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I'm being interviewed by Nick at NickQueen.com (formerly Patriot Paradox). If YOU want to be interviewed HERE, leave me a comment, and I'll ask the questions -- I'm taking the first three. Answer them on your site, and offer to interview people too!
I'd describe myself as a complete geek. Roleplaying games (pencil and paper with real dice, thankyouverymuch), Star Trek (all of them!), computers, the works. I'm also a devout reader -- given a choice between reading and watching a movie, I'll read any day. I'm also devoted to my family, especially my daughter.
My wife would say about the same thing, but she'd probably add something about how obnoxious I can be, and also how lazy I can be.
hmmmmmmmmm.
Q. How many KJVOnlies does it take to change a light bulb?
A. "That's the problem with these liberals today. They want you to think that that light bulb -- the one that was good enough for Paul and Barnabas, needs to be changed. They want to take away your light, friends! WHy, I was in the hardware store the other day, and you should have SEEN the number of different light bulbs that they had there. You know why they want you to change that bulb? It's simple -- money. Not ME, friend! I'm NOT CHANGIN' that old light bulb."
My very first job, I worked at a kennel. BIG one, had something like five different buildings for the dogs to stay in. 8 AM every day, I was there shovelling out what the dogs had done the night before. Did that until noon. THEN we had to walk the dogs. ALL AFTERNOON. The walking wasn't bad -- it was the cleanup in the morning that really got to me.
Returning to the Cruise today, I decided to take a look at the top five blogs mentioned on the "Church Directory" (the Evangelical Outpost list).
It sure has taken them long enough!!
And it's a pretty fair assesment of the religious blogosphere, including references to Jewish, Muslim, and Mormon blogs in addition to the Catholic and Protestant blogs.
SmartChristian gets a plug for GodBlogCon2005, meeting at Biola this year. WISH I could go, but it's going to be in the middle of school season, so I'll either be teaching (actually substituting) or in class myself at Southern. Maybe next year.
Joe Carter is mentioned, of course, as is Blogs4God.
Head over there and read it -- encourage the NYT to interact with our community!
(It's BACK! Did you miss it?)
March 5, 1797.
Henry Nott arrives in Tahiti to begin his missionary work. Twenty-two years later, he rejoices in his first convert.
How many of us would have that kind of patience? How many of us would stay in a country to minister after all those who came with us were killed by the natives? How many of us would have stuck with it?
We live in a society that demands instant results. We have microwaves because we can't wait for our food to cook. The other day, I saw microwaveable peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches in the freezer section at the grocery store. My wife assured me that they are not a new thing. It takes longer to nuke the sandwhich than it does to spread peanut-butter and jelly on bread!!
We have the internet so we can communicate instantly with anyone, no matter where they are. My first modem was a 300 baud modem for my Commodore 64. I still have it somewhere. Now I have a cable modem that gets me information almost instantly. And in another ten years, THAT will probably be too slow.
We are a people who cannot wait. And some things require patience -- like evangelism. God does not work in our time, even though we expect Him to. We need the patience of a Henry Nott, and we will see change.
Nott's first convert? King Pomare II, one of the most violent men in the world at that time. His conversion changed Tahiti forever. You never know who you can reach, if only you don't give up.
Just got back from hearing David Ring at First Baptist Ironton, OH. If you EVER think that you can't do something God has called you to do, or start feeling sorry for yourself because of some problems you are facing, go hear him speak. In fact, even if you don't ever feel that way, you should hear him speak anyway.
From the website:
Few individuals have felt the crushing blows that have besieged David Ring since birth. He was born to lose. On October 28, 1953, in Jonesboro, Arkansas, David was born with cerebral palsy. Orphaned at age 14, he was cast about from family to family, with nowhere to call home. He endured constant physical pain, humiliating public ridicule and constant discouragement. Yet in the face of these seemingly insurmountable obstacles, David emerged not victimized...but victorious! Life was worse than hopeless to him until his relationship began with Jesus Christ who taught him self respect and an acceptance of his physical challenges. To most, physical challenges of this magnitude would prove to be a tombstone. For David, his coming of age was and remains a milestone.I've heard a lot of motivational speakers in my life. David Ring is the best. And as far as preaching goes -- there's not a lot of theology in his message, but you will leave revived and ready to do whatever you are called on by God to do. And every time you come up with an excuse to NOT do something, you'll hear David Ring in the back of your head, prodding you. "I have cerebral palsey -- what's your excuse?"
I like the "top five" thing I did yesterday, so I'm going to do the same thing. The first five blogs listed in the Church Directory.
Don't forget to head over to Mind and Media. Stacy's set up this blog to promote Christian authors, film makers, etc. If we're really going to engage this culture, we are going to have to do it through the arts and through the media.
We live in a culture and a society that focuses a LOT of attention (not to mention money) on the media. The media has a lot of influence. It stands to reason that a Christian influence in the media is going to make a real difference in our culture -- as long as the Christian media and art we are producing is of a high quality.
That's another part of what Stacy's doing over at M&M. She's distributing some of the products she gets (books, video, etc.) to bloggers, who review what she's sending out. And we're not going to be nice just because we're getting free stuff! If I don't like something, you'll know about it. Of course, I will let Stacy know first, and see if she wants to give the thing to someone else to review. But there will be several bloggers reviewing each book/video, so if you get a bunch of bad reviews, you'll be warned. And if there are a bunch of good reviews, you'll know to run out and buy the thing!
And I will be doing the reviews here. The Pew Reviews blog that I started is, I think, going to die a slow, quiet death. When I started it, I had time to do two blogs -- now I barely have time to do one. I'll keep it up, because there are some reviews up there, but new reviews will be here. I get to keep my sanity that way (what's left of it, anyway)!
Same format today. I'll probably NOT do the cruise on Thursday or Friday, because of school, but every other day, it will be here.
The New York press seems to have attracted a cadre of top-notch Christophobes. Nicholas Kristof, of course, has taken on this issue before (and I took him to task for it as well). Now that paragon of tolerance Bill Moyers has taken another shot at the faithful, in the form of a New York Review of Books article titled "Welcome to Doomsday."
Moyers starts with the typical "I can't believe people actually believe the Bible is true" statement. Then he slams Christians for their "take dominion over the earth" philosophy before admitting that many Christians are fairly conservationistic when it comes to the environment. See, we realize that the command God gave Adam and Eve implies that we should take care of what we have, make the best use of it that we can, but not to trash the place. See, the idea of stewardship means that you manage your resources so that they will be of use to you for a longer period of time than they would be if they were left to themselves. I would hazard a guess that the majority of Christians (and not a slim majority at that -- perhaps as much as 85-90%) would say that poluting is wrong, and that we are commanded to take care of what God has given us. Of course, if you read Moyers, you'd think that this was a new idea, championed mainly by the Christian left.
Then he embarks on a quest to explain Christian eschatology to his readers. You may not have known this, so brace yourselves -- most of us agree with Lehaye and Jenkins. Those who don't really don't matter to folks like Moyers and Kristof, because they don't fit the stereotype. And, as I mentioned before, the characterizations of Christians who are pretrib dispensationalists are incredibly unfair and uninformed. Moyers has spent a lot of time reading books about people he doesn't like, written by people who agree with his assesment. Maybe he should actually talk to a few people, and find out what they actually believe, and not what the latest Newsweek poll says they believe.
Moyers DOES introduce an earth-shattering factoid in his column that may just rock the foundations of dispensational eschatology -- the word Rapture never appears in the Bible! GASP!!!! Next thing you know, he'll be critical of Christians' belief in the Trinity, since that word isn't in the Bible either. He obviously has no clue about the purpose of theology, and can't really be bothered to find out.
For about the millionth time, let me explain something to everyone. Pretrib dispensationalists do NOT think they are making Jesus come faster. They believe that Jesus is going to show up whenever HE wants to, and we'd better be about our business while we wait, so He isn't ticked at us when He gets here. Premillenialists in general believe that. I'm not as familiar with post-mil or a-mil eschatology, but it seems that one of them teaches that we bring about the millenial kingdom -- something that Reconstructionists agree with. There are no pre-mil Reconstructionists -- and Reconstructionists don't agree with LaHaye and company.
Of course, it's much easier to just rag on people, without actually finding out the facts about them. After all, Bill Moyers does it, and he's a "respected journalist." Maybe next time he wants to write about evangelicals or fundamentalists, he'll actually go out and find a few, and talk to them, rather than misrepresenting their beliefs and insulting everyone's intelligence.
(TWO in one 'week'! You'll get spoiled, I know you will ...)
March 7, 1274.
A man who is arguably the best theologian of the Middle Ages, Thomas Aquinas, died this day at 48. Aquinas adapted the writings of Aristotle to Christianity (for good or ill), in the process engaging Averroists in both Christianity and Islam in debate. His Summa Theologiae is still studied by students of all denominations all over the world. His teachings on the relationship between faith and are still studied (and are the subject of the next 'Faith and Reason' segment that I am working on).
Aquinas wasn't always this popular. His classmates thought he was stupid -- they called him a "dumb ox." His aristocratic family thought he was throwing his life away. Nobody thought he would ammount to anything.
They were wrong. The full impact of this man's theology and philosophy cannot be measured even today, but it is safe to say that the Roman Catholic Church, at the very least, would be vastly different in teaching and practice without him.
An outstanding resource on Aquinas can be found here.
This has been a hectic week, with midterms coming up at school and everything, so I've been abit slack. NOT all of it is my fault, though -- had a great post done on the Ten Commandments, and Blogger ate it. I was so frustrated that I stopped and went to sleep. Maybe I'll repost it this weekend.
I plan on having something up this evening; I have two or three things rolling around in my head, and I still have to do some more on the Mark study.
Head over to Dignan's and read his post about the Religious Right(tm), and tell me he doesn't sound a lot like me -- just more eloquent. I haven't had some of the experiences he's had (like the Jay Sekulow episode), but I DID attend Jerry Falwell University (aka Liberty University), so I probably have a few that he hasn't had.
Laws change behavior -- sometimes. But we're not commanded to change attitudes. We're commanded to preach the Gospel, and let God change hearts. That will do more to change things than anything we can do politically. We should be aware of what is happening in Washington DC, and how it will effect us daily. We should support laws that we agree with, and oppose laws that we disagree with. But on many things, there is no distinct Christian position. Good Christians are on all sides of just about every political discussion, and we tend to question someone's salvation just because of their stand on the marriage ammendment, or whether they send their kids to a public school ("secular humanist bootcamp"), etc. Not only is that totally incorrect, it's unbiblical. And it's causing unnecessary division in the body of Christ.
There are some political decisions that a Christian worldview will influence in a specific direction. NAFTA, the WTO, speed limits on interstates, the ballanced budget ammendment, and things like that are not among those decisions.
No, not the 70's sitcom -- I'm talking about what's happening around here!
First of all, I'm back in the Best of Me Symphony. Head over there and read all the great posts (including one from Nick Queen himself).
SPEAKING of Nick Queen -- (and I was going to make this a separate post) I am returning to the King of the Blogs competition to reclaim my throne, and become the only King to rule nonconsecutive weeks (which I guess would make me the Teddy Roosevelt of Blog Kings). Head over to the KotB page and be sure to vote for me, and make sure that you trackback to the right post!
So, I'm planning this dinner party to celebrate my return to the KotB competition (a la Teddy Roosevelt) and my subsequent victory (a la Grover Cleveland). And I'm going to invite a few people, and we're going to have a great time -- dinner, conversation, dessert, all that. Now all I have to do is figure out who to invite. . .
I'd invite Songstress, but I'll probably be serving one of her recipes, and I know it won't be nearly as good as it is when she makes it at home. Pietro is probably working late to keep us all safe, or he'd be a definite invite. Harvey isn't judging anymore, but I'd invite him just for the chicks he'd draw. And I need to kiss up to the new guy (who is a new addition to my blogroll, by the way!), so the Ogre would be at the top of the list, too. And you know, they all deserve to be there. But having them all over to my place, and feeding them the wonderful cuisine that my wife and I can prepare would be just SOOOOO unfair to the other pretenders .... Heck, I'll do it anyway. Oh. We only have place-settings for four. Sorry guys. Maybe after I win the crown, we'll go buy some more Chinet.
Let's face it; the point of this dinner is networking. I want to get attention and hits. Who should I invite? The man who wrote the book on blogging, of course -- Hugh Hewitt himself. Pointers AND probably a link -- what could be better?
Since this is clearly fiction (like Hugh Hewitt would show up at my house for dinner. He can get beanie weenies anywhere!), and since I'm really looking for some publicity, I'd probably get in touch with the guy who came up with Apple's 1984 commercial. Think about it -- the commercial says nothing, never even shows you what it's advertizing, and 20 years later is still shown every time they talk about Super Bowl commercials. This guy is a genius -- if he could con people into buying Macintosh computers, he can get people to read my blog.
I've got one more place setting left (unless you count the Dora the Explorer bowl, cup, and silverware as a place setting), so I'm going to go all out and pick someone unexpected. Someone who has never heard of a blog, but would have put them to great use if they had been available in his time -- Thomas Payne. Yea, I don't agree with his outlook on everything -- he's a deist, after all -- but can you imagine what he'd have done with the Internet and a blog? Even the Instapundit his own self would be playing second fiddle to Payne.
And of course they would all tell me how fitting it is for me to be the first King to leave the throne and then return, just like Arthur.
And I'm NOT talking about the Cap'n, either. I'm getting clobbered in the KotB voting, and though I didn't need those points in the past, I WANT them this time. I lost the last time by something like a half a point, so I want some cushion.
So I come to YOU, my loyal readers, with hat in hand, to ask, implore, and otherwise BEG you to go to the KotB site and vote for me. AND post something nice about me on your blog, and trackback to this post (the trackback is http://blog.mu.nu/cgi/mt-tb.cgi/70912, just to make it easy on you all).
Make me the first King to ever serve two non-consecutive terms. Just like my idol, Grover Cleveland.
He WAS the guy on Sesame Street, right?
The Feast Day of St. Patrick. Today is known more now for drunken revelry than any celebration of the actual life of St. Patrick, so I figured I'd post something historical and devotional -- even though most scholars say that it's too late for it to be attributed to Patrick. It definitely reflects his spirituality, and so I include it today. Besides, it's an awesome example of devotional poetry, and I think more people need to know about it.
There are a number of great translations available; I've chosen the one I found here, since it seems the most complete. It also begins "I bind unto myself" rather than "I rise today" -- the more accurate translation.
The strong name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.
I bind this day to me for ever,
By power of faith, Christ's Incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan River;
His death on cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;
I bind unto myself today.
I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the Cherubim;
The sweet 'Well done' in judgment hour;
The service of the Seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.
I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.
I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, his shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.
Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.
Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death-wound and the burning
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till thy returning.
Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
I bind unto myself the name,
The strong name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
salvation is of Christ the Lord.
We need to bind to ourselves daily the power of God. Patrick is claiming the power of God on his life, to protect and sustain him through any difficulty. And Patrick had difficulty in his life and ministry. According to legend, Patrick used this prayer (or lorica) to excape druids who were trying to kill him. As he passed, all the druids saw was a deer -- for this reason, the breastplate has also been called The Deer's Cry. The dating of the prayer makes this story a bit of a problem (since it claims to have been written "in the time of Loeghaire, son of Niall," which puts it well after the time of Patrick. It is obvious, though, from a study of his life that St. Patrick was protected time and again by God.
{edit}For a great biographical sketch of Patrick, go here.
I get a lot of grief at times about my love for history. Not even just church history -- that has only started in the past five years or so. I've always loved history. People wonder what good it could possibly be to read things written by dead men. A quote from Andrew Fuller:
It becomes Christians to bear positive good-will to their country, and to its government, considered as government, irrespective of the political party which may have the ascendency. We may have our preferences, and that without blame; but they ought never to prevent a cheerful obedience to the laws, a respectful demeanour towards those who frame and those who execute them, or a ready co-operation in every measure which the being or well-being of the nation may require.That's from a sermon that he delivered over 200 years ago, when Britain was at war with France. It is no less true today.
Of course, Fuller was a Baptist, so that automatically disqualifies him from having anything relevent to say politically, right? Especially from the pulpit, and especially if it's motivated by Scripture, right? Isn't that what Americans United teaches us?
Here we go, on this whirlwind trip through my blogroll.
My best efforts failed me. Well, I can't really say they were my best efforts, but in any case, I didn't get the crown back. Congrats to the new King of the Blogs, GMs Corner. I didn't even get close this time -- I came in dead last.
Voting wouldn't have saved me. Trackbacks wouldn't have saved me. The new layout would probably have saved me -- I got gigged for my site design by one of the judges.
But it's a fun competition -- I encourage everyone to try it out. If nothing else, you get blog hits from it, and maybe some new readers.
The Liberty University women's basketball team, the 13th seed in the Chattanooga region of the NCAA Women's tournament, upset the #4 seed Penn State Lady Lions last night. This is only the fourth time that a 13 seed has beaten a 4 seed in tournament history.
The Lady Flames have been Big South champions for the past 9 years running, but have normally been given a 16 seed -- a real disappointment last year after beating teams like UVa.
As an LU graduate, I just had to brag a bit about the Lady Flames basketball team. The men's team has been to the dance twice, once losing to UNC and losing last year to St. Johns. The women have become a fixture in the tournament, but this is the first year they get to advance. And according to the ESPN poll (as of 12:20 Eastern, anyway), they are favored to make it to the Sweet 16. They take on #5 DePaul on Tuesday at 7 PM in College Park, MD. GO FLAMES!!
The scene: Larry King Live.
The Question: Do you understand how they feel? [Concerning Terri Schiavo's parents and family]
The Answer:Yes, I do. But this is not about them, it's about Terri. And I've also said that in court. We didn't know what Terri wanted, but this is what we want...
It's all about what he wants -- not about what Terri ever wanted. One moment of truth in the midst of a sea of deception.
I wonder if the MSM will pick this one up, or if it's up to the blogosphere again.
{MAJOR Hat tip to Nick at NickQueen.com, where you can find a more complete transcript that shows you the context of the question and the answer.}
So we got Duke and the Great Pie War from my Mom today. Halfway through, I'm a little disappointed, and a little upset.
Story of Moses -- Miriam is an irresponsible kid who leaves her brother in the river because she has to get out to let the princess swim. TOTAL mischaracterization of Miriam, and a rather large rewrite of the story. All to make it fit with the theme -- loving your family.
Seems to me they could have done the story right, and still made it fit the theme. And it seems like they are simply tacking a Bible story on with the video anymore -- the Bible isn't the focus. Maybe that's to make the videos more "accessible" to "main stream culture," I don't know. I'm not thrilled.
That said, the "main story" is (so far) pretty good. Overall, I'd give this one a 8 out of 10. (Jonah was a 10, The Ballad of Little Joe was a 9.5, just for comparison purposes.) Once I finish watching the movie, I'll talk a little more about it -- I'll just edit this post.
{Edit} == OK, now that I've seen the whole thing, it's pretty clear that the "main story" is Ruth and Boaz. That's what I get for starting my review while Larry Sings the Blues is still on. And that segment was pretty good, but the old Silly Songs were funnier. And I still don't like the characterization of Miriam. I have edited my original rating from 7.5 to 8. I definitely recommend watching the video with the director's commentary.
And he called the people to him again and said to them, "Hear me, all of you, and understand:There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him." He who has ears to hear, let him hear. And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, "Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him,since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?" (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles him.For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person." (Mar 7:14-23 ESV){NOTE: Verse 16 is omitted in most modern translations. I have added it in italics so that those who use other translations can follow along more easilly.}
The Jews at the time of Christ were very concerned with appearances. What you ate especially was important to them, because of the dietary laws that God had given Moses on Sinai. Jesus points out in the first thirteen verses that the rules and regulations that had been added to the Law had become more important to the Jews than the Law itself. Jesus wants them to understand that the things they say are more important than the things they eat, and that our actions, thought, and statements are what really defile or corrupt us. And these things many times are not evident to those around us -- but God can see them. Our actions may even seem pure and good, but when they are done for the wrong reasons, they really defile us.
Verse 19 is interesting. Mark, who most scholars believe wrote his gospel based on Peter's rememberences of his time with Jesus, shows that Jesus taught them that all foods were clean -- the disciples just missed the application (especially Peter, if you remember his experience in Acts). Christ's obvious purpose in this passage is to put the emphasis on attitude, rather than blind obedience to a bunch of rules and regulations. This was taught even as far back as the days of Samuel -- And Samuel said, "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.(1Sa 15:22 ESV). So this should have been nothing new to the Jews.
Why was it so new? Because the established priests didn't want people to thing that they could do it without them. Because there was a huge industry involved in the preparation of proper sacrifices. The people were doing all the right things, and the establishment was getting rich off of it. Unfortunately, the sacrifices were, in many cases, lip service. The people had learned nothing from their history -- Jeremiah could have told them the dangers in paying simple lip service to God.
Do people today pay lip service? Check out the stats at the Barna group website. The majority of people in the US say that they are Christians. But their beliefs don't line up with that claim. Our attitudes don't match what we claim to believe. Even when we do things that are good, and right, we tend to do them for the wrong reasons -- for our own recognition, rather than for the glory of God. Jesus reminds us that our religious ceremonies and lip service don't matter if we don't obey God, and follow His word in all things.
Lightning has struck twice. The Lady Flames are going to the Sweet Sixteen.
My favorite stat -- 21/21 from the line vs. 13/18 for DePaul. That could have made the difference. One or two misses from Liberty, and more made for DePaul, and it's a different ballgame. But the Lady Flames won it.
And now they have to face #1 LSU. The nice thing is, there's no pressure on LU. They're not supposed to be there. LSU isn't supposed to lose.
... I decided to cruise through my blogroll, looking at some blogs that I normally read through my RSS reader, and some I hadn't been to in a while.
This post touched me. Especially this quote:
So what is a Christian to do? One answer seems to be that we eschew the entire mess and crawl into an enclave somewhere. We only buy from companies that have a fish symbol on their logos. We homeschool our kids. We get rid of the television. We only listen to Christian radio and Christian music. We isolate. This is the Protestant form of monasticism.This, I think, sums up the problem with American Christianity. It's an option, not a lifestyle. We live in the buffet line -- a little of this, a little of that, a side order of Jesus and some fries. There is no committment at all. There's no walk, and if you're paying any price for your faith you're probably one of those "fanatics" that the talk shows make fun of so much.Another answer is to try to blend in. Dress, shop, talk, act like them but all the while we have a secret joy in our hearts. We can make our churches compete with whatever they have going on a Sunday AM or Saturday night or whatever. Worship as concert, preacher as entertainer.
The most common way is neither of those, as surprising as that seems. The most common way amongst American Christians is to just live in the midst of it as if it is all normal. Oh sure, we'll avoid Abercrombie and Fitch because they're immoral. We don't listen to rap or heavy metal but K-LITE radio is fine, nothing there is too offensive. We shop just like everyone else: we shop as if owning stuff defines us. Jesus is a option in the American lifestyle. A little Blockbuster, some Claire's, a touch of Pier One, gotta have some Gap then sprinkle it with Jesus when we get home.
The disciples understood what following Jesus meant. They were in this for the long haul, even though they had their "down moments" when they lost sight of what Christ was teaching them. But when they were powered by the Holy Spirit, there was nothing they couldn't do -- or weren't willing to do. They all paid the ultimate price -- they died. Even John, who simply died of old age by most accounts, spent his last years in prison. But it was worth it to them.
What are we willing to sacrifice for our faith? Many of us aren't even willing to miss the Super Bowl for a church service. Can you imagine what would happen if the Christians in the United States got serious about their faith?
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1Co 11:23-26 ESV)Maundy Thursday is the traditional celebration of the day that Jesus shared His final Passover with His disciples. We actually get the name from the Latin phrase mandatum novum, which means "new commandment," in recognition of Christ instituting the New Testament of His blood.
In the Middle Ages, Maundy Thursday services included the washing of feet, in commemoration of Christ washing His disciples' feet at the Last Supper.
Unfortunately, most Protestant churches have lost the celebration of Maundy Thursday. We've tried so hard to distinguish ourselves from the Roman Catholic church that we've done away with the good as well as the bad. I think that a Maundy or Holy Thursday service, focused on partaking of the Lord's Supper, would be an outstanding way to focus people on what exactly this season is all about. Especially in our consumeristic age, it would do us good to remember exactly what these holidays (which are holy days, after all) are celebrated for, and to remember that Christians celebrated the resurrection of Christ long before there was an Easter Bunny or Paas egg coloring kits.
March 23, 322.
This is the anniversary of the death of Gregory the Illuminator. Gregory is credited with helping in the creation of the first Christian nation in the world. And it wasn't the United States.
There were certainly Christians in Armenia when Gregory was born -- tradition says that Bartholomew and Thaddeus both visited the country and preached Christ to them in the first century AD. There were churches in existence in 257 when Gregory was born, so there could be some truth to the legends.
Unfortunately, Christianity was not a popular faith. The Persian rulers of the land had all but extinguished it by the time of Gregory's birth. Gregory's nurse had to flee the country with him when his entire family was killed in retaliation for his father assassinating the Armenian king. Gregory was raised in Cappadocia, and learned the Gospel there. He soon returned to Armenia, where he preached the gospel.
He wasn't popular. The king persecuted him. His life was in danger. But his faithfulness won converts -- ultimately including the king himself, who declared Armenia a Christian nation.
The church in Armenia was incredibly strong -- lasting until the Turks massacred Christians there in the 20th Century. It was the first to have a Bible in it's own national language. And it was a strong voice for Christ in Europe.
I learned a lot from this study. I tend to consider state churches as a bad thing -- it isn't necessarily that way. Armenia is a perfect example of a state church done right. Unfortunately, men of Gregory's caliber are rare in this day. Few men today would be capable of balancing the power and responsibility that Gregory had.
What can we learn from this? We can learn a lot from Gregory's faithfulness, and his commitment to spreading the gospel. He had little hope of success, and could expect to be killed for his faith. He didn't stop.
We can also see the value in Christians united in their faith. While I still have a problem with the idea of a national church, a body of Christians united in purpose and faith can achieve amazing things. While there are some things that should divide Christians (issues concerning the deity of Christ, the value and role of Scripture, salvation by grace through faith, etc.), we often let insignificant things separate us. We need to determine what we must agree on, and what we can agree to disagree on. If we can do that, we can show the world the kind of church that the apostles saw, and that was present for thousands of years in Armenia.
I've been revisiting my undergraduate days lately, and eating Ramen noodles for lunch. Problem is, Ramen noodles are boring. I'm not a boring person.
So I kick my Ramen up a notch or two. Here's a great recipe for Ramen that I just might send to the Carnival of Recipes this week.
Kicked Up Jerky Ramen
Ingredients:
1 package Chicken-flavored Ramen noodles
2 tblspn Carribean Jerk Seasoning (I sometimes use more, it all depends)
Boil 2 cups of water. Add noodle mix. Slowly add seasoning as noodles boil -- only add 1 tblspn before you add the chicken seasoning.
After three minutes (may vary, depending on how al dente you like your Ramen), turn off the heat. Add chicken seasoning packet and the rest of the jerk seasoning. Stir and eat.
Today is the day that Christians remember the day that Christ died. It seems that, especially in recent years, Good Friday has stayed a religious holiday while Easter Sunday has been completely commercialized.
Even so, it's easy to miss the importance of the event. In the rush to Easter,and the preparations for cantatas and Passion plays, not to mention the Easter Bunny pereperations, it's very easy to lose focus.
One thing I have tried to do consistently each year for the past five or so is to read and contemplate this. It's a medical account of the crucifixion of Christ that first appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. I have seen this in several places on the internet, but this site is probably the most complete -- includes illustrations and everything. It has certainly helped keep me focused on the meaning of this season.
This year, more people are focusing on Christ's death because of the movie The Passion of the Christ. I am hoping that those people will discover the good news -- Christ's resurrection on Sunday.
LSU 90
LU 48
LU is still winless against Southeastern Conference teams, but they are still riding high on the heels of a school-first Sweet Sixteen appearance.
Nobody expected them to get this far. In fact, I sometimes wonder if anyone realized that Liberty's women's basketball team had been so dominant in the Big South for the past nine years. And other people question whether any conservative Christian could support women's sports.
Does that sound stupid? It did to me, too. And after I read this article by Mechelle Voepel at ESPN.com, it still sounds stupid.
Apparantly, you have to be in favor of extreme feminism and gay rights to really be in favor of women's sports. And the people who are involved in women's sports apparantly are far more tolerant than Jerry Falwell -- unless, of course, you ask them to tolerate Jerry Falwell. That's just crossing the line, and Voepel won't go there.
And I am FAR from thinking that the majority of fans agree with her. I think the achievements of the LU women's team shows that there are very talented women out there who want to go to a Christian school. Maybe the reason that LU was as big a success as they have been for thepast several years is that there are women who want ot play somewhere where those political opinions aren't an issue -- where people aren't constantly insulting their Christian beliefs. I find it interesting that the Baylor team, which is seeded #2 this year in the Tempe region, is not held to this same criticism. They are still a Southern Baptist school, and the SBC is as notorious in it's "intolerance" as Jerry Falwell is.
I guess all the weight that Jerry has put on has made him an even bigger target than he was before. And I guess that no matter what the women at Liberty achieve, on and off the court, they will always have to deal with the type of intolerance that Voepel displays, that suggests that anyone who doesn't accept "gay people and lesbians (both of whom are a significant part of women's basketball)" is less than acceptable in NCAA womens sports.
So Mechelle Voepel, you are the second person to win the coveted Pewie Award for Conspicuous Intolerant Tolerance. Congratulations.
Thursday, March 31, 2005 marks my one-year blogiversary.
Wow. One year of inflicting my rantings, opinions, and insights-of-dubious-value on unsuspecting readers all over the world. And I do mean all over the world. I think the one thing that has shocked me the most is how many different countries have been represented by visitors to my blog. Obviously, the US and Canada are the most represented, but I've had visitors from as far away as Australia (82) and the UK (162). Kazakhstan, Taiwan, Iran(!), Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) -- 77 different countries all together.
I've been King of the Blogs. I've been in Carnivals and Symphonies. I've been in heated discussions with people I'll never meet. And I've made some friends -- even though I've never seen most of them in real life.
I've noticed that I write more now than I used to. I say more now in one day than I said in a week back in the "old days." I think that isn't going to continue as a trend -- otherwise, my blog will be huge, and nobody will read it anymore.
So, if you want to wish me a Happy Blogoversary, leave me a comment. Better still, buy me something off my Amazon wish list! (hehehe)
There ARE some cheap things on there. Really.
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you."And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld."
Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe."
Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe."Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
(Joh 20:1-31 ESV)
{Edit: My wife has officially dubbed me Iron Chef Ramen. Food Network, here I come!}
Figured I'd post this one while everyone else was napping. TWO Ramen recipes for your culinary pleasure.
Chili Pepper Ramen -- Same as the Jerk Ramen, but substitute chili powder for the jerk seasoning, and add about a half-tablespoon of crushed red pepper close to the end, right before you take the noodles off the stove. NOT as spicy as you might think -- I may put in more chili powder next time.
Lemon Pepper Ramen -- I mentioned this in the comments to the Jerk Ramen recipe, but some of you may have missed it. Substitute lemon pepper seasoning (I used Kroger brand, but I'm sure McCormicks makes it as well) for the jerk seasoning. It tastes great!
Stay tuned -- who knows what Ramen madness I will experiment with next!!!
I don't like PETA much at all. That should come as no great shock to anyone, given my carnivorous tendencies -- I won't be eating any veggie Ramen any time soon. I ate meat on March 15 (International Eat an Animal for PETA Day), but that wasn't much of a special event for me; I regularly consume copious quantities of cooked animal. If God hadn't meant for us to eat animals, He wouldn't have made them so darn tasty, after all.
PETA is known for it's poor taste (pardon the expression), and it's decidedly antagonistic attitude toward Christians (the What Would Jesus Eat campaign comes to mind here, with its vegetarian Jesus -- PETA is ignorant of Passover tradition and the associated consumption of lamb, I suppose). But their stunt this Easter takes the cake, and has earned them my neverending scorn.
This picture really does say a thousand words. Jesus Christ with the head of a pig. My contempt cannot be expressed at this type of sacrilege. I'd say that we should write to PETA, but they really don't care what we think. This is just another illustration of the contempt in which the loony left holds Christians of all stripes and persuasions.
Hate to say this, but Kristof has nailed it this time.
I especially like this quote -- I think it's particularly relevant.
Yet conservative Christians in the U.S. should take heed. Christianity is thriving where it faces obstacles, like repression in China or suspicion of evangelicals in parts of Latin America and Africa. In those countries where religion enjoys privileges - Britain, Italy, Ireland, Spain or Iran - that establishment support seems to have stifled faith.Sanguis martyrum—semen christianorum-- the blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christians. Thank you, Tertullian. Maybe one of these days, the Church will listen to you.
That's worth remembering in the debates about school prayers or public displays of the Ten Commandments: faith doesn't need any special leg up. Look at where religion is most vibrant today, talk to those who walk five hours to services, and the obvious conclusion is that what nurtures faith is not special privileges but rather adversity.
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