary is Thursday) and as a Father (Abby turns 2 in November) - but I can also see it through the eyes of my mentor, who is much further along in his life and ministry.

I hear how others 'get mad' - both at myself and at him - when the balls drop, as they are bound to do. But Mr. Keller is right... if you are doing it right - not to say that I do, or that my mentor does - but if you are doing it right, people are going to get mad at you.

And it is so incredibly difficult to balance your calling as a husband and as a father, with that of your calling as a pastor - the shepherd of God's people... We want to be all things to all people - we are called to be that - but there is an order and a priority of the three which comes from God. And as angry as your people may get at you for doing it the right way - by not doing so you are disqualifying yourself from making the congregation happy anyway...

May as well have them mad at your for a good reason...

This is one of many reasons why it is so important to have a wise and strong session.

HT: Unashamed Workman

Finger Painting... Oh Yeah

2008-08-07T04:38:00.002-04:00

These speak for themselves...

You Know You are Too...

2008-07-18T22:56:00.001-04:00

I Would Be Remiss...

2008-07-08T18:59:00.007-04:00

If I made several posts today and did not add an Abby post...

Here are a couple of vids of she and I playing with a lollipop and talking with mommy...

In the next video, when I ask "Who made you?" - It sounds like she is saying Da-ddy, (which is not entirely wrong) but she is in actuality saying "God Did".
:-)

Until next time...

Tidbits to Share

2008-07-08T15:01:00.003-04:00

If you haven't found or been pointed to "First Importance" let me be the one to send you that way. I recommend you add it to your feed-reader, if you have one... and if you don't... shame on you for wasting so much time! (said the man on his third blog post of the day...)

Anyway, I just wanted to share two of the more recent postings I thought were excellent:

“We conclude, therefore, that a Christian lives not in himself, but in Christ and in his neighbor. Otherwise he is not a Christian. He lives in Christ through faith, in his neighbor through love. By faith he is caught up beyond himself into God. By love he descends beneath himself into his neighbor.”

- Martin Luther, On Christian Liberty (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress, 2003), 62.

“A man is not saved because he believes in Christ; he believes in Christ because he is saved.”

- Loraine Boettner, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination (Philadelphia, PA: P&R Publishing, 1965), 101.

The Story of Stuff

2008-07-08T14:11:00.006-04:00

Ok, anyone who knows me knows that I hate the huge "green push" that has been going on in our society as of late. I don't hate it because I want to destroy the planet - but I hate it because of the arrogance and presumption and fear-mongering behind the most vocal 'greenies' out there. Do I believe global warming exists? Well, sort of, but not in the way it is being portrayed in the media. Do I believe that we can do something about it? Well, not exactly. I do however believe that we ought to be better stewards of what God has given us - and so in that vein, I am more 'green' than people might expect.

It is in that regard that I share this with you... 'big ups' to This Desert Life for alerting us to its existence.

I recommend watching this video with your propaganda detectors firmly in place. There is plenty to go around in this video, particularly in the first two sections of the video. It's not that I deny the premises in and of themselves, but the drama is a bit over the top and the numbers only tell half the story.

That being said, the sections on distribution and consumption are very, very good, and the last section to a lesser degree - a bit more fear mongering than I think is appropriate... but overall this is a helpful bit of info, something I think people should watch, though with a certain level of caution.

To the dismay of my wife, it does bolster my desire and my argument to have the cable shut off in our home (I really just don't want to pay for it)... however, that is not a hill I am willing to die on. There are much bigger fish to fry.

Enjoy, and do feel free to leave your thoughts.

PS - If I may point out ONE major nit-pick in the very beginning of the film - our narrator says passionately that "it is the governments job to TAKE CARE OF US" - I have to firmly jump ship right there... this is not and never has been the job of the government, and this is the major reason why we are in such dire straights economically as a nation... but that's enough about that for now.

OK, This May Be a Little Selfish...

2008-07-08T13:19:00.003-04:00

But is anyone else discouraged by the fact that the majority of Reformed Christian Conferences worth going to are always held in middle America or some other far away place?

PCRT is held in Philadelphia, and that's great. But there are all these other great gatherings I'd love to go to, Like New Attitude, Together for the Gospel, Resolved, Desiring God and the most recently announced (as far as I know) The Gospel Coalition...

I would have loved to go to any one of these, but they are all so far away that the travel makes it impossible. The church could never afford to send me, and I surely could not afford to send myself... I suppose I will have to be content with downloading the audio after the fact. At least it's free! For that I truly am thankful.

But I think these conferences should do what our GA does, and rotate the location every year. That way more people who want to go are able to at least every few years. That would be great. Not to confuse a conference with the Church - it is not the same... but that's an entirely different post for another day.

This is One of the Greatest Sermons I Have Ever Heard.

2008-06-30T16:51:00.003-04:00

Tim Keller preaching on the Parable of the Prodigal Son.

Nothing flashy... No emotional strings... No big show...

Just good, clear, gospel preaching.

And it is AMAZING.

From what I understand, it is the basis for his forthcoming book:

I am currently trying to find time to read his current bestseller:

Time to get on my horse!

Oh Yeah... There was this:

2008-05-29T14:28:00.004-04:00

Yup, I am now officially the Reverend Gregory Rather Gentry Jr.
And I have the photos to prove it!

taking my vows...

They are laying hands on somebody...

aw man, who is it? Can't ... see...

Still no luck... It's me, I assure you it is!

See, my name is on the cake and everything!

I thought this was so cool...
II Timothy 4:1-2 if you can make it out.

Here is the article that we wrote up for PR:

On May 18, the Presbytery of New Jersey ordained Gregory R. Gentry as a minister and installed him as the Assistant Pastor of Church of the Covenant, OPC in Hackettstown, NJ. He joins the ministry of Senior Pastor Rev. Ron Pearce, whose ministry Gregory has sat under since his youth as a member of Church of the Covenant, where he was married in 2004 and where he and his wife Natalie baptized their daughter Abigail in 2006.

The Rev. Ron Pearce led the service and The Rev. David Harr Preached from 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5, asking why Church of the Covenant would possibly want “Another Preacher?” He focused on the centrality of the ministry of the Word in the Worship of our God. The Rev. James Cassidy, moderator of the NJ Presbytery, administered the vows to Mr. Gentry and to the congregation, followed by the laying on of hands. Rev. Pearce followed with a sobering charge to Mr. Gentry from 1 Timothy 4:15-16 and Rev. Stanford Sutton charged the congregation from 1 Thessalonians 5:9-14.

The glorious day of worship ended in celebration and fellowship as the many who gathered shared a light dessert reception after the service. This was a joyous day in the life of Church of the Covenant, to the glory of God and for the proclamation of Christ Jesus.

(from left to right): Elder Gerry Cruz (CoC), Rev. Tom Foh (Reeders, PA), Rev. Ron Pearce (CoC), Rev. Stan Sutton (Westfield, NJ), Rev. Jim Cassidy (Ringoes, NJ), Rev. Jeff Waddington (Ringoes), the Ordinand Rev. Greg Gentry(CoC), Rev. Mark Stewart (Newton URC), Rev. David Harr(Medord, NJ), Rev. Andrew Graham (Knowlton PCA), and Elder Keith Cuomo(CoC).

:-)

Dancing Baby

2008-05-29T10:16:00.005-04:00

Self or Christ?

2008-05-22T11:13:00.005-04:00

“Self has no claims upon us, for it has done nothing for us. It has been a wall of iron between us and Christ. Is that a reason that we should serve it? It has been a mountain of ice between us and the world to come. Is that a ground of claim over us?

No, brethren, self has done nothing to make us either live to it or die to it. It never can do anything; shall we then bow to it; shall we serve it; shall we do it homage?

We ask on the other hand—What has the Lord not done? What indissoluble, innumerable bonds are there between us and him, as the living, the dying, and the rising one.

The whole of our life is to be his, as his life was for us. Surely he has earned this, if he has earned anything at all. The least that we can give him is our life; the undivided service of our being, in every part; in our doing, in our speaking, in our planning, and in all our daily round of business, so that every part of our life shall be a witness-bearing for him.”

—Horatius Bonar, “Self or Christ; Which Is It?”

The above is, in my mind, one of the clearest statements of one of the most important truths the church needs to grab hold of in order to become what it is meant to be - Both corporately, in caring for one another and meeting diaconal needs, (which are incredibly important) and also individually, in marriages, in child rearing, friendships... the list goes on and on. If there is one word that ought to be able to be used to describe the Christian man or woman, it is the word "selfless."

Unfortunately, it is not only one of the most important concepts to realize, but it is also one of the hardest concepts (the hardest?) to actually manifest, and only by God's Spirit working in us.

May each of us pray hard for a more selfless spirit and truly desire to give up our "rights" for the sake of the others around us and the church. The Lord knows I need to pray as hard as anyone...

HT - Of First Importance

Rosa May Flowers

2008-05-21T00:52:00.009-04:00

The following post is meant for our Missions Trip team.

Here are some pictures and commentary for what we will be working on for at least the first few days down in Fairmont.

Our host is Rosa May Flowers, she is a 76 year old single woman who loves the Lord.
Starting today, she is your newly adopted Grandmother.

This is her home... Starting today, this is our home. Her prized possessions will be our prized possessions. We will love and care for them as she loves and cares for them.

Most of us will be spending much of our time on the roof. But a bad roof also leads to indoor damage, so I will start on the inside and work our way out...

The roof has been leaking for some time. These pictures show the damage...

Best case scenario, we're looking at one or two replacement sheets of drywall, puddy, and then do our best to match the ceiling, which is painted with texture paste/paint as you can see below.

This is in the kitchen, not nearly as bad as the living room. After we fix the roof, we can probably just put some primer on the spot and paint it.

Now we head outside to the roof... We will be stripping and re-shingling the entire space, including both porches. We estimated it to be approx. 1300 square feet.

I'm guessing we will find some wild life in that insulation.

The shingles are literally crumbling under our feet. Rosa May has been here for 25 years. Who knows how long the roof has been here. There are no trees or shade on the house itself, so these are pretty weather beaten.

The pitch on the rood is not bad at all. We should not need to worry about roof jacks or anything like that.

MTW has already put a tarp on the roof to keep it from leaking any further.

Here is the fascia work that needs to be done. This is the back porch, which has almost no pitch at all. We were surprised there wasn't more internal damage under this section of roof.

We will have to contend with a family of buzzers before we start the job...

Mark climbed up into the attack to see if there was any hidden damage, so there will be no surprises. If you look into the corner you can see the black water damage. One or two rows of ply wood will likely need replacing.

She also asked us to fix this electrical socket which apparently has no juice. Hopefully we can figure that one out.

That's the tour. It doesn't look all too daunting, and if we get a good rhythm going, we may be able to finish pretty early and help other teams finish other jobs as well. It will be the end of the summer at MTW, so there will be lots of loose ends to tie up, so be preparing yourselves mentally for just about anything!

Start praying now for how God is going to use you on this trip, and how He is going to change you on this trip. Be praying for Rosa May, and how we can minister to her, or how she may minister to us. Be praying for the unexpected, for safety, and most of all for God to be honored and glorified in our work, and for him to give us many opportunities to show and share Jesus Christ.

Abby and Friends Play the Piano

2008-05-13T16:40:00.006-04:00

My parents got Abby this cute little piano for Christmas, but we have not been able to set it up until today, because out apartment is about the size of a postage stamp. :-)

But we finally got it out and wanted to share (mostly with my parents) that she is finally able to enjoy their very cool gift.

After getting it situated in the bedroom, Abby gave her first concert to a group of fine stuffed animals, whom she quickly employed to help her complete her concerto. I'd have gotten more, but my batteries died... my bad.

This comes on the heels of another very special gift...

My dad, who is extremely gifted, made Abby a little desk.
He called me when he began the project and told me he was getting Abby a dog.
I must admit that I took him seriously and was not entirely pleased since, a) we live on a postage stamp, and b) our postage stamp does not allow pets! :-)

I was relieved when I saw this:

As you can see... not a real dog. But a cute one! Abuelito loves his nieta.

She took to it right away.

And even tried to take off with it! But it's pretty stable front to back... it's side to side you have to worry about.

And just because she has a cool new desk does not mean we have to be any less watchful of her eating crayons... she's chomping on the blue one here... That's a crayon-eating-grin.

Thanks Lito and Grammy!!

Not sure if I mentioned this...

2008-05-08T01:56:00.003-04:00

But, by God's grace and to His praise, I did finally pass my ordination exam before Presbytery on April 22nd.

So, unless the Lord returns, (Which would be so much cooler) I will be ordained and installed by the PNJOPC as the Assistant Pastor of Church of the Covenant on May 18th at 3pm.

If you are reading this, YOU are invited.

There will be a luncheon after morning worship and a reception after the ordination service. You should come spend the day honoring God's faithfulness with us.

Please let me know if you are coming so we can be adequately prepared.

Can I get a woot woot?