Head-dibs

Recently watching the National Geographic Channel, I caught an episode on the science of Roller Coasters. “A car moves on a set of rails.” Doesn’t sound like much, right? Throw in things like “height” and “speed” and “force” and “inertia”, even “timing” and you have heart-throbbing, white-knuckled fear. Grown men scream like 11 year-old girls when all these things are put together. Then there are the 11-year olds who go home after a day at the amusement park and will not go to sleep unless the hall light is on . . . Fear is a strange thing. One student said during finals week, “We have nothing to fear but ‘F’ itself.” G.K. Chesterton describes how fear is often related to perception. “For a man walking down a lane at night can see the conspicuous fact that as long as nature keeps to her own course, she has no power with us at all. As long as a tree is a tree, it is a top-heavy monster with a hundred arms, a thousand tongues, and only one leg. But so long as a tree is a tree, it does no...

Wednesday night I stopped by the Church fellowship to see if anyone wanted to go with me to witness, or at least to tag alongside as a prayer-partner. I tapped one fellow who ssid he would "think about it" but woukd stay at the church and pray after his long day at work. I gave him a hard time about it and after rounding up no takers, proceeded to make my way toward the University of South Carolina. The sun was going down and I got some nice pics of some area churches along the way. I saw few people coming and going across the street and just could not wait to get down there and start witnessing. As it goes with downtowns, at some point a street must be crossed. So I pulled up to the crosswalk and waited patiently for the light to change and the signal to change from "walk" to "don't walk." The light changed, mine didn't. The light changed again, mine didn't. The light changed again, mine didn't. The light changed again, mine didn't. I ...

A good number of years ago I was in a music competition along with a friend of mine. We were to play a cello duet and were competing for the top spot in our district. Ironically, my friend and I were always in competition against each other in Orchestra for first chair—but now we had this unique opportunity to actually work together in competition. We entered the room with our instruments, greeted the judges, placed our stands, sat down, arranged our music and waited for the signal to begin. Our music was not memorized (this competition did not demand it) and was originally printed on individual sheets. My friend and I had decided early on to tape our music together into a booklet so we would not have any “accidents” during performance (one of us would actually have to shuffle the music while still playing). I don’t remember at which point it happened, but it happened. For some reason, as we were both playing the piece, the competition fully underway, friend and me sawing away on our c...

Check out this list of actual predictions that proved to be astonishingly bad [1] : “ Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You’re crazy .” (Drillers who Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist to his project to drill for oil in 1859.) “ Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau .” (Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University, 1929.) “ Everything that can be invented has been invented .” (Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899.) “ Louis Pasteur’s theory of germs is ridiculous fiction .” (Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872) “ I think there is a world market for maybe five computers .” (Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943) “ Who … wants to hear actors talk?” (H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927) “ We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out .” (Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962) “ Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible .” (Lord Kelvin, president, Royal...

That’s kinda like that question, “stopped beating your wife yet?” [ Well, have you? ] Ever look closely at the third commandment? Do you know what it is? “You shall not take the name of the LORD you God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.” The use of language and the abuse of God’s name is only a small part of what the commandment is about. A deeper understanding would be found in this example: if I worked at McDonalds, I am expected to wear the uniform that represents my association and role within that organization. This means I should not appear behind the counter at Burger King in my McDonald’s uniform. I would be taking the name of McDonald’s in vain. Another example would be that of marriage. When a man and woman marry, she takes his name upon herself, thus being identified in union with that man. If she misrepresents him, she is taking that name in vain. Ambassadorship is another concept that models this well. An ambassador represents ...

I was downtown again while the kids were in their organization activities. I thought I would broaden my survey a bit, so I crossed the street and walked away from the church toward Main Street. At the corner of Main and Hampton I talked to Tony. Tony was down on his luck. He admitted to having a roof over his head and food to eat, he just wanted money. The more he talked, the more he surveyed me, noticing that I was carrying tracts. Then his language changed and he began to express trust that the Master "up there" was taking care of him. I asked Him, "Who is the Master?" "God." "Do you know God?" I asked. "Yes." he admitted. "How did you come to know God?" "I just know him since I was a boy," he said, smiling broadly. After further prodding, he proclaimed he had never broken the Ten Commandments and all was well between him and God. I asked him, "Ever told a lie?" Pause. "No." "Really, not ev...

“ All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work .” I know why many people don’t like the Bible. One reason many people don’t like the Bible is because they did not write it. Folks like to be in control, everything in reach and in order. See, the Bible has this strange quality of hovering outside time and above history. Oh, some people have tried to re-write it. Because they did not write it, the Bible never has spoken anything but the truth and in order to get the upper-hand, men over throughout history have tried to supercede it with their own writings. Then they learn a new way to dislike it because the Bible has this “contemporary” quality to it—it sort of hangs out there beyond history and outside time. It’s source is eternal, therefore its words are eternal. Another reason why many don’t like the Bible is because it teaches. The Bibl...

"The Silver Moon" don't look like much, but it shore is good! This small "mom 'n pop" restaurant is just off the exit. Just take I-20 toward Florence, and get off at exit 68. You'll be starin' right at it. The sign on the building says, "Big Daddy's", but the sign on the street is "The Silver Moon." Does'nt matter 'cause folks call it what they call it--"good." The reg'lars sit where they sit, just like in church--each have their place, sometimes. It's busy, just not full. Some traveler will occasionally walk through the door, pause and suck in their breath as they decide to stay out of just being polite. I've heard a stranger once remark, "now this is the REAL thing" after spending a few minutes. And you know what? It really IS the real thing. Old Lizard's Thicket menu signs hang on the old Waffle House walls. If you didn't see Today's Special written in marker on a piece of...

18 or 19 years ago my former youth pastor, Chip, approached me about going down on the streets of our town, Gallup, New Mexico to share the good news of Jesus with any and all who would listen. One thing that confirmed I had to participate was the day I was standing by the door of my workplace and instead of seeing customers walk in to do business, I saw them drop straight throught the floor into flames. Another event that confirmed I had to join Chip was when my wife and I were the librarians at our church. One night I discovered a box full of tracts in the bottom of a closet in the library. When I opened it, I did not think, "oh, let's see. Save or toss?" nor did I think, "oh, a box full of tracts!" I was quite surprised by my own reaction. "This is how many people who have not yet heard." For the next year, we did not have to purchase a single piece of literature for our street team. Our team worked the streets of our town, never having more than th...

I think I am finally getting back into the swing of things. Getting caught up nicely. Rest is still much needed as allergies are keeping me just above the dragging stage, but at least I'm not flat on my back. Classes are going again. Southern Baptist Heritage was really good last night as we discussed Biblical Authority. Confessions and Creeds are next week. Yay! Al Mohler's blog on the subject of Biblical Authority today was a day late for class, but timely nevertheless (I feel like he's reading over my shoulder sometimes--his publications when I taught Ethics were right in step in a weird kind of way). Sunday School class had a great turnout last week. I need to get back into an exegetical study, but we are covering some good topics and I will let those peter out first. We are looking at Anger right now (thanks, Wayne Mack!). Work is down to a dull roar now that I have all my websites done (through 2009!) and correspondences are caught up. Registrations are coming in for ...

This has been a very stressful month. Transitions through all the changes have been very slow, or I am running out of steam . . . or perhaps both. Right now I am staying about 2 days behind on everything and way over budget. Am considering further changes that will certainly lighten the load and keep focused. I keep thinking of those great historical figures who said things like, "all we had was a Bible, Pilgrim's Progress and Foxe's Book of Martyrs." Remember when Phil Johnson had to cut back? I am considering changes that would reduce many things down that drastically. The sermon yesterday on Isaiah 40:38-31 was timely. I've been meditating on Zechariah 3 and God is working on me and my role as the leader of my family. William Plumer wrote in " Vital Godliness: A Treatise on Experimental and Practical Piety " (1864), "The daily business of a Christian is to . . . resist the devil, deny himself, overcome the world, crucify the flesh with...

Someone once said that a preacher should to be ready to preach at the drop of a hat and be on the second point before it hits the ground. Well, I don't have a hat, so please be satisified with this thought from Spurgeon: "WHEN we were in Venice we purchased a few curiosities, and finding them burdensome, we thought of sending them home by one of the English vessels lying in the Canal. We went out in a gondola with our box, and having asked for the captain of one of the vessels, we put to him the question, "Will you take a box for us to London, and what is the charge?" His reply was very ready, "I can't say till I know what's in it, for I don't want to get into trouble." A very common sense answer indeed; we admired its caution and honesty. What a pity that men do not exercise as much care in spiritual matters, as to what they will receive or reject." Read the rest here .

I've not done this for a while, but check this out . We heard from my daughter today. She is well, but please continue to pray . . .

I think it was four, maybe five years ago we were visiting family in Tennessee. We out-of-towners were staying at a nice hotel in town. Our oldest son was in his grand-parents room so there were only six of us in our room. I remember suddenly waking up one night and realizing the bed of youngest daughter was empty. She would have been only five or six then. We found her down the hall, asleep behind a tree near the elevator. She had somehow in her sleep-walk managed to walk right by our bed, undo three locks and wander down the hall. I never heard a blamed thing. And every time we travel with the kids, my wife moves furniture in front of the hotel door. The latest turn is that my prodigal daughter has alienated her friends and has now ditched them as well. For some reason she has decided to leave her friends and, well, rest assured that we know where she is: physically, safe; spiritually, prayed for. What does a parent do but review everything, looking and asking, "where did I go w...

The morning started off worse than an old Beatles album. Yesterday, before I could wake up, fall out of bed and drag a comb across my head, I discovered that she'd already left home. There I was, minding my own business, sleeping, when I was instantly awake--just sat straight up . . . Awake. I thought that only happened in the movies. I looked at the clock, 5:20 a.m., went out to see if my daughter ever locked the back door (she was outside at midnight on her cell phone . . . "be right in, daddy!" she said). I was asleep even before I got in bed at quarter after midnight . . . Now, I was standing there looking at the unlocked back door. Oh well. She probably forgot. My three girls share a room right across from the bathroom . . . I looked on them on my way to "check the plumbing" and noticed my oldest daughter's comforter and pillows were gone, clothes strewn everywhere. Top bunk empty . . . No 'Lisa. I look in the lower bunk where two sisters lay sleepi...

I've really missed being here. I was also glad to have a break from “the routine”--God used a good portion of my time away to remind me of the most important things--time away from the technologies (TV or computers, etc) have been refreshing. Rather than my simply report the events of our move, I was going to actually set this up like a Mad-Lib game because, 1) there were times this last week when I had no words to describe what was occurring, so filling in the blanks would have captured the spirit; and, 2) I was on drugs when I came up with the whole mad-lib idea (the reason will be clear later). What began as a fiasco ended as an unequivocal quivering monstrosity of cock-eyed flum-dummery (either that, or "insert adjective here"). We had planned on completing our move in 2 days, but instead, finished 4 days later at 11:30 p.m. The place we were moving was the House of Entropy--pre-existing problems experienced by the owners (as former tenants) worsened as we could not g...