Road Ten:Nine

Broadcasting

2009-05-08T17:03:00.010-05:00

My pastor began a new series this past sunday called The Parables of Jesus. The parable that Pastor Eddie began this series with was the parable of the sower from Matthew 13. Rather than give you a synopsis, I'll just give you the scripture (it's only nine verses):

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear." — Matthew 13:1-9

Pastor Eddie went verse by verse explaining to us what was going on, how the seed is the Word of God, and the type of soil is our heart condition, etc. Well, my pastor used a curious word for sowing and he kept using it when the idea of casting seed came up. The word was broadcasting. It means to scatter or sow over a large area. In other words broadcasting is simply casting seed broadly. It is a perfectly legitimate farming term for sowing seed to produce a crop, but it got me thinking. If the seed is the Word of God, and it is broadcast on different types of soil, what does the enemy do with his lies.

I got me pondering the common use of the term broadcast in this age of technological advancement. All sorts of things coming out of Hollywood and L.A. and New York, over the airwaves, on television, through the film and music industry are seasoned if not fully marinated in the lies of Satan. God is broadcasting his Word on the soil of the hearts of His elect, but so is Satan. In our society we are bombarded with the seed of the devils lies and we have to decide who we are going to believe. Satan's seed should be easy to spot for the believer, unfortunately that is quite often not the case. We are not saturating ourselves with the truth of God's Word. The very first Psalm says of the righteous man,

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

Day and night! I am far from living up to that standard. I have been greatly convicted by Pastor Eddie's message. We podcast our messages, in fact, it is my responsibility and privilege to edit and upload them. But since I do that, I figure I may as well listen to the fruit of my labor. So, today I heard the message again and this word broadcasting kept nagging my thoughts. If I am not receiving the Word of God, am I listening to the lies of Satan? I need to spend time with Jesus and in His Word on a regular basis so I can do what the psalmist says in Psalm 119:11 and hide God's word in my heart that I might not sin against Him. God is broadcasting his Word, But Satan is likewise broadcasting his lies. I choose to listen to the Word of the Lord. "He who has ears, let him hear." — Jesus

The Incredible Edible Theological Truth

2009-03-10T14:50:00.008-05:00

I have heard many people say, “Chew the meat and spit out the bones,” when referring to a controversial work. I think this particular philosophy is alright if it is applied to the work of Christian theologians, authors and teachers who diligently pray and search the scriptures, making every effort to present truth. I find it more difficult to apply this reasoning to works that have very little meat and a lot of deceptively tiny bones. Personally I would rather feast on a T-bone steak, some great steamed vegetables, and a ton of fresh fruit. This is a meal that has very few bones that I can see and pick out, and provides me with some real nourishment.

If someone writes a book, article or blog that presents a certain perspective on the nature of God, I would say to people to read everything with great discernment, being sure the Word of God, the Holy Scripture, the Bible is the standard by which we judge every work, and pray that the Holy Spirit will help you. I heard Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church, Seattle, tell a story that really helped me with this. He said he was walking down the hall one day, before he had become a pastor, carrying his Bible in one hand and a book by a Christian author in another. He met a man in the hall who was his mentor and someone for which he had deep respect and trust. Mark asked the man what he thought of the Christian book which Mark was holding up for his friend to see. The man reached for the other hand and grabbed Mark’s Bible. Holding up the Bible he asked, “Have you read this? All of this?”

Mark replied, “Well, not the all of it; not the entire book, no.”

The man returned the Bible to Mark and said, “Read this first, then you can read that.”

Now, there was nothing particularly wrong with that book that Pastor Mark was asking about, in fact it was perfectly OK. The point his mentor was making was that Mark needed to know God’s Word thoroughly first. He needed to have a foundation on which to build his theology. He needed a standard by which to judge other claims of truth. Can we discover spiritual truths outside of the pages of Scripture? I say yes, but with great caution. We must be sure that we test everything in light of Scripture. In doing this, we must also be sure to take the whole counsel of Scripture without imposing any meaning on the text that really isn’t there. Scripture never contradicts itself, but it does interpret itself. We cannot cherry pick the Bible and latch on to verses that can be made to support our thinking or theology. Our theology must be influenced, shaped and informed by the Word of God, not the other way around.

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. - Acts 17:11

The Problem With Darwinian Evolution and Intelligent Design

2009-02-25T21:32:00.004-06:00

The problem with Darwinian evolution is that it is a naturalistic/materialistic theory. Naturalism and materialism are philosophies and these philosophies guide the direction that many scientists take. (Naturalism and materialism are so closely related, so I will simply refer to naturalism) Scientists who cling to naturalism as a guiding philosophy subscribe to the foregone conclusion that there is no God or at least that everything supernatural is outside the realm of science and therefore it cannot be discussed or considered seriously in scientific study. The reality is, because of the fallen nature of man, most people do not want to believe in a God to which they are accountable. Many find it easier and more comforting to reject the notion of God's existence altogether. For an example of this, here is a quote from Dr. George Wald, former Professor of Biology at Harvard University and recipient of the 1967 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine:

When it comes to the origin of life, we have only two possibilities as to how life arose. One is spontaneous generation arising to evolution; the other is a supernatural creative act of God. There is no third possibility...Spontaneous generation was scientifically disproved one hundred years ago by Louis Pasteur, Spellanzani, Reddy and others. That leads us scientifically to only one possible conclusion -- that life arose as a supernatural creative act of God...I will not accept that philosophically because I do not want to believe in God. Therefore, I choose to believe in that which I know is scientifically impossible, spontaneous generation arising to evolution. - Scientific American, August, 1954. (emphasis added)

I believe Darwinian evolution is presented as fact, first, because historically we have not had a better scientific model for the origin of life that competes with it and, second, that scientists who promote Darwinian evolution refuse to accept even the possibility of a Creator God, because they do not want a Creator God. To use scripture,

They suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 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. 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. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 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. -Romans 1:18-25 (Italics mine)

This is why it is difficult to convince such scholars by simply refuting Darwinism and proving it to be false. It is also exceedingly difficult and practically impossible to convince them by appealing to God and scripture. They perceive believers as unscientific and uneducated fools with a propensity to attribute anything unexplainable to the supernatural.

I was convinced, as are many believers, that evolution is false by my Christian leaders because I understood the Bible to teach a creation account and origin that is diametrically opposed to Darwinism. Many who have been indoctrinated by public education and other western educational institutions, those who claim to believe in God and atheists alike, are convinced by evidence that shows evolution to be false (that there is no evidence for evolution and the interpretations of the evidence we do have is biased and full of assumptions) and by evidence for design, hence the moderate success of the Intelligent Design (ID) movement. The problem with ID is that it is not universally accepted by the scientific community as valid science. I have heard many call it pseudo-science. It is humorous to me that Christians who promote ID also refer to evolution as pseudo-science. It all depends on your bias I suppose.

Scientists tend to reject ID as science for many reasons. For the most part this is because ID is fundamentally untestable and unfalsifiable. So what we need are models opposed to evolution, that agree with scripture and are testable. The Reasons to Believe model proposed by Dr. Hugh Ross and Dr. Fazale Rana is an excellent example. We do not need a model that leaves room for an ambiguous supernatural force. A model based on a god that is unidentifiable is no model of truth. As believers we can only promote such models that have the Holy Bible as its foundation and the God of Scripture as the Creator. Intelligent Design does nothing to present the whole truth and is not an equal competitor for the Darwinian evolutionary model of the origin of life. ID is not really a scientific model at all. It is simply a system of logic that, at the very least, only shows that life appears to be designed and does not explain how it came to be. I think most scientists already see this.

Fifteen Pro-Life Truths to Speak by John Piper

2009-01-25T20:41:00.004-06:00

This information was taken from Desiring God Blog at desiringgod.org

"You will know the truth and the truth will set you free." - Jesus Chris

Fifteen Pro-Life Truths to Speak

1. Existing fetal homicide laws make a man guilty of manslaughter if he kills the baby in a mother's womb (except in the case of abortion).

2. Fetal surgery is performed on babies in the womb to save them while another child the same age is being legally destroyed.

3. Babies can sometimes survive on their own at 23 or 24 weeks, but abortion is legal beyond this limit.

4. Living on its own is not the criterion of human personhood, as we know from the use of respirators and dialysis.

5. Size is irrelevant to human personhood, as we know from the difference between a one-week-old and a six-year-old.

6. Developed reasoning powers are not the criterion of personhood, as we know from the capacities of three-month-old babies.

7. Infants in the womb are human beings scientifically by virtue of their genetic make up.

8. Ultrasound has given a stunning window on the womb that shows the unborn at eight weeks sucking his thumb, recoiling from pricking, responding to sound. All the organs are present, the brain is functioning, the heart is pumping, the liver is making blood cells, the kidneys are cleaning fluids, and there is a fingerprint. Virtually all abortions happen later than this date.

9. Justice dictates that when two legitimate rights conflict, the limitation of rights that does the least harm is the most just. Bearing a child for adoption does less harm than killing him.

10. Justice dictates that when either of two people must be inconvenienced or hurt to alleviate their united predicament, the one who bore the greater responsibility for the predicament should bear more of the inconvenience or hurt to alleviate it.

11. Justice dictates that a person may not coerce harm on another person by threatening voluntary harm on themselves.

12. The outcast and the disadvantaged and exploited are to be cared for in a special way, especially those with no voice of their own.

13. What is happening in the womb is the unique person-nurturing work of God, who alone has the right to give and take life.

14. There are countless clinics that offer life and hope to both mother and child (and father and parents), with care of every kind lovingly provided by people who will meet every need they can.

15.Jesus Christ can forgive all sins, and will give all who trust him the help they need to do everything that life requires.

And So Begins Our Obama Nation

2009-01-23T15:13:00.005-06:00

To see what I am getting at, you should first read this article Obama to reverse foreign family-planning rule.

You can see how biased this article is. It makes me so irritated how they can't bring themselves to use a more neutral term for pro-lifers. The new president's action will be welcomed by liberals but criticized by "abortion rights foes"? We aren't against abortion rights, as if there existed such a right, but we are against abortion itself, which is the killing of innocent human life. We have to make things clear because words produce certain imagery and elicit certain thoughts and emotions.

Instead of using the term liberals, why not say those who promote the destruction of human fetuses. I know that's sort of a mouthful. Why not those who support a woman's right to choose...whether or not to kill her unborn baby. That's an even bigger mouthful. I guess it is too difficult to find a concise descriptive term for such people. Instead let's be unclear, use the term "liberals" and let the reader make up their own mind what it refers to. But instead of employing the use of its usual counterpart, conservatives, lets use a more descriptive term to be sure no one mistakes our meaning.

There are many things to criticize in this article, but I also want to pick on the quote by Tod Preston of Population Action International, which is a lobbying organization for government involvement in population control, originally founded in 1965 as Population Crisis Committee. I could say a lot on this organization alone, but I just want to be clear what they are about. Anyway, here is the quote:

Women's health has been severely impacted by the cutoff of assistance. President Obama's actions will help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, abortions and women dying from high-risk pregnancies because they don't have access to family planning.

First, they are not reducing the number of unintended pregnancies, but terminating a number of unwanted pregnancies. Second, I fail to comprehend how giving U.S. taxpayer money to organizations that promote abortion will reduce abortion. How will making abortion more acceptable, more readily available, more convenient and less expensive REDUCE abortions?!! My third complaint is with the last part of the quote. More women die of botched abortions than high-risk pregnancies. If the woman already knows her pregnancy is high-risk, then how is it logical that she should have a dangerous procedure done to terminate her pregnancy? That is not why most women have abortions anyway. I don't want to delve too deep into this point because my post would get too long. What I really have issue with is people not saying what they mean.

Preston says that women have unwanted pregnancies and die from high risk pregnancies, "because they don't have access to family planning." What he means by family planning is abortion, or at least counsel that includes abortion as a viable option. Most women have unwanted pregnancies because they have sex when they shouldn't. They are slaves to their selfish desires, get pregnant, then make the product of their fornication suffer the consequences. Some married women kill their babies simply because they are selfish and do not want their comfortable lives to change. I just wish people would be honest and suggest that women should have the right to kill their unborn children because they don't want to deal with it, take care of it, suffer major life-change because of it. We might as well say we should kill old people because they are a burden and no one wants to deal with them. But that sounds harsh. Instead pro-abortion or pro-choice advocates try to couch their ideology behind terms that people accept like women's health or a woman's right to choose. Who gives this right? This is not like our unalienable constitutional rights that are endowed by our Creator. So, who gives this right? Oh yeah, the nine unelected justices of our country's Supreme Court.

Mourning With Hope

2008-12-26T18:46:00.007-06:00

A few months ago I wrote about God's sovereignty in the midst of a tragedy. Well, I have experienced the deaths of three people I knew well within the last few weeks. My grandfather, who was not a believer, and his wife, who was Catholic, both died a few days apart. A good friend of mine, Kat Maple, died in a car wreck this morning. I know God is in control. I would be terrified if it were left to chance, but thank God that is not the case. God has a plan and purpose. He is surprised by nothing and in control of everything. But how am I supposed to feel about tragedy?

I am supposed to feel how I feel. What I mean is, the emotions that I experience are just that. They do not control my thoughts or behavior, but influence them. What I do is practice restraint and submit my emotions to Christ. I am to mourn, but not like those who have no hope. Even Jesus mourned for Lazarus knowing He was about to raise him from the dead. He mourned with hope.

Hope is not an emotion like the anxious anticipation one feels, waiting to see if what he desires will come to pass. Hope, like love, is a choice, an act of volition, a determination of the will. When a believer hopes, he places his trust in Jesus Christ, in the Word of God, and in future Glory. This is an expecting hope that knows the thing in which is trusted will come to pass and never fail.

Hope is also a person. Our Hope is Jesus Christ. He is our Hope for salvation and He is our eternal Hope for glory. The moment we, as believers, die, we are absent from the body and present with the Lord. On the day of resurrection we will return to glorified bodies and be forever with the Lord. And Jesus will wipe away every tear from our eyes and there will be no more death. All of these things are what we hope for, knowing they will actually happen, but our Hope is the author of all these things, Jesus Christ.

So how shall we mourn? Like those who have Hope. I mourn Kat's death. I am deeply saddened and will miss her. I am angry as well. Not at any person and definitely not at God. But I am angry at the fallen nature of this world. I am angry that death is a fact, a curse of sin, and I am ready for Jesus to return and restore all things. I wish this tragedy never took place, but it did and so I mourn. I mourn with the same hope that Kat has in her Savior with whom she is now enjoying such close relationship. My hope is that I will see her again soon, with great expectation, knowing it will be so.

How should I mourn for the death of an unbeliever? Like those who have Hope. The fact that my grandfather had no eternal hope does not affect mine. My hope is in the Lord, not people. I received God's gift of grace and he did not. It brings me great sorrow, but Jesus is my Hope. One day the Lord will wipe away every tear from my eyes, and that is enough for me.

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Who Were the Bereans?

2008-12-25T22:28:00.017-06:00

Acts 17:10-12 speaks of a group of people of a city called Berea in ancient Macedonia. Berea is now modern day Veria, Greece and is the seat of a bishop of the Greek Orthodox Church. During the second missionary journey of the apostle Paul, he stopped in Beria to teach the local Jews in the synagogue.

The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.

Paul was proclaiming the gospel of Jesus, the word of God, to the Jews. They were so eager to learn, yet were very careful to be sure that what Paul was proclaiming was actually true. They examined the scriptures themselves, daily. They wanted to be absolutely positive that what Paul was teaching agreed with what God had already said through Moses and the prophets. Paul must have been using scripture, the Old or First Testament, and the Jews in that city, listening in the synagogue, must have wondered if it was true and accurate. So, wanting to know truth, they tested everything Paul was saying in light of holy scripture. They had such a high view of God's Word and we should too.

In today's postmodern and relativistic culture especially, we must be on guard and test everything in light of scripture. There are so many ancient heresies that are reemerging and many Christians today are unaware of these false teachings. A huge contributor to this problem is the fact that many who call themselves "Christian" do not know sound doctrine and theology. Another problem is that these false teachings come in subtle packages not easily detected by the undiscerning mind. In many places in the new testament, the apostolic fathers warn us against false teachers and Paul urges us to test everything in 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21.

Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.

False teaching, heresy, is dangerous because it leads people to Hell and death. We should know what we believe and why we believe it. We should also be familiar with the different kinds of distortions of the gospel, the truth, and scripture, so we are able to stand and have a defense for our faith. This point is clear in the letter to the Galatians in which Paul expresses great concern as well as great disappointment.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.(Galatians 1:6-9)

We must be on guard against false teaching. When something new comes along, when someone gives a word that they claim is from God, do not despise it. Do not despise any prophetic utterance, any proclamation of God's revelation. But, like the Bereans, examine the Scriptures daily to see if what they say is true.

Pray Without Ceasing

2008-12-18T06:24:00.014-06:00

1 Thessalonians 5:17 teaches us to pray without ceasing. What does that mean? Well, this does not mean that we should walk around constantly talking, but it means that our lives as Christians should be characterized by an attitude of prayer. Everything we say and do should bring glory to God. When there are trials, temptations, afflictions, our attitude should be one of seeking the kingdom of God first in everything. Consider Luke 18:1-8.

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, "In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.' For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'" And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

Jesus is demonstrating the fruit of persistence by contrasting this unrighteous judge with God. There is no unrighteousness in God, but if persistence pays off with the unrighteous, how much more with God? He hears our cries and gives justice to His elect and gives it speedily.

Our attitude should be one of continual prayer. We must not give up when God does not deliver according to our schedule or desired outcome. We must not cease praying when it becomes difficult and frustrating. That is a result of a lack of faith. We know our God is faithful and works all things together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.

When we pray, we develop a greater trust in the One who orders the universe. When we pray without ceasing, our will is conformed to His. Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy will be done." This is what continual prayer does to us. We develop a deep relationship with our Heavenly Father, so much so, that our prayers become a reflection of His will. It is when we give up that we experience delay and frustration and "unanswered" prayer. Then we lose hope; then we despair. We must live a life characterized by an attitude of prayer and pray without ceasing; or "when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"

Save the Baby; Save the Mom.

2008-09-11T11:00:00.004-05:00

John Piper's ministry, Desiring God, is an amazing ministry that always blesses my soul. I first heard John Piper speak at the OneDay 2000 Gathering. He is such a down to earth speaker and his passion for God and His Word is so evident. If you aren't subscribed to Desiring God then, may I make that suggestion? It will truly bless you.

Here is an article on the Desiring God blog by John Ensor that helped me see from a new perspective. It is time for the church to be the church and be about the business of living and preaching the gospel.

Saving the Baby Can Save the Mother

September 11, 2008 | By: John Ensor
Category: Commentary

When we help a young, unmarried mother in the midst of a pregnancy crisis save her baby, by God’s grace, the baby can save the mother.

The baby saves the mother out of a sinful sexual habit that was hollowing out her soul and self-esteem.
The baby saves her out of the entangling lies and stalking anxiety that attends premarital sex.
The baby saves her from blood-guilt.
The baby saves her out of a mechanized Christian walk and into a shaken-down and overflowing experience of biblical mercy.
The baby saves her out of a shallow, undirected faith and drives her to trust God for the forgiveness of her sins and for her daily bread.

And all this can be true for young fathers, too.

When pregnancy is a crisis, it is a crisis of faith. When we are there to encourage faith by honoring life, it is amazing how often it turns out that Christ is formed in them.

Blame Me Not

2008-09-03T21:37:00.004-05:00

Many people profess to be Christian, but refuse to be obedient. They want to make Jesus their savior, but not their Lord. They have unrepentant hearts. The evidence of a changed heart is obedience to Christ. It is impossible to be obedient and unrepentant. When we repent (forsake our sins) and trust in Jesus, God gives us a new heart with new desires and the power to be obedient. There should be an evident change. It may be gradual, but the fact that one is growing in holiness, continually being sanctified, is evidence that he is saved. Justification happens by faith, instantly. Sanctification is a process through which God purifies us as someone might refine a precious metal. All of the dross, all of the impurities are burned away and we are transformed more and more into the likeness of Jesus.

There is no such thing as a carnal Christian. The one who lives according to the flesh has not crucified his flesh. He has not died to self. He has not died to sin. He has not been born again. He does not live according to the Spirit. These are the people to whom Christ says, "I never knew you. Depart from me." If one lives according to the Spirit, he will be growing in holiness. His heart has been made new.

This poem appears inscribed in the Cathedral in Lübeck, Germany. It is a good reminder of how Christians should regard our Lord and why we need a Savior.

You call me master, and obey me not;
You call me light, and seek me not;
You call me way, and walk me not;
You call me wise, and follow me not;
You call me fair, and love me not;
You call me rich, and ask me not;
You call me eternal, and seek me not;
You call me gracious, and trust me not;
You call me noble, and serve me not;
You call me mighty, and honor me not;
You call me just and fear me not;
If I condemn you, blame me not.

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.' "

—Matthew 7:21-23

Skillet and David Crowder

2008-08-24T04:43:00.013-05:00

I went to the One Voice concert at Six Flags featuring Skillet and David Crowder Band. They were phenomenal! They sounded great and put on an excellent show. Plus, worship with David Crowder was awesome. But, I think I was more excited about capturing their images on film, or more accurately, compact flash memory card (I have a Digital Camera), than actually watching them perform. Well, here are some of the photos of the concert that I took with my Nikon D300. I love this camera!

Let me know what you think! If you want any of these photos, I might be able to arrange something.

The Triunity of God

2008-08-12T11:11:00.007-05:00

Many people find it difficult to accept the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, first, because it defies human logic and is impossible to fully comprehend with our finite minds and limited understanding. The second reason some find this doctrine difficult to accept is because the term trinity is found nowhere in scripture neither is it explicitly taught. There may be other arguments, but I find that people have the most difficulty with these two.

For people who have difficulty wrapping their minds around the whole concept of the triunity of the Godhead, I say do not worry if you never understand. We are not meant to fully comprehend every aspect of the nature of the infinite God of the universe. Human reason is not and cannot be the sole criterion for determining the truth of divine revelation. We should expect the revelation of an infinite, omniscient, all wise creator, to be of infinite depth and go far beyond human understanding.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts” Isaiah 55:8-9

He provides enough information to display His majesty and His glory and His unique nature contrasted with every false god. We cannot understand His ways, but He reveals enough to show the profundity of His purpose and the divine origin of His plan of salvation.

The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, of sin and salvation, is simple in that even a young child can understand, repent and receive the free gift of eternal life. Yet, it is so profound in its underlying doctrine that no philosopher or theologian has scratched the surface of the things that actually took place and what price our Savior paid on the Cross. We crash into the ceiling of our own comprehension when we consider the Cross. We will never understand the answers until we meet the Lord face to face. Paul wrote, “For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. ” (1 Cor 13:12, NASB).

There are things God has chosen not to reveal to us and they remain a mystery. There are things He has revealed to us, but in part, and they remain a mystery. God has not explained every mystery to us because we undoubtedly cannot yet grasp them. We are still children, but when perfection comes, "the partial will be done away" and we shall "Know fully" our God.

I don't want to bore people with another incredibly long post, so I will continue this later. I hope this helps, a little, those who have trouble accepting this fundamental doctrine because they simply cannot comprehend it. It would be the height of arrogance for anyone to assume that because an idea revealed in scripture does not make sense, or conform to human reason or wisdom, that it cannot be true and the Bible must be wrong.

Remember this passage from Paul's first letter to the Corinthian Church, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:

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

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

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—that, as it is written, 'He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.' " (1 Cor 18-31, NKJV)

Youth News

2008-08-10T21:50:00.007-05:00

I do the video announcements at my church and this video is a commercial I made for the youth to advertise Skillet and David Crowder at Six Flags. I know it isn't original, but I worked...well...sorta hard on it and I wanted to show it off. Tell me what you think.

The Paradox of God's Will

2008-08-08T07:06:00.008-05:00

The word paradox is derived from the Greek word paradoxos, which means, contrary to expectation. A paradox is something that, though on the surface may appear contradictory, is in fact true. A paradox will even seem to defy logic when viewed from a certain perspective. For example, look at the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. From a human perspective this is impossible and is certainly impossible to fully comprehend, yet this is at the core of the nature of God. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are distinct persons, and yet are one God. How could God be eternally Jesus and the Father at the same time? They communicate with one another as if separate people, but they are the same being. This doesn't make sense. We may as well ask how God can be everywhere at once, yet we somehow find this easier to believe.

There appears to be a paradox in the will of God. On one hand, God is sovereign and nothing happens apart from His will. On the other hand, the Bible says that God is not willing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance(2 Peter 3:9). We have a problem reconciling these two very true (as if there are varying degrees of truth) statements.

I believe R. C. Sproul explains this most clearly. As Christians, we understand God's will in three ways. There is God's sovereign decretive will, which we understand as his hidden will. This is the broader idea of God's will, which is the will by which God brings to pass whatsoever He decrees and is hidden to us until it comes to pass. Dr. Sproul writes, "Because God is sovereign and His will can never be frustrated, we can be sure that nothing happens over which He is not in control. He at least must 'permit' whatever happens to happen. Yet even when God passively permits things to happen, He chooses to permit them in that He always has the power and right to intervene and prevent the actions and events of this world. Insofar as He lets things happen, He has "willed" them in this certain sense."

The second way we understand the will of God is by His preceptive will. Preceptive will is God's revealed law or commandments, which we have the power but not the right to break. This is His will which reveals to us what is required of us in order for Him to be pleased. God gives us the power to break His law but not without consequence. Because he has granted us this power, He must allow sin, wickedness, tragedy, and people to perish without coming to repentance, though He is displeased with it.

This brings me to the third way of speaking of God's will, His will of disposition. God's will of disposition describes what is pleasing to God. It is true that God is not willing that any should perish, that is die in sin, but he is in control of every event, including our physical death. Dr. Sproul explains, "God takes no delight in the death of the wicked, yet He most surely wills or decrees the death of the wicked. God's ultimate delight is in His own holiness and righteousness. When He judges the world, He delights in the vindication of His own righteousness and justice, yet He is not gleeful in a vindictive sense toward those who receive His judgment. God is pleased when we find our pleasure in obedience. He is sorely displeased when we are disobedient."

God's sovereign will does not contradict his desire that all come to repentance. Ultimately, there must be justice and if one chooses to exercise his power to break the Law of God and never repent before his life expires, he remains responsible before the judgment seat of Christ. God is perfect and his revealed will is for us to be perfect. This cannot happen without the remission of our sin and payment for all sin, which includes judgment on those who reject Jesus. Payment for sin must be made. Either we will pay for eternity or we can accept the free gift of Jesus, who has already paid the price for sin in full, once and for all.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." -- Romans 6:23 ESV

All quotes taken from Chapter 22 of Essential Truths Of The Christian Faith by Dr. R. C. Sproul, Tyndale House Publishers, 1992.

The Will of God by R. C. Sproul

Where is God in a Tragedy?

2008-08-07T09:52:00.009-05:00

A conceptual rendering of the new I35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota

August 1st marked the one year anniversary of the I35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis. I was reminded of this particular tragedy because the guys at Way of the Master Radio, a great Christian show that I podcast, are located only a few miles away.
So I began thinking about how I would answer someone who asked, "Why did God let this happen?" or, "Where was God?" or, "Where is your God now?" So, I listened to different theologians and searched the scriptures, and this is what I concluded.

God is sovereign. That means nothing happens apart from His will. Does that mean it was God's will for the bridge to collapse, for Katrina to hit, or even for school shootings to happen? My answer is an absolute yes. How can I say that? If God is loving, how could tragic events be His will?

We live in a fallen world because of sin and it is by God's grace and mercy that Adam and Eve were not immediately killed for their disobedience. It is by God's grace and mercy that Noah and his family were spared. It is by God's grace and mercy that we continue living on this planet and it is by His grace and mercy that we have eternal salvation. God knows the beginning and end of our days. Death never surprises Him. God is there. He is in control. He doesn't cause evil, but He allows it, so it must be His will or He wouldn't be in control and our hope would be in vain. If God cannot keep bridges or buildings from collapsing or a levy from breaking then He is not in control and all powerful. Since He can prevent these things, He has a purpose in them and allows tragic events to happen--ultimately for His glory.

So how do we, as Christians, respond to tragedy in our lives? We worship God! We thank Him for his mercy and grace that He pours out on us all the times our bridges do not collapse. We praise him for His love and mercy poured out on us through His payment for our sins. We share the gospel to a dying world and we mourn death, but not like those who have no hope. We should not be surprised by tragedy. We should expect it in a world tainted by sin. We should be surprised and grateful for God's abundant mercy and grace and desire that everyone take part in it. God has given us a free gift and we dare not keep it from others.

We must realize that if God is not in control of the details, then how can he control the end; how can He control the big picture?" God is sovereign. He causes the sun to rise and the rain to fall on the righteous and unrighteous (Matt 5:45). Simply because we are believers and love God, does not mean bad things will only happen to unbelievers. Now, rain can be good, or rain can be devastating. My point is, this world is held up by the hand of God. Everyone experiences God's mercy and grace. Most do not acknowledge it or do not realize it, But are certainly quick to point the finger when disaster strikes. Shouldn't we thank God that it does not happen more often?

One thing tragedy does for us Christians is remind us that our foundation must be God. It reminds us that we are in a fallen world that Jesus gave His life to save and He has chosen us to be the vessels that deliver His gospel. Life on earth is short. Eternity is forever.

Way of the Master -- Phone Number Rhythm

2008-08-06T22:15:00.005-05:00

I know I need to get back to posting more serious stuff, but I just found this hilarious. This is a clip from the August 5thWay of the Master Radio podcast. Well, it is a clip of Todd Friel playing a clip of Kevin James. Todd apparently has poor phone number rhythm.

I worked hard on the graphic and animation, so I hope you enjoy.

I found this one on youtube. Keven James liked the joke so much, he incorporated it into an episode of King of Queens.

Ruby Tuesday Publicity Stunt

2008-08-06T07:56:00.008-05:00

Well, Ruby Tuesday pulled off their crazy publicity stunt and I must say it was quite amusing. I don't care what people say, it was a brilliant marketing ploy and it worked. Now everyone has the name Ruby Tuesday stuck in their heads like a bad song. A good burger does sound really good right now.

The front page of the Ruby Tuesday website has a letter to the restaurant that they mistakenly blew up. Here it is.

Pretty funny stuff. I don't know why people get mad that it is fake.

You Spin Me Right Round...Jesus?

2008-08-05T08:04:00.012-05:00

One of my biggest pet peeves is when worship leaders take a secular song and "Christianize" it. I had an interesting experience while working at a Christian retreat center. One week we had a bunch of kids who were in town for a baptist gathering called World Changers, come out to our place and build about twenty picnic tables to place in various places on the property. I really enjoyed that week because, well, kids are fun and they let me hang out with them. Anyway, they invited me to go to worship with them on the last night of their trip. So I went with my wife and a friend. Most of the songs we knew and had sung in worship at our church and we were really singing our hearts out to God. Worship was going great, when, without warning, the leader started singing this...
The BoDeans? Closer to Free? Really? Worship suddenly halted for me. I started considering the lyrics in my head and thought this has nothing to do with Jesus. If anything, this is bad theology.

This is the same thought I had when I came across this video. Changing a song to make it Christian is bad enough, but in this case there is only one line in the entire song and the content has nothing to do with Jesus. They changed one word, baby, to Jesus to make it a worship song. I'm sorry, but I think the original artist had something else in mind when he wrote "You spin me right round baby."

Brace yourselves...

This is nuts! At best it is plain goofy and at worst it is blasphemy. I see three main problems with doing this. First, originally, the song was not written to glorify God; Second, the lyrics are very shallow at best; and third, they are not worshiping. I mean, is this a worship gathering or a concert?

I don't mean to dwell on the rotten stuff out there and I am not implying that this particular gathering was ungodly. What I am saying is that we all, the entire universal Christian faith, must have sound theology as its foundation. Sure we should dance before God, lift our hands in worship, praise him with voice and instruments, rejoice in him and shout to the Lord. All of that is good if it is Christ-centered. Jesus should be the focus of the praise we offer with our hearts and our minds.

Blow Up Ruby Tuesday

2008-08-02T01:59:00.005-05:00

What happens when you stay up too late watching tv? You see crazy things like this.

You can watch them blow up the restaurant on Tuesday, August 5th at rubytuesday.com

Is This Relevant?

2008-08-01T11:58:00.004-05:00

What is it with people riding motorcycles in church? This is the second one I've heard of. I just want to know what lesson he was trying to teach, if any.

Are we as a church going too far in trying to be relevant to the world? It seems to me that many times churches try to reach people with a spectacle and neglect the task of showing how the gospel is relevant even today. We don't need to put on a show to get people to church--we need to be the church. Sure there is a time when we can hang out and have fun, but sometimes we forget Jesus and wind up with a church full of people that can't articulate why they believe what they believe. I'm glad no one was injured this time.

Go and Make Disciples

2008-08-01T07:18:00.008-05:00

I listen to Christian radio a lot. I tend to listen more to teaching and talk than music, although sometimes I am in the mood to rock out. I prefer the teaching because it keeps my mind sharp and educated. Don't get me wrong, teaching and preaching does not replace personal study of the Bible. How can we test everything (1 Thess. 5:21) like the Bereans (Acts 17:11), who tested even Paul's teaching, if we do not study the Word ourselves. However, I have discovered several preachers and teachers who do help me understand the Word better through expository teaching and proper biblical exegesis. On top of the good teaching, there are other talk shows that I really enjoy like Way of the Master Radio and Point of View. They have a more focused agenda, but they touch on all sorts of subjects. I don't always agree with what I hear, but those points of disagreement are always in relation to non-essential issues. Our basic Christian doctrine is always the same.

Well, lately I have been hearing strong messages on the Gospel of Jesus. Way of the Master is always about sharing the Gospel, but other preachers and teachers are driving it home as well. Now, preachers should always preach the gospel, but what I mean is specific teaching on the desperate plight of sinful man and the good news of the cross of Jesus. Even my pastor, Ed Lafuente, at Lifegate Church in Denton (great plug huh?) has given a good portion of his sermons to preaching the Gospel for the past three weeks. I've been so excited. I think God is telling us something. Perhaps He is stirring people up and preparing them to bring revival to this dark and dying land. It certainly has convicted me and given me a new desire to share the good news with those who are lost.

Jesus said, "Go and make disciples of all nations..." (Matt 28:19). He didn't say build a building and hope the people come to the light. Jesus said "go" and that means we must take our light to them. "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). Lost people do not wander into the light. Light illuminates the darkness, exposing evil. Lost people hate the light and love the darkness, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed" (John 3:19-20). They can hide there and feel like their sin is not that bad. Oh yes, they know they've done bad things, but without the light of the Law and the Gospel, they believe the good things they do will outweigh the bad. Most people think they are good enough to get to heaven. Otherwise they would come to Jesus.

We have to take the gospel to them. The light of the Law of God exposes our sin and makes us face it (Romans 3:20, 7:7) and there is no way we can remove our own transgression(Romans 3:23, James 2:10). But the good news is that God loves us and died for us, made propitiation for us, paid our debt while we were still living in sin (Romans 5:8). It is the kindness that God has displayed for us that draws the lost to repentance (Romans 2:4). Until they realize they are in desperate need of a savior they will not come to Jesus. We are not supposed to sit and take our fill of God without letting Him overflow into others. Jesus did not give us the Holy Spirit so we could just enjoy the rush, pray in tongues, prophesy or perform miracles. These things are done to prove our message and the power of God. He sent the Holy Spirit so we could receive power to be witnesses to Christ and the Gospel (Acts 1:8). We must let our light shine everyday and share this gift that God has given us freely. We must be obedient to Jesus and go.

When is abortion ok? -- Part 4

2008-07-31T11:22:00.004-05:00

I want to reiterate what I established in the beginning of this discussion. As Christians, if we believe the Bible, then we must acknowledge the truth that life begins at conception. Even before conception the reality is that God knew us and purposed our existence (Psalm 139:16). Human life has immeasurable, intrinsic value, because out of all creation, out of all His creatures, God breathed His breath of life into man. We are a different substance from the rest of creation, made in His image. No human life can be compared against another, but in our fallen world where sin entered and brought death, there are times when we must take a life to save another or twenty others, because no mater how many we must protect the innocent. God hates the shedding of innocent blood (Proverbs 6:17).

The argument for termination of pregnancy when the life of the mother is at risk is a harder one to wrestle with, because so many Christians feel that it would be shameful and tragic to let the mother die. If her intent was to become pregnant, then all she wanted was a child. Her family should not be made to suffer her loss because of her noble desire to create life. If her intent was not to become pregnant, married or not, death is undeserved and we should do all we can to preserve her life. I agree with both statements, but I would qualify that with the fact that her life is not the only one at stake. We should make every effort to preserve the life of the mother and her unborn baby. Both lives have the same immeasurable value innate in every human life. Neither one should trump the other. If saving her life means killing the baby, then it should not be done. Any Christian mother should be willing to lay down her life for her children.

Human beings exist for God's pleasure. That we find pleasure in one another is a benefit and a gift. Children do not exist for the sole purpose of the parents desire and enjoyment. They are not accessories. To the contrary, parents exist for the benefit of their children. God has stewarded their care to us. We do not have the right to choose between their lives and ours. We have the God-given responsibility to train, discipline, love and protect them at all cost. If a choice must be made between the life of the mother and the life of the preborn baby, choose the baby. In our day of technological advances, I don't believe that choice will ever have to be made.

Some may argue a hypothetical situation in which neither the mother nor the baby would survive the pregnancy or birth, but the mother could survive if the pregnancy was terminated. OK, suppose this could happen. How can we know with absolute certainty that this will be the outcome? Medical science is not that precise. Doctors are confounded all the time. Tumors disappear, deaf ears hear, blind eyes see, paralyzed people walk again, and premature babies survive. It cannot be explained!

This is a picture of young Amillia Sonja Taylor born prematurely through cesarean section on October 24, 2006.

The life of Amellia's mother was not threatened. Amellia's life was. Doctors made every effort to delay the early labor, but when this became impossible, they delivered Amellia by c-section only 21 weeks after conception, the middle of the second trimester, in a desperate attempt to save her life. Her neonatologist, Dr. William Smalling, said his team was not optimistic about Amellia's survival but, "She proved us all wrong. She's truly a miracle baby."

Amellia Taylor's doctors did everything they could with the technology available to save her life, and they were sucessful. I believe the best course of action in a pregnancy in which the mother's life is threatened is to monitor her and the baby closely, make every effort to preserve both lives, and pray.

I heard a story of a woman who became pregnant and some weeks later was diagnosed with advanced lymphoma. It was so severe that her only recourse was the most intense treatment of chemotherapy available to give her a chance of beating this cancer. Her doctor was confident that the chemo would eliminate the cancer and she would survive, but the baby she was carrying would not. He suggested she terminate the pregnancy, because he guaranteed the baby would not survive. The woman and her husband were Christians and did not wrestle with their decision for even a second. They would give their baby a chance, trust God and accept what He would give them. So she proceeded with the treatment, suffered tremendously, but her baby survived. She gave birth to a perfectly healthy baby girl. Her oncologist was dumbfounded, but pleased that they had not followed his advice. Deep down, even he knew this precious life had value. They named the baby Grace and a month later, Grace's mother died of lymphoma. The chemotherapy that the doctor was certain would kill the baby, but help the mother did neither. If she had aborted her baby, they would both be dead today.

So, when is abortion ok? My answer is never. I hope I have presented good arguments to support my position and that every Christian seek God to discover his word on this issue. Killing a baby to preserve the mother's life is equivalent to shedding innocent blood. It is not the same as self defense or shooting a criminal to save others. This rare situation was not caused by the preborn child and is not that child's fault. God is sovereign in every situation and he works all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

A quick note: For those who wonder what we do in the real world when those who do not believe in God, have or know someone with an at-risk pregnancy and want an abortion to prevent the mother's death. My answer is, do not compromise. We should vote for legislation that outlaws abortion altogether, or at the very least, makes it absolutely clear the rare situations in which termination of pregnancy would be allowed. I understand that most people cannot accept the trade of the death of someone they know, can see and touch for the life of one they have never met. I can imagine a worldly mother, not wanting to die, giving in to the pressure of those who love her. I would accept such a law. But if I had a chance to vote for a total and absolute ban on abortion, I would vote yes. For Christians, abortion is always the wrong choice.

A Proverbs 31 Woman

2008-07-30T07:14:00.007-05:00

Proverbs 31 is an oracle given to King Lemuel by his mother explaining to him what he should find in a godly wife. I thought it was interesting to note that she was obviously very wise and understood the minds of men well. I say this because she must have known that her son could be easily distracted by the wrong women, so she made it very easy for him to remember the criteria for a godly woman by making each new characteristic follow an acrostic. This acrostic doesn't even spell a word in case he fumbled that and forgot the spelling. Her acrostic follows the simplest pattern that any young child would know--the alphabet. Verses 10-31 of this Proverb each begin with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. In this way King Lemuel could recite it on the fly. So whenever he met a new woman he could say, "Well she is beautiful, but wait , let's see...a b c d, she doesn't fit any of these! Mother would not approve." Anyway, I thought that was funny and interesting, though it is not the point of this post.

What I wanted to write about is how good God really is. Remember when Jesus said in Matthew 7:11, "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" How much more indeed! His grace is sufficient. The cross is more than enough. Salvation is far more than I deserve, but the Father in Heaven still loves to give good gifts beyond what He has already given. I am a wretched sinner, a selfish human being, completely undeserving, yet redeemed. I am continually being sanctified, but God is not even close to being finished. Yet it pleased Him to bless me with my wife.

I look at the Proverbs 31 woman and I look at my wife. She may not always live up to that standard, but she is as close as I could ever hope for. She is a wonderful and loving wife, in whom I am well pleased. She is fantastically beautiful, modest and humble. She is a caring mother with greater patience than I possess, caring for three children, all under the age of five. Yet, she does not complain--most of the time. She does my laundry to be sure I have work clothes to wear. She cooks excellent meals and rarely asks me to clean up afterward, but I do anyway (I don't want to sound completely selfish). My wife helps me with my responsibilities, keeping me encouraged and motivated. She gets up early with me to make my coffee so I don't fall asleep at work. She lets me take a nap after work. She finds ways of saving money, because I don't earn a lot at the moment. She looks for ways of making money to supplement our income. She babysits for her sister and my sister for free. She loves to give nearly as much as I do :). She indulges my habit of letting the neighborhood cat inside the house. We never want for food, because she knows how to make our money stretch by clipping coupons and taking advantage of sales. She makes our home beautiful and inviting. She prays for me and our family. She tolerates my Sci-fi and Halo. And on top of all that, she loves Jesus! All I can say is my wife is awesome. She is truly a gift beyond measure that I could never deserve. I thank God for her every single day.

I just wanted to share how fabulous Marli is and, through this, how great our God is. I love you Marli.

When is abortion ok? -- Part 3

2008-07-29T07:57:00.004-05:00

On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States decided the case of Roe v Wade, which set a precedent for a woman's so-called right to have an abortion for any reason until the point at which the fetus becomes viable outside the womb, even if by artificial assistance. They included an exception to this rule essentially stating that abortion after viability must be available to a woman if her health is at risk. The problem we face with this lies in how we define "health." The term "health" was given a broad definition in the companion case to Roe v Wade, Doe v Bolton. This is how it reads, "Whether, in the words of the Georgia statute, 'an abortion is necessary' is a professional judgment that the Georgia physician will be called upon to make routinely. We agree with the District Court, 319 F. Supp., at 1058, that the medical judgment may be exercised in the light of all factors - physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman's age - relevant to the wellbeing of the patient. All these factors may relate to health."

Health is defined so broadly as to render the term meaningless. If having a child would cause too much distress to the mother for whatever reason--financial difficulties, ostracism, depression, rejection of her family, or any physical ailment--one doctor could deem it necessary that the mother abort her baby. The biggest problem is that those who perform abortions are medical doctors and no second opinion is required.

Frankly, I believe this is the weakest argument because of our very loose definition of health. Why does the health and wellbeing of the mother outweigh the health and life of the unborn child anyway? What good mother would not sacrifice her health for her children? What good mother would not risk her life? What loving mother would not jump into a freezing lake to rescue her little boy and risk hypothermia or worse? What mother would not risk physical injury to prevent her little girl from being run over?

Abortion is completely unnatural and contrary to every God-given motherly instinct that women possess. It goes against every fatherly instinct given to men to protect his family. Our society has bought into philosophies that have eroded our conscience and moral judgment. These arguments for abortion are espoused by those who place high value on quality of life, low value on the individual and do not recognize the intrinsic, immeasurable value of human life itself. This thinking stems from atheistic Darwinian evolution and just pure selfishness. So, this position holds no water for me either. It is a terrible tragedy that mothers abort their babies, it is a double tragedy that they are killed for reasons such as this.

Christian Discipline

2008-07-28T12:21:00.007-05:00

Some Christians don't have a clue what should be done with members of their Christian organization who turn away from God. This was not the case with Christian "metalcore" band, Haste the Day. Lead guitarist and band founder, Jason Barnes was asked to leave the band after returning from his quest for spiritual understanding and announcing that he no longer believes in God. I believe this was appropriate and fair. The band identifies themselves as a Christian band with a message that aligns itself with the Christian faith. To have a member who, for all practical purposes, is a leader and role model to young fans proclaim that Christ and God do not exist would send a very mixed message. Not to mention, it would cause disunity within a band seeking to share the faith they have in a loving God who made a way for us to escape His wrath through the sacrifice of His only son, Jesus. This is a quote from the band found on their website concerning this situation.

This is going to come as a shock to many of you. After much prayer and thought given to the matter, we asked Jason Barnes to step down from his involvement with Haste the Day. For a while Jason has been searching and searching for real meaning in his existence. After several months of reading literature and talking with friends, Jason had determined that he felt there was no God and certainly no Jesus. We as a band do not have problem with those that do not believe in Jesus, nor do we cast judgement on those that do not believe in Jesus. We just want to love on people like Jesus would and hopefully share a little bit about what he’s done and doing in our lives.

This is a sample of music from Haste the Day for those of you who are unfamiliar with them and the metalcore sound. This song is called, "When Everything Falls."

It is beyond me how someone could find meaning in his own existence by concluding that "there is no God and certainly no Jesus." I would think that person, rather than finding meaning in life, would be in despair. How sad for someone to know about Jesus, be surrounded by believers for years and conclude that God does not exist. This is pure speculation on my part, but it seems to me that the root cause for this decision is not only unbelief, but also an anger toward God. I pray that he comes to truly understand the love of Christ and receives salvation.

A Squirrel of a Tale

2008-07-25T10:20:00.013-05:00

Every morning when I arrive at my place of work, I park, walk to the "time-clock"—which is a computer with a badge reader—scan my badge and clock in. After work, I return to the time-clock and punch out. This ritual is repeated daily, usually without anything extraordinary occurring. Yesterday was no exception, but for one incident that most people would not notice or bother to recount. I am not most people. Because of my peculiar sense of humor and strange disposition, I will relate an event that took seconds to happen, yet is very prominent in my memory. For reasons unknown to man, I found this especially amusing.

Many squirrels make the Texas Woman's University campus their home. During the summer season they can be spotted all over skittering across the grass or quietly nibbling on a nut or an acorn. When people pass nearby, they become alert and hunker down on all fours ready to dash away. If a human happens to venture too close for comfort, the squirrels scatter and dart up the nearest tree out of harm's way. We've all witnessed this take place. If you follow one to its tree, it climbs a little higher and keeps the tree between you and it. No matter how hard you try to peek around the tree it scoots to the opposite side occasionally peeking its head out with a trained eye on you and a nut in its mouth.

This particular situation was somewhat different. It was the end of the day for me and I had just parked and begun walking toward the building housing the time-clock. I was in no hurry, because I hate waiting in line and like to clock out after every one else has already been through. So, I was sauntering along the sidewalk with light and leisurely steps when I noticed a young squirrel in the middle of this concrete pathway nibbling on a nut. I didn't give it much thought until I realized I was coming closer to this squirrel than any other I have encountered on campus. I was intrigued and continued on my silent journey toward the time-clock. When I was within three feet it finally heard my steps and turned its head. Startled, it quickly darted away. I suppose the squirrel realized that any trees it could find were quite some distance away, farther than normal. So, it hurried to the nearest vertical structure, a decorative street lamp strategically placed to light the path for nocturnal pedestrians and to confuse frightened adolescent squirrels. The squirrel jumped toward the lamp. It was roughly ten inches from the ground when it made contact with the pole. Unable to establish a grip, it slid to the ground. Bewildered, the desperate creature attempted to climb the pole again, frantically clawing at its slick and smooth metal surface to no avail. by this time I was within one foot of the panicked animal and it took notice. The squirrel gave up on the pole, paused for a split-second then suddenly spun around looking for a way of escape. It spun right, completing at least three circles before deciding to make a break for the nearest tree about fifty feet away. It flew up the tree to the first branch and fixed its eyes on me with an indignant stare, not at all amused, but I was. I returned its gaze and smiled.

We tend to go about our day with nothing in mind but what task must be accomplished next. In our rush to do the things we believe are important, we often miss the subtle wonders of Gods good creation. He made that squirrel and its mind. He knew what would happen and I think He enjoyed it. I thank God everyday for different things in my life and the beautiful things of His creation. Now, I will be sure to take some time to rest, enjoy the wonders of God's creation and thank Him for creating stupid squirrels.

When is abortion ok? -- Part 2

2008-07-23T12:50:00.003-05:00

I have heard many argue, Christians included, that the option for abortion should be available for women who have been raped or are victims of incestuous acts that have resulted in pregnancy. One argument is that the trauma of such a vicious act is enough without compounding it with an "unwanted pregnancy" (a term proponents of abortion like to employ quite frequently). The child would be a constant reminder of the assault and cause more trauma to the mother. I do not deny that this is true, but there is an alternative to murder. The old adage comes to mind that two wrongs don't make a right. How true this is! Killing the pre-born baby will not erase the crime and it will not alleviate the pain and emotional distress.

Dr. Adrian Rodgers was the pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee and founder of Love Worth Finding Ministries. On His radio program I heard him give an excellent sermon on abortion in which he related an experience he had with a young woman who was a self-proclaimed pro-choice Christian. She said, "Dr. Rogers you just don't understand how traumatic it is for a woman to have an unwanted pregnancy." He replied, "Now let me see if I can get your line of reasoning. What you're saying is that people who traumatize other people aught to be eliminated, exterminated, is that right? Because right now you're traumatizing me." I would go so far as to say that it is not the baby who is traumatizing the mother. It is the situation. It is the fear of a dramatic lifestyle change. The term "unwanted pregnancy" says it all. This "trauma" is rooted in selfishness. In the case of rape, the source of the trauma is misidentified if the pregnancy is terminated. The object of the mother's scorn and wrath is misdirected.

Creating another victim does not solve the problem. In fact, with the anonymity available through abortion providers, it would protect the original offender and these offenders take advantage of this fact. A young woman will be raped by her uncle or a family friend and if the young lady becomes pregnant, he has the opportunity to cover up his guilt. He takes her to the abortion clinic, pays for the murder of his child and threatens the young mother to silence. She complies out of fear and the guy is off the hook and wipes the sweat from his brow OR the cycle is repeated. I don't want to wander too far off subject, but this happens! Abortion could never solve the problem or even lessen the impact of these crimes. It only makes things worse. Now there is not only one victim, but two; one is an unnecessary casualty and the other is severely wounded and will take some time to heal. At least she has the opportunity.

Another argument for abortion in these cases is that the children resulting from these heinous acts would be unwanted, unloved and abused. First, how can we be certain that this is inevitable? Second, there are other options. Allow for the opportunity of the adoption of the child. Someone will want that baby. Third, are we to say that since the pre-born child has the potential to be the recipient of abuse, then we should destroy it? Is the value of human life determined by the quality of that life or by the person's standard of living? Let me give this scenario. It is probable that the child will be abused because the pregnant woman, who does not want the child she is carrying in her womb, is mistreated by the father and is desperately poor and living on welfare. Her friends and family tell her she should get an abortion and be rid of this trouble. This sentiment is echoed by doctors and family planners because the child would most likely suffer from abuse and a poor standard of living. So they kill the baby. Would we apply this same logic to a child who is two years old? This child is being abused; it is observable and there is evidence. She is poverty stricken and malnourished; we can see this with our eyes. There is not merely potential for this little girl to suffer, she is in the midst of this suffering! Should we simply kill her and spare her this horrible life? Of course not! We would send CPS and the police and remove her from that situation. She would become a ward of the State. It may be traumatic; it may not be ideal, but at least her life will be better and she will have an opportunity to live it.

The arguments for abortion in cases of rape and incest are weak, in my opinion, because, though the circumstances are tragic, the children resulting from these egregious acts are not to blame, and should not have their lives snuffed out. I would go so far as to suggest that abortion would cause more harm than good (if there is any) to the rape victim. The emotional pain and guilt caused by the knowledge of being responsible for her child's death is lifelong trauma. It does not matter how unwanted the pregnancy was. She took innocent life! And she will live with that knowledge for the rest of her life. We Christians cannot legitimize abortion in cases of rape and incest. Instead we should love the victim and her child. We should embrace them and envelop them in love and support and eliminate the mother's fear and feelings of being ostracized. We must be the light, proclaim the gospel and be the Church to those victims and to those who have sinned by aborting their babies. They need a savior as much as we do. They need Jesus.

When is abortion ok? -- Part 1

2008-07-22T07:38:00.011-05:00

Most American Christians would agree that abortion is equivalent to murder. But, this view varies based on ideas about when the developing embryo or fetus becomes a person with individual rights. It comes down to the question, "When does life begin?" That is, life with all human rights applied. Attempting to determine when life begins is a futile pursuit, because if it does not begin at conception, then there is no observable and empirical way to study this. It is akin to deciding when a human body is infused with a soul, meaning that a human isn't a person until God places a soul in the body. All of this is pure opinion and conjecture because there is no basis for the conclusions that some of these people reach. I happen to be of the opinion, because the Bible doesn't directly address this, that a living human body, regardless of its developmental stage or physical condition has a soul. This makes the most sense to me. All other speculation is made to justify abortion. Does the body receive a soul in the first trimester or the second? How about the third trimester or when the head crowns during birth? At what stage in the pregnancy does abortion become murder? We can avoid this dangerous guessing game by simply agreeing that from the moment of conception through all stages of development, the unborn baby possesses a soul. If we Christians believe God and trust the Bible, I do believe we can say beyond all doubt, from the study of Holy Scripture, that human life does, in fact, begin at conception.

There are more than a few verses that help us understand God's truth in this matter, but I will only give the two that I think are the clearest and provide us with the most definitive examples. The Bible tells us that God knew us even before we were conceived and that we are valuable to God. " For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16.

Job understands this about God when he pleads for mercy, "Your hands shaped me and made me. Will you now turn and destroy me? Remember that you molded me like clay. Will you now turn me to dust again? Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese, clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews? You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit." Job 10:8-12.

One could argue about what parts of the Bible are accurate and which parts are to be believed and trusted, but that is a discussion for another time. For this proposal, let us assume that the Bible is inspired, inerrant and accurate. It is obvious from these two passages of scripture that God sees human life as distinct and valuable, at the very least, from the point of conception. He has a personal stake in the shaping of each human person.

Now that we have established this basic Christian perspective on abortion, when is it ok, if ever? I have heard various Christians give three exceptions that would allow for the termination of a pregnancy. The first is in the case of rape and incest (I lump those two together), the second is if continuing the pregnancy would endanger the health of the mother, and the third is if the mother's life is at risk. For the sake of space and attention span, I will tackle each of these exceptions, one by one, in future posts.

Forty Wrestlers

2008-06-17T23:41:00.016-05:00

There is a story that has been passed down to us over the years. It may find its roots in history, but whether it is factual or not no one knows for sure. Like most stories it has probably been embellished, but regardless, the story is historically significant and good.

Caesar had his wrestlers. Like today, we have various sports leagues, the NFL, NHL, NBA, etc. and everyone has their favorite team. The Greco-roman world had its wrestlers. Caesar had forty wrestlers that he loved and the people adored them. They were tall, bronze, muscular. They were national heroes, much like many of today's athletes. These wrestlers would enter the arena and wrestle for Caesar, who would sit in his velvet box where he would watch with pride and excitement, his mighty wrestlers. They had a chant that they would recite to Caesar before every match and the emperor loved it. They would chant,

We are forty wrestlers,
Wrestling for thee O Emperor
To win for thee the victory
And from thee the victor's crown

The people loved them. They were the most popular athletes in the empire. They were also loyal soldiers in the Roman army. And in this manner they also faithfully served thier emperor. There came a time when an edict went out from Rome that any Christians who were in the army should be excised from service. In other words they were to be executed.

So Vespasian, the Roman general, stood before his troops and made this announcement, "An edict has come down from Rome that states, one cannot be a Christian and serve in the Emperor's army. So should there be any of you who are Christians, I will ask you to step forward. But know that if you step forward, you will be put to death. If you remain in the ranks, you will have denied your so-called faith and this Messiah, Jesus. So there you have it! If you are a Christian, Now! Step forward."

The general Vespasian was not prepared for what happened, for like one man, forty stepped forward. All forty of the Emperor's beloved wrestlers had become Christians; they had all been twice born, they had all given their lives to Christ. When Vespasian saw this and knew that these were the Emperor's beloved and chosen and that they were loved by the whole empire, he cried, "Sirs, no! Step Back, renounce your faith! And we will not hold you condemned." But not a man moved. They all stood there. Still. All forty men.

So, Vespasian devised a plan. He said to himself, "I know men, I know their limits and what they can endure. They will not follow through with this nonsense. I know how to cause them to renounce their faith!"

It was the middle of winter and the snow was falling and the lakes were frozen over. Vespasian took them out to a large lake and stripped them of their armor--their helmets, their brestplates, their shoes, their trousers--stripped absolutely naked--and he built a large bonfire near the frozen lake and set it ablaze. He then announced, "Now you are to be driven from this fire out onto the ice in the freezing cold, to the center of the lake. There you will remain until you freeze to death. But if you come back to the fire, you will have renounced your faith, and you will live."

Vespasian knew men. He knew it would not be long before the first man returned and soon after the others would follow. He stood near the fire and waited. Then he heard something that amazed him. He heard these forty men as they began to chant,

We are forty wrestlers,
Wrestling for thee O Christ
To win for thee the victory
And from thee the victor's crown

Vespasian said to himself, "They will turn. They will quit!" But he heard the chant as it continued. It became weaker and weaker and the night became colder and colder--these men were shivering, became numb, but continued their chant,

We are forty wrestlers,
Wrestling for thee O Christ
To win for thee the victory
And from thee the victor's crown

Finally, when they had grown very weak and they could hardly chant, Vespasian lifted his eyes and looked through the light of the fire and he saw one coming across the ice. One of those soldiers, blue, numb, weak, was slithering like a wounded animal across the ice, coming back to the warmth of the fire. Vespasian smiled and said, "I knew it! I knew it! I knew it would not be long before they crumbled. The others will be coming soon! They will all succumb to the cold and give in." But then he heard something. Something unexpected. The chant picked up with renewed vigor. They began to chant loudly,

We are thirty-nine wrestlers,
Wrestling for thee O Christ
To win for thee the victory
And from thee the victor's crown

Vespasian, amazed, awestruck and shaken stood frozen for a moment. Then with ferocity, took from his head his helmet, took from his chest the breastplate, took from his legs the brass and from his feet the shoes. He tore his clothing from his body and, in tears, ran into the snow and onto the ice of that frozen lake and shouted with all his might,

We are FORTY wrestlers!
Wrestling for thee O Christ
To win for thee the victory
And from thee the victor's crown!

True Love Hates!

2008-06-12T06:36:00.005-05:00

"There cannot be genuine love without hate." This is a peculiar statement to say the least. The assertion seems to be an oxymoron, but if it is true, it has some implications for our cultural idea of love that is seeping into mainline Christianity.

This statement is not based on some eastern yin yang philosophy that insists on a reality of dualism. It doesn't even have its roots in the idea that we cannot experience something unless we know its opposite. No, this idea that we cannot love without hating is biblical and shows the character of God in relation to our fallen world.

John Piper made this proclamation, "Genuine love must hate." What?!! What in the world does that mean? He continues, "If there were a universe in which there was no evil, hurting people and dishonoring God, that statement would be false. Paul said, 'Let love be genuine, abhorring evil.'(Rom. 12:9)" The verse in the NIV reads, "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good." There! If we are to truly love people, we must hate what is evil. We must hate what is hurting them and destroying their lives. We must hate sin.

A lot of Christians have a difficult time reconciling the God of the Old Testament with the God of the New Testament. There is no difference! God's character never changes. He is always the same and His attitude toward sin and evil hasn't changed. He hates it. This is why my pastor, and rightly so, refers to the Old and New Testaments as the First and Second Testaments. They are both witnesses to the same God. He still hates sin and He still judges sin. He is still full of wrath and if you don't believe that, you don't believe in the book of Revelation! Sure God is loving and merciful, but that doesn't mean He has a wishy washy attitude of live and let live. He still requires sacrifice, atonement for our sin and He loves us so much that He has made provision for this Himself and has offered it freely to all who will receive it. We need to let people know.

Our culture's view of love is a wishy washy, mushy, gentle, never offend, never negative kind of attitude. This is false and dangerous and is creeping its way into pulpits across America! The gospel is rarely preached, if at all, and Christians are going astray and becoming complacent because of it. If we do not hate anything in this fallen world, we cannot possibly love. Because things are killing people! People's lives are being destroyed and God is being dishonored. If we do not hate sin; if we do not hate evil and wickedness; if we do not hate what God hates, we cannot love God let alone love people! Love exposes the sin in our lives. It shows us how dirty we are, how far we are from a loving, merciful and RIGHTEOUS God. His name is Jesus. He is completely Holy and fully Righteous and He hates anything that is not of Him, that is not holy and righteous, that destroys lives and brings death, and we should too. We cannot accept sin. We accept the person. We love the person, but if we let them continue in their sin unrepentant on a broad road of destruction that leads to death, then we do not love them. How could it be any plainer?

"If love is the doing of good for people, love is the hating of what destroys people." - John Piper

Love Thyself

2008-06-11T21:00:00.005-05:00

I passed by the office bulletin board yesterday and something caught my eye. It wasn't the title of the article or the author, it was the title of a subsection within the article. It read simply, "Love Means." I thought to myself, "great what distorted, worldly, post-modern idea of love are they selling here. To save you the trouble of clicking on the link to the article, which is here, I've quoted this section below.

Love Means:
Honoring your uniqueness, and enjoying the uniqueness of others.
Listening to your own heart; treasuring your inner wisdom.
Responding to life's challenges as opportunities for growth, rather than as problems. .
Caring for all aspects of yourself-body, mind, emotions, spirit and sharing your caring with others. Experiencing yourself as your own best friend, and remaining faithful to yourself, especially in the rough times. Realizing your connections with all things. Being truthful with yourself and others. Celebrating the irrepressible process of life. (emphasis added)

The article is about wellness and the point she is attempting to communicate is that we should take responsibility for our own wellbeing and keep our bodies healthy. I agree! The point where she loses me is when she gets into this self-absorbed, new-agey, self-love baloney. She claims that this self-love is not "arrogance and vanity," but if it involves not listening to others and listening to "your own heart" and "your inner wisdom," what else could it be?

My problem with this is not simply that it is evidence of our degrading culture, but it reminds me that we must be cautious not to allow these ideas to distort our Christian worldview. I already know there is some so-called Christian teaching out there that introduces a similar concept. They take the scripture where Jesus explains the greatest commandment to a teacher of the law (Mark 12:30-31) and twist it to say it means we should love ourselves, we must love ourselves if we are to love our neighbors. This is absolutely ludicrous! All it means is that we should love our neighbors just as much, in the same way that we love ourselves because "no one ever hated his own body" (Eph 5:29). We should take care of their needs just as we care for ourselves. This is not a command to love ourselves, we have NO trouble doing that! But loving our neighbors as ourselves is just the minimum we must do to obey this commandment. There is a greater love, and Jesus told us it is to lay one's life down for a friend. In fact there is no greater love! This is a sacrificial love.

So, what does this mean for wellness? Do we neglect the care of our own bodies? Of course not! We should take care of our bodies. Then where does this desire for wellness and healthy living come from? Certainly not from "self love." Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19). It is for the love of God that we present our best to him because we are not our own, and that includes keeping clean and healthy. All this self love stuff is just ridiculous and it is another side street on the road to Hell.

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death."
(Proverbs 14:12 & 16:25)

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