SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD

The Schafer Family is the master of accumulating articles on a particular topic.

For a ton of articles on the Sovereignty of God from Desiring God Ministries, click here.

W

Is President Bush a radical Calvinist sold out to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples? If not, he may be soon. Read here.

HUMILITY

Yesterday, I posted a link to a post by Cross-eyed on manifestations of pride. Today, there is a summary of manifestations of humility.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Preferring anything above Christ is the very essence of sin."

"Esteeming God less than anything is the essence of evil."

John Piper When I Don't Desire God

CHILDREN'S DEVOTIONS

What is the best way to incorporate Scripture (or devotions) into the life of a child? marriedlife helps answer this question with the help of GirlTalk here.

FAMILY, MARRIAGE AND PARENTING

Here is a great compilation of articles on family, marriage and parenting put together by The Schafer Family.

PRIDE

Cross-eyed summarizes 30 manifestations of pride from Stuart Scott's (not the Stuart Scott most of you are thinking about, BOO YAH!) book The Exemplary Husband.

IMPERFECT HUSBAND'S

I'm guessing there a not a lot of women who check this blog so guys, here's a great article for you to print out and leave somewhere for your wife to read. You can thank me later.

CHRISTIAN MEDIA

Dick Staub with an on the money observation of the christian media culture.

C.S. Lewis said, we don't need more Christian writers; we need more Christians who can write. Lewis and Tolkien wrote 50 years ago and are still influential today because their work had spiritual, intellectual and creative ballast. They would not have imagined operating in the kind of parallel universe that Christian media has become. They were mainstreamed. Last year alone their works sold in the millions. At the risk of sounding uncharitable—50 years from now, how many copies of Left Behind and the Purpose Driven Life will be sold? Our popular culture is impoverished and the "Christian media culture" is satisfied to make money by serving crumbs off the table of that fallen culture, often dumbing down our faith in the process. Until we experience a spiritual, intellectual and creative renaissance, both culture and the parallel universe of Christian media will serve thin gruel, entertaining ourselves to death. I'm concerned about the whole Christian media enterprise.

(HT: Vitamin Z)

THE SPORTS GUY

The Sports Guy and YouTube, does it get any better? Prepare to waste hours here!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

The primary objective of our quiet time should be fellowship with God—developing a personal relationship with Him and growing in our devotion to Him...I like to think of the quiet time as a conversation: God speaking to me through the Bible and I responding to what He says."
Jerry Bridges, The Practice of Holiness

PRO-LIFE

Here is an incredible story from the Colorado House of Representatives.

PRAYING THE BIBLE

Jim Hamilton with a really great suggestion on praying through New Testament prayers.

LARRY BROWN

Is there anything stranger going on in sports right now than ex New York Knick Coach Larry Brown probably getting $40 million after getting fired after one season? Mike Lupica writes on this as well as some interesting observations about Phil Mickelson here.

PARENTING

What does it mean not to exasperate your children? marriedlife blog helps answer the question here.

READING

Ligon Duncan shared the following outstanding quote on the Together for the Gospel blog.

"Perhaps the greatest gift any father can bestow upon his children, apart from the covenant blessings of parish life and a comprehension of the doctrines of grace, is a passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives a knowledge of the world, and it offers experience of a wide kind. Indeed, it is nothing less than a moral illumination."
Thomas Chalmers

GIVING

The Miami Heat of blogging Justin "Shaq-Fu" Taylor does a great job of summarizing two very helpful articles on whether Christians are obligated to give 10% of their income under the new covenant. You can read his comments and the two articles here.

FREE ADVICE

To all my Des Moines friends -- If you are riding your bike and a 300 pound man swurves his car to almost hit you and then tells you to get off your bike because he's going to "kick your ass", don't get off the bike. Ride away as fast as you can.

To find out more, click here.

PROMISES FOR PARENTS

marriedlife with some great Scriptural promises for parents here.

OZZIE GUILLEN

Is there a bigger idiot in all of sports? After calling Chicago Sun-Times columnist Jay Mariotti a [expletive] fag, Guillen defended his use of the term and then played every stereotype card there is telling Chicago Sun-Times columnist Greg Couch that he has gay friends, attends WNBA games, went to a Madonna concert and plans to go to the Gay Games in Chicago.

OK, that last part is actually pretty funny but Guillen is still a jerk.

You can read more here.

NBA FINALS

In case you missed the NBA Finals this year, Jason Whitlock summarizes it as well as anybody can here.

Cuban Whistle Crisis ....... Priceless

SPORTSPICKLE

Another great edition of SportsPickle is out today. Some of the breaking stories



Ghana About To Discover That Beating US Means No More AIDS Funding

Michael Jordan Betting Against the Bobcats

Big Ten Network Unfortunately To Include Northwester, Purdue and Minnesota games

Utah Jazz Intrigued by Jordan Farmar's Semi-whiteness

JOHN OWEN

On October 13, Crossway Books is releasing an updated version of three of John Owen's works on sin and temptation entitled Overcoming Sin and Temptation. To find out more about the book and preorder it, click here.

(HT: Where the Redfern Blogs)

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to your Cross I cling;
Naked, come to you for dress;
Helpless, look to you for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Saviour, or I die.
Augustus Toplady Rock of Ages

DEVER ON THE CROSS

This week on my commute to/from work I was able to listen to a talk Mark Dever gave at the 2002 Sovereign Grace Worship Conference. The title of the talk was The Centrality of the Sacrifice of the Son. Dever does an incredible job of reminding and exhorting Christians to focus their worship on the work of Christ on the cross.

The talk is available for download from Sovereign Grace for $2.00 here.

If you live nearby, I will be happy to lend you mine.

GIVING

Jim Elliff with some practical tips for increasing your giving

Give at least the foundational amount (I start with the tithe of the Old Covenant) through your local church. It is very important to give through the church when possible since the church is God's plan for reaching the world. After all, Christ gave His life for it. Actually, I double the tithe to the church just for starters. And, I try to be ready for special needs that our church encounters.

Beyond that, give to meet needs of individuals inside and outside the body. Have some fun doing it. Do you know somebody who struggles with finances or is under a financial burden? Go right to them and slip them some cash or a check. You may do that anonymously if you wish, or not. It is not always right to be anonymous; sometimes it is important to bless them with words and actions coming straight from you as a fellow believer so that they can see it and rejoice with you. I do both. Can't you get excited about somebody's burden being lifted and joy coming into their face because their prayers are being answered? Pam and I try not to pray for anyone's need unless we are willing to be the instrument God uses to meet that need.

Attach yourself to some great cause or mission; maybe connect with more than one. Perhaps there is a person of great integrity whose ministry you can support, or maybe a young missionary couple leaving for another place, or maybe a prison ministry, or a group that reaches tribal areas. Connect with real people and real ministry and then do some extra things for them. Surprise them. Sacrifice to help the cause. Keep in touch. I can tell you personally that there are some people who have done that with us and with CCW through the years to whom we are tremendously indebted. I almost tear up when I think about them. They have made this work go forward in amazing ways. We need a lot of this throughout the broader body of Christ.

Make it a family affair. There are times when the whole family can participate in a giving project. It's well worth it for all of you to pray that what is given will bless and help. Children can contribute to the project.

Plan bigger each year. Consider setting aside an additional percentage each year related to your overall income. Let it accrue by percentage rather than by set amount. God may just open wide the doors of heaven for you and pour out a huge amount just to give you additional giving opportunities.

Pray for some surprising "windfalls" to come in. We've seen this happen many times. Just when you think you cannot give more, God steps in with something that was totally unexpected. You may even want to say to the Lord and your family, "Look, we'll give this percentage now, but if something extra comes in, let's give __% more. Let's see what God does!"

You can read the entire article here.

THE CROSS OF CHRIST

The Cross of Christ by John Stott is going to be reissued this September with a 20th anniversary edition. For more details, click here.

I am currently reading the original at a snail's pace and hope to be done by the time of the reissue!

(HT: JT)

TIVO & KIDS

Chuck Colson in his Breakpoint commentary today argues that TiVo and their new KidZone feature is a good thing for parents. Here's part of his argument.

The way KidZone works is simple, which I think makes it especially appealing to busy parents who, if you are like me, don't have time to decipher pages of instructions. What you do is pre-approve the shows you want your kids to watch. The TiVo itself gives recommendations for family-friendly shows. Also, three other respected organizations with which TiVo has partnered - the Parents Choice Foundation, Common Sense Media, and the Parents Television Council provide their own lists of recommendations.

I have to admit I disagree with him on this. As a parent, I have fallen into the temptation to turn the TV into a free babysitter. When I am tired or feeling lazy, it's easy to plop Brayden in front of the TV for a little time to myself. The last thing I need is a device which allows me to store up hours and hours of shows that I can always go to in order to bail me out. As a parent, my aim is to have our family watch as little TV as possible. TiVo would be un unnecessary crutch.

I understand that if your kids are going to watch TV, you want it to be the right things. I just don't think you need TiVo to ensure that.

One of my mentors told me that him and his wife made a decision when they had kids that the TV would not be on at all Monday through Thursday. The kids were given a little TV time Friday night and Saturday. The TV was allowed Sunday's but only if they watched as a family. He told me that it was one of the best parenting decisions they ever made.

What do you think, am I crazy on this?

MORE MICKELSON

ESPN Page 2 columnist Skip Bayless gets it right on Lefty here.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"For the essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be. Man claims prerogatives which belong to God alone; God accepts penalties which belong to man alone."
John Stott The Cross of Christ

PHIL MICKELSON

The popular sports column to write this morning was of Phil Mickelson's meltdown on the 18th hole of the US Open yesterday. Jay Mariotti, Bob Ryan and Mike Lupica all pile on.

JIM ELLIOT

Cross-eyed with some great Jim Elliot quotes here and here.

AUGUSTINE

I loved good quotes and my friend Noah has posted a ton of great Augustine quotes at his blog No Other Name.

Augustine regarding pleasure
Augustine sola gratias, depravity, election
Augustine doctrine of God

NOTRE DAME

Either you love Notre Dame (me) or you hate (Chicago Sun-Time columnist Greg Couch) them.

Bring on college football season!!!!!!

TONY DUNGY

ESPN senior writer Michael Smith with a very moving article about Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy about the death of his 18 year-old son last December. As a father, it breaks my heart to read this and to imagine myself in his situation. As a christian brother, I rejoice and am amazed at Dungy's unshakeable faith in God's sovereign goodness and grace.

When I read this, I couldn't help but think of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."

SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION

An article in today's Washington Post takes a look at the election of a new President (Rev Frank Page) of the Southern Baptists and the effect it may have on the denomination. The article also explores the movement of evangelicals away from traditional conservative values. Some alarming statements.


"I believe in the word of God," Page said. "I'm just not mad about it."

The election, he said, indicates that "the leadership of the denomination that pushed it hard to the right on theological and social issues is aging or passing from the scene and is unable to rally the troops as they once did."

"Some people," Leonard added, "are tired of just fighting liberals. You need a reason to be a Southern Baptist other than just fighting liberals in the culture or in the church."


You can read the entire article here.

BEN ROETHLISBERGER

I've read a lot of columns this week about the motorcycle accident involving Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben R. This one by David Steele of the Baltimore Sun is probably the best I've read. He makes a pretty interesting observation.

So we've got a serious problem, us as fans and, you'd have to think, them as players. We've got a double standard to deal with. We've got to balance our understandable desire to see our stars take care of themselves when they're not required to put themselves in harm's way, with our lust to see them maim themselves in a game if that's what it takes to win.

We want it both ways.

It's also not intrinsically wrong for players to resist the call to tone it down during the offseason. To them, the whole debate about flipping the competition-and-risk-taking switch is moot: The switch is always on, and they flip it off only when someone orders them to, if then.

WAKE UP THE ECHOS

The greatest quarterback in professional football history will turn the big 50 on Sunday.

All Notre Dame fans, click here.

PRESIDENT BUSH IN IRAQ

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mark Brown with a twisted (but probably accurate) look at President Bush's surprise visit to Iraq.

I know all you husbands are with him on this.

EMPTY CITY

Actor and comedian Adam Sandler has a new movie due out later this year that will be a 180 degree turn from all his others. Here is what The Chicago Sun-Times has to say about his new movie, Empty City.

Even Adam Sandler knows how to wipe the smile off his face.

The comedic star will take a drastic dramatic turn in a 9/11 drama called "Empty City," directed by Mike Binder.

Sandler plays a man whose family perishes during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. While he's grieving, he runs into his old college roommate played by Don Cheadle. The cast also includes Jada Pinkett-Smith, Liv Tyler, Cicely Tyson and Saffron Burrows.

"It's about a man who has been through a terrible thing," Sandler tells GLARE. "He lost his family in September 11. He's having a hard time living life and being in the moment. So he begins to pretend that he never had a family."

"That's when he bumps into Don Cheadle who is a friend from dental school," Sandler says.

He adds that the movie is a stretch for him. "It's really a heavy-duty movie about friendship and one of the most interesting scripts I've ever read."

The film is due out later this year.

SANCTITY OF LIFE

Nat Hentoff writing in the Jewish World Review writes on the simplicity of the evil of abortion as well as the door Roe v Wade opened for other value of life controversies.

As time goes on, my deepening concern with the consequences of abortion is that its validation by the Supreme Court, as a constitutional practice, helps support the convictions of those who, in other controversies — euthanasia, assisted suicide and the "futility doctrine" by certain hospital ethics committees — believe that there are lives not worth continuing.

Read the rest of the article here.

(HT: World Magazine Blog)

DEAL ON BOOKS

Desiring God Ministries is offering a great deal on 3 of John Piper's most popular books; Desiring God, Future Grace and The Pleasures of God. If you buy all 3, you can get them at 50% off, a savings of $22.47. To buy them, click here.

Not a bad Father's Day present!

(HT: Cross-eyed)

TITHING

Ligon Duncan shares some frightening statistics on income and generosity.


Interesting Stats on Income and Generosity

Fascinating isn't it? The more we have, the less we tend to give (at least the less of a percentage of our income).

According to a George Barna (http://barna.org/) survey in 2000, the more money a family makes, the less likely they are to tithe. Eight percent of people making under $20,000 actually tithe. That number goes down to 5 percent for those families making $20,000 to $39,999. The number drops again to 4 percent for those making $40,000 to $59,999. Then the number drops to 2 percent for those making $60,000 to $74,999, and 1 percent for those making $75,000 to $99,999.The number jumps back up to 5 percent for those making above $100,000.

ALCOHOL PART 2

Vitamin Z weighs in on the discussion of christians and alcohol here.

LEGALISM & ALCOHOL

Justin Taylor of Between Two Worlds with a must read on christians and alcohol.

PARENTS HELPING PARENTS

What role should our friends play in our parenting? marriedlife discusses today.

Perhaps the greatest mistake I’ve made in parenting is thinking, “I’ve got the Bible, I’ve got the Holy Spirit, I ought to be able to figure this out myself.” I see more clearly now that this attitude was a reflection of my own pride and independence. When I began to seek the help of others, starting with Clara and extending to my care group, my parenting began to improve.

In all of this it is important to note that the primary thing we should be looking for in bringing our children’s issues before the care group is NOT our children’s sins, but our own. We all have wrong attitudes, words, and actions that we are blind to, but others are not. By all means, involve your care group in your parenting. Humbly seek the prayer and counsel of others and God will give you much grace.

Read the whole thing here.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"The only way for God's holy love to be satisfied is for his holiness to be directed in judgment upon his appointed substitute, in order that his love may be directed towards us in forgiveness. The substitute bears the penalty, that we sinners may receive the pardon."
John Stott The Cross of Christ

ACLU

Another tragic story from our friends at the ACLU.

US OPEN

It looks like this week's US Open will be full of fascinating human interest stories.

Read here about a 15 year old from Hawaii who was born 3.5 months early and weighed 1 lb 15 oz. who will be playing in the tournament.

MORE TIGER

Jay Mariotti with a similar article to Bob Ryan's.

TIGER

Bob Ryan talks about the significance of Tiger Woods playing this week's US Open on Father's Day weekend. Woods father passed away May 3rd.

``Father's Day was actually a very cool day because I would always try and beat my dad on the golf course, then come back home and catch the back nine of the US Open," Tiger was telling us yesterday. ``That's usually how it worked when I was growing up."

Keep in mind, of course, that Tiger first beat Earl Woods at 18 holes when he was 11. ``I shot a 71 to his 72 at the Navy golf course," Tiger recalls. ``I birdied 16 and 18, and made about a 15-footer, a little right-to-left. I gave it the fist-pump walking off the green and everything. It went in, and we celebrated."

Read the entire article here.

THE FATHER'S WRATH

John Piper responds to the following claim made by a professing Christian.

The fact is that the cross isn't a form of cosmic child abuse—a vengeful Father, punishing his Son for an offence he has not even committed. Understandably, both people inside and outside of the Church have found this twisted version of events morally dubious and a huge barrier to faith. Deeper than that, however, is that such a concept stands in total contradiction to the statement: "God is love". If the cross is a personal act of violence perpetrated by God towards humankind but borne by his Son, then it makes a mockery of Jesus' own teaching to love your enemies and to refuse to repay evil with evil
Steve Chalke and Alan Mann, The Lost Message of Jesus

You can read Piper's response here.

MADALITSO MUTHIYA

Who is Madalitso Muthiya? Read here to be amazed.

GOOD BOOKS

On his blog Where the Redfern Blogs, Mark Redfern wrote a series of posts on the 5 books outside of the Bible that have influenced him the most. Here is his Top 5.

5. Desiring God by John Piper
4. Shadow of the Almighty by Elizabeth Elliot
3. The Cross of Christ by John Stott
Top 2. The Pleasures of God by John Piper and Knowing God by J.I. Packer

I read Desiring God my junior year of college and I would have to say it is #1 on my list of most influential books outside of the Bible I have read. No other book has helped me know God more.

I'm a big fan of Elizabeth Elliot. I once joked to a friend that I want to be her 4th husband. I was unmarried at the time. Shadow of the Almighty is a great book about the life of her missionary husband Jim Elliot.

I am currently reading The Cross of Christ. It has taken me to depths of the cross I have never known. I'm sure I will return to it time and time again in the future.

I have read most of Pleasures of God and Knowing God. Both books taught me much about the character of God and who he is. Very good books.

You can read Mark's comments here, here, here and here.

If I were to do a Top 5 list I would want some CJ Mahaney in there and would probably bump off Shadow of the Almighty. Sorry Elizabeth. Still a great book, just not Top 5 worthy.

I'm curious what would make your Top 5.

PARENTING RESOURCES

The women at girl talk (that's right, I track a women's blog) offer links to a couple different series of audio messages on parenting that I'm sure are very helpful. Read the article here.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"For in order to save us in such a way as to satisfy himself, God through Christ substituted himself for us. Divine love triumphed over divine wrath by divine self-sacrifice. The cross was an act simultaneously of punishment and amnesty, severity and grace, justice and mercy."
John Stott The Cross of Christ

THE SPORTS GUY

In the latest ESPN magazine, Bill Simmons discusses professional athletes and gambling in his usual twisted and witty way. In it he shares the following story about Michael Jordan

There's a famous gambling story about Michael Jordan. Actually, there are many famous gambling stories about MJ, but this one is my favorite. Back before NBA teams had grasped the rejuvenating power of chartered airplanes, the Bulls were waiting for their luggage in Portland when Jordan slapped a hunny on the conveyor belt: I bet you my bags come out first. Jumping on the incredibly favorable odds, nine teammates happily accepted the wager. Sure enough, Jordan's bags led the rollout. He cackled with delight as he collected everyone's money.

What none of the suckers knew, and what MJ presumably never told them, was that he had bribed a baggage handler to help him out. He didn't pocket much (a few hundred bucks), and considering his net worth hovered around nine figures at the time, it's safe to say he didn't need the extra cash. But that didn't matter. There was a chance at an easy score, and he took it.

Read the entire article here.

CONFLICT IN MARRIAGE

It looks like The Schaefer Family blog is a great resource for family related articles and information.

Today the blog reprints an article by John Piper called Kill Anger Before It Kills You or Your Marriage. At the end of the article are several links to additional articles on conflict resolution in marriage.

WHO KILLED JESUS?

Back in April, I posted a summary of John Stott's answer to the question of who was responsible for the death of Christ in his book The Cross of Christ. You can read it here.

The Pyromaniacs blog recently posted an excerpt from John MacArthur's book The Murder of Jesus which is helpful and informative. You can read it here.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"Nothing shows the direction of the deep winds of the soul like the demand for radical, sin-destroying ,Christ-exalting joy in God."
John Piper When I Don't Desire God

DIDN'T SEE THIS ONE COMING

I don't mean to rejoice in another man's troubles but I'm sure a lot of Vikings fans are with me on this one.

LOVING GOOD BOOKS

The Christian Mind provides a very helpful summary of an article by Byron Borger to college students on learning to love good books.

MORE GREAT DOWNLOADS

Paul Schafer of the Reforming My Mind blog, posts some links to great Ravi Zacharias downloads here.

HUSBANDS, LOVE YOUR WIVES

Ephesians 5:25 commands husbands to "love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her."

Here are some articles that will help you do that.

FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE

For over 600 hours of downloadable lectures on theology, apologetics and leadership, check out The European Leadership Forum resource center.

(HT: The Christian Mind)

NEW JOHN PIPER BOOK

Pastor and author John Piper has just completed work on his next book, What Jesus Demands from the World. The book focuses on the commands of Jesus. I eagerly look forward to it's publication.

In a letter from his writing sabbatical, Piper describes the process he went through in writing the book.

I read the four Gospels and copied out all the commands plus many implied commands (like blessed are the merciful implies be merciful). There were over five hundred. Then after many efforts at distilling them, I grouped them into about thirty categories. Then I began to write chapters on those categories. Some of the chapters were long and I divided them. That resulted in a book of fifty modest chapters.

You can read the entire letter here.

ADVICE FOR DADS

Having a very active 2 year old boy and 3 week old baby girl at home, I know my wife has some very long and trying days. In comparison, sitting at a desk cranking out spreadsheets doesn't seem so bad. Covenant Life's marriedlife blog offers some practical suggestions to help us husband's encourage our wives in their role as mothers.

• Pray daily for your wife
• Take time to listen to her
• Release your wife weekly for a significant chunk of time with out the kids
• Consistently communicate affection and encouragement toward your wife for her role as a Mom
• Help your wife make “Gospel connections” with all that she does
• Share specific Scriptures with your wife

Read the entire article here.

MORE LAST WORDS

Here and here.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"To me, Calvinism means the placing of the eternal God at the head of all things. I look at everything through its relation to God's glory. I see God first, and man far down in the list ... Brethren, if we live in sympathy with God, we delight to hear Him say, 'I am God, and there is none else'"
Charles Spurgeon

DEATH TAX

Being a geeky accountant, I'm probably the only person who reads this blog that will find this Opionion Journal article on the death tax interesting and informative.

Savage -- What would Dave Ramsey say?

FAMILY WORSHIP

Blogging heavyweight JT with an excellent post on a new book that looks like a must have for all christian parents.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"The fight for joy in Christ is not a fight to soften the cushion of Western comforts. It is a fight for strength to live a life of self-sacrificing love. It is a fight to join Jesus on the Calvary road and stay there with him, no matter what."
John Piper When I Don't Desire God

MAN-HUG

It's hard to beat a good "man-hug" column.

We've all been there.

THE BIBLE

Chuck Colson makes an argument for teaching the Bible in Public Schools that I had never thought of before.... The Bible has been so influential and has played such a significant part in the Western civilization that any education without a biblical understanding would be incomplete. Basically, to be an educated person, you need an understanding of the Bible. Surprisingly, a panel of major university professors agree with him. Read his article here.

MT.EVEREST

Last week I posted an article about a group of climbers on Mt.Everest who came upon another climber near death and did not offer help. You can read the post here.

Today, Rick Phillips offers further analysis here.

HOME CHURCH PART 2

A friend of mine passed along a great article by Jim Elliff of Christ Fellowship in Kansas City. I think he makes a pretty good case for Home Churches.

JUNE 6, 2006

I have heard several of my co-workers commenting on the fact that today is 6-6-06. Dr. Albert Mohler asks "Is This a Day to Fear?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Put simply, there is no man-made calendar in heaven. The number 666 relates to eschatology, to the character described in Revelation as the beast, and the end of history -- not to the first Tuesday in June. Worry not. Instead, remember the biblical prayer that should always be the Christian's hope and confidence: Even so, Lord come quickly.
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LAST WORDS

Darrin Booker with a collection of death bed sayings from Christian brothers. My favorite, William Carey - "When I am gone, say nothing about Dr. Carey; speak about Dr. Carey's Saviour."

To read the rest, click here.

(HT: Challies.com)

QUOTE OF THE DAY

". . . salvation is the awakening of a new taste for God, or it is nothing".

". . . conversion is the creation of new desires, not just new duties; new delights, not just new deeds; new treasures, not just new tasks."

John Piper When I Don't Desire God

SPORTS LANGUAGE 101

ESPN Columnist Patrick Hruby offers a crash course in Sports Language 101. Some of my favorites


Steelers linebacker Joey Porter, "Big-time players make big-time plays in big games."

Cleveland Cavs forward Drew Gooden, "I've had to overcome a lot of diversity"

Former NFL defensive back Rod Woodson, "we stepped up to the plate and answered the phone,"

Miami Dolphins Head Coach Nick Saban "The record doesn't really matter, the result doesn't matter and the score in the game doesn't really matter. Does that make sense to anybody besides me?"

ESPN Football reporter John Clayton responding to former NFL backup quarterback Sean Salisbury after Salisbury told Clayton "You never played in the NFL" … Clayton responded "Neither did you."

HOME CHURCH

The Washington Post has a very fascinating article on a rapidly growing alternative form of worship.... home churches.

I'm curious what you think the pro's/con's are to this and if it is Biblical?

EMERGING CHURCH

Charles Colson in an article in Christianity Today accurately summarizes one of my primary concerns on the "emerging church"; namely their emphasis on personal or experperiential truth over objective truth. You can read the article here.

FAMILY MEALS

Last week, I posted an article from the Chicago Sun-Times about family meals. Here is a similar article by Time Magazine. Here are some of my favorite parts of the article.



"If it were just about food, we would squirt it into their mouths with a tube," says Robin Fox, an anthropologist who teaches at Rutgers University in New Jersey, about the mysterious way that family dinner engraves our souls. "A meal is about civilizing children. It's about teaching them to be a member of their culture."

That rise may also reflect a deliberate public-education campaign, including public-service announcements on TV Land and Nick at Nite that are designed to convince families that it's worth some inconvenience or compromise to make meals together a priority. The enemies here are laziness and leniency: "We're talking about a contemporary style of parenting, particularly in the middle class, that is overindulgent of children," argues William Doherty, a professor of family social science at the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis and author of The Intentional Family: Simple Rituals to Strengthen Family Ties. "It treats them as customers who need to be pleased." By that, he means the willingness of parents to let dinner be an individual improvisation--no routine, no rules, leave the television on, everyone eats what they want, teenagers take a plate to their room so they can keep IMing their friends.

Beyond promoting balance and variety in kids' diets, meals together send the message that citizenship in a family entails certain standards beyond individual whims. This is where a family builds its identity and culture. Legends are passed down, jokes rendered, eventually the wider world examined through the lens of a family's values. In addition, younger kids pick up vocabulary and a sense of how conversation is structured. They hear how a problem is solved, learn to listen to other people's concerns and respect their tastes. "A meal is about sharing," says Doherty. "I see this trend where parents are preparing different meals for each kid, and it takes away from that. The sharing is the compromise. Not everyone gets their ideal menu every night."

MADDY

My princess.

WAR IN IRAQ

Does the media have a clear agenda when covering the war in Iraq? US News & World Reports Michael Barone says yes.

GOOD BOOKS

Do you enjoy reading good crime novels? P.D. James recommends the following five today in the OpinionJournal.

1. Tragedy at Law
2. The Franchise Affair
3. The Moving Toyshop
4. Murder Must Advertise
5. Dissolution

CHRISTIAN COUNTERFEITER?

Secret Service agents threatened to arrest a Texas man for counterfeiting after a women tried to deposit a tract he gave her designed like a million dollar bill.

Great quote by the maker of the tract "I'm not going to stop printing them... How can you possibly counterfeit something that is not real - a $1 million bill?"

To read the rest of the article, click here.

(HT: The Christian Mind)

JACK BAUER & CHRIST?

I have never seen a second of the hit show 24 but a lot of my buddies at church love it. Mark Driscoll wonders if part of the reason for the success of the show is that the main character Jack Bauer is a lot like Jesus. Here are some of the similarities he sees.

Jack and Jesus are both dudes who worked in construction.
Jack and Jesus have disciples and Jack’s disciples have names like Chloe, Michelle, Bill, and Tony.
Jack and Jesus do not lie and can be trusted to accomplish whatever they promise.
Jack and Jesus both oppose evil and seek to bring forth a glorious shalom world, free of tyranny and evildoers.
Jack and Jesus were both betrayed by a close friend who ended up dying as a result of his sin.
Jack and Jesus are both saviors willing to lay down their life for those they love.
Jack and Jesus were both resurrected from death; Jack was essentially put to death to fool the Chinese government and then resuscitated.

You can read the whole thing here.

I'm curious what those of you who love the show think of this.

IOWA STATE

You have to give new Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard credit. He has guts. Read why here.

BIBLICAL THEOLOGIAN

Capitol Hill Baptist Church elder Thabiti Anyabwile writes on the importance of every Christian church member being a biblical theologian. I am both convicted and in agreement with him on these observations.


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Members of Christian churches continue to think small thoughts of God and great thoughts of man. And this state of affairs reveals that too many Christians have neglected their first great calling: to know their God. Every Christian is meant to be a theologian in the best and most intimate sense of the word. And if churches are to prosper in health, church members must be committed to being "biblical theologians" in whatever capacity they are able.

The Christian who is interested in knowing his God is the Christian who wants to know what God says about Himself in the Bible..... No, the Christian church member who is serious about knowing God is the church member who is committed to the teachings of the Bible about God, because that is where God tells us about Himself
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Thabiti then lists 7 practical ways a Christian can become conversant with the themes of biblical theology.
1. Read a good book on biblical theology.
2. Study the Scriptures thematically.
3. Adopt the New Testament's attitude toward the Old Testament.
4. Study the Old Testament with Jesus and the New Testament in view.
5. Study the books of prophecy in the Old Testament.
6. Know and agree to support your church's statement of faith.
7. Seek doctrinal unity and avoid needless disputes.


To read the rest of the article, click here.

Last month Thabiti wrote an excellent article on Expositional Listening that can be read here.

TOTAL DEPRAVITY

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)

Evidence from our world. Read here.

MT. EVEREST MORALITY

Recently, approximately 40 people climbing Mt. Everest came upon another climber near death. Rather than try and help the man, they continued climbing. In an interesting article in the LA Times, climbers defend their decision not to help the man. Thankfully, not all climbers share this opinion. Myles Osborne, a climber who helped save another climber, offers this


"I could not help but wonder how in any way is a summit more important than saving a life? The answer is that it isn't. But in this skewed world up here, sometimes you can be fooled into thinking that it might be.

But I know that trying to sleep at night knowing that I summited Everest and left a guy to die isn't something I ever want to do. The summit's always there, after all."

COMPANY SOFTBALL

ESPN's Jim Caple with a hilarious article making the point, all I really need to know about my office I learned on the company softball team.

(HT: Vapor in the wind)

SPORTSPICKLE

If you don't check out sportspickle.com reguarly, I would highly recommend it. It is sports satire at it's finest. Here is a sample.


Michael Matz, Barbaro’s trainer, says all the support the horse has received has been much appreciated by the animal, but he’s not sure how much help – if any – they have been to the horse’s recovery.

“Barbaro has to focus his energies on getting healthy right now,” said Matz, “plus, uh, he can’t really read. You know, because he’s a horse. We showed him some of the cards, but he didn’t really seem to acknowledge them, other than blinking a few times and then having three gigantic lumps of crap fall out of his butt onto the floor of his stall. But I think that was just because of his medication, and not in any way to do with the cards. Who knows, though – maybe he’s a magical horse who can read and understands everything that is happening to him. Yeah, that’s probably it.”

The full Barbaro article can be read here.

HOW MUCH DO YOU TALK ABOUT GOD?

Justin Childer's Blog CROSS-eyed is quickly becoming one of my favorites. One of today's posts reminds us that

God likes to be known. He does not desire to be hidden or disguised or assumed. He desires to be made much of with our lips and pens

Read the whole thing here.

SILENCE

Pastor and author Mark Driscoll writes on the gift of silence and the danger in our society of "noise addiction".