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Amen

Aug 24, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge

//MOOD: I really need to work on my message but don’t want to (is that a mood?)
//ITUNES: “I Believe” – Tears for Fears

Thanks to A Cognizant Discourse for this awesome quote from John MacArthur:

I hear a lot of talk today about the church impacting culture… But frankly, folks, that’s not our goal. That is not our goal. It sounds like a noble goal and I’m sure there are people who can see certain noble aspects of it and there may be some. But our goal is not to impact our culture by changing their moral values. Our goal is not to impact our culture by creating traditional values, family values through legislation or judicial process. Our goal is not to make sure that the United States of America adheres to a national policy that equates to biblical morality. That is not our goal. We are not involved in altering social morality. We are not involved in upgrading cultural conduct. We are interested in people becoming saved. That is our only agenda. If we’re going to change our culture we’re going to change it from the inside out.

You see, the church has one mission, we are a nation of priests. And a priest had one simple function, to bring people to God, to usher them into His presence. It is the only thing we are in the world to do. Frankly, if people die in a communist government or a democracy, it really doesn’t matter if they end up in hell. If they die under a tyrant or a benevolent dictator, it doesn’t matter if they end up in hell. If they die believing that homosexuality is wrong or believing that homosexuality is right and end up in hell, it doesn’t matter. If they die as a policeman or a prostitute without Christ, they’re going to end up in the same place. Whether they die moral or immoral will make no difference in their eternity. Whether they stood on the side of the street with the pro-abortion rights group and screamed for legalizing and maintaining legal abortions, or on the other side of the street against abortion and screamed to stop the killing, if they didn’t know Christ they’re going to end up in the same place. Right? That isn’t the issue, the issue is salvation…the issue is salvation. And the sad reality is that when the church gets a moralizing, politicizing bent it usually has a negative impact on its evangelization mission because then it makes the people hostile to the current system and they become the enemies of the society rather than the compassionate friend.

-Dr. John MacArthur

Tombstone

Aug 24, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge

//MOOD: OK
//ITUNES: “Beloved Wife” – Natalie Merchant

This afternoon, I went for a walk in one of my favorite cemetaries. I go there a lot to pray and think. Today, I ran into a tombstone that really struck me. The guy passed away recently and was about my age. But that wasn’t what struck me. What really hit me was the handwritten sign that was laying next to the tombstone. It said:

“Your the best dad ever. Zach.”

The handwriting was from a little kid. The spelling was from a little kid. It made me think of my kids and the shortness of life and wanting to make everything count. It really put a lot of stuff in perspective.

Quote of the Day

Aug 24, 2005 Quotes

//MOOD: Ug
//ITUNES: “Nightswimming” – R.E.M.

From A Cognizant Discourse:

“God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong, but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides. We, however, says Peter (2. Peter 3:13) are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where justice will reign. It suffices that through God’s glory we have recognized the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day. Do you think such an exalted Lamb paid merely a small price with a meager sacrifice for our sins? Pray hard for you are quite a sinner.

-Martin Luther

What kind of apologist are you?

Aug 24, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge

//MOOD: Sore Back
//ITUNES: “Freedom” – Surreal

Thanks to Chuck for this quiz. Apparently, I am 3% atheistic. Who knew?

Day Three: The Friend at Midnight

Aug 24, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge

//MOOD: So-so…I didn’t sleep well last night
//ITUNES: “Paulina” – The Hippos

Luke 11:5-13

Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this illustration: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You would say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ He would call out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and we are all in bed. I can’t help you this time.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it as a friend, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you what you want so his reputation won’t be damaged.

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will be given what you ask for. Keep on looking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And the door is opened to everyone who knocks.

“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

Four Questions

What can I learn about God?
This story tells me a lot about God. First of all, He hears our prayers. I think a lot of time if He doesn’t answer right away, I think He is not listening. This is one of a few of Jesus’ stories that reminds me to be persistent in prayer, knowing that he hears. Secondly, He will give great gifts to those who ask, including the greatest gift (which comes with the Holy Spirit), salvation.

What can I learn about people?
The one thing that strikes me is in the second half of the passage. We don’t expect God to give good gifts, even though as fathers, we would do so for our kids. It reminds me of the passage in James 1: “Every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” Yet, we as humans often naturally attribute negative things to God (ever heard of “Acts of God?”). Instead, we need to think of God as the giver of good gifts.

What can I learn about me?
I am not nearly as persistent in prayer as I need to be. I need to keep knocking and knocking and knocking and knocking. Oh, and knocking…

Connect the dots.
I think I am often too “Noel-oriented.” Instead of begging God to come through in some situation, I rely on myself. I spend a lot of time worrying about how I
am going to make stuff work, not in asking God to intervene.

In addition, I tend to come up with plans and then I ask God to make my plans work. Maybe I need to start asking God to help with the planning part, as well.

Church

Aug 23, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge

//MOOD: I have to pee, actually
//ITUNES: “Desert Rose” – Sting

Dan told me an interesting story over a delicious gyro today. He was in the lobby of Riv while I was teaching last weekend. A couple left the service (in the middle) and left. As they were walking by Dan, he overheard them say:

“What kind of church is this anyway?”

That could be taken so many ways, I am not sure what to think.

Oh well.

33 Year Old Virgin

Aug 23, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge

//MOOD: Pure
//ITUNES: “Escher’s World” – Chagall Guevera

OK, so this is freakin awesome. Thanks to Cleave.

Day Two: Fishing Net

Aug 23, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge

//MOOD: Fishy
//NOISE: People talking

Matthew 13:47-51

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that is thrown into the water and gathers fish of every kind. When the net is full, they drag it up onto the shore, sit down, sort the good fish into crates, and throw the bad ones away. That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the godly, throwing the wicked into the fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Do you understand?” “Yes,” they said, “we do.”

Four Questions

What can I learn about God?
God is just. He will judge everything one day.

What can I learn about people?
There are some people who are wicked and some who are godly.

What can I learn about me?
I’m not sure. Except that I want to be godly…

Connect the dots.
This is one of those parables that I don’t like very much. Sometimes it bothers me that God is a just God. I kinda wish he would just wave a magic wand and accept everyone. Then I look at people like Hitler and I am glad he judges. But when it comes to me or the people I love who have done wicked things, I don’t like it nearly as much.

Last night, around a fire, Grace and I and a bunch of our friends were talking. One of our friends brought up the book of Isaiah. She was pretty disturbed that God would allow one nation to rape, murder, and whatever another nation of people who were “wicked.” That is one of the more difficult things in the Bible to accept, I’ll admit. However, thinking through this parable, it makes me go down a logical, albeit not more comfortable road. Here’s what I am thinking:

If I truly believe that Hell is a real place (and I do) and if I believe that we all are wicked and deserve Hell (and I do) and if I believe that without Christ, there is nothing we can do to deserve forgiveness and we will go to this literal Hell (and I do), then I must draw one more conclusion. Any good and perfect thing we receive on this planet (as James says) comes from God and is a gift from him. Everything else that happens, we deserve. I may not like it, but it logically comes from the other three.

This, all the more, ignites me to want to share the Gospel with those who haven’t heard. Both for this life and for the next, I want them to have the salvation that Jesus offers.

Wow, what a crazy depressing post. Trust me, they won’t all be this way.

Crazy Mileage

Aug 22, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge

//MOOD: OK
//TIVO: Resident Evil: Apocalypse

The kids and I went out for a bike ride down the Riverwalk Trail today. We have a little course we have taken before. It’s about 3 miles down from Aurelius to downtown Lansing. There is a little playground there where the kids play and then we head back. It’s a long ride, but they do pretty well. Last year, Emma and Jesse made the whole 6 miles and Ethan made 4 (I put his bike on the trailer with Coley and he rode the last few miles with him…kinda a heavy load).

This year, it was just the three oldest kids so Ethan had to make the whole trip. It would have gone well if we hadn’t made a slight detour that added 2.5 miles. We ended up off the trail, riding though the neighborhoods just south of downtown. Interesting experience. I can’t believe my kids made it the whole way, especially Ethan (training wheels and all). Total mileage: 8.5 miles.

Then, tonight we were at Target with Grace and I bet her I could walk home faster than she could shop and drive home. She said I was on, so Emma (the 8 year old) and Ethan (the 4 year old) went with me. I GoogleMapped it all when we made it back. If we had walked the whole way, it would have been 6.1 miles. We only made 1.4 before they picked us up. It was fun, though. We climbed the overpass deal and walked along fences and cut through parking lots. The kids were running a good part of it as well.

If they don’t sleep well tonight, then they are surely not human.

Voice Mail

Aug 22, 2005 Uncategorized Hodge Podge

//MOOD: Dying
//NOISE: Laughing

Thanks to Dave for this gem. Apparently it is a voice mail of some guy who encounters an accident while he is leaving a voice mail for a friend. You can hear it here.

I am not sure if it is authentic or not. It sure sounds like it, although my wife has her doubts. Snopes is not sure either. One way or another, it is a side splitter. Enjoy.