Head-dibs

Took my wife to the doctor this morning to check out a spider bite and I ended up having allergies/asthma attack and got to see the doctor too. Yay. I got three prescriptions to her one. I've not had many solid one-on-one conversations this week, but have been able to pass out tracts like crazy. Wednesday night was able to distribute almost 30 tracts in two blocks downtown, all received with pleasantries and only one rejection. Anyhoo, E-vangi Tales reminds us: Remember the Fools on Sunday! Bumpersticker, $1.00, from Livingwaters.com

"NASA's Great Gravity Mystery " By Tariq Malik , Staff Writer posted: 27 March 2007 09:07 am ET NEW YORK – It’s been years since NASA last heard from either of its two Pioneer probes hurtling out of the solar system, but scientists are still debating the source of an odd force pushing against the outbound spacecraft. Dubbed the Pioneer Anomaly , the unexplained force appears to be acting against NASA’s identical Pioneer 10 and 11 probes, holding them back as they head away from the Sun. Whether that force stems from the probes themselves, something exotic like dark matter , or some new facet of physics or gravity , remains in doubt. Read the rest here . ************ " The heavens are telling the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, And night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; Their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their utternaces to t...

Leslie and I spent another fine evening at Starbucks in Five Points Sunday night. Now that the weather is warming up, I ventured out of my comfort zone and enjoyed a nice cool Carmel Frappachino. She had the same (decaf). USC was out doing whatever USC does during Spring Break, so patronage and foot traffic was minimal. While I was savoring the whipped topping on my cold brew, a tall young man came in just begging for conversation. His hair was blown every direction hair can be blown, white shirt (slightly wrinkled) untucked, holes in the knees of his jeans so large he was practically wearing shorts and a pair of flip flops so blown out he has redefined the old Parrot-head song. Around his neck was wrapped a home-made hemp necklace (you should have seen that coming) from which hung a huge—and I mean HUGE--light green “gem” about as big as a fist. You can see now why he was just begging for conversation. He talked to the girl behind the counter and then stepped outside. As he smoked and...

This is a very powerful video message that will stir your spirit for revival! Clips of following speakers included in this message: Ian ... all » Paisley, Leonard Ravenhill, Paris Reidhead, Duncan Campbell, A.W. Tozer, T. Austin Sparks. This is probably one of the most potent and powerful recordings on this entire site. You will be changed as you view this remarkable video.

[My notes from a sermon by Alan Cotney, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary ( Chapel archives ).] Why are so many pastors giving up the ministry? Why do so many men of God make poor decisions and give up or be forced out of the ministry God has called them to? Is it because God has changed, or because the ministry had taken on a new direction? Is it because something inside has changed that caused them to have no endurance in the ministry? This is what Paul is talking about in 2 Timothy 4, talking about endurance. Note the encouragement of 3:10-11, 14. To endure in ministry, you must: I. Remember the Seriousness of God’s Charge . (v.1) The charge of the call is from the throne of God, not Paul. God rules and reigns. The Christ of the call is the Jesus of the Judgment. He will judge the ministry He has given us. " For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son ." (John 5:22). " Let not many of you becomes teachers, my br...

" [God is not] served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything ." Acts 17:25 The difference between Uncle Sam and Jesus Christ is that Uncle Sam won't enlist you in his service unless you are healthy and Jesus won't enlist you unless you are sick. What is God looking for in the world? Assistants? No. The gospel is not a help-wanted ad. It is a help-available ad. God is not looking for people to work for Him but people who let Him work mightly in and through them. ************ Piper, John. "Brothers, Tell Them Not To Serve God." Brothers, We are Not Professionals . Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2002.

“An Old Kind of Christian, A Jesus Kind of Christian” I just listened to an incredible archived chapel message by Dr. Danny Akin of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary ( http://www.sebts.edu/ ). I believe the notes (below) are comprehensive enough: ************ We have new theological “neighbors” moving into our “neighborhood”, and compared to the way we like to “keep house”, these “neighbors” seem strange. We should not grow so accustomed to seeing them that we ignore them. The father of our new “neighborhood family” is Brian McClaren, and many of his “family” members believe we need to “repaint” the Christian faith. What we need is not a new kind of Christian, but an old kind of Christian, a Jesus kind of Christian. Jonathan Edwards asked a question and we should pay close attention to the answer: “What is it that makes the church like heaven?” The answer: love. I Corinthians 13:1-13 Love is essential (vv. 1-3). Jesus made it clear that the mark of a disciple i...

(HT: Christian Research Net)

(HT: Christian Research Net)

This weekend I met Sloth, Simple and Presumption from Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress.” Well, not really, but the personifications fit just perfectly. My wife and I are getting in the habit of going downtown to Starbucks near USC Campus on Sunday nights (we have no evening service at church) with the intention of evangelism. We met some friends from church, got some coffee and while the ladies stayed inside, Alan and I went out to the fountain to do some “fishing.” Here is Bunyan’s scenario: “I saw then in my dream, that he went on thus, even until he came at the bottom [of the hill], where he saw, a little out of the way, three men fast asleep, with fetters upon their heels. The name of the one was Simple , of another Sloth , and of the third Presumption . Christian then seeing them lie in this case, went to them, if peradventure he might awake them, and cried, you are like them that sleep on the top of a mast , (Prov. 23:34), for the Dead Sea is under you, a gulf that hath no bottom: aw...

I thank God for the wonderful weather we’ve had the last few weeks, for with the warmer weather and the longer sunshine hours come people who linger after work downtown. I would like to say that the reason they linger is to hear the gospel, and providentially in God’s sovereignty this must be so, but they don’t realize it yet. I’ve been praying that God would make our conversations more fruitful, more intentional and real than most would have in “cold call” evangelistic techniques. Now, I am not a person that converses well, and part of my prayer has included the request that God would make me a better listener. The answer to these prayers came through a board game (and I am not one who plays board games, save Chess perhaps) that caught me by surprise: The UN-game. This “Christian” version contained some questions that not only caused me to think, but struck me as the kinds of questions that can be used as spring-boards for conversations. I’ve honed the questions and the list down to t...

Edgar Allan Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum" comes to mind when I reflect on a conversation I had yesterday with "Sam" in the park. With him, the pendulum swings one way. With these guys, the pendulum swings the other . . . "Sam" had a difficult time thinking up a small list of things he was thankful for, but was finally decisive that he was thankful for his life, for his children, for his wife and for education; however, he was not sure what God's purpose for his life was. Matter of fact, he concluded his purpose was to question his purpose! Mind you, this is a neatly dressed young man about 25 years old, walking his dog, sitting with his girl in the park. To him, God seemed to be a powerful spiritual being who pulled you through life circumstances in order to prove that He exists. To her, God was "out to get you" at first, but then is more like a "mighty being." Here's where his pendulum swings: "Sam" beli...

The free Bible download contains all the text of the King James Version, as well as a new book entitled God's New Law, which describes a prophecy from the year 2000 that forgives homosexuality and fornication. This new book is meant to inaugurate the rebirth of mankind and the acceptance of gay marriage in God's kingdom. San Diego, CA ( PRWEB ) February 14, 2007 -- This is a new version of the Holy Bible that includes the New Testament, along with a new book entitled God's New Law, which was introduced in the ye...

Making efficient use of time (yours and mine) this post will not elaborate the subject of the Bible where it touches authority, inspiration, revelation (and the subsequent distinctions of revelation), illumination and etc.. There are enough links from this website to others that will direct a reader to virtual tomes on these subjects. Time would be better served to stay on the “ground level” and consider the question as to whether the Bible can be considered to be literally true. Millard J. Erickson writes, “The Bible is first and foremost a theological book. It was designed to teach us about God and our relationship to him [sic]. It was written in a prescientific age. Consequently, it does not describe events and causes in the scientific language of today.” i Erickson’s postulation provides a clue to the necessity of providing an answer to the trustworthiness of scripture. The Bible is without doubt a theological book for from the very beginning we find God teaching mankind ...

from Tominthebox News Network by Tominthebox News Network SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA With the immense popularity of the hit television series Lost, the Trinity Broadcasting Network is hoping to capitalize upon the show with its own similar concept, Saved . The series stars Kirk Cameron, most well-known for his role as Buck Williams in the Left Behind movies. The story is about a group of "wild" business men and women headed back to the United States from a business trip to Tokyo. Suddenly their plane undergoes severe turbulence that tears it apart. The group crashes on to a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean, and miraculously almost everyone survives. Thinking that they are the only ones on the island the group begins to look for ways to escape or get rescued. Little do they know that they are not alone. Soon they discover that there are "others" on the island too. They encounter a group of young missionaries who had crashed on the island ten years earlier led b...

The pony express was a thrilling part of early American history. It ran from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California—a distance of 1,900 miles. The trip was made in ten days. Forty men, each riding 50 miles a day, dashed along the trail on 500 of the best horses the West could provide. To conserve weight, clothing was very light, saddles were extremely small and thin, and no weapons were carried. The horses themselves wore small shoes or none at all. The mail pouches were flat and very conservative in size. Letters had to be written on thin paper, and postage was $5.00 an ounce (a tremendous sum those days). Yet, each rider carried a full-sized Bible! It was presented to him when he joined the pony express, and he took it with him despite all the scrupulous weight precautions. ************ Tan, P. L. (1996, c1979). Encyclopedia of 7700 illustrations : A treasury of illustrations, anecdotes, facts and quotations for pastors, teachers and Christian workers . Garland TX: Bible...

The IrishCalvinist ran this great piece yesterday. Fits in great with our thoughts on "Does it matter what I believe?": Can we become so obsessed with making our theology work or pursue the “correct” theology with such fervor that it subtly becomes the thing we worship and not the Creator behind it? This is indeed a danger. Our sinful hearts can even use good things like the study of theology as an altar for the personal worship of self. This is tragic. The pursuit of and growth in the knowledge of God is not bad, in fact it is commanded (Matt. 22.37; 2 Pet. 3.18). However, it is true that knowledge in general and theological knowledge in particular may puff up believers (1 Cor. 8.1). So there is a command to learn and a caution toward the growth of pride. Read the rest here in " Can Theology become Idolatry? ".

When I hear the question, “Does it matter what I believe?” I also hear in another question in the background, “does it matter what I don’t believe?” You’ve heard the old saying, “ignorance is bliss,” and the other saying liked unto it is, “what you don’t know can’t hurt you.” What do you think? Is this true? I wish it were true. Speaking from childhood experience, I could not begin to tell you how much it hurt when I crashed into that curb while riding my bike—I did not know I was going to crash, nor did I know how I was going to crash nor did I know how much skin would come off my arm and my leg--how I wished the axiom would have held true that day! I did not know how much I would bleed and I certainly did not know what it would feel like to walk all the way home. Believe me when I say, “what I did not know DID hurt me!” When it comes down to what we believe, will God hold us accountable for what are not motivated to learn, especially in matters concerning Him? A few nights ago I was ...

This fits in nicely with our thoughts this week on why it DOES matter what one believes:

Millard Erickson mentions three objections to the study of doctrine early in his book " Does It Matter What I Believe? " [i] First, "the study of doctrine unduly complicates the Christian faith;" second, "doctrine divides Christians;" and third, "doctrine may distract us from other aspects of the Christian life." Erickson does not hold to these objections, but we are well served to answer them, for if these objections are not answered we might as well worship dust bunnies because nobody enjoys complications, everyone is persuant of unity and the last thing we really need are distractions from those thing that make us feel good. A happy home is one where everyone is able to sit and watch the same TV channel without bickering, right? Doctrine is a strange word. I distinctly remember hearing it for the first time when I was small and how the sound of it stuck with me like grit does after falling on a hard cold tile floor. Not exactly a word ma...