Head-dibs

An Application for Dating My Daughter .  Well, I could have used this twice already, but at least I still have one more chance . . . Ah!  Here's a great question: " how much does a hurricane weigh ?"  The answer is astounding . . . but remember, this could not have come about through the work of a Creator--it happened by chance! "If the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Church in Galatia had been published in Christianity Today how would it be received by those who read that magazine? Well, what follows are the letters from readers in response to Paul’s inspired Epistle." Are you schizophonetic?  Spend seven minutes watching this fascinating presentation on the way noise may be affecting our mental health.  There may actually be another reason for wind, water and birds . . .

Columbia International University is joining hands with other passionate, Christ-centered organizations. Through these partnerships we can accomplish more as together we impact the nations with the message of Christ. Columbia International University is pleased to announce their new partnership with Ambassadors For Christ!  Having similar mission and values, Ambassadors For Christ and CIU will work together to train and send people to the nations with the message of Christ. Ambassadors For Christ is called by God, in cooperation with local churches, to evangelize and disciple Chinese students and professionals in the United States and other parts of the world, to motivate and equip them to impact the culture for the Lord, and to mobilize and channel them into the service of Christ as a vital force for God's Kingdom. Organizations like Ambassadors For Christ draw servants with a heart for the Lord and a desire to serve Him; it will be our great privilege to train th...

This photoblog is a repost from 2008. These pictures were taken from the center of our downtown Richland County Public Library , looking up (or down) the escalator corridor. This place just demands to be photographed!

The god of this world has been at hard at work capturing man’s allegiance, driving the wedge of alienation deeper between man and God through a living faith that cannot agree “on who God is, what He is like, how man should relate to Him or the dimensions of the supernatural world” ( Steyne, Philip . In Step With The God of the Nations). There is no peace of mind, no certainty of anything but fear. Theological exchanges (even those on the street) sound like grade school children, “my god can beat up your god.” How does “yeah well, my god . . .” work in an age of tolerance and so-called reconciliation when there clearly is no basis for either? If there is a God, how is He to be approached? Do we fall on our knees, or grovel? Should we lick the dust at his feet? What should I do with my hands: lift them up, stretch them out, place them on my head or clasp them behind? How is He pleased? What and how much am I supposed to bring into His presence? What am I guaranteed because of what I ...

"Books, and people too may be carelessly approached or walked right past, without ever getting a chance to show themselves for what they are. Once one is aware of the possibility of seeing much more, one proceeds much more carefully, like a hunter who pauses often to look and listen, because the game could be anywhere." (Cary Stickney, Convocation Address at St John's College Graduate Institute in Liberal Education , 1994). ************ Allow your eye for a moment to survey this list of ideas, taking note of those that may seem familiar at the very least; or, note those that perhaps may be adopted into personal lifestyle or in the lifestyle of someone you know: Do whatever it takes to accomplish your purpose--you are accountable only to yourself; Your opinion matters most--what you think will “be;” I think, therefore, I am; Guilt does not exist, so do whatever makes you feel good as long as you don’t hurt someone else; Conscience does not exist, society is ...

Mortimer Adler gently explains " How To Mark A Book ." Dr. Warren Larson answers the question, " Is Islam Violent or Peaceful ?" Best-selling author, pastor, and Columbia International University graduate Robert J. Morgan was the keynote speaker during the 2010 Christian Life Conference at CIU: " Don't Give Up On People " Ex 1:1-5 " Don't Worry about Fame and Fortune " Ex. 1:6-23 " Put Your Burdens in the Bulrushes ." Ex 2:1-10

Vampire Christianity describes the kind of person who wants the blood of Christ to pay for their sins and keep them from hell—and nothing more. Vampire Christianity seeks forgiveness from sin, but no cleansing from sin. The Vampire Christian wants nothing to do with the life of Christ, being filled with the Spirit or walking in obedience—they just want “fire insurance.” This kind of thinking does not reflect (no pun intended) biblical teaching. Perhaps we could call it “Twilight Christianity”—the kind that is not quite in the light. God, the righteous judge, wants to give those who repent more than forgiveness and fire insurance—He wants to give new life that comes in no other way but by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by what He accomplished through shedding His blood. This happens by dying to sin in Christ, that sin would have no power over the believer. God does not intend for one who was dead in sin to be saved from sin and live like he or she is still dead in sin. This is the very ...

You were born a human being. That means you are not a chair, and you are certainly no chicken. You are not a chicken because you know how to argue, to stand up and fight; just to fight for what is right. You are too special to be a chair because you hear the voice of God. What does He sound like? You will know when He is suddenly silent. Beware the Lotus Eaters! Stay awake and know who the phonies are! Show some guts because there are too many possibilities, too many temptations and it is easy to go wrong. Satan tempts us in those places he knows we CAN do—we are never tempted to do the impossible. You are worth all the trouble to get goosed a little because you know that we would never do anything to hurt you, nor would we ask you to hurt yourself. There is a reason you are not a chair nor a chicken. That reason is because you were designed to do something in such a specific way that nobody living ever has been able to, can do or ever will do. You are able to bring glory to God ...

“Optimism” and “pessimism” are terms that have found their way into nearly daily usage and are often defined in terms of water in the glass--is the glass half-full or half-empty? The answer actually depends on whether the glass is being filled, or emptied; otherwise, it is simply half a glass of water. Voltaire (born François-Marie Arouet, 1694 - 1778) has been called “The Father of the Enlightenment,“ which is a period we describe as the rise of humanism. His philosophy, along with other writers, is still considered to be influential causes of both the French and American revolutions. As a theologian, Voltaire was primarily deistic, but his leanings were more pagan. His most well-known contribution is a a critique and analysis of the times, in the short witty book, “Candide” (1759), which incidentally, could very well be the source of “optimism“ and “pessimism.” The influence and reactions to John Bunyan (“Pilgrim‘s Progress,” 1678 ), Jonathan Swift (“Gulliver’s Travels,” 1726), with ...

“We are sending forth graduates with diffused minds, scarcely fit to take command of their own lives or to co-operate in the development of a social state; drifters into conformity and essential human futility; easy victims to specious crowd psychologies; followers of what seem easy ways out . . . . They esteem themselves only creatures of their environment and so they tend to become just that. They have little or no perception of standards—of truth, beauty, or goodness; they have no goals or purposeful perfection with which to estimate values or by which to gauge achievement. All things are to them relative—relative not to absolutes but to expediency. Truth means to them little more than a body of observable facts; beauty, conformity to fashion; goodness, doing the things that will make one comfortable or popular. Out of our most able youth, capable of high adventure, we are manufacturing mental and ethical jellyfish.” President Stephen Bell, of Saint Stephens College. Quoted by W.A. ...

Richard Mant (1776 – 1848) wrote a commentary on the entire Bible and authored at least a couple dozen hymns, even translating some from the Latin for “modern” use. One particular Latin hymn ("Venantius Fortunatus," 569 AD) was paraphrased by Mant into the beautiful hymn, “See the Destined Day Arise:” “See the destined day arise! See a willing sacrifice! Jesus, to redeem our loss, Hangs upon the shameful cross. Jesus, who but Thou had borne, Lifted on that tree of scorn, Every pang and bitter throe, Finishing Thy life of woe? Who but Thou had dared to drain, Steeped in gall, the cup of pain, And with tender body bear Thorns, and nails, and piercing spear? Thence the cleansing water flowed, Mingled from Thy side with blood; Sign to all attesting eyes Of the finished sacrifice. Holy Jesus, grant us peace In that sacrifice to place All our trust for life renewed, Pardoned sin and promised good. Grant us grace to sing to Thee, In the Trinal Unity, Ever with the sons of light, Ble...

The word “abide” is a term that occurs often in the New Testament. As a verb, we understand that abiding does not always depend on an object; that is, in its range of meaning, to “remain, stay, dwell, lodge, remain, last, persist, continue to live, wait,” can be literal or figurative. This becomes clear as we appreciate the depth of meaning by examining in John’s Gospel the one doing the action as well by investigating where the action is performed. Categorically speaking, the action of abiding is accomplished by God the Father (14:10), God the Son, Jesus (1:38-39; 4:40; 6:56; 7:9; 10:40; 11:6, 54; 12:24, 34; 14:25; 15:4-5; 19:31), and the Holy Spirit (1:32, 33; 14:17). God’s Word is described as abiding (5:38; 15:7). The disciples, Jesus’ mother and his brothers, even John (the disciple whom Jesus loved), are observed to “abide” (in some form of the word) where Jesus was (1:39; 2:12; 21:22). Considering eternal matters, we find positive and negative aspects of abiding. Positively, ete...

Yes, I'm a geek. From Space.com: "Die-hard 'Star Trek' fans may want to dust off their Klingon dictionaries and take a transporter to Europe for the debut of the first opera ever to be completely sung in the invented science fiction language ." "U" [pronounced "oo"] Synopsis: Kahless has been betrayed by his brother, who brutally slays their father. The sorrowful Kahless struggles against his enemy, a tyrant called Molor, and visits the underworld. There he is united with his true love, the Lady Lukara, and must, with her help, defeat 500 warriors to regain his honor, using the first Bat’leth (or “Sword of Honor"), which he creates from his own hair. Here is the Klingon Victory Song, "yIjah, Qey' 'oH" from an episode of Deep Space 9: Ok, one more just for fun (we haven't had enough already yet today):

Griffiths, Michael C. God’s Forgetful Pilgrims. London: Inter-Varsity: 1975. This book seeks to apply the principles of being an individual Christian corporately; that is, the author shows the characteristics a true Christian congregation. Griffiths laments, “Sadly, many Christians seem to have lost their way corporately and are suffering from this strange amnesia about their congregational goals and purpose” (p. 9). Griffiths first addresses “Our Mental Concept of the Church,” introducing standing translation problems resulting from the richness of “ekklesia” (the “called out group” where the reality of deliverance, relationship, inheritance and community expand the meaning of the already-difficult word) in various settings (locally, regionally, municipally and personally). Salvation has a distinct corporate quality and is not intended for individuals per se. Once again, the English language does not communicate well (for example, “you” is singular or plural, so who is Paul addressin...

This is what Earth and the Moon look like from the planet Mercury . Greg Koukl answers the question , "How do you handle the hardcore relativist that freely admits he doesn't believe he can tell a child rapist he's 'wrong?' What do you do when graphically describing something horrible like that doesn't successfully move the person's conscience?" Have a nice day!

A reader in Kathmandu, Nepal wrote me from his cell phone with this question: "how do I meet my goal or get success in life?" First, allow me to express my constant amazement at how “flat” the world has become due to technology. I am more amazed at how similar people are, asking the same kinds of questions “over there” that we may ask “right here.” The question is difficult to answer because I don’t know what goals he has set for himself, and I don’t know what he means by “success.” I have asked him to define what he means, and until he answers, I am left with greater questions that his might lead to, such as “how do I meet the highest goal or achieve a fulfilled life?” Doesn’t this sounds much like “what is the chief end of man?” Children ask questions more than adults. The first years are filled with “What is that?” and “Who is that?” Later, the questions change to “Why is that?” or are suddenly complex (such as, "in what language do deaf people think?") then sudd...

Reason is able to confirm the existence of God by consideration of the birds of the air and lilies of the field (as it were); however, reason alone fails to comprehend the person and things of God Himself. We see evidence that He Is, but we cannot know Him by mere reason alone in the same way that a building gives evidence to a builder, but gives the admirer no personal knowledge of the builder. We can’t prove the existence of God. We can only point to the evidence of The Creator (more in this in a moment). Yet, God desires to reason (not dialogue nor debate, but to settle on His terms) with man who is in rebellion against Him (Isaiah 1:10-20). This is doing theology: practicing true science (applying unbiased knowledge), and pure philosophy (transforming the mind mind, using discretion, enlarging the world beyond personal interest) to fulfill God’s purpose for us and bring Him glory that is all His. When the follower of Christ and seeker of God rub shoulders with the world, we fi...

"The Bible is full of logic, and we must never think of faith as something purely mystical. We do not just sit down in an armchair and expect marvelous things to happen to us. That is not Christian faith. Christian faith is essentially thinking. Look at the birds, think about them, and draw your deductions. Look at the grass, look at the lilies of the field, consider them. The trouble with most people, however, is that they will not think. Instead of doing this, they sit down and ask, What is going to happen to me? What can I do? That is the absence of thought; it is surrender, it is defeat. Our Lord, here, is urging us to think, and to think in a Christian manner. That is the every essence of faith. Faith, if you like, can be defined like this: It is a man insisting upon thinking when everything seems determined to bludgeon and knock him down in an intellectual sense." --D. Martin Lloyd Jones. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount .

The post-apocalyptic work “ The Road ” compelled me to search out more from the talented author Cormac McCarthy. Having been assaulted by “No Country For Old Men,” I held that very little could be more brutal. “Besides,” I wondered, “what would a Western story be like, written by an contemporary author?” So I read, “Blood Meridian: Or The Evening Redness In The West.” This is not your father's Louis L'Amour or your grandfather's Zane Grey. McCarthy unapologetically uses Spanish like Tolstoy uses French in early editions of "War and Peace." It's like watching the last 15 minutes of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" over and over again, and expecting that something different will happen with each ending. Only it's much, much worse. If “The Road” was a post-apocolyptic event (and there he never describes how the destruction came), then “Blood Meridian” is the event. Blood Meridian is historical fiction, very (very) loosely based on the bloody activit...

Stephen Hawking is trying to change his mind, saying that physics is the reason for the Big Bang , not God. Dr. Hawking now has left himself without an answer concerning the origin of physics. "If we discover a complete theory, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason -- for then we should know the mind of God," he wrote. We do have a complete theory, Dr. Hawking; but, human reason accepts or denies it--it cannot triumph over it. "Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist," Hawking writes. Spontaneous creation? This reminds me of the conversation I had with a young lady who claimed she was an athiest. When I asked for her explaination for the origins of the Universe, she replied, "it was a miracle." Just today Tim Challies reminded me of this episode that originally aired on National Ge...

E.M. Bounds' classic book, "Necessity of Prayer" is available as an audio book ! When I look at these , I can't help but wonder if I did not see one in a Doctor Who episode. Great Balls of Fire . . . Again. On Jupiter . Again. Speaking of fire, Sinclair Ferguson answers the question, " What Then Shall We Preach On Hell ?" NPR wonders: " Is Belief in God Evolutionarily Advantageous ?" The Zwemer Center for Muslim Studies has posted their latest newsletter .

"With more than 500,000 in print, Spiritual Leadership has proven itself a timeless classic in teaching the principles of leadership. J. Oswald Sanders presents and illustrates those principles through biographies of eminent men of God - men such as Moses, Nehemiah, Paul, David Livingstone, and Charles Spurgeon." christianaudio.com - christianaudio.com

Words cannot express the great enjoyment I had as a teen getting lost in these very mountains pictured here, following the streams high up the slopes, resting in shade and sun, mesmerized by the sound of the sweet, jewel-encrusted water trickling to the cataracts that fed the lake. That slope on the left, just above the waterline was the means by which I put in a small boat and occasionally rowed from one end of the lake to the other, soaking in the quiet, staring at the fish, drifting in the breeze --untouchable. Wintertime brought deep snow and I nearly cried at night as I could not sleep, staring out the window at the blue mountains, blazing in the moonlight and deathly silent. The stars (O, the stars!) overcast the sky, the Milky Way nearly blotting out space itself. The lights of night burned so so bright that shadows would cast to the ground as if it were day. I would put on my boots and coat, go outside, crunching up the snow-covered lane and muttering to myself, “how . . . how...