March 15th

Today is the Ides of March. (Whatever that means!)

5 years ago today things changed in my life.

March 15^th, 2002, was a Friday: the last day of spring break. I had just returned home from lunch with my mom and brother. I walked in the door and saw the answering machine light flashing. I pressed the button to check the messages. There was only one. It was my dad.

In the eighteen years of my life up to that point, I had seen my dad cry less than four times. He was a strong pillar in our family. But this time, without even seeing his face, I could hear his voice shaking and could imagine the tears welling in his eyes as he spoke his recorded message. “I just got a call from Dan’s brother Pat. Dan was in a terrible accident about an hour ago. He didn’t survive. The worst part is, the driver of the other vehicle was Dan’s older brother Ray.”

The words “He didn’t survive” were a devastating echo in my mind. “He didn’t survive.” This was the day after I was forced to say goodbye to my girlfriend, not knowing when I’d see her again (because she and her family were moving away to Kansas), and now I was forced to say goodbye to another dear, dear friend, never to see him again in this life.

Dan Mehan was thirty years old the day he was killed. He had been the music leader at our church for the previous five years. He was also my personal vocal coach, mentor, and a close friend. Just the previous summer, Dan and I were co-leaders on a mission trip to Mazatlan, Mexico. The circumstances surrounding his death were bizarre; his own brother was the instrument that sent Dan to eternity. However, there was great peace knowing Dan was now singing with choirs of angels in heaven. Less than two weeks before his death, Dan admitted to a friend that he had finally come to a point in his life where he felt that if God wanted to take him home, he was ready. Dan struggled with the fact that he was thirty and had never been married. But just before he died, Dan saw a glimpse of God’s plan. After he died, the rest of us saw the bigger picture.

There were over a thousand people at Dan’s funeral. Like with the death of my great-grandma, I was compelled to write a song after receiving news of Dan’s passing in honor of Dan and the God he loved. I was asked by Dan’s mother, Rosie, to play and sing this at his funeral. I did with humble gladness. I struggled with the rest of the semester that year. I was a senior looking forward to graduating, but found it difficult to find as much happiness in my life as I had felt when Paige was near and Dan was alive.

Here is the song that I wrote 5 years ago, "Danny's Song":

Oh Danny Boy, we'll miss you friend
And though you're gone I know we'll meet again.
Now you're home and you feel fine,
And all things work in God's time.

You're finally home, you've made it before us,
But we'll meet you there somewhere down the road.
But Dan, we know you won't wait for us
To bow in praise before the throne.

You're singing now with a choir of angels
With a voice that's even greater than the one you shared with us!

And you sing,
Hallelujah to a sovereign God
Who loves us in life and is with us in our deaths;
Creator, Sustainer, and Taker of life--
Let His holy name be blessed!

Oh Danny Boy, it's hard to let you go--
Our eyes will cry but our minds know
Though it seems you're lost, you're finally found
In His arms, on solid ground.

Fear no more, and goodbye pain!
Life and joy evermore the same.
Eternal rest and pleasant songs
Sung by you with angelic throngs.

You're singing now with a choir of angels
With a voice that's even greater than the one you shared with us!

And you sing,
Hallelujah to a sovereign God
Who loves us in life and is with us in our deaths;
Creator, Sustainer, and Taker of life--
Let His holy name be blessed!

While you lived, Christ lived in you;
He was your God, your Savior, too.
And now in Christ you live again
This time dwelling in heaven.
And to Jesus you sing...

Hallelujah to a sovereign God
Who loves us in life and is with us in our deaths;
Creator, Sustainer, and Taker of life--
Let His holy name be blessed!

Death

For those who know me best, you probably know that the subject of death is one that I actually enjoy thinking about and discussing because, in part, it causes me to think about my life, my God, and the destiny that awaits me.

This last week John Piper's father passed from this world into another. Today, his soul rests in heaven.

As I read what Piper wrote concerning his father's last moments on earth and his own personal thoughts at the time of his dad's death--and thereafter--I was deeply moved. More importantly, I was encouraged. It made me think about how much of an impact Christian parents can have upon their children, and how their children may be used of God. I think about men like John Piper who have been used of God to preach, shepherd, write, and teach for the advancement of Christ's kingdom; and I think about the parents of men like these. While some of the parents of great Christian leaders are/were not believers, many men--like Augustine, Spurgeon, Piper, etc.--did have parents who were faithful to introduce their children to a knowledge of Jesus Christ and pray diligently for God to save them. These children grew up to call their parents blessed.

Please take a minute to read Piper's account of his father's death:

Tuesday, March 6, 2007. 2 a.m.

The big hospital clock in room 4326 of Greenville Memorial Hospital said, with both hands straight up, midnight. Daddy had just taken his last breath. My watch said 12:01, March 6, 2007.

I had slept a little since his last morphine shot at ten. One ear sleeping, one on the breathing. At 11:45, I awoke. The breaths were coming more frequently and were very shallow. I will not sleep again, I thought. For ten minutes, I prayed aloud into his left ear with Bible texts and pleadings to Jesus to come and take him. I had made this case before, and this time felt an unusual sense of partnership with Daddy as I pressed on the Lord to relieve this warrior of his burden.

Read the rest of the story here.

Zodiac Movie Reviews

Typically I like to write my own reviews of movies that I've recently seen. However, I came across the following review of Zodiac and found it very insightful and close to my own thoughts of the film.

What would you do if you knew who a serial killer was, but the circumstantial evidence, however strong, was not enough to bring that person to justice? What if you were dealing with a case that had gone cold some time ago, with police exhausting all their leads and options? What if only you were obsessed and persistent enough to pursue this to the end? What if you would have to lose your marriage in order to bring this person to justice? What if your obsession doesn’t find resolution?

Such is the very remarkable story of Robert Graysmith, a cartoonist for a San Francisco newspaper beginning in the late 60s who would not let this matter drop and ended up writing two best selling books on the Zodiac killer. Jake Gylenhaal does a compelling job of portraying this truly obsessed man’s quest for the truth of this matter even after the police had long since given up hope.

The story begins in 1968 when there is a grisly double murder in Vallejo California, and carries on with numerous killings in San Francisco and elsewhere. The killer sends coded messages to the San Francisco Chronicle which Robert is able to decode. We are regaled with Marvin Beli the famous lawyer who goes on TV to try to talk the killer into giving himself up-- all to no avail. But an important clue is given one day when the killer calls Beli. A clue missed by the police is only much later picked up by Robert. In painfully slow fashion the evidence mounts and points in a particular direction.

Continue reading Zodiac review here.

Fearing God

My wife Paige has an uncle and aunt--Bill and Naomi Hayes--who are traveling ministers/evangelists. We were blessed last year to have been able to spend some time with them while they were here ministering to churches in the Valley of the Sun. While Bill preaches mostly within Assembly of God and Pentecostal circles, he is the first to admit that his message is not typical among many Pentecostal preachers. He preaches themes like "Sin," "Repentance," and "Fearing God." He cuts away the fat to get to the meat and preaches the raw truths of Scripture to people, many of whom are used to having their ears tickled with positive, self-esteem-building words.

The following is an email I received last week from Bill on the topic of Fearing God.

Here we are in the Bahamas, more precisely Nassau, where all the hoopla of the Anna Nicole Smith saga is being acted out. I can hardly get any other news on TV than endless reporting of the body and the baby. Who has the jurisdiction of the body and who is the father? It was reported on one of the cable networks that this is what the people want to see and hear in the news; in fact it has doubled some of the stations’ ratings. One network said 80% of Americans are deeply interested in this story. Does that tell us something about our culture today in America?

A repeated statement by news outlets, “Let her be buried next to her son in the Bahamas, so she will find that rest and peace in death that alluded her in life.” What a pagan way of looking at life and death. Jesus gives no such comfort! In Luke 12:18-21 Christ gives us a glimpse of the result of a wrong connotation placed on prosperity,

“And he told them this parable…a certain rich man said, this is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I'll say to myself, 'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.' 20 But God said to him, 'you fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' 21 This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." (NIV)

Here is another example from Luke 16:19ff-- "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day… 22 the rich man also died and was buried. 23 In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away.” Rest in peace! How is it possible? Too late! As the writer of Hebrews states in Heb 9:27 “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” (KJV)

Is it surprising how easy we have made it for men to enter the kingdom of God in modern times? No need for a radical new birth, “Except a man be born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” No need for “REPENTANCE.” Jesus said, “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand.” The first word of the Gospel! What we have today is a new version of “Cheap grace,” a phrase used by Dietrich Bonhoeffer in describing the German evangelical posture during the rise of Hitler. Here is a quote from Bonhoeffer:

“The only man who has the right to say that he is justified by grace alone is the man who has left all to follow Christ. Such a man knows that the call to discipleship is a gift of grace, and that the call is inseparable from the grace. But those who try to use this grace as a dispensation from following Christ are simply deceiving themselves.”

Here in the Bahamas the church, the nation, and even the schools are very religious, “evangelical religious.” They can even pray and read the Bible in the public schools and do! But what do they have to show for it? A nation where crime is even higher then America, the murder rate nearly four times higher then the U.S. Sunday morning a pastor of a Baptist church, four robbers kicked open his door, took everything he had, shot him through the heart while his wife and twin daughters watched. Here is a country where STD’s are rampant and HIV is one of the highest in the west. Where single parented families are the norm, the fathers are not deadbeat dads but “Millstone men,” and yes “Millstone women” too. (Read what Jesus said a millstone man is in Matt. 18:5 & 10.) We in America are embracing a similar “cheap grace” Christianity. The most popular preaching centers in, “Your Best Life Now.” Barbara Walters, in a recent interview with a pastor who proclaims this narcissist Christianity stated, “Your gospel has no sin, suffering or sacrifice in it.” And I might add “And we Christians now love to have it so!” Self-help Christianity centers in, “It’s all about me.”

This book and minister are not the only offenders (he merely sits at the top). Leading Pentecostal magazines have almost nothing about a God who is to be greatly feared by his people and the inhabitants of planet earth, – nothing!! Am I being too hard? I tell the congregations where I minister, “I’m not the hard one; it is you that have no fear of God in your message and life; that is hard!” Then I quote Proverbs 28:14, “Happy is the man who fears the Lord always but he who hardens his heart shall fall into trouble.” Isn’t that where we in the evangelical church find ourselves these days: “IN TROUBLE.” Our families disintegrating, divorce higher among people of faith than those with no faith at all, drugs and alcoholic addictions, STD’s spreading like wild fire and every dilemma of a postmodern era has found itself in the heart of the church. Why? Where is the “Keeping power of His Grace?" Where is the power of the cross?

THE CAUSE FOR THIS TRAGEDY IS...
“The way of peace they have not known, (why?) there is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Rom. 3) Paul the Apostle says this of the world. Today it is characteristic of the church. I am not the only one who is saying this! Henry Blackaby states “The distinguishing characteristic of the church today in America is no fear of God.”

THE CURE...
A revival of the fear of the Lord; God showing up in our churches. A cry from our hearts, “Restore unto us a holy fear of the Lord,” but for that to happen we must have a change of thinking, a realization that indeed God is to be greatly feared.

[bold & italics mine]

Teach Your Children Well

When I was growing up, my parents were very diligent in reading regularly to me and my brother. In doing so, my parents instilled in me from a young age the importance of literature, especially the value of knowing God’s literature, the Bible. In addition to reading Scripture with us, my mom and dad were consistent in introducing us to other quality books, most memorably, Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress and The Holy War, Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, along with countless biographies of men like William Carey, George Mueller, Teddy Roosevelt (“Bully!”), Robert E. Lee, Jim Elliot, and other accounts of God’s providence in the lives of real people in history.

But on top of all of these terrific books, there was one exercise which my parents were dedicated to helping Paul and I do: catechism.

About a year ago I heard Alistair Begg speak at a local church here in Gilbert. In his message that evening he discussed the lack of doctrinal knowledge and spiritual maturity in churches today. He attributed this in part to poor training in Christian homes and in another part to poor preaching in Christian churches. He mentioned the Puritans, and even more recent generations of Christians, and how they were extremely thorough in the doctrinal training of their young people. But somehow in the latter days, children are being raised in homes and churches where there is very little emphasis placed upon theological understanding and training.

I have been to different youth groups, Sunday School classes, Christian school chapekl services, conferences, and churches, and I can truly agree with Alistair Begg’s diagnosis of the problem with youth today. They are not being given a solid, doctrinal foundation upon which to grow spiritually. The Christian leaders in their lives are not working hard to teach even the basics of Christianity to their youth. In other words, the baton is being dropped.

Just last month I attended a conference at which author and speaker Josh McDowell was speaking on a similar topic. He mentioned how the generation of his grandchildren—today’s teens and pre-teens—is being bombarded with postmodern thinking on every front: at school, on television, in Hollywood, in magazines, on the internet, in the news media, at home, and even at church. Spirituality has become little more than a personal feeling, experience, or opinion. Even the fundamentals of the faith are forgotten or ignored. As Pastor Begg accurately mentioned, this is mostly why the Da Vinci Code was such a huge phenomenon for Christians. As he said,
Why do you think so many books were printed for Christians on the subject of Christ’s divinity and the authority of Scripture?
Because so many Christians were confused and bewildered by the ideas that Dan Brown was presenting.
And why were Christians confused?
Because they are ignorant as to some of the most essential tenets of biblical Christianity.
And why are so many Christians so ignorant?
Because the Bible is not properly being exegeted and expounded in by church pastors.

O that parents would teach and pastors would preach the fundamental doctrines of the Bible again!

God has given us so many tools by which we can learn about Him. One of these devices is catechism. Catechism is a systematic way of teaching someone the basic (and not-so-basic) truths of the Bible. A good catechism thoroughly covers topics such as God (His being, nature, attributes, tri-unity, etc.), Christ, sin, repentance, substitutionary atonement, justification, sanctification, God’s Word, heaven, and hell. These are the exact things that Christians need to know, but often don’t. Thus, it’s no wonder so many Christians are afraid to witness to unbelievers—they hardly know what they believe for themselves, how could they share that with someone else? It’s no wonder Christians shrink back in fear when another article or book or movie comes out in an attempt to discredit the deity of Jesus Christ. It’s no wonder young people buy into the philosophies of the day taught to them by their college professors, movies, or magazines. They were never taught by their parents the fundamentals of the faith.

I am so thankful for the biblical education with which my parents blessed me! I thank the Lord that I was warned about Mr. Worldly Wiseman, Vanity Fair, and the Flatterer before I became too set in my ways. I thank the Lord that I was taught to guard Eye Gate, Ear Gate, and Mouth Gate. I thank the Lord for men of character who were moral leaders and examples of godliness. I thank the Lord that I was raised in a good church with sound preaching from caring elders and biblical teaching from loving Sunday School teachers. And I thank the Lord that on at the age of five I was able to share with two Mormon missionaries at our door what the “chief end of man” is.

Please take another moment to read Pastor Tom Chantry’s post on the Benefits of Catechism.


God bless!

Important Iraq Find

Yesterday U.S. forces found a major weapons cache in Iraq. What makes it so important?

...the weapons are from IRAN! (Like we didn't see that coming!)

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- U.S. officers said Monday they had discovered a factory for assembling sophisticated roadside bombs from Iranian-made components _ the first such facility uncovered in a religiously mixed province north of Baghdad.

Read more...

Da Vinci Code, Part Deux

Well, I guess James Cameron wants to share in Dan Brown's infamy. His latest project is similar to Titanic in that it's just another sunken ship (not literally, for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about yet!).

According to a soon-to-be released documentary produced in part by Cameron, archaeologists have found a tomb in which they found bones which they believe to be the physical remains of Jesus Christ.

Instead of going on about this, just check out some other blogs...

James White

Tim Challies

Larry King transcripts

President's Day

[I intended to post this on Monday, but due to technical difficulties, I haven't been able to access the internet from home. Thankfully, however, God has now blessed us with permanent internet capability! SDG]

In an age when Secularists deny that God had anything to do with the founding of this great country, I thought it would be appropriate to post a few quotations from some of America's past Presidential leaders.


George Washington


Excerpt from 1st Inaugural Address:
"Such being the impressions under which I have, in obedience to the public summons, repaired to the present station, it would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge. In tendering this homage to the Great Author of every public and private good, I assure myself that it expresses your sentiments not less than my own, nor those of my fellow-citizens at large less than either. No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency; and in the important revolution just accomplished in the system of their united government the tranquil deliberations and voluntary consent of so many distinct communities from which the event has resulted can not be compared with the means by which most governments have been established without some return of pious gratitude, along with an humble anticipation of the future blessings which the past seem to presage. These reflections, arising out of the present crisis, have forced themselves too strongly on my mind to be suppressed. You will join with me, I trust, in thinking that there are none under the influence of which the proceedings of a new and free government can more auspiciously commence."


Proclaiming the first Thanksgiving Day:
"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor, and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint committee requested me to commend to the people of United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness, now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next, to be devoted to the service of that great and glorious Being, Who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or will be." October 3, 1789


John Adams
"The general principles on which the Fathers achieved independence were the only Principles in which that beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could Unite...And what were these general Principles? I answer, the general Principles of Christianity..." In an 1813 letter to Thomas Jefferson.

"It is the duty of all men in society, publicly, and at stated seasons, to worship the SUPREME BEING, the great Creator and Preserver of the universe. And no subject shall be hurt, molested, or restrained, in his person, liberty, or estate, for worshipping GOD in the manner most agreeable to the dictates of his own conscience; or for his religious profession or sentiments; provided he doth not disturb the public peace, or obstruct others in their religious worship."

John Quincy Adams

Excerpt from Inaugural Address:
"To the guidance of the legislative councils, to the assistance of the executive and subordinate departments, to the friendly cooperation of the respective State governments, to the candid and liberal support of the people so far as it may be deserved by honest industry and zeal, I shall look for whatever success may attend my public service; and knowing that "except the Lord keep the city the watchman waketh but in vain," with fervent supplications for His favor, to His overruling providence I commit with humble but fearless confidence my own fate and the future destinies of my country."


Abraham Lincoln

"I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man All the good from the Saviour of the world is communicated through this Book; but for the Book we could not know right from wrong, All the things desirable to man are contained in it."


"It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, and to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in Holy Scripture, and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord. And, insomuch (sic) as we know that by His divine law nations, like individuals, are subjected to punishments and chastisement in this world, may we not justly fear that the awful calamity of civil war which now desolates the land may be but a punishment inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins, to the needful end of our national reformation as a whole people? We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which has preserved us in peace and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us. It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the offended power, to confess our national sins and to pray for clemency and forgiveness." March 30, 1863


Theodore Roosevelt

"To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society."

Woodrow Wilson


"America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of the Holy Scripture."

Harry Truman



Excerpt from Inaugural Address:

"Steadfast in our faith in the Almighty, we will advance toward a world where man's freedom is secure. To that end we will devote our strength, our resources, and our firmness of resolve. With God's help, the future of mankind will be assured in a world of justice, harmony, and peace." January 20, 1949


"The fundamental basis of this nation's law was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teaching we get from Exodus and St. Matthew, from Isaiah and St. Paul."


Ronald Reagan


Excerpt from 1st Inaugural Address:
"I am told that tens of thousands of prayer meetings are being held on this day, and for that I am deeply grateful. We are a nation under God, and I believe God intended for us to be free. It would be fitting and good, I think, if on each Inauguration Day in future years it should be declared a day of prayer." January 20, 1981







Sources:
http://www.bartleby.com/124/index.html
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/presiden/inaug/inaug.htm
http://www.earstohear.net/Heritage/quotes.html
http://members.tripod.com/~greatamericanhistory/gr02004.htm

http://www.geocities.com/cott1388/valley-forge.html
http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/washington/advice.html
http://www.christiananswers.net/q-wall/wal-g011.html
http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/quotes.htm

BLOGWORTHY

I apologize for the recent lapse in posts. I hate when that happens! But as we all know, sometimes the important circumstances life hit with avengence and one must recognize his priorities.

Since it has been awhile since my last substantial blog, I thought I would make up for it with the following uber-post. As ecclectic it may be, hopefully you will find some interesting reading below. Enjoy!


Hillary: "I'm with Him!"

As we all by now know, Hillary is a frontrunner for the Democratic Presidential nomination. The question that has been begged for some time now, though, is, "What will Hillary do with Bill?"
(Read Michael Medved's thoughts on this matter!)

Now, finally, after weeks of campaigning, Hillary has finally drawn the "King of Hearts" card: her husband.

Read the story.


Obama: "Prince of Peace?"

Another Presidential hopeful, Illinois Senator Barak Obama, is looking to be Hillary's biggest competition in 2008. He's likeable, Liberal, and black! What more could we ask for?

According to DesMoinesRegister.com, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said this of Obama: "Imagine President Barack Obama in the world, as a world leader . . . Diplomacy would work, the world would be more peaceful, and more safe, and a better place to live."
How nice.


But I know for a fact that Australian Prime Minister John Howard isn't too excited about an Obama Presidency! Howard recently expressed his fears of a "President Obama" with regards to the present War in Iraq. Australia has approximately 1,400 troops in the country and would lose its closest military ally if America pulled out as Obama promises to do if he wins in 2008.

In a nationally televised interview on Sunday, Howard said Obama’s plan meant
al-Qaida leaders in Iraq should “be praying as many times as possible for a victory, not only for Obama but also for the Democrats” at presidential elections in November 2008. MSNBC

Here was Obama's response:

“So if he is ginned up to fight the good fight in Iraq, I would suggest that he calls up another 20,000 Australians and sends them to Iraq, otherwise it’s just a bunch of empty rhetoric.”

Sounds like the would-be U.S. President already has a great start in the international diplomacy department!


Anna Nicole Smith

[I wasn't even going to mention this until I came across a good blog on the subject.]

As you know, she died. My first reaction: "So what?"

But here is a great article to remind us of the dangers of Vanity Fair and our desperate need of a God's grace. Here's a sneak-peak:

Everything that she wanted she had, and everything that she had led to her
death. Such is the story of a life wasted by the world, ruined by its supposed
benefits, duped by its fleeting promises. What did Anna Nicole need?
She needed the gospel.
She needed forgiveness of sins.
She needed a man who could tell her all that she ever did.
She needed to hear the words, “Go and sin NO more.”
She needed Jesus.

Romney's Announcement

And here's another one.

Massachusetts' Republican Governor Mitt Romney gave the official word yesterday that he will be one of many other Republican candidates running for President in '08.

But he's Mormon. Will that matter?...You bet!

I'm anxious to see what becomes of this guy!

Alistair Begg, Prayer Request

It has been recently reported that Pastor Alistair Begg has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Here is his personal note on Truth For Life's webpage.

For many of us, Alistair Begg has been used of God to minister to our hearts and minds. Let us pray that God will heal and protect Pastor Begg physically and encourage him so that he may continue the important work to which God has set him!

"I'll Love You on Sundays"

I’ll love you on Sundays
But tomorrow is Monday
And Mondays are rough days
And love is the last thing on my mind during football.

I’ll love you on Sundays
But Tuesday’s still early
In the week and at work:
I’m so tired and stressed out I don’t have love to give.

I’ll love you on Sundays
But it’s hard when it’s Hump-day
And my spouse calls from home
Wanting my love when I’m feeling out of love already.

I’ll love you on Sundays
If Thursday is easy
But if the house keeps falling down
I still may not be loving by the time it is Sunday.

I’ll love you on Sundays
And maybe Fridays and holidays
When my spirits are happy
And I’m not thinkin’ about my job, my boss, or yard.

I’ll love you on Sundays
If Saturday’s a good day,
But if Saturday’s a dump-day
It will be awfully hard to show much love at church.

I’ll love you on Sundays
At most, but that’s it!
Because the week’s full of work
And there’s so little time to love, but I’ll try to be nice.

© David J. Giarrizzo
January 30, 2005

Cultural Contradictions...

Robin over at Cigar Theology posted a very thought-provoking citation from a book by Edward Donnelly entitled Heaven and Hell.

Here's the excerpt:

"Contemporary society is in a state of ethical chaos. Imagine a group of young professionals enjoying a meal in any big-city restaurant. Not an eyebrow will be raised if someone mentions that they have recently had an abortion. A reference by another to their same-sex partner will elicit no disapproval. But if one of the party were to light a cigarette in a no-smoking section of the restaurant? Shock, horror, unanimous disgust! Is exhaling tobacco smoke more reprehensible than sexual perversion or killing an unborn child? Are such people competent to make moral judgments, to decide how God should deal with sin?They cannot even distinguish between wickedness and bad manners." (pg 25)

Dennis Prager once discussed a similar topic on his radio show when he posed the hypothetical question to parents: "If your child were addicted to one or the other, which would you rather your child be addicted to--television or tobacco?" (paraphrased). He said that a great number of parents that he spoke with on this topic were quick to respond with "Television."

Interesting.

What do YOU think?!

Birth Control

I have come to realize that this subject is much more controversial among Protestant Evangelicals than I originally thought! But whatever your opinion on the topic of birth control, here's another good read by Tim Challies.

I would say that this post is more of a discussion-starter than any kind of comprehensive answer. And with that in mind, I think Tim does a fair job of opening another can of worms!

C.S. Lewis on Love

My good friend Stephen over at Vigilant Studios recently posted this C. S. Lewis poem on the topic of love. I liked it, so I thought I would link to it.
Check out his site when you have a chance. He's got a lot of cool stuff there, especially his photography and design work.

Happy Lord's Day!

Pastors

"Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor...." I Timothy 5:17a

I just came across another great post from FIDE-O: How Much Is Your Pastor Worth?

As the son of a pastor, I think I may have a better idea than most of what is truly required of a pastor. I remember my dad telling the story of one young boy in our congregation who excitedly told my dad, "Pastor John, when I grow up I want to be a pastor like you!" With a smile on his face, my dad replied, "Well that's great! But why do you want to be a pastor?" The child was quick to respond with "Because I'll only have to work one day a week!"

All joking aside, I think that a lot of people in the church today are much like this young boy: ignorant to what the role and responsibilities of a pastor are.

A pastor is a shepherd--an under-shepherd of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd--whose duty it is to watch over, protect, and feed Christ's sheep, the Church. A pastor's job isn't preaching; it's shepherding the flock. Yes, while that does involve the corporate proclamation of God's Word ("feeding the sheep"), standing in the pulpit is but a part of the many duties of a pastor. It is the personal interaction that truly makes a man a shepherd. I mean, there are a great many preachers in the Church, but I would guess that only a portion of them are shepherds. A pastor who truly shepherds his flock is one that knows his members by name; who meets with church families in their homes and has families over to his; who teaches and disciples the members with love and truth. Sometimes a shepherd must use the curved crook in his staff to discipline the sheep and bring them back to the fold. Other times the shepherd must warn the sheep of impending danger. And other times the shepherd must simply comfort and calm the sheep.

I've met men in my life who have referred to themselves as pastors and yet were extremely unfriendly and did very little to reach out to the flock. Instead, it was if their goal was to wow their listeners with their big words and "deep thoughts" from the pulpit. But once they stepped down from the pulpit, the magic was gone and they were just ordinary men with no right to be calling themselves pastors.

The job of a pastor is unlike any other occupation in life. It is not one that is sought after or applied for. A man who intends to be an under-shepherd of Christ does so only after receiving a divine calling from God to the pastoral ministry. A certain pastor once told a inquiring young man, "If you are having a difficult time deciding whether to pursue the ministry or some other occupation--choose the other!"

The role of a pastor is serious and his responsibilities difficult. It is not something to be considered lightly. (And for those of you still wondering, a pastor does in fact work more than just on Sundays!!)

I think that if church members were truly in tune with their pastor as a person and what exactly he does--(for them)--local church bodies would be generally healthier. I wish I had the time and energy to conduct some sort of survey of church members across the country to find out how many actually know their pastors. I would ask 2 questions: 1.) What do you believe to be your pastor's responsibilities? and 2.) How well would you say you know your pastor personally? (Go ahead and take a moment to ask yourself these questions.)

In conclusion, I know first-hand how difficult the job of a pastor is at times (in fact, a lot of times!). With this in mind, allow me to list just 2 things that each of us can do to help make our pastor's job easier:

First, as Hebrews 13:17 says, "Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you."

And second, let us regularly lift up our pastors in prayer. Pray that the Lord would be gracious to our pastors, keeping them from sin and giving them wisdom and discernment as they seek to guide and feed and protect us, the flock!

I welcome your comments.

McDonalds

Look!...Now Americans can get fat at McDonald's any hour of the day, everyday of the week!

Actually, despite my tongue-in-cheek humor, I'm quite pleased by the news! There have been various occasions when I would have paid a hefty price for a Sausage McMuffin Meal ®(with Hashbrown, of course!) around 4 in the morning. Now, that wish can become a reality!!

Also, McDonald's coffee is in the news too! According to Consumer Report, McDonald's coffee outranks even Starbucks!

Again, whoever conducted that study didn't consult me!

(Starbucks is still better!...Right, Rusty?)

Retreat Isn't an Option!!

“Perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages.”
George Washington

Amidst the popular news media's continual assaults against the war in Iraq, there are those few sages who properly speak out in favor of the US troops and their important mission.

Liz Cheney is one of those spokespersons for freedom.

In her article in the Washington Post, she addresses the incessant anti-war propaganda spouted off by...well, just about everyone on the Left and in the media (and now even some Republicans, too!). The following are some of her astute observations about this war we are in.

• Quitting helps the terrorists.
• Beware the polls.
• Retreat from Iraq hurts us in the broader war.
  
• Our soldiers will win if we let them. Read their blogs. Talk to them. They know that free people must fight to defend their freedom.
  
• We must be in it to win.

In the President's State of the Union address last week, I believe he truly got to the core of the matter with the following:

In the mind of the terrorist, this war began well before September the 11th, and will not end until their radical vision is fulfilled. And these past five years have given us a much clearer view of the nature of this enemy. Al Qaeda and its followers are Sunni extremists, possessed by hatred and commanded by a harsh and narrow ideology. Take almost any principle of civilization, and their goal is the opposite. They preach with threats, instruct with bullets and bombs, and promise paradise for the murder of the innocent.

This war is more than a clash of arms -- it is a decisive ideological struggle, and the security of our nation is in the balance.

But our nation's Lefties, along with the popular news media, do not understand this fact: that America is not fighting a national people but an ideology! The Islamo-facist against whom we wage war hates us--not because of anything we did to them, but because it is a part of their religious worldview to hate the Infidel!

And this is why America cannot hesitate, slack off, or give up in its fight against these terrorists who have held Iraq--and much of the Middle East--hostage for far too long.

Ladies and gentlemen: On this day, at this hour, it is still within our power to shape the outcome of this battle. Let us find our resolve, and turn events toward victory.

Amen, Mr. President. AMEN!

Let the political pundits and common bandwagoneers (some with whom I am personally acquainted) say what they will. But at the end of the day, after the car bombs cease and the dust settles again in Baghdad, I believe that President Bush will be positively remembered for his lonely stand to defend the freedom of the Iraqi people and to ensure America's continued protection from terrorism.

At least the Iraqis will thank him.


For some well-written thoughts on the importance of the war against terrorism, read the following articles:

"No Third Way in Iraq"

"Turning Surge into Victory"

Here is a site with some pictures from the war. [Warning: Some of these photos are graphic!]

Laser-beams & Plasma-bombs

Interesting news about our Asian..."allies"?

Washington Times:
The anti-satellite weapon was identified by U.S. government officials as a nonexplosive "kinetic kill vehicle," which destroys its target simply by colliding with it.
...The report, produced by defense analyst Michael Pillsbury, revealed that China has plans for secret space weapons that include ground-based lasers, air-to-space missile interceptors and an exotic plasma bomb that would destroy orbiting satellites by enveloping them in an electronic cloud.

Illustration courtesy of Telegraph.co.uk

Don't Lose Heart, Republicans!

Here's a little "lift" for those Republicans who have been recently overwhelmed by the late, negative news of the Democratic Left (i.e. Hillary's news media monopoly) and pejorative opinion polls on topics like Bush and Iraq.

2008 is still a long way off, and a lot can happen between now and then.

(Thanks again for the reminder, Michael!)

Featured Hymn #1

For the last few years our church has been faithful in introducing a "new" or relatively unfamiliar hymn to the congregation each month. After the first of the year, we take one Sunday evening service to sing all twelve hymns that were featured the previous year. Beginning with this post, I plan on featuring various hymn lyrics that may or may not be known to my readers. But I pray that the words of each featured hymn-writer--whomever he or she might be--will encourage, convict, and/or teach your heart. Enjoy!

Send Thou, O Lord, To Ev'ry Place

Words: Ma­ry Cor­ne­lia Bi­shop Gates, 1890.
Courtesy of The Cyber Hymnal

Send Thou, O Lord, to every place
Swift messengers before Thy face,
The heralds of Thy wondrous grace,
Where Thou Thyself wilt come.

Send men whose eyes have seen the King,
Men in whose ears His sweet words ring;
Send such Thy lost ones home to bring;
Send them where Thou wilt come.

To bring good news to souls in sin;
The bruised and broken hearts to win;
In every place to bring them in
Where Thou Thyself wilt come.

Thou Who hast died, Thy vict’ry claim;
Assert, O Christ, Thy glory’s name
In every place to bring them in
Where Thou Thyself wilt come.

Gird each one with the Spirit’s sword,
The sword of Thine own deathless Word;
And make them conquerors, conquering, Lord,
Where Thou Thyself wilt come.

Raise up, O Lord the Holy Ghost,
From this broad land a mighty host,
Their war cry, “We will seek the lost
Where Thou, O Christ, wilt come.”