Monthly Archive for November, 2009

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Ham balls, green beans, talking smack, and the showdown on Mt. Carmel

Published on November 16, 2009 in Doctrine, Parenting and Recommended Reading. 2 Comments

At dinner, my children discussed whether or not one can find a justification for “talking smack” as they say, with Elijah’s taunting comments on Mt. Carmel.  1 Kings 18:27.  According to the boys, this is a pertinent question given that a certain amount of trash talking happens in the “trenches” of football games.

But, first I need cover the menu.  We had mashed potatoes, ham balls, and green beans.  My wife was near the top of her game.  It was a top notch meal.  (Though, it does need to be said that my sister-in-law Julie makes slightly better ham balls).

After inhaling the ham balls, we read a chapter from Bruce Ware’s book, Big Truths for Young Hearts and focused on the truth that there is only one God.

Ware pointed out that when Elijah defeated Baal on Mt. Carmel, it was important that it happened where it did.

One very interesting thing about this story is where it took place.  Elijah confronted those prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel, an area that was supposed to be where Baal was in charge.  The worshippers of Baal would not have been surprised to see the God of Israel consume the altar with fire if this had happened in Jerusalem.  They thought that Jerusalem was the place where the God of Israel was in charge.  But on Mt. Carmel, Baal was supposed to be in charge.  So when the God of Israel responded to Elijah’s prayer and consumed the altar, this showed two things: not only was the God of Israel the true God, but also the true God was in charge everywhere, not just in certain places.  Because God is the true God, and because he has made all that is, he also alone is the rightful ruler of all that he has made.  Page 39.

As a family, we then talked briefly about the chapter: we debated how to properly reference Jesus when referring to to the Trinity – - prayed around the table – - and sang one stanza of, “Nothing But the Blood.”

Don’t make devotions hard.  Whether you are having ham balls or frozen pizza, read a brief selection, talk about it, pray, and sing.

As for talking smack, since our youth group is memorizing Ephesians 4:29.  We better interpret Elijah’s taunting in light of that explicit teaching.

See also what we talked about when we had Reuben sandwiches here.

The West’s Last Chance: Will We Win the Clash of Civilizations?

Published on November 15, 2009 in Missions and Politics. 3 Comments

Tony Blankley, Editorial Page Editor, The Washington Times, writes in his book, The West’s Last Chance:

The threat of the radical Islamists taking over Europe is every bit as great to the United States as was the threat of the Nazis taking over Europe in the 1940’s.  We cannot afford to lose Europe.  We cannot afford to see Europe transformed into a launching pad for Islamist jihad.

My purpose in writing this book is to assess, with cold logic and objectivity, how the West is responding to the radical Islamist threat—and how we can and should respond.  My central assertion is that while we in the United States and Europe have vast resources for protecting ourselves, we have thought ourselves into a position of near impotence.

Why Do Teens Struggle With Being Critical?

Published on November 14, 2009 in Parenting. 4 Comments

Those who have raised teens or worked with them notice that young people often struggle with being too critical.  Of course, not all teens sin in this area.  But, many do, particularly those who have some God given critical thinking skills.

So, why do teens lean towards being inappropriately critical?  Being critical often results from a combination of God-given discernment and insight combined with sinful pride and immaturity.

I liken it to giving a four year old little boy a razor sharp axe.  The hope is that one day the boy will grow up to be a great lumberjack.  But, in the mean time, he hasn’t learned how to properly use his tool and so he tends to try out his cutting edge on the dining room furniture

Similarly, young people often have sharp critical thinking skills.  They can identify shortcomings with different teachers or programs.  However, they have not yet developed the maturity to know when those weakness and short comings need not be pointed out, or when it is their place to say nothing about the weaknesses.  Their pride has 20:20 vision where the faults of others are concerned.  But, they are blind as a bat when asked to take a look at their own faults.

So, how do we help teen critics?

Our call as parents and pastors is to help young people see themselves more clearly in relationship to Christ.  It is when we survey the Wondrous Cross on which the prince of glory died, that we pour contempt on all our pride.  This can only be accomplished as we meet Christ in His Word.  Our goal must be in an ongoing way to have Christ-centered homes that point our families to the wonder and glory of God.  It is when we see God and all His greatness that we are humbled and less critical.

Why not read Isaiah 40 aloud as a family.  You don’t need to explicitly relate it to someone being critical, or any other sin for that matter.  Instead, lose yourself in the immensity of God – - “Do you not know, have you not heard, the LORD is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. . .” (Isaiah 40:28).

By the way – - isn’t it true that teens aren’t the only ones who struggle with a critical spirit?

Questions 5&6 of A New Forgiveness Quiz

Published on November 13, 2009 in A New Forgiveness Quiz. 0 Comments

It is still not too late to enter the contest.  I will continue to blog through the quiz on consecutive Friday’s until December 4th.  Each Friday I will give away two copies of Unpacking Forgiveness.  clip_image002On December 4th, I will give away a Flip Camera.  (Take A New Forgiveness Quiz)

The next two winners for A New Forgiveness Quiz are:

JLarso

gussa

I am posting the next two winners.  I know  people don’t necessarily appreciate having either their emails or their names broadcast on the Internet.  If those of you who win would like to comment, that would be wonderful!

Question #5 – A very influential author argued that it is legitimate to forgive God. True or False, it is legitimate to forgive God?

FALSE.

It is heretical to suggest that God would need our forgiveness. But, this is where a feelings based approach to forgiveness often leads. Here is how the progression happens:

  • It is wrong to feel bitterness and vindictive toward God.
  • Forgiveness is defined as a feeling.  Indeed, what many people believe is that forgiveness is no longer feeling bitterness or anger toward someone.
  • Therefore, it is legitimate to forgive God because I shouldn’t feel bitterness or anger toward God.

These are the heretical ditches in which we find ourselves in when we redefine biblical concepts in man-centered ways.

Question #6 – Ken Sande says forgiveness is a 2-stage process. Is the statement that forgiveness is a two stage process true or false? TRUE.

First, I will again recommend Ken Sande’s book, The Peacemaker.  This is a valuable resource for local churches.

Where this question is concerned, it is wrong to be bitter and vindictive.  This is where Sande’s description can be helpful.  He argues that forgiveness is a two stage process.  Here is an excerpt of The Peacemaker.

Ideally, repentance should precede forgiveness (Luke 17:3) . . .

When an offense is too serious to overlook and the offender has not yet repented, you may need to approach forgiveness as a two-staged process.  The first stage requires having an attitude of forgiveness, and the second, granting forgiveness.   Having an attitude of forgiveness is unconditional and is a commitment you make to God . . . By his grace, you seek to maintain a loving and merciful attitude toward someone who has offended you.  This requires making and living out the first promise of forgiveness, which means you will not dwell on the hurtful incident or seek vengeance or retribution in thought, word, or action.  Instead, you pray for the other person and stand ready at any moment to pursue complete reconciliation as soon as he or she repents.  This attitude will protect you from bitterness and resentment, even if the other person takes a long time to repent.

Granting forgiveness is conditional on the repentance of the offender and takes place between you and that person (Luke 17:3-4).  It is a commitment to make the other three promises of forgiveness to the offender.  When there has been a serious offense, it would not be appropriate to make these promises until the offender has repented . . .

Computers on the New Earth?

Published on November 12, 2009 in eschatology. 0 Comments

Randy Alcorn hints at how technology may figure into the eschatological future.

The video in this blog is an incredible look at how far technology has advanced and is changing, even just within the past year. As you watch it, remember that technology is a part of society or culture, which is the creative accomplishment of God’s image-bearers. Human creations are an extension of God’s own creative works because he created us to reflect him by being creators. . .

Read the rest here and look forward to eternity on a New Earth where there is no more death, mourning, crying, or pain – - where Christ’s people dwell in His presence in a place like the Garden of Eden, only better.

Returning Soldiers Surprising Their Children

Published on November 12, 2009 in Family. 3 Comments

Take a few moments to watch this.

HT: Z

The Handle That Fits All Sin

Published on November 11, 2009 in Quotes. 0 Comments

Oliver Wendell Homes:

Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle that fits them all.

I wonder if the situation in which we most often lie is when our spouse says, “Is something bothering you?”  Perhaps, we lie not only to our spouse, but also to ourselves . . . (Proverbs 16:2).

HT: Pure Church

On the Texas Department of Justice website, you can read the last words of over 400 executed human beings . . .

Published on November 10, 2009 in death. 5 Comments

Click here to go to the Texas Department of Justice website – -

Or, read the last words of three others who were executed in Luke 23:39-42. 

I wonder what my last words will be. 

“Teach us to number our days (Psalm 90:12).

******************

Clare Cameron selected some of the “last words” for a recent article for the New York Times:

Last week, reports of executions — one postponed in Ohio, one carried out in Texas — punctuated the news more frequently than usual. These reports prompted me to reflect on an archive of executed prisoners’ last words I found on the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Web site while researching parole terms. The archive’s earliest entry dates from Dec. 7, 1982; the most recent was added after Stephen Moody was executed on Wednesday by lethal injection for murder.Go ahead?

Nothing I can say can change the past.

I done lost my voice.

I would like to say goodbye.

My heart goes is going ba bump ba bump ba bump.

Is the mike on?

I don’t have anything to say. I am just sorry about what I did.

I am nervous and it is hard to put my thoughts together. Sometimes you don’t know what to say.

Man, there is a lot of people there.

Read the rest here.

Free Falling Fertility Rates

Published on November 10, 2009 in Recommended Links. 0 Comments

Al Mohler:

imageIs the fact that fertility is falling around the world good news? You would certainly think so if you agree with the analysis cheerily offered by The Economist. That very respected journal of economic analysis recently offered a cover story that celebrated falling human fertility as “changing the world for the better.”

“Sometime in the next few years (if it hasn’t happened already) the world will reach a milestone,” the magazine predicts, adding that “half of humanity will be having only enough children to replace itself.” In other words, for half of the world the fertility rate will have dropped to 2.1, considered the replacement rate for couples. This milestone, the magazine declares, “is one of the most dramatic social changes in history.”

Predictions about falling fertility rates have become commonplace. In much of Europe, falling fertility has been a fact of life for decades. In many countries on the continent, falling fertility is already leading to social pressures as the workforce ages quickly and schools see falling enrollments. In Russia, the army fears that it will be unable to deploy adequate troops in coming years — there are simply not enough boys to become the next generation’s soldiers. In Japan, falling fertility rates point to dramatic changes in the society. As one observer noted, the nation is on its way to becoming a giant geriatric ward with fewer and fewer young people.

The Economist sees all this as good news . . .

Read the whole thing here.

Before you preach that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ

Published on November 10, 2009 in Romans. 0 Comments

Dr. David Martyn Lloyd-Jones:

You remember the resounding sentence at the end of the eight chapter of this Epistle to the Romans: ‘I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’  ‘That is it’, says someone.  ‘That’s the sort of thing I like.  Why don’t you rush on to that?  That is the thing to stabilize us!’ Ah, but wait a minute!  The Apostle Paul is only able to make that statement because of all the things that he has been saying in his earlier chapters before he arrives at that statement!  That is the conclusion of the mighty argument about justification and sanctification, and glorification.  You cannot start with that.  You end with it.  And you will never be able to say that from your heart unless you really know, experimentally, these great doctrines.  You must know them with your mind, you must experience them.

Volume 1 of Romans, pages 228-229.