Well, here we are in the first days of president elect Barack Hussein Obama. It is to America’s great credit that in less than a generation a race has come from the color bar to the White House. Before anyone gets wrapped up in politics think of what this means and how it happens with order and purpose and under the rule of law. As I said the other day to my children, living in the United States does not mean that you will never live under the rule of someone you do not like. But, more importantly, living in the United States means that this transition will happen peacefully and it will not be permanent. What a country. We are richly blessed. (more…)
Archive for the ‘Truth’
Reading List - November 11th
What’s So Wrong With Halloween?
Demons, Ghosts, Vampires, and monsters of every kind will be walking in small packs around our neighborhoods tomorrow night. How are we as Christians supposed to feel about this? If we think it is “just good fun” are we being unfaithful to our Lord? If we forbid our children from joining in the fun, handing out healthy snacks and Gospel pamphlets instead (or refuse to answer the door … because that’s how holy we are!) … is that really the right thing to do?
The following is a article by James Jordan that I have found to be helpful concerning Halloween. Enjoy.
Concerning Halloween
by James B. Jordan
August, 1996
It has become routine in October for some Christian schools to send out letters warning parents about the evils of Halloween, and it has become equally routine for me to be asked questions about this matter.
“Halloween” is simply a contraction for All Hallows’ Eve. The word “hallow” means “saint,” in that “hallow” is just an alternative form of the word “holy” (”hallowed be Thy name”). All Saints’ Day is November 1. It is the celebration of the victory of the saints in union with Christ. The observance of various celebrations of All Saints arose in the late 300s, and these were united and fixed on November 1 in the late 700s. The origin of All Saints Day and of All Saints Eve in Mediterranean Christianity had nothing to do with Celtic Druidism or the Church’s fight against Druidism (assuming there ever even was any such thing as Druidism, which is actually a myth concocted in the 19th century by neo-pagans.)
In the First Covenant, the war between God’s people and God’s enemies was fought on the human level against Egyptians, Assyrians, etc. With the coming of the New Covenant, however, we are told that our primary battle is against principalities and powers, against fallen angels who bind the hearts and minds of men in ignorance and fear. We are assured that through faith, prayer, and obedience, the saints will be victorious in our battle against these demonic forces. The Spirit assures us: “The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly” (Romans 16:20). (more…)
What the heck …..
Those who read this blog know (I hope) that I suffer from a deep and debilitating addiction. Constantly I battle against this force of nature which, if I am honest, has controlled me as long as I can remember. My addiction has a name, it is Karen, she is my wife. But not just a wife, a tr-athlete, my tri-athlete. At the weekend Karen and a friend competed in a triathlon and Karen made a big progress in all of her times. I am immensely proud of her and deeply jealous. She does what I want to do.
After doing great things as a tri-athlete at the weekend Karen took time off from swimming, running, and biking, to condemn my “Obama tendencies”. I think that she means that I appear to waver from the true blue Republican line. Perhaps. But I contend that where you are on the political spectrum kind of depends on your point of reference. As far as I am concerned the sun rises and sets with Karen, but compared with the mileage eating swim dog that is my wife, Attila the Hun was a tree hugging leftie.
What I really think is kind of summed up in this article from newspaper here in the
And what about those circumstances. Own any shares? Even if you think you don’t you probably do. Know what a “hedge fund” is? I don’t, and I never gave my money to one. But my guess is that you, like me, have some dollars tucked away in a hedge fund that is in the process of being partially or completely liquidated. If you have money in a mutual fund probably some of your money was in “investment vehicles” that had about the same chance of success of you being dealt blackjack at a card table. Kiss goodbye to those dollars. You are probably wondering what is happening in the world in this financial crisis, who isn’t? Let me give you my unifying theory of why we all need to think A LOT about what is happening around us. (more…)
Bible Study - The Choosing
I have tried to convey in my thoughts about Genesis one of its foundational ideas which is, of course, therefore one of the foundational ideas of our faith. It is the idea that God is not passive, he acts, and so acting chooses life for his creation over death and destruction.
The first word after the fall was to the serpent who was told, “because you have done this cursed are you” (Gen 3:14). When God saw the evil of the time of Noah he was sorry he had made mankind and yet “Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord” (Gen 6:8) and when God acted ultimately he would save Noah and command him again to fill the earth, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen. 9:1). Abram too, a good man, seems still to be wandering without purpose until God confronts him in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield, your great reward” (Gen 15:1). And then again when he becomes Abraham and God says, “I am God Almighty, walk before me and be blameless” (Gen 17:1).
If there is just one verse that captures the thread here it is Gen 17:1, “I am God Almighty, walk before me and be blameless”. It shows God acting but it also shows why we must be profoundly grateful for what these mighty acts do in our lives. We walk before God and are blameless because of his mighty acts of salvation. But is it just about God acting, do we do nothing? Consider the story of Jacob.
22That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.”
29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.30So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
It is a strange story isn’t it. This person or thing that Jacob wrestles with seems neither god, nor angel, nor man. Yet it seems that it must be God or and agent of God because only the creator would have the power to change the name of a patriarch (remember Abram to Abraham). So what do we learn from this? (more…)
Why Believe?
Believe in God?
Most people believe in God (even the ones who say they don’t.) Everything around us implies that someone made it. No matter how far you zoom out (the entire universe) or how far you zoom in (the inexhaustible detail of the micro-universes inside every atom) there is amazing design and purpose. It is very difficult to sustain belief for even a moment that all of this happened by chance. None of us believe that given enough time a million monkeys at typewriters would eventually compose the Book of Genesis. Time, plus chance, plus monkeys … just equals a bunch of dead monkeys.
God in Nature
There is evidence surrounding us for the existence of God . Things like the universe having a consistent and purposeful design, it seems as though a creative mind put it all together. Mankind has had a basic moral code that transcends cultures and history, it seems as though we have come from a common creative imagination. History appears to have a progressive and purposeful direction, it seems as though an author has been behind the larger story. It would even seem that we are all inclined to spiritual beliefs and motivated to worship something higher than ourselves. Although all of these arguments can be rationally smashed upon the rocks of philosophy, there is still some nagging truth at the center of these ideas that will not go away, and points us to God.
God Speaks
Of course the general revelation of God through creation is not the end of it. God has revealed Himself through many messengers and prophets. God spoke to Moses through a burning bush, he spoke to many others through angels, He spoke to others in visions and dreams, and through these people He gave us His Word. The Law. The Bible. He gave us specific revelation that tells us who He is, who we are, and how He wants us to live our lives. This is good, because without His specific revelation to us, we humans tend to think that throwing virgins into volcanoes is the best way to worship.
Too Many Gods
Some people will despair at the thought of who the true God is because there are so many different ideas, and who can know which one is right? Let me propose that there are really only two answers to this question, and everything else is a matter of emphasis. Either God is a knowable person, or He is an unknowable abstraction. Either God is the God of Genesis through Revelation (The Jewish God who is fully revealed to us in Jesus Christ), or God is the impersonal pantheon of Hindu manifestations of Brahman. These are the only two choices. Every religion goes back to one of these two, Islam is a Christian heresy and Buddhism is a Hindu atheism, etc. So, don’t fool yourself into pretending that there is no point in seeking God because of all the disorganization of organized religions. (more…)
Running For President
Welcome to the FreakShow
Like everyone else I have been watching the current campaign for president with a combination of disgust and interest that is usually reserved for car crashes and freak-shows. It is a combination of patriotism and self defense that lurks behind my motivations. I am thankful for this country and I want to be proud of our leaders. I also would like to be proud of the actions of our government (this has sometimes been a challenge). At the same time, I am trying to live my life and provide for my family, and the various policies and philosophies of government have left me wondering about the security of our safety, economics, morals and basic freedoms. I would like to believe that a new president could help us recover our national sense of freedom, security and love of country. (I would like to believe it, but I am probably too cynical … how about you?)
Who’s The Man?
Of the two candidates, which one fosters more of a sense of pride in our country? You know … like when you are proud of your dad, or your pastor, or your favorite college professor when they write a best selling book. Like when your brother wins first place in an Ultimate Fighting Championship? Of the two candidates, which one would you willingly follow? If you needed someone to talk to for serious advice, which of the candidates would you want to seek counsel? Strange thought, eh? Here are a few scenarios:
Some Advice
If you wanted financial advice, which candidate do you think would give you information that could really help? Dave Ramsey isn’t running, would either McCain or Obama be helpful at all? Their plans for the national budget wouldn’t work very well for the average American household. They both are proposing socialism to some degree. They are both individually wealthy though, they must have done something right, which one could offer sound advice?
If your pregnant teenage daughter went to each of the candidates (without your knowledge) for advice on whether or not to have an abortion, what would their advice be? Would you agree with them? (more…)