A Good Verse for the Eve of a New Year

Go Read Psalm 90.

A reality check as a pathway to wisdom:

"The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away...So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom."

A prayer:

"Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes establish the work of our hands!"

The Decreasing Pleasure of Pornography

"Pornographers promise healthy pleasure and relief from sexual tension, but what they often deliver is an addiction, tolerance, and an eventual decrease in pleasure.  Paradoxically, the male patients I worked with often craved pornography but didn't like it."

Norman Doidge, MD "Acquiring Pornographic Tastes"

A Great Sermon.

I really don't know how to describe the impact of this sermon upon me. I think I could listen to this section daily and still be moved. At times it is difficult because the line of work I am in sells this very dream, and this dream is not the dream. In fact, if it is one's dream, it is the dream of a life wasted. Thank God for this sermon. May I and many others be shaped by this call to hundreds and hundreds of college students...

Reading the Bible (and Calvin) in a Year & Other Links

Have you ever wanted to read a Christian theological classic?  Probably not. Why not try it?  The gentlemen over at ref21 offer a 2009 reading schedule for John Calvin's Institutes of Christian Religion, which is considered one of the greatest books in Christian history.  I am looking forward to doing it this year.  

NFL has some good games this weekend: Favre vs. Pennington, Chargers vs. Broncos.  Chargers are lucky to be in that position, but they have played well down the stretch.  Most other divisions and they wouldn't stand a chance for the playoffs, but weak division ='s a fighter's chance for the playoffs.  Pennington's old team kicked him out for Favre, and now it comes down to a must win for each team for the playoffs.  Favre's Jet's have choked as of late, and Parcell's dolphins have played much better this year with Pennington at the helm.  There are many more great games Sunday as well...

Trueman, again, this time on the economy and idolatry.  That is a must read.

Thinking about a Bible reading plan for next year?  Here are a few recommendations I have enjoyed in the past: Robert Murray McCheyne's has a great plan for reading the OT once and the NT twice, yet requires much committment to stay on plan; the Discipleship Journal plan, recommended by Pastor John Piper, is a good one and helps one finish the Bible in a year without as much reading.  

A few others I haven't tried that look interesting is: A 61 day chronological plan which traces key events and people throughout biblical history.  That looks like a solid one to get a good sweeping view of the Bible.  It could be a great one for mothers with kids who have a hard time committing to the entire Bible in a year or a good one for those who struggle reading the Bible and just want to start somewhere.  One should be able to nail 61 days out of 365, right?  What about a Bible reading plan with the Apocrypha?  Now, I hesitate to call that a Bible reading plan at all, but if you are interested in some other literature held to be of historical importance to Jewish people and held to be inspired by Roman Catholics--give that a shot.  However, the Apocrypha is not canonical and should never be read in the same way as God's Word inspired by the Holy Spirit, rather it should be read carefully and critically just like any other fallible text.

Christmas: The Reason Jesus Came

The apostle Paul tells us the reason Jesus came into the world, and the reason for Christmas:

"The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..." 1 Ti. 1:15

Merry Christmas!

Carl Trueman & Gay and Green

Carl Trueman is a witty and wise theologian who recently has posted thoughts on some of the uprising of the left regarding President-Elect Obama's choice of Rick Warren to take part in his inaguration and the whole issue of the media infatuation with homosexuality.  I encourage you to read some of his posts over at Reformation 21 particularly Rick Warren and the Left and Goodbye Larry King, Hello Jerry Springer!.

"Even if I were not an evangelical Christian, I'd like to think I could see which is the more important matter: stopping the international child sex trade or getting Melissa Etheridge a marriage certificate."

It is frustrating that the two kinds of "justice" the media deems most important is the temperature of the globe and the marriage of homsexuals.  A caring and compassionate individual is one who trumpets the gay and the green.  And if you aren't for the gay agenda, even being green doesn't quite make you caring and compassionate.  

HT: JT

Israel's Land & the Church

The biblical-theological (and even political ramifications) of the the land of Israel is a very controversial subject.  I find the typology of Dr. Bruce Waltke informing, regarding Israel's land and the church and its life in Christ, from a biblical-theological perspective.  He states,

"1.  Both are a divine gift

2.  Both are entered by faith alone

3.  Both are an inheritance

4.  Both uniquely offer blessed rest and security

5.  Both offer God's unique presence

6.  Both demand persevering faith

7.  Both have an already-but-not-yet quality"

An Old Testament Theology, p. 584

The Watchman

In the book of Ezekiel Yahweh calls Ezekiel to be a watchman for the house of Israel.

A watchman by nature watches for the enemy to come. Christopher Wright explains,

"Picture an Israelite village or city in time of invasion, or the army encampment during a military campaign Sentries would be posted by day and night on a tower or some elevated place, and charged with the crucial task of watching for any movements of the enemy. If they spotted any such danger, it was their responsibility to blow a trumpet or horn, or call out loudly, to awaken the rest of the inhabitants or army to the situation." The Message of Ezekiel, p. 65

The watchman simply watches and waits for the movement of the enemy, and then if seen cries out to warn the people of the camp. However, in the book of Ezekiel, there is a twist. The enemy that the camp, the house of Israel, needs to be saved from is God and His judgment, and the one who places the watchman is God Himself. In Ezekiel 3 it is God who sends Ezekiel to warn the people to change lest judgment come. God sets up the sentry to warn the camp of God's own judgment to come.

The prophet is a gift of grace to God's people warning them of coming wrath, and the coming wrath is God's own judgment. God's desire is that His people turn from sin. He does not raid the camp without notice. His heart is that the people turn from sin to Him and listen to the cry of the watchman that He gave to the people. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

The watchman, no doubt, is crying out the negative truth that "judgment is coming!" Yet this negative truth is utterly positive for the people who listen. As the Scripture points out earlier in the chapter, the watchman may have the bitter job of warning the people, but the warning itself is sweet. Without watchman the people perish. Sometimes the sweetest news in the world is warning. Without warning bad news is all there is.

The task of the watchman is simply to sound the alarm and give the message. Wright states,

"What governs the watchman's fate is simply whether or not he fulfills the duty of his posting. He is not judged by whether or not he is successful in persuading the wicked to repent or in dissuading the righteous from backsliding--that is their own responsibility before God. He is judged solely on whether or not he has been faithful in the attempt." The Message of Ezekiel, p. 68

There is nothing worse than an unfaithful and sleeping sentry. No people want passive watchman. Yet, maybe there is something worse: a watchman not sleeping who is actively not fulfilling his task to cry out that the enemy is coming. A lying and deceptive watchman who does not sound the alarm when the alarm needs sounding is even worse. The people of the camp think the enemy is not even close when the enemy is at the door. A sleeping watchman would be severely rebuked by a commanding officer, but a deceitful watchman would be hung.

A good watchman may not be the strongest of warriors--may even be afraid. A good watchman must not be the greatest of fighters, the watchman must simply stay awake watching and deliver the message at the proper time. The history books may not write of faithful watchman, preferring the names of great warriors, but the camp--the people who listen to the cry of the watchman's warning--will always treasure that message and the faithfulness of the messenger in their hearts even if the watchman is never named.

May God raise of faithful watchman, awaken sleeping watchman, and banish deceitful watchman from the posts of the camp.

A Gospel Beating

Tim Keller:

"The gospel is therefore not just the ABCs of the Christian life, but the A to Z of the Christian life.  Our problems arise largely because we don't continually return to the gospel to work it in and live it out.  That is why Martin Luther wrote, 'The truth of the Gospel is the principle article of all the Christian doctrine....Most necessary is it that we know this article well, teach it to others, and beat it into their heads continually."  The Prodigal God, p. 119

I would add to Luther: "Beat the gospel into your own head continuously and persistently."

Celebrity Snot

You can buy Scarlet Johansson's snot for thousands of dollars on Ebay.

Our culture finds value even in the sickly snot of a celebrity.  The culture itself is sick with celebrity.

In many ways this goes for Christianity too.  The church may not sell snot but it definitely sells Christian celebrity.  

Helping Boys Become Men

As a Christian man in this culture with no mark for manhood, Dr. Poythress has a helpful article on how to transition boys to men.  As a married man who is not a father, but is looking forward to being one, these kind of tools are wonderful.

He gives some specific training ideas that he and his wife use like prayer, Bible-reading, finances, etiquette, day-long-retreat with dad, etc.  When the boy is ready they do a celebratory event marking the transition to manhood.

One part that was particularly interesting is this section on how he treats his boys after they become men (keep in mind this is a 14 year-old):

"When our boy becomes a man, lots of changes take place in many areas, some big, some small. As a man, he no longer needs a baby-sitter. He can baby-sit younger children himself. He sets his own bedtime and rising time. He decides when he does his homework and how long he works on it. He decides what TV programs he watches and how long he watches. He can (at first with supervision) teach a children's Sunday school class. He participates in the "family council" when my wife and I discuss, plan, and make important decisions. He can buy and care for his own pet. He excuses himself from the table rather than being asked to be excused. He buys his own clothing, school supplies, and gifts. He pays rent once a month, based on an estimate of his share in the utilities, food, and other costs. And he has an allowance to match these new responsibilities! In addition, if I pay him to do an extra job, I pay him at a going rate-at least the minimum wage, and more than that for jobs that are demanding."

What Love Does Not Mean

A really foolish line from a movie:

"Love means never having to say you're sorry."

Singles Have Kissed Dating Goodbye

NY Times columnist Charles Blow says dating is dead

Sadly, hooking up (casual sex) has replaced dating for most single people.

Blow states,

"Under the old model, you dated a few times and, if you really liked the person, you might consider having sex. Under the new model, you hook up a few times and, if you really like the person, you might consider going on a date."

Repent of Your Righteousness

Tim Keller:

"Pharisees only repent of their sins, but Christians repent for the very roots of their righteousness too." The Prodigal God, 78.

Reconstructed

My blog is back in business.  There are a few things to clean up: like that long list of categories.  I really need to compile those for each post, but that is a bit time-consuming.  I will also get my blog links back up as well. 

I appreciate your visits.  I should be back to posting often.

Still Under Construction

In view of this, here is a Goethe quote:

"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."

A good reminder of the relatively small importance of blogging in life.

The quote goes for theology as well!