Hug a Stranger

If you don't already use FIREFOX as your current web browser, I highly recommend the switch.  Not only does it allow you to avoid many of the pitfalls and viruses that tend to attck IE users, but it also has a plethora of available extensions that make your web experience way cooler.

One such extension is called "Stumble!" - You hit a button and it brings up a random web site that is recommended by other Stumble! users.  But i must warn you - take great care and make sure all your work is done before you begin stumbling.. it can be quite a distraction for those who do not have an impenitrable will, and the gift of pure focus, like I do. (You can stop laughing at any time.)

Anyway, I Stumbled across this and thought it was cool - it made me want to hug someone.

Reflection on Death

I just happened upon this article by one of my favorites, Carl Trueman.  It expresses many of my own thoughts about death that I have never had the chance to write down.  Now it seems that would be rather redundant.  Thanks Carl.

To add something of my own thoughts to what Dr. Trueman has said, I find death to be one of the great apologetic tools in discussing spiritual things with those who deny God's existence, or hold to evolution.  The idea that death is so shocking, that it causes such disruption and chaos in the lives of all humanity is an argument against natural selection.  If death is as normal and expected as it seems, then why are we still so effected by it?  It seems to me that the one thing that has been with mankind since that first "accident" which caused us to rise out of that primordial ooze would be one of the first things to go according to darwinian evolution. 

Death is truly grievous, but as Christians we can never mourn the way an unbeliever does, because even though death is just as real and just as chaotic and just as unnatural (perhaps even moreso!), the one who is united to Christ mourns with the great hope that death is not the end, and that there will come a time when even death will be no more and we will see the death of death.

The Latest...

Well, it has been quite some time since I posted anything. So I figured it was time for a brief update. The following is not in any particular order of signifigance. In fact, I have no idea what I am about to write... so enjoy!

Let's see...

Well, as you can see below, my wife is cooking us up a little baby girl in her belly. We are very excited and nervous as the time approaches for her to come into the world. And actually, that level of excitement has been racheted up a notch, since yesterday we found out that she might be coming at the end of OCTOBER and not the end of November... we are NOT READY!!! But will we ever be? not so sure... It would be nice to have some diapers and such in the house however...
5 weeks of prep time becoming two weeks of prep time is never fun, no matter what you're talking about.

I am still the intern at Church of the Covenant OPC, Hackettstown NJ. Things have been going well. No one has yet decried me as a heretic, or had any real misgivings about anything I have preached about or taught in Sunday School. It's a good thing I am using the Bible and the Confession for those things... phew.. I could be in trouble otherwise. (hopefully the silly sarcasm comes across here, I'm not a heretic.) In fact, I "exhorted" the Presbytery of NJ a couple of weeks ago, and praise the Lord, they didn't think I was a heretic either. (Hehe, I should stop saying that or people are going to start asking why...) But my exhortation was well recevied (fyi - we do not "preach" in the OPC until we are licensed, until then we "exhort". Yes, it's semantics, but it is important semantics) -- It was well received and the Presbytery voted unanimously to 'receive' it. Which I suppose means that it was not heretical. (there I go again.)
My relationship with the Church is going very well. They are very happy to have me and I am more than happy to be there. I couldn't think of a better situation for me right now. I know there are still areas that I need help on however, and pending congregational approval, we have extended the internship through 2007. I am quite thankful for that for several reasons, not least of which being that I won't have to move again for another 6 months...
It does not appear that this is likely, but my hope and prayer is that this Church will eventually call me as an associate pastor and I can continue to learn under Ron Pearce and serve in what I think is a field ready for harvest in several areas.

Oh, and in case you haven't been watching any baseball this past week, this picture should sum things up nicely for you:

The Mets will continue there post season romp when St. Louis comes to town. It should actually be a pretty good series, but I see the Mets winning in Six. The big story, if it plays out this way, will be Oliver Perez facing Carpenter in game three, (an apparent throw away game for the Mets) and Perez throwing a 12 strikeout gem, winning 2-1. That, of course, is a dream that can only come true in the playoffs. I like Detroit in the ALCS, and think it will be a pretty good World Series if the Mets make it there to play against them. It appears the entire country is getting behind Detroit, and deservedly so.

Hey, guess what... It's football season! You'd never know if you lived in my head, which is pretty much 'all baseball all the time' right now. I do like football, but it's a distant second to baseball (as are most other things, unfortunately). I like the New York Giants, and have since the very first football game I watched in my whole life, the the NFC Championship game against the Redskins in 1986 when the G-men won it all. 1986 was a good year for New York sports. Anyway, the Giants are starting off a Schizophrenic 2-2, which is ok by me, as long as they pull it together once the World Series is over. Like the Mets, the Giants have all the tools to win big, but unlike the Mets, they do not seem to have the team chemistry and comradery that enables teams to overcome adversity and win together. I'm beginning to think the Giants are more like the Yankees mentality wise, and I don't really like that very much. I think they might have surprised themselves last year with how well they did, and that lent itself to more fun and team unity. But since they won the NFC East, they appear to feel as though they are already entitled to the NFC East and don't need to play that hard to win -- an assumption that is hopefully being beaten out of them early in the season. But enough about that silly sports stuff... (sometimes I wonder if I should be a sportswriter instead of a Pastor)

I guess that is as much of an update as I can muster right now. I'm all out... hopefully in the future I can begin posting things of a bit more substance, like I used to do. But I don't hold out too much hope for that. Until next time...

Reunion!

I have not been this excited in a very long time...

This weekend, after several months of living apart, my wife and I will once again dwell under the same roof! It has been a difficult Summer away doing what we have to do, but in His grace, God has sustained us and this Saturday we will be a complete unit once again.

Just really thankful. Really thankful.

Ultra Sound #2

We went for another ultra sound this morning. A level 2.
According to the doctor all is well, but there are still some things we can't quite see the way we want to, so we have to go back for another in 3 weeks.

But here are the photos -- no question as to what we are looking at this time!

Amazing!

You have all been patiently waiting, as have Natalie and I, for pictures of our new baby.

Well, here is the only one they gave me. Hopefully more to come...

As a point of reference - the round feature above the center is the babies right cheek (not an eye!) It is laying on its left side, facing the camera. (the head is to the right) It has it's hands together in front of it's mouth(center), it's eyes (you can only see the right one) are closed, and the light is reflecting off of the right side of the nose. It took me a long time of staring to be able to see this.. you almost have to look at the negative space in order to see. That's our baby!

You'll have to contact us to find out what it is!

ADDENDUM: Apparently there are some seriously remedial ultra Sound viewers who can not see what I am describing in the above photo - so please enjoy this diagram:


Thank You!

The Update Post

Well, it's been awhile and life is vastly different now than it was just a couple weeks ago. So here is the update, in no particular order of importance or chronology...

LIFE I have left Philadelphia. The good news is that I have started an internship in a great church under a great pastor and preacher, and things are going great so far. I have been preaching at this church for months now, but I am finally getting constructive feedback on my sermons, and so far it has been a real encouragement. More on that later...
The bad news is that I now live back in New Jersey. In fact, I am back in the town I lived in up through 5th grade, before my parents relocated to PA. This is a nice town. It is not typical of many NJ towns I have seen. However it still has all the drawbacks of living in the state of NJ, like the most corrupt state government in the country, absolutely ridiculous property taxes (as well as other taxes), and more cars on the road than people driving (NJ is the most traveled state in the union). But other than that it is good to be back.
The WORSE news is that my wife is still in Philadelphia... Nothing has ever sucked so bad in my short 30 years on this earth. She's pregnant and miserable (on and off), and I am 100 miles away and can't be there for her or take care of her. She really has the worse end of the deal too, because I am staying with a good friend and have support and people around me constantly with my work at the church - but she dreads coming home from work because she is all alone. Her friends are not nearby, and all the neighbors probably think I left her because I packed my car and left with both of us in tears. I know she hates being there by herself - and that's killing me. But it can't really be helped right now. She is fulfilling a commitment at her job. (wow, I just posted something rather personal on my blog -- a first. I'll resist deleting it.)
The better news is that when she does finally join me in September, we have a really great house waiting for us to move into. It's is a great location, and the price is a real steal for the area. It's just the right size for the soon-to-be three of us to get comfy in for a couple years, or longer if the Lord wills. I'm sure pictures will eventually make their way up here... when I have my camera with me. Right now I only have my closet and a few choice selections from my library -- and that's it. The move up here is totally going to stink. I hate moving.

THE METS If you aren't watching the Mets right now, you are missing some of the greatest, most exciting baseball I have seen in about 20 years. Not since 1986 has there been a team in the league that is so fun to watch, so explosive, and that can win in so many different ways. Granted, I am obviously a bit biased, and it has been 20 years since the Mets have had a team this good. But this has been a really great season so far and I hope it continues. So much fun!

FRIENDS The guys from school are all going through similar things as I am. One got married and is back in Texas full time. One is still in Philly, starting an internship in September which should be great for him. One got called as the Associate Pastor at the church I just transferred from. Still others are still plugging away at WTS. They will all be great. I miss them already.
In Jersey, all my friends are either growing their families or planning to start them. Another getting married in a couple weeks, one just had his second child, we're working on our first. Man, these changes just keep coming faster and faster. I'm the oldest of all these guys mentioned here and I feel like I'm far behind them all really. In different ways...

PREACHING As I mentioned earlier, preaching is ongoing and things seem to be going well. The other day, I was struck with a thought that I would like to share. Many preachers, perhaps most, when appropriate will end their sermon with what is often referred to as a "gospel call". It usually comes after we have made our argument from scripture and are now calling for those who are not believers to come and put their faith in the Christ we have just proclaimed. Very few preachers I have heard are as good at this part of the sermon than the man I am learning under right now. I too have been using his style of call in my sermons. The thought that struck me the other day was this: I wonder if my mentor ever expects people to actually respond to the gospel call he makes at the end of his sermons. I ask that question because I realized that after I gave that call the other night, I had absolutely no expectation that people would actually be moved by the scripture and come to Christ. None whatsoever. Now granted, there may be several reason for this - the most obvious one being that most of the time, we do not expect that there are many, if any, visitors in the congregation - and if there are they are usually believers. (That's a different issue altogether - another post perhaps)
But this realization of my own response, or lack thereof, to my preaching made me think of a few things that managed to stick in my head from Seminary. 1) We need to preach to the empty seats. The way to get people into the church is by exhorting those seats to get filled - and believing they WILL be! It's amazing how little faith we have that our preaching will be effective. Even though the scripture says that God's word will not return to Him void and will achieve the purpose for which it is sent out. 2) The big problem that we have with evangelism, and in this case, preaching, is that we don't really believe that evangelism works. We don't really believe that the gospel can change people. Maybe we are frustrated with how little it is changing us - maybe we are afraid of really stepping out of our comfort zones in order to give the gospel to someone else -- whatever the case may be, our faith is small and seemingly ever shrinking. I am recalling an early anecdote from Seminary and I can;t remember who it was about, but it spoke to this very thing. A young preacher finished his sermon and was being critiqued by this famous but now forgotten (by me) preacher/theologian. And the elder asked the younger what he expected to happen after his sermon. The younger replied, "nothing". The Elder then said "Then you succeeded!" (or something like that, can't remember; perhaps one of my fellow theo-nerds can help) Anyway, as I quoted in a recent sermon, "We are far too easily pleased."

DIAL UP I don't care how cheap it is: Dial-up is TERRIBLE. Back home I have comcast cable internet and it is blazing fast and I swore that I would forgo eating before I ever went back to dial-up again. And yet, here I am at the mercy of those gracious enough to have me in their home for the summer. They've been talking about getting DSL for months now, but no moves have been made in that direction. I can't really complain though, at least I can still check my e-mail. I suppose I should not assume that the rest of the world has jumped on the high speed bandwagon just because I have been there for so happily for so long.

FATHERS DAY I love my dad. I love my wife's dad too. They are pretty much polar opposites, and yet both very valuable, good men in their own ways. Wise in their own ways. Funny in their own ways. I'm glad there is a day to honor them. I just wish I had an idea other than a nose hair trimmer that would do them justice while not emptying the bank. What do you get for the man who has everything (her dad), or the man who has nothing and wants less (my dad)?

I'm sure I could probably go on spouting for awhile longer, but I am getting tired and don't want to risk saying something I may regret, if I haven't already. It's weird how people find this site and who is actually reading it... surprising actually.

Da Vinci Review

I read the book. I thought it was a good story. Yes, the historical atrocities made me want to tear my hair out. But it was still a good story. When I heard they were going to make a movie, my initial thought was, "That is going to be difficult". The story is like an intellectual Indiana Jones story, which is great for a novel (that happens to be written like a movie), but will never play well on the big screen. People don't like to go to the movies to watch people talk about things - no matter how exotic the location, and no matter how star studded the cast.

After hearing the reviews (from all walks of media life) - it seems my entertainment instincts again proved true. No one liked this movie - no one who knows better anyway. Not even the people who want desperately for its content to be true. So the jury is still out as to whether my wife and I will drop the dollars necessary to see it. I think "Over the Hedge" is probably a better bet, or "MI-III" (pronounce it EM-EYE-EYE, EYE, EYE - just for fun). Or perhaps we'll wait for X3, which is sure to be a crowd pleaser, even if they can't stuff 5 years of comic lore into one film.

Anyway, if I do see it, I am sure a review will pop up here in the next couple weeks. But until then, enjoy the following from the internet monk's very funny review of the Da Vinci Code film:

“Listen:if this contrivancy makes you want to abandon Christianity for the new agey Jesus, be my guest. Please leave, and take your empty Jack Daniels bottles with you.”

could I have said it better?

The Gamer Love Song

One more stop on the procrastination train.
This is for all you video game lovers out there...
very funny.

Enjoy!

Further Gentrification

Many of you already know, but since we actually got to see our baby today, I wanted.. nay I am impelled to tell the world!

We are having a baby!!!

Natalie is about 11 weeks along hopefully in the last stage of what has been a somewhat uncomfortable beginning. Alot of Nausea at first, and then it got worse, but now seems to be tapering off a bit and will, Lord willing, abate in the next couple weeks.

Today we got our first glimpse of our little one as it is being formed in the womb. It is absolutely amazing that even after these few weeks, all of its most intricate parts are already fully formed. I could see its little face and nose, the bone structure of the head, and it's legs kicking around in all sorts of jubilation and life, as well as its little heart beating smoothly and quickly.

It was an utter joy to behold. The world will never be the same again. The Lord is good and wonderous are His works!

If we get any pictures of the first ultra sound, I will post them here, as well as any future ones, and will keep the blogosphere up to date on the newest of the Gentry clan. We appreciate any and all prayers as well.

Until next time...

BABY!

Is the Devil Really in the Details?

Yes, here I am again - touting yet another of Carl Trueman's articles at the Reformation 21 website.

Part of the reason is that I have nothing else worthwhile to write here, and the other part is that I don't think there is another guy doing what Dr. Trueman does who is as worthy of constantly keeping up with the things he has to say about what is happening in the Church today.

So read on.

Perhaps someday I'll have an original thought again. not likely.

Carl Trueman on American Idol

I too confess that I watch American Idol.

This is the first season that I have actually watched the deeper competition portion of the show. Usually after all of the hilarious tomfoolery of the initial auditions, where everyone and their great aunt believes (quite mistakenly) that they can sing like Whitney Houston, I lose interest. This year, however, I have hung on and watched most of the proceeding 'rounds'.

I never really stopped to question the attractiveness of such a show, and I'm not sure I would put the same level of generalization on it as my most esteemed professor has done in his most recent article, but I think he does make several very valid and basic points I can certainly get on board with.

It's a great read, and is, as usual, peppered with wonderful British wit and condescension.
After you've read it, please continue....



No, seriously... read that first, or the rest will not make as much sense....




Personally, my fascination with American Idol is two-fold. Where I depart from what Carl Trueman has pointed out, is that coming from my own musical background, I actually am interested in what is happening musically, and vocally on the show. There is a sense in which I am watching the show in order to see if Justice is done, and that those with the best voices are in fact the ones who make it further into the show. I don't vote mind you, and therefore have no say or grounds to complain if justice is not done... but I digress.

I'm not sure if this part of my approach to the show fully departs from the issues Dr. Trueman raises, because I am, at least in part, putting myself as the arbiter of what that Justice would be in this situation. So in a way I am still trying to play God, or at the very least represent him through what I think these people sound like in His ears (still tremendously presumptuous of me).

On the other hand, right along with Dr. Trueman's observations, somewhere deep inside of me, or perhaps not so deep, but also stemming from my own musical background is a deep seated jealousy and longing to be standing in their place. I can't tell you how many times I have found myself singing a hypothetical 'audition' song, or thinking about what would be the best song to perform for said hypothetical audition. Don't get me wrong, I realize I am far past any such things, and I also realize that it would be unlikely that I would get much past the first round, if even that. But that said, I cannot deny the idolatrous lure of that grand scale of what can only be defined as worship. These people are lining up to be worshipped by the American public. The title of the show is no accident, and certainly no coincidence. I can even point to a particular episode in recent weeks where one of the contestants, a professing Christian, sang a praise song for her weekly performance. Afterward, in an attempt to give God glory, she was encouraged, in no uncertain terms, to take some for herself. Now, at first glance even I want to say that I am being overly sensative, and that it is just a TV show. But the more I think about it, it really isn't just a TV show, and its puprposes are far less nuetral than any of us would probably like to admit. Of course, no one is saying that Simon Cowell is consciously promoting a format of organized idol worship. The fact of the matter is that he doesn't have to. We are all more than willing to make it all of that on our own, which is the heart of what Dr. Trueman is getting at.

The reason why it is a temptation, and the reason why we are so attracted to this show and those like it is because we all have within us the ultimate desire to put ourselves above all others and to receive their worship - to receive that which is set aside for God alone, to take His place, and to receive the love of His creation, the adulation and glory of the masses, that should only be directed at the one who alone is worthy: Jesus Christ.

This kind of temptation is something that myself and those like me will have to face and defeat (if not already doing so) as we head out of seminary and into the pulpits of Christ's Church. It may not be the mass of millions of music buying Americans, but the temptation to seek and pursue for ourselves the glory that belongs to Christ will be just as powerful in our local congregations as it would be standing on that stage before the countless eyes of the TV viewing public.

Personally, I already see this as one of my first and most difficult struggles in the months and years to come. So this is a warning for myself and all who are looking to serve Christ's Church...

God will not give His glory to another. (Isaiah 48:11)