Mar
3
On the Death of a Child
Posted by Jon Trainer at 9:38 am
A recent blog post on the Gospel Coalition website introduced me to Nancy Guthrie. Clicking on a link at the end of that piece led me to her family’s story. Take the time to read it. The death of one child in infancy is a hard burden to bear. The death of a second under the same set of circumstances could be devastating, but the Guthrie’s profound assurance of God’s sovereignty is a sure anchor. Browse through their website, look at the pictures of Hope and Gabriel, and hear their faith expressed in words of grief and hope. It is one thing to write a paragraph like the one below from a purely academic perspective, it is pure gold from the furnace of suffering. Nancy writes…
Though God’s sovereignty can be initially hard to accept, ultimately it is the only solid ground to stand on in this broken world, and eventually we realize that it is really a soft place to land. His sovereign power to redeem the suffering we experience in this sin-sick world is our only true hope and comfort. Without confidence in God’s sovereign oversight of the universe, life becomes meaningless, hope for justice fades, and everything seems random. The truth is, if God is not sovereign, then we’re in trouble. The sovereignty of God is a rock underfoot when the winds blow in our lives. It confronts what seems absurd in our existence. God’s sovereignty is our greatest hope as we face an uncertain and unknown future.
Mar
1
Not Too Much Dust On Sundays
Posted by Jon Trainer at 6:18 pm
A careful hand will weave just the right amount of history into the weekly liturgy to give a congregation a sense of the ancient landmarks without thinking they are on an archeological expedition. For example, this past Sunday we used a few questions from the Belgic Confession in place of the Apostle’s Creed. This enabled us to identify with the 15th century persecuted church in The Netherlands, affirm our faith with fresh language, and avoid the danger of vain repetition by saying a well known creed one more time. Here is a quote from Bryan Chapell’s Christ-Centered Worship: Letting the Gospel Shape Our Practice regarding the rightful place of tradition as an aid to creating a gospel-centered worship service:
Always we are to be informed by tradition; never are we to be ruled by it. The Word of God is our only infallible rule of faith and practice, but an unwillingness to consider what previous generations have learned about applying God’s Word discloses either naivete or arrogance. God intends for us to stand on the shoulders of those faithful before us. He gives us a mission for our time, but he also gives us a history to prepare us for our present calling. Without critically and constructively examining this foundation we are ill equipped for building the church God wants today (p. 16).
This paragraph captures the beautiful balance that permeates Chapell’s work. We tend to bounce between the extremes of structured vs. free, traditional vs. relevant, objective vs. subjective, doxological vs. delightful, solemn vs. celebrative, transcendent vs. accessible, common vs. excellent, emotional vs. cognitive, dialogical vs. proclamatory, historic vs. contextualized, and saved vs. seeker-sensitive (p. 137). Instead of looking at this list and thinking either/or, Chapell argues there is biblical warrant for each of these values depending upon the circumstances and goals of any particular worship occasion. It requires biblical wisdom to create a sound structure that is Christ-centered and appropriate to the task at hand, as well as historically informed.
Feb
26
GC2
Posted by Jon Trainer at 12:18 pm
In 2005 a handful of pastors in the central Ohio area began meeting informally at the Panera Bread at Easton. The purpose of these monthly meetings was simply to spend time together in fellowship and share ministry blessings and burdens.
Over time the meetings grew more structured in that discussion topics or texts were chosen and the conversation more directed. In addition, the handful of attendees felt a growing responsibility to reach out to other likeminded pastors and churches that may lack significant fellowship and a sense of partnering in ministry.
During the course of these events, two significant conferences were held in the broader evangelical world — Together for the Gospel (T4G) and The Gospel Coalition (TGC). Upon reading the documents that grew out of these events, the small group meeting in Columbus found a commonality of theology and philosophy of ministry. It was decided to use these documents as part of a foundational structure in order to build a “Gospel Coalition” in the greater Columbus area, hence the moniker, The Greater Columbus Gospel Coalition, or GC2 (“GC Squared”).
On June 4 of this year GC2 will sponsor an event called “For the Sake of the Gospel” at Grace Bible Church in Canal Winchester. We have invited Alistair Begg of Parkside Church in Cleveland to speak to church leadership teams in the afternoon and our gathered congregations in the evening. The focus of this gatherings will be glorying in the gospel, seeking its creative dissemination in the greater Columbus area, and engaging our world for the sake of the gospel and the furtherance of the Kingdom of God in a manner that is consistent with a Christian worldview that seeks the welfare of the city (already) in which we live here as exiles (not yet).
You can learn more about GC2 here. You can learn more about the event here. This is GC2’s first event; we are in our infancy. But we trust God will use our efforts for his glory.
Feb
24
flotsam & jetsam (2.24.10)
Posted by Jon Trainer at 7:24 pm
I was concerned the other day upon finding a sexually explicit app in the iPhone app store. These things are fairly easy for me to avoid, but I was thinking about my 14 year old son who owns an iTouch and has the same accessibility to the app store that I do. Perhaps the temptation would be too great for him to just sneak a quick peak. I was happy, therefore, to learn yesterday that Apple has purged 5000 overtly sexual apps. Apparently they may end up placing them behind an “explicit” label. Good for Apple. An interesting discussion regarding teens and porn happening here.
J. Gresham Machen’s classic Christianity and Liberalism is available on mp3 here. HT: Reformation21.
A short interview with Wheaton’s next president. HT: Hans.
Colonel Robert L. Howard, one of America’s most decorated veterans, was laid to rest. You can read his Medal of Honor citation here.
Thomas Sowell speaks for me regarding Tiger Woods’ apology and all other aimless apologies for that matter. As Sowell says, “Tiger Woods doesn’t owe me an apology. Nothing that he has ever done has cost me a dime nor an hour of sleep.”
On the Islamic ideology front, you may be interested to read “The St. Petersburg Declaration,” a document signed by several secular Muslims advocating the neutralization of political Islam.
Feb
19
Whose serve is it?
Posted by Champ Thornton at 10:57 am
As a follow-up to yesterday’s post, here’s a good word from John Piper, who writes that God must never be served as though He needed anything.
What is the greatness of our God? What is His uniqueness in the world? Isaiah says, “From of old no one has heard or perceived by ear, no God has seen a God besides Thee, who works for those who wait for Him” (Isa. 64:4). All the other so-called gods make man work for them. Our God will not be put in the position of an employer who must depend on others to make his business go. Instead He magnifies His all-sufficiency by doing the work Himself. Man is the dependent partner in this affair. His job is to wait for the Lord.
“No Help Wanted.” What is God looking for in the world? Assistants? No. The gospel is not a “help wanted” ad. Neither is the call to Christian service. God is not looking for people to work for Him. “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show His might in behalf of those who heart is blameless toward Him” (2 Chron. 16:9).
God is not a scout looking for the first draft choices to help his team win. He is an unstoppable fullback ready to run touchdowns for anyone who will give him the ball.
What does God want from us? Not what we might expect. He rebukes Israel for bringing Him so many sacrifices: “I will accept no bull from your house. . . . For every beast of the forest is Mine. . . . If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world and all that is in it is Mine” (Ps. 50:9-12).
But isn’t there something we can give to God that won’t belittle Him to the status of beneficiary? Yes. Our anxieties. It’s a command: “Cast all your anxieties on Him” (1 Peter 5:7). God will gladly receive anything from us that shows our dependence and His all-sufficiency.
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. “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17). Christianity is fundamentally convalescence. Patients do not serve their physicians. They trust them for good prescriptions. The Sermon on the Mount is our Doctor’s medical advice, not our Employer’s job description.
Our very lives hang on not working for God. “To one who works, his wages are not reckoned as a gift but as his due. And to one who does not work but trust Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness” (Rom. 4:4-5). Workmen get no gifts. They get their due. If we would have the gift of justification, we dare not work. God is the workman in this affair. And what He gets is the glory of being the benefactor of grace, not the beneficiary of service.
Nor should we think that after justification our labor for God begins. Those who make a work out of sanctification cry down the glory of God. Jesus Christ is “our righteousness and sanctification” (1 Cor. 1:30). “Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh?” (Gal. 3:2-3). God was the workman in our justification, and He will be the workman in our sanctification.
Religious “flesh” always wants to work for God. But “if you live according to the flesh you will die” (Rom. 8:13). That is why our very lives hang on not working for God, both in justification and sanctification.
Feb
17
You must not serve God!
Posted by Champ Thornton at 4:59 pm
George Herbert (1593-1632), in his poem, Love, reminds us that ultimately Christians do not serve God. We are people served by God, especially at the cross. As someone has said, “All the world’s religions are about doing. Christianity is about done.” “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
LOVE bade me welcome; yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lack’d anything.
‘A guest,’ I answer’d, ‘worthy to be here:’
Love said, ‘You shall be he.’
‘I, the unkind, ungrateful? Ah, my dear,
I cannot look on Thee.’
Love took my hand and smiling did reply,
‘Who made the eyes but I?’
‘Truth, Lord; but I have marr’d them: let my shame
Go where it doth deserve.’
‘And know you not,’ says Love, ‘Who bore the blame?’
‘My dear, then I will serve.’
‘You must sit down,’ says Love, ‘and taste my meat.’
So I did sit and eat.
Feb
12
flotsam & jetsam (2.12.10)
Posted by Jon Trainer at 3:58 pm
Tabiti Anyabwile, a pastor in the Grand Caymans, wouldn’t mind spending a couple days in the DC area to enjoy the snow, but just a couple. He is receiving a number of emails from people ready to hop on a flight to any point south, but notes that God arranges most divine appointments right where we are.
Andy Naselli links to an excellent reminder from John MacArthur on how to pastor a flock recovering from excessive legalistic tradition. The three main points are: 1) love them by not needlessly offending them, 2) understand that convictions–whether right or wrong–inform the conscience, and 3) slowly re-educate their conscience by exalting Jesus. This is a wonderful trek along the paths of gentle shepherding and gospel-centeredness. You can listen to the 5 min blurb from JM at the link above.
Pastors just want to have fun call in spiritually-sick some days. A transparent post.
Enough with the parodies of weak men; how about a few strong ones?
On the military side of things, the future of the defense budget is serious business and looking ominous (just from the Navy side of the house). The price of freedom is high, and the overall percentage of the budget headed toward defense is not unreasonable. Jihad Watch…Islamic cleric glorifies suicide bombing and its supposed rewards. You can imagine what the nightly news would be reporting if this was promoted by your local Catholic priest some Sunday in his parish.
In honor of Mr. Lincoln’s b-day. Here is a post that briefly quotes his understanding of America during the debates with Douglas (quote at bottom of post).
For iPhone users: best apps awards. Got a couple more off this list.
Feb
10
flotsam & jetsam (2.10.10)
Posted by Jon Trainer at 3:55 pm
When snow is piling up outside in drifts serious enough for us to leave our vehicles at the end of the driveway to avoid being stuck, and as church meetings are rescheduled and school classes canceled, it is time to do some make-up reading as there is not much else to do. Yesterday, I found myself reaching for Bryan Chapell’s Christ-Centered Worship (Baker Academic, 2009). With five chapters in the rear view mirror, Chapell’s work is inspiring. Worship must be shaped in a pattern that vitally communicates gospel truth and thus drives the participant to Christ. He traces how the church has been engaged in the task of building Christ-centered worship patterns since before the Reformation through a careful look at Rome, Luther, Calvin, Westminister, and a contemporary (Robert Rayburn, O Come Let Us Worship, 1980). Chapell writes,
Similar to church architecture, differing church traditions and cultural contexts have resulted in great variation in the structure of Christian liturgy. But, also similar to the physical structures of the church, where the truths of the gospel are maintained there remain commonalities of worship structure that transcend culture. Despite having great architectural variety, Christian churches still have common denominators: a place to proclaim the Word; a place to gather for prayer, praise, and receiving the Word; a place to administer and receive the sacraments; and others….Liturgy tells a story. We tell the gospel by the way we worship. Where a church maintains the truths of the gospel, it inevitably discovers aspects of worship that are in harmony with other faithful churches. In fact, worshiping with these aspects is one important way a church maintains fidelity to the gospel (pp. 18-19).
As a helpful balance to all of this necessary emphasis on tradition and form, Kevin DeYoung writes a nice piece emphasizing life lessons from one Theodorus Jacobus Freylinghausen, a Dutch Reformed minister who pastored in New Jersey during the first half of the 18th century. DeYoung reaches seven conclusions: 1) dead orthodoxy is deadly, 2) tradition is a wonderful servant but a terrible master, 3) God blesses preaching that is scriptural, personal, and evangelical, 4) do not neglect the third mark of the church (discipline), 5) fear God, not people, 6) doctrinal fidelity and evangelistic fervor do not have to be at odds, and 7) passion and courage are no excuses for a harsh spirit. Helpful all.
On the cultural front, this article from The Huffington Post on children being raised as narcissists and thus losing the capacity for empathy is helpful and evidence of good self-diagnosis. Child rearing used to have as its goal the death of a self-centered existence, but modern parents actually encourage their children to bend over the mirror-like pool and become enamored with their own reflection. While society may label the little urchins as afflicted with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (a disease scripture says we all have) and prescribe the celebration of “Madly In Love With Me Day,” the only real solution is a Savior to fill the God-shaped void.
On the military front, a great read (pics included) from Michael Yon on a C-130J resupply mission in Afghanistan, and greater accountability for US commanders when things go wrong; apparently, this article is causing a stir.
Feb
9
flotsam & jetsam (2.9.10)
Posted by Jon Trainer at 9:44 am
Statistics are stubborn. The changing demographics in Europe and beyond, especially relating to the growing tide of Islam, bespeak a transformed world (YouTube vid contrasting declining western birthrates with exponential Muslim familial growth) within our children’s lifetime. The ideological struggle is fierce. It is worth following the trial of Geert Wilders, a Dutch politician currently charged with discrimination against Muslims (he dares to criticize Islam in public speeches). National Review posted an online symposium on the trial here. Pat Condell makes no bones about what is at stake here, as does Robert Spencer here. Robert Rubin on why free speech is so vital to sustaining a modern Europe…a lesson from the Enlightenment.
C. Michael Patton at Parchment & Pen posts a helpful list of seven common fallacies of biblical interpretation…a good reminder to review these periodically.
History for today. Been reading The Federalist Papers lately, so this short(?) bio of John Jay was a nice read.
The Dark Green Religion. The is why an articulate theology of an immanent Creator and an incarnate Savior are so vital to counter the worship of Gaia. Here is the interview mentioned in the article.
What are the chances? A tourist is rescued off of the ice in northern Germany after flashes from his camera are noticed by a woman watching a webcam in southern Germany and alerts police to his plight. Take everything in on those webcams. My favorite is here.
Feb
2
flotsam & jetsam (2.2.10)
Posted by Jon Trainer at 10:38 pm
Just a couple quickies this evening. First, according to a recent survey here are the pastors/theologians/leaders most influencing this generation of pastors:
- Rounding out the top 10, after Billy Graham and Chuck Swindoll, are:
- Charles Stanley, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Atlanta, and founder of In Touch Ministries.
- Rick Warren, senior pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., and author of the best-selling book, “The Purpose-Driven Life.”
- John MacArthur, pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, Calif., and president and featured teacher of the Grace to You ministry.
- Barbara Brown Taylor, religion teacher at Piedmont College in northeast Georgia and author of 12 books including “An Altar in the World.”
- David Jeremiah, founder of Turning Point Radio and Television Ministries and senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church in San Diego County, Calif.
- Max Lucado, minister of writing and preaching at the Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, and the recipient of three Christian Book of the Year awards.
- John Piper, pastor for preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis and author of more than 30 books, including “Desiring God.”
- Andy Stanley, senior pastor of North Point Community Church, Buckhead Church, and Browns Bridge Community Church – all in the Atlanta area – and founder of North Point Ministries.
Not that we live in a personality-driven culture or anything like that.
And from Carl Stam’s weekly read this week comes the following:
What is the relationship between tradition and modern culture in your church’s worship gatherings? What is your posture towards old and new elements of Christian liturgy and music? Today’s worship quote is from a brand new book by Jim Belcher, Deep Church: A Third Way Beyond Emerging and Traditional.
What does worship look like for the deep church? And what guides us as we plan our worship events? It all starts with how we frame it. . . . We attempt to hold the Bible, the tradition and our cultural context in tension, allowing them to inform every part of our worship. Since the Bible does not give us enough information to construct a worship service, we must fill in the blanks. We are told in the Bible to sing songs, but we are not given the tunes, or told what kind of lyrics the songs should have or how emotionally intense the experience should be. When we are commanded to pray we are not told whether to use written prayers or extemporaneous prayers.
In order to be faithful we must draw on not only Scripture but tradition as well. But we also draw on our cultural sensitivities and our desire to “worship before the nations,” making sure that our worship is accessible to an outsider. Keeping all three ˜Bible, tradition and culture˜ in mind, we are able to craft a worship gathering that is neither irrelevant nor syncretistic. If any one of the triad is missing, we risk falling into one of these two extremes. Keeping them in tension we are able to maintain a powerful worship service that is simultaneously countercultural and culturally relevant. As Tim Keller [Redeemer Presbyterian Church, NYC] says so well, “I believe the solution to the problem of the ‘worship wars’ is neither to reject nor to enshrine historic tradition but to forge new forms of corporate worship that take seriously both our histories and contemporary realities, all within a framework of biblical theology.”
The author goes on to describe how deep worship incorporates seven priorities:
1. Ancient and new
2. Biblical drama
3. Joy and reverence
4. Priesthood of all believers
5. Profound but accessible sermons
6. Weekly Communion
7. Guest-friendly doxological evangelism
While I have not read the book, the balance and tension between text, tradition, and cultural context is appealing. The list, no doubt, is a discussion starter.
Feb
1
flotsam & jetsam (2.1.10)
Posted by Jon Trainer at 12:49 pm
New church website is up. There are changes and additions yet to be made, but the ComGroup has done a great job of getting this launched. The goal of this site is to communicate more to the “outside” audience than inside the New Hope community. There is an invisible, members-only side of the site we use for that. This entailed paring back a lot on the good, but info-heavy material on the previous iteration. We partnered with Elexio for this project; it has been a good experience. Hopefully, we’ll be able to tweak the blog a bit to achieve the same kind of look and feel. Your feedback is welcome and desired.
I preached yesterday on 1 Corinthians 3. The emphasis was on a man-centered ministry versus a God-centered ministry. As usual, the preacher is never quite satisfied with how the delivery matched the study and desired effects, but here are a couple of the main thoughts. First, Paul’s complete humiliation as a servant in God’s field/building. He would be distraught at the cult-like, personality-driven orientation of current evangelicalism. In even the most conservative ministry circles it is more about what so-and-so is doing, thinking, writing, than about the Lord of the church. Second, God-centered ministries are built on the foundation of the gospel and indwelt by the Spirit. This means we must take measurable steps to make gospel-centeredness a reality in our congregations, and we must be conscious of the Spirit’s presence…this entails a serious effort at wise master-building and a healthy sense of well-rounded fear in the process.
John Armstrong insists Your Church is Too Small…he is not talking about warm bodies in the pew, but instead about a connection to the larger Church. He recommends:
(1) Cultivating a commitment to restore the sacraments; (2) increasing our appetite to know more about the ancient church; (3) express love for the whole church and desire to see the church become one; (4) blend practices of worship, devotion, and prayer from all three streams of the Church (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant); (5) increase interest in integrating more liturgical depth and structure with spontaneity and freedom in the Holy Spirit; (6) provide greater involvement in signs and symbols of worship such as crosses, banners, and clerical vestments; and (7) continue a commitment to personal salvation, solid biblical teaching, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Okay, not everybody of going to be comfortable with everything on this list, but I am all for 1 (a more regular celebration of the table is one means for attaining the gospel-centeredness mentioned above), 2 (history is always a good thing), 3 (though not attainable in life under the sun, it is a desire and prayer of the Savior), 4 (some yes, some no), 5 (absolutely…every church has a liturgy, and as I tweeted last week, some are more meaningFUL and intionalFUL than others), 6 (yes…worship involves all of us, to include our senses…symbols convey meaning), and 7 (of course). HT: euangelizomai
On critisizing Islam, and a Pentagon that won’t.
Jan
29
It Takes a Community
Posted by Champ Thornton at 3:23 pm
Should churches be missional (sending out its members to unbelievers) or attractional (bringing unbelievers in to its members)?
Andreas Köstenberger, prolific author on the apostle John’s writings, makes the following observation about Jesus’ prayer for His disciples (found in John 17:20-26):
Unity (together with love) constitutes an essential prerequisite for evangelism. Outreach to unbelievers is rooted in the community of believers as a whole rather than begin the isolated enterprise of individuals who have the gift of evangelism. This realization has come to the fore once again in the present postmodern climate, which accentuates the subjective nature of knowledge and truth. In such an atmosphere, it is very difficult to reason someone into the kingdom by mere rational argument. Rather, the unbeliever must first be brought into the community of believers where he or she can experience unified and loving relationships among Christians. This experience, in turn, will prepare the unbeliever to hear the gospel message (from Encountering John, page 173).
Jan
25
flotsam & jetsam (1.25.10)
Posted by Jon Trainer at 4:46 pm
Helpful information: How to wreck your church in three weeks. Looks guaranteed to work.
A church member who is very involved in the Reynoldsburg Emmaus Community recommended this story on spiritual direction. By and large this seems to be a lost art in the evangelical church. The pace of our lives and the forms in our culture are not friends to this sort of spiritual discipline. A twelve week class on discipleship can be managed and a weekend retreat once a year is doable, but a sustained mentoring relationship over time is a horse of another color.
Even the Pope says, “Go forth and blog.” This is in interesting juxtaposition to the previous story. Could Wesley or Calvin have limited their letter writing to twitter-length (140 characters)? There is a call to be both counter-cultural and culturally savvy.
Walid Phares, one of my favorite authors on radical Islam, gives his .02 on the Ft. Hood shooter.
Contested Commons: The Future of American Power in a Multipolar World. A serious read.
A guy in Haiti is saved by his iPhone…it does more than transform your very existence.
Jan
22
flotsam & jetsam (1.22.10)
Posted by Jon Trainer at 10:24 am
Al Mohler comments on the Kaiser Family Foundation’s study of the online life of kids. One of our rules: no media in the bedroom–none, zip, zero, nada. He continues along this theme with today’s blogpost.
When even the MSM is jumping on the omission of the Fort Hood shooter’s ties to radical Islam, one knows something is up. This does not inspire confidence either. Geert Wilders is unafraid to speak the ideology-that-must-not-be-named; unfortunately, he is on trial because of it.
D.I.M.E. stands for diplomacy, information, military, and economics. These are the instruments of power (IOPs) the US leverages in the war against terrorism. While most attention is on the “M” the other IOPs are just as important, if not more vital to ultimate victory. Here is a link to a .pdf article lamenting the struggle in the information war despite success in the shooting war. Speaking of “shooting wars,” video game skills may contribute to flying drones, but iPods are not helpful on combat patrol.
Texts and tweets are key tools in the Haiti effort. Meanwhile, Koffi Annan believes “we” can turn Haiti around as he makes the case for nation building, of not just Haiti, but any “fragile state.” Annan places the burden squarely on the back of “donor nations.” The difficulty here is that too often “nations” moves from the plural to the singular as the US carries the load over the long haul. I want to be Job at the city gate (Job 29:12-13), but even he did not sit alone.
Conflict resolution does not occur via email and what happens when our conversation takes place in 140 character snippets.
For me, but apparently not for the majority of others according to Rasmussen (56%), driving is much more than going from A to B. I have my dad’s truck driving blood and constantly long for an open road.
Jan
20
flotsam & jetsam (1.20.10)
Posted by Jon Trainer at 10:59 am
The Gospel Coalition on principled self-denial and leadership in the church. How is it measured? Taking a quick initial shot…church leaders should be among the most willing to limit the exercise of spiritual liberty for the sake of the weakest sheep in the flock. I am also discovering many of my personal hobbies and interests must be replaced by loves related to the church; this is a painful process. Regarding leadership selection along these lines–we don’t do a good job.
On Sunday we collected an offering for a couple of mission organizations in Haiti, but for some, sending money to Haiti is not a no-brainer. Stewardship issues bubble up to the surface when a country is racked by political corruption and built on a foundation of crumbling infrastructure. The RAND Corporation recommends fundamental reform; it is going to be a long haul. Tough love required. Update: The real damage in Haiti occurred before the quake.
I enjoy politics; I keep politics out of the pulpit (see self-denial above). However, it is difficult to ignore the scene change occurring yesterday in Massachusetts. Mort Zuckerman’s resulting admonition to the President is stinging. How do we respond when a friend tells us we are wrong?
The DoD report on the Fort Hood massacre refuses to address the elephant in the room.
From the NYT, “If Your Kids Are Awake, They’re Probably Online.” Hello.
No cognac and roses were left at Edgar Allen Poe’s grave yesterday, the 201st anniversary of his birth, breaking a tradition that began around 1949. Is the raven saying, “Nevermore?” If so, someone should pick up the ball bottle.