More of the same...

U.S. churches reach out with coffee and roller rinks - Reuters

I was speaking a couple of days ago about the fine line between "truth" and "love" in modern-day Christianity, and regarded how it is easy to be guilty of promoting one over the other. While I was guilty in my posting of proclaiming the truth without love, many of our modern-day churches do the exact opposite. This article was on my "Yahoo! Religious News" feed this morning, and once again, the journalist did a great job of preparing me for what was in store when I read the full piece.

The churches mentioned in the article have begun to not only bring entertainment and activities into their church sphere, but eschew the ideas of "traditional" (read: boring, resulting in waning attendance) church services and structure all together. That does not mean the Gospel is not being properly preached, but it does make you question if people can stop rollerskating or step away from their mocha half-caf whip latte long enough to be "bothered" by a sermon.

I have been reading John MacArthur's The Gospel According to Jesus for the past couple of weeks, and it has reminded me nightly about how we as Christians are known to the outside world and to other Christians.

There are a couple of quotes that I want to take from the article to begin that discussion:

"Congregations are trying to find a way to tie people together, but also find ways to present the Christian message that isn't so direct or in-your-face, to present a side door into the life of the church," said Scott Thumma, a religious sociologist at the Hartford Institute for Religious Research.

"The megachurch especially has really led the way in these kinds of strategies," he said. "What a lot of congregations want is to have multiple avenues open so that they can bypass the resistance people have when they hear the word 'church' or 'Jesus,' whether it is a coffee shop or a bowling alley."

To be fair, this is not a member of the pastorate, and I would be surprised if he was a Christian at all. But there is a particular part of what he said that should alarm anyone subscribing to this blog:

"the resistance people have when they hear the word 'church' or 'Jesus,'"

Paul in 2 Timothy 4 tells those who preach the Word (which, in essence, should be all Christians) that they should be steadfast and unashamed for Christ, that people should be reminded and confronted with their sin. True teachers will do that, because many will turn away for a kinder, gentler gospel. 2 Tim 4:1-5 (NKJV):

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Sound doctrine is Biblical doctrine, and any other gospel is mere "fable". "Itching" is translated from the Greek "knetho", which means to itch or tickle. This seems to me to imply that the true and living Gospel is like a buzzing fly to the unregenerate believer or nonbeliever. It won't go away, it just keeps coming back...but they want no part of it. They would rather hear a new gospel, one which is pleasing to the ears: a message that their God is one of love, acceptance, and tolerance. It's too "itchy" and "abrasive" to remind a congregation or group of their depravity and separation from God without the crosswork of Christ. One blog that I read recently quoted Curtis C. Thomas': "The truth should comfort the hurting but also unsettle the comfortable."


Another quote from the article which gave me an uneasy feeling was the following from a "lifelong church member":

"When you're in a community, you're trying to gather people whichever way you can, and sometimes you can disguise your message with extracurricular activities," said Tamela Booker, 34, an insurance worker and lifelong church member.

"We want to reach out to the community with God's message with things people can relate to, so they feel loved."

While I recognize that Ms. Booker is not clergy, nor is her statement and spiritual health indicative of the larger body, given the tone of the article and the "fruits" of her church described in the article, I believe this quote can be representative of the general attitude of this movement.

"Gather people any way you can,"
"disguise your message"
"...God's message with things people can relate to,"

Once again, this article is not meant to question this new method of offering community services in order to expand evangelistic outreach to a community; churches are and should continue to offer opportunities for individuals and families to find their way into a church family...but the number one reason for all of the softball leagues, rollerskating rinks and Starbucks coffee shops in the lobbies of our churches is the same: To spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I can only hope that Ms. Booker has talked to her pastoral staff once they read her comments, and reminded her of this fact. These activities are not supposed to "trick" people into coming to church. They are not to "disguise" the message of Christ!

Like the man who build his house on a foundation of sand in Matthew 7, those churches and the individuals who attend due to "disguised" activities that do not take heed to Christ's message of repentance and turning away from sin to holiness will blow away at the first sign of trouble.

Jesus Christ came to seek and save the lost. The words "accept Christ" appear nowhere in the Bible. Those who recognize their sin, and turn from it because of the awesome gift of His son, and bear spiritual fruit of their new life in Him are true believers. As such, we must not water down our message to appeal to those who are wrapped up in our modern culture. We must seek to make disciples with "all longsuffering and teaching," offering the culture-transcending message of repentance and forgiveness through Him.

Dr. D. James Kennedy Retires from Full-Time Ministry

Story on onenewsnow.com

Dr. D. James Kennedy has retired from full-time ministry at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church. Despite the issues that I have with the practice of "Evangelism Explosion!", Dr. Kennedy through his ministry, radio programs and EE has made an indelible impact on modern-day Evangelical Christianity. I wish him well in his twilight years, and hope that God blesses me and those around me with even a fraction of the opportunity to make an impact for Christ that Dr. Kennedy was given.

Aletheuo + Agape

After consulting with someone in whom I have great trust and respect, I feel the need to adjust my tone and demeanor in writing this blog. My frustration with those who marginalize and “water down” the message of Jesus Christ and add or take things away from the work of His cross has led me to write in a condescending manner. Instead of castigating those who are apparent “enemies”, I must realize that they are merely a mission field, many of whom seek the Truth but are misled.

I don’t have license over the Truth; no man does. I am a wretched sinner who depends on nothing but God’s grace and forgiveness to make it through the day. I share my thoughts because I believe that I have been blessed with an excellent education and desire to study His Word, and as such have made it my goal to view the events and thoughts of my world and the world around me through the lens of the Truth.

For example, my blog takes its title from Romans 9:1-

“I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit,”

The Greek word for “truth” in this verse is aletheia, which is the noun form (more on this word later). That short phrase caught my eye because that is what I am to do in my life; speak aletheia in Christ. In hastily picking this handful of words for my blog title, I missed the greater message that God through Paul was trying to convey. Romans 9:1-5 in full speaks of Paul’s anguish that his former brothers have not accepted the Gospel, and he wishes that he, arguably the most holy human being in history, could take the place of his unrepentant peers:

I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.

This passage made me consider my personal stance: do I share Paul’s degree of love? Would I want to give up my God, my salvation, my eternal life so that others could know Him? I don’t honestly know how to answer than question.

A second passage that had an influence on me during the study was Ephesians 4:11-16, in which Paul is speaking to and of the body of Christ, and exhorts it to work together and grow, shaking off evil, deceitful teachings and instead walk the difficult but necessary line between truth and love:

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

The church grows and becomes healthier as its members pursue not only the ultimate Truth, but do so in love. The Greek αληθευοντες δε εν αγαπη or “alatheuo de en agape”(coarsely translated “speak the truth, but in love.”) is another instance of the balance necessary between truth and love. The word “but” is powerful, especially in Romans where Paul uses it to demarcate our separation from God, and after salvation by grace and faith, subsequent union with God (Romans 3:20-23, 6:21-22, 7:5-6). His command rings true with me: if this blog and my personal ministry is to build up the body of Christ, it must be done balancing truth and love.

This line is one that many contemporary evangelistic outreaches fail to walk as well, but in a different way. There is too much love, and not enough truth. Instead of making people aware of their sin, they merely offer Jesus as a psychological panacea to assuage the uncertainties and lack of direction in life. I am as guilty as these groups, if not more so. I believe that through my study and research that my interpretation of the Bible and the events with which I contrast it are true and correct. However, the method I used to achieve the pursuit of truth was condescending, arrogant and adbrasive; had those I referenced in the article read my comments, they would have taken away a totally different view of Christendom (and Jesus Himself, whom I am commanded to represent) that I would have hoped.

Pray that God would work in my heart to follow the example of Christ and his apostles, to reveal His liberating, awe-inspiring truth, BUT in love…that I would not ignore nor overstate the offensive, damning nature of the Bible’s warnings and admonitions to the unbeliever, but instead mate those heartbreaking declarations of sinfulness and separation with the refreshing truth of His forgiveness and justification through faith in the Son, Jesus Christ.

Once again, I spend an hour writing something, and God sums it up in three sentences. 1 Peter 3:14-16 states:

But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.

Until next time!

Article - Missionaries better play by the rules...

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CHRISTIANS_CONVERSION_CODE?SITE=WIFON&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT AP Article

http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2007/07499.htm Article from PC(USA) website.


Dear friends, I can’t even begin to explain how much this article troubles me. This title was at the top of Yahoo! Religious News, and hit me like a ton of bricks. A “conversion code of conduct” is apparently in the works between the Catholic Church and an organization of which I have never heard called the World Council of Churches, an ecumenical group representing a whopping 347 churches worldwide. To give you an idea of the size of this organization…if every church in Cary, North Carolina (population ~80,000) were to join the organization, it would grow by 20 percent. Now that’s what I call a mandate!

Now that I have that out of my system, let’s delve into this article:

The code aims to ease tensions with Muslims, Hindus and other religious groups that fear losing adherents and resort to punishments as extreme as imprisonment and even death for converts from their faith and foreign missionaries. (AP)

The people that the Holy Spirit has called to the Gospel in these countries are examples to us all. Living in the “Bible Belt” of the USA, the only oppression we face is from the public education system, stand-up comics and the Discovery Channel. These champions of the faith risk death every minute of every day. What inspiration! The Apostle Paul faced similar persecution, and rejoiced in it. Philippians 1:19-21:

“For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (NKJV).

The audacity of these enemies of evangelism to proclaim that watering down the Gospel and preventing brave missionaries from preaching the Word is in someway benefiting them is truly disgusting.

(AP) Evangelization also has caused concern among the branches of Christianity because of the vigor with which Pentecostal and evangelical congregations have led the drive for conversions around the world, outstripping the growth of older churches. Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Brazil in May was partly a response to
the exodus of millions of Catholics to Protestant evangelical churches.

(From the PCUSA.org article) Tensions have also arisen among Christian denominations, including Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox, over what has been called “sheep stealing,” or engaging in conversion by encroaching into areas where one church has traditionally dominated.

“Sheep stealing”? So…liberating someone from the religiosity of their society to the Truth is unfair? Do we all have to have the same number of Lego blocks?! Jesus spoke to the Jews in John 10:27-29:

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.” (NKJV)

They demanded for demonstration of His claim as Savior, and He told them plainly that they that did not believe because they were not his sheep…they would never believe. His sheep know Him. The religious and social bonds of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches are not easily broken, but those whom He has called will follow Him, no matter how many restrictions and handicaps are put on those who preach the Truth.

Finally (saved the best for last), from the PCUSA article:

While preserving the right to propagate one’s faith, the code of conduct would emphasize respect for the faithful of any religion, noted Hermen Shastri, general secretary of the Council of Churches of Malaysia and co-moderator of the WCC’s Faith and Order Commission. “Religious preachers need to be told that no religion has monopoly to the truth, that there are many ways to find salvation,” said Shastri.

I am literally shaking my head. Mr. Shastri’s group, the Council of Churches of Malaysia, states the following as the first sentence of their mission:

[The Council is founded] on a common belief that God has revealed His eternal purpose for mankind in His Son Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit. Its members accept the scriptures of the old and new testaments as the supreme standard of faith and practice, and confess their common faith as expressed in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds.

This is what the delusion of the Gospel message under the banner of ecumenism has accomplished. A prominent member of an organization that is representing (without authority. mind you) Protestant denominations worldwide declares that there is no truth, and there are multiple avenues of salvation. Wow. I don’t need to break down the Greek language or provide contextual proof. Our Lord Jesus Christ said it all in John 14:6:

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” (NKJV)

I’ve been at this for about an hour now, and it commands much more of my time, but I need to get some sleep.
Please pray for God’s Will to be done in our lives; my grandfather suffered a heart attack this afternoon, and we are still awaiting a prognosis. Pray for strength for my family and I, and that in this experience and trauma that

News - PETA and Genesis 1:28

Source for news story: PETA slams "shocking" Hamas TV clip (AP)

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (though tempted, I will not make the whole post about this contradictory, severely "off-balance" group) is condemning Hamas for some YouTube clips of a TV show that depicts its characters "mistreating" animals at the Gaza Zoo.

While unnecessary violence against animals should be deplored, why does it take animal abuse for the hierarchy of a major NGO to protest against a proven terrorist regime? What about the suicide bombings, subjugation of women and children, and the brainwashing of young men to ideas of martyrdom? "Oh, turn the news off, I don't feel like hearing about killing innocent human beings...what??? animal abuse?! we must spring into action right away!"

Despite the ridiculous nature of PETA, they did bring to mind an idea that my Bible Study partner and I were speaking about the other night: The idea of dominion over animals and the environment, most notably Genesis 1:28.

"Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." (NASB).

The phrase "rule over" in this verse comes from the Hebrew radah: to tread down, i.e. subjugate; specifically, to crumble off -- (come to, make to) have dominion, prevail against, reign, (bear, make to) rule,(-r, over), take.

Other places this word is used in the Old Testament refer to a king's rule (Levicticus, 1 & 2 Kings), both over his people and over his enemies. So, naturally, many Biblical scholars have taken this to mean that man rules nature with complete control, some go as far as to legitimize environmental abuse.

But, the most objective way for a Christian to determine what God is trying to impart through Scripture, is to study it in light of other Scripture. A verse that seems to be in conflict with this verse is Genesis 2:7.

"Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." (NASB)

While God still created us, we are created of nature, like plants and animals were in Gen 1:12 and 1:20, respectively. So, which is it? Are we supposed to rule over nature with an iron fist, or do we exist to care and be responsible for nature?

Like many of the doctrines in God's Word, it is necessary to study further and not take a single verse or passage at face value. The synergy of these two verses helps us to understand what the Bible says about our manner of "dominion" over the Earth. Now, I am not going to go as far as PETA and say that an animal life is equal to a human life, nor will I say that God is not in control and human beings are destroying the Earth with global warming, and there is nothing He can do to stop it. But our King of Kings, while all-powerful and mighty, also cares for us and protects us, both from harm and from ourselves. In that spirit, Christians should take an active role in caring for animals and the earth itself, but fall short of joining and subscribing to the mantra of those groups which place human actions and the lives of the "beasts of the field" alongside or above God's sovereignty.

God is in control. I wouldn't want to live in a world where he did not radah everything. Now that would be a disaster!

"Assumption Day"

This event popped up on my BlackBerry under the heading "Christian Religious Holidays". Since I had never heard of this day before, I decided to look it up (having a vague idea of what I was in for).

August 15th, for Roman Catholicism, commemorates their belief that the Virgin Mary transcended a human death and God assumed her into Heaven. I did a little bit of reading on the subject, and here's what I found:

Background: "The Assumption of Mary" by Fr. William Saunders (link)

This is among the three most controversial doctrines of Mary (Immaculate Conception (1854), Assumption (1950) and the yet-to-be-formalized doctrine of Mary as mediatrix and co-redemptrix) that use extra-Biblical support.


Karl Keating states of the objection to Mary's need for a Savior:

• "The Church has a simple and sensible answer to this difficulty. It is this: Mary, too, required a Savior. Like all other descendants of Adam, by her nature she was subject to the necessity of contracting Original Sin. But by a special intervention of God, undertaken at the instant she was conceived, she was preserved from the stain of Original Sin and certain of its consequences. She was therefore redeemed by the grace of Christ, but in a special way, by anticipation. The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception thus does not contradict Luke 1:47."

What is the evidence of this special intervention of God? "Blessed among (not above) women", nor "full of grace" imply that Mary was given a providencial preservation from originial sin. Catholics do not believe that Mary was conceived supernaturally, either. There is no Biblical evidence of this "special intervention" found anywhere. This doesn't stop the doctrine or Mr. Keating's explanation of it...he ends his apologetic entry with the following paragraphs:

• Still, fundamentalists ask, where is the proof from Scripture? Strictly, there is none. It was the Catholic Church that was commissioned by Christ to teach all nations and to teach them infallibly. The mere fact that the Church teaches the doctrine of the Assumption as something definitely true is a guarantee that it is true.
  Here, of course, we get into an entirely separate matter, the question of sola scriptura. There is no room in this tract to consider that idea. Let it just be said that if the position of the Catholic Church is true, then the notion of sola scriptura is false. There is then no problem with the Church officially defining a doctrine which, though not in contradiction to Scripture, cannot be found on its face.

There you have it: We say we have the authority (nowhere in Scripture is a "commission" found for the Papacy, the Magisterium or any other bueraucratic office of the Catholic Church; this is a declaration of men), therefore we have the authority; our authority is exclusive, and because we have the authority and it is exclusive, anything we say is authortative and exclusive.

It's like an ad hominem fallacy, circular logic and a straw man argument all rolled into one.

It is often that they encourage doubters to seek documents of the church for clarification. It's as if someone doubted my unsupported assertion that the sky was red, and in that doubt, I asked them to read my newest book, "The Sky is Red".

I can at least respect the latter bold statement, because we as Christians espouse the contrary: If Sola Scriptura is true, then the extra-Biblical doctrines of the Catholic Church are false.

I continue to study Catholic doctrine among my normal Bible study, and how Protestants (and Catholics alike) can be trying to accelerate an ecumenical movement between the two is beyond me. These differences are not "surface level"; they go right to the core of the faiths respectively, and any compromise in them is simply inconceivable. Both have every right to view the other as a mission field, not like-minded brothers (or should I use cousins?).

I do not hate Catholics; I earnestly pray for God's revelation of His free gift of salvation in the crosswork of Jesus Christ to all who seek Him.

Illustration - Word Document

This just came to me, and it may be that it's 3:30am, but I thought it to be a neat little illustration.

When you open up a document on your computer, it is a blank screen, ready to be typed upon. You can type a couple of words, or you can jazz it up with pictures, borders, some columns maybe...anything to make it cool-looking. When you hit the "X" button at the top of the screen, you are, by closing the program, ending the life of the document. All of the words on the page, whether 2 or 2,000, do not matter; the document will be destroyed upon exit. But a little dialog box pops up, and asks you a great question: "Document1 has not been saved. Would you like to keep it?" The document, no matter how cool-looking or productive or fancy it is, will be deleted if it is not saved before exiting the word procesor...

If you are that document, no matter how many things you have done in your life to please God, no matter how many cool "features" your life may have, when the X button is pressed on your life, what will happen next? Will you be deleted, erased from memory, gone forever with no way to be recovered? Or will God, through your repentance of sins and declaration of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, have pressed the "Save" button, and permanently inscribed your file name in His (and this is a stretch) "Hard Drive of Life"?

Wow, now that I write that, I can tell that is a 3:45am kind of illustration. Comments on that are greatly welcomed! Oh well, at least He forgives me for lame posts :-) Goodnight everyone!

Event - TableTalk

In the spirit of Martin Luther's book of conversations with a captive audience, Shepherd's Seminary hosts bi-annual conferences called TableTalk to bring together seminarians, local pastors and church elders in an academic setting to learn how to better equip themselves to worship God, and through the material presented, help those they serve worship Him as well.

This weekend's event was called "Feeding the Hungry Soul," featuring the Associate Pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, Rick Holland. GCC is, of course, the home of John MacArthur, whose expert exposition of the Bible continues to bless me daily, as it has millions of others before me. The president of the Seminary (and Senior Pastor of Colonial Baptist Church), Stephen Davey, was also part of the event.

While I was not what you might call the "target audience" for the conference, I knew that learning more about God's Word would be profitable for this "ministry," as well as any future position in which God would have me serve.

Rick and Stephen both did an excellent job at providing Biblical evidence and real-world illustration for the importance of Bible exposition in teaching ministry (whether it be a church flock, or merely a small group Bible study).

I will update the link to the audio and/or transcript when it is posted, but below are some "bullet points" that spoke to my heart:

• The text can never "mean" what it never "meant"- One of the dangers of modern-day Bible studies is what is known as "reader-response theory," that is, a Bible verse or passage can mean any number of things to any number of people, and that is acceptable. This is characteristic of "topical preaching" (e.g. Purpose-Driven Church-type congregations), and is dangerous because the contextual and practical message that God is speaking through the Word is muddled and lost. Without proper exegesis and subsequent exposition, the power and importance of the verse can be lost simply by someone ascribing it less or more value based on their personal opinion. ALL Scripture is profitable for teaching (2 Tim 3:16), and needs to be treated as such. Do not ask your Bible study group "What does this verse mean to you?" Instead, ask them after careful and planned instruction, "In light of God's truth in this verse, how can we apply what we have learned to our lives?" Excellent point by Pastor Holland.
• Only Bible Expositors can deflect the "glory" back to God- When preachers are finished with their sermon (or Bible study teachers finish a lesson), they are often approached and thanked/applauded by a member of the church or group. When this happens, the pastor is glorified instead of God (Hendricks called it the "glorification of the worm"). If the message was topical, sprinkled with surface-level Bible verses and creative stories, the pastor is due the credit: "Man, I was on fire today. I really came up with some good stuff!" When the Word of God is preached, the Pastor can successfully deflect the glory right back to God, instead saying "thank you for your kind words; isn't God's Word amazing?"
• Always assume there is an unbeliever present- With all of the exposition going on, it is easy to get wrapped up in word studies and grammar analysis and related passages, but we must not forget that there may be an unbeliever amongst the believers, and the Gospel must shine through. Historical and Old Testament books seem hard to relate to Christ and His redeeming work, but we need to make sure that we don't get so wrapped around the axle with the verse that we neglect the Gospel. Make sure the Gospel is in every presentation.
• Pray, and live the message- Both pastors believe that prayer bookends all aspects of life, especially when having the responsibility of teaching God's word. Without prayers of repentance, clarity of thought, diligence and praise, it is difficult to achieve all of the objectives of the study of God's Word. Concurrent with prayer is living the Word you preach; if you don't internalize and embody the truth evident in Scripture, how can you expect it of those you teach?

I could go on and on, but I have to get up for said church in a few short hours, and you will see by the timestamp it is very late! Pastor Holland is speaking tomorrow as well; I look forward to his messages. Praise be to Him!

First Post

Here's my first blog post...my wife doesn't like blogs because she says that they are nerdy and a waste of time. In many instances, both of her assertions are, in fact, true. Because of that, most of my posts will be short comments regarding a new resource that I have found, a Bible-based view of news stories going on around us (with an election coming up, all sorts of interesting socio-religious stories and opinions are due to arise), and other general observations and musings from my personal study with the Lord.

It's lunchtime, and this is my time to read John MacArthur sermons, listen to Podcasts, and eat the turkey sandwich my wife prepared for me. Happy Friday!