Monthly Archive for December, 2009

Dave Barry reviews the year . . .

Published on December 31, 2009 in Stupid Stuff. 0 Comments

As only he can do, Dave Barry interacts with the last 12 months.

To be sure, it was a year that saw plenty of bad news. But in almost every instance, there was offsetting good news:

BAD NEWS: The economy remained critically weak, with rising unemployment, a severely depressed real-estate market, the near-collapse of the domestic automobile industry and the steep decline of the dollar.

GOOD NEWS: Windows 7 sucked less than Vista.

BAD NEWS: The downward spiral of the newspaper industry continued, resulting in the firings of thousands of experienced reporters and an apparently permanent deterioration in the quality of American journalism.

GOOD NEWS: A lot more people were tweeting.

BAD NEWS: Ominous problems loomed abroad as — among other difficulties — the Afghanistan war went sour, and Iran threatened to plunge the Middle East and beyond into nuclear war.

GOOD NEWS: They finally got Roman Polanski.

In short, it was a year that we will be happy to put behind us. But before we do, let’s swallow our anti-nausea medication and take one last look back, starting with. . . .

Read the whole thing here. 

HT: Humble Musings

Biblically, there is no excuse for not listening to this video – - one way or another

Published on December 31, 2009 in Apologetics and Romans. 0 Comments

Many have watched, “The Known Universe” – - but, have you really listened to it?

According to the Bible, there is no excuse for not listening, at least figuratively.  This video which shows the awesomeness of the universe and illustrates the point of Romans 1:18-20 that God has made himself known such that his power and righteousness are ever on display:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.(Ro 1:18-20).”

” Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! (Psalm 150).”

Pictures from 2009

Published on December 31, 2009 in Recommended Links. 0 Comments

There is another amazing collection of pictures on Boston.com.  What struck me as I looked at this collection is the wonder of God’s Creation and the beauty of image bearers in particular.

And, it doesn’t matter where you are in the world, children like the little girl below, are beautiful.

A girl displaced from her home by a huge tidal wave caused by Cyclone Aila, stands in front of her temporary shelter on a river dam in Satkhira in southwestern Bangladesh June 2, 2009. (REUTERS/Andrew Biraj) #

Click here to see Part I, Part II, Part III.  HT: Challies

Pictures of the decade.  HT: Z

And, Christmas 2009.  Again, just look at the children.

“They shall splash at a ten-league canvas with brushes of comets’ hair”

Published on December 30, 2009 in Recommended Reading. 0 Comments

Fred Sanders posts one of my favorite Kipling poems:

WHEN Earth’s last picture is painted, and the tubes are twisted and dried,
When the oldest colours have faded, and the youngest critic has died,
We shall rest, and, faith, we shall need it –lie down for an aeon or two,
Till the Master of All Good Workmen shall set us to work anew!

And those that were good shall be happy: they shall sit in a golden chair;
They shall splash at a ten-league canvas with brushes of comets’ hair . . .

Read the rest here.

Read more about Kipling here.

Or, maybe read Captains Courageous, a book perfectly suited to junior high boys.

Leaders know how to pick up a crumb and carry it into the next room

Published on December 30, 2009 in Leadership development and Proverbs. 1 Comment

One of my major goals for the coming years is to continue to develop male leadership in our church.  There are a group of guys that I sent this email out to today.

Guys,

Did you read Proverbs 30 today? What stood out to you? I am going to start putting these on my blog too. So, if you want, you can comment there. Or, you can hit reply-all to this message and share what stood out.

I have a confession. During our trip to Iowa I didn’t do Proverbs every day. I know, your confidence in me is shattered. Truth of the matter is, it isn’t that uncommon for me to miss a day. But, this is why I see Proverbs as a discipline for the rest of my life. I don’t get too stressed out if I miss a day or two because I know that I am going to come back to it over and over again.

Indeed, today’s chapter which points to the example of how the ant works (Proverbs 30:25) reminds us that smart workers know how to accumulate bit size portions of work over long periods of time.

I approach Proverbs like an ant.  I’ve told you before that whenever I read a chapter of Proverbs, I write the day and the month at the top of the chapter. I have different Bibles so no one Bible gives a comprehensive record of my Proverbs reading. But, in the Bible I used this morning I have down these days written at the top of Proverbs 30: (1/3, 5/7, 11/7, 6/3, 10/3, 5/4, 11/3, 9/4, 12/9) – - Over time, like the ant, reading a chapter of Proverbs a day will accumulate.

Press on. Rinse your minds in Scripture. Do just an ant-like portion of work today. Just pick up a crumb and carry it into the next room.

Chris.

P.S. Proverbs 30:2 is not my life verse, but maybe it should be. (If you think so, please don’t tell me).  Of course, that verse could be read in a wrong way that is just a form of self-pity. But, I use it as motivation to crave the Word of God.  After all, apart from it, I know nothing.

In 2010, Let’s respond to the least manipulative invitation ever given

Published on December 30, 2009 in Quotes. 0 Comments

Matthew 16:24:

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

Philip Yancey:

Take up your cross and follow me,’ Jesus said, in the least manipulative invitation that has ever been given (Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew, 80)."

Piper: When you hug those who are suffering, you need a place to stand

Published on December 29, 2009 in Romans and suffering. 1 Comment

If you aren’t suffering terribly right now, you know someone who is.  John Piper (12/27/09) preached on suffering and Romans 8:15-25 at the Village Church who recently learned that their young senior pastor, Matt Chandler, has a malignant brain tumor.  (See these posts on suffering).

Piper introduced his sermon by stating that the first thing believers should do do with those who are suffering is hug them.  No words.  Just silent hugs.  But, Piper also noted that those who are hugging must have a place to stand.  That is, if we are going to make it through the suffering in this life apart from anger and bitterness, then we must know sound doctrine and how suffering fits with the plan of God.

If you can only listen to a few minutes of this sermon, it will be a wonderful investment of your time.

Listen here.

Collin Hansen’s Top 10 Theological Stories of 2010

Published on December 28, 2009 in Church and News. 0 Comments

One of my favorite young writers is Collin Hansen.  You can read his list of the top theological stories from 2009 here.  In my considered opinion, this is a good survey.

A balanced reflection on the American life of Oral Roberts

Published on December 28, 2009 in Recommended Links. 0 Comments

John Mark Reynolds reflects on the late Oral Roberts.  This is a post to learn from both in content but also in how to graciously interact with the life of a visible leader.

Oral Roberts lived and believed in the American dream. He was also a devoted Christian. The tension between the two is a good predictor of the successes and failures of an important American and Christian life. Roberts was a complex man who lived a long time and it would be unfortunate if he only receives hagiography or dismissal.

Roberts did much that was good, but it came at a very high theological and intellectual price. Roberts was born in the lower middle class, never graduated from college, but founded a fully accredited university. With little training, he launched a highly successful television franchise and changed the reputation of Pentecostalism in America and helped bring “Spirit-led” worship to a new generation. Sadly, Roberts also introduced some very bad theological ideas into the bloodstream of that same movement.

Roberts was born in 1918 in rural Oklahoma and died in 2009 in Newport Beach, California. He tracked the movement of many American in his generation from relative poverty to comfort in the Golden West. His American populism was his most attractive feature, but an inherent disdain for elites led to his problems. Roberts understood the changes that were going on in the culture and was able to negotiate the relationship between his faith and those changes, but often the integration was overly shallow.

Read the rest here.

Al Mohler reflects on Oral Roberts’ life and ministry here.

John MacArthur here.

Christianity Today: Why the Oral Roberts obituaries are wrong.

Devotions from the 10 Commandments

Published on December 27, 2009 in Prayer and Sanctification. 0 Comments

Justin Taylor gives a concise overview of how Luther encouraged people to pray through the 10 Commandments (See Exodus 20:3-17).  Justin then points to another link.

In A Simple Way to Pray, Martin Luther described how he uses the Ten Commandments as a guide in his prayer life:

I divide each commandment into four parts, thereby fashioning a garland of four strands.

That is, I think of each commandment as . . .

Read the rest here.