Thoughts of a Lesser

Blessing of the Animals?

2009-10-06T15:49:00.006-04:00

I was reading the Big Spring, TX newspaper online today and saw this headline:

Blessing of the Animals

"The Rev. Barbara Kirk-Norris, right, rector of St. Mary's Episcopal Church, blesses Mickey, while owner Julie Johnson watches. The church held its annual Blessing of the Animals Sunday in Bennett Garden to honor St. Frances Assisi. (HERALD photo/Lyndel Moody)"

Just to have a little fun... how many things can you find wrong with this? Leave your answers in the comment section please.

Who names their kid "Clive Staples"?

2009-09-21T15:23:00.004-04:00

"The Christian says, "Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not mean that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing."

-C.S. Lewis

total CHURCH

2009-09-08T16:31:00.002-04:00

From the chapter Discipleship and Training:

"We should be teaching one another the Bible as we are out walking, driving the car, or washing the dishes. People should learn the truth of justification not only in an exposition of Romans 5 but as they see us resting in Christ's finished work instead of anxiously trying to justify ourselves. They should understand the nature of Christian hope not only as they listen to a talk on Romans 8 but as they see us groaning in response to suffering as we wait for glory. They should understand the sovereignty of God not only from a sermon series on Isaiah but as they see us respond to trials with "pure joy" (James 1:2). We have found in our context that most learning and training takes place not through programmed teaching or training courses but in unplanned conversations--talking about life, talking about ministry, talking about problems."

TNIV's 'The Books of the Bible'

2009-08-31T11:00:00.004-04:00

I recently decided to pick up TNIV's The Books of the Bible and read it for my devotions. So far I have really enjoyed it. (I wouldn't encourage using the TNIV for serious study, but I think it's alright for devotionals.) What I like most about The Books of the Bible (TBB) is its format. All of the verse and chapter numbers have been removed (there is a very faint Scripture reference point at the bottom of each page to give the reader a general idea of where he/she is reading from). Nice. Also, sections of Scripture are broken up by a break, or change, in argument/thought. If it's a minor change in thought then there will be a single space between sections, all the way up to four spaces between the sections for major breaks in thought. Another nice feature is the ordering of the books. The OT is arranged in the Hebrew-esk fashion with the Law through Samuel-Kings at the beginning, the Prophets (in chronological order) next, and the Writings at the end (with Daniel being the last book of the OT). The NT begins with Luke-Acts and proceeds with Paul's letters (in chronological order), then on to a mixture of Matthew and Mark with Hebrews, 1 & 2 Peter, James and Jude, and then finishing with all of John's writings (i.e. John's Gospel, his three letters and Revelation). I think it's a great arrangement. The other great thing about TBB is that it combines 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, and 1& 2 Chronicles into one book each as they originally were. All-in-all I'm very pleased with TBB. It flows well and has a great arrangement. Go getcha one.

Voddie II

2009-08-21T12:16:00.003-04:00

"The key to understanding the role of the family in discipling children is understanding the purpose of the Fifth Commandment. This commandment was not given for the sake of the individual child as much as it was given for the sake of the community. The Fifth Commandment was the foundation upon which the concept of multigenerational faithfulness is built. God designed the family to disciple children and insure the faithfulness and perpetuation of the community of faith throughout the ages. In other words, God says to us (through the Fifth Commandment), "If you want to continue to exist as the people of God in the midst of the pagan land that I am about to give you, you will have to do so by training and discipling your children." This is the linchpin in every argument I have made or will make in this book. God has designed your family--not the youth group, not the children's ministry, not the Christian school, but your family--as the principal discipling agent in your children's lives. The most important job you have as a parent is to train and disciple your children. This truth completely transformed the way Bridget and I viewed our role as parents. Suddenly we realized that if we raised our children to be great doctors, lawyers, athletes, or musicians but did not train them to honor us and obey God, we would have failed. Thus we had to rethink our schedule, our priorities, everything. In fact, this is one of the key truths that led us to home education. It was inconceivable to us that we could accomplish this monumental task without giving our children an education that completely embraced and undergirded this philosophy."

Voddie Baucham

Family Driven Faith, p. 118-9

Voddie

2009-08-20T16:45:00.004-04:00

"When I first became a Christian, I thought that all Christians were sold-out, fire-breathing, truth-telling, water-walking follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. I also believed that I should be able to trust anything that was written by a Christian author and published by a Christian publisher. I soon discovered I was wrong. Most Christians in our culture live like everyone else. There is little distinction between our lives and the lives of the pagans down the street. We wear the same clothes, watch the same movies, read the same books, send our children to the same schools, and sign the same divorce decrees as everyone else. Furthermore, there ought to be a sign posted in every Christian bookstore that reads, "The views expressed in these books do not necessarily express the views of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." I'm not saying, don't read Christian books. I'm just saying, read with discernment."

Voddie Baucham, Jr.

Family Driven Faith, p.112

You tell 'em Voddie.

Haddon James Nichols

2009-08-07T15:52:00.006-04:00

He's here...

Born: August 3, 2009 at 8:00 AM

7 lbs. 0 oz.

19 3/4 in.

Man-child.

Penal Substitution

2009-06-22T10:08:00.003-04:00

"The notion which the phrase "penal substitution" expresses is that Jesus Christ our Lord, moved by a love that was determined to do everything necessary to save us, endured and exhaused the destructive divine judgment for which we were otherwise inescapably destined, and so won us forgiveness, adoption, and glory. To affirm penal substitution is to say that believers are in debt to Christ specifically for this, and that this is the mainspring of all their joy, peace, and praise both now and for eternity."

-J.I. Packer, quoted from In My Place Condemned He Stood

Embracing Accusation

2009-06-15T16:04:00.002-04:00

I have learned much (as elsewhere) from the master theologian, churchman, public figure, and normal Christian believer, Martin Luther. It is well-known that in his writings [and] in table conversation Luther would often refer to visits from the Devil, how the Devil would come to him and whisper in his ear, accusing him of all manner of filthy sin: “Martin, you are a liar, greedy, lecherous, a blasphemer, a hypocrite. You cannot stand before God.” To which Luther would respond: “Well, yes, I am. And, indeed, Satan, you do not know the half of it. I have done much worse than that and if you care to give me your full list, I can no doubt add to it and help make it more complete. But you know what? My Saviour has died for all my sins—those you mention, those I could add and, indeed, those I have committed but am so wicked that I am unaware of having done so. It does not change the fact that Christ has died for all of them; his blood is sufficient; and on the Day of Judgment I shall be exonerated because he has taken all my sins on himself and clothed me in his own perfect righteousness.”Luther knew what temptation looked like; he knew his own wickedness; but he also knew the all-surpassing perfection and grace of Christ. So, in closing, I want to thank my blog critics, the crass, the colourful, the profane, and the plain old crazy, for helping me to understand better my sin and my Saviour. You think I'm arrogant? You should talk to my wife: she could fill you in on just how arrogant I really am. You think I'm ruthless and cold? Believe me, you don't know where half of the bodies are buried. You think I'm a weak and spineless girlyman? Hey, you don't know nearly the extent of my cowardice. You think I'm an inveterate street fighter? Bring it on. If someone will hold my coat, why go out onto the street? We can finish this right here and right now. But you know what? My Saviour knows the full depth of all my sleaziness, my sin, and my moral insanity, and has covered by his blood all these crimes you allege against me. Indeed, he has covered many more and much worse; and your reminders of my sinfulness and my need of him are most
gratefully received.
-Carl Trueman, quoted from Thank God for Bandit Country

Nicodemus and Cheetos

2009-06-01T15:40:00.006-04:00

I've read the book of John a few times, but for some reason I've never made the connection between John 3:1-21 and John 19:39, both of which refer to Nicodemus. In John chapter 3, John never tells us what happened to Nicodemus, but apparently the dude got saved. I just thought that was interesting.

On another note...

I have recently come to the realization that Flamin' Hot Limón Crunchy Cheetos may be the greatest tasting snack, ever.

Baby #2

2009-04-21T11:23:00.002-04:00

I forgot to post that Amber is pregnant again and... it's a boy! This will bring the Nichols household to: two adults, two kids, and two dogs. Having a girl has been such a joy, but I must say that I'm a little nervous about having a boy. I think the reason for this is because my son's example of what it is to be a godly man is going to be me... that's intimidating. We'll see how it goes.

Baptism of the Spirit... update

2009-03-18T17:10:00.002-04:00

Okay, after talking with a very good friend of mine about this baptism of the Spirit thing, I have reached the conclusion (for now) that we are born of the Spirit at conversion and baptized/filled with the Spirit at some point after that (although Scripture seems to indicate that the baptism/filling could happen simulaneously with conversion). I think this view is consistent with Scripture which gives us the ultimate example of this in Christ, Who was born of the Spirit (literally) and later baptized/filled with the Spirit at His baptism. So far I am satisfied with this view and it would take a lot to convince me otherwise. But go ahead and let me know if this is heresy. Thanks.

Baptism of the Spirit

2009-03-16T11:48:00.003-04:00

My views on the baptism and filling of the Holy Spirit have been anything but consistent. I used to believe that the Baptism/Filling of the Holy Spirit happened only at conversion. I have also held to the belief that a person was baptized with the Spirit at conversion and then subsequently filled with the Holy Spirit at a later time for ministry. Currently I believe that Scripture uses the terms "Baptism" and "Filling" interchangeably in regards to the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:5 and 2:4) and that after conversion believers must constantly pursue subsequent baptisms/fillings of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 4:29-31). For further reflection on this, check out the following:

1. John 7:39; 14:15-17; 20:22; Acts 1:5, 8; 2:4
2. Luke 3:21-22 (see also Mark 1:10 and Matthew 3:16)
3. Acts 4:29-31 (cf. Acts 13:52)

Any thoughts?

Your Thoughts?

2009-02-24T14:54:00.002-05:00

1 Peter 5:7-10 vs. 1 John 5:18

Read it. Pray about it. Let me know what you come up with.

Peace.

Piper on Marriage

2009-02-12T23:52:00.002-05:00

"The ultimate thing we can say about marriage is that it exists for God’s glory. That is, it exists to display God. Now we see how: Marriage is patterned after Christ’s covenant relationship to his redeemed people, the church. And therefore, the highest meaning and the most ultimate purpose of marriage is to put the covenant relationship of Christ and his church on display. That is why marriage exists. If you are married, that is why you are married. If you hope to be, that should be your dream."

-John Piper
quoted from This Momentary Marriage, p. 25

Click here to download this book in its entirety for free. Yeah, you heard me.

President Barack Obama

2008-11-05T15:11:00.002-05:00

Well, crap.

McCain v. Obama = Life v. Death

2008-10-28T14:58:00.002-04:00

Read this before you vote. Tell your friends.

Morality According to Hallmark

2008-08-22T10:44:00.002-04:00

Al Mohler recently posted a blog on something that I find quite disturbing. Hallmark has decided to launch a new type of greeting card to cater to all those homosexuals who apparently are feeling a little left out. Last year Hallmark released a wave of "coming out" cards. They have now expanded their gay horizons into the land of wedding and anniversary cards. You can read Mohler's take on all of this here. Peace.

The Heart of a Father

2008-08-18T16:17:00.004-04:00

Here recently I've decided to read through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew over and over again. I'm not really sure when I will move on to something else, but for now I like it. Last night when I was reading I was affected by Matthew 6:1-4 which reads, "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. (2) Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. (3) But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, (4) so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."

Besides the obvious call to "silent generosity", I noticed in this passage the gracious heart of God. God has promised that obedience brings reward, but what stuck out to me was the fact that God not only wants our obedience, but He desires to reward us. In this passage I see the heart of a Father. He is not just shelling out a list of commands, but He is telling the crowds how to receive their heavenly reward. The Sermon on the Mount is a radical call from God Himself for His people to live in a peculiar, distinct way, which calls for a painful death to self. But what is so amazing is that this hard path of obedience is the path to joy, and our heavenly reward. We serve such a great God! There is grace behind every command and there is a great reward at the end of all obedience; and that reward is God Himself. Peace.

Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave

2008-08-05T12:20:00.003-04:00

I am currently reading a book by Edward T. Welch called Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave and I highly recommend it for everyone. The last chapter I read is called Staying Violent. The two verses at the beginning of the chapter are Matthew 11:12 ("From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.") and Matthew 18:18 ("If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away."). Pretty intense from the get-go. After reading this chapter I come away really wanting to deal with my own sin and addictions. Why? Because it's flat out war-time manliness to do so! And it honors God. Battling sin is like a Biblical UFC (not the sissy new UFC, but the old-school "go until someone's unconscious" UFC). Here are some of my favorite quotes from the chapter...

"There is a mean streak to authentic self-control. Underneath what seems to be the placid demeanor of those who are not ruled by their desires is the heart of a warrior. Self control is not for the timid. When we want to grow in it, not only do we nurture an exuberance for Jesus Christ, we also demand of ourselves a hatred for sin." (pg. 225)

"But unlike our old conception of warfare, where battle lines are clear and the times of battle can almost be predicted, this is modern warfare in which you are not always sure where the enemy lurks. It is guerilla warfare. There are strategically placed snipers. You let down you guard for a moment and the village you thought was safe suddenly opens fire on you." (pg. 226)

"The problem is that as Christians, we often forget we are in a war. Or worse, we don't even know that there is a war. Unlike most warfare, where at least we know that there is an enemy somewhere, spiritual warfare tends to be especially covert. No one is getting shot and many people--even addicts themselves-- seem to be managing their lives fairly well. It all looks like business as usual. Add to this the fact that we actually like the enemy, and it is easy to understand why many of us act as though we were on vacation." (pp. 226-227)

"If someone can actually flee something that he deeply desires, then, once removed from the external temptation, he must follow through by taking his soul to task. We are attracted by the temptations outside us because of the sinful desires we harbor within." (pg. 230)

"Maybe we haven't given into the temptation, but we are dialoging with it rather than rebuking it. When a serpent comes across your path speaking lies, you should run from it or kill it. You shouldn't sit around for a friendly chat." (pg. 239)

"When temptations come, we live mindfully. We look past the facade of temporary pleasure and notice the smell of death that goes with it. If the temptation hooks our desires, we go public. We confess it to a friend, we confess it to the Lord, we get other people praying of us, we ask for counsel that helps us to see that the Serpent is dangerous. Above all, we remember that God's commands are good. They are inteded to bless us." (pg. 240)

"Why would God allow temptations? They are divine testings that reveal our hearts." (pg. 240)

In summary, 1) Buy the book, 2) Read the book, 3) Buy another copy and give it to someone, 4) Read the book again, 5) see #3. Peace.

Long awaited pictures of the Baby

2008-07-23T10:00:00.003-04:00

Back from Sabbatical

2008-06-24T11:56:00.003-04:00

I've been doing a little studying/thinking on the Emergent movement lately (and really Postmodernism in general). Check out this helpful quote from Christian philosopher William Lane Craig:

"To assert that ‘the truth is that there is no truth’ is both self-refuting and arbitrary. For if this statement is true, it is not true, since there is no truth. So-called deconstructionism thus cannot be halted from deconstructing itself. Moreover, there is also no reason for adopting the postmodern perspective rather than, say, the outlooks of Western capitalism, male chauvinism, white racism, and so forth, since post-modernism has no more truth to it then these perspectives. Caught in this self-defeating trap, some postmodernists have been forced to the same recourse as Buddhist mystics: denying that postmodernism is really a view or position at all. But then, once again, why do they continue to write books and talk about it. They are obviously making some claims—and if not, then they literally have nothing to say and no objection to [the rational] employment of the classical canons of logic."

The letter E is equal to the letters M and C squared.

2008-03-14T15:58:00.004-04:00

Today is Albert Einstein's birthday... he's 129. I think we can all learn a valuable lesson from his life: Pipe-smokers are geniuses. Thanks Al.

A Word from the Spurg

2008-03-14T15:53:00.002-04:00

"I will take heed to my ways." —Psalm 39:1

Fellow-pilgrim, say not in your heart, "I will go hither and thither, and I shall not sin;" for you are never so out of danger of sinning as to boast of security. The road is very miry, it will be hard to pick your path so as not to soil your garments. This is a world of pitch; you will need to watch often, if in handling it you are to keep your hands clean. There is a robber at every turn of the road to rob you of your jewels; there is a temptation in every mercy; there is a snare in every joy; and if you ever reach heaven, it will be a miracle of divine grace to be ascribed entirely to your Father's power. Be on your guard. When a man carries a bomb-shell in his hand, he should mind that he does not go near a candle; and you too must take care that you enter not into temptation. Even your common actions are edged tools; you must mind how you handle them. There is nothing in this world to foster a Christian's piety, but everything to destroy it. How anxious should you be to look up to God, that He may keep you! Your prayer should be, "Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe." Having prayed, you must also watch; guarding every thought, word, and action, with holy jealousy. Do not expose yourselves unnecessarily; but if called to exposure, if you are bidden to go where the darts are flying, never venture forth without your shield; for if once the devil finds you without your buckler, he will rejoice that his hour of triumph is come, and will soon make you fall down wounded by his arrows. Though slain you cannot be; wounded you may be. "Be sober; be vigilant, danger may be in an hour when all seemeth securest to thee." Therefore, take heed to thy ways, and watch unto prayer. No man ever fell into error through being too watchful. May the Holy Spirit guide us in all our ways, so shall they always please the Lord.

Charles Spurgeon

From Morning & Evening

Pictures of Makaya

2008-03-10T13:56:00.003-04:00

Alright... I was really waiting to blog again until someone commented on the Piper video below. Oh well, I'm going to bless you anyway and tell you to click here to see pictures of my BEAUTIFUL baby girl. DO IT! peace.

John Piper on the Prosperity Gospel

2008-02-29T00:10:00.001-05:00

Tim Keller on Small Groups

2008-02-26T13:41:00.003-05:00

"If you're not in a small group, you're not in the church." How mobile our society has become! Fewer and fewer people live in a region in which they have been born and raised and that is filled with networks of their family, relatives, and long-time friends. But both church leaders and church members often expect that care and nurture will happen through informal, word-of-mouth communication and unplanned relationships between (usually) pastors and parishioners. It took us nearly two years to realize that the traditional approach can't work in a city. It is through a network of 'cells'--small group fellowships--that we can nurture and care for one another. Soon I began to warn people: "If you are a member or regular attender at Redeemer, and you have a spiritual problem, or you get sick, or you have some kind of acute need in your life--we certainly will try to help. But if you are not in a group and we are slow to respond, you don't really have a warrant to complain. It is through small groups that we can provide care and opportunities through learning, and it is through the groups that we know quickly if you have a need the Body can meet. So--practically speaking--if you aren't in a small group, you aren't fully in the church."

More Pictures from the blast.

2008-02-18T21:33:00.003-05:00

Alon, USA

2008-02-18T14:07:00.002-05:00

If you haven't heard the news, an oil refinery called Alon, USA exploded this morning in my hometown of Big Spring, TX. I have never experienced anything like it. Here's how it went down...

I arrived at my office at 8 AM this morning. At 8:20 I was getting ready to go teach my Substance Abuse class when I felt the blast. I was sitting at my computer about to check my email and then it sounded and felt like a bomb went off on the compound that I was at. It's hard for me to describe it, but dust started falling from the ceiling. After a couple seconds of just sitting there wondering what the heck happened I went and looked outside towards the oil refinery on the East side of town and saw a huge mushroom-looking cloud starting to form. I immediately went back to my office and called my wife because she was at our house which is about 1-2 miles away. To give some perspective, my office is about 10 miles away from the refinery on the opposite side of town. Amber answered the phone and said that everything was okay, but that she was definitely startled. She said that the glasses on our window seal in the kitchen fell off and that the bed shook pretty dramatically. Our dog in the backyard was cowering under some bushes and whimpering. Amber got our daughter (and dog) and we went to my parents' house in Ackerly, TX about 30 miles North of town. I am now back in my office.

To give an overall picture of the damage...

Some buildings downtown (~2 miles away) had all of the windows blown out. One person was injured that was driving on I-20 right beside the plant when it exploded. 4 Alon employees were injured. One person's house near the refinery had the front door and door frame blown off. And now for the miracle: THERE WERE NO DEATHS! If you were here you would understand how insane that is. The gracious providence of God manifested itself today. First off, it is President's Day so 50% of the employees (out of ~170) were not even there. Second, only part of the plant exploded. Had it been the entire thing I don't think I would be here to type this... no joke. Apparently, someone realized that their was a gas leak and immediately told the workers. As soon as they heard they started running and got all the way to the parking lot before it exploded. The blast threw them all to the ground and sent nails into cars and tires. One person was sent to Lubbock with 2nd and 3rd degree burns. Please pray for the families of those that were injured. The fire is now contained and there is still a HUGE pillar of black smoke rising from the site. I do not want to experience anything like that again. I know several people that work there, including a very good friend, our landlord, the father of my best friend when I was little, and a couple of people that go to church with my parents. To the best of my knowledge all are okay. If anything else in this town explodes I'll let you know. peace.

Resources @ Monergism.com

2008-02-11T13:26:00.001-05:00

I just found out that Monergism.com has put together a "Puritan Library". I can't believe the amount of ENTIRE books and complete works that are on here to read online for free. Click here to check it out.

Jonathan Edwards on Trials

2008-02-11T12:25:00.000-05:00

God tries the graces of his people by their persecutions, that the truth and power of his grace in them may appear to his own glory, both before men, angels and devils. One end is that by such a discovery of the truth and strength of their faith and love, he may as it were triumph over Satan; and make him to see what a victory is obtained over him, by so rescuing those souls that were once his captives from his power; and convince him of the real success of his design of redeeming and sanctifying souls - notwithstanding all that he had done to [them], whereby he thought he had utterly ruined mankind, and put them past the possibility of cure. For this end God tried Job. God gloried in Job as a perfect and an upright man, that did good and eschewed evil [Job 1:8]. Satan don't own the truth of it, but charges that Job was a hypocrite, and his service mercenary. But God tries Job with grievous affliction for Satan's conviction. So it is in the church in general, their trials being for Satan's conviction...

Jonathan Edwards

Entry 52 in 'Notes on the Apocalypse'

Quoted from Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography by I. Murray, p. 352

Mission Accomplished

2008-02-08T14:47:00.000-05:00

Mission Accomplished
written by shai linne

Verse 1
Here’s a controversial subject that tends to divide
For years it’s had Christians lining up on both sides
By God’s grace, I’ll address this without pride
The question concerns those for whom Christ died
Was He trying to save everybody worldwide?
Was He trying to make the entire world His Bride?
Does man’s unbelief keep the Savior’s hands tied?
Biblically, each of these must be denied
It’s true, Jesus gave up His life for His Bride
But His Bride is the elect, to whom His death is applied
If on judgment day, you see that you can’t hide
And because of your sin, God’s wrath on you abides
And hell is the place you eternally reside
That means your wrath from God hasn’t been satisfied
But we believe His mission was accomplished when He died
But how the cross relates to those in hell?
Well, they be saying:

Lord knows He tried (8x)

Verse 2
Father, Son and Spirit: three and yet one
Working as a unit to get things done
Our salvation began in eternity past
God certainly has to bring all His purpose to pass
A triune, eternal bond no one could ever sever
When it comes to the church, peep how they work together
The Father foreknew first, the Son came to earth
To die- the Holy Spirit gives the new birth
The Father elects them, the Son pays their debt and protects them
The Spirit is the One who resurrects them
The Father chooses them, the Son gets bruised for them
The Spirit renews them and produces fruit in them
Everybody’s not elect, the Father decides
And it’s only the elect in whom the Spirit resides
The Father and the Spirit- completely unified
But when it comes to Christ and those in hell?
Well, they be saying:

Lord knows He tried (8x)

Verse 3
My third and final verse- here’s the situation
Just a couple more things for your consideration
If saving everybody was why Christ came in history
With so many in hell, we’d have to say He failed miserably
So many think He only came to make it possible
Let’s follow this solution to a conclusion that’s logical
What about those who were already in the grave?
The Old Testament wicked- condemned as depraved
Did He die for them? C’mon, behave
But worst of all, you’re saying the cross by itself doesn’t save
That we must do something to give the cross its power
That means, at the end of the day, the glory’s ours
That man-centered thinking is not recommended
The cross will save all for whom it was intended
Because for the elect, God’s wrath was satisfied
But still, when it comes to those in hell
Well, they be saying:

Lord knows He tried (8x)

Click here for a link to Shai's blog.

Happy Birthday Amber!!!!

2007-12-06T14:50:00.000-05:00

Today is my wife Amber's 22nd birthday. What a blessing she has been to me. She has not only shown me what it looks like to have a servant's heart, but she has also made my waist line expand by seriously "tearin' it up" in the kitchen. She is an amazing woman and I hope that the Lord will one day reward all of her sacrifices by making me a godly man. So, Happy Birthday Booger!!

Today is Amber's dad's birthday too (weird right?). So, Happy Birthday Bill!!

peace.

Mike Huckabee 2008 Ad- With Chuck Norris

2007-11-21T20:16:00.001-05:00

Jay already beat me to it, but if you have not seen this video then you're in for a treat. peace.

The Pursuit: Every Man's Call to Biblical Masculinity

2007-11-15T16:18:00.000-05:00

The Sovereign Grace men's conference that I recently attended at the SG church in Gilbert, AZ had some excellent teachings. All of them, including the breakout sessions, are now available to download for free at the Gilbert church's website. Click here to download and listen. If you only have time for one, then make sure you listen to Rick Gamache's sermon titled Christ: The Perfect Man. Also, it is pivotal that you download and read his Crucifixion narrative. He read a part of it during his sermon and I got chills. So, download, listen and be blessed! peace.

Real quick,

2007-11-12T16:24:00.000-05:00

You know those times when you read Mark 16:18: "they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them", and then you say, "Really?", and then you look at the footnotes in your Bible and it says that this portion of Scripture was probably added later on... you know what I'm talking about? Now, I'm not going to answer the debate on the authority of Mark 16, but after reading this article, I'm pretty certain that Mark 16:18 doesn't include being okay after getting bit in the face by a rattlesnake. Apparently, when that happens, you die. (Sidenote: For all you Kentucky folk... this happened in your state.) peace.

Soon to come...

2007-11-12T15:13:00.000-05:00

I recently attended my first Sovereign Grace conference... it was amazing. It was from Thursday, November 8th to Saturday, November 10th at the Sovereign Grace Church in Gilbert, AZ. The theme of the conference was The Pursuit: Every Man's Call to Biblical Masculinity, and there were about 800 men in attendance (about 200 of which were from the ages 14 to 18, which is very encouraging). The speakers included Steve Shank (Overseer of the SG churches in the Southwest region of the US), Rick Gamache (senior pastor of the SG church in Minneapolis, MN), Craig Cabaniss (senior pastor of the SG church in Frisco, TX), and C.J. Mahaney (founder of SG ministries). (There were also several breakout sessions.) The teaching was awesome, the songs were amazing, and the whole week was saturated in the glory of God. I loved it. There were fourteen men from our church that got to attend. I plan on dedicating the next few posts to give a basic overview of the conference and what I believe to be the highlights. Also, by Wednesday all of the teaching sessions should be available for download from the SG website. That's what's coming soon, but for now, chew on this article from Al Mohler's blog about hotel chains that are removing Gideon Bibles from their rooms and replacing them with other "stuff". The reason given for this is very insightful to the moral decay of our country. Here's a quote:

So the hotels want to be hip, and the presence of a Bible in the drawer is unhip? Perhaps this section of Wolverson's report explains the impetus:
"Edgier chains like the W provide "intimacy kits" with condoms in the minibar, while New York's Mercer Hotel supplies a free condom in each bathroom. Neither has Bibles. Since its recent renovation, the Sofitel L.A. offers a tantalizing lovers' dice game: roll one die for the action to be performed (for example, "kiss," "lick") and the other for the associated body part. The hotel's "mile high" kit, sold in the revamped gift shop, includes a condom, a mini vibrator, a feather tickler and lubricant. The new Indigo hotel in Scottsdale, Ariz., a "branded boutique" launched by InterContinental, also has no Bibles, but it does offer a "One Night Stand" package for guests seeking VIP treatment at local nightclubs and late checkout for the hazy morning after."
So it turns out that the real story is not just the absence of the Bible in many hotel rooms, but the presence of very different materials, from complimentary condoms to erotic dice games. That does help to explain things. This development is another reminder that we are living in a time of tremendous cultural and moral change. The absence of Gideons Bibles from an increasing number of hotel rooms tells us something about the secularization, sexualization, and extreme sensitivities of our age.

Do Yourself a Favor

2007-11-06T08:32:00.000-05:00

Time and time again I am blown away by the generosity of Desiring God Ministries (DGM). It is evident that they care more about the glory of God than they do about money, which, in this culture, is very refreshing and encouraging. I heard a Piper quote once that went something like this: "The reason that God created money is so His people could use money to show the world that they treasure Him more than money." Talk about counter-cultural. Anyway, DGM hosts an annual conference. Last year's conference was The Supremacy of Christ in a Postmodern World and featured John Piper, Voddie Baucham, D.A. Carson, Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll and David Wells as the speakers. (That's a "jaw-dropping" lineup on a very timely subject.) DGM is also in the habit of putting all of their National Conferences in book form which is what they have just done with this one. They are putting this book on sell for $5 through Friday, November 9th, or until supplies run out. That is an amazing deal... BUT WAIT, it gets better. DGM has also put this book in .pdf form and made it available to download... for free. So, do yourself a favor and click here to take advantage of this offer. peace.

Christian Domestic Discipline?

2007-11-05T16:21:00.001-05:00

Ok... This morning on FoxNews there was a story about this Saudi guy that is teaching young Muslims how to discipline there wives. Here's a quote:

"Admonish them – once, twice, three times, four times, ten times," he advised.
"If this doesn't help, refuse to share their beds."
And if that doesn't work?
"Beat them," one of his three young advisees responded.
"That's right," Al-'Arifi said.

Wow. You can read the rest of the article here. There is a big difference between this and the Biblical call for husbands to be Christ's representatives in the home, especially in the way they treat their wives, right? Well, Dr. Riddlebarger blogged on this story and while I was reading the comments I noticed a link to the following website: http://christiandomesticdiscipline.com/Articles.html. I never even knew this world existed, and to be honest, I don't even know how to respond. Now, if this was a website created by the guy quoted above then I wouldn't be so surprised, but the creator of this site is a very sincere, Christian woman. I read the articles... awkward. They even have a blog. Go ahead... check it out, and PLEASE tell me that I am not the only guy that doesn't "spank" his wife for punishment. peace.

Reformation Day in Review

2007-11-02T11:15:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you guys, but I had a great time on Reformation Day. The church we attend (Christian Life Center) had an activity night that we called Reformation Celebration geared towards educating the kids about the Protestant Reformation while simultaneously having fun. "How do you do that?", you may be asking yourself. Well, you do it by playing games like: Bible Smuggling, Pin the Thesis on the Door and Diet of Worms (topped off by singing The Reformation Polka!). Also... you have snacks. Good times were had by all.

On another note...

A couple of posts ago I gave a couple of links to a couple of articles that delt with how Christians should handle Halloween. One of those articles attempted to give some insight into the origins of this cultural/secular/pagan/disturbing/(insert non-Christian term here.) "holiday". This article appeared to give some evidence to a Christian origin for Halloween, and I even made the comment that my beliefs may be changing. Well, they haven't. As one of our friends' students said, "Halloween's the Devil's birthday!" Now, I am sure that, for those of you who read that article, you immediately said to yourself, "Wait a minute... what does Al Mohler say about all of this?" Well, here you go. (For future reference, I will use the abbreviation WWMS for "What would Mohler say?" ... always a good question.) peace.

The Reformation Study Bible

2007-10-30T11:00:00.000-04:00

In lieu of October 31st, i.e. Reformation Day, Ligonier Ministries is puting their Reformation Study Bible (Hardback) on sale for the low, low price of $15.17... haha... get it?... 1517 was the year that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the Catholic church door and started the Protestant Reformation. What will R.C. Sproul think of next? ...Anyway, this Bible is a very good resource and would make a very good (and heavy) stocking stuffer for Christmas. Oh, and the sale is only on October 31st! I already have one, so if you get me one, it will definately become someone else's Christmas gift, so here's a "Thank you" in advance... from my Dad.

Costumes, Candy and Christians

2007-10-26T10:37:00.000-04:00

How much or little should a Christian participate in Halloween? Should we stay home and turn our lights out? Should we go out and engage our culture? Should we stay home (lights on) and pass out tracts? Should we use it as an opportunity to get to know our neighbors? How about "tricking" everybody and having a "Fall Festival"? Would that be okay? Should all the Calvinists get together and celebrate "Reformation Day"? Where should we, as Christians, draw the line on how we handle October 31? I wonder about these things. Where did Halloween come from? Did Christians "steal/redeem" it from pagans and call it a Fall Festival, or did pagans "steal" it from Christians? What are its origins? I have believed for a long time that it was originally a pagan "holiday" and, therefore, should be off-limits for Christians. However, after reading an article on the origins of Halloween I am not so sure my beliefs were right. You can check out the article here. Also, for those of you who see Halloween as an opportunity to build relationships with your neighbors and thereby open doors for the Gospel, check out this post by Tim Challies (the comments are helpful too). Any thoughts? peace.

IWJO

2007-10-17T16:38:00.000-04:00

I saw this on Riddlebarger's blog and it fits with the Joel Osteen theme as of late so I thought I would share it. Apparently some guy who was really touched by one of Osteen's sermon's went out and bought his book and was motivated to create this four-letter logo: IWJO. What's it stand for... I Watch Joel Osteen. (insert awkward pause here.) You can check out the website here. Stocking stuffers anyone?

In Case You Missed It...

2007-10-16T11:10:00.000-04:00

In case you missed the 60 Minutes special on Joel Osteen you can check it out here. It's a shade over 11.5 minutes long and kind of nauseating, but there is a short clip of an interview with Dr. Michael Horton that shows Horton calling Osteen's teaching heresy, so there was one high point of the special. I think the most uncomfortable part is when Osteen says that there are other people who can explain the Bible better than he can, but that's not his calling. What?... Dude, you're a pastor. That's kind of your job. Also, don't forget that Joel and Victoria Osteen will be on Larry King Live tonight on CNN. Hopefully I will hear Larry say the words, "And Chance from Big Spring, TX writes... " and then follow that with the question I emailed. That would be awesome. peace.

Ugh!

2007-10-15T11:53:00.000-04:00

I really like President Bush. I think he is a great president and has handled very horrible circumstances pretty well. However, a recent press release from the White House has a quote from Pres. Bush that is shocking. Here it is:

“…I believe in an almighty God, and I believe that all the world, whether they be Muslim, Christian, or any other religion, prays to the same God... I believe there is a universal God. I believe the God that the Muslim prays to is the same God that I pray to. After all, we all came from Abraham. I believe in that universality.”

Besides the horrible logic of this quote, it is a very revealing statement. We need to pray for Mr. Bush. Christians need to understand the importance of just how exclusive Christianity is. EVERYTHING hinges on the fact that salvation is only found in Jesus Christ. The God of the Bible has graciously revealed Himself in His Word and has distinguished Himself from all other gods, including the god of Islam. Non-radical Muslims attempt to focus on similarities between Islam and Christianity (just like Mormons and Johovah's Witnesses) while downplaying the differences. This is a call for the Church to educate herself so that she can guard against the scheme of Pluralism. (You can read about Pluralism at Blake's blog.) Christianity is offensive to other religions, and that's okay... it should be.

¿Quick Question?

2007-10-12T16:58:00.000-04:00

My dad and I were talking the other night and the following question came up: "How much influence does Satan and his demons have on the mind of a believer?" For example: A man is working in his office going about his normal day and all of a sudden a sinful thought enters his thinking. Is that a result of a sinful nature or is it the result of demonic influences? I have some ideas, but what are yours? peace.

Michael Horton on 60 Minutes

2007-10-12T15:01:00.000-04:00

Recently Michael Horton, a professor at Westminster Seminary California was interviewed by 60 Minutes in regards to his take on the ministry of Joel Osteen. Usually the "scholars" that secular news/journalism shows like this one interview on topics of Christianity should not even be considered Christian enthusiasts, much less scholars, and some are probably not Christians at all. However, in this case, my hats off to 60 Minutes. Dr. Horton is most definately a Biblical scholar and I am very excited that he is scheduled to be on such a popular news show. The interview is scheduled to air Sunday, October 14th on CBS (check your local listings). You can check out a clip from the interview at the 60 Minutes website linked above. Also, if that isn't enough Joel for you, Larry King is having Joel and Victoria Osteen on Larry King Live on Tuesday, October 16th on CNN (check your local listings once again). You won't want to miss either event so make sure you set your DVRs, TiVo's, and/or VCRs. peace.

Go ahead... be blessed.

2007-10-10T13:10:00.000-04:00

At the church Amber and I attend (Christian Life Center) in Midland, TX, Pastor Billy has really been "bringin' it" lately. The Holy Spirit has been using him greatly to stir the hearts of the congregation, and the fruit of faithful preparation and sensitivity to the Spirit has resulted in some excellent sermons. You can hear all of them by going to the website (www.clcmidland.org) and clicking on 'Downloads'. I would especially encourage you to check out the sermon titled "Taking Hold of the One Who has Taken Hold of Us". Go ahead... be blessed.

Preterism, Revelation and A.D. 70

2007-10-09T16:19:00.000-04:00

About three weeks ago (~ish) I said that I would give the internal and external evidence for a pre-70 date of Revelation as found in Postmillennialism: An Eschatology of Hope by Keith Mathison. Well, today is your lucky day. For starters, nobody really knows for sure when Revelation was written. "So what", you may be saying. Well, it turns out that the date of Revelation is very important when it comes to how we interpret the book as a whole. The book of Revelation depicts God's judgment on unrighteous Israel, and in A.D. 70 Jerusalem (including the Jewish Temple) was completely destroyed by the Roman army. Now, if Revelation was written after A.D. 70 then the book is either depicting some future event (Futurism), it is symbolic of a continuous theme, viz., the pursecution of the Church by Satan and the victory of Christ (Idealism), or it is a chronological history of the Church (Historicism). However, if Revelation was written before A.D. 70, then it is a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem (and its Temple) in A.D. 70 (Preterism). So how can we know what to do with the book of Revelation? How are we supposed to interpret it? What is the evidence that points toward a pre-70 date? I'm glad you asked. Mathison gives what I think is pretty compelling evidence that Revelation was in fact written before the destruction of Jerusalem. First the external (non-Biblical) evidence:

1. Mathison points out that the most important evidence for people that support a post-70 date of Revelation is found in a quotation by an early church father named Irenaeus (130-202) in his book Against Heresies.

"We will not, however, incur the risk of pronouncing positively as to the name of Antichrist; for if it were necessary that his name should be distinctly revealed in this present time, it would have been announced by him who beheld the apocalyptic vision. For that was seen no very long time since, but almost in our day, towards the end of Domitian's reign."

Now, Mathison says that there are several reasons why this statement is inconclusive, but lists the major two:
1. When Irenaeus says, "For that was seen no very long time since,..." the greek word for "that was seen" (heorathe) could either mean "that was seen" or "he was seen". This means that Irenaeus could either be talking about the vision or John.
2. Irenaeus was not known for his historical accuracy. For example, he believed that Jesus' ministry lasted approximately fifteen years and that he lived to be almost fifty (Against Heresies, 2.22.5).

Mathison says that the remainder of witnesses are divided on the issue; some supported a pre-70 date and some a post-70 date. The conclusion is that there is no external evidence that can inconclusively prove the date of the book of Revelation. We must then search the internal evidence.

The internal evidence: (Mathison here quotes from Kenneth Gentry's Before Jerusalem Fell)
1. The Theme of Revelation. The theme of the book is one of coming judgment upon the Jews (Rev. 1:7; 2:5, 16, 25; 3:3, 11; 16:15; 22:7, 12, 20). This is the coming judgment that Jesus said would come upon the generation of Jews to whom he spoke (Mt. 24:34; Mk. 13:30; Lk. 21:32).
2. The Nearness of the Coming. John repeated states that this prophecy will be fulfilled very soon (see. 1:1, 3, 19; 2:16; 3:10-11; 22:6-7, 10, 12, 20). The coming of Christ predicted was not his physical second coming, but a coming of judgment in the form of the Roman army.
3. The Sixth King. Revelation 17:9-10 comes close to indicating the date when the book was written. It tells of "seven kings": "five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while." These kings are associated with "seven mountains" (v. 9), which surely refers to Rome, the city built on seven hills. The "kings" would therefore be the line of Roman emperors. If we begin with Julius Ceasar (as many contemoraries of John did), we have the following list:
1. Julius Caesar (49-44 B.C.)
2. Augustus (27 B.C.- A.D. 14)
3. Tiberius (14-37)
4. Gaius (37-41)
5. Claudius (41-54)
6. Nero (54-68)
7. Galba (68-69)
8. Otho (69)
9. Vitellius (69)
10. Vespasian (69-79)
The sixth king, the one who "is" when John is writing, would then be Nero. He was preceded by five kings who "have fallen," and was followed by a king who reigned only a very short time. By no calculation can the sixth king possibly refer to the emperor Domitian.
4. The Existence of the Temple. Revelation 11:1-2 describes John measuring the temple. While this language could conceivably refer to a symbolic temple, the statement that this temple will be tread upon by the nations for forty-two months seems to indicate that the Jewish temple is in view and that it had not yet been destroyed at the time of writing.
5. The Symbolic Descriptions of Nero. There seems to be a reference to Nero in Revelation 13:18, which speaks of a man whose number is 666. A strong case can be made that this number is a symbolic designation of Nero. While all of the evidence for and against this theory cannot be explained here, suffice it to say that the ancient Hebrew spelling of Nero Caesar has the numerical value of 666.
6. The Strong Presence of Jewish Christianity. The book of Revelation gives evidence that it was written during a time when there remained a strong Jewish and even Judaizing element in the church (2:9; 3:9; 7:4-8; 14:1; 21:12). The Jewish influence and threat dwindled rapidly after A.D. 70, and was hardly a factor in the late first century.
7. The Impending Jewish War. There are a number of passages in the book that seem to point to the catastrophe that was about to befall Jerusalem. Several references to time, for example, fit the actual course of events in the Jewish War:
a. Revelation 9:1-12. John sees a vision in which all those without the seal of God are tormented for five months. Significantly, the actual siege of Jerusalem by Titus lasted five months.
b. Revelation 11:2. The temple is given to the nations for forty-two months. Similarly, the time between the declaration of war by Rome until the fall of Jerusalem was almost exactly forty-two months.
c. Revelation 13:5-7. In John's vision of the beast, he is told that the beast makes war with the saints for forty-two months. Nero's persecution of Christians begain late in 64 and lasted until his death in June 68, a period again of almost exactly forty-two months.

"When all of the evidence is examined and weighed carefully, it points to an early date. We conclude, therefore, that the book of Revelation was written sometime during the Neronic persecution (64-68)."

Whew. Let me know what you think. peace.

Happy Birthday!

2007-10-05T14:04:00.000-04:00

I was watching Fox News this morning and found out that today (October 5th) there will be more birthdays in the U.S. than any other day. I thought this was weird because for three days now I have been planning to post on today's date to celebrate the birthday of Jonathan Edwards. That's right folks, the man who has been regarded as being the greatest theologian that America has produced was born today in 1703. Were he still alive he would be 304yrs. old. You can check out John Piper's short biography of Edwards here. DesiringGod.org (Piper's ministry) is also putting all of Edwards' books on sell until October 7th. If you do not have any Jonathan Edwards titles I would encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. Click here to see the very generous offers. peace.

Mike Huckabee for President!

2007-10-04T12:59:00.000-04:00

I don't know how many of you are keeping up with the Presidential nominees so I'm here to help. All you need to know is that you must vote for Mike Huckabee. I first found out about Mike from Jay's blog, and after seeing him this morning on Fox and Friends (Fox News) I thought it would be fitting to blog about him myself. If this man becomes the next President then Postmillennialism just might be true and Christ may indeed come back to a redeemed earth. Here's some background:

Huckabee was born in Hope, Arkansas, to Mae Elder and Dorsey W. Huckabee. He was elected Governor of Arkansas Boys State in 1972 and is a Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Alumnus. He graduated magna cum laude from Ouachita Baptist University, completing his bachelors degree in 2½ years before attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.
Prior to his political career, Huckabee was pastor of several Southern Baptist churches in Arkadelphia, Texarkana, and Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He served as president of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention from 1989 to 1991 and as president of a religion-oriented television station.
And this quote from his website:
The First Amendment requires that expressions of faith be neither prohibited nor preferred. We should not banish religion from the public square, but should guarantee access to all voices and views. We should share and debate our faith, but never seek to impose it. When discussing faith and politics, we should honor the "candid" in candidate - I have much more respect for an honest atheist than a disingenuous believer.
My faith is my life - it defines me. My faith doesn't influence my decisions, it drives them. For example, when it comes to the environment, I believe in being a good steward of the earth. I don't separate my faith from my personal and professional lives.
Real faith makes us humble and mindful, not of the faults of others, but of our own. It makes us less judgmental, as we see others with the same frailties we have. Faith gives us strength in the face of injustice and motivates us to do our best for "the least of us."
Our nation was birthed in a spirit of faith - not a prescriptive one telling us whether to believe, but one acknowledging that a providence pervades our world.
He also has brilliant ideas in regards to Health Care, Taxes, Education and everything else (oh, and he's written 5 books). Check out his website here, look for clips on YouTube and VOTE FOR MIKE!

Bringin' it Back

2007-10-01T14:36:00.000-04:00

My wife, Amber, and I have recently decided that it would be funny to start using certain words in our everyday vocabulary that were only used by previous generations. When was the last time you heard someone say, "Well golly mister!" Exactly. "Golly" is now a common word at the Nichols' residence as well as its close friend "Gee". It has been quite entertaining so far. A few of the other words we are using are: "Neat", "Geewiz" and "Super". If you know of any other 'outdated' words that should be brought back let me know. That sure would be neat. peace.

Sovereign, Sustaining Grace

2007-09-28T12:20:00.000-04:00

I just finished reading a sermon by John Piper titled Sustained By Sovereign Grace--Forever. What an encouragement! The main text is Jeremiah 32:36-41 which speaks of a new covenant that will be initiated by God and will sustain His people by His sovereign power. This is a must read. Piper sums up the kind of grace he is talking about in a short poem that he wrote that goes like this:

Not grace to bar what is not bliss,
Nor flight from all distress, but this:
The grace that orders our trouble and pain,
And then, in the darkness, is there to sustain.
You can read the sermon here.

My Baby!

2007-09-26T13:48:00.000-04:00

My beautiful wife Amber has posted some pictures of my beautiful daughter Makaya on her blog. I guess I like to surround myself with beauty... what can I say? You can check out the pics here. I will try to get some pics up on this site very soon. peace.

A Birthday and a New Ministry

2007-09-24T14:57:00.000-04:00

Today is my sister Tamara's 17th birthday! She is an exceptionally bright and beautiful young woman that loves the Lord and interior design. (I think that means that if she goes into that field she will hang crosses on her clients' walls.) Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAMARA! Also, Dr. Steven Lawson has founded a new ministry called New Reformation Ministries. If you are familiar with Dr. Lawson then you will know that this is a fitting name. The website has a lot of great resources and is worth a visit. Oh, and Jay, he graduated from Texas Tech.

Preterism-Idealism? I think I like it.

2007-09-21T15:36:00.000-04:00

For a few hours now I have been searching the internet for articles on the date of Revelation. Here's what I found: Nobody knows when Revelation was written. In my last post I addressed how I really liked the "modified" idealist view championed by Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, but began to have some questions after reading an analysis of Revelation by Keith Mathison in his book Postmillennialism: An Eschatoloy of Hope that is written from a preterist perspective. In my search for answers I came across this article. It was written by John Noe who was apparently a Full Preterist for 10yrs. and then "converted?" to a Preterist-Idealist. The article is pretty long and probably boring if you're not real interested in this stuff (I haven't read it yet, so hopefully there's no heresy in it). At first glance though, it seems like this might be right on the money, that is, as long as Revelation was written before A.D. 70 (which I will address next time). Check out this quote:

"The revelation of Jesus Christ” (Rev 1:1) has a fuller significance and deeper character beyond its AD 70 eschatological fulfillment. Consequently, the preterist notion that it only applies to AD 70 when Christ supposedly came in “finality” is a weakness to be amended. And in a preterist-idealist synthesis, the strength of idealism remains that it “secures its relevance for all periods of the church’s history.” But its major weakness—i.e. “its refusal to see a firm historical anchorage”— is removed. That missing anchorage is supplied by Revelation’s A.D-70 fulfillment."

Sounds interesting to me. I'll read it, think more about it and get back to you. Any thoughts?

Now I'm Just Confused

2007-09-21T13:51:00.000-04:00

For the past couple of weeks I have been reading Kim Riddlebarger's sermons on the book of Revelation. (You can find them here.) Dr. Riddlebarger describes his approach as a "modified" Idealism, and I must say, it makes a lot of since and really seeks to honor Christ. I am also in the process of reading Postmillennialism: An Eschatology of Hope by Keith Mathison. I really like the modified Idealism approach to Revelation. I agree with Amillennialism and the Idealist view fits well into that scheme. However, the Idealist interpretation of Revelation depends on a late date of Revelation (A.D. 95-96) and Postmillennialism embraces a Preterist approach to Revelation which depends on an early date of Revelation (ca A.D. 66-68). Dr. Riddlebarger (An Amillennialist that I highly respect), in the first sermon in his series, spends no time on this issue, leaving only a reference to Beale's The Book of Revelation. He merely states that Revelation was written "some time in the mid-90's". Mathison, however, spends quite a bit of time on this issue in Postmillennialism showing the internal and external evidence on an early date. The issue boils down to this: In A.D. 70 Jerusalem was completely destroyed by the Roman army. Now, if Revelation was written after A.D. 70 then the prophecies have either not yet been fulfilled (Futurism), are in the process of being fulfilled (Historicism), or serve as symbols of a continuous theme throughout the history of the Church showing that the Church will always be persecuted by antichrists and "beasts" but will always persevere through Christ(Idealism). But, if Revelation was written before A.D. 70 then that leaves us with the Preterism view that says most (Partial Preterism) or all (Full Preterism) of Revelation was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. For the sake of time I will leave the gritty details of internal and external evidence for the next entry. I really want to be an Idealist, but now I'm just confused. Thoughts are welcome.

For those of you with iPods

2007-09-20T12:18:00.001-04:00

I personally do not own an iPod... yet. However, I entered a drawing at my work to win a 30Gb video iPod that will be held next week. I'll let you know if I win. I was just over at Monergism.com and saw some crazy news that I thought I would let those of you who do not regularly visit that website know about. Apparently Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) has put a lot of their seminary lectures, chapel services, and other events on iTunes FOR FREE! This is an invaluable resource. RTS is home to such professors as John Frame, Bruce Waltke, Ligon Duncan (Adjunct) and many others. To see a list of available files or to download iTunes click here. This makes me really want to win that iPod.

A Lawsuit Against God?

2007-09-19T14:28:00.000-04:00

I was reading Kim Riddlebarger's blog today and he had a post on a Nebraska senator (Ernie Chambers) that is suing God. Apparently the senator is attempting to prove a point about frivolous lawsuits. I am not 100% sure, but, after reading the article, I think that's on the blasphemous side. You can read the article here. Let me know what you think.

A Good Study of Revelation

2007-09-17T14:30:00.000-04:00

Real quick...
There are traditionally four ways to interpret the book of Revelation.
1. Futurism
2. Preterism
3. Historicism
4. Idealism

Dr. Kim(ble) Riddlebarger is a reformed amillinnarian. He has written two books: A Case for Amillennialism and Man of Sin. He is a pastor and seminary professor and is in the process of writing a series on Revelation from a "tweaked" Idealism perspective on his blog. He has written 23 parts so far and is on Chapter 16 in Revelation. I think it is very convincing and worth your time. Check it out at: http://kimriddlebarger.squarespace.com/downloadable-sermons-on-the-bo/

peace.

if you still read this blog...

2007-09-17T13:37:00.000-04:00

Okay, I know that it has been about nine months or so since my last post, so for those of you that still check this blog... my hats off to you. You guys are the definition of Perseverance of the Saints. I am actually not dead, but a lot of stuff has happened. Consider this post an "update". In November 2006 my wife and I found out that we were pregnant. By December I finished my first semester of seminary. In January 2007 (I think) we found out that our baby was a girl. I had to get a full-time job because of the pregnancy and had to drop two classes during the Spring of this year keeping just one night class (Intro. to Philosophy). I got a job at a marketing firm called G Franklin & Co. selling office supplies for Quill Office Supplies (who was our client) business-to-business. I eventually found out that I did not like that job very much. I was also a youth minister at a small Southern Baptist Church in Bagdad, KY called Indian Fork Baptist Church (you heard me). Due to various external factors (i.e. debt, pregnancy, etc.) Amber and I decided that it would be best for us to move back to Big Spring, TX which is were both of our parents' live. We didn't set a move date, but eventually we pretty much said, "How about Tuesday?" I dropped my class, we got a U-Haul, my dad flew in, and with the help of some great friends we packed up and headed for the Lone Star State. Oh, and some time in there Amber got a kidney stone and was in the hospital for nine days. (Word of Advice to my readers: DON'T GET KIDNEY STONES! ...EVER!) So we got back to TX and moved in with my parents. I was worried about finding a good church and so I looked on-line for the nearest Sovereign Grace church... just for fun, and wouldn't you know it, there was one in Midland, TX (45 minutes away)! We went, loved it, and are about to become members. We eventually moved into a 3bed, 1bath rent house in Big Spring and I got a job as a substance abuse counselor at Cornell Companies here in town which is a immigration prison and i love it. My salary is enough to eventually get us out of debt and to allow Amber to stay at home. (Check out her new blog at http://myrockandmyfortress.blogspot.com.) We had our baby girl August 13, 2007 at 4:41pm. Her name is Makaya Lynn Nichols; she was 7lbs. 4oz. and 20.5in. long. She is absolutely amazing! Amber had to have a Cessarian section and she has finally recovered to about 80-90% of her normal self. The Lord has been very gracious to us both. Our church, Christian Life Center http://www.clcmidland.org, has been one of God's greatest gifts to us. We have made new friends, have become more aware of our sin, have been encouraged with kind words and acts of service beyond my imagination, and, most importantly, I think we see and love Christ more. I will talk more about CLC in future blogs. Please keep us in your prayers. This list of life events is not exhaustive, but you get the point. I am glad that you have found your way back to this "empty shell" (Eron?) of a blog. peace.

I'm Glad I'm Not A Girl

2007-01-06T01:06:00.000-05:00

For several years now I have noticed that on a near day-to-day basis I utter the phrase, "Man, I'm glad I'm not a girl." I don't know why, but seldom does a day go by where something doesn't catch my attention and cause me to say this. Tonight, for example, I was closing at Chick-fil-A and a group of about seven high school girls and boys came in and ordered some food. I couldn't help but overhearing the "bubbliness" of the conversations between the girls and in my mind immediately classified them as the "ditzy" type. It was as though life was a bit more confusing and "light" to them than other people, and I found myself saying, "Man, I'm glad I'm not a girl." Here are some other things that have caused this expression to leap from my mouth: makeup, long hair, emotions/hormones (holy cow), PMS, irrationality (sorry, it's true), clothes, female friendships (yeah, I'd have more "guy friends" too), pregnancy (and it's cousin Morning Sickness... this is a new one for me), dependency on the word "like", a need to watch Oprah, gossip (are you kidding me?), dating jerks ("But I love him!"), "giggle attacks", bad driving, flowers (for crying out loud... there just plants! And, no they do not smell good.), decorating, "chick flicks" (yeah, life isn't like that), "Do I look fat in this?", "Do you think she's prettier than me?", "I don't care, wherever you want to eat is fine." (but it isn't fine)/ indecisiveness, speaking in code/not saying what you mean, directions that never mention street names ("Turn at the big, purple building with the pretty tree."), false audience (any psychology people out there?), musicals (go grease lightening), physically not that strong ("Could you open this?"), going to the bathroom is more fun in groups, sitting down to pee (or, "hovering", depending on the cleanliness of the seat), etc.

On January 8th my wife an I will celebrate our six-month anniversary. As the days go by I become more and more aware of how different men and women are (and more and more grateful that the good Lord has made me a guy). But, even though my wife and I are so different I look foward to many more confusing years of trying to figure her out.

Holy Cow...

2006-12-16T17:39:00.000-05:00

Okay, I know that it has been about a month and a half since my last post... my bad; and I'm sure that because of that people have stopped checking this blog, but I'll share the news anyway. My beautiful wife, Amber, is pregnant... and that's Awesome! We had a positive pregnancy test reading this past Lord's Day and had that reading confirmed at the OBGYN on Tuesday. We are really stoked about it and we appreciate those of you that have been so supportive and encouraging. We will also be very appreciative for your prayers during the upcoming months. It's an exciting time. We actually already had some names picked out: if it's a boy... Micaiah; and if it's a girl... Micayah. For some background to the boy's name check out 1 Kgs. 22:13-28. My schedule is much more free due to school being out so hopefully future blogs will be much more consistent. Until then...

Why I have gotten the O.T. wrong... part V

2006-10-31T14:07:00.000-05:00

It has been awhile since my last post... my bad. I shall, however, continue this study on why I have indeed gotten the Old Testament wrong by proceeding on to the Second Commandment. Exodus 20:4-5a says, "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them..." (ESV).

When I was a child I became familiar with this commandment. (When I say "familiar" I mean that I had heard of it.) Rather than tell you my eventual interpretation of this verse, let me just paint a picture for you in your mind. Whenever I would see a picture of Jesus in a home or church building I would become uneasy. There you go... my interpretation of the Second Commandment. This is what I thought, and rightfully so, because this is what I had been taught up until the age of twenty-two when a seminary professor named Dr. Gentry set me straight. The King James Version states it like this: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image,..." In other words, "DON'T MAKE AN IDOL!" In my mind a picture of Jesus was an idol because it is a false representation of Him, unless of course He really was an attractive, middle-class, white Republican.

My goal is to help put you into the mindset of an Israelite that would be hearing this command for the first time... so here's the deal: In the ANE (Ancient Near East) pagan cultures would make statues, or images, which, through a process, would eventually become gods and be used as a mediator between themselves and that god. Here are some other details: All public worship was around the image; it was awakened, clothed, fed twice a day, and put to bed (The image was seen as a way to meet the needs of the god); and they perceived the image as not simply a representation of the Deity, but as a manifestation of its presence. This is the context that helps us understand what an idol was back then. Now to bring it all together...

A comparison of translations:

"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything..." (Ex. 20:4, ESV)

"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing..." (KJV)

"You shall not make for yourselves an idol, or any likeness..." (NASB)

"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything..." (NIV)

According to the Hebrew the NIV got it right while the others can be used to support the teachings of the early Rabbi's that said you were to make no images of creation at all. Do you see the differences in the translations? The first three should not say or, but of. "Do not make for yourselves an idol of any likeness." To make a long story short, the Second Commandment is saying that no image is to be used as the mediator from deity to people or as a mediator of worship. And we must remember that God has already made His image... man.

So, was I right to feel uneasy at the sight of a picture of Jesus in a church or home? Only if that church or home was making an idol out of it, which they were not. There is nothing inherently wrong with having an image of Jesus, but worshipping that image as the manifested presence of God is definately a sin. Until next time...

A Pause for a Question

2006-10-13T22:20:00.000-04:00

I thought that I was going to write this post on the Second Commandment, but that will have to wait until next time. Right now I would like to say something about a question that I have been asking myself recently. The question is this: "What am I doing?" And here's the background. I am in an accountability group with Jesse and Eron and a while back we were talking about George Muller. If you are not familiar with Muller then you need to become so as soon as possible. It will be enough for now to say that he was a great man of prayer and faith. We were on the subject of living by faith and Eron said something along the lines of, "If Kari (his wife) and I decided to sell everything we own and live our entire lives on nothing but the promises of God to meet all of our needs while giving ourselves completely to the furthering of His Kingdom, we would be okay. God would take care of us." Now, the three of us agreed that this does take a special calling to live this way, but there is still an alluring quality about it isn't there? What if Amber and I just quit our jobs and devoted ourselves to full-time ministry and sacrificing our lives and our comforts for Christ? We would be okay. We know this, and yet, I can't help but think that we're not going to do this. Is that bad? I'm not sure right now.

Two more things...

Eron, Blake, and I have the same Hermeneutics class and before class started last Monday Eron was talking about the new Passion DVD and John Piper's sermon. One of Piper's themes was 1 Cor. 15:19 which reads, "If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied." Why did Paul say this? Because if Christianity turns out not to be true then they gave their lives for nothing. Paul and others at that time (and since then) gave up everything for Christ... EVERYTHING. They risked their lives and even gave their lives because they were convinced that Heaven was better than earth. Therefore, they deserve to be pitied if Christianity is not true. But what about me? What about us? If in this life only we have hoped in Christ would we deserve to be pitied? Ashamedly, I know that I would not. Here in America we have become so comfortable. We have designer clothing, cool music, nice cars, etc... Being a Christian costs us nothing. Therefore, if Christianity turns out not to be true, then we're still good. We don't deserve to be pitied because Christianity was "good" for us here. We have all of the comfort that the world has and more in many cases. I detest American Christianity for this and yet right now I feel like I am its "poster boy". What am I doing?

The other thing is a story I heard once about two female American Christian missionaries that had a chance to speak with a couple of Christian women in India. During their conversation one of the Indians asked the Americans if they had ever lost their job for being a Christian. "No," replied the Americans, "we have never lost our job for being a Christian." "Have you ever had rocks thrown at you because of your faith?" asked the other Indian Christian. "No," replied the Americans, "we have never had rocks thrown at us because of our faith." "Have you ever been burned for being a Christian?" asked the Indian Christian, who had obvious burn marks all over her arms. "Of course not," said the Americans in almost disbelief, "we have never been burned for our faith. You see, in America we have laws that protect us from those types of things." After a short silence one of the Indian Christians asked the Americans, "Then how do you know what it means to be a Christian if it costs you nothing?" What am I doing?

One other thing actually... Eron told me that in Chapel on Tuesday Mohler posed the question, "Do we really believe that Heaven is better than earth?" All of these things have been going through my mind recently (this week actually) and I really feel somewhat burdened by this. You see, there is a family that lives right next to Amber and I (about three feet from our door to be precise) and they are lost. Now, we have bought them a gift basket and given them a New Testament and a couple of tracts, but what if we did more. We could sell our television, surround sound, DVD player, and stereo and give that money to this family to share the gospel with them and to help them see just a little glimmer of the amazing love found in Christ... but we probably won't. I could sell my truck (I have a bike to ride) and use that money to minister to the lost and hurting in this community, to the widows and orphans, to further the advancement of the gospel in world missions... but I probably won't. So what am I doing? Do I really believe that Heaven is better than earth because it sure seems like I am trying to be as comfortable as possible here, in this world that is supposed to be a foreign land to me. This is not supposed to be my home and yet, I feel very much at home. Why? You know what the crazy thing is? I fully understand that doing these things would not only glorify God, but it would be one of the greatest blessings that I would ever receive. It would strengthen my faith and my wife's faith, and I believe it would usher in a sense of nearness to God that I know I will never experience apart from living in this sacrificial way. That's the crazy thing about it... I know this! So what am I doing? It makes me wonder how long I am going to be satisfied with all of my "stuff"; with all of my comfort. I desire to live this way, and yet I don't. "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate... For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing... Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Rom. 7:15, 19, 24-25). It is times like this that I really appreciate the patience of the Lord. Pray for me. You may be living in a way that proves you believe that Heaven really is better than this place. I thank you for that, but pray for all of us who are poster boys and girls for American Christianity. May we grow tired of trying to hold on to all of this sand.

Why I have gotten the O.T. wrong... part IV

2006-10-04T11:01:00.000-04:00

I spent the weekend trying to clean/rearrange the office in our apartment so blogging wasn't happening. But I now have it down to just a few papers on the floor that I need to go through and vaccuuming, so almost there. I think it's time to begin the Ten Commandments. In the Ancient Near East (ANE) they were also known as the Ten Words. Another thing to note is that the first four deal with our relationship to God and the last six deal with our relationship to each other. One more thing to note is that after each of the first four commandments there is an explanation following it, but not aftert the last six. This is because the last six were nothing new to the ANE Israelites. All six could be found in various other law codes surrounding them and so no explanation was needed... they understood the purpose already. But the first four were new so God provided them with an explanation as to why they were important and what they're purpose was. For example, the First Commandment reads, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me" (ESV). Here God is saying that the reason the Israelites should have no other gods before Him is because they had nothing to do with the Exodus. It was Yahweh and Him alone that delivered them. Now the question of this commandment is what does the word before mean? This word could also be translated as besides; but the idea that is being presented to the Israelites is spacial. You see, I always thought that the first Commandment was demanding monotheism (that the Israelites were to only believe in one god), but this isn't what it is saying. As I said before, the idea being presented is spacial... "You shall have no other gods before me" means that the Israelites were not to imagine any other gods in the presence of Yahweh. Just like when a convict goes into a courtroom and comes before the judge.

It is thought that the early Israelites were Henotheistic, which means that they believed in many gods, but only worshipped one, and later became monotheistic. Gods in the ANE were seen in a Pantheon, or theistic hierarchy. (Kind of like the President and his cabinet.) And so you had all these gods placed in this hierarchy with each one having there own power and control of certain things. This is why there was a "moon god" and a "sun god" and a "rain god" and so forth; a Pantheon suggests a distribution of power. What God was communicating to the ANE Israelites that were at least familiar with this mindset if not believers in it themselves was that He is omnipotent, or all-powerful. He is saying that He is the only God worthy of worship, not that He is the only god, although He does say this later on (see. Dt. 4:35, 39; Is. 43:10). So, in conclusion, the first Commandment does not say that no other gods exist, but that they are powerless... therefore leaving them with no status worthy of worship. Next we will look at the second Commandment... which I also misunderstood.

Why I have gotten the O.T. wrong... part III

2006-09-28T00:21:00.001-04:00

This is one of my favorite "things I didn't know". The Garden of Eden was a "garden sanctuary" designed by God for Adam and Eve. It was a closed, protected place. In the Old Testament kings would build walls to surround their gardens also (see. 2 Kgs. 25:4; Jer. 39:4, 52:7; Is. 5:5). You see, kings in that time took great joy in walking around the gardens that they had built as a type of "pleasure park". This is why in Ancient Mesopotamia (where the Garden of Eden is assumed to have been), the word "gardener" meant "monarch"(The Israelites at the time of Moses would have known this). Kings were the gardeners. When God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden He told him to "work and keep it", or "be the gardener". What He is saying is "you have the responsibility of a ruler of this land", which takes us back to the last discussion on what it means to be made in the image of God. So, Adam was the monarch, the gardener. That's the Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) context; now here's the jaw dropper. The New Testament got this right. In John 21:14-15, after Mary had just found the tomb of Jesus empty it says, "...she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. (15) Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" [Mary,] Supposing him to be the gardener said to him..." The crazy thing is she was right! He was "The Gardener". He is the Monarch, the Ruler, the King of kings. Jesus is the Gardener! I don't know if that drops your jaw a little like it did mine, but I believe that every word of Scripture is the inspired word of God and I believe this "misunderstanding" on Mary's part is there for a reason. Until next time...

Why I have gotten the O.T. wrong... part II

2006-09-26T00:50:00.000-04:00

In the words of C.J. Mahaney, "I've never had an original thought, don't intend on ever having an original thought, don't expect God to ever entrust me with an original thought because of the pervasiveness of my pride." Dr. Peter J. Gentry is my O.T. professor and I owe this entire series to him. If anything I say sounds odd, or unlikely, then that part is probably me and not Gentry. We've probably all read Genesis 1:27-28 before and either heard or asked the question, "What does it mean to be made in the image of God?" Well, the answer can be found in the literary structure of these two verses which is known as a Hebrew chiasm, or Chiastic parallelism.

(27) "So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

(28) And God blessed them. And God said to them,
"Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it
and have dominion over the fish of the sea
and over the birds of the heavens and over every living
thing that moves on the earth." Genesis 1:27-28

This Hebrew chiasm is structured in ABBA form where the first statement corresponds with the last and the middle two statements with each other. It's called a chiasm because symbolically it looks like an "X" which is the greek letter "chi". If you cut the X in half horizontally you have a top and bottom part that are mirror images of each other, therefore the top has an A-B statement that mirrors the bottom B'-A' statement. (I promise, this is important.)

In Gen. 1:27 the "A" is the first statement, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;" Where we err is when we try to match this with the next statement, "male and female he created them." This is what Karl Barth did and concluded that our sexuality must be what it means to be made in the image of God. But this is not how the Hebrews wrote this text. Because of the chiastic form the original intent of the author was to have his readers relate this to the last statement in verse 28, "... subdue it [the earth] and have dominion over... every living thing that moves on the earth." In a way, when we are told that God created man in his own image we are being prepared for the later statement that we are to have dominion over the rest of creation. Similarly, the second statement of v. 27, "male and female he created them" is meant to prepare us for the following proclamation, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth." So, the top and bottom "A" statements go together and the middle two "B" statements go together. I hope I have made this clear. Now for the context that blew me away. In the Ancient Near East kings and pharaohs were called, "the image of god". Now, when these kings would go out and conquer land they would put a statue, or image, of themselves in their new territory. What this told all of the inhabitants that saw this image of the king was that he was the ruler of this land. You see, God has made man in his image and placed us all over the earth and by so doing he is proclaiming to all of creation that he is the ruler of this earth. This is what it means to be made in the image of God. The Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) Hebrews would have understood this. It's harder for us to grasp this since we are living several millenia after the fact, but when we dig deep enough to understand the context that the Scriptures were written in we are able to see and understand things a little more clearly. I hope you are enjoying this series so far. More to come...

Why I have gotten the Old Testament wrong...

2006-09-21T16:26:00.000-04:00

Never before has the O.T. opened up to me like it has the past few weeks. I am currently taking an Intro. to the O.T. class at Southern and have left many-a-class with a dropped jaw. My professor, Dr. Peter J. Gentry, may be the smartest man alive. This coupled with my Hermeneutics (the study of interpreting Scripture) class has helped me see the importance of the grammatical-historical method of interpretation. What this method does is attempt to put you in the original context of the author while keeping the whole of Scripture in mind. Dr. Gentry labors twice a week trying to get us to see what it would be like to be an Israelite in the Ancient Near East (ANE) and hear these words of the O.T. Scriptures for the first time. What has been most interesting to me personally is to look at the pagan culture that was surrounding Israel and notice the striking similarities. For instance, the tabernacle that God so precisely described to Moses for the Israelites to build was just like all of the other tabernacles and temples of that day except for a couple of small differences. But those small differences make all the difference in the world! The ancient Israelites would have not been surprised to hear Moses read to them the guidelines for building the temple... it would sound just like what they were used to. But when he got to the part about what was to be in the Holy of Holies they would have said, "Wait a minute... that's not right. Why are we doing it this way?" You see, all of the other pagan tabernacles and temples at that time had an outer court, an inner holy place, and an even more inner Holy of Holies... nothing new. But in pagan temples the priest would be met with a statue of their god upon entering the Holy of Holies. What's the difference? In the Israelite Holy of Holies the high priest was met with a box, not an image of God. What's God saying here? He's saying, "I am invisible! And there is no idol that you can use as a mediator to get to me." And what is inside the box? The Ten Commandments, or Words. What is God saying with this? "If you want to worship me, here's how you do it. I want you to obey me; I want your life." The differences speak volumes. I think I am going to do a small series on why I have gotten the O.T. wrong. Maybe some that are not given the opportunity to sit under Dr. Gentry will be blessed by it; I know I have been. For me, my error in how I have interpreted the O.T. can be summed up in failing to study the context that it was written in. Next time I'll talk about what I now believe it means to be made "in the image of God". Until then... peace.

Free Time

2006-09-19T14:17:00.000-04:00

I heard a saying once that I think comes from the Philippines. It goes something like this, "The Westerners wear their gods on their wrists." Now, me being a Westerner should pause to think about this for a moment. Are they right? Well, their correctness probably depends on the person, but it seems to be at least somewhat true in my case. I am currently taking three classes from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, a newly-wed, a Christian devoted to the weekly fellowship of believers, and a new employee of Chick-fil-A, which means in the near future I will probably add working out to my schedule. All of these things demand time, which seems to become more precious the busier my schedule gets; which leads me to the thought of "free" time. What is "free" time; and why don't I seem to have very much of it? Really, all time is "free" isn't it? It's just that some days we seem to have more of it than others. I think that in this age of technology time has become a precious commodity, but not just any kind of time; we long for "free" time; time that we can devote on us. As I write this I can't help but notice that the desire for this kind of time seems somewhat selfish, but it also seems necessary. I also cannot help but think that me adding a blog to my schedule is going to take, well, time. There are so many things that I want to do, so many books that I want to read, so many places that I want to see, but I just don't think that one lifetime, or life of time, is enough. After quite a bit of thought on this I have come to realize that it's okay if I don't see Rome, or read a library full of books. Maybe God has not given me enough time to do everything that I want to do for a reason. Maybe there is a reason that life seems so short in light of the endless amount of things that you could learn or experience. The problem is not our great desires; the problem is looking to fulfill those desires with this world, with things that are not infinite. We have an ocean of desires and try to fill it with teaspoons of water and it just seems overwhelming; sometimes discouraging. I confess that many times my horizon is far too low. I feel my longing for experience and I fail to raise my horizon to the only experiential Quencher. There is a purpose behind this never-ceasing wave of technology trying to drown us. It makes us long for more time; for "free" time. How am I going to spend it when I get it. Will the knowledge that life is short lead me to lift my horizon in search of a better way to spend my time? Will I use this precious time to join the work Christ, the Sovereign behind this situation, or will I continue to look at my surroundings and wish I had more time to cram it all in?