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MentalGator
Mentalacrobatics'aggregator
About The layout
Two column layout (can be reduced to one, could be thought of as three if you count the vertical toolbox on the right) that provides simple presentation with extensive customization; not just for the developer, but for the user. The toolbox showcases the power of stylesheet switching. Users can pick their own color, font type, font size, and even dictate what style of layout they view your web page in. Navigation is kept brief and easily accessible at the top of the page, allowing for a wider area in the content region. A min/max width allows you to control your layout, but remain flexible for low resolution users.
Aggregated Blogs
Where does this show up?
Provocative Church (100 unread)
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The Top 10 Most Read Books in the World
Posted: May 6, 2012, 4:11 am
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Use the Wrong People
Posted: May 2, 2012, 8:52 pm
In Jesus’ simple command to ‘make disciples,’ he has invited every one of his followers to share the life of Christ with others in a sacrificial, intentional, global effort to multiply the gospel of Christ through others. He never intended to limit this invitation to the most effective communicators, the most brilliant organizers, or the most talented leaders and artists — all the allegedly right people that you and I are prone to exalt in the church. Instead, the Spirit of God has empowered every follower of Christ to accomplish the purpose of God for the glory of God in the world. This includes the so-called wrong people: those who are least effective, least brilliant, or least talented in the church.
Building the right church, then, is dependent on using all the wrong people.
— David Platt -Radical Together
(ht: Of First Importance)
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The Cure for Cold Religion
Posted: May 1, 2012, 2:47 am
The reason our affections are so chilled and cold in religion—is that we do not warm them with thoughts of God. Hold a magnifying glass to the sun, and the glass burns that which is near to it. So when our thoughts are lifted up to Christ, the Sun of righteousness, our affections are set on fire. No sooner had the spouse been thinking upon her Savior’s beauty—but she fell into love-sickness. (Song of Sol. 5:8).
O saints, do but let your thoughts dwell upon the love of Christ, who passed by angels and thought of you; who was wounded that, out of his wounds, the balm of Gilead might come to heal you; who leaped into the sea of his Father’s wrath, to save you from drowning in the lake of fire! Think of this unparalleled love, which sets the angels wondering—and see if it will not affect your hearts and cause tears to flow forth!
— Thomas Watson (The Great Gain of Godliness), p. 87
(ht: Ordinary Pastor)
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Horror Movie on Pornography
Posted: April 24, 2012, 3:52 am
The story is about a husband and father and his battle with pornography. Actual home movies and interviews tell the story of the terror the family faces when a box of pornography is opened and something is unleashed.
This movie is intended to have the look and feel of the Paranormal Activity movies that have been so popular, all the while trying to get across the message on the danger of pornography.
Harmless will be out in limited theaters this fall and be available on DVD next year.
(ht: OneNewsNow)
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Truth in Advertising?
Posted: April 23, 2012, 4:21 am
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Chuck Colson Remembered
Posted: April 23, 2012, 5:59 pm
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To Be Completely Known and Completely Loved
Posted: April 22, 2012, 4:58 am
Nobody who knows you completely can love you completely. There are people who think you’re great because they don’t really know you. There is nobody on the face of the earth who could know you to the bottom and love you to the skies. But we want that.When someone likes you but doesn’t know you, it’s not that satisfying. And when someone knows you and doesn’t like you, that certainly isn’t satisfying. What we want is to be utterly known and utterly loved.
And on that day, at the coming of the Lord, we’ll finally get what we’ve longed for – from Jesus and one another. We’ll be utterly known and utterly loved. Yes, the future is a world of love, the kind of love you want, a personal love.
- Tim Keller
(ht: Keller Quotes)
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Why The Missional Church Is Not Enough
Posted: April 19, 2012, 5:42 pm
The missional church in the United States is not missional enough. The local focus of mission is shortsighted. If we only make disciples who make disciples in our cities, thousands of unengaged, un-discipled peoples of the earth will not hear the gospel. To be sure, many ethnic groups are migrating to cities, which brings some of the nations right into the neighborhood. However, there remain many ethnic groups that do not migrate to Western cities. Western churches must send missionaries, not only across the street, but also across the world.
(read the whole post HERE from Jonathan Dodson)
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Becoming A Source of New Life
Posted: April 18, 2012, 4:07 am
Just read this quote from one of my favorite authors, Fr. Henri Nouwen:
“Good Shepherds are willing to lay down their lives for their sheep (see John 10:11). As spiritual leaders walking in the footsteps of Jesus, we are called to lay down our lives for our people. This laying down might in special circumstances mean dying for others. But it means first of all making our own lives – our sorrows and joys, our despair and hope, our loneliness and experience of intimacy – available to others as sources of new life. One of the greatest gifts we can give others is ourselves. We offer consolation and comfort, especially in moments of crisis, when we say: “Do not be afraid, I know what you are living and I am living it with you. You are not alone.” Thus we become Christ-like shepherds.” - Henri Nouwen
If you are a spiritual leader going through personal pain, tragedy or crisis, my prayer is that God will redeem that pain and allow it to be used as a source of "new life" for those whom God has entrusted to you to as their shepherd.
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God is Love
Posted: April 16, 2012, 10:17 pm
The Bible is the record of a relationship between God and man. It explains how God loves what he has made and wants us to enjoy the fruits of his creative acts in fellowship with him. But it also tells us how some of the highest creatures rebelled against him and rejected his love, and that the leader of that rebellion seduced the human race into following him. Out of this tragedy has come the message that God has not abandoned us but instead has revealed an even deeper love by sending his only Son to live our life, to die in our place, and to rise from the dead so that we might dwell with him in eternity.
— Gerald Bray, God is Love (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2012), 11
(ht: First Importance)
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The Gospel Story Line
Posted: April 16, 2012, 2:26 pm
Out of the cross comes the resurrection. Out of weakness comes real strength. Out of repentance and admitting you are weak comes real power. Out of giving away and serving others comes real strength. Out of generosity and giving your money away comes real wealth. That’s the gospel story line.
- Tim Keller
(ht: Keller Quotes)
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Radical Christianity IS Normal
Posted: April 15, 2012, 4:44 am
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More Wicked But More Loved
Posted: April 14, 2012, 11:38 pm
The gospel of justifying faith means that while Christians are, in themselves still sinful and sinning, yet in Christ, in God’s sight, they are accepted and righteous. So we can say that we are more wicked than we ever dared believe, but more loved and accepted in Christ than we ever dared hope – at the very same time. This creates a radical new dynamic for personal growth. It means that the more you see your own flaws and sins, the more precious, electrifying, and amazing God’s grace appears to you. But on the other hand, the more aware you are of God’s grace and acceptance in Christ, the more able you are to drop your denials and self-defenses and admit the true dimensions and character of your sin.
This also creates a radical new dynamic for discipline and obedience. First, the knowledge of our acceptance in Christ makes it easier to admit we are flawed because we know we won’t be cast off if we confess the true depths of our sinfulness. Second, it makes the law of God a thing of beauty instead of a burden. We can use it to delight and imitate the one who has saved us rather than to get his attention or procure his favor. We now run the race ‘for the joy that is set before us’ rather than ‘for the fear that comes behind us.’
- Tim Keller
(ht: Keller Quotes)
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We Are Blind To Our Blindness
Posted: April 14, 2012, 5:35 pm
Here is a great quote from Paul Tripp:Sin is deceptive. Who does it deceive first? I have no difficulty recognizing the sin of the people around me, but I can be quite unprepared when others point out my sin. Sin deceives ten out of ten people reading this column. Spiritual blindness is not like physical blindness. When you are physically blind, you know you are blind, so you compensate for this significant physical deficit. But spiritually blind people are not only blind, they are also blind to their own blindness. They think they see well. So the spiritually blind person walks around with the delusion that no one has a more accurate view of himself than he does.
You will never outgrow your need for the ministry of the body of Christ. The important question is, "Who helps you to see what you will not see if left on your own?"
Read the rest.
(ht: Vitamin Z)
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Hipster Essentials
Posted: April 9, 2012, 4:55 pm
The Ultimate Poster of all things hipster by Viet Huynh. Own it (sorry no Brooklynite discount).
(ht: brand of flakes)
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The Easter Story
Posted: April 7, 2012, 4:23 am
Paiye of the Moi tribe tells the Easter story in his own words.
This is beautiful to watch.
(ht: New Tribes Mission)
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My Medical Mission To Honduras
Posted: April 2, 2012, 5:24 pm
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Generation Ex
Posted: April 2, 2012, 1:58 pm
The generation that once embraced the smiley face and peace symbol as cultural logos is now divorcing in historic fashion.
Divorce rates are higher for baby boomers than for any previous generation, while rates are declining, slightly, for society as a whole.
New research and census data reveal an unprecedented trend of Americans splitting apart as they turn grayer: In 2009, people ages 50 and older were twice as likely to divorce as their counterparts in 1990.
(Read rest of story HERE)
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Palm Sunday and Jesus' Real Hour of Glory
Posted: April 1, 2012, 12:05 am
Reflecting on Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, John realized that many of those who cried “Hosanna!” were also in the crowd that shouted “Crucify him!” They went out to greet Jesus, not because they understood him to be the Son of God, but because they heard he was a miracle-worker. Crowds often follow a good show. The Pharisees despaired, however, when they saw the crowds. “Look,” they said, “the whole world has gone after him” (v. 19). John saw the irony of this. Jesus’ real hour of glory would be when he was lifted high up on a cross and the crowds had fallen away — not now, when they were running to greet him.
- John Killinger in Day by Day with Jesus
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The History of April Fools Day
Posted: April 1, 2012, 10:52 pm
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The Central Lie of Pornography
Posted: March 28, 2012, 9:23 pm
Porn is a sex ed curriculum put together by liars and incompetents. The central wrong lesson (one easily believed by guys, because it flatters them) is that women have men’s brains encased in women’s bodies. Everybody in the whole world is hot to go. Then, when he gets married to a normal woman, and discovers that all the free sex he thought was going to be on tap . . . isn’t on tap, at least not like what he expected, and he thinks he got a dud, or a frigid one, or something. But no, he got a woman instead of the lie he was used to.
-Doug Wilson
(ht: Denny)
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Minimizing Comforts for Maximizing Joy
Posted: March 28, 2012, 5:43 pm
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The Power of Community
Posted: March 14, 2012, 5:42 pm
Basically, the witness of community is more powerful than an individual witness. Loving your neighbors is much easier if you never have to deal with them. Living in light of the gospel is much harder in community where people sin against you. Your neighbors know this and that is why talk is cheap. Experiencing a people who confess their sins against one another, repent, and forgive is foreign to the world. Communities that live in this way, transformed by the gospel, will not only have a good reputation among their neighbors, but also they will point them to hope in Jesus. This is a community that has joined the mission of God.
- Brad House, Community: Taking Your Small Group Off Life Support, p. 41
(ht: TakeVitaminZ)
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What is Forgiveness?
Posted: March 12, 2012, 2:43 am
"Forgiveness is a promise not to 1) bring the matter up to the other person, 2) bring the matter up to others, or 3) continually bring the matter up to yourself."
- Tim Keller
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Raquel Welch Says Pornography “Annihilates” Men
Posted: March 12, 2012, 2:35 am
Raquel Welch recently sat for an interview with Men’s Health in which she commented that pornography is destroying men. I do not recommend the entire article, but I thought it remarkable and insightful that a secular former sex-symbol recognizes the dehumanizing effects of pornography:
I think we’ve gotten to the point in our culture where we’re all sex addicts, literally. We have equated happiness in life with as many orgasms as you can possibly pack in, regardless of where it is that you deposit your love interest…
It’s just dehumanizing. And I have to honestly say, I think this era of porn is at least partially responsible for it. Where is the anticipation and the personalization? It’s all pre-fab now. You have these images coming at you unannounced and unsolicited. It just gets to be so plastic and phony to me. Maybe men respond to that. But is it really better than an experience with a real life girl that he cares about? It’s an exploitation of the poor male’s libidos. Poor babies, they can’t control themselves…
I just imagine them sitting in front of their computers, completely annihilated. They haven’t done anything, they don’t have a job, they barely have ambition anymore. And it makes for laziness and a not very good sex partner. Do they know how to negotiate something that isn’t pre-fab and injected directly into their brain?
Pornography hollows out the soul and leaves Gollum in the place of the man. But the “annihilation” that a man risks is worse than the one Welch refers to. Jesus said it this way:
Matthew 5:28-30 “Everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.”
For some practical advice on winning the battle against pornography, I recommend the following resources:
Brian Croft, Help! He’s Struggling with Pornography (booklet). CovenantEyes free e-books
John Piper, “A.N.T.H.E.M: Strategies for Fighting Sexual Lust” (article)
John Piper, “Battling the Unbelief of Lust” (sermon in manuscript, audio)
David Powlison, “Breaking Pornography Addiction” (article: part 1, part 2)
David Powlison, “Making All Things New: Restoring Pure Joy to the Sexually Broken” (conference talk: audio, video, and chapter)
Tim Challies, Sexual Detox: A Guide for the Single Guy (free eBook)
Tim Challies, Sexual Detox: A Guide for the Married Guy (free eBook)
(ht: Denny Burk, Hunter Baker, Justin Taylor)
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Sins of the Flesh
Posted: March 12, 2012, 5:16 pm
“The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins. All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual: the pleasure of putting other people in the wrong… the pleasures of power, of hatred. For there are two things inside me, competing with the human self which I must try to become. They are the Animal Self and the Diabolical Self. The Diabolical Self is the worse of the two. That is why a cold, self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute.”
-C.S. Lewis
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It's All About Jesus
Posted: March 11, 2012, 6:04 pm
Traditionally, the Old Testament is considered to have three parts — the Law (the five books of Moses), the Prophets, and the Wisdom Literature (here referred to by its chief book, the Psalms). Thus Jesus sees himself as the fulfillment of it all. Literally everything in the Bible is about him.
The Bible can only be understood if it is seen to be about him. So, Jesus fulfills the Prophets, who said the Messiah will be God (Isaiah 9), and will suffer and be killed (Isaiah 53). He fulfills all the ceremonial law since he is the sacrifice, the priest, and the temple to which all the ritual pointed. He fulfills the moral law for he alone lived it personally, exemplifying righteousness, and doing it all as our substitute, satisfying it for us. He even fulfills all the history of the Bible: he is the true prophet, the true priest, the true king to which all prophets, priests, and kings point. He is the seed of Abraham, David’s greater son, the true Jonah greater than Jonah, the true Solomon greater than Solomon.
In John 5 when Jesus is speaking to the Jewish leaders he tells them in verse 39: “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me.” In other words, the Bible in its entirety is all about Jesus, and the basic message of the Bible is that the Messiah has to suffer in order to redeem everything.
So, the Bible is not primarily a set of rules or a philosophy of life. Rather, Jesus is telling us in Luke 24 and John 5 that the Bible is primarily an account of what’s wrong with us, of what God planned to do about it, and about what he has done about it in history through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
-Tim Keller
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Our Faith - Tested By Fire - For A Purpose
Posted: March 11, 2012, 4:57 pm
Our faith is tested by the fire for a purpose—that it may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory (1 Pet. 1: 8). Faith is refined so that at the last day, at the final consummation of the kingdom of Christ, it will be the occasion for praise, honor, and glory. God values your faith more than He values your gold or your present comfort. Peter is moved by the fact that the readers of his epistle love Christ, despite never having seen Him. Our Lord Himself said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” ( John 20:29). After the resurrection when Jesus appeared to the eleven in the upper room, He rebuked them for their unbelief, for their hardheartedness. They had not believed the testimony of the angel and the women who were at the tomb. God places a premium on faith that is the substance of things not seen, as the author of Hebrews indicates (Heb. 11:1).
Inexpressible joy is a reality that human words can never adequately describe. That joy, which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, is ineffable. It defies description. One commentator on this text likened it to the glory of the Son. He said, “A blind man who has been blind from birth cannot understand the noonday sun. No matter how many times you try to explain it to him, he has no reference point by which to understand its magnitude.” The author went on to say that someone who can see may not be able to express adequately the reality of the brightness of the sun to someone who is blind, but the person who can see knows the sun the moment it shines upon him. We perceive the light. We do not have to reason about it; we see it for what it is. So it is with the Word of God. Many people are blind to the truth of God, but when the scales fall from their eyes and the Spirit of God opens their eyes to His Word, they see the truth of it immediately. We certainly have sound, objective reasons to believe the Word of God, but those reasons are about as necessary as arguments for light to people who can see the sun. Our joy is inexpressible. It is a glorious joy, a weighty joy, not a superficial joy.
R.C. Sproul, 1 & 2 Peter: St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary, p. 38 (Kindle Edition)
(ht: BloggingTheologically)
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I'm Going To Kill You!
Posted: March 10, 2012, 12:26 am
Angrily the man approached with a two-foot machete in his hand screaming, “Why did you bring Jesus to this place? I keep hearing Jesus in my ears—I am going to kill you!”
Me and Pastor Tesfi in Ethiopia
Gopeeleo, the local witch doctor, was the one screaming and the object of his wrath was Pastor Tesfi, a pastor of one of the local churches in Soddo, Ethiopia, as well as one of the chaplains serving at Soddo Christian Hospital. I had the privilege of working with Tesfi in the hospital during my latest CMDA medical mission trip to Ethiopia. Also with me in Ethiopia were a team of 8, which included 5 surgeons from the Atlanta area.
It was during my time in Ethiopia that Tesfi ran into the hospital early one morning, proclaiming that Gopeeleo, that same angry man that had threatened to kill him, was now a believer, and now he’s laid his machete down.
Through multiple conversations that Tesfi had with Gopeeleo over the past several years and then culminating with a showing of the Jesus film, Gopeeleo could resist no longer and finally surrendered his life to Jesus.
Tesfi recounted to me how Gopeeleo was so anxious to tell him how different he now felt—evidenced by his sparkling eyes and his countenance of peace. As soon as Tesfi heard his testimony, Tesfi prayed over him as Gopeeleo stretched out his hands, sang songs to God and proclaimed his love for Jesus.
Immediately Gopeeleo started going to church and repudiated his old ways as a witch doctor. He wanted to be clean physically as well as spiritually, so he cut off his long grey dreadlocks (symbolic of his old craft), asked for a razor to shave off his beard and removed his purple turban (symbolic witchdoctor hat).
These gestures were all physical aspects of repentance for him. He no longer wanted to be known by his old clothes or appearance. So Tesfi went to the open air market and bought him two pairs of pants, two shirts, a coat, some socks and shoes. His face lit up when he tried on his new clothes! He said “I feel like I have had a new birth…much better than the first one! Bravo! Bravo!”
This is a new beginning for him in every way. As of today, he is done with selling tobacco, alcohol and “traditional medicine” (witchcraft) as well. He told us he does not want to make God angry, because God might pick him up and throw him across a field—a still old mindset referring to what had happened before when he was serving demonic spirits. It will take time for Gopeeleo to learn the love and gentleness of the one true God. This of course will all be a process.
This story of Gopeeleo and the ministry of Tesfi is a beautiful example of the extension and impact of Soddo Christian Hospital. The hospital is not only having an impact by treating patients, but it is also building Christ’s church by proclaiming the gospel. Churches planted and the growth and spread of the gospel in Soddo are directly related to the gospel ministry of Soddo Christian Hospital. For me and the CMDA Atlanta team that went, it was an incredible privilege to be a part of that life impacting ministry—as well as serving with incredible men of God like Tesfi.
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Arousing Ourselves To Death
Posted: March 10, 2012, 4:48 pm
The couple will typically tell me first about how stressful their lives are. Maybe he’s lost his job. Perhaps she’s working two. Maybe their children are rowdy or the house is chaotic. But usually, if we talk long enough about their fracturing marriage, there is a sense that something else is afoot.
The couple will tell me about how their sex life is near extinction. The man, she’ll tell me, is an emotional wraith, dead to intimacy with his wife. The woman will be frustrated, with what seems to him to be a wild mixture of rage and humiliation. They just don’t know what’s wrong, but they know a Christian marriage isn’t supposed to feel like this.
From Russell Moore’s profound article on destructive power of pornography in our culture and our churches. (ht: Steve)
It’s at this point that I interrupt the discussion, look at the man, and ask, “So how long has the porn been going on?”
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The Responsibility of the Church
Posted: March 8, 2012, 3:44 pm
The responsibility of the church in the new age is the same as its responsibility in every age. It is to testify that this world is lost in sin; that the span of human life—no, all the length of human history—is an infinitesimal island in the awful depths of eternity; that there is a mysterious, holy, living God, Creator of all, Upholder of all, infinitely beyond all; that he has revealed himself to us in his Word and offered us communion with himself through Jesus Christ the Lord; that there is no other salvation for individuals or for nations, save this, but that this salvation is full and free, and that whoever possesses it has for himself and for all others to whom he may be the instrument of bringing it a treasure compared with which all the kindgoms of the earth—no, all the wonders of the starry heavens—are as the dust of the street.
An unpopular message it is—an impractical message, we are told. But it is the message of the Christian church. Neglect it, and you will have destruction; heed it, and you will have life.
J. Gresham Machen, “The Responsibility of the Church in the New Age,” from J. Gresham Machen: Selected Shorter Writings, p. 376 (as quoted in What Is the Mission of the Church, pp. 248-249)
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How To Listen When Your Pastor Preaches
Posted: March 3, 2012, 4:35 pm
How should you listen to a sermon?
from Phil Ryken:So what is the right way to listen to a sermon? With a soul that is prepared, a mind that is alert, a Bible that is open, a heart that is receptive, and a life that is ready to spring into action.
Read the rest for an explanation of each point.
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When Do Good Desires Become Idolatry
Posted: March 1, 2012, 2:49 pm
[Many] desires are normal and natural and become sinful only by abuse. Good and lawful desires become corrupted when they are desired inordinately. When you want something good (such as desiring your spouse to love you, or your children to honor you, or your boss to treat you with respect) so much that you are willing to sin in order to fulfill your desire (or to sin as a result of your desire not being fulfilled), your desire becomes idolatrous. Such desires are sinful not because some new verse suddenly appeared in your Bible that says, ‘You shall not want your spouse to love you,’ or ‘You shall not desire your children to honor you,’ or ‘You shall not try to please your boss.’ They are wrong because you have longed for them too intently. What may have begun as a legitimate God-given desire has now metastasized and mutated into an inordinate one.
- Lou Priolo, Pleasing People, p. 37
(hT: Joe Crispin)
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What is Leap Year?
Posted: February 29, 2012, 3:20 pm
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Do You Have Nomophobia?
Posted: February 28, 2012, 9:31 pm
Depending on your answers to the following questions, you may have Nomophobia.
From the Los Angeles Times:
Do you feel anxious if your cellphone isn’t nearby?
Does just the thought of losing your phone make your heart pound?
Do you keep an extra phone on hand, just in case your primary phone breaks?
Do you sometimes take it to bed with you?
If you answered, ‘yes,’ you have nomophobia, but you’re not alone!
According to a United Kingdom poll, 66% of 1,000 people surveyed say they fear losing or being without their phone. Four years ago, a similar survey reviled 53% suffered from nomophobia, so the phobia is undoubtably on the rise.
SecurEnvoy’s study found that 70% of female respondents fear losing their phones, compared with 61% of male respondents.
The survey also showed a division among age segments, which is not surprising, considering those 18-24 have literally grown up with them.
People 18-24 tend to be the most nomophobic (77%), followed by people aged 25-34 (68%). The third most nomophobic group is 55 and older.
For those interested in being cured, you can undergo exposure therapy or even consider medication.
(ht: ChurchCrunch)
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27 Million
Posted: February 28, 2012, 3:43 pm
27 Million – that’s the number of slaves in the world today – more than any other time in human history.
Here are some of the facts about modern day slavery:
- Human trafficking is an organised criminal activity that affects every nation.
- There are an estimated 27 million people on the earth today trapped in some form of modern day slavery.
- There are an estimated 1.39 million victims of commercial sexual servitude worldwide.
- Tragically, only 1-2% of victims are rescued.
- Remember every number is not just a statistic it represents the life of a victim.
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Blue Like Jazz - The Movie
Posted: February 27, 2012, 12:51 am
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Don't Get Distracted
Posted: February 27, 2012, 11:51 pm
There was something fundamentally anomalous about their gazing up into the sky when they had been commissioned to go to the ends of the earth. It was the earth not the sky which was to be their preoccupation. Their calling was to be witnesses not stargazers. The vision they were to cultivate was not upwards in nostalgia to the heaven which had received Jesus, but outwards in compassion to the lost world which needed him. It is the same for us. Curiosity about heaven and its occupants, speculation about prophecy and its fulfillment, and obsession with ‘time and seasons’ – these are aberrations which distract us from our God-given mission. Christ will come personally, visibly, and gloriously. Of that we have been assured. Other details can wait. Meanwhile, we have work to do in the power of the Spirit.
- John Stott, The Message of Acts, 51.
(ht: Timmy Brister)
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Fear is the Garden Where Idols Grow
Posted: February 27, 2012, 4:49 pm
"Fear is the weed-infested garden in which all kinds of idols are planted, watered and harvested, but only to yield a bouquet of destruction." - Scotty Smith
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The Universal Temptation
Posted: February 27, 2012, 2:18 pm
Russell Moore:Pornography is a universal temptation precisely because it does exactly what the satanic powers wish to do. It lashes out at the Trinitarian nature of reality, a loving communion of persons, replacing it with a masturbatory Unitarianism.
And pornography strikes out against the picture of Christ and his church by disrupting the one-flesh union, leaving couples like our prehistoric ancestors, hiding from one another and from God in the darkness of shame.
(ht: Justin)And pornography rages, as Satan always does, against Incarnation (1 Jn. 4:2-3), replacing flesh-to-flesh intimacy with the illusion of fleshless intimacy.
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Overcoming Spiritual Lethargy
Posted: February 26, 2012, 2:40 am
Feeling spiritually lethargic? Desiring personal revival?
The Puritan theologian John Owen, in his Meditations and Discourses on the Glory of Christ, discusses the central way to overcome this and to experience revival:The only way of receiving supplies of spiritual strength and grace from Jesus Christ, on our part, is by faith. Hereby we come unto him, are implanted in him, abide with him, so as to bring forth fruit. He dwells in our hearts by faith, and he acts in us by faith, and we live by faith in or on the Son of God. This, I suppose, will be granted, that if we receive any thing from Christ, it must be by faith, it must be in the exercise of it, or in a way of believing; nor is there any one word in the Scripture that gives the least encouragement to expect either grace or mercy from him in any other way, or by any other means…
This, therefore, is the issue of the whole:— a steady view of the glory of Christ, in his person, grace, and office, through faith, — or a constant, lively exercise of faith on him, according as he is revealed unto us in the Scripture, — is the only effectual way to obtain a revival from under our spiritual decays, and such supplies of grace as shall make us flourishing and fruitful even in old age. He that thus lives by faith in him shall, by his spiritual thriving and growth, “show that the Lord is upright, that he is our rock, and that there is no unrighteousness in him.”
(Source: [www.ccel.org] )
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The Most Honest Marriage Proposal Ever!
Posted: February 25, 2012, 1:48 am
In 1936, after his first wife had left him, Evelyn Waugh sent a letter to her cousin Laura Herbert, asking whether “you could bear the idea of marrying me.”
“I can’t advise you in my favour because I think it would be beastly for you,” he wrote, “but think how nice it would be for me. I am restless & moody and misanthropic & lazy & have no money except what I earn and if I got ill you would starve. In fact it’s a lousy proposition. On the other hand I think I could do a Grant and reform & become quite strict about not getting drunk and I am pretty sure I should be faithful. Also there is always a fair chance that there will be another bigger economic crash in which case if you had married a nobleman with a great house you might find yourself starving, while I am very clever and could probably earn a living of some sort somewhere.”
He added, “All these are very small advantages compared with the awfulness of my character. I have always tried to be nice to you and you may have got it into your head that I am nice really, but that is all rot. It is only to you & for you. I am jealous & impatient — but there is no point in going into a whole list of my vices. You are a critical girl and I’ve no doubt that you know them all and a great many I don’t know myself.”
They were wed the following spring.
(ht: Futility Closet)
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How Porn is Stunting Our Young Men
Posted: February 24, 2012, 7:47 pm
The following is a portion of a TED talk from well-noted psychologist Philip Zimbardo. In this short clip he unpacks some of the reasons why many men today fear intimacy with women, and why we are becoming more and more socially awkward. He also discusses the role pornography plays in this cultural problem. And check out this incredible resource that will provide accountability and protect your family.
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The Habits of Hope, Faith and Love
Posted: February 24, 2012, 3:52 pm
Faith Habits focus on Embracing the Cross!
Love Habits focus on Experiencing Community!
Hope Habits focus on Engaging the Culture!
Cross + Community (- Culture) = Missionless Church
Community + Culture (- Cross) = Hopeless Mission
Culture + Cross (- Community) = Churchless Mission
(ht: Missional Challenge: Missional Practices: Habits of Faith, Hope and Love - by Dr. Dave DeVries)
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Ash Wednesday and Lent in 2 minutes
Posted: February 23, 2012, 4:09 pm
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Survey: Unchurched Do Not Ponder Life's Purpose
Posted: February 17, 2012, 12:43 am
"Half of the Americans who do not attend church also do not wonder if there is an ultimate purpose for their lives or the possibility that God has a plan for them, according to a recent survey.
The study by LifeWay Research, which surveyed 2,000 U.S. adults, also found that people with even a slight curiosity about a higher purpose to life are more likely to participate in worship services.
About 75 percent of the adults surveyed indicated that they either agree or strongly agree with the statement, “There is an ultimate purpose and plan for every person’s life.”"
(ht: Survey: Unchurched Do Not Ponder Life's Purpose, Afterlife, Christian News)
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Six Purposes of Prayer
Posted: February 13, 2012, 3:42 am
Joel Beeke & Brian Najapfour in Taking Hold of God: Reformed & Puritan Perspectives on Prayer list what John Calvin (Institutes: book 3, chapter 20) sees as the six (at least) purposes of prayer.- To fly to God with every need and gain from Him what is lacking in ourselves to live the Christian life
- To learn to desire wholeheartedly only what is right as we place all our petitions before God
- To prepare us to receive God's benefits and responses to to our petitions with humble gratitude
- To meditate on God's kindness to us as we receive what we have asked for
- To instill the proper spirit of delight for God's answers in prayer
- To confirm God's faithful providence so that we may glorify Him and trust in His present help more readily as we witness His regularly answering our prayers
From Taking Hold of God, pg 31-32.
(ht: Reformissionary)
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Life is Precious
Posted: February 9, 2012, 3:55 pm
“Life is precious. Not because it is unchangeable, like a diamond, but because it is vulnerable, like a little bird. To love life means to love its vulnerability, asking for care, attention, guidance, and support. Life and death are connected by vulnerability. The newborn child and the dying elder both remind us of the preciousness of our lives. Let’s not forget the preciousness and vulnerability of life during the times we are powerful, successful, and popular.”
- Henri Nouwen
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God is a Missionary God
Posted: February 7, 2012, 7:37 am
God is a missionary God and He has sent the Church to participate in His mission of reconciling the world to Himself. That mission is the purpose of the Church on this earth, and the message is the good news of the kingdom. Missional activity encompasses the redemptive mission of Jesus. Just as Jesus was sent to seek and to save what was lost, the Church is sent to seek and to save what was lost.
-- Dr. David DeVries
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Justin Bieber on Church Attendance
Posted: February 5, 2012, 7:33 am
Justin Bieber on Church Attendance:
“A lot of people who are religious, I think they get lost. They go to church just to go to church. I’m not trying to disrespect them . but for me, I focus more on praying and talking to Him. I don’t have to go to church.”
So is it any surprise that those in his generation have trouble seeing the relevancy of going to church.
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The Power of Vulnerability
Posted: February 5, 2012, 7:26 am
Brene Brown studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk at TEDxHouston, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity.
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Free Resources to combat the dangers of the Internet
Posted: January 31, 2012, 3:51 pm
The Internet has introduced unprecedented challenges, and the potential threats can change daily. Being in ministry, I see all the time, the challenges to Christians and their families. As a reader of ProvocativeChurch, I am committed to helping you be resourced in order to protect yourself and your loved ones online.
To help educate you about these Internet dangers, I am pleased to offer the latest educational resources from Covenant Eyes. All of them are completely FREE. I know you will find these informative guides valuable, and I hope you will share them with your friends and family.
Check them all out HERE!
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The Man With A Golden Voice
Posted: January 14, 2012, 3:41 pm
Here is an update on Ted Williams, 1 year later.
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Jesus > Religion
Posted: January 13, 2012, 4:01 pm
Thoughts?
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Interview with Kent Annan
Posted: January 12, 2012, 3:56 am
As you know I've been to Haiti several times leading medical teams, and our Atlanta chapter has an ongoing partnership in Haiti.
Recently Patheos conducted an interview with Kent Annan who is the author of After Shock (a book about the Haitian earthquake and our faith) and of Following Jesus Through the Eye of the Needle. You can find more about his writing at www.KentAnnan.com, and you can follow him on twitter: @kentannan.
Here is an excerpt of the interview:
1. What is the status of the recovery from the earthquake? Are people still living in the camps?
About half a million people are living in some form of tent camps or temporary structures. So recovery progress is obviously far, far too slow for each of these boys, girls, women, and men. Excruciatingly slow, two years later. At the same time, many have moved out of those temporary shelters. Building is happening. Projects are underway. So absolutely, the progress is unacceptable with so many people having to accept living in circumstances nobody should have to endure. But the recovery isn’t in a vacuum. The circumstances were very hard before the earthquake. I’m asked this all the time but still struggle to answer succinctly: some progress, too much suffering still, much more progress needed. I guess that says it.
2. How is the faith of the Haitian people holding up?
Like with any group or society, there’s not just one monolithic response. On a general level, many people still go to church every Sunday, and there is lots of other continued evidence of how important faith is in so many people’s lives. I can speak a little more about my friends and colleagues, the people I work with regularly. And I see their faith still sustaining them, still central in how they understand life, receive grace and strength. This past September we started a new scholarship program, that we’re calling Micah Scholars. We’re partnering with three Haitian seminaries and providing full scholarships for five students in each, as well as extra support and mentoring. So with this question, my mind goes to these 15 students, who are all in their twenties and early thirties. They’re remarkable young men and women. They’re in circumstances as challenging as almost any in the world. They’re engaged in leadership for their churches and communities. They’re studying hard. They’re excited about the future, without any delusions about the challenges. One more thought, to play off the wording of your question, is that one thing I often find the faith of Haitian people holding up is my own faith.
3. Have American churches basically forgotten about it? Or are they still engaged?
We have great church partners with Haiti Partners — though of course we always want more because there are so many vital needs and opportunities to help. Haiti is an important focus for me, so sure, I wish the American church would be even more involved (well, maybe not always, but as long as they’re involved humbly, thoughtfully, and respectfully). Realistically, though, there are also many needs in American communities, not to mention in places all over the world. My general advice is, it’s good to help out in a crisis, but I think it benefits the people you’re trying to help, as well as your own church, to have a focus that lasts, that doesn’t just jump from place to place, from headline to headline, from trendy cause to trendy cause, every year or two. This lets a relationship develop. It means there can be back and forth. It can break us out of thinking of others as simply victims, and of ourselves as kind of saviors–and then, with a longer commitment, we start to realize how we’re all in this together. That has implications for their lives and for our own lives. That’s my pitch for staying engaged: you’ll help more, and you’ll be transformed yourself in ways that are challenging and transforming.
4. What can we do now to help?
Read the whole interview HERE
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Haiti Two Years Later
Posted: January 12, 2012, 4:12 pm
Today marks the second anniversary of the devastating earthquake that killed about 300,000 people. President Michel Martelly in a report from earlier this week said that 800,000 Haitians are living without electricity, 500,000 can’t read or write, and 8 out 10 live on less than $2 a day. Though half of the rubble has been cleared and reconstruction has begun, Haiti has a long way to go in its recovery effort. Please don't forget Haiti - your prayers and support.
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Faith Is Not Merely A Feeling
Posted: January 5, 2012, 9:22 pm
Faith is not an instinct. It certainly is not a feeling - feelings don't help much when you're in the lions' den or hanging on a wooden Cross. Faith is not inferred from the happy way things work. It is an act of will, a choice, based on the unbreakable Word of a God who cannot lie, and who showed us what love and obedience and sacrifice mean, in the person of Jesus Christ.
- Elisabeth Elliot
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Brenna's New Haircut and Style
Posted: January 4, 2012, 2:45 am
Just wanted to showcase my beautiful daughter and her style. She is certainly growing up - dad is having a hard time to adjust.
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The Next Billy Graham May Be Drunk Right Now
Posted: January 4, 2012, 8:50 pm
From Russell Moore:
We asked Dr. Henry if he saw any hope in the coming generation of evangelicals. And I will never forget his reply.
“Why, you speak as though Christianity were genetic,” he said. “Of course, there is hope for the next generation of evangelicals. But the leaders of the next generation might not be coming from the current evangelical establishment. They are probably still pagans.” “Who knew that Saul of Tarsus was to be the great apostle to the Gentiles?” he asked us. “Who knew that God would raise up a C.S. Lewis, a Charles Colson? They were unbelievers who, once saved by the grace of God, were mighty warriors for the faith.”
The next Jonathan Edwards might be the man driving in front of you with the Darwin Fish bumper decal. The next Charles Wesley might be a misogynist, profanity-spewing hip-hop artist right now. The next Billy Graham might be passed out drunk in a fraternity house right now. The next Charles Spurgeon might be making posters for a Gay Pride March right now. The next Mother Teresa might be managing an abortion clinic right now. But the Spirit of God can turn all that around
Who knows what wild and obnoxious kid sitting in your youth group today will be in 20 years by the grace of God. We need to persevere and pray trusting God for the next generation.
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99-year-old divorces wife after he discovered 1940s affair
Posted: January 3, 2012, 8:34 pm
The Italian man, identified by lawyers in the case only as Antonio C, was rifling through an old chest of drawers when he made the discovery a few days before Christmas.
Notwithstanding the time that had elapsed since the betrayal, he was so upset that he immediately confronted his wife of 77 years, named as Rosa C, and demanded a divorce. Guilt-stricken, she reportedly confessed everything but was unable to persuade her husband to reconsider his decision. She wrote the letters to her lover during a secret affair in the 1940s, according to court papers released in Rome this week.
The couple are now preparing to split, despite the ties they forged over nearly eight decades – they have five children, a dozen grandchildren and one great-grand child. (full story HERE)
Strange that someone would throw away all those years of marriage on find reconciliation and forgiveness.
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It's Not The Answer
Posted: December 27, 2011, 3:25 am
"I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it's not the answer." -Jim Carrey (Reader's Digest - March 2006)
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The Incarnation
Posted: December 27, 2011, 12:42 am
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Does Grace Produce Disobedience?
Posted: December 18, 2011, 2:54 am
I have heard this question many times, although not so brazen as to ask it so explicitly. Here is Tullian Tchividjian's thoughts on this issue:
There seems to be a fear out there that the preaching of grace produces serial killers. Or, to put it in more theological terms, too much emphasis on the indicatives of the gospel leads to antinomianism (a heretical version of Christianity that believes there is no place for God’s law in the life of a Christian). My problem with this fear is that I’ve never actually met anyone who has been truly gripped by God’s amazing grace in the gospel who then doesn’t care about obeying him. When our hearts are genuinely grasped by God’s unconditional love, the last thing we want to ask is, “What can I get away with?” Those who conclude, “Goody, I can now continue in sin til my heart’s content” prove that they don’t get grace. As I’ve said before: antinomianism happens not when we think too much of grace. Just the opposite, actually.
Antinomianism happens when we think too little of grace. Wondering whether this common fear is valid, my dear friend Elyse Fitzpatrick (in C.S. Lewis fashion) writes an open letter to Mr. Grace-Loving Antinomian-a person she’s heard about for years but never met-asking him to please step forward and identify himself. I posted this a while back but I just read it again myself and want to share it with those who may not have seen it the first time. It’s that good. Enjoy…
Dear Mr. Antinomian,
Forgive me for writing to you in such an open forum but I’ve been trying to meet you for years and we just never seem to connect. While it’s true that I live in a little corner of the States and while it’s true that I am, well, a woman, I did assume that I would meet you at some point in my decades old counseling practice. But alas, neither you nor any of your (must be) thousands of brothers and sisters have ever shown up for my help…So again, please do pardon my writing in such a public manner but, you see, I’ve got a few things to say to you and I think it’s time I got them off my chest.
I wonder if you know how hard you’re making it for those of us who love to brag about the gospel. You say that you love the gospel and grace too, but I wonder how that can be possible since it’s been continuously reported to me that you live like such a slug. I’ve even heard that you are lazy and don’t work at obeying God at all…Rather you sit around munching on cigars and Twinkies, brewing beer and watching porn on your computer. Mr. A, really! Can this be true?
So many of my friends and acquaintances are simply up in arms about the way you act and they tell me it’s because you talk too much about grace. They suggest (and I’m almost tempted to agree) that what you need is more and more rules to live by. In fact, I’m very tempted to tell you that you need to get up off your lazy chair, pour your beer down the drain, turn off your computer and get about the business of the Kingdom.
I admit that I’m absolutely flummoxed, though, which is why I’m writing as I am. You puzzle me. How can you think about all that Christ has done for you, about your Father’s steadfast, immeasurable, extravagantly generous love and still live the way you do? Have you never considered the incarnation, about the Son leaving ineffable light to be consigned first to the darkness of Mary’s womb and then the darkness of this world? Have you never considered how He labored day-after-day in His home, obeying His parents, loving His brothers and sisters so that you could be counted righteous in the sight of His Father? Have you forgotten the bloody disgrace of the cross you deserve? Don’t you know that in the resurrection He demolished sin’s power over you? Aren’t you moved to loving action knowing that He’s now your ascended Lord Who prays for you and daily bears you on His heart? Has your heart of stone never been warmed and transformed by the Spirit? Does this grace really not impel zealous obedience? Hello…Are you there?
Honestly, even though my friends talk about you as though you were just everywhere in every church, always talking about justification but living like the devil, frankly I wonder if you even exist. I suppose you must because everyone is so afraid that talking about grace will produce more of you. So that’s why I’m writing: Will you please come forward? Will you please stand up in front of all of us and tell us that your heart has been captivated so deeply by grace that it makes you want to watch the Playboy channel?
Again, please do forgive me for calling you out like this. I really would like to meet you. I am,
Trusting in Grace Alone,Elyse
by TULLIAN TCHIVIDJIAN and originally posted on the Gospel Coalition Website
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Till Death Do Us Part
Posted: October 19, 2011, 6:31 am
A devoted Iowa couple married for 72 years died holding hands in the hospital last week, exactly one hour apart.
After a car crash it was evident they weren’t going to survive so were were moved to a room together where they could lay next to one another and hold hands, and then . . .
Gordon Yeager died at 3:38 p.m. He was no longer breathing, but the family was surprised by what his monitor showed.
“Someone in there said, ‘Why, then, when we look at the monitor is the heart still beating?’” Sheets recalled. “The nurse said Dad was picking up Mom’s heartbeat through Mom’s hand.”
“And we thought, ‘Oh my gosh, Mom’s heart is beating through him,’” Dennis Yeager said.Norma Yeager died exactly an hour later.
Full Article
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Are You Complaining?
Posted: October 19, 2011, 4:14 pm
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Get Drunk on Grace
Posted: October 18, 2011, 4:13 am
The Reformation was a time when men went blind, staggering drunk because they had discovered, in the dusty basement of late medievalism, a whole cellarful of fifteen-hundred-year-old, two-hundred-proof grace—of bottle after bottle of pure distillate of Scripture, one sip of which would convince anyone that God saves us single-handedly. The word of the gospel—after all those centuries of trying to lift yourself into heaven by worrying about the perfection your bootstraps—suddenly turned out to be a flat announcement that the saved were home before they started…Grace has to be drunk straight: no water, no ice, and certainly no ginger ale; neither goodness, nor badness, nor flowers that bloom in the spring of super spirituality could be allowed to enter into the case.
-Robert Farrar Capon, Between Noon and Three: Romance, Law, and the Outrage of Grace
(ht: Buzzard Blog)
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What Do You Pray For?
Posted: October 18, 2011, 4:04 am
Kirk Docker asks a series of people in the street, from various backgrounds and religions, what they pray for - here is what he got.
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The Scary Side of Halloween
Posted: October 17, 2011, 4:55 am
Halloween is coming up soon, and I found this infographic interesting since it came from a store that makes it's money from selling Halloween costumes and accessories.
[Via: Halloween Express]
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RIP - Steve Jobs
Posted: October 5, 2011, 3:07 am
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Naked Old Guys Raise Money for their Church
Posted: October 4, 2011, 4:36 pm
Not sure which of these issues is the most offensive and disturbing - seeing pictures of naked old dudes, using such pictures in a calendar as a "church" fundraiser or just all of the above? Who on their worst day would have thought that this was a good idea!?
Here is the excerpt from the news article:
Twelve First Parish men, ages 64 to 87, are showcased in individual color photographs to create the “Celebration 2012” wall calendar.
Each month highlights a color photo of one man from First Parish in Framingham engaged in an activity significant to his life, his biographical sketch, and an inspirational quote. The calendar is more than a fund-raiser. It is a monthly celebration of older men and a tribute to life, to work, to play, and to senior men everywhere.
The design, development, and sales and marketing of “Celebration 2012” are the result of dedicated First Parish volunteers who have given their time and expertise to produce this wall calendar for your enjoyment.
uuframingham.org MetroWest Daily News Article
I can't imagine too many churches (and of course calling Unitarian Universalists a church is thoroughly misplaced - but that is another issue) ever considering such an idea. Yet I believe that similar nonsense happens in other ways and in other forms as the American church seems fixated in constantly chasing after being "hip", "relevant" or "cool".
- Believing that your church is cool and hip because your pastor is doing an edgy sermon series on SEX
- Feeling the need to to have over the top giveaways, door prizes and marketing gimmicks to get people to come to your church on Easter morning.
- Combining the celebration of the Lord's Supper with Flash Mobs!? (these are true examples)
- And the list could go on and on.......
(ht: Bag of Nothing)
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We Are the Pharisees of the New Millennium
Posted: September 29, 2011, 10:22 pm
"The spirituality of America is Christian in name only. We desire experience more than knowledge. We prefer choices to absolutes. We embrace preferences rather than growth, faith must come on our terms or we reject it. We have enthroned ourselves as the final arbiters of righteousness, the ultimate rulers of our own experience and destiny. We are the Pharisees of the new millennium."
~ George Barna
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How We See Each Other
Posted: September 27, 2011, 2:13 am
(click on the image to enlarge)
I particularly find it funny how the Evangelicals see those who are Reformed (Calvinists)
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The Good Samaritan
Posted: September 25, 2011, 3:00 pm
Vincent van Gogh - The Good Samaritan (after Delacroix)
The Parable of the Good Samaritan - Luke 10:25-37
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”
In reply Jesus said:“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
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Crazy Hotel Suite
Posted: September 24, 2011, 12:30 pm
Is this what they mean when they say that "You'll be sleeping with the fishes!"?
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An Oldie But Goodie
Posted: September 24, 2011, 9:00 am
This is an old joke, but it always makes me laugh!
A guy dies and goes to the gates of heaven where he meets God. God says to him, "I have looked at your book of life and you are welcome in heaven under one condition."
The man said, "Yes, God. And what is that condition?"
God says, "You must spell the word: love."
The man spells the word and God lets him into heaven.
As the man walks in, God tells the man to watch the gate until he returns, and reminds him that he must ask whoever comes to spell the word. After a short period of time, the man's wife shows up at the gate.
"What are you doing here?" he asks her.
"Well," she snorts, "on the way home from the funeral, there was an accident and I died."
"Alright, but before you enter heaven you have to spell one word," he told her.
"What word is that?" she asks.
"Czechoslovakia," he says.
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Following Jesus Is Not Easy
Posted: September 24, 2011, 8:00 am
G.K. Chesterton wrote this very insightful thought:
“Christianity has not so much been tried and found wanting, as it has been found difficult and left untried.”
Following Jesus though isn't about trying harder or striving, rather it is resting in Him, with complete surrender and trust. This is why I appreciate Jesus' invitation in Matthew 11:28-30:“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
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That's My King!
Posted: September 23, 2011, 10:30 pm
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Our unique and central calling
Posted: September 23, 2011, 7:24 am
“The church is sent into the world to witness to Jesus by proclaiming the gospel and making disciples of all nations. This is our task. This is our unique and central calling.”
— Kevin Deyoung and Greg Gilbert from What is the Mission of the Church?
(ht: First Importance)
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Truly You and I Are Blessed
Posted: September 22, 2011, 6:00 pm
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Martin Luther and Prayer
Posted: September 22, 2011, 10:00 am
David Powlison explains how Martin Luther used the Bible in prayer as a textbook, a hymn book, a book of confession, and as a prayer book. (See also R. C. Sproul’s forthcoming delightfully illustrated retelling of the true story of Luther and The Barber Who Wanted to Pray.)
(ht: Justin)
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Francis Chan - Jesus More Than a Savior
Posted: September 22, 2011, 7:18 am
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Clever Anagrams
Posted: September 21, 2011, 12:00 am
And now for something completely different - let's have fun with anagrams!
An anagram, as you all know, is a word of phrase made by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase. The following are exceptionally clever (although I have no comment on the Mother-in-Law one).
Dormitory = Dirty Room
The Morse Code = Here come Dots
Slot Machines = Cash Lost in 'em
Mother-in-law = Woman Hitler
Snooze Alarms = Alas! No More Z's
A Decimal Point = I'm a Dot in Place
Eleven plus two = Twelve plus one
Astronomer = Moon Starer
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Visual Quote of the Day
Posted: September 21, 2011, 5:00 pm
Live your story in light of God's story.
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How Can We Trust That Which Is Unseen?
Posted: September 21, 2011, 7:30 am
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Jesus Is NOT My Religion
Posted: September 20, 2011, 10:00 pm
What does this mean? It means Jesus is a living person, who was raised from the dead, and who personally guarantees eternal life to all who put their trust and faith in Him.
Jesus said this:
“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life." - John 5:24
and He left everyone this invitation:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30
Put aside mere "religion" that is too often our human attempt to be found acceptable and pleasing to God but rather come and cling to Jesus and the real life He has to offer.
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A Cookie Chart
Posted: September 20, 2011, 10:00 am
Wired magazine recently released this great chart of the most popular flavors of Girl Scout cookies and while it’s interesting and looks great, more than anything else, it just makes me want some Samoas. Is your favorite in the top 5 or in the “other varieties” section?
(ht: Laughing Squid)
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Theology Matters
Posted: September 19, 2011, 9:00 pm
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Don't Worry - I am with you
Posted: September 19, 2011, 8:00 am
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Being Content
Posted: September 18, 2011, 5:00 pm
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That
Posted: September 17, 2011, 6:52 am
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Why The Missional Movement Will Fail
Posted: September 17, 2011, 9:00 pm
Here is an excerpt from a thoughtful post by Mike Breen:
It’s time we start being brutally honest about the missional movement that has emerged in the last 10-15 years: Chances are better than not it’s going to fail. That may seem cynical, but I’m being realistic. There is a reason so many movements in the Western church have failed in the past century: They are a car without an engine. A missional church or a missional community or a missional small group is the new car that everyone is talking about right now, but no matter how beautiful or shiny the vehicle, without an engine, it won’t go anywhere. So what is the engine of the church? Discipleship. I’ve said it many times:
If you make disciples, you will always get the church. But if you try to build the church, you will rarely get disciples.
Read the whole post HERE
What are your thoughts? Agree with his argument? Any push back?
(ht: Mike Breen)
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Purpose of the Church
Posted: September 17, 2011, 3:00 pm
Michael Frost speaks about the purpose of the church likening it to being a movie trailer that reveals the reign of God.
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What Missional Community Could Look Like
Posted: September 16, 2011, 12:00 am
What Missional Community Could Look Like: A great story of how to go about sharing your faith in community from Seth McBee. His conclusion:
I’m no saint. I’m nothing special. I’m not paid by the church. I’m not paid by by community. But, God pays me money through my business, not to hoard it, but so I can be making disciples who make disciples in the neigbhborhood I live in.
This story isn’t crazy. This story isn’t outlandish. It’s pretty normal. My family is pretty normal. That’s the beauty of it. I will also say that this is a small taste of what has been happening in our neighborhood and also in our own spiritual development. You’ll notice as you live this out, that life, as usual, isn’t perfect. There are times of much difficulty and, as a dude in our MC put it, “You only get really irritated with people if you actually get to know them. It’s hard to get irritated at others if you merely wave at them when putting your garbage at the curb.”
If you’re reading this, what is holding you back from going to your knees tonight and just asking God, “what’s next?” But, be careful, because once you let this Lion of Judah out of the cage, he’ll take over the neighborhood.
Read the rest.
(ht: Vitamin Z)
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Dealing With Conflict Among Friends
Posted: September 16, 2011, 7:47 pm
"When you write a very angry letter to a friend who has hurt you deeply, don’t send it! Let the letter sit on your table for a few days and read it over a number of times. Then ask yourself: “Will this letter bring life to me and my friend? Will it bring healing, will it bring a blessing?” You don’t have to ignore the fact that you are deeply hurt. You don’t have to hide from your friend that you feel offended. But you can respond in a way that makes healing and forgiveness possible and opens the door for new life. Rewrite the letter if you think it does not bring life, and send it with a prayer for your friend.” – Henri Nouwen
(ht: Dream Awakener)
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Connected - The Movie
Posted: September 16, 2011, 6:50 pm
This documentary looks really great:
Have you ever faked a restroom trip to check your email? Slept with your laptop? Or become so overwhelmed that you just unplugged from it all? In this funny, eye-opening, and inspiring film, director Tiffany Shlain takes audiences on an exhilarating rollercoaster ride to discover what it means to be connected in the 21st century.
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Church From Scratch
Posted: September 14, 2011, 2:00 pm
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How To Become A Christian Hipster
Posted: September 13, 2011, 9:12 pm
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The Difference Between Repentance and Remorse
Posted: September 13, 2011, 3:09 pm
How do we respond after we sin? This chart above illustrates the difference between remorse and biblical repentance. They can have similar external expressions, but at their core they are fundamentally different.
Repentance is significantly different than remorse. Repentance is a change of direction: a confession of sin, followed by the desire to make restitution, rebuild relationships and, in general, make everything right. The evidences of repentance will be:- acknowledging his sin honestly (Ps 51:2-3; 1 Jn 1:9);
- discontinuing the sinful behavior which initiated the discipline (James 5:19-20);
- seeking biblical counsel, if needed, to gain victory over sinful patterns of behavior (Acts 26:20);
- making financial restitution, if necessary (Luke 19:8);
- initiating confession and asking forgiveness from all parties involved (Matt 5:23-24);
- exhibiting a spirit of humility and brokenness, revealing a true work of God’s Spirit (Ps 51:17).
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Are You A Smartphone Addict?
Posted: September 12, 2011, 7:00 pm
You'll know if your baby/child starts wearing this -
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The End of All Religion?!
Posted: September 12, 2011, 2:00 pm
What if two ad agencies competed to produce the ultimate ad that could put an end to all religion? -These are their ads.
The issues they raise, aren't uncommon and are often leveled against people of faith. My question to you is how would you address the arguments made in these ads? What would you say to someone who would raise these objections. Give me your opinions in the comment section.
(ht: 22 Words)
